RS writers spill all

The writers at the Rising Stars have all had their share of weird events while working here. And not just that, on the eve of turning 18, we went to the people who define RS and asked them what it was like to work for the Rising Stars. Here are their thoughts and experiences:

A funny anecdote: when the call for the interview came in I actually made the editor wait on the phone for a while just because I was busy on my PS2. But on my defense my father made it sound like some friend had just called. The work at RS would always be one of my very happy memories. It was there that I got to make friends with my colleagues who had those sparkles in their eyes and those auras around their body that instantly let you know that they were freakin' geniuses. And I got to have two very super awesome bosses who were very susceptible to 'telafying' (okay I made it up) and despite general 'boss rules' loved all their writers.
-Hitoishi Chakma

I wanted to get into the RS since I was 10 years old. That's eight years of longing, man. When I finally DID get in…whoa! The world got a tad bit brighter.
-Shehtaz Huq

Whenever I looked at Rising Stars I imagined my name on it: my name under one of the articles. Back at that time it seemed like an unattainable dream. On 16th of April I suddenly came closer to fulfilling this dream as I slowly followed my mum into the editor's room. Now it has been one year since I have been working here. I have made some really good friends and have learnt a lot. Yes I still make mistakes and I still feel upset when my work doesn't get printed but in the end it is all worth it. RS is my true love and my second home.
-Nishita Aurnab

I was once added online by some girl. We began talking and it turns out that she is a big fan of RS and has read my articles on numerous occasions. This obviously pleased me a lot and so I asked if she could remember any particular article I wrote and give her opinion of it. What she said really made me angry, not because she had a negative opinion but because she said 'Well, I can't really remember anyone in particular. The main reason I added you is because I found your address and I was hoping you could give me Hitoishi's address. See, I'm a really big fan of his.'
-Osama Rahman

Being a RS member, I had my fair share of weird experiences. There was this crazy fan guy who used to bug me for publishing his poems (which were totally crap!) and there was this time when we got scary blank calls at the office.

Then there were the funny workshops that made me laugh until my sides ached with hilarious acting and role-plays. If I had the chance I would never stop writing about RS, it's just way too special for me!
-Faria Sanjana

Ok so the story is like this: I applied to RS and some how (only God knows how) I got in (!). Soon, the day of the first meeting of the “new team” finally arrived, and honestly, I expected to come across a pair of grim looking bosses and a bunch of really serious, grave writers. But the surprise came gradually. With due time, the shyness melted away and utter chaos replaced the conference room during the meetings. We would crack lame jokes and brainstorm simultaneously; working suddenly became fun.
-Nayeema Reza

This intriguing promised one thing for sure: Plenty of Drama. This promise was surely delivered. Barcelona enjoyed the lion's share of possession as was predicted but managed to create very few clear-cut chances. Chelsea managed to put-on a solid defensive display, restricting the Catalans to long distances shots which were always easily dealt with by Petr Cech. Stand-in left-back Bosingwa managed to tame Messi, whilst Henry and Xavi were well blocked by Terry and Mikel respectively. Barcelona however managed to probe the Chelsea defence with their brilliant build-ups but were always foiled at the very end. Henry managed to get a drive only to see it stopped by Cech who was brilliant between, saving shots by Eto'o, Helb, the industrious Alves and finally a point-blank save from a header by Bojan in the closing stages. Chelsea had their best chance in the 39th minute when a mistake by Marquez left Drogba one on one with Valdez, who managed to save the Ivorian's sole effort. After the break it was Ballack who managed to get on the end of Drogba's free-kick, only to see his header flash wide.

The horrendous twist came when Marquez had to be stretchered off in the second half and replaced by Carlos Puyol who managed to pick-up a yellow card and thus is banned from the next match. The referee could've done a better job as Chelsea's defensive displays became very physical as the game progressed and both Ballack and Bosingwa were lucky not to pick up very deserving bookings.

Cech was surely the hero as he managed to save so many shots and thus now Chelsea can dream of another final this year. With a 3-1 victory against Fulham, Drogba showing that he is returning to form, Ashley Cole's return and Anelka's returning confidence, Chelsea can surely put up a better offensive display at home during the second leg. However, much also depends whether the trio of Messi, Eto'o and Xavi live up to expectations that they have set for themselves. With Barcelona leading 2-1 in the El Classico at the moment this article is being written and plundering Real's defense with beautiful strings of passes, The Catalans may just be getting ready.

Guardiola may not have been content with the display his team put-in and the referee's decision but Hiddink will surely be a happy man. What remains to be seen is whether Chelsea can manage to put on such a strong defensive unit again and go for the counter-attacks which they seriously lacked in the first leg. The second leg surely promises much more drama than before.

Manchester United Vs Arsenal
Venue: Old Trafford
Result: 1-0

Everyone was expecting a goal-fest when these two sides met but they were all disappointed. However, United tore at Arsenal's defence from the start with Wayne Rooney coming very close in only the second minute. Almunia was the hero for Arsenal as his brilliant saves kept the tie very much open when these two sides meet for the second leg. Arsenal's woeful defence were highlighted and so was the glaring absence of Arsenal's top defenders. Almunia saved Tevez's attempt at goal at the cost of a corner which Carrick took. Arsenal left too much space at the back and the ball sailed towards O'Shea, who shot the ball home, taking a slight deflection off Silvestre in the 17th minute.

Arsenal looked clueless and completely out of the idea from then on and United bombarded Arsenal's goal over and over again and it took some superhuman form for Almunia to ward off the tide of attacks. United enjoyed much of the possession and when Arsenal had the ball, they failed to do much with it. The absence of Van Persie and Arshavin seemed to hurt Arsenal a lot. Their best chance came when Cesc Fabregas tried from 20-yards only to see his shot land safely in the clutches of van der Sar. In the 85th minute Bendtner met Fabregas' free-kick but with too much power and thus that proved to be futile as well. Arsenal's display may almost rate as a 'horror' considering their much-talked about beautiful football and Arsene's sense of adventure.

Though the match was restricted to 1-0, not much can be predicted about the 2nd leg which is to take place in the emirates. However pundits are betting their money on Manchester United as Arsenal seem to have fallen in a rut. Their Premier League performance is nothing to go by as Arshavin is the man of the hour for them there, but he is cup-tied and thus can't play in the Champion's League this season. United look in terrifying form and Ronaldo's presence everywhere in the field at Trafford this time is an ominous sign of what may have been and what may be yet to come. Though not much can be said we can all expect an all-out battle for goals and glory.