Maitree 2022

Creative
Writings

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A wonder in the world of books

One of my favourite hobby is reading books. If you ask me why, I must say books take us into a world filled with
wonder. A world filled with imagination and enthusiasm. If I have to read a book all over again, it will be ‘Talon, the
Falcon’; which is written by Deepak Dalal. But what is ‘Talon, the Falcon’ all about? It is all about Talon, a majestic
falcon and Shikar, a kind-hearted squirrel. Shikar’s heart mourns for the falcon. But where will his destiny take him?
Can he rescue the falcon? Also falcons constantly attack squirrels and wishy-washy little birds. At last, Shikar makes
Talon his friend. And that very night, in the dark, Shikar and his bird friends mount a daring rescue attempt. The most
exciting part of this book is the rescue book. And my favourite character in this book is Shikar. Ask me why? Because
Shikar, the squirrel is an orphan. Other squirrels of the Rose Garden where Shikar lived, distrusted him except Paan
and Supari, his two little squirrel friends. But the birds of the Rose Garden trusted Shikar. There was a fear of being
eaten up by the falcon. But how brave Shikar was! If I was in place of Shikar I would not live in the garden only. No
wonder this marvellous writing of Deepak Dalal is my favourite.

Is science a blessing?

This is a familiar question which I have asked myself many times. My old school teacher was not so wrong when he
said “Everything has good sides as well as bad sides”. I myself feel if we use the good sides we will benefit more.
But the question still remains, is science a blessing? Humans are too small to verify that. Science is the whole nature,
whole earth, whole universe. It seems too big. In other words, science is imagination. But if I make this huge wondrous
science into a tiny pool of water. What can we see? What can we observe? Life. That’s the main element which makes
science. Now you can ask me, what is there in a cool little pool of this kind. Look closely. What can you see? Nothing,
I believe. But that’s not the truth. There are microrganisms, which are very small, very small viruses, bacteria and even

very small animals. Now, look at the dark-bluish sky. You can see those small spots and patches of red, yellow, green.
They can be planets or stars shining brightly like our sun. Now, see that small little pool and the sky. These planets
are very huge in size and are far, far away from us. What about life? Can life exist on these planets also? No, I think
life cannot exist in these planets. Life only exists on the surface of the earth. And humans are the sharpest creatures
in the world. But the notable work of these humans is valuable contribution. Humans think, innovate, discover, invent
and most importantly contribute to science.

Anirbed Dutta
S/o Arijit Dutta
Finance Shared Service Centre, HPL

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Rupsha Roy
D/o Raghunath Roy

Taxation & Payroll, HPL

49

The Corona Virus

Everything was fine when suddenly a virus came from China named COVID-19. It all started from the year 2020, when
it was March. Suddenly, a news flashed in the news channels that a new virus is coming from China.

Everyone took it very casually and thought it was a rumor, but it went true. The virus started affecting human bodies
and took thousand lives a day. One day my mother told me strictly that from then on, I will not go to play. I asked my
mother why? She took a deep breath and said that you will not understand. I said that you can explain me easily in a
simple way, but she said it was about a virus and didn’t say anything else.

The next day I saw my father sitting and reading the newspaper very seriously. I asked him, what are you reading but
he didn’t reply to me. I asked him again but this time he told me about the virus COVID-19 and explained it to me and
said that we can go nowhere because of this virus.

The most disappointing news was that our Manali was cancelled. We felt very bored sitting in the house and playing
indoor games. All our daily essential needs were bought by our caretaker, who is a brave and generous to help us out
during the tough time. But it was very unfortunate that the virus didn’t spare him, and he had to be admitted in the
hospital. He was in the hospital for nearly two weeks. So, we all were worried about him.

We stopped watching the news as we were getting very anxious about the situation. We became more serious as we
heard the active cases were increasing, we started washing our hands frequently and we use to sanitize everything
that use to come from outside. We used to wash the vegetables twice as it was bought from the market. we started
wearing a mask, when we use to go to the terrace, and we use to take a lot more precaution to prevent ourselves
from getting affected by the virus. Finally, the scientists introduced us to the vaccines, which controlled the virus and
the active cases started decreasing.

After two years, we came out of our home freely and started meeting and celebrating the moment.

Seshadri Chakraborty
S/o Himadri Chakraborty
Administration, HPL

My Toys

Hey Master! See our pale face;
We don’t go to holidays,

Why don’t you quickly pack your suitcase?
Oh Master! You have so many new toys,

Who haven’t travelled the world yet.
A set of soldiers and a set of ninjas,
And a lot more uncountable set.
My dear Master! Which type of monster is outside?

That makes you stay indoors?
Please go out to have a cycle ride.
Oh, Dear Master! Why don’t you answer me?

Then I replied—
My toys! It’s not a monster but a very small and tiny living virus that can kill people of more than billion in number just
in a day!
No playground, no vacation, nor outside.
Staying home to stay safe is what we pray to God from the depth of our hearts to keep us alive.

Sivangi Chakraborty
D/o Santanu Chakraborty
Engineering, HPL

My Dream Man

My dream man is CR7, Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro. I am a diehard fan of this man. He is a super energetic
man. I want to become a disciplined player like him. Sometimes in my dreams I play matches with him. I pray to God
to give me a chance to meet with him. He is very handsome and a skilful player. I love him because he had not made
any tattoos on his body, so that he can donate blood and bone marrow to the needy people. I will also never draw
tattoos on my body like my dream man.

Sparsadeep Jana
S/o-Late Souvik Jana

Don’t know why Dad is always lagging behind

*Don’t know why Dad is always lagging behind.*
1. Mom carries for 9 months, Dad carries for 25 years, both are equal, still don’t know why Dad is lagging behind.
2. Mother works without pay for the family, Dad spends all his pay for the family, both their efforts are equal, still don’t
know why Dad is lagging behind.
3. Mom cooks whatever you want, Dad buys whatever you want, both their love is equal, but Mom’s love is shown as
superior. Don’t know why Dad is lagging behind.
4. When you talk over the phone, you want to talk to Mom first, if you get hurt, you cry ‘Mom’. You will only remember
dad when you need him, but did Dad never feels bad that you don’t remember him the other times? When it comes
to receiving love from children, for generations, don’t know why Dad is lagging behind.

51

5. Cupboards will be filled with colorful sarees and many clothes for kids but Dad’s clothes are very few, he doesn’t
care about his own needs, still don’t know why Dad is lagging behind.

6. Mom has many gold ornaments, but Dad has only one ring that was given during his wedding. Still Mom may
complain of less jewellery and Dad doesn't. Still don't know why is Dad lagging behind.

7. Dad works very hard all his life to take care of the family, but when it comes to getting recognition, don't know why
he is always lagging behind.

8. Mom says, we need to pay college tuition this month, please don’t buy a saree for me for the festival whereas dad
has not even thought of new clothes.Both their love is equal, still don’t know why Dad is lagging behind.

9. When parents become old, children say, Mom is at least useful in taking care of household chores, but they say,
Dad is useless.

Dad is *behind (or ‘at the back’)* because he is the backbone of the family. Because of him, we are able to stand erect.
Probably, this is the reason why he is lagging *behind*!

Dedicated to all the DAD's Happy Father's Day

Subhojit Acharyya
S/o Swapna Acharyya
Administration, HPL

The Ship of Mystery

One evening, I was taking a stroll along the harbour, watching the sun gradually set in the horizon in a haze of crimson
and gold over the cornflower blue ocean. While walking, I noticed an interesting vessel. It was a medieval era ship and
was made of dark wood. It was like a large pirate vessel complete with the skull and crossbones flag at the top. I was
filled with curiosity so I decided to check it out. I climbed up on to the deck with the help of a ladder placed at the side.
The ship was awesome. I was exactly like the ships that I saw in a movie.

There were not one, but two huge masts with the sails folded down. The prow of the ship had a figurehead. It was a
figure of a girl holding high her hand proudly. On it were written the words ‘Princess Andromeda’. The lower deck had
a gun port with lots of cannons at both side, but no cannon balls. The hold of the ship had lots of chests and barrels,
but all were empty. I peeked into the cabins. They were all old fashioned with bunk beds. The captain’s cabin was
decorated with ornate wooden panels. There was a bed, a table, a desk and a large chest. I began looking around
the room. I opened the chest and the drawers but all were empty. I was so engrossed in what I was doing that I did
not hear the soft footsteps outside the cabin door. As soon as I came out of the cabin, a pair of hands grabbed me.
I barely had time to cry out but I was quickly gagged and my hands were bound. I was pushed back and a cutlass
was pointed at my throat. I walked back in fright and looked at the holder of the cutlass. He was a tall middle aged
man, with a bushy beard, scarred face and one of his eyes was covered with a black eyepatch. There were other men,
all wearing same type of ragged and tattered clothes. ‘Pirates!’ I thought. I did not know that pirates like this existed
in this modern time. The pirate, which I thought to be the captain, poked my chest with the cutlass and forced me
backwards. I waited breathlessly not being able to speak because of the gag. They advanced upon me all their swords
drawn and pointed at me. Just as I was going to fall off the edge of the ship, the captain grabbed my hand and pulled
me forward. ‘Finally’, I thought ‘They have realized that it was a mistake and are going to released me’. But no, the
pirate tied me to a mast pole with a rope and left me standing there. After what it seemed an eternity later, when it was
nighttime and the stars had begun to peep out in the sky, two men came out of the cabin door. They were obviously
drunk. They staggered about, yelling curses and shoving each other. They seemed to be arguing about something.

One of them pointed at me and both the pirates came lumbering over to me. ‘You must confess to us!’ yelled the
pirates, ‘you traitor!’ The first pirate among them drew a knife from his belt. He raised the knife and aimed for my wrists
for a stroke. I thought he was going to cut my hands, or at least torture me. But the pirate simply cut the rope that
bound my hands. I was surprised, but I thanked him. I got up and begun to walk away. But the pirate did not intend
to let me go. He caught me in a wrestler’s grip and tackled me to the ground. I struggled, but the pirate was much
stronger. He pushed me forcefully and with a moan of dismay, I tumbled overboard. I hit the water with a tremendous
splash and salt water filled my lungs. With a gasp I swam to the surface of water. I could hear the maniacal laughter
of the pirates as ship sailed away. So, I headed towards land.

After swimming for several minutes, I finally saw the harbour. I climbed onto a jetty and lay panting and coughing up
water. It felt good to be on solid ground again.

Then I went back home and had a good night’s sleep. I tried to reason what had happened but could not make any
sense of the happenings.

After, about a month later, I was returning from a seminar when a large poster caught my eye. It was an advertisement
for a movie. The movie seemed interesting. It was ‘The Pirates of the Mediterranean’. I went to the nearest movie
theater, bought a ticket, and went in. It was a very exciting movie. At the last part of the movie, as the pirates of the
ship tied the traitor to the mast, only then I saw the face of the victim. I stood up in shock. It was me!

I then realized what had happened that day on the ship.

Swarnava Pal
S/o Subhabrata Pal
DP Process, MCPI

Lily cannot stop laughing

Once there lived a girl named Lily. She was very sweet and soft spoken. But, she had a big problem, as Lily had no
control on her laughing. Whenever, she saw anyone falling down, she could not stop laughing. She also laughed at
her teacher who had a big belly. The moment she ate tamarind, she burst out of laughing. One day, when her father
came back from office at evening wearing a wet rain coat, she laughed at her father. When someone narrated a joke,
everyone could stop laughing at a point, but Lily cannot stop laughing. Many times when she was determined not to
laugh at any point, she always fails to keep her promise. She was very upset at her laughing problems as often she
was scolded by others for her laughing habit.

One day when Lily was coming back from school, she saw a poor boy begging for some food. She gave leftover tiffin
to him, and also gave her water bottle for drinking to the boy. After he completed the food, the boy was very happy
and his eyes were twinkling .The boy thanked Lily and asked to make a wish. Lily told the boy about her laughing
problem. The boy said ‘laughing is not a bad habit, but one thing I can do that whenever you will laugh, no one can
hear you annoying sound of your laughing’. Lily became very happy and thanked the boy and ran home. After that,
she was never rebuked by anyone for her laughing.

Suhanya Sarkar
D/o Subrata Sarkar

Plant HR, HPL

53

Informative
Articles

It all starts with a name: Formula 1

Arpan Mahindar
S/o Saugata Mahindar

HSEF, HPL

INTRODUCTION around 1000 horsepower from 1.6 litre V-6s.
Manufacturers prefer the term “power unit” since the
Formula 1 or F1 racing as we know today started in the total horsepower output is a cooperative effort between
European racing scene between the first and second the turbocharged internal combustion engine and a
world wars. In that interwar period, the races served to cutting-edge hybrid system. A turbo works by using
showcase some of the biggest manufacturers, featuring exhaust gases to drive a pump, compressing the air that
the fastest and most powerful prototype machinery. goes into the engine. While the turbo spins up, there
World War II put racing on a temporary halt. This meant is a natural delay between pressing the accelerator and
that many of the cars had been around since the late getting the power boost.
1930s and somehow escaped being melted down for
munitions during the war. To keep technology focused on efficiency, F1 rules
enforce a strict limit on the amount of fuel carried by
The World Championship for drivers began in 1950, cars (105kgs) and how fast it can flow(100kgs/hr).
followed by the Constructors in 1958. In the decades Since 2010, no refuelling has been allowed during the
that followed, the sport has changed almost beyond races. F1 engines have changed a great deal since
recognition. The races have become slightly shorter, the world championship began in 1950, when 1.5-litre
the cars massively more complex, and the rules more supercharged or 4.5-litre naturally aspirated engines of
prescriptive and enforced tightly. any cylinder count were permitted.

When Britain’s King George VI watched the field Beginning with the 2017 season, teams are limited to
roar away at its first World Championship F1 race at 4 complete power units per driver per season. Once a
Silverstone in May 1950, gasoline was still rationed driver burns through the quota of components, he or
in his dominion and the circuit itself was a redundant she begins to incur increasingly severe grid penalties.
airfield bounded by old oil drums. Today, the Grand Prix
are tightly choreographed television spectacles, set in CHASSIS
multimillion-dollar facilities, and waving flag for some of
the world’s most prestigious brands. If the engine is the heart of a Formula 1 car, the chassis
is its spine. Every element connects to the chassis and
The years between the first Grand Prix and today’s events relies on its strength. In the early days of the World
brought growing pains, controversies, glory, and sadly Championship, chassis were typically built as steel
death. When the starting lights go out on a Grand Prix frame. The engine, gearbox, suspension, and outer
Sunday, every part of the spectacle has been shaped by body panels were then mounted on the frame, usually
lessons learned often the hard way over seven decades with the engine in front of the driver.
of action.
Manufacturers built chassis from steel and aluminium
TECHNOLOGY until 1981, when McLaren shocked the F1 world with
MP4, which featured a carbon-fibre chassis. Carbon
ENGINES fibre quickly became the chassis material of choice and
remains so to this day.
Formula 1 engines today put their road car cousins to
shame in terms of fuel efficiency while still squeezing A modern F1 car is built around a central carbon-fibre

55

structure called a “tub” which includes the cockpit. top speed, but overall lap times were quicker.
These tubs have to pass a series of static load test and
crash tests, including a stimulated rollover. The cockpit Aerodynamic research is conducted both in the
wall, for example, must withstand an impact equivalent wind tunnel, with physical models, and virtually, via
to 250 tons. To keep the competition as fair as possible, computational fluid dynamics (CFD). As teams began to
the cars must weigh at least 728kgs, including the driver spend ever greater sums in the “aero arms race” of the
but not the fuel. Each car’s weight is checked at random early 2000s, wind tunnel hours and computing power
during the weekend and again immediately after the are now subject to strict limits.
race.
STEERING WHEEL
ELECTRONICS
Except for the accelerator and brakes, everything
A typical Formula 1 car racing today contains almost a Formula 1 drivers need for control is now available at their
kilometre of wiring, and sophisticated electronic systems fingertips. Over 60+ years of the World Championship,
govern and monitor all aspects of its performance. Even steering wheels have evolved from simple wood-rimmed
the brakes have an element of electronic control, if only tillers to designed and custom-built pieces of carbon-
at the rear, to mitigate the effects of the energy recovery fibre art. Paddle switches behind the wheel control the
system (ERS). The problem occurs when the ERS adds clutch and gearshift, so the driver never has to take his
to the braking force on the rear wheels as they harvest or her hands off the wheel.
energy, potentially giving the driver a nasty surprise
if peak charge is reached and the breaks shut off in a Dials in the centre of the wheel can fine tune the differential
breaking zone. settings and engine-torque delivery as needed, adjusting
the car’s behaviour in particular corners or with changing
Electronics also play a crucial role in boosting track conditions. The driver can also alter ignition
performance and avoiding or diagnosing breakdowns. mapping and fuel-air mix, depending on whether he or
Every movement of a Formula 1 car is monitored by a she needs more power or fuel economy. Other switches
network of sensors and transmitted back to the team enable the driver to move the balance of braking force
usually in real time. The data they capture up to half from front or rear, or to change the priorities of the power
a megabyte per second can help both car and driver unit’s energy recovery and storage systems.
perform better as well as giving an early sign of warning
of technical failures. Buttons control instant-hit functions such as drinking
bottle, the radio, the pit lane speed limiter, and the drag-
AERODYNAMICS reduction system activator. A separate button marked
ACK for when the driver is too busy to talk but needs
It’s the conflicting needs that makes aerodynamics such to acknowledge a message from the pit wall. In 2014, a
an important and controversial area in the world of F1. 480*272-pixel color LCD screen was introduced along
At its heart is the tradeoff between straight-line speed with the new hybrid power unit formula, though some
and cornering performance: designers spend hundreds teams have retained the old monochrome screen.
of hours researching parts that help their cars go around
corners quickly, but they can slow the cars down when FUEL AND LUBES
travelling in a straight line.
The rules for fuel use became one of the first open
Any object moving through air or fluid encounters conflicts in F1 as competitors loaded up with power-
resistance, known as drag. In the early days of F1, boosting additives. What went in tank was more likely to
designers focused on making the cars slim and narrow, be a toxic cocktail of aviation fuel, benzene, and alcohol
and keeping elements such as suspension components than petrol. Aviation gas was banned in the 1950s, and
out of the airflow. The key to speed, they believed, was for a while only pump fuel was allowed.
to present the minimum possible surface area to the air
through which the car was passing. Current F1 fuel is close to what you can buy at a gas
station, although leading teams and engine manufacturers
This changed in 1960s, following the principle of flight work with their fuel and lubes suppliers to create a family
in reverse, adding wings to generate downward thrust of blends to suit different circuits and climates. Each of
rather than lift. They could go beyond the natural grip these has to be submitted to the governing body for
levels of the tyres and make their vehicles go faster tests, where the fluids’ chemical “fingerprints” are taken.
around the corners. The wings added drag, which cost Under current regulations, Formula 1 cars can use no

more than 105kgs of fuel during a race. record of 322 starts may stand for some time. But it’s
been broken by the Finnish driver Kimi Raikkonen in
TRAINING FOR SUCCESS: 2021 of having 349 starts, closely followed by Fernando
Alonso of Spain with 342 starts.
F1 cars aren’t built for comfort. There’s very little
compliance in the suspension; the seta is carbon-fibre Sebastian Vettel from Germany has the record for most
shell; and, once at racing speed, the driver is hit by consecutive wins of 9 set during a dominant 2013
forces many times that of gravity as the car accelerates, season with Red Bull team. He beat the previous record
decelerates, and goes around corners. Because of the of 7, jointly held my Schumacher in 2004 and Alberto
engine breaking, aerodynamic downforce, and energy- Ascari as well as Nico Rosberg.
recovery systems, simply lifting your foot off the throttle
while travelling at speed makes the car slow down Some drivers set records that are unlikely to be beaten.
sharply about as much as if you hit the brakes in your 4-time Champion Juan Manuel Fangio started 51 races
road car hard enough to make all the wheels lock up. having set pole position in 29 of them and he won 24.
He was also the oldest world champion, being aged 46
At Monza, Italy, the cars must slow down from over when he lifted the trophy for the last time in 1957.
200miles per hour to just 30miles per hour for the first
turn. That takes 100 metres and around 1.9 seconds, Most recently, Max Verstappen, Dutch driver and son
during which the driver is subjected to over 5 times the ex-F1 driver of Jos Verstappen became the subject of
force of gravity while standing on the brake pedal with a a bidding war while still racing in a Junior Formula. The
pressure equivalent to doing a 135kg single leg press in Red Bull soft drink empire signed him into their young
the gym. Cornering forces also put drivers through levels driver program and promoted him to F1 within months
of physical stress common to fighter pilots, particularly at the age of 17, before he’d even take his road-car

in the neck area. Cardiovascular fitness is also essential. driving test. He won his 1st Grand Prix in 2016, aged
18 in Barcelona. He became the F1 World Champion in
DRIVERS 2021 in an epic duel with Lewis Hamilton in the last race
of the season in Abu Dhabi.
Michael Schumacher is the most successful F1 driver of
all time. Over a career in two parts- he retired in 2006, after RIVALRIES
15 years at the top, then made a 3-season comeback
from 2010-2012. He won 7 World Championships and Some believed that Striling Moss would have been a more
91 Grand Prix and set 86 pole positions and 77 fastest deserving winner of the 1958 World Championship than
laps. Now, British driver Lewis Hamilton holds the record Mike Hawthorn. Hawthorn briefly driven the wrong way
of 103 wins, 103 pole positions and 60 fastest laps. up the track to rejoin after spinning off at the Portuguese
Grand Prix, and Moss would have been well within his
Schumacher started 306 Grand Prix, 2nd only to his rights to protest but he did no such thing. Although
former Ferrari teammate Rubens Barrichello, whose Moss won the last round of the season and netted an

57

extra point by setting the fastest lap, he missed the title at Benetton in 1994 and 1995, moved to Ferrari team
by 1 point. Circumstances meant he never got that close that was in one of its competitive slumps. Along with
again, although he finished 3rd in 1959, 1960 and 1961. other new personnel including ex-Benetton engineers
Ross Brawn and Rory Bryne, Schumacher was part of a
Most recently, the 2016 World Champion Nico Rosberg money is no object push to bring Ferrari back to the top.
announced that he was hanging up his helmet just hours
before he collected his trophy. Beating his teammate Combining the hottest established talent with a promising
Lewis Hamilton had required so many sacrifices, rookie that McLaren had been grooming for over a
explained Rosberg, that he couldn’t face doing it again.
Alain Prost also quit the sport after winning his 4th title in decade ought to have created a winning combination.
1993, though many believe this decision was influenced Instead, the partnership of Fernando Alonso and Lewis
by the fact that his team had signed his old nemesis, Hamilton in 2007 resulted in unprecedented rancor,
Ayrton Senna for the following season. magnifying the impact of a damaging scandal that left
the team $100 million poorer, it could not have gone
In 2006, after a decade with Ferrari team in which he wrong.
won 5 World Championships, Michael Schumacher was
nudged ungraciously into retirement by management, Australian Mark Webber had overcome many obstacles
who believed that the young Finn Kimi Raikkonen was a during his career, from lack of finance early on to the
better prospect for the future. persistent trouble of fitting his tall frame into the tight
space of a single-seater race car. But when he finally
The tale of the showdown for the 1976 World got himself into race-winning machinery, he faced the
Championship between Niki Lauda and James Hunt toughest challenge of all: being partnered with his
sounds like the plot of a Hollywood movie. Eventually team’s favourite son. The angst began in 2009, when
became one: Rush in 2013. Lauda’s wealthy family Webber was joined by Sebastian Vettel, one of the latest
disowned his racing activities and he had to take a prodigies from Red Bull’s Young Driver program. Unlike
bank loan to fund his early career. James Hunt was a far many of his predecessors, the 23 yr. old German was
more mercurial character and from a far less financially no slouch, and already a Grand Prix winner. Webber,
privileged background. now well into his 30s, was used to psychologically
intimidating his younger teammate but none of this trick
Having the 2 best drivers in Formula 1 on the same team, worked on Vettel.
with the best car, must have seemed like a great idea at
that time. Unfortunately for McLaren boss Ron Dennis, RACING CIRCUITS
pairing of Brazilian Ayrton Senna with Frenchman Alain
Prost for the 1988 season ignited one of the most toxic RAF Silverstone in England opened as a training base
rivalries of all time. for bomber pilots in 1943. By 1947, the base had been
vacated by the Royal Air Force and questions were being
Over the course of 4 seasons around the turn of the asked in the House of Commons about its future. 3
century, the career trajectories of Mika Hakkinen years later, Silverstone held the 1st World Championship
and Michael Schumacher became intertwined to get Formula 1 race.
dramatic effect. Schumacher, 2-time world champion
The easiest way to bring racing to the people, rather
than expecting the people to bring themselves to the

racing, is to stage events in urban environments. That From 1950-1959, points were awarded from 1st to 5th
was how top-class motorsport rolled during the pre-war place. That has gradually increased to top 10 now on a
era, before the advent of permanent circuits and when point scale of 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1 but only since
safety standards were somewhat lacking. 2010.

FLAG TO FINISH STAYING ALIVE

Like any good story, a race has a beginning, a middle If there were such a thing as a cursed weekend, the
and an end. At the close of play, the driver who has 1994 San Marino GP aptly fits that description. Five
covered the most distance in the shortest time is the serious incidents, 2 of which resulted in fatalities, would
winner; a checkered flag is waved at them as they cross have grabbed the world’s attention-even if one of those
the finishing line, arms aloft in victory, and they proceed tragic deaths had not been Ayrton Senna, one of the
from there to collect their trophy and a bottle of sparkling greatest drivers of all time. The following day, Austrian
wine. Drivers naturally look forward to Friday, when Roland Ratzenberger was killed when his front wing
track activity begins with 2 90-minute practice sessions. came loose, also at high speed, and lodged under his
Each team arrives with a plan to make the most of this car. Unable to brake or steer effectively, he slammed into
time. On Saturday another hour of practice takes before a concrete wall.
Qualifying begins, a crucial period that determines the
starting order for the race. In later years, the HANS device which was pioneered in
America in 1980sis essentially a carbon-fibre frame that
Since 2006, the single qualifying session is now split into rests on the driver’s pectoral area and attaches to the
three phases. In the first phase, which lasts 18minutes, crash helmet. It reduces whiplash during impacts and
all 20 drivers have to set a time and at the end of it 5 has been mandatory in F1 since 2003. Also, throughout
slowest drivers are eliminated. In the second, which 2016 new-cockpit protection device was tested during

lasts 15 minutes, the remaining drivers run again and the Grand Prix practice sessions known as HALO. It was
then the slowest five are dropped, leaving 10 to contest finally introduced in 2018. Engine sizes were cut from
the final 10 minutes. A tactical wrinkle is that everyone 3.5-litre V-10s to 3.0 in 1995, then to 2.4 V-8s in 2006.
who makes it through the top 10 must start the race on
the set of tyres they used to set their quickest time in the STATUS OF INDIA IN F1
second phase. Everyone else gets a free choice.
India hosted 3 F1 races at the Buddh International Circuit
Tyre choice, how many of each type you bring and when from 2011-2013 before its gates were reportedly locked
you use them adds an extra layer of complication and is by the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development
the key to effective strategy. Pirelli, F1’s sole tyre supplier, Authority. The circuit is located in Greater Noida and
offers a family of five dry-weather rubber compounds: signed a 5-yr. deal. The 2014 edition was postponed
ultra-soft, super soft, soft, medium and hard. In theory due to a tax dispute between the circuit and the FIA,
softest tyres provide more grip but have the shortest life, with the local government classing F1 as entertainment
while hard tyres last longer and provides less grip. and not a sport. This meant that F1 was required to pay

59

entertainment tax to the Indian Government, which was As of 2021, there have been 2 F1 drivers from India:
reportedly deemed too expensive by the F1 organizers. Karun Chandhok and Narain Karthikeyan. They have
a total of 59 Grand Prix entries, accumulated 5 points
Force India Formula One Team Limited, commonly and none have taken a race win, podium, fastest lap or
known as Force India and later Sahara Force India, was pole position. But, Jehan Daruvala is an Indian racing
a Formula One racing team and constructor based in driver from Mumbai, currently competing in the Formula
Silverstone, UK, with an Indian licence. The team was 2 Championship with Prema Racing. He was a protégé
formed in October 2007 when a consortium led by Indian of the Force India F1 team, after being one of the three
businessman Vijay Mallya and Dutch businessman winners of a “One in a Billion Hunt” organized by the
Michael Mol bought the Spyker F1 team for $88 million. team in 2011. He is currently a member of the Red Bull
The team’s asset was then brought by a consortium of Junior team.
investors, named Racing Point UK, led by Lawrence
Stroll.

Sharks

C. Caline
D/o Caxton Goldston

IOP ECR, HPL

Who is more dangerous? A scary shark or a scred The most famous and scariest shark is the Great White
human? shark. There are many scary movies with the Great
White Shark. They are very scary with big sharp teeth.
If your answer is The Shark, then think again. They are as big as a school bus. They love to eat seals
and fishes. They rarely attack man.
Sharks have been swimming our oceans since the
time of the dinosaurs. There are more than 1000 types The Tiger sharks are called as the Garbage Cans of the
of sharks. They come in all sizes from the tiny Dwarf ocean as they eat anything that fits their mouth. Car
Lantern Shark to the mighty Whale Shark. tyres, license plates, basketball, bones, clothes etc are
some of the many things that were found inside tiger
The sharks can only swim forward. They must be always shark's stomach.
swimming to breathe. The gills are at the sides. The
sharks have excellent sense of smell. They can even The Whale Sharks are the largest of the sharks. They
smell a drop of blood in many liters of water. The sharks can grow upto 40 feet. The whale shark even though
have many rows of very sharp teeth. The sharks never they are soo big they eat only plankton. The Basking
stops growing new teeth. They grow many sets of teeth shark is another large shark, it has a mouth like a big net
in their lifetime. When a tooth breaks they are replaced .The Sting rays are also a type of shark.
with a new one very quickly.
Some of the ancient sharks were really big and scary. The
The sharks are egg laying animals. Their eggs are called Megalodon was the largest shark. The name megalodon
as mermaid's purse as they look like small bags. But means giant tooth.
some sharks carry the young ones and give birth to live
baby sharks. The sharks where called as Sea Dogs till The sharks are being shown as very scary and dangerous
300 years ago. The sharks have huge livers filled with animals that always kill humans but the truth is that
oils, this helps them from not drowning. sharks rarely attack humans but millions of sharks killed
by man every year.

IPL 2022:
The Rise of Gujarat Titans

Ishan Raman Dutta
S/o Koushik Dutta
Commodity Business Team, HPL

Indian Premier League (IPL) first started in 2008, with 8 who came out to the top. With this win they earned their
IPL franchises who competed against each other until first two points in their first IPL season. The players who
2010. In 2011, two more franchises were added- Pune were benched by the other teams during the previous
Warriors India and Kochi Tuskers Kerala but they could tournaments were the match winners for GT. In high
not continue. From 2012 the two new franchises were spirits Gujarat won their next two matches against Delhi
removed, and the old 8 franchises continued to play. and Punjab. They say over confidence is not good as GT
suffered their first humiliating loss against Hyderabad.
Fourteen years passed in the history of IPL. Many records After that humiliating loss GT worked hard and came
were made, broken and many IPL teams named them back stronger against Rajasthan Royals. Before their
as the champions. In the year of 2021, BCCI announced next match against Chennai Hardik Pandya added
that two new IPL teams would join the league, with a total Wriddhiman Saha in their playing XI. This proved to be a
of 10 teams from 2022. IPL was held in empty stadiums excellent change for them as he and some other unsung
due to corona pandemic for the past two years. But in heroes led them to a four match winning streak. They
2022, IPL was special as the administration announced took a sweet revenge from Hyderabad for their first loss
that spectators would be allowed and the TATA group but again got defeated against Punjab. Finally, after the
for the first time sponsored for the tournament. group matches GT ended up in the first place with 10
wins and 4 loses out of their 14 matches. It was not
In the month of October 2021, the final bidding was that the same person helped the Titans to win but, in
made where it was finalised that Lucknow and Gujarat every match, there was a consistent performance from
would form the two new IPL teams. While Lucknow was the whole team. Their captain, Hardik Pandya was the
acquired by the RPSG Group, Gujarat was owned by the X-factor of the team, who every time contributed in the
CVC Capital Partners. match whenever needed.

The new team Gujarat declared their name as the The IPL was coming to its business end and after the 70
Gujarat Titans (GT). The team picked Vikram Solanki group matches it was seen that Gujarat and Rajasthan
as their director of cricket, Ashish Nehra as their head would go against each other while Lucknow and
coach, Gary Kirsten as their batting coach and mentor, Bangalore would go against each other in the eliminator.
Aashish Kapoor as their assistant coach and some other
background staffs. GT’s team anthem is #Aava De. The GT and RR went head-to-head against each other at
team selected Hardik Pandya, Shubman Gill and Rashid Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Gujarat restricted the Royals to
Khan as their drafted picks. The team was built with a a score of 188. In reply, GT had a big blow once their
strong squad of 24 members. star batter Wriddhiman Saha was out on a golden duck.
Shubman Gill and Matthew Wade helped GT steady the
Everybody had some expectation from the team once ship. At last Hardik Pandya and David Miller, known as
Hardik Pandya was chosen as the captain. Who thought killer Miller helped Gujarat cross the line. Gujarat had
that this new team would win the TATA IPL 2022? travelled to their first ever IPL Final in their Debut Season.

The TATA IPL had a cracking start as the last year finalists On the other hand, Rajasthan beat everyone and
KKR and CSK competed against each other. The real advanced to their second final since 2008. Nobody ever
even started when the two new teams Lucknow Super thought that in their Debut Season Gujarat would mark
Giants and Gujarat Titans were up against each other. It their entry in the TATA IPL in style. In the Final, Rajasthan
was a low scoring thriller but at the end it was Gujarat
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posted an under-par total of only 130 runs. This would after the batting disaster of the Royals. Nobody knew
not have been possible if their skipper had not picked that the heroes who were benched by the other teams
the most dangerous wickets of Jos Buttler, Shimron would show their power but it happened to be quite
Hetmyer and the skipper, Sanju Samson. Hardik Pandya true. Hardik Pandya as a skipper also made and broke
also helped Gujarat win their first ever IPL cup in their many records. After the Final, it was seen that the whole
first ever season. Everybody knew that GT would win Gujarat Titans team was posing with the IPL Trophy.

Mehul Chattopadhyay
S/o Animesh Chattopadhyay

Materials, HPL

For indie-pop based duo, ‘flowersaremagic’, feel-good vibes are must have in their music, and their signature sound
encapsulates the heart and soul of indie pop. Founded in the very room of frontman Mehul Chattopadhyay’s home
in Kolkata, WB, alongside Kaustav De (Stavv), went from a humble two-man jam to a indie pop duo after a year of
writing and perfecting songs. The duo were from the same college and have always treasured the love for writing
pensive lyrics, vocal lines over hummable riffs. Back in college they formed several bands, took part in local fest
scene and began performing in local cafes and club venues. Seven bands together, several musical experiences,
heartbreaks, good/bad times, a thousand band names later and finally today as we know what came to be known as
flowersaremagic!

The band cites The 1975 as their biggest influence in the indie pop music. Also household names of 90s - 00s rock/
punk/infie bands Green Day, Arctic Monkeys, PATD! Flowersaremagic not only reinvigorates what so brought about
by a ‘band-of-brothers’, their sound transcends all social boundaries with a thought provoking context and not just
feel good love ballads which is just their manifestation of our thoughts put together. The magic's just begun and is
here to stay.

Crash of the crypto market – an overview

Shreyan Ghosh
S/o Suhan Ghosh
Marketing, HPL

In recent times, cryptocurrency has taken the world by economic factors mainly the looming global recession.
storm. Cryptocurrency is basically a tradable digital form
of money, built on blockchain technology that only exists A mixture of short and long-term inputs, including
online. As we all know that it is a decentralized form of broader financial markets and the crashing of the major
currency as a result is highly volatile. After a series of stable coin, caused the present decline of bitcoin and
boom periods last year, the market is hitting all-time other cryptocurrencies. The crash started in the fall of
lows. last year. The main reasons behind it included the US
Federal Reserve pledging to reduce its $9 trillion debt
The current scenario of the crypto market is not very burden, and investors and institutions have taken a
attractive for new investors to kick in. With the recent pause from the market. Given the current market trends
market corrections, investors in India have taken a and rigorous government policies, people have stopped
breather from investing. A week back the global crypto investing and will only come back if the market gives a
market cap was down by 5.27% at $1.24 trillion. Bitcoin good return.
(BTC) fell below $30,000 for the first time since July
2021. Surprisingly, it is now worth less than half of what Another factor is the Stable coin. Stable coins are
it was in the fall season. Along with BTC, Ethereum and cryptocurrencies that are pegged to a fiat currency. Last
Binance Coin have also seen equivalent falls. Basically, month USDT fell more than 80%. The Terra ecosystem is
the investments slowed down because of various basically linked with UST, so when the UST lost its dollar

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peg recently, it sent a shockwave throughout the crypto of a looming market crash around the world, people are
market, as it exposed how more likely to invest in safe assets rather than high-risk,
high-return assets like cryptocurrency. Thus, explaining
weak the algorithm-backed stable coins are. the low trade volume.

With all such regulations announced by the government, The Crypto market experts have suggested observing
taxing the digital assets heftily might cause the investors market movement. Keep averaging the investments
to shift from Indian exchanges to those of other in blue-chip cryptocurrencies. In spite of the gloomy
countries. And the announcement of the Central Bank scenario, even if it’s not now, the market is bound to
Digital Currency (CBDC), the investors are basically improve in the near future. Investors need to wait for that
taking a wait and watch approach to see what big time to jump in again.
changes might occur in the market. With the possibility

Save Trees, Save Lives

Purbita Das
D/o Pinaki Das

Information Systems, MCPI

Trees are all around us. Trees are the most important food like spinach, lettuce, etc. Trees are our best friends.
thing in the world. They give us oxygen and take in carbon They give us food, fruit, wood, air, and many other useful
dioxide. Trees make their own food in their leaves. The things. Trees are of different kinds, shapes, and sizes.
process of making food is called photosynthesis. They Different kinds of trees grow in different regions. Over 1.2
store their extra food in their leaves, roots, flowers, etc. billion trees are cut in a year. That might be the reason
Some of the plants are flowerless and some other plants there are cyclones, floods, earthquakes, and other
have beautiful flowers. Flowers are attractive and give things that harm us, our crops, small village houses, and
nice fragrances. We use some flowers for decoration, many trees. We always say no to cutting trees. Those
for making perfumes, etc. The branches of trees hold who plant trees in the surroundings are the ones who
flowers, fruits, leaves, etc. Branches of some trees are make our world beautiful. So, tell everyone not to cut our
used for construction work. Leaves of some plants store precious forests, and trees and plant more plants.

Travel
Diaries

My summer trip to
Ladakh – Next to heaven

I was so excited and happy on the day when I came to Next day we went for the ‘Turtuk village’ which is the last
know from my mother that we are going to Ladakh on my village of India and after that the POK starts. The journey
summer vacation. I kept counting the days to reach the was so pleasing through the valley and the river shyok
snow-capped mountains. Finally, we started our journey was all throughout flowing with us. The village Turtuk
from Calcutta on June 10th and reached ‘Leh’ city and was very beautiful with full of apricot and cherry trees.
we stayed there for two days for acclimatisation. Leh was We met with some villagers and bought lots of apricot
one of the most beautiful hill stations I have ever seen. It there.
was surrounded by barren but colourful mountains and
snow peaks. Though the city was green with lots of Next day we went for the ‘Pangong lake’ and reached
poplar and apricot trees. We visited many Monasteries there at afternoon. The serine lake was so much
there like Alchi and Likir and met with Buddhist lamas. charming and beautiful. We spent the evening on the
They were very calm and quite people. In the evening we banks of the lake. We made lots of rock stacking. The
got an eagle eye view of the Leh city from ‘Shanti Stupa’ colour of the Pangong lake kept on changing with the
and did some shopping from Leh market. sun set. Some time it was deep blue and sometime light
blue or light green.
Next day we started our journey for Nubra Valley. On
the way we crossed the Khar-Dung-la pass, which is I must mention about the wild life of Ladakh I have seen.
the highest motorable pass and around 5600 m high The Himalayan marmot were playing among themselves
from sea level. I felt some hill sickness there. But I also like they were fighting. The wild horses were running so
experienced snow fall which made me so happy and I fast. The nice colour of a ruddy shelduck also known
forgot about the sickness. We reached the Nubra valley as Brahminy duck amazed me so much. My father said
in afternoon and first visited the ‘Diskit Monastery’. The that we could see the milky way galaxy from Pangong at
statue of Buddha in the Diksit was so high and we could night, but did not happen due to cloudy sky.
see from there the mesmerising view of Nubra valley on
the banks of Shyok river. Next, we went down to the Next day we went back to Leh city and on the way, we
valley and found lots of sand dunes. I was amazed to crossed another high-altitude pass called Chang La
see lots of camels roaming around there. They have dual Pass. We returned to home with lots joy of travelling and
hump on their back. We rode the camel and explore the sweet memories filled in my mind. I will surely explore the
sand dunes beside the Shyok river. Ladakh again another day when I will grow up.

Samriddhi Bhaumik
D/o Subhadip Bhaumik

LLDPE Process, HPL

67

Monkey couldn't taste the Thunder

I knew it can - very closely & understood waiting for any opportunity to
show their activities. We could reach without any major
... snatch banana or any food items from your hand disturbances but saw a monkey to took away spectacle
from a foreigner and returned back only when he gave
... perfectly take away your spectacles from your face them banana. Also saw them moving like bosses there
& drinking water from water tap like us. But still couldn't
... jump from roof to roof or hang in electrical wires imagine something was waiting for me, too...

... drink water from tap like us etc. In the afternoon we visited famous Shimla Kalibari. There
we meet with our Surajit uncle, Aunty, Riddhi didi & Aisik
But I couldn't imagine, it would !!! dada. We have visited lots of places with them. From
there we started walking towards famous Shimla Mal.
It was summer vacation in 2016. I was on a trip to my On the way we bought chips & Thums-up and were
favourite Himachal Pradesh along with my parents, sister having a relaxed walk enjoying evening snacks. My
& grandparents. I was a kid then, 5 to 6 years old. The sister, Riddhi didi & Aisik dada were at the front, and I
trip was really a memorable one except for one incident, was somewhat in the middle and rest all were behind
happened with me. Although it was frightening at that me. Then all of a sudden, a monkey, not so large by size
moment but now when I reminiscence I feel amused. appeared in front of me, came jumping from nearby tree.
Listen what happened... I got terribly frightened and started screaming while the
monkey was planning to do something to me. I started
First, we reached Narkanda & spent few days in the running fast shouting like anything and the money also
beauty of nature - really fell in love with that heavenly started chasing me from behind. It caught hold my
place. Except, a monkey threw stone at my father when Thums-up bottle and tried to snatch it away. But don't
he was trying to click a photo, really they are naughty know how, God definitely gave me enough strength, the
and couldn't imagine something was also waiting for me monkey couldn't take it away while still I was running.
in Shimla. From Narkanda, we came to Shimla where In the meantime, my father & Surajit uncle came from
this memorable incident happened... behind for my rescue. Seeing all these, the monkey
ultimately went away showing all it's shining teeth to me;
In the morning, our driver uncle took us to Jakhu Temple couldn’t make out what tooth paste they use.
to avoid the peak rush there. You all might have visited
that place, a 108 feet tall statue of Lord Hanuman Ji For the time being, I couldn't feel what actually happened
stands atop mountain, clearly seen from distances to me. But felt good for not surrendering to that dacoit's
across Shimla. According to the Ramayana, Hanuman attempt to steal my favourite drink from me. Everybody
stopped at the location to rest while searching for the there praised me for my run & strength. Then, sitting in
Sanjivani Booti to save Lakshmana when he was fighting nearby chair in Mal, I enjoyed the thunder to the full of my
the battle with the demon king Ravana. satisfaction. But the monkey failed to taste the thunder.

We started climbing stairs to reach Jakhu Temple, on Hope you will be careful to have cold drinks in front of
the way saw naughty monkeys were sitting on railings, monkeys - they have started liking modern foods now. I
roofs and tree branches. Our driver uncle cautioned have already informed Lord Hanuman Ji regarding this…
about every possible activity of moneys there and we all
were following the same. But they all were looking at us

Samriddhi Pal
D/o Subhasish Pal
Technology, HPL

”#‡yîû ßþ¿,!“þ

„þöìîûy˜yîû ”#‡Å œ„þvþyvþzöì˜îû þ™îû †“þ îŠéîû xíÅyê 2021 ¢yöìœîû ‹%œy£z ›yöì¢ xy!›– îyîy– ›y– àþy„%þ›y ~î‚ „þy„þyîû ¢yöìí ”#‡y öîvþüyöì“þ
ö†!Šéœy›Ð ”%!”öì˜îû ‹˜Ä ”#‡yîû ¢›%o ö”öì…– ¢›%öìo ßþ¬y˜ „þöìîû ~î‚ vþz_yœ ¢›%öìoîû ›öì˜yîû› xyîû £yçëûyöì„þ vþzþ™œ!¸þ „þöìîû ~„þ ”yîû&˜
xy˜¨ œy¦þ „þöìîû !Šéœy›Ð ~îû þ™yŸyþ™y!Ÿ ”#‡yîû ö›y£˜yîû ˜y˜y •îûöì˜îû ²Ì‰%þîû ›yöìŠéîû îy‹yîû ö”öì… …%î xy˜¨ öþ™öìëû!Šéœy›Ð þ™öìîûîû !”˜
xy›îûy ”#‡yîû „þyöìŠé Ÿ‚„þîûþ™%îû ö”öì… „þœ„þy“þyëû !šþöìîû!Šéœy›Ð ~îûþ™îû xy›îûy !vþöì¢Áºîû ›yöì¢ ëyöìîy „þy!œ‚þ™‚ ç þ™)îÅ !¢!„þ›Ð

Shrinjoy Banerjee
S/o Pinaki Bandyopadhyay
Finance and Accounts, HPL

69

Photo
Gallery

Anirbed Dutta
S/o Arijit Dutta

Finance Shared Service Centre, HPL

Anushka Gayen
D/o Joydeb Gayen

NCU-Manufacturing, HPL

71

C. Caline
D/o Caxton Goldston
IOP ECR, HPL

Kanishka Yuvaraj
D/o Yuvaraj Elumalai
IOP-Mechanical Dept., HPL

Prolladh Ghosh
S/o Prasun Ghosh

IOP Electrical, HPL

Sucheta Pal
D/o Subhasish Pal

Technology, HPL

73

Subhojit Haldar
S/o Sujit Kumar Halder
Electrical & Instrumentation, MCPI

Prinaka Seal
D/o Puranjoy Seal
HSE, MCPI

Events

HPL Events

Vaccination Drive at Techna Carrom Tournament

HPL & MCPI in collaboration with Medica & B C Roy Hospital Techna Carrom Tournament (TCT) was held from
undertook large scale vaccination drives in multiple phases in 17th to 26th November in the Techna gym area.
Plant, HREL and HO locations to ensure that all permanent and 36 players from HPL & MCPI registered for this
regular contractual employees were fully vaccinated with two tournament. Fixtures for knock-out matches were
doses of COVID Vaccine. drawn through lottery by WTDs of HPL & MCPI
in an opening ceremony held on 15th November.

Winter Camp for Employees’
Children at Techna

On Christmas Eve, 24th December, a one-
day Winter Camp was organised at Techna
for children of HPL & MCPI employees based
at Kolkata. 30 Children from the age group of
4 to 12 years participated in the Fun ‘n’ Food
Winter Camp.

Safety promotional activity day celebration at HDPE plant

HDPE plant achieved Best Safety Performance award-2021 in this year in the complex. On this happy occasion HDPE
plant Celebrated SAFETY PROMOTIONAL ACTIVITY DAY on 12th August’2022along with a lunch party involving
entire Team HDPE and all cross functional Team leaders,Seniors, HR officials &HSEF personnel.They visited the Safety
Exhibition in HDPE Control room of different Safety promotional activities & inspired us with their valuable comments.
In the month of July’22 HDPE Safety Team organizeda monthlong programme with a variety of Safety Promotional
activity like Safety Quiz, Safetycrossword puzzle, Safety poster & Slogan Contest, Safety drama inside the Plant.
Different safety items like Safety Key chain, Safety Certificate, Safety commitment sticker designed &distributed
among all as an in-house innovative initiative by HDPE Safety Team.

77

Women’s Day at Techna

On International Women’s Day separate
programs were organised at Techna and
Plant on 8th March. At Techna, women
folks of HPL & MCPI came together to
celebrate the occasion. The celebration
ended with bonding over lunch.

Introduction of Long Service Award Program on HPL Foundation Day

HPL celebrated Foundation Day on 2ndApril. Twenty-two years back, on this day HPL plant was dedicated to the
service of the Nation. Long Service Award (LSA) was conferred to 194 employees (33 nos. based at HO & 161 nos.
based at plant) on reaching 20 Years’ continuous service milestone or even beyond. Awards were given away by WTD
& Mr. D.P. Patra to HO recipients.

ESIC Health Check-up Camp & Awareness Workshop at HPL Plant

Plant HR collaborated with Employee State Insurance Corporation (ESIC), Haldia, to organize a Health Check-up
Camp and an Awareness Workshop on 16th March 2022, for our Contractual Employees who are covered under the
purview of ESIC.

Recognition to the meritorious children of Contractual Employees

HPL Merit Scholarship Scheme for wards of our Contractual Employees was introduced in 2019 to support and
motivate children of our Contractual Employees to pursue higher education. A Felicitation Ceremony was organized
at Plant on 30th March 2022,to recognise the efforts of one hundred and sixty-nine children and reward them, in
presence of their family members.

International Women’s Day

The theme for this year’s celebration was “Break the Bias”, signifying importance of equal opportunities and
participation of women in all walks of life. Two eminent successful women- Deputy Commandant- District Logistic
Officer and Branch Manager- ESIC, Haldia, graced the occasion at Plant and shared the various challenges & struggle
they overcame to create their success stories. They motivated and inspired all women employees to believe in oneself
and create their own stories.

79

Celebrations

As we unraveled the new year with a plethora of new opportunities and aspirations, the HREL Recreation Club
organized a fun-filled New Years' Eve celebration on 31st December 2021, adhering to the safety COVID 19 protocols.
The Club premise was illuminated to welcome the onset of the New Year, 2022. The celebration witnessed a musical
evening and DJ Mix, followed by dinner, distributed in the form of food packets to all the Club members.
The 73rd Republic Day of India was celebrated at HPL on 26th January 2022 with strict adherence of Covid protocols
was followed. The ceremony was commenced with hoisting the Tricolour at the Plant, and at HREL. The National
anthem was sung in full swing followed by march-past.

Introduction of Long Service Award program on HPL Foundation Day

2nd April marks the Foundation Day of Haldia Petrochemicals Ltd,
a very special day for all the employees to commit themselves to
the Company, and all the stakeholders at large, by embracing
new challenges and opportunities in our continual improvement
journey.
On this momentuous occasion, the commitment, vigour and zest
of our employees and their long serving contribution towards the
Company was recognized and 194 employees (161 employees
at Plant and 33 employees at Head office) were felicitated with
the Long Service Award for their 20 or more dedicated years of
service to the Company.
This Award has been introduced with effective 1st April 2022 to
recognize the relentless effort and noteworthy contribution of our
employees to the Company.

Recognition to the meritorious children of employees at Plant

With a purpose to encourage and motivate the meritorious children of our employees at Haldia, a small felicitation
program to recognize two top rank holders from each board of Class Xth Board examination was organized on the
eve of Kali Puja.
Six children were awarded with a token of appreciation in the presence of their parents. The moment witnessed
immense joy and of pride in the eyes of our employees and their children.
His Excellency Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar, the Governor of West Bengal, visited HPL Plant with the First Lady
Shrimati Sudesh Dhankar on 4th May 2022.

Blood Donation Camp on HPL Day 2022

Camp was held after a gap of two years due to pandemic. A record of 65 blood donors donated blood
for the good cause.

81

Inauguration and Puja at HREL Solar Power Station

Cricket Tournament

First time a cricket tournament was organised where in apart from HPL and MCPI, five teams from Central and
State Govt agencies (SP XI, CISF XI, IOC XI, Coast Guard XI, HAD XI) participated. SP XI won the tournament.

New Year Celebration at HREL

As we unravel the new year with a plethora of new opportunities and aspirations, the HREL Recreation Club organized
a fun-filled New Years' Eve celebration on 31st December. For the safety of our employees and their families around,
we maintained Social Distancing and adhered to the COVID protocols. The Club premise was illuminated to welcome
the onset of the New Year, 2022. The celebration witnessed a musical evening and DJ Mix, followed by dinner,
distributed in the form of food packets to all the Club members.

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MCPI Events

Republic Day Celebration

Incredible India Quiz 2022

MCPI organized a four-day-long online quiz called ‘Incredible India Quiz 2022’ to celebrate
the 73rd Republic Day and 126th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose

Team ‘Mind Blowers’ won the competition Team ‘Plant HR’ won the Runner-up trophy

Winners of Fastest Finger First Contest – quiz organized for the audience during breaks

85

Annual Badminton Tournament
Saraswati Puja

Women's Day Celebration

87

National Safety Day
Safety Awareness Skit

Safety Quiz and Prize Distribution at Plant

Spot Safety Quiz for Children

22nd Foundation Day Celebration

89

Retirement Recognition
Long Service Awards 2022

The CC&FC Invitational Five -a- Side Corporate Football Tournament

MCPI won the Runner-Up Prize in the tournament

Environment Day Celebration

Drawing Competition Prize Distribution & Quiz for SH-1 Kids & Family

91

Drawing Competition Prize Distribution & Quiz for SH-2 Kids & Family
Plantation at Green Belt

Plantation by SH-1 Family Members
Plantation by SH-2 Family Members
Karate Class Commencement at SH-1

93

Yoga Day Celebration
Yoga Show at Plant

Yoga Day Celebration at SH-1

Yoga Competion for Children and Special Performance at SH-2

95

Independence Day Celebration