INDIAN THINKING

Child trafficking!!

2011-10-15T16:03:00.000+05:30

While India marches to glory in the comet of nations the state of affairs for some unwanted kids is far from wanted!!
Yeah the ones you see on the traffic lights,impoverished,fragile,handicapped...but still begging??

I could never forget the plight of a 2yesr old kid who was in the lap of another kid who was 6 or 7yrs old. While waiting for an auto i realised that the kid was biting the toddler time and again so that he kept on crying??
Also observed outside the business district of Mindspace, Malad, Mumbai a group of kids barely covered in tattered clothes begging from rich call center employees,just few steps back a dangerous looking drugged thug keeping eye on collection and prodding them to beg more!!
All this happens in open in front of the civilized society and police!!
Have we ever thought how the supply of these tiny kids is maintained and how they turn out to be amputated always??This is a questions whose answer was given long back in Slumdog Millionaire! Yes there are organised child trafficking rackets which bring innocent kids from rural India either by stealing them or abducting them..in some sad circumstances even the parents sell of kids due to poverty??
The plight of these kids is deplorable to say the least...and their existence is a big blot on the society which prides itself being the largest democracy??

Steve Apple Fantastic Jobs!!

2011-10-07T20:35:00.000+05:30

By now, you're probably convinced that Steve Jobs was the Second Coming of Jesus. He wasn't.

He was a demanding, mercurial perfectionist. He could be, and often was, an incredible pain in the butt. He was the first technology diva. He needed "enemies" the way a fish needs water. He was more like Howard Roark, the protagonist of Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead, than he was Thomas Edison.

He led the most successful turnaround in technology history. He revolutionized a gaggle of businesses: consumer electronics, software, computing, retailing, music, film.

The key to understanding Jobs was to understand he wandered in the desert like Moses, not for 40 years but for 10. This was his time after Apple, when he invented NeXT, maybe the most powerful personal computer of its time. NeXT was a technical marvel and an economic wasteland. Only the true nerds wanted one, but once they had one, they wouldn't let go.

NeXT was Jobs' ticket back to Apple, which was badly in need of ... everything. But especially an operating system, so Apple bought NeXT and got Steve--buy one, get one free! Or you may have a different interpretation--buy Steve, get a free operating system!

Jobs had been driven from the temple by the Suits, namely, John Sculley. Sculley was much more the consummate politician, but in the end he was a soda water salesman. Sculley had learned the right words, but he never had the tune right. Exit Sculley.

In comparisons with Jobs, Bill Gates is usually cited as the better businessman, and perhaps he was. But at a certain point, Gates got tired, tired of the drag of running a business, tired of the Justice Department, tired of quarterly reports. Jobs never got tired. His thing: design. Design above all. Jobs once had a little Steve fit because he didn't like the screws inside the Mac. The screws! No one was even supposed to ever see them!

Jobs was the consummate venture capitalist, even though he wasn't one. He bought Pixar for a song--$10 million--from George Lucas. He nurtured Pixar, gave it life, let it make films (Toy Story), and hired brilliant people. He was running two companies at the same time, Apple in the morning, Pixar in the afternoon. Alert the helicopter; Steve is moving! The reason Jobs was worth $8.4 billion is that his little $10 million investment in Pixar grew to $5 billion.

Henry Kissinger once asked a staffer, who had the assignment to prepare a white paper, if this was his "best work." The staffer asked for the paper back and tried again. Kissinger then repeated the question, and the staffer then went back and tried a third time, afterwards telling Kissinger it was indeed his best work. Kissinger then replied: "Now I will read it." Jobs not only hired brilliant people, but he also got their best work. No one wanted to disappoint him. Also, no one wanted to be told that "This is the worst piece of ..."

Jobs' view of his competitors: sympathy. He never could understand why any company would release products so buggy and flawed, and why anyone would actually buy them.

Apple had every Jobs strength--and many of his weaknesses. He believed that individuals created and that products, such as Macs, should help creative people learn. Jobs actually never believed in teams or groups or collaboration. So the early Apple products were weak where Jobs was weak.

Jobs never really viewed his competition as Sony or Motorola or Nokia. To him content and media and presentation were simply manifestations of the same creative process.

Was Jobs easy to work with? No. No. No. Clearly, the media industry and the app providers learned that lesson. But give him credit: The music industry titans always viewed the pirate copy as their enemy. Jobs pointed out that they were fighting a losing battle and he had enough clout to get these dons to sit down and support iTunes, reluctantly.

When Walt Disney proposed that his company take its characters and make them into a theme park, the company's board members opposed it. Only because Walt was Walt did they go along. When Jobs saw a market for a tablet--actually, an updated version of the ill-fated Newton--no one else did, citing the number of beached whales the rest of the industry had buried. He invented the category.

He also reinvented retailing. The Apple stores, all 345 of them, stand alone: clean, stark, no frills, no hustle/bustle.

Jobs taught us that design and execution matter, that the newcomer can clobber the incumbent with simplicity and performance, that customers will pay higher prices if a product connects with them. While paying lip service to open source, Job hated it. He believed in a closed shop, whose products work elegantly, whose designs are understated, and which forges an implicit contract with the buyer/user.

Jobs' legacy isn't Apple Inc. His legacy is that excellence can and should be rewarded. And if the Googles, Twitters, and Facebooks of the world learn and remember that, it's because their leaders have stood on the shoulders of a giant.

Right or Wrong??

2011-10-02T13:36:00.001+05:30

A clear conscience is the softest pillow!!
We humans have an inherent sense of right or wrong... that's what we Hindus call the ANTARATMA...the inner conscience...
At the verge of starting my small organisation with some colleagues..i am wondering whats the premise for setting a company...
What are the factors one needs to take in consideration before taking the first step..
Shall the company start operations without a clear Goal and ways to do business..shall we have a set code of work or keep it flexible..what should be one thing on which we shall never ever compromise.
I have seen company taking a stand against own employee just to placate a wrong account..cause that means revenue...What happens to the moral of the employee..
Some one told me once that life is all the same after earning 100 crs...its does not matter if yo have 100 cr 0r 500 cr..you eat the same, dress the same..and financially there is no end to how much is enough..
So the company should be value driven with clear conscience or money driven and flexible ready to take short cuts...Please help with thoughts!!

Guilt free..Are you??

2011-09-22T11:04:00.000+05:30

God made humans and he gave them abundant joy....but he also gave them guilt.
A life which is guilt free could be the best gift one could have!!But think from where does the guilt comes from??
From childhood we are instilled the values of right and wrong..these give rise to sub conscience which becomes the judge of each and every moment of our life!!
So what is this subconscious and how it always knows what is right and wrong for us!!The Indian mythology is full of anecdotes of this meeting with the sub conscience and how it changed the lives of many beyond comprehension. Its the inner voice which is readily available at ones beck and call, this is so pure and divine that if heard well it has the power to change the world....but such is the moral pollution around us and so badly we are getting conditioned not to listen to it...Our own conscience dies daily a slow and regressive death.
What is left of our lives is a justification..of why we didn't listened to ourselves.
Can we allow our kids to listen to their hearts and follow its leads without restrictions....but then comes a vital factor of Indian upbringing what we call Sanskar!
Its a purely Indian concept and cant be explained in other terms..like an Italian PM can boasts of mating with 8 prostitutes in a night and get away as that's the Sanskar of the land. But in a country like India a public figure will have to hang his boots in disgrace and go into oblivion for even thinking so!!
Some times i wonder how will the spouses and kids of these overtly sexual beings feel in company of these alpha males!!How can a country let it self be ruled by a human who is yet to tame his very basic of animal instincts..whats the guarantee that during a public meeting he is not figuring ut how is he going to nail his next sexual victim. Its not about Strauss or Berlusconi its the overall acceptance of the moral bigotry....Its the death of the collective inner voice!!

Trade show's how they have transformed!

2011-09-09T09:03:00.000+05:30

During last few days Mumbai witnessed the Agritech 2011 trade show at The NSE ground at Goregaon,Mumbai. As the name suggest this trade show's main attraction was the new emerging technology developed indigenous as well as overseas.

What amazed me is the new modes of display and the vivid details in the montage as compared to years ago. Now the poster at the trade show display are so livid and true to life as compared to the dull and uninspiring banners earlier,thanks to elegantly designed exhibit booths.
The ambiance itself has changed thanks to the centrally air-conditioned huge halls which have the capacity to hold 100s of booths.

I was also impressed by the through security arrangements at the venue in light of the world wide terror alert considering 9/11 anniversary.
The participation by small entrepreneurs was the highlight of the show which showed the dogged determination a win of creativity for the un organised sectors. The farmers cum entrepreneurs were not so conversant with presentation but were bang on with the technical aspects.

One of the new display technology which won accolades was the use of truss lighting which increased the over all ambient feel.
This exhibit proved fruitful for many companies as they booked huge orders from Indian as well as multinational companies. There was also a slew of MOU signing for sharing technology and infrastructure.
We wish to see more such well thought out and beautifully designed trade shows..Cheers!!

Anna Hazare, India and corruption...

2011-08-26T13:20:00.000+05:30

For the first time we Indians have started to debate the end of corruption!!This is a remarkable leap for a cynical society like us where each gesture is looked upon suspiciously!!Every one is looking for the hidden dagger behind hand that welcome??
The credit for awakening this time goes again to a Gandhian...who after decades later have shown to us how powerful the idea of non violent protest is...how shit scared the government could be of its own people, the jasmine revolution and the freedom struggle from aristocracy going on in Arab world is a chilly reminder to people who want to hold on to power...
Many of my friends and colleagues belive that this Anna movement will not end corruption...but one man thought it will and he awakened a sleeping giant..Its the believers who have changed the face of this world and not the arm chair critics....I guess for the cynics its so difficult to see the writing on the wall...
I know they will laugh on me if it all fails but hey i believed i can bring the change.....
We have grown in a society where in people have told us always what not to do.. examples
Don't play
don't drink
Don't run too fast
Don't drive fast
Don't meet friends
Don't meet girls
Don't love
Don't dive....
whatever..
So here we are a non committal group of people who see the dark side of bright who do all wrong and expect others to do the cleaning for us..
Come on wake up smell the sweat and anger of the masses, all those on road are not doing it for publicity....Anna is a powerhouse and the youth and middle class of India is getting charged by his aura...

Changing Retail scenario in India!!

2011-08-22T16:19:00.000+05:30

From the days of the corner Mom & Pops stores now we have adopted the organised retail as the call of the day!!
For example in my case we moved on from our corner grocery store to D Mart which was at a distance of 10Km from our locality. Still we used to travel for the competitively priced goods and the ambiance. The quality is always taken for granted as seldom have i found a inferior quality branded item in a Mall!
So when the consumer graduated from the small store to the supermarket what happened to the corner store??Have they vanished??
Out of Business??
Sold out??
NO sir..the answer is a resounding no!!!
They continue to thrive!!
Cause not all go to a mall for all the goods..for example on an avg the time needed to buy a stuff in hurry and get out is too high in a mall as compared to a shop so for spurt purchases no one goes to a mall!
The small corner stores also offer interest free credit for as long as 30 days!!
can the malls beat it!!
The corner stores gives free home delivery and accepts telephonic order.
The service is customized and a fair dash of personal touch!! While the mall experience is sterile and reluctant...so in the great Bazaar called India both are thriving..one needs to see the impact the proposed opening up of the sector to foreign investment brings!!

Inspiration!

2011-08-22T14:17:00.002+05:30

Have you ever asked yourself what is inspiration?

When the word inspiration is broken down into it's component parts, it simply means "in - spirit". When you are living "in - spirit" You feel excited about yourself and your life.

You have a special connection with all parts of your mind and body.
The question is how can we connect to our spirit at all times to take that actions that make all things possible ?
Below are ten keys to opening your doors to your inspiration.

1. The first key to inspiration is enjoyment. It would take a spiritual master to get inspired about doing the dishes.

So find something that really excites you. It can be anything that you really enjoy.

2. The second key is love. When you are actively pouring love into what you are doing,

this will guarantee that you are opening yourself to experiencing more inspiration.

3. The third key is to trust yourself. Listen to that little voice inside yourself and know that this comes from heart.

This is called intuition.

4. The fourth key is to follow what your intuition tells you. The more you listen to it, the stronger your intuition will become. If you don't pay attention, that little voice gets fainter and fainter until you can no longer hear it.

5. The fifth key is to keep telling yourself "I can". These are some of the most powerful words that you can ever use.

When you say this to yourself often enough, you build abridge between yourself and your inspiration.

6. The sixth key is not to listen to anyone that says "no you can't". They might think that they may not be able to,

and try to project this negative belief onto you, but remember to keep telling yourself that, "I can! "

7. The seventh key is to believe in yourself. When you are backed by a strong belief in yourself and your dreams,

nothing is impossible.

8. The eighth key is to avoid negativity. Ask yourself, do you really need to read the newspaper or

watch the news on TV everyday ? Nothing kills inspiration quicker than being surrounded by bad news.

9. The ninth key is acceptance. Accept that on some days you feel much more inspired than on others.

This is normal, nobody can be completely inspired every minute of the day.

10. The tenth key is possibly the most important of all. Take action every day, no matter how small a step it seems.

Action is the fuel to the fires of inspiration. Make it a daily practise to keep your fire burning.

The taking of actions, no matter how small, will fill you with inspiration for taking the next step

The loser Farmer!

2010-03-21T14:18:00.002+05:30

The man takes the effort of procuring seed,fertilizer the insecticide the water for irrigation toils the land makes it plan table.

The out come after many months of care and nurturing is sold for less than the production cost is a pity??

This is not fiction I'm talking about the Farmers of India!

Right now when i buy a Kg of potato for Rs 12/kg in Mumbai my fellow villagers are forced to sell their produce for less than Rs 2/kg!!

So why is this disparity??

The legendary supply chain ads the extra cost!!Its not just transportation cost but all sorts of states and municipal taxes!!

So the middleman gets to screw both the producer and the consumer!!

In some parts of the world their is this concept of farm to mkt!Why cant we have the same in India?

Whats the role of the state and Central gov bodies in ensuring the goodwill of farmer and the consumer!

Why the farmer who does the maximum work is in loss and a middleman by just using his clout makes the maximum profit!The poor farmer keeps on getting poorer but the filthy rich middleman grows yr on yr.

Today morning i witnessed a truck which parked in our locality and started selling Onion for half the mkt rate!!It was a distressed farmer who had decided that he had enough of the middleman hired a truck and came to the nearest town.

As a consumer i got 50% discount still the farmer made good profit??

Some thing is grossly wrong in our Agribusiness model??

Teen shows and reality TV!

2010-02-08T21:17:00.002+05:30

The Genre of reality TV is so cliched these days..what with the funnily absurd shows like the "Rahul Dulhaniya le jayega" on NDTV imagine or the sleazy "Emotional atyachar" on Bindas TV!

What happened to the real brave and dangerous show which challenged the guts and stamina of a commoner?

In search of the reality genre i came across the Wipeout on AXN Asia initially it appeared an upgraded version of Takeshis castle but hell no this is mind blowing,one can catch the same on AXN in India.

The anime channel is the craze among the teens today,today spotted some kids in a malls wifi zone watching anime online using windows mobile phone!!

Noticed that the Animax is favored more by teens who are into creative field.

The latest talking point i heard is the show Gurren Lagann which plays at Animax.

The teens of today demand the best in creative and fun action shows which is being catered to by many youth TV channels but Animx and AXN satnd apart!

What a fool most of us Are!!!

2010-01-31T19:52:00.002+05:30

Dear Smart Alecs!!

Please take a look at the Urban Legends site before forwarding stupid mails which causes loss of time and causes a lot of Green house effect!!

How??Out of 100 mails i get daily 20+ are filled with such bullshit..it takes time and energy for me and my computer to screen and delete these!

Please Check the link

http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/blmsaol.htm

As responsible and educated citizens of this world this is the bare minimum one should do-To verify from good sites before sending these chain mails....

Wram regards and happy learning!!

Amit Shekhar.

Dear Friends,

Please do not take this for a junk letter. Bill Gates is sharing his fortune. If you ignore this you will repent later. Microsoft and AOL are now the largest Internet companies and in an effort to make sure that Internet Explorer remains the most widely used program, Microsoft and AOL are running an e-mail beta test..

When you forward this e-mail to friends, Microsoft can and will track it (if you are a Microsoft Windows user) for a two week time period.

For every person that you forward this e-mail to, Microsoft will pay you $245.00, for every person that you sent it to that forwards it on, Microsoft will pay you $243.00 and for every third person that receives it, you will be paid $241.00. Within two week! s, Microsoft will contact you for your address and then send you a cheque.

From: Udapudi, Bheemaraj (Cognizant)
Sent: Wednesday, August 30, 2006 10:% AM

Guys It's working

I have got $10000 .

Deepak

Tata Prima:Horn OK Please!!

2010-01-04T21:56:00.003+05:30

The Indian highways and its Dhaba culture signifies the tough and ruggedness of the clan called the Truck drivers!
The hard working truck driver who is most often having dubious credentials in our mind share.
If I recall a truck driver its mostly in the light of a harbinger of HIV to hinterlands and innocent village women from the commercial sex workers of cities?
Another image is that of a drunk and reckless driver on the rampage on the highways?
Many ads portray them as simple fellows who work very hard,stay away from their family and culture and are in most hostile of the places-I think this is a picture to which I would like to remember them.
But guess what all this is about to change with the launch of TATA Prima!!
TATA the Indian conglomerate is known to be a challenger to the paradigm be it the Tata Salt or the Nano!
The core value proposition of serving the masses and building trust has made Tata brand as pure as gold.
I am sure those who work for Tata must be a proud lot!
Coming back to Tata Prima- now the poor truck drivers can travel in AC comfort and avail the well deserved comfort and pride which will come from owning a Prima.
The Prima boasts of Italian Design,American,European and Korean engines,Mexican chassis,Japanese and Korean sheet metal dies,German and American gearboxes and Swedish fabrication!!
Wohh that a lot of world technologies and expertise put in a bonnet??
Hope the truckers approve of it!!
But hey wait- Will we not miss the customized decorated like a bride Indian truck which has "HORN OK PLEASE" written at the back!!

Paa.

2009-12-06T20:34:00.002+05:30

Saw Paa with my Paa and my 5yr old girl.Its special...I second Paresh Rawal when he says that the director of the film Balki is partial to Big B as he has given him 2 chances of playing 2 very interesting roles in Chini Kum and now Paa.

The novel thought of Balki of shocking the janta by making JrB father of BigB is splendid.The film is so bold and path breaking.I do not second the views of P Nandi that media bashing was over done.It was good to see media being targeted for a change.

The looks of JrB had uncanny similarity to Sachin Pilot??

I liked the casting intro by Jaya ji but fail to understand why cant she have played the role of Vidya's mother??

For that matter how about Mrs JrB playing the role of Vidya??

Paa is a film which is special and pure...it tugs at heart at the right time but not too long..thankfully...

Recommended for the entire family viewing...

Kudos to AB corp and Balki..look forward to more...

Divided we stand:India..

2009-11-10T13:11:00.004+05:30

Early morning tweets are a welcome way to start the day.I like to read the take of imminent personalities like Pritish nandy,Rajdeep sardesai,Chetan Bhagat,Vir Sanghvi and Gul Panag.

Mahesh Bhatt sab is mostly philosophical and enigmatic true to his mental image of mine.

Last morning Gul promoted an ideal called Unitedindiapak.

To which i replied that lets unite India first!!

Hard hitting and at times cynical...the day went on normally in office till my worried sis from Delhi called up about the Azmi beating in the Vidhan Sabha?

I tweeted back to Gul..uniting India takes a new meaning post the beating of Azmi by MNS MLAs for taking oath in the Rashtra bhasha Hindi?

One of my friend said that all big countries need to keep a real big threat ready in front of the country men to keep them united else...their is regional biases and petty demands.

It took British exploitation and cruelty as well as economical blockade of India that forced the warring cultures to unite and respond as a nation.

Gandhi understood the of the masses well thus launched Satyagraha?

Where one has to do nothing to protest...we have always been good at it.

Remember the krantikarti or the revolutionist were always in small number.

The support to Mahatmas cause was great cause you don't have to do anything to support him....

Now India is stable and flourishing so the complacency has set in about threat from outside?

I bet the entire country will unite and forget petty issues if China were to attack us now??

Indian politician at his best??

2009-11-03T19:45:00.000+05:30

Hotels and three companies in Mumbai. Property in Kolkata. A hotel in Thailand. A coalmine in Liberia.

These are some of the assets India’s Enforcement Directorate (ED) said it has unearthed among illegal foreign-exchange transactions and assets allegedly worth Rs 4,000-crore — almost a fifth of the annual budget of the state he once ruled, Jharkhand — of labourer-turned-chief minister Madhu Koda (38).

As nationwide raids by the ED, which probes foreign-exchange violations, and the Income Tax (I-T) department continued for the third day on Monday, investigators interrogated Koda on camera. The I-T department also sent notices to six of Koda’s close associates, based variously in Jharkhand, Mumbai and Delhi to appear before the Additional Director (Investigation) in Ranchi on November 6 and explain “certain transactions and events.”

A labourer who worked on window grills and in iron ore mines till the 1990s, Koda could be not contacted on Monday. His mobile phone was switched off. None of his associates, three former ministers and five others being investigated, were available for comment.

Koda’s lawyer Rahul Kumar on Monday told HT the I-T department had not told him what had been seized. “Unless we get a seizure list, it won’t be proper to comment on the ongoing searches,” said Kumar.

Kumar said he went to Koda’s residence, “but the IT officials, searching Koda’s residence, didn’t allow me to meet Koda”.

“They told me to come after the searches end,” said Kumar. Kumar said Koda had replied to notices served against him by the IT authorities. The ED has not issued any notice to Koda after they charged him with money laundering.

Koda became chief minister at age 35. In 2005, his declaration to the Election Commission listed an asset total of Rs 12 lakh.

“Mumbai was used as the most preferred destination by them (Koda and his associates) to stash away Koda’s ill-gotten wealth to the UAE, Dubai, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, etc through the hawala (illegal foreign-exchange transfers) channel,” said a highly placed source in the ED, requesting anonymity since he is not authorised to speak to the media.

“It’s a huge exercise,” the source said. “Since the raids were spread over 70 premises in nine cities of India, we are still tabulating the information to arrive at the exact figure.”

The investment records were seized during raids jointly conducted by the Income Tax (IT) department and the ED in 70 premises across Mumbai, Kolkata, Jamshedpur, Chaibasa, Patna, Ranchi, Lucknow, Ghaziabad and Delhi last week.

On Monday, IT and ED detectives searched seven premises of Koda and his associates in Jamshedpur and Ranchi. Most investments, according to ED and IT officials, are in the name of Koda’s main associates: Vinod Sinha of Chaibasa (Jharkhand) and Sanjay Chaudhary of Jamshedpur (Jharkhand).

The ED has already charged Koda with investing US $1.7 million (nearly Rs 8.5 crore) in a coalmine in Liberia through a Russian middleman, identified only as Rainto.

Besides Thailand, the ED said it has evidence of Koda’s alleged investment in buying hotels and companies in Indonesia, Singapore, Dubai and Liberia.

In Ranchi, IT officials quizzing Koda on camera on Monday claimed they had discovered documents of “ill-gotten transactions” worth more than Rs 2,200 crore.

The IT department has frozen over 70 bank accounts and lockers and has started the process to freeze bank accounts of Sinha and Chaudhary as well.

Besides property and investment details, officials said they had seized jewellery worth
Rs 2 crore and Rs 2.7 crore in cash.

They estimate the amount sent abroad through hawala could be more than Rs 2,500 crore. These figures could not be independently verified.

A major part of the investment was alleged to have been made when Koda was the CM of Jharkhand from September 2006 to August 2008.

On October 9, the ED had registered a case against Koda, now an independent member of parliament (MP) from Singhbhum, three former ministers Kamlesh Singh, Bhanu Pratap Shahi and Bandhu Tirkey and five others in a Ranchi court under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

“Since Koda has been charged under this Act, the onus is on him to prove the charges wrong,” an ED official said.

Corruption,

2009-09-28T11:56:00.001+05:30

The worst thing about corruption as a system of governance,is that it works so well!!

Didier in Shantaram..

Waste management.

2009-09-23T13:01:00.004+05:30

On my recent trip to the Industrial town of Vapi in Gujarat i noticed a haze as my car inched closer to it.The driver informed that its the pollution and the smog cause of the Industries in the area?

When i rolled down the window a stench entered with a vengeance inside the car!

The river had a blackish look devoid of any flora or fauna...is this the cost of industrialization.

Why cant the industries take care of the hazardous affluent?

Did a little bit of search on the net and came across many a companies which help in reducing the overall uses of chemicals and help in waste management.

Any chemical plant deals with a lot of solvents for different procedures like cleaning emulsification or as catalyst.The solvent is needed time and again,thus a need for solvent recovery system.The solvent recovery system reduces cost of operation and burden on the environment.

Different industries have different waste material and a unique way for management.A look at the river or water body tells how efficiently the waste has been managed.

The need for waste recovery system was long felt.Here in an industry can recover the waste and improve productivity at the same time helping environment.

At the end of the day more solvent recovery means lesser new solvent purchased thus greener.

The more industries focus on recycling and cleaner waste management the healthier our kids future will be.

Lets make earth greener...

Go Kiss the World – Subroto Bagchi..

2009-09-16T14:28:00.001+05:30

This speech was delivered to the Class of 2006 at the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore on defining success by Subroto Bagchi CEO MindTree.

I was the last child of a small-time government servant, in a family of five brothers. My earliest memory of my father is as that of a District Employment Officer in Koraput, Orissa. It was, and remains as back of beyond as you can imagine. There was no electricity; no primary school nearby and water did not flow out of a tap. As a result, I did not go to school until the age of eight; I was home-schooled. My father used to get transferred every year. The family belongings fit into the back of a jeep – so the family moved from place to place and without any trouble, my Mother would set up an establishment and get us going. Raised by a widow who had come as a refugee from the then East Bengal, she was a matriculate when she married my Father.

My parents set the foundation of my life and the value system, which makes me what I am today and largely, defines what success means to me today.

As District Employment Officer, my father was given a jeep by the government. There was no garage in the Office, so the jeep was parked in our house. My father refused to use it to commute to the office. He told us that the jeep is an expensive resource given by the government- he reiterated to us that it was not ”his jeep” but the government’s jeep. Insisting that he would use it only to tour the interiors, he would walk to his office on normal days.. He also made sure that we never sat in the government jeep – we could sit in it only when it was stationary.

That was our early childhood lesson in governance – a lesson that corporate managers learn the hard way, some never do.

The driver of the jeep was treated with respect due to any other member of my Father’s office. As small children, we were taught not to call him by his name. We had to use the suffix ‘dada’ whenever we were to refer to him in public or private. When I grew up to own a car and a driver by the name of Raju was appointed – I repeated the lesson to my two small daughters. They have, as a result, grown up to call Raju, ‘Raju Uncle’ – very different from many of their friends who refer to their family driver, as ‘my driver’. When I hear that term from a school- or college-going person, I cringe.

To me, the lesson was significant – you treat small people with more respect than how you treat big people. It is more important to respect your subordinates than your superiors.

Our day used to start with the family huddling around my Mother’s chulha – an earthen fire place she would build at each place of posting where she would cook for the family. There was neither gas, nor electrical stoves.The morning routine started with tea. As the brew was served, Father would ask us to read aloud the editorial page of The Statesman’s ‘muffosil’ edition – delivered one day late. We did not understand much of what we were reading. But the ritual was meant for us to know that the world was larger than Koraput district and the English I speak today, despite having studied in an Oriya medium school, has to do with that routine. After reading the newspaper aloud, we were told to fold it neatly. Father taught us a simple lesson.

He used to say, “You should leave your newspaper and your toilet, the way you expect to find it”. That lesson was about showing consideration to others. Business begins and ends with that simple precept.

Being small children, we were always enamored with advertisements in the newspaper for transistor radios – we did not have one. We saw other people having radios in their homes and each time there was an advertisement of Philips, Murphy or Bush radios, we would ask Father when we could get one. Each time, my Father would reply that we did not need one because he already had five radios – alluding to his five sons.

We also did not have a house of our own and would occasionally ask Father as to when, like others, we would live in our own house. He would give a similar reply,” We do not need a house of our own. I already own five houses”. His replies did not gladden our hearts in that instant.

Nonetheless, we learnt that it is important not to measure personal success and sense of well being through material possessions.

Government houses seldom came with fences. Mother and I collected twigs and built a small fence. After lunch, my Mother would never sleep. She would take her kitchen utensils and with those she and I would dig the rocky, white ant infested surrounding. We planted flowering bushes. The white ants destroyed them. My mother brought ash from her chulha and mixed it in the earth and we planted the seedlings all over again. This time, they bloomed. At that time, my father’s transfer order came. A few neighbors told my mother why she was taking so much pain to beautify a government house, why she was planting seeds that would only benefit the next occupant. My mother replied that it did not matter to her that she would not see the flowers in full bloom. She said, “I have to create a bloom in a desert and whenever I am given a new place, I must leave it more beautiful than what I had inherited”.

That was my first lesson in success. It is not about what you create for yourself, it is what you leave behind that defines success.

My mother began and galvanized the nation in to patriotic fervor. Other than reading out the newspaper to my mother, I had no clue about how I could be part of the action. So, after reading her the newspaper, every day I would land up near the University’s water tank, which served the community. I would spend hours under it, imagining that there could be spies who would come to poison the water and I had to watch for them. I would daydream about catching one and how the next day, I would be featured in the newspaper. Unfortunately for me, the spies at war ignored the sleepy town of Bhubaneswar and I never got a chance to catch one in action. Yet, that act unlocked my imagination.

Imagination is everything. If we can imagine a future, we can create it, if we can create that future, others will live in it. That is the essence of success.

Over the next few years, my mother’s eyesight dimmed but in me she created a larger vision, a vision with which I continue to see the world and, I sense, through my eyes, she was seeing too. As the next few years unfolded, her vision deteriorated and she was operated for cataract. I remember, when she returned after her operation and she saw my face clearly for the first time, she was astonished. She said, “Oh my God, I did not know you were so fair”.. I remain mighty pleased with that adulation even till date. Within weeks of getting her sight back, she developed a corneal ulcer and, overnight, became blind in both eyes. That was 1969. She died in 2002. In all those 32 years of living with blindness, she never complained about her fate even once. Curious to know what she saw with blind eyes, I asked her once if she sees darkness. She replied, “No, I do not see darkness. I only see light even with my eyes closed”. Until she was eighty years of age, she did her morning yoga everyday, swept her own room and washed her own clothes.

To me, success is about the sense of independence; it is about not seeing the world but seeing the light.

Over the many intervening years, I grew up, studied, joined the industry and began to carve my life’s own journey. I began my life as a clerk in a government office, went on to become a Management Trainee with the DCM group and eventually found my life’s calling with the IT industry when fourth generation computers came to India in 1981. Life took me places – I worked with outstanding people, challenging assignments and traveled all over the world.

In 1992, while I was posted in the US, I learnt that my father, living a retired life with my eldest brother, had suffered a third degree burn injury and was admitted in the Safderjung Hospital in Delhi. I flew back to attend to him – he remained for a few days in critical stage, bandaged from neck to toe. The Safderjung Hospital is a cockroach infested, dirty, inhuman place. The overworked, under-resourced sisters in the burn ward are both victims and perpetrators of dehumanized life at its worst. One morning, while attending to my Father, I realized that the blood bottle was empty and fearing that air would go into his vein, I asked the attending nurse to change it. She bluntly told me to do it myself. In that horrible theater of death, I was in pain and frustration and anger. Finally when she relented and came, my Father opened his eyes and murmured to her, “Why have you not gone home yet?” Here was a man on his deathbed but more concerned about the overworked nurse than his own state. I was stunned at his stoic self.

There I learnt that there is no limit to how concerned you can be for another human being and what the limit of inclusion is you can create.

My father died the next day. He was a man whose success was defined by his principles, his frugality, his universalism and his sense of inclusion.

Above all, he taught me that success is your ability to rise above your discomfort, whatever may be your current state. You can, if you want, raise your consciousness above your immediate surroundings. Success is not about building material comforts – the transistor that he never could buy or the house that he never owned. His success was about the legacy he left, the memetic continuity of his ideals that grew beyond the smallness of a ill-paid, unrecognizedgovernment servant’s world.

My father was a fervent believer in the British Raj. He sincerely doubted the capability of the post-independence Indian political parties to govern the country. To him, the lowering of the Union Jack was a sad event. My Mother was the exact opposite. When Subhash Bose quit the Indian National Congressand came to Dacca, my mother, then a schoolgirl, garlanded him. She learnt to spin khadi and joined an underground movement that trained her in using daggers and swords. Consequently, our household saw diversity in the political outlook of the two. On major issues concerning the world, the Old Man and the Old Lady had differing opinions.

In them, we learnt the power of disagreements, of dialogue and the essence of living with diversity in thinking.

Success is not about the ability to create a definitive dogmatic end state; it is about the unfolding of thought processes, of dialogue and continuum.

Two years back, at the age of eighty-two, Mother had a paralytic stroke and was lying in a government hospital in Bhubaneswar. I flew down from the US where I was serving my second stint, to see her. I spent two weeks with her in the hospital as she remained in a paralytic state. She was neither getting better nor moving on. Eventually I had to return to work. While leaving her behind, I kissed her face. In that paralytic state and a garbled voice, she said,

“Why are you kissing me, go kiss the world.” Her river was nearing its journey, at the confluence of life and death, this woman who came to India as a refugee, raised by a widowed Mother, no more educated than high school, married to an anonymous government servant whose last salary was Rupees Three Hundred, robbed of her eyesight by fate and crowned by adversity was telling me to go and kiss the world!

Success to me is about Vision. It is the ability to rise above the immediacy of pain. It is about imagination. It is about sensitivity to small people. It is about building inclusion. It is about connectedness to a larger world existence. It is about personal tenacity. It is about giving back more to life than you take out of it. It is about creating extra-ordinary success with ordinary lives.

Thank you very much; I wish you good luck and God’s speed. Go! kiss the world.

Government websites how user unfriendly??

2009-09-06T13:26:00.004+05:30

Loved this article by Mahafreed in the TOI today..

What makes Gov web sites so dull or so gaudy and so user unfriendly?

Is this related to the common attitude of the Gov staffs way of working where all work is insipid and done cause one is forced to instead of doing what on loves to do??

I would like to share some example of how efficient our Gov website made by our money are?

Vice President of India :How insipid it could get?See the recommend IE6?

Ministry of civil aviation :Look at the offending colours?Cant skip the flash.Love the tag line PDF is an special software??

MOD: This web site is optimized for java enabled Netscape4.0 above, IE4.0 above and 1024x768 monitor resolution.(IE4 are you serious)

MOSteel :Love the Moving stars hitting logo?

MOSmall enterprises: Look at the colours?

MHA : This is neat..

MO Culture: How clutter free??

CIC: The rainbow effect?

By now i feel exhausted..

Tried some other countries official sites:

Singapore: You decide!

Malaysia :Neat

UK : Cool..

Some serious endeavour needs to go in improving these websites usability.For a change Gov should outsource the task to professional companies?

Example:

Infosys: How soothing and clean.

Wipro : Refreshing..

Airtel : Clutter free

TCS : Cool..

The point is taking ownership and promoting creativity rather than making mockery of e governance..

Some questions??

2009-09-04T12:45:00.003+05:30

Do one really needs to cut throat to survive?

What do we mean in business parlance when we say Killing extinct?

Why do business term are derived straight out of hunting and forest?

Is there some thing called a work life balance?

Can an individual safeguard the encroachment of professional life in the personal domain?

Why is some one leaving office at six is seen as a shirker?

How many productive hours are there in the office hours?

He can's survive in sales cause he is innocent??

Lets rip the competition apart??

How many companies can follow "Do no evil" and still be profitable?

Sea Link Mumbai..

2009-08-30T13:31:00.002+05:30

Had the chance to cross the Bandra worli sae link in a Corola..what a sight, have a glimpse..

Raksha Bandhan(The thread of security)India. | Demotix.com

2009-08-05T20:05:00.001+05:30

Raksha Bandhan(The thread of security)India. | Demotix.com

Shared via AddThis

Changing face of Digital entertainment.

2009-07-22T20:18:00.002+05:30

Just few years back TV homes used to pay high usage charges to the local cable company or the cable guy.

Then we saw the advent of the Direct TV!!

So here the customer had access to the chosen set of channels and digital picture quality and sound.

Even if the power in a particular area was out the end user can run his backup power and enjoy Direct TV.The welcome change from the earlier inefficient service to a professionally run 24*7 customer care service coxed many TV homes to upgrade to satellite TV service.

Now the discerning customer want to have the same sophisticated experience at most touch points like club,hotel and restaurants?

The problem is that the public broadcasting thru a non commercial Direct TV is illegal.

So the customers miss the higher quality experience as seen at home,resulting in less customers on crucial game days.

Now the same Direct TV is offering the Direct TV Business.This new offering is designated for commercial use and its success will be out in the open in few months.The Commercial Direct TV has many offers suitable for bar r,restaurants and most commercial places.

The changing world of digital entertainment will have a long term effect on the DirectTV Business.

Hillary charmed all in India.

2009-07-22T20:12:00.002+05:30

If India anticipated the US secretary of state’s visit with uncertainty it was largely because it shares the unusual distinction — along with Israel — of viewing with sorrow George Bush’s departure from the White House. As it turned out, Hillary Clinton was successful in allaying most of India’s concerns.

“Her reassurances for New Delhi came in three parts,” wrote James Lamont inThe Financial Times. “First, she prioritised the fight against terrorism, staying in the Taj hotel in Mumbai which, only nine months ago, was the target of rampaging Islamist gunmen. Second, she addressed regional security in south Asia — a priority of the Obama administration — without insisting on a settlement for Kashmir, claimed and fought over by India and Pakistan. Third, she offered assistance in areas that New Delhi gives strategic priority: modernising its armed forces, energy security and its space programme.

“The US will want something in return.

“Behind the desire for India to be a global power is the wish that it speaks up more for its democratic freedoms and open society, and those of others. Talks over climate change, global trade, financial reform and nuclear non-proliferation are where that voice needs to be heard.

“But for all the emollient words, the biggest reward for the US will be India’s help in securing regional peace. That would be the prize of true ‘friendship’.”

Writing for Time magazine, Madhur Singh said: “The big takeaways of Clinton’s visit are three key agreements. The first is an ‘end-use monitoring’ agreement that allows the US to track arms supplied to India to ensure that they are not sold or otherwise given to third parties. This agreement, required by US law, enables US companies to sell hi-tech military equipment and technology to India, immediately benefiting Boeing and Lockheed Martin, which will be able to bid for contracts to supply 26 fighter jets to India for a $10 billion deal.

“The second, a technical-safeguards agreement, will enable India to launch non-commercial satellites containing US components, while an agreement to set up a science-and-technology endowment fund will allow more co-operation in those fields.

“In addition to the monetary boost for US businesses and the ego boost for India, a ‘strategic dialogue’ encompassing a range of subjects — from soft issues like education to thorny ones such as climate change, terrorism and nuclear non-proliferation — was announced. Clinton’s speeches and interviews to the local media were full of references to India’s greater role on the global stage. ‘[I] consider India not just a regional but global power,’ she told an Indian news channel on July 18, the day after she arrived in Mumbai. The irony of that statement was not lost on India’s foreign policy set, given that the country’s recent attempts to take a leadership role in international affairs, such as leading developing nations at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and in climate-change negotiations, has led it on a path of friction with the US.

“In fact, the Indian Environment Minister, Jairam Ramesh, broke away from the saccharine tone of most of Clinton’s meetings with the country’s leaders by bluntly reiterating India’s position that it would not accept binding emissions cuts. ‘There is simply no case for the pressure that we, who have been among the lowest emitters per capita, face to actually reduce emissions,’ Ramesh said to Clinton at a conference on climate change in Gurgaon, near New Delhi, on July 19. ‘And as if this pressure was not enough, we also face the threat of carbon tariffs on our exports to countries such as yours.’ Clinton defused the situation by asserting that the US would not take any step to limit India’s economic growth.”

In World Politics Review, Neeta Lal wrote: “As expected, Clinton’s agenda covered the five pillars of the Indo-US relationship: defence co-operation, science and technology, energy and climate change, education and trade. But the visit left the impression that it was crafted to be more symbolic than substantial, leading many to believe that Clinton was working according to a script, rather than as a much-vaunted ‘friend of India’.

“From her decision to kick off her trip in Mumbai, rather than the national capital of New Delhi, to her stay at the Taj Mahal Hotel where Pakistani terrorists had unleashed terror last year to her politically correct declarations about climate control, Pakistan and terrorism, Clinton presented India with a friendly but unrelenting interlocutor on many counts.

“Not that she was lacking in charm. The secretary met with social activists championing the emancipation of Indian women, captains of industry who have fast-tracked India’s economic growth, and groups of students in Delhi.

“But the most crucial element of bilateral exchange on which India needed reassurance — ie, strong words on Pakistani support for terror against India — were missing. To the contrary, Clinton made it clear that Washington is pretty pleased with Pakistan’s performance in the ‘war on terror,’ and that the primary American concern is the Pakistani nuclear inventory, secure for now.”

Meanwhile, shortly before Mrs Clinton’s departure the media spotlight suddenly shifted to a courtroom drama in Mumbai when Mohammad Ajmal Amir “Kasab” reversed his plea and confessed to his role in the Mumbai attacks.

“The sole surviving gunman in last year’s Mumbai terror attacks may have sealed his fate with a dramatic courtroom confession Monday, but Pakistan’s determination and ability to dismantle the group that plotted the assault remains an open question,” The Wall Street Journal reported.

“Pakistan, after initially denying that any of its citizens took part in the assault that left more than 170 people dead, has in the past six months sought to convince India and the US that it is doing everything in its power to shut down the group thought to be responsible, Lashkar-i-Taiba.

“‘The Pakistani nation and its government fully understand the enormity of the challenge,’ said Farahnaz Ispahani, a spokeswoman for Pakistani president Asif Ali Zardari. ‘This nation has paid in blood for its commitment against terrorism.’

“Five of the alleged plotters arrested in Pakistan weeks after the attack are to go on trial in the coming days. Pakistani officials say prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani earlier this month gave his Indian counterpart a dossier detailing what Islamabad knows about Lashkar’s involvement in the attack.”

Official Google Blog: Introducing the Google Chrome OS

2009-07-08T23:13:00.000+05:30

Official Google Blog: Introducing the Google Chrome OS

Jai ho Soniya ji.

2009-06-01T10:50:00.003+05:30

The silent doll of Indian politics was a rank outsider.

She saw trauma when her mother in law was assassinated that was not all.

The biggest shock for her and the nation which she choose to call her home was the assassination of her husband.

She went in to hibernation and contemplated all moves.The Congress made a government in center out of the sympathy move.

The organisation was out of the hands of Gandhi family and it took its toll.The likes of Narsimha Rao and Kesari ruined it.

When she decided to take charge she was laughed upon and criticised.She persisted with the broken Hindi script written in English.

She renounced the post of PM and installed the maverick Manmohan to ensure she emerged larger than life.

She made a historic move by declaring the president is going to be a lady.And it happened Pratibha Patil is the president of India now.

She has again made a ground breaking move of nominating Meera Kumar a dalit leader and daughter of Jagjeevan ram as the new speaker of the Lok sabha.

This decision has proved that the silent doll has become an astute politician who plans her masterstroke at correct time and checkmates all.

Her stature keeps on rising day by day.

Jai ho Soniya Gandhi!!

Tele marketing good or bad??

2009-05-30T22:07:00.003+05:30

Often you are in a crucial meeting and you receive a call from an unknown number!!

The sweetest voice on earth wishes you and starts offering the USP of some product which you may need or may not.Like in March every month one receives innumerable calls from insurance companies and the financial planners to invest in there product.

You wonder many a times who are these guys and how the hell they got my new cell number?

Point one there are moles in each company and point two there are legitimate companies selling database of people who have opted to receive telemarketing calls in writing.

Apart from the annoyance felt at such moments of unwanted calls the truth is if you start a company which needs to launch its new products for the middle class the best place to go for a ready database is marketing list.

The companies maintain a ready database of different profiles useful for generating mailing leads.

So no legwork and RnD on your own you get a ready database of customers suiting your need.Cool.

Recently i availed a home loan from reputed housing finance company and bingo!!My phone was inundated with so many offers and calls from similar companies.So that tells that there is a ready database of mortgage mailing list which is useful to a finance company offering similar products.

So as you see there are two sides of a coin.If you happen to get a marketing call at wrong time you are grousy but if you benefit from a call you don't mind :-)..

Herbal trade show.

2009-05-27T11:58:00.002+05:30

Recently attended a trade show on herbal and natural products.

It was astonishing to find the kind of range and depth of class the products offered.The herbal cosmetics segment had the most trade show booths.

The cosmetics ranged from cleansers to moisturisers and toners.The surprise was a complete male range of products.

One particular stall had all things recycled so much so even the table skirts were also recycled?

The herbal tea and herbal beverages stall was doing brisk business.The hot weather added to the sale of sherbets and chillers.The herbal bandwagon is fast making in roads in self cure medicine range.The medicines are for good appetite to low sugar to aphrodisiac!!

One banner stand which was drawing attention a lot was a big carnivore promoting herbal diet!

One innovative herbal vendor has done all the deco in greens.Even the pipe and drape were all green with vines and plants surrounding the entire stall.

The herbal trade show was a green and fresh with equally fresh ideas!!

New businnes oppurtunity..

2009-05-25T10:58:00.001+05:30

The hard working executives working day in and out for a firm often get a flash in the mind!Why to work so hard for some one else?Why not have own firm and then as much extra hours i put in that will add to my coffers!

I am sure it hits us all at one point in our Carrier!

Here is the solution!

While surfing the big world wide web came across an interesting concept of ready to buy ventures.

The most favorable and the well acquainted are the computer franchise and Internet franchise.

The franchise model reduces the individual entrepreneur risk as it brings with it the hedge of a group.

The huge success story of big business conglomerates derives its strength from the franchise operation.

More often its the franchise which becomes the face of the company to the end consumer.

Computer franchise and the Internet franchise models have been benchmark of good franchise business.

Oh Boy...

2009-05-19T17:46:00.002+05:30

My last post said a leader is a dealer in hope.

Rahul Gandhi has shown that hope to the youths of India.

What a remarkable turn around in Uttar Pradesh a record 20 seats after a hiatus of 20 years?

No one thought its posible,probably not even Rahul thought so.His arduous travel schedule in which he covered 87k Km is In surmountable.

Rahul has revived the almost dead Congress at the grass root level.His selected candidates have won handsomely.

The best thing is Rahul is calm and composed in face of splendid success.True sign of a balance personality worthy of a cabinet post..

Go ahead the Young Gandhi..the world beholds...

Hope...

2009-04-29T16:33:00.003+05:30

A leader is a dealer in Hope!!

How true it is.The USA saw that hope in the miracle man Obama.

The spiritual seekers seek it in there gods!

The child sees hope in the promises by her parents!

Even promise of a ice cream treat next day fills the child's heart with optimism and a valid reason to go forward to a new day!

Hope is life hope is the best feeling we can cherish!

The worst case scenario too looks forward to better times that's hope.

Its the single motivation for a country of magnitude of India to get on with what we have and strive and hope for better.

Its with the hope of a better government which can protect the citizens and provide jobs and basic amenities that India goes to vote.

Hope India!Vote India!And Vote Bharat too.(Cause in the call to India we forget the Bharat)

Jai Ho!

Jarnails shoe hits congress in face!!!

2009-04-09T21:51:00.002+05:30

When Bush ducked and saved his face from the Iraqi journalist shoe the world was angry on the journalist for missing so badly!

But when Jarnail singh missed PC the forced home minister of India( he was the FM first) the response was unique?

India is being governed by a Sikh leader who had publicly apologised to the community for the 1984 riots.

When the congress was putting pressure on the BJP's most popular campaigner Modi (the Gujarat CM) for coming clean on Godhra riots it finds itself caught badly in 1984 riots case.

Mr Jarnail singh missed the home minister but hit at the right spot!

The ashamed congress was in a dilemma rather to criticise the act or show support?

PC resumed in a true politicians style but the shoe hit Tytler and Sajjan kumar two days later!!

Congress has decided to pull out Tytler and Sajjan kumar the alleged conspirators and perpetrators of Sikh killings?

The PM has asked the CBI for clarification?

Questions i want to raise now are:

1.Isn't the withdrawal of candidates by congress a confession to crime?

2.Is it the Sikh vote bank which has made Congress go back on two loyalist of years?

3.Isn't the PMO deriding the credibility of the office of CBI?

4.Is this a long term or a stop gap arrangement to appease the Sikh community?

5.Should the Sikh community be happy with the reprimand to accused or start a new offensive as congress agrees to the charges?

Our great democracy where there is no bar on criminals,there is no benchmark of education,where there is no age of retirement will continue with the gimmicks of politicians who change colours so fast the endangered reptile will feel ashamed of.

Guys in congress need to come clean on the issue are they confessing to the crime against the Sikh or is it a poll tamasha??

Munnabhai cant dance on Poll?

2009-04-02T16:34:00.003+05:30

The Indian democracy is a happening one,The other day i wrote about Munna bhai getting the SP ticket from Lucknow(No luck for him).

The honourable supreme court has rejected his plea to stand for MP.

A good and sound move considering his tainted image.I am happy for the common man of Lucknow to be spared a filmy drama.(like we have in Mumbai North Represented by Govinda)

When the public faced rains and flooding he was never to be seen.Heard this time its going to be a fight between Sanjay Nirupam (Congress )with Ram Naik (BJP) .

Ram Naik is a seasoned politician from the area and is well known.Only grudge people from this area have is him doing very little for suburban train travel when he was the union railways minister!!

Sanjay Nirupam is ex Shiv Sena,Vocal and popular(Remeber him on Big boss).

Sanjay speaks well and has a clean image,Transformed from Hard line Hindu activist to a soft core secular.

Lets see what the people of Mumbai North decide?

Best Islamic state?

2009-03-13T21:12:00.002+05:30

Once i was in a conversation with a learned Doctor from south Mumbai on the virtues of Islam and its future in the world.

The Dr kept on praising the hard line Islamic view..

I asked him whats which is the best Islamic state according to you?

Answer: Taliban ruled Afghanistan!

!That was the end of our conversation.

For ever....

Criminals in politics...

2009-03-12T10:33:00.002+05:30

Troubled states adjoining India are a cause of concern for the peace and prosperity of India.

With the general elections announced the threat to India has increased many fold.The difficult task of ensuring free and fare election lies on the election commission of India.

The Indian general election has been a big tamasha with the pomp and show of cheap promises and taken for ride proposals.

The manifestos of parties read like wish list rather than concrete plans.

What to say of Rs 2 a kilo rice?

Free color television to all BPL families?

Rs 2000 dole to unemployed/month??

The money will come from where no party has the answer.

When the recession bug has stung the entire world our politicians are day dreaming on job front and unemployment.

The media thankfully is the saving grace and the TOI in particular..

What an eye opening campaign of lead India.

The guts of the TOI group to denounce the criminalized politics is splendid.

Criminalization of politics is spread across all parties..

The lead India movement is gaining momentum day by day..the talks in trains and the street is evident.

I lend my voice to this cause of saving our country for our kids..

Lets pledge not to vote a criminal...

Jodhpur the Sun city..

2009-02-28T22:09:00.003+05:30

Been in Jodhpur for 4 days visiting the city on job(Doing field audits of Airtel digital tv engineers).

What a city!!

History plastered all around!

Imagine going in to a home which is 500 years old but stil rock solid!

How many generations called the same place their home.

How many death and birth how many marriages and birthdays the rock solid home must have seen!

Where as the RCC buildings life span is just 125 years the red stone buildings have no expiry dates!!

The Mehran garh fort the Jaswant thada!!

Mind blowing!

Dear Sun city i shall be back shortly..not on work but on leave...Love..

Slumdog Makes History at Oscars!!

2009-02-23T11:10:00.002+05:30

History made at the Academy awards 2009.

Never before an Indian themed film got 8 Oscars!

When Rahman was singing Jai ho to the Academy audience it seemed a scene from The Filmfare awards the local version of the Oscars.

To all the critics of Slumdog..

Grow up...accept the winner and eat humble pie!

It takes a British to show us the real Mumbai...

Danny has done to Indian cinema what all back biting stars couldn't do...

The feeling is great i feel happy for the cast and cruse of Slumdog...But do not subscribe to the view of the Mumbai film industry say that the Oscar format is different.

The Truth is a good film is a good film Period..

Think...

2009-02-18T20:42:00.002+05:30

What do you do?

When you find knee deep water on the road and the manhole submerged,will you protect your feet from dangerous objects or preserve your 2000 bucks leather shoe?

Historic day!!!

2009-02-12T22:13:00.003+05:30

Historic day on two accounts:

1.Pak admits for the first time that its soil was used for planning and executing the Mumbai attack.

2.The Nitahri case verdict out the killer and rapist cum cannibals of Noida to be convicted tomorrow.

On account no 1 the Indian external affairs minister will speak to Parliament tmrw...

Lets see...

Follow your dreams:Not always??

2009-02-07T09:24:00.002+05:30

Follow your dreams:The oft repeated saying.

The young man followed his dream literally

http://www.mumbaimirror.com/article/2/200902072009020702470216922dfd005/Lottery-agent-who-dug-his-own-grave

sad but its

Life is like it..

Do you believe this??

2009-02-06T22:18:00.001+05:30

Source:Press TV Iran...

The Mumbai raids were planned by a banned Bangladeshi militant group called Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, Pakistan's the Dawn newspaper quoted unnamed sources as saying on Friday.

Based on the report, the Bangladesh-based outfit had hired Pakistanis to carry out the attacks on the Indian financial hub.

The newspaper further said that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), which was tasked with carrying out the probe, believed that at least one of the attackers has been a Bangladeshi national.

The FIA findings suggest that some parts of the terror plan may have been devised in Dubai, while raising the possibility of local Indian support for the attacks.

Pakistani officials have not confirmed or deny the report, which leaked to the media despite India's frequent calls on Islamabad to share its findings with New Delhi through 'diplomatic channels'.

The developments come after, India on January 5 provided Islamabad with data from satellite phones used by the attackers.

On Thursday, India accused Pakistan's Intelligence agency (ISI) of having close links with the perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attacks.

"The perpetrators planned, trained and launched their attacks from Pakistan, and the organizers were and remain clients and creations of the Inter-Services Intelligence," Indian Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon said.

Indian authorities have expressed frustration over what they describe as Islamabad's 'slow response' in arresting and prosecuting those allegedly involved in the case.

Islamabad has voiced outrage over New Delhi accusing Pakistani state agencies of involvement in the acts of terror as well as its repeated hints at a military option.

Email marketing a menace or boon?

2009-02-06T21:53:00.003+05:30

In a world where the unsolicited e mails are considered an evil it was a mail with similar credentials which fetched me my job??

My listing with Monster made my profile available to the head hunters and the clan took my CV to the interested clients.To my luck i got a call from the top telecoms company of India for a job!!

Cool isn't it?

So not all unsolicited mails are harmful??

Who are the guys who frame and plan these mails?

Does it help any serious company or its the domain of the fraudsters selling illegal copy cat Viagra??

What will you think of an email marketing company which has over 15,000 customers and 100,000 users. The product is used primarily by small businesses but also has a number of Fortune 500 companies like Bank of America, Ford, Nissan, Super 8 Motel, and International Paper, and political campaigns like Barack Obama '08. The company is based in Durham, NC and was founded by Ryan Allis and Aaron Houghton in 2003.

I thought its a waste of time and no body will notice email newsletter.

I came across a company called iContact, which is an easy to use email marketing, surveying, autoresponder, and blogging tool that allows small businesses, non-profits, and associations to easily communicate online with their customers, prospects, and members.

iContact has an easy to use interface and over 300 professionally-designed email templates. The application allows you to track the opens and clickthroughs on your emails, add a sign-up form to your web site, segment your list, and manage your subscribers.

f you are looking for any easy and inexpensive way to put your emarketing on autopilot and get great deliverability, check out iContact.

An overview video is at http://icontact.com/www/video/introduction_video.html.

You can try a 15 day free trial of iContact atwww.icontact.com.

Sounds cool...

Hacked to death for practising witchcraft??

2009-01-31T14:14:00.000+05:30

A 65-year-old Adivasi woman was hacked to death, allegedly by her two brothers, on the suspicion of practising witchcraft in lower Assam's Baksa district.

The decomposed body of Buddha Bala, with cut wounds on her head and neck, was found at her house in labour line quarter of Dumuni tea estate on Friday, police sources said.

Inquiries revealed a group of 20-25 neighbours along with her two brothers came to the woman's house on Tuesday night and forcibly took her away at knife point.

Her body was found near home this morning, the sources said.

Bala's two brothers Jogen Kerketa and Jonathan Kerketa confessed before reporters after their arrest that they had killed their sister on suspicion of her practising witchcraft along with four others.

How to host your own website?

2009-01-30T21:01:00.002+05:30

The web has offered the the most innovative and omnipresent tool for communication and advertisement.No matter where you go in this world,how so ever alien the place or city is to you.

The Internet gives the relief of checking your favorite website which thankfully remains the same!The networking sites bring friends and colleagues to you where ever you go.

The blogging phenomenon is now history and legendary.

I know of many famous blogger who started on Blogger or word press but went pro by having there own website hosted privately.This enables complete control on the look and feel as well as the admin rights.

I came across a web hosting article which list the do it yourself things.

For a blogger the site Chronicles and list the best hosting services available and also offers web hosting tutorials.

So those of you blogger wanting to turn pro can go ahead and host your sites on any of these platforms.

Parents love....

2009-01-29T17:45:00.002+05:30

So many trail mails cross our mailboxes...

This one touched a cord in my heart....

FOR ALL PARENTS !!

A beautiful poem written by a Father to save his Daughter !!!
Do read it once........ ...I am sure u also won't be left untouched by the words and the feelings that they depict.

The last stanza, after reading from the beginning, suddenly slows down the heart-beats

DAD - BABY RACHEL - MOM

A sad Dad's poem...
This is a beautiful poem. There is an appeal from a Zimbabwean couple at the bottom of message, not asking for anything more than that you hand the poem on.......... ..
The husband wrote the poem.

TO MY CHILD

Just for this morning, I am going to smile when I see your face and laugh when I feel like crying.

Just for this morning, I will let you choose what you want to wear, and smile and say how perfect it is.

Just for this morning, I am going to step over the laundry and pick you up and take you to the park to play.

Just for this morning, I will leave the dishes in the sink, and let you teach me how to put that puzzle of yours together.

Just for this afternoon, I will unplug the telephone and keep the computer off, and sit with you in the backyard and blow bubbles.

Just for this afternoon, I will not yell once, not even a tiny grumble when you scream and whine for the ice cream truck, and I will buy you one if he comes by.

Just for this afternoon, I won't worry about what you are going to be when you grow up, or second guess every decision I have made where you are concerned.

Just for this afternoon, I will let you help me bake cookies, and I won't stand over you trying to fix them.

Just for this afternoon, I will take us to McDonald's and buy us both a Happy Meal so you can have both toys.

Just for this evening, I will hold you in my arms and tell you a story about how you were born and how much I love you.

Just for this evening, I will let you splash in the tub and not get angry.

Just for this evening, I will let you stay up late while we sit on the porch and count all the stars.

Just for this evening, I will snuggle beside you for hours, and miss my favourite TV shows.

Just for this evening when I run my finger through your hair as you pray, I will simply be grateful that God has given me the greatest gift ever given.

I will think about the mothers and fathers who are searching for their missing children, the mothers and fathers who are visiting their children's graves instead of their bedrooms. The mothers and fathers who are in hospital rooms watching their children suffer senselessly and screaming inside that little body

And when I kiss you goodnight I will hold you a little tighter, a little longer. It is then, that I will thank God for you, and ask him for nothing, except one more day......... .....

Hi! I am a 29-year-old father. My wife and I have had a wonderful life together. God blessed us with a child too. Our daughter's name is Rachel and she is 10 months old. Not long ago did the doctors detect brain cancer in her little body.

There is only one way to save her and that is an operation. Sadly we don't have the money for the operation. AOL and Zdnet (in Zimbabwe ) have agreed to help us.

The only way they can help is this: If you send this email to other people<>AOL will track this email and count how many people get it. Every person that opens this email and sends it to at least 3 people will give us 32c. (in Zimbabwe dollars) Please help us.

It hardly takes a minute for you to forward this to your friends, Please do it.

God Bless You!!

Behind the scene security!!

2009-01-12T12:08:00.002+05:30

When i use the ASUS P 527 for receiving and sending my mails i hardly think of the support technology that runs these services?

I was wondering whats behind the Blackberry and the mobile integration with Internet?

Whoa there is a whole lot more than what meets the eye!!

Big telecoms and Internet service providers(Tata Indicom,Sify,Siemens) need back end technology support and need a professional to manage the complex algorithms.

My quest for behind the scene operators took me into the domain of Exchange management and Exchange Tools,alien words to us layman's.

Its mind boggling to note the number of back end technology companies servicing a big Telecoms Brand?

So the level of service which we get as an end consumer is a byproduct of all these service provider as well as the mother brands efforts!

As big telecoms and Internet providers companies deal with millions of customer and there accounts.It contains confidential and critical information about the client and her uses pattern.Its the responsibility of the service provider to provide best Active directory services.So as the consumer data is secure.

So the next time you send or receive a sms or a mail on your handheld device think of how many companies work in tandem to make it possible.How complicated and complex a sms or secured mail could be??

Actually thanks to these behind the scene secured service providers for not letting us worry about the terms which we layman say JARGON'S!!

India and its neighbours??

2009-01-05T14:51:00.003+05:30

Today the external affairs minister affirmed that all relevant info has been shared with Pakistan.Going a step further India is going to share the same info with all important countries.

Never ever so clinching evidence was put forward by India.It remains to be seen what response comes from the countries of the world.

I reiterate the danger of the troubled neighbourhood we have inherited.

Sri lanka in war with LTTE?

Pakistan facing daily blasts from suicide bombers?

Bangladeshi militants blamed for Assam blast?

Military Junta ruling and suppressing democracy in Myanmar?

Indian army fighting the terrorists in Kashmir?

One of the less talked about danger is the Naxal terrorism infecting almost half of India??

With the Maoists ruling Nepal its only going to increase??

Can India remain peaceful amidst all these troubled neighbours??

New age advertising..

2009-01-04T21:47:00.002+05:30

Adds have been one of the most creative vent for many artists,the pedestal is pushed each passing year.The Lions at Cannes and the swirl of add campaigns launched just to impress the critic are things of today.

One of the most memorable add in Indian Diaspora is the Fevicol one.

Worldwide Absolute Vodka has done some stunning work which makes it an iconic product.

The place at Vasai i call my home is seeing a lot of construction and development.The Sunday home hunters land from Mumbai to search there dream home.

One of the builders did an innovative add by putting a huge helium balloon at its construction site dis pended 100 ft in air.

People can trace the balloon from as far as the station.Bingo!!!

Most of the traffic reaches the spot to check it out...

The kids love to hang around the big advertising balloons spread around the construction and sales office.The balloons will innovative show the constructed and well designed apartment's!!

Very large sized balloons were used to advertise as well as work as toys on which the kids have gala time.

So while the parents check out the rate and size of the dream apartments the kids have a blast.I really loved the idea ...

School trade shows...

2008-12-23T21:07:00.004+05:30

Recalling our days at the boarding school at Pusa...

we had four houses Tagore,Rajendra,Gandhi and Bose.

The rivalry was evident for all to see.The beneficiary was the school admin which enjoyed the best surveillance possible courtesy the house system,any rules broken by other house member was duly reported to the teachers as we use to get marks in name of our house for the deed.

All sporting as well as extra curricular competition were also house driven and we use to aspire to be the best house during the Annual day function.

The annual day used to be a two day celebration with each house making stalls booths and colorful displays to please the judges.,

With each passing year the glamour kept increasing if one house used colourful table skirts other will make big Banner stand which will be a collage of activities done in last year.

The parents used to take pride in visiting the Trade show booths manned and run by there wards.

Out side the the designated display area festooned by pipes and drapes will be the stalls serving piping hot local food as well as sweetmeats..

The taste of success on stall still lingers in my mind and senses..

When i go on company sponsored tours i make it a point to visit exhibitions and trade fairs of all sort..it opens up my horizons and provides a ready made platform for liaising..

Bronze age to silicon age..

2008-12-23T19:40:00.002+05:30

The man kind has depended heavily on metals and materials form bronze age to the silicon age.

It intrigues me to categorise the type of materials which we use in our day to day life..

The most basic of materials like copper,steel or the precious ones like Gold and silver.

Today the auto industries uses composite materials to save on the cost of fuel and also for more sturdiness.

Its a surprise to note the kind of materials used in medical science from stainless steel to titanium and chromium.The nuclear medicine department of big hospitals use restricted and highly secure radio isotopes for bone scan and other non invasive investigations.

Long gone back are the times when we had forging and alloy companies serving the industry,today there are specialist companies which deal in divers composite materials being used in civilian as well as military use.

One on of my trips on field audits for Airtel digital TV i was surprised to see a replica of Brahmos missile in a privet firms engineers home?

The gentleman explained that they worked on contract with the Indian government to develop a sturdy and light material for the deadly missile..the rest classified.

The brass utensils which were used in our village as a normal material has now found place in star hotels serving exotic meals.

I salute and wonder at the same time to the quest of humanity to find lighter,stronger and economical materials for future which are also Eco friendly..

ISI is not a bunch of fool's!!

2008-12-11T07:26:00.003+05:30

When the Pakistan president claims he is a victim of same terrorism which marred and scarred India on 26Th Nov,he is true.

The ghastly execution of Benazir during the election campaign was similar to the execution of our beloved leader Mr.Rajiv Gandhi by LTTE.

All the terrorist killed in Mumbai are of pak origin and had a lot of things on them bearing Pakistani origin.

I fail to believe that a shrewd intelligence agency as ISI will leave blunders like giving Pakistan made goods to terrorist if they want to hide it?

This appears the case of planting things and equipments to highlight the Pak link.

The Indian Media is on an overdrive to prove Pakistan guilty..

The truth is that the real power in Pak is in hands of the Army and the ISI,the democratically elected government is paralysed by these parallel governments and has to take sanction from Army and ISI on any strategic and crucial matter.

I don't know how long the weak Pakistan government will survive?

We Indians must understand the old concept of prosperous neighbourhood!!

If i live in a locality where all except me are poor,then i am going to be a soft target for all due to envy and jealousy.

The wise elders in village help the poor around to gain the riches knowing that prosperity in neighbourhood is security for them.

India is the big brother and a bully who enjoys very little loyalty from its neighbour's.

Smallest of countries like Bhutan and Nepal are getting big packages and tools from China?

Why should they feel good about India.

Today all our neighbours are in abject poverty where as India aspires to be a super power!!

Remember a poor Mexico and Colombia are still nagging the real super power USA.

Where as a prosperous Canada is no threat.

Isn't it the time that India take initiative and revive SAARC .

Pakistan behind Mumbai attacks.

2008-11-28T21:06:00.005+05:30

Glad to note the response from the PM.The firm demand to send the ISI chief to India to share the intelligence input is unprecedented?

I don't know how much can we trust the ISI after the Afghan consulate blast and direct link of ISI in it?

But we got to make a start.This is the least we can expect from a democratically elected government in Pakistan.

If Pakistan comes with helping hand in combing out the terrorist in Pak it will be big confidence booster between two estranged countries.

The History is full of examples of deceit and treachery from Pakistan,i am afraid the patience of Indian public is almost over and if Pakistan plays games again it will be unfortunate!!

Terror and Kids?

2008-11-28T08:55:00.002+05:30

The toughest part of the ongoing crisis at Mumbai for me is to explain the proceedings to my 4 and 1/2 years old child!!

last morning was not the usual one as we woke up at 5 am to check on Taj and Trident update.

She is used to getting up with Dora the explorer on Nick TV.

She was happy to note the school is closed and so is my office.But the 33 hours of continuous terror pics are too much for us so we let her check her Cartoons.

My kid wants to know whats happening on seeing the injured she says that all wounded will recover in hospital.

She does not comprehend death so i have not explained it to her?

I am sure its tough times for parents to tell there wards about the hostage crisis?

Mumbai attacked??

2008-11-27T06:47:00.000+05:30

Army commandoes moved into the luxury Oberoi and the Taj Mahal hotels early on Thursday to flush out terrorists holed up hours after an unspecified number of heavily armed gunmen went on a rampage in ten places in South Mumbai killing 80 persons and taking some foreigners hostage.

Four suspected terrorists were killed in two separate incidents overnight including two during a gun battle in the country's iconic landmark Taj hotel, police said.

Maharashtra deputy chief minister R R Patil said nine suspected terrorists have been arrested. Schools and colleges were ordered to be closed.

Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh said five police officers including Anti Terrorism Squad chief Hemant Karkare were killed in one of the worst terror strikes in the country's financial capital that in all claimed the lives of at least 11 police personnel.

"The operation (by security forces) is still going on," he said. Besides army commandoes, naval commandos and Rapid Action force personnel joined in the operations to rescue those stranded in the two hotels. Five columns of Army and 200 NSG commandoes have been rushed. Two sten guns have been recovered by police so far, he added.

Deshmukh said it was not immediately known how many terrorists were involved in the audacious attack in ten places that shook the western metropolis. The chief minister said the Taj and Oberoi is not in control yet. He said there are no terrorists in Cama hospital which was also targeted by gunmen.

Police reported that some hostages were still being held at the Taj Mahal and Oberoi with eyewitnesses saying the gunmen had targeted foreigners after they kept shouting: "Who has US or UK passports?" Several guests were also stuck.

Fire was still raging in the old wing of Taj hotel several hours after it was rocked by five to six blasts and enormous clouds of black smoke rose from the the century-old edifice on Mumbai's waterfront.

Is this democracy?

2008-11-24T20:03:00.003+05:30

The report is disturbing and alarming?

The obsession with security is not new in politicians.Its the common mans money which is being misused and squandered on wishful imagination of our so called leaders who champion the cause of Dalits(The Downtrodden!!)

The elaborate arrangement will make all Dalits proud of her achievement as its one of there own?

Same plight the Upper cast had when there own were squandering the public wealth.

My Papa says money and power is cast less.The lure of money and power blinds all..

How true... we all are social animals who respond in similar way..

I praise the comrades for a life of austerity.

Though i must clarify I'm politically neutral...

Indian Space reserch:Its impact on comman man?

2008-11-16T19:23:00.003+05:30

I use to wonder whats the use of a space program of 4000 crore per year in a country where 30 crore people are still below the poverty line??

The Chandrayan mission has added the spark and pride in each Indian who knows of the feat.

I am sure the people in my village who fight for daily livivng has no clue about the Chandrayan feat.

For them its more important to gather wood to fight the winter chill.

The Indian space program is a endeavour which can make any developed country envious of.Now let me tell you how many people in India get there daily bread due to the space program and satellites.

To start with my family gets its expenses thanks to INSAT 4 CR!!!

I work for Airtel Digital TV and our broadcast depends on the satellite which is positioned above India at an incredible height of 36000 kilometers.

So all the people in the TV broadcast industry are getting there lively hood thanks to these Geostationary satellites.

Our lives are getting enriched and safe thanks to the Space program.

Its important and correct for a society to invest in Technology of the future...

Lap a Laptop!!!

2008-11-11T14:19:00.003+05:30

I remember as a kid how fascinated was i to see a digital diary of Casio.The one having the gadget will key in the address and the contact details in it using the qwerty key board.

So when i got my second salary in 1999 i bought one for Rs 1800.

Then came the mobile revolution and PC revolution.

The PC revolution has transformed the way we look at and deal with issues in our day to day life.

Any aspiring young human today needs a Laptop to be in touch or sync with the work and world.

With so many companies projecting there product to be best its a nightmare to decide which one is good for you?

I came across a place where one can see and read the reviews posted by the real users about the notebooks.This site actually helps you in to deciding the Best Laptop for you.

More importantly it cuts out the ad jingo and jargon's and talks plain.

Its not a surprise that i got a HP laptop after reading the reviews online here.

So readers check this site before buying your sleek and sexy laptops....

Have u thought about it?

2008-11-09T19:45:00.002+05:30

The malegaon blast that killed six was one small event as against the big ones like Mumbai train blast or the recent once at Ahmedabad,Jaipur and Delhi.

One big difference is that it happened in a muslim area??

The suspects are some Hindu organisations??One sadhvi in a lock up and a possible army linkup.

The thing which alarms me is the alarcity with which this case is being investigated as compared to the damp and sloppy investigation of bigger ones!!

The said culprit is sent for repeated narco test?

Is the government not in haste to prove the involvement of Hinduism in terror to safeguard the muslim vote bank?

The cash for vote scam has been put under carpet as predicted by ET.If the scam was being run as a top priority national activity to safeguard the fall of government by RAW,CBI and top power brokers then who is left to investigate??

As predicted there is clean sheet on Amar singh as the winner writes the history!!

I fore see stroking of Hindu and Muslim sentiments before the next Loksabha elections...

Customer service!!

2008-11-06T20:38:00.002+05:30

Such pathetic and abysmal is the service sector in our country that even a normal service experience delights us!!

There has been many occasions where we have felt cheated and taken for ride by big as well as small companies.But due to our different priorities we seldom seek reprisal.

Like its been 7 days since i bought an IFB 25ltr microwave oven.

On registering the product on the website the message flashed CC(Customer care) will get in touch for the demo?

No one has bothered to call?

The Diwali Dhamaka scheme of 9 piece glass cookware was not disclosed top me by Apravas Distributor Vasai West.When i informed them about the error the sales man said he will check and revert!

Three days gone no response???

I planned for a trip to Shirdi during Diwali vacation,booked train tickets on IRCTC a good experience no hassles.

Hotel booking tried Ezeego1,NDTV travels,Yatra etc.

Same rates and same hotels shown!!

Went ahead with Ezeego1 booked Deluxe ac rooms at Hotel sai Leela shirdi for 2400.

They claimed its a ***(3 Star) Hotel!!

My room where i checked in 314 was dirty.Cobwebs in the toilet?

Despite my five requests the mosquito repalent mat was not delivered?

The AC was very noisy?

The bed sheet and the pillow cover had holes in it.

Shampoo not given,second soap given only on demand?

The waiters wore dirty uniform?

1 bottle Bisleri in room cost Rs 25.

Before the checking out on 29th Oct i requested for for a 2 hour extension as my train was at 5 in eve and i thought it will be good for my kids aged 4 Years and 0.8 months.

As expected the manager refused the extension.

When we were going to the station and i requested for a flask of hot water (for kid) the receptionist asked me to go to the restaurant.

I pleaded and requested no body bothered it was only when i rose my voice a waiter took the flask in to pantry.The sight inside was filthy and dirty??Is the FDA doing any checks on the hygiene?

Its so needed that we get to see the place where our food is prepared before we dine.I am sure all the high society people dining their must have ran away after seeing what i saw.

Finally the waiter brought the flask after an agonising 10 minutes??

Why do i need to go through this for as simple a thing as plain hot water.

Its the damn care attitude of the service provider??

The customer goes for a toss once he checks out attitude will never last longer.

I will not recommend either IFB or Hotel Sai Leela at Shirdi to any discerning people!!

Mumbai migrants!!!

2008-11-04T21:16:00.002+05:30

MNS chief Raj Thackeray has been saying that migrants from the cow-belt are swamping Mumbai, but an analysis of a five-year data on migration pattern reveal that an equal number of migrants have been coming to the city from within Maharashtra.

The study conducted by the Tata Institute of Social Science (TISS) showed that in a five-year period between 1995 and 2000, around 8.6 lakh migrants came to Mumbai. The study was based on the 2001 census data which put Mumbai’s population at 12 million.

Of these 12 million, 3.2 lakh had migrated from north Indian states such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir. Migrants from Maharashtra to Mumbai numbered 2.4 lakh. And, 1.2 lakh South Indians migrated to Mumbai in the same five-year period. ‘‘This data explodes the myth that north-Indian migrants are overcrowding Mumbai.

While the number of people who come from the southern states have decreased, there is a large number of migrants coming to Mumbai from rural Maharashtra in search of employment,’’ said professor D P Singh of TISS who conducted the study.

He said that political parties like MNS should realise that many migrants come to Mumbai not to usurp the employment opportunities of the locals. ‘‘Many come to stay with their families who already have jobs, others to set up small businesses which adds up to the city’s GDP,’’ Singh said.

He cites examples of the huge migrant Gujarati population which set up businesses and commercial establishments in Zaveri bazaar and Dadar area in the beginning of last century. ‘‘These shops and commercial establishments have employed lakhs of people. The migrants have not taken away employment but provided job-opportunities to the locals,’’ Singh said.

A large chunk of the migrants who came from north Indian states from remote villages provided support to essential services in the city, be it supplying milk, construction work, carpentry service, taxi service or even working as a security guards.

‘‘These jobs are there on the platter for everyone and there is no question of taking away these jobs from the locals. The talent and will to work hard is all that matters,’’ said Singh. Demographers point out that migration is the root of all cultural and economic progress. ‘‘Migration integrate people from different cultures and inturn make them more secular and broad-minded which is essential for the progress of any country,’’ Singh said.

Global recession

2008-10-16T22:33:00.000+05:30

The calamity called global recession has hit Mumbai with brutal force.This is evident in the local train gossip where one gets to hear very interesting viewpoints every day.

One gentleman was blaming the Central banks for printing more money than needed,

One was blaming the over greed of the corporates and the lack of safeguards in the economy.

One simply put it as an American crisis which has exposed how vulnerable our economies are and how inseparable we are from the much hated Uncle Sam.

The reserve bank of India has cut the CRR twice and hope of More liquidity is alive.The loss of confidence in the financial sysytem is palpable as i witnessed people frantically withdrawing money from ICICI and HDFC ATM's.

What i fail to understand is when everything remains the same suddenly how the economy is failing.

Just some time back there was talk of India securing 10% growth and crude touching the $150/Barrel mark.All of a sudden its the reverse with crude now at $73/Barrel.

The speculative markets and the crazy profit seeking agents are creating havoc thru out the world!!

Jodhpur stampede!!

2008-10-01T21:47:00.003+05:30

India has many facets,one is a country progressing fast and taking its rightful place in the comity of nations,

another is of a under privileged downtrodden hinterland where children die due to lack of nutritious food and basic health care.

On one side we have temples like the Tirupati,Siddhivinayak and Akshardham which are so well managed that it compares to a corporate, on the other hand Chamunda Temple of Mahendra garh where 160 people died due to slippery way and stampede.

I fail to understand the mindset when healthy and able crush the old and child to save owns life??

Cut to any stampede its the physically weak and minors who die most.

When there is some bad happening in one home or flat no body wants to buy that property?

What about the temple where 160 plus people die in an hour???

What we take as fate is the callousness of the temple trust and the lack of civic behavior of our citizens.

My heart is saddened by the huge loss of life and distress caused to as many families.

Today we make it a point to avoid all big social events cause we fear a bomb blast or a stampede..

What future am i giving to my kids????

India a soft target?

2008-09-21T10:27:00.002+05:30

My Last post chronicled the terror strikes on Indian soil.

But sadly the trail continued with Delhi blasts!!

Once again we were helpless and scared for the well being of our loved ones in Delhi.After a round of phone calls relieved to note all acquaintances well!

But what about those killed or maimed? They too have people who care about there well being?Am i not being mean in taking solace in well being of my immediate family?

The Delhi police strikes back with killing two terrorist in a minority dominated area of Delhi.

Surprised to see the heavy deployment of police where they expecting backlash from the locals?

All killed in encounter or caught are from AAzamgadh in UP?Surprise surprise no condemnation of blast and killing of innocent by samajwadi's?No statement from Mulayam or Amar singh?Oh they cant afford to anger there vote bank!Just few day back they protested the ban on Simi?True politician's!

Public memory is too short and manipulated by the powers?No body is asking what happened to Cash for vote scandal?ET reported that the entire intelligentsia worked openly to insure "Singh is King".So why will they let any trail of their dirty work behind?

The suave and wooden home minister has the finesse and moral to change three suites in a day when commoners are maimed and ripped apart few kilometers away?

We are so used to his diatribes of routine press brief where he never takes responsibility of any thing?After all its a old saying Success has many fathers but Failure is a Bastard?

The life moves on despite the threat against local trains to be targeted in Mumbai we travel back home in it.Not cause we are brave but got no option.India waits for another precise and well orchestrated blast where scores will be killed!Breaking news again,same headlines another city,same routine press conference,same crocodiles tear shed,the sheepish grin of the terrorist bursting bubbly for there success.

Marriott in Pakistan bombed for third time?Suicide bomber?

Ant we lucky not facing the menace of suicide bombings like in sri Lanka,Pakistan or Iraq?

Life is relative,happiness sorrow,pain ecstasy,all relative.

India and its date with Terror.

2008-08-06T15:54:00.002+05:30

Blasts, bloodshed and devastation have become staple viewing in recent times. Every now and then, ‘Breaking News’ flashes across channels showing gory pictures of the dead, wide-spread destruction, and expressions of bleak terror. Here is a timeline of major blasts, which shook the country and did more than just damaging life and property - it created insecurity and turmoil deep in the pubic psyche. SIMI was considered to be a major force behind the blasts, but reports remain unconfirmed.

Ø July 26: Seventeen blasts went off in Ahmedabad within a span of 90 minutes starting 6:45 pm. The areas targeted were Maninagar, Isanpur, Narol circle, Bapunagar, Hatkeshwar, Sarangpur bridge, Sarkhej, Odhav, Sardar Patel market, Civil hospital, Juhapura, Ambur tower building, Raipur and Gowribhadi. Reports suggest that nearly 30 people have been killed and 100 others injured. Lashkar and HuJI have claimed responsibility for the attack. Police arrested SIMI activist Abdul Halim in connection with the serial bombings. Halim, also wanted in the 2002 Gujarat riots case, had gone into hiding after the sectarian violence and remained untraceable. ·

July 25: Terror hit Bangalore Friday afternoon as nine low intensity blasts ripped through different parts of the IT city. Majority of explosions took place within a span of half an hour, starting at 1:45 pm. The sites targeted were Madiwala, Adugodi area, Koramangla, Hosur Road, Nayandahalli and Shivaji Nagar on Mysore Road and Langford Town. Home Minister Shivraj Patil said two persons were killed and 12 injured in the blasts and sources in the Union Home Ministry said that the hand of local cadre of banned SIMI was suspected to be behind the blasts and the expertise in assembling the low intensity devices possibly being provided by Pakistan-based Lashker-e-Taiba. The investigation is still ongoing.

Ø May 13: Eight blasts rip through Jaipur killing at least 80 people and leaving over 200 injured. Police arrested an alleged SIMI member for interrogation. The bombs, many strapped to bicycles, exploded within minutes of each other. It was the deadliest bomb attack in India in nearly two years. Investigation on going. ·

March 27: SIMI chief Safdar Nagori (Mahidpur), Amil Parvez (Unhel) arrested from Indore, along with 10 alleged members of the group by Madhya Pradesh State Police's Special task force. Subjected to Narco test. Later sent into judicial custody. ·

February 21: The Corps of Detectives arrested a software engineer Yahya Khan, for suspected links with the banned SIMI from Guruappanapalya under Mico Layout police station limits in Bangalore, capital of Karnataka. However, four of his alleged accomplices escaped during the police operation. 2007 ·

November 23: Serial blasts in Lucknow, Faizabad and Varanasi courts. The state is still to identify the masterminds of the blasts. Though the Police have named the persons in the charge sheet, it is still clueless about the identity of the people involved. The state govt has set up a judicial enquiry to look into the allegations. The two other accused are Sajjad-ur-Rehman and Tariq Kashmiri. Though trial has begun, this is a no evidence case. Moreover, the investigators have failed to trace the sender of the e-mail that has landed in the offices of TV channels at the time of serial blast. ·

August 25: Two bombs rip through crowded public areas - Gokul Chat Shop and Lumbini amusement park in Hyderabad, killing at least 42 people. Police investigations pointed to HuJI, a Bangladesh based militant organization being behind the blast. The prime suspect in the case, Mohammed Shahid alias Bilal, was suspected to have links with SIMI. A year after the blasts, investigations have led to a dead end. Bilal has not been found, far less arrested. ·

May 18: A bomb blasts at a historic Mecca mosque, in Hyderabad’s old city. 11 people killed. Investigation into the blast at Mecca Masjid that killed 14 people, pointed to HuJI and SIMI with links in Pakistan and Bangladesh. A year later, the CBI-led probe assisted by a local police Special Investigation Team (SIT) has amounted to nothing. 2006 ·

September 8: At least 30 people are killed and 100 injured in twin blasts at a mosque in Malegaon in Maharashtra. The explosives were triggered by bombs planted in bicycles. Maharashtra police claims that blasts were the handiwork of ex-SIMI members. The state govt handed over the investigation to the Maharashtra Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS), which registered seven separate FIRs. 13 arrests were made and a charge sheet was filed against them on November. The accused were booked under various Acts. On Feb 29, the Supreme Court stayed the trial in the case after an accused challenged the application of MCOCA in the case.

· July 11: A serial blast was carried out in Mumbai, killing around 200 and hurting more than 1000 innocent commuters in the 7 different local train stations within a time gap of 11 min. SIMI has been suspected of carrying out this terror activity with the help of Inter-Services Intelligence of Pakistan and Kashmir based terrorist organizations (according to US list) like Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad. ·

July 6: The Supreme Court rejects a plea by the Students Islamic Movement of India to lift the ban that the Government of India imposed on the organisation in 2001. 2005 · October: Three bombs placed in busy New Delhi markets one day before Diwali kill 62 people and wound hundreds. The first blast took place in the main bazaar of Paharganj near the Delhi Railway Station, the second blast in Govindpuri area and within minutes of the second explosion, the third explosion took place in South Delhi's busy Sarojini Nagar market. The Pakistan-based Islamist terrorist organization, the Islamic Revolutionary Front or Islamic Inquilab Mahaz, claimed responsibility for the Delhi terrorist attacks. Investigation is still ongoing. 2003 ·

September 12: Five persons, including two SIMI activists, are arrested for the removal of railway sleeper clips from the tracks in Kumardubi-Barakar section in West Bengal. ·

August 2003: Two taxis packed with explosives blow up outside a Mumbai tourist attraction and a busy market, killing 52 and wounding more than 100. ·

May 14: Mumbai Police arrest three persons from Padgah village and foil a plan that envisaged a series of explosions in Mumbai and Kerala, which was allegedly hatched by the SIMI and Lashkar-e-Toiba. 2002 ·

December 2: Two persons were killed and over 50 injured when a bomb went off in a bus at Ghatkopar in Mumbai. A special POTA court in Mumbai acquitted all the eight accused in the Ghatkopar blast case. ·

October 7: Supreme Court issues notices to Union Government and eight States on a petition filed by the SIMI challenging the Union Home Ministry's order declaring the organization as unlawful and the subsequent order of a Tribunal upholding the same. States to which notices were issued are: Kerala, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh. · March 18: SIMI activist Hasib Raja is arrested in Kolkata, West Bengal, and half a kilogram of RDX is seized from him. He was allegedly planning to blow up the Howrah Bridge. 2001 ·

September 27: Union Government imposes a ban on the SIMI under section 3(1) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Following the ban, 241 SIMI activists were arrested across the country and authorities seal many of its regional offices. 2000 ·
March 12: Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Chhagan Bhujbal, discloses in the State Legislative Assembly that Pakistan-based underworld don Chhota Shakeel, in league with the SIMI, is inciting communal riots in some parts of the State. 1993 · March 1993: Underworld figures tied to Pakistani militants allegedly carry out a series of bombings on Mumbai's stock exchange along with trains, hotels and gas stations in the city, killing 257 people and wounding more than 1,100.
How long will we have to face this in your face terror from around.Why cant we root this evil??

Mumbai travel:Horrible,when will it improve??

2008-06-13T13:07:00.004+05:30

I have been living in Mumbai since Sept 1999.I can claim that i know the city the culture and its ethos by now.
Before coming to Mumbai to make my carrier i had traveled to most of the North Indian cities.The most impressive was Delhi cause of historic importance as well as the infrastructure. Being the countries capital helps too. Mumbai is impressive when you are in south Mumbai,rest is crumbling and is in serious need for revamp.Mumbai has a Population density of 21880/Km2.Every time when i board the first class compartment of local train i pray to god for my wellbeing.Imagine 17 people in one square meter.
Whereas the population density in Delhi is 17076/Km2,its high as compared to any normal city but less than Mumbai. So when i travel in Delhi Metro my heart asks me when can i have this in Mumbai? Why are Mumbai's hard working and taxpaying janta taken for a ride . Is the situation not evident to the powers be.
The public transport system in Mumbai needs a revamp and lot of investment. A city which takes pride in being financial capital of India cant deliver the basic human right of traveling with dignity??

Law overlooked!!

2008-05-17T21:26:00.000+05:30

Mumbai's second international airport could soon come up in suburban Navi Mumbai as the Union Environment Ministry finally backed the project.The ministry partly took the decision under pressure from the state government and Civil Aviation Ministry, even though a portion of the land allotted for the airport is covered with mangroves and falls in the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ).Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh said, ''There was some talk of shifting to an alternative location but now they have given us in-principle clearance. The airport should be ready by 2012.''The airport project had come to a standstill in March after objections from the environment ministry.Nearly a quarter of the 2000 hectare plot marked for the project is mangrove area and comes within the CRZ where construction is banned.But now, the ministry has suggested changes in the CRZ notification, allowing construction in that belt, changes which are still awaiting final clearance.Environmentalists are outraged at the decision, Debi Goenka, Conservation Action Trust said, ''With passenger traffic growing at the rate of 25 per cent each year. The city desperately needs a second international airport, but the destruction of mangroves could invite long term disaster making the city more vulnerable to flooding each monsoon.''

Raj= British.Netizens.

2008-05-16T18:08:00.000+05:30

The anti-migrant drive by Raj Thackeray in Maharashtra has not remained confined to the state and has, in fact, spread throughout the nation and even spilled over to the virtual world.

The netizens at NDTV.com have reacted to the issue and have expressed their opinions to be heard and considered by sincere citizens who are affected by such incidents against humanity.

''I strongly feel this is not a one sided affair. If you are planning to live in Maharashtra, then what is wrong in learning Marathi? Can you survive in Chennai if you don't know Tamil or English? Yes, I strongly believe that Mumbai has its own spirit and soul. We should not forget that Mumbai is the capital of Maharashtra and people of the state deserve at least equal chance in employment if not more,'' says Jack from India.

However, there are many who have spoken against Raj Thackeray and have criticised him strongly for the attacks carried out by him on the migrants and the speeches made by him that have spread hatred among communities.

''What has Raj or the other Thackerays done for Maharasthra? Let alone Mumbai. These people have lived protected lives with their security guaranteed by the police and have been involved in spreading hatred and communal strife to hoodwink the poor people,'' says our surfer Joseph from United Arab Emirates.

Although some of the netizens have not stood for Raj Thackeray but have certainly raised some points against the Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan.

''As for Amitabh, he has made himself a symbol of migrants. Just look at what he was when he came to Mumbai and what the condition of Mumbai at that time was? And then look at him now - what is his condition and that of Mumbai now? His condition has improved but that of Mumbai has deteriorated,'' says Anil from Kuwait.

On the other hand, many netizens have gone on to take a decisive view over the politics being practiced by the likes of Raj Thackeray.

''People like Raj Thackeray are not different from the British who ruled over us till 60 years back. It is shocking that they still use the divide and rule policy. It is important for people to understand that we are Indians first and then Kannadigas or Maharashtrians,'' says Nikesh Dhar from India.

The citizens of the web world have spoken and have registered their strong opinion on the Big B-Raj spat.

Well, we invite more of such responses from you to know and let others know. Meanwhile, the virtual world is abuzz with many issues of national importance.

New Airport at Mumbai.

2008-05-16T18:05:00.001+05:30

Environment ministry of the Central Government which had objected to the site of proposed Navi Mumbai airport as small portion of the land is covered by the mangroves forest has given the in principal approval for the site, said Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh.

Deshmukh was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of ceremony to sign memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Jain irrigation. The clearance was given by the ministry on Wednesday and ministry has asked for certain clarifications, which will be submitted very soon, Deshmukh told.

It may be recalled that, in March this year, environment ministry refused to give clearance to the site of Navi Mumbai airport which is located at Ulve near Panvel as around 115 hectare land (7.3 per cent) of the total land is covered by the mangroves and suggested the project should be shifted to alternative location.

However Maharashtra government's industrial and township development arm CIDCO which is a nodal agency for the project and civil aviation ministry had strongly objected to the environment ministry's suggestion to shift the project as CIDCO has nearly 78 per cent land out of 2053 hectare required for project in possession of the CIDCO.

Subsequently CIDCO also shown willingness to appoint the agencies like IIT Bombay and pune based Central Water Research Station to asses the damage which might be caused due to airport project to mangroves forest and mitigation measures which can be undertaken.

Trade shows and retail Mela.

2008-03-30T14:00:00.003+05:30

All along during my sales and marketing experience at Pharma giant Zydus, i had the opportunity to attend many a national and international meets and conferences.The venue generally are the big five star hotels.For the field guys its alwys a big incentive to be in an ac environment and enjoy world cuisines.
One thing which differentiates the crowd movement towards the stall is always the booth style.
The larger and bolder the display more the foot fall.We as visual people are always attracted to bright and pleasant colours.
The green environment represents health and healing so you have the green drapes at hospitals.
I recall booth designs make a special impact.There was a booth for orange drink which was an Orange which was huge but had space for people to sit inside and serve fresh juice.It was so unique that it guided a lot of crowd to its stall and invariably people ordered juice.
I enjoyed the trade show-exhibits be it pharma or any sector.The trade shows and exhibits give a platform for knowledge sharing and transfer of technology.
The retail trade show draws huge crowds and it turns into a big Mela with hefty discounts and bargains.
The times property Mela at Mumbai gathers a lot of potential buyers a and sellers of real state and works as a big platform to uplift the industry.
In west there are sex trade shows also,though India has a long way to go.

Excellence.

2008-03-29T18:31:00.000+05:30

The Habit of Excellence...

"If you are going to achieve excellence in big things,
you develop the habit in little matters. Excellence is
not an exception, it is a prevailing attitude."

- Colin Powell

"Excellence is an art won by training and habituation.
We do not act rightly because we have virtue or
excellence, but we rather have those because we have
acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do.
Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit."

- Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)

"Champions do not become champions when they win the
event, but in the hours, weeks, months and years they
spend preparing for it. The victorious performance
itself is merely the demonstration of their
championship character."

- T. Alan Armstrong

Who own's Mumbai??

2008-02-08T22:12:00.000+05:30

Is Mumbai exclusive to Maharashtrians? This should be a no-brainer, but since Raj Thackeray reignited the debate, it's an issue worth exploring, if only to see what turns up.

The timing first. What pressed the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena founder to drum up the issue now? That it was the Bachchans laying the foundation stone for a girls' school in U.P. is too convenient an answer and the theory doesn't hold up anyway. He could have turned the pages of any Mumbai daily and picked up a 'reason'. Elections are a year away, so there's a danger of his campaign peaking too early. Perhaps it is simply that he saw an opportunity to settle one issue once and for all - that of succession. Uddhav, Bal Thackeray's son was of course chosen to head the Shiv Sena in 2004, eventually leading to a parting of ways between Raj and the Shiv Sena. But Raj perhaps wants to show to Maharashtrians that he is a more natural or spiritual successor to Bal Thackeray.

Let's now deal with the concept of entitlement, the justification for which reads like this - Mumbai should belong to me because it's the capital of Maharashtra and I'm a Maharashtrian. But even this is not a fully accurate picture. As Ramachandra Guha points out in India after Gandhi, Bombay as it was known prior to 1995, was a bilingual province of both Marathi and Gujarati speakers. It had been settled by people from different linguistic communities - Marathis, Parsis, Gujaratis and Europeans. It was only in 1960 that Bombay was declared the capital of Maharashtra. So, are all those who built Bombay and their descendants to be kicked out then? Or will they be declared honourary citizens? So on and so forth in this vein will only lead to bizarre conclusions. Of course, Raj Thackeray is not asking for this, he only wishes that migrants would stop pouring in - something I'm sure every Mumbaikar has thought of at least once. What marks him out is that he's the head of a political party and is interested in reaping the dividends of raking up what's a hugely emotional issue.

Now, to the future. Should all those 'Bhaiyyas', Bengalis and South Indians who're, even as we speak, stuffing all their belongings into trains be stopped at the gates of Mumbai? Raj Thackeray blames this non-stop influx of immigrants for the creaking infrastructure of Mumbai. But neither he, nor the Shiv Sena or the Congress and the NCP have turned the mirror onto themselves for apportioning blame. One glance at the much-trumpeted Bandra-Worli Sea link should tell you the story - it was to be completed in 2004, but more than four years later the project is yet to be finished. Ditto for the Mumbai metro and other projects planned to ease congestion in the city. The Worli-Nariman Point sea link and the Nava Sheva-Sewri link are both still at the blueprint and tender stage.

Onto to Amitabh Bachchan. It was suggested that Mumbai's most famous resident had done nothing for Maharashtra. If Bachchan had settled in Delhi, would the state have suffered? Clearly, the answer is no. No state is dependent on one individual. But Mumbaikars in that case wouldn't have benefited from his spending - remember his income runs into crores and crores. I'm willing to bet Bachchan has made a difference to hundreds of people, Maharashtrians included, in the last thirty-odd years in the city, without even knowing it. And this is not counting the number of people his films employed. The more the number of hits he churned out, the more people in the film industry benefited by the incomes they derived from those films. Include all those wide-eyed tourists paying auto & taxi drivers for a glimpse of his twin homes Jalsa and Prateeksha, and you begin to see Bachchan for an industry that he is.

Let's tackle the last and most difficult question. If I lived in Mumbai, should I be forced to speak Marathi? A furious discussion on IBN7 on Tuesday yielded a few interesting answers. There were those who said it is compulsory for all migrants to learn Marathi, a few said it is okay if they show that they're trying and just one who said learning the language wasn't necessary. Curiously enough, I thought the best answer came from the anchor himself. He asked a what-if question. If he were to be posted to Tamil Nadu for a year, then to Karnataka and Maharashtra, should he then have to learn Tamil, Kannada and Marathi? My personal opinion is that nobody should be forced to learn anything. People who choose not to learn a local language are missing something special. It's their loss.

The issue really gets tangled when 'outsiders' expect localites to speak in their tongue. This has happened in Mumbai and more recently in Bangalore as well. Local residents are then justified in their anger. But I would still desist from forcing anybody to learn my language, simply on the grounds that doing so, would destroy the very edifice of liberty and democracy that India is built on.

Perhaps the last word would in this debate should go to a Sardarjee, Jaspal Bhatti, a unique and special man in that he turns to satire in order to get his point across. He got it right when he 'formed' a Divide India film festival, where movies of all languages would be screened, but with one rider. Maharashtrians could only watch Marathi films. Punjabis only Punjabi films and so on. People entering theatres would be asked for an ID card with domicile status. And what would happen if, say a Bengali slipped in to watch a Kannada film? Bhatti's recommendation is simple - we shall beat him up before we administer first aid!

Kidney transplant:Visit Gurgaon!!!

2008-01-29T20:33:00.000+05:30

When god created the world and assigned the jobs to people they say next to him were the people who cured others.
That is the doctors.
The word doctor has a profound impact on our psych,as we have seen the man in white treat and cure our loved ones.
My association with pharma industry for almost a decade had taught me few things which when exposed will be a big news and can feed a lot of sting operations!

The organized pharma sector lures and corrupts the all ready corrupted medical practitioners who have sold there soul .The entire industry runs on ROI (return on investment).

The cartels are so obnoxious that hardcore people will be shocked to know the deeds of some doctors and institutes.

What takes the cake is the blatant missuses and disrespect of law right under the nose of Ambumani ramadoss,When he is busy taking a political fight with the AIIMS director and preaching film stars to stop smoking,people are butchered and there body parts sold in the market to the highest payers.

To rub salt to his bruised repute the butcher doctor of Gurgaon didn't had a proper degree?
He is said to have done more than 500 kidney transplants.!! Mind you the transplant is not a small operations and needs its own para phernelia and has well described rule and ethics body?
How this group of doctors could carry on so many clandestine surgeries and lure poor for organ trade?What were the local police doing all these years,i fail to understand that the intelligence at the local level is so poor that these things cant be noticed??
As for the culprit who had taken the Hippocratic oath of serving the humanity,only four letter words come to my mind.
If that one mad doctor was blinded by the wealth and quick money what were his family members doing didn't they knew his source of outrageous income?

What were the tax authorities doing?

They are very prompt in finding the source of income of a salaried class who with difficulty runs his family,but when it comes to the super rich there seems to be a different rule?
Will the hoopla and the breaking news go away with time, till the next big news is unearthed??Please wake up and see whats happening around??

IPL Bid and how will Indian cricket change.

2008-01-28T13:40:00.000+05:30

Father Christmas usually arrives in December, but it's been a windfall January for the BCCI. Two deals, one for television rights and the other for eight city-specific franchise teams, have fetched the Indian Premier League (IPL) close to $ 1.75 billion.

Of course, that figure is not as dazzling as it looks. Part of the TV rights money will go to the eight teams and so the franchise bids need to be discounted to that extent. That aside, these are ten-year agreements: it's not as if the IPL - or its promoter, the BCCI - is about to encash one mega cheque.

Even so, the bid winners could just have hit the jackpot. Mukesh Ambani has agreed to commit Rs 441 crore to an idea, a Mumbai-based team that will take part in a midsummer Twenty20 league. Tomorrow, or three or five years down the line, he could be controlling India's biggest sporting club, located in India's business capital, for as little as Rs 40 crore a year. He could use the players he signs - Sachin Tendulkar, of course, since the big Indian stars are promised to their "home" clubs, and even international names such as Shane Warne - to promote Reliance Industries' business interests, make Vimal the official kit supplier, make Reliance Retail the team's sole memorabilia seller, set up theme-based restaurants. Once the business model is established, Ambani - or for that matter Vijay Mallya's UB Group, which has won the rights for Bangalore, or GMR Holdings, the Delhi franchisee - could sell stakes to foreign investors, invite private equity, plan an IPO and tap the stock market.

As an investment banker from New York who showed interest in the IPL model and compared it to the business of American football pointed out: "Even when a team is not doing well, there is a certain cachet attached to owning a sports club. It's high profile and there'll always be a market for it. The supply is limited, so the demand will never go away." There may be a point there. English football is an example: even as careful a businessman as Lakshmi Mittal has bought himself a 20% stake in Queen's Park Rangers, hardly a top-class team.

Essentially, the IPL bid winners have on their hands an eight-team monopoly. Even if the league is expanded to other cities later, there is going to be no second Mumbai or Delhi or Hyderabad franchise.

Three things emerge from the January 24 auction. First, not one of the winners is a fly-by-night operator. They are all established business houses (Reliance, India Cements) or have access to cash on the basis of personal earnings and credit-worthiness (Shahrukh Khan).

Perhaps the luck of the draw has favoured the Mohali winners, a consortium of Preity Zinta and the scions of the Bombay Dyeing, Dabur and Apeejay families. They have picked up north India's emerging economic hub for Rs 300 crore. After all, the Mohali franchise also means access to Chandigarh's business and cricket potential. Insiders in the cricket industry say it will be easier to build loyalties, stage events and create a buzz around a city team in smaller urban centres like Jaipur and Chandigarh/Mohali than in Delhi or Mumbai. "In the larger metros, there's too much happening," says one sports-television executive. "Also, the urban sprawl is huge. Smaller cities may have fewer distractions."

Second, cricket fans and BCCI critics - for decades the two terms have been synonymous - have long bemoaned the fact that the Indian cricket board is not a professional body, that it doesn't have a paid CEO, a proper communications/media manager, a cutting-edge website. As it happens, the IPL clubs should fulfill these aspirations. Ambani and Mallya and Shahrukh Khan and Ness Wadia and the others would want a return on investment. They would be looking to set up separate companies - Reliance Mumbai Warriors Ltd or Kolkata Tigers Ltd, to pluck names out of the air - and hire professional managers, a qualified CEO, infotech specialists, to exploit the revenue possibilities online, marketing teams to expand the ambit of the franchise.

Zinta may be her team's face and mascot, but the nitty gritty of the franchise is going to be looked after by the men in suits. They will negotiate "official t-shirt sponsor" deals, manage customer/client or member/fan relations, and in general enhance the value of the franchise. They will be cold-blooded professionals, not honorary BCCI folk on a busman's holiday from politics.

Three, expect a tussle between the local cricket associations and the new IPL clubs. While the cricket market is going to expand, there's little doubt that Twenty20, played in the evening and under floodlights, is a hotter property than the Ranji Trophy. If the Red Chillies franchise does well in Kolkata, the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) may be financially hurt.

No one looks forward to being a poor cousin. Teething troubles are already apparent, say BCCI sources. In the first season, aside from showpiece foreign stars, the bulk of the franchise teams is going be made up of cricketers already under contract with the local BCCI affiliate, the state/city cricket association. Further, infrastructure will have to be borrowed or hired.

Who will take precedence: Red Chillies or CAB, Reliance or Mumbai Cricket Association, GMR Holdings or the Delhi and Districts Cricket Association? In theory it should be a seamless partnership. In reality there is bound to be a turf war. The new avatar of Indian cricket has arrived while the previous one still walks the earth. Is there space for both?

Courtesy:Cricinfo.

IPL Bids results!!!

2008-01-24T18:20:00.000+05:30

The high-profile Indian Premier League (IPL) on Thursday received an overwhelming response with some of India's top industrialists like Mukesh Ambani and Vijay Mallya and film stars Shah Rukh Khan and Preity Zinta winning bids to own teams in the Twenty20 venture.

After prolonged suspense, BCCI vice-president and chairman of the IPL Governing Council Lalit Modi disclosed the names of the winning bidders, who shelled out staggering amounts to be owner of the city-based teams.

Reliance Industries chief Mukesh Ambani pipped Vijay Mallya to win the bid for the Mumbai team for $111.9 million.

The liquor baron, however, won the bid for the Bangalore team for $111.6 million.

Actor Shah Rukh Khan, joining hands with Juhi Chawla and Jay Mehta, won the bid for the Kolkata team for $75.09 million.

Fellow actor Preity Zinta and her boy friend Ness Wadia won the bid for the Mohali team for $76 million.

Among others, GMR Holdings won the bid for the Delhi team ($84 million), India Cements bagged the Chennai team ($91 million), Deccan Chronicle bid successfully for the Hyderabad ($107.01 million) outfit and Emerging Media won the bid for the Jaipur team for $67 million.

The bids of the ICICI, Sahara and Futures Group were disqualified, Modi said.

"We can say that all the hard work fructified and the IPL is here to stay," Modi said.

Asked if Shah Rukh was bidding just to use cricket as a means to promote his films, Modi said, "Shah Rukh loves cricket and that's why he invested his money. It has got nothing to do with film promotion. We have heard similar complaint in the past but the board never endorsed those views," he said.

He also dismissed suggestions that there was a conflict of interests in Indian Cement, which has BCCI treasurer N Srinivasan as a shareholder, becoming a team owner.

"Mr Srinivasan is just a stakeholder there and he is not the owner. So there is no such conflicts of interests," he said.

Modi admitted some of the contracted international players would skip the Twenty20 tournament which begins on April 18 owing to national commitments but said the pool was big enough.

"A team needs only four players from abroad and we already have a huge number of them contracted with us. You will have enough of them from the day one," he said.

In all, 59 matches would be played over 44 days with ICC umpires officiating the games, which would be broadcast live on SET Max , Modi said. "We already have 80 contracted players and their auction would start soon," Modi said.

Each franchise would consult with the IPL Governing Council before naming the teams and discussing revenue sharing, he said.

Slums rising???

2008-01-23T10:29:00.000+05:30

Slums are catching up with multi-storeyed buildings. Hundreds of slumrises (five or six-storey structures) stand out in the melee at Garibnagar and Behrampada near Bandra (east) station.

While the structures made of tin and tarpaulin sheets with wooden sheds do not exactly grace the suburban skyline, some are high enough to block the view of more prominent pucca highrises in the backdrop.

Garibnagar, a slum colony of 300 people, is illegally located on a water pipeline inside railway property. Ahmed Khan, a slum dweller, said several among these structures house zari and sari units. And there are several residential ones too, said Khan (not his real name).

These structures came up after the railways and BMC demolished slums in the area in 2002. “Initially, there was a ground floor with a temporary structure on top. But it has gone up to four or five storeys in the past five years.

“The police and civic officials choose to ignore the matter because they have been bribed,” he said. Several such houses built at a few thousand have been rented out for Rs5,000 to Rs10,000 a month. People living in adjacent Behrampada are building slumrises in the hope that it would multiply their claim for rehabilitation houses when the area is developed.

Politicians and developers are eyeing the 66,000sqm plot. Local Congress MLA JC Chandurkar has even demanded a floor space index of four for the region’s development.

The proposed transformation is, however, stuck in a dispute between the collector and railways over the land’s ownership. Till date only one SRA project by Shapoorji Palonji and Dilip Thakkar Associates has taken off.

Local Samajwadi corporator Shaikh Shabbir Hussain blamed the police and BMC for the rise in such slumrises. “We have made several complaints but no concrete action has been taken,” he said.

Fate of Mumbai airport slums.

2008-01-21T19:40:00.000+05:30

Twelve-year-old Sunita Biswakarma has been listening to the roar of aeroplanes and watching the big birds coming in to land for as long as she can remember.

Mumbai slum dwellers gape at an Airbus 380

She and her family live in a tiny 100 sq ft concrete home in a thriving slum next door to a runway of the busy international airport in India's financial capital, Mumbai.

Azadnagar shantytown is a thicket of homes, some of which are half-a-century old, in narrow lanes. Small factories employing many dwellers dot its fringes.

For decades, people flying into the city have gaped out of their windows watching their planes almost skimming over the dense patchwork of slums when coming into land.

Saurabh Khedekar, a frequent air-traveller to Mumbai, says the landing still gives him the jitters.

"If your flight is landing during the day, sometimes you feel the plane is going to land on the shanties and not on the runway. It doesn't look safe for anybody," he says.

Now the government is moving to clear the 200 acres of encroached land on which the slums sit and share a boundary with the 2000-acre international airport.

'No cause for alarm'

Sunita's mother, Geeta, keeps the home fires burning with her elder daughter, Gudiya, by weaving beads for artificial jewellery. She says some of her neighbours have left already.

"There have been talks about shifting us for a long time and the lanes next to ours have been vacated," she says.

Some people have been living in the slums for the past 50 years

Moves to demolish the slums have met stiff opposition from some residents.

They fear the disruption to their work, the problems with moving far from the markets where they sell their goods and the distances their children will have to travel to school.

The authorities say there is no cause for alarm.

"The slum dwellers will be resettled. These structures are on the airport land and very close to the runway," says Manish Kalghatgi, spokesperson for the Mumbai International Airport Limited which is revamping the airport.

Azadnagar residents do not want to leave their homes despite listening to deafening roar of planes and living perilously close to the runway all their lives.

Even when Mumbai was flooded during monsoon rains three years ago and the airport runway went under water, slum dwellers did not leave.

Controversy

Aamina Mohammad Una Sheikh says the floods did not scare her. But the sight of neighbours quietly taking up resettlement offers and moving out make her nervous.

"If people go away what will we do here? Ours is the only house with residents remaining in this lane. Now I don't feel like staying here. Even if the new houses are far, it is better go than be alone here," she says.

Most of the residents, she says, are being moved to the outer city limits.

The slum sits on the boundary wall of the international airport

Human rights activist Mohammad Yasin says the resettlement of slum dwellers in Mumbai -an estimated 60% of the city's 12 million people live in slums and shantytowns - has always been mired in controversy.

"In Azadnagar, people of all communities and religions have coexisted for decades. They are in the centre of the city and have set their lives. We understand the need for airport land but we are sure that all these people can be resettled on the same land in high rises," he says.

"It will be sad if they are pushed to the outer city limits simply because slums do not look good."

Back at the slum, Sunita is hardly aware of the controversy swirling around their home - and life goes on as usual.

After returning from school, she cruises Azadnagar's congested lanes with her friends and swaps stories. Her sister weaves beads and her mother waits for father to return from work.

"I can hardly understand why my mother is so worried these days," she says.

Auto expo and trade show exibit's.

2008-01-19T17:08:00.000+05:30

When Tata moters inaugurated the Tata Nano in front of the world at the Auto Expo in New Delhi,It was a sight to behold.The 3 dimensional holographiv image emrging on the giant screen and the journey of the man kind with the help of the wheels was fascinating and as interlude Mr Ratan tata came driving on the Nano.
The crowd was awe struck so were the media person and the trade world,such was the pull generated by the trade show that it was stampede at the tata motors stall.
Behind all this hoopla and the lime light are some very determined and professionals media managers and the trade show exibit companies.
The entire process of conceptualizations to the eye catching materials are all designed and supplied by the Trade show exibit companies.The trade shows provide a well defined and focussed media for all the parties to meet and exchange the expertise and the know how.

The details to perfection is so much so that even the table cloths had Tata Nano and tata motors printed on it.Even the Toyota motors stall had the table covers styled to the brand needs.The danglers and the dazzling lights were so well coordinated that those who visited the stalls are all ready promising to visit next year!!!

TATA NANO A HIT!!!!

2008-01-13T11:55:00.000+05:30

As the world awaits the formal rollout of Tata Nano from the Singur factory in West Bengal, car buying dynamics in India seem to be undergoing a subtle change.

Most believe Nano’s price is very attractive and affordable. People who own entry-level cars are now thinking of going in for either one Nano — in view of its fuel efficiency — or maybe two, which will cost the same as their existing car. So, there would be one car for the head of the family and another for the family.

Take the case of Sudarshana Sarkar. The school teacher has already enquired about Nano at a city-based Tata dealer. “I particularly liked the yellow Nano. It has a style of its own. It’s affordable and looks quite comfortable. It’s good for a small family. I am keen to know when bookings will kick off,” she said.

Tata dealers are flooded with queries from prospective buyers. “Nano will be a runaway hit. People, mainly the middle-class, are anxiously waiting for it. After it was unveiled on Thursday, we have started receiving thousands of calls from potential buyers,” said Binod Agarwal of Lexus Motors. Not surprising, considering the country’s middle-class numbers several million.

Small car owners are upbeat too. “It’s not a bad option to have a Nano for the family. After all, Ratan Tata did assert the car meets all safety standards. So my children can go to school and my wife for her shopping in Nano,” said small-time businessman Apurv Shah.

Prodyut Mitra, an employee with United Bank of India, seconded the emotion: “I commute by a motorcycle and am keen to buy a Nano. I hope banks will come up with soft financing options for the car.”

Sahana Ganguly, a home maker, is, however, more cautious. “It’s an affordable car, no doubt. But I would rather wait a year before buying it, just to see what the experience is like,” she said. It’s a different matter though that after a year, the car’s price may be revised, if the company wants to mark it to the market vis-a-vis raw material input prices.

The car’s nano space requirement for parking is believed to be yet another purchase point trigger. “Three Nanos can easily fit into the space occupied by two Ambassadors,” an auto analyst quipped.

“Two Nanos can be effortlessly parked in a typical Scorpio parking slot. So, in metros, where parking is a huge problem, Nano could be a hit,” he added.

TATA'S ONE LAC CAR:NANO.

2008-01-10T16:05:00.000+05:30

The Tata Rs 1-lakh car is here! And it's called the Nano!

Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata on Thursday unveiled the Tata Nano at the 9^th Auto Expo in New Delhi.

Details of the People's Car:

Ratan Tata, while unveiling the nano, said: "The car will meet all current safety norms and all emission criteria. The pollution it will cause will be lower than 2-wheelers."

The car, Tata said, is smaller than a Maruti [Get Quote], but has 21 per cent more volume or space inside than the 800. He said that the dealer price of the car will be Rs 1 lakh, plus value-added tax (VAT) plus transport charges.

The car will have a 624-cc petrol engine generating 33 bhp of power. It will sport a 30-litre fuel tank and 4-speed manual gearshift. The car will come with air conditioning, but will have no power steering. It will have front disk and rear drum brakes. The company claims mileage of 23 km per litre.

The car's dashboard features just a speedometer, fuel gauge, and oil light. The car does not have reclining seats or radio. The shock absorbers are basic.Nano, the world's cheapest car, costs almost half of the cheapest car currently available anywhere in the world.

''Since, a promise is a promise the standard dealer version will cost Rs 1 lakh,'' said Tata Sons chairman Ratan Tata.

He informed that the car is 8 per cent smaller bumper to bumper, than the Maruti800 but at the same time 21 per cent larger in its interiors and can sit up to four people.

Dispelling myths that the car was not safe enough Tata said, 'The car has passed the full-frontal crash and the side impact crash''. He also side stepped emission concerns and said the car will meet Euro IV norms.

While critics had been sceptical throughout about the car meeting safety and emission norms, coming as it is at that price, Tata said he was happy to announce that Nano meets all norms as would a modern car.

The car is eight per cent shorter than Maruti 800 on bumper to bumper length, but is 21 per cent more spacious, claimed Tata.

Alluding to fears expressed by environmentalist R K Pachauri and green activist Sunita Narain that the car at that price would add more vehicles on the road leading to higher vehicular pollution, Tata said the 624 cc, 33 HP petrol engine meets Bharat Stage-III emission norms and can also meet the Euro 4 norms.

"Pachauri will not have a nightmare and Sunita Narain can also sleep," he quipped, while recalling that some people had suggested that the car should be called 'Pachauri' and some others said that it should be named 'Mamta' � probably referring to the position TMC leader Mamta Banerjee had taken against the setting up of the small-car project at Singur in West Bengal.

Commenting on the safety standard, he said the car has gone through a full frontal crash test as per norms.

The Nano will come in three variants -- standard and two deluxe models with AC. The standard car would be available for Rs 1 lakh (ex-showroom), while VAT and transportation costs are extra.

The Nano is expected to be commerically launched in the second half of 2008. News reports say that Tata Motors [Get Quote] hopes to sell 500,000 units of the car, almost four times the number of Indicas it sells. Tata plans to focus on a market segment hitherto untapped.

Not since the launch of the Maruti 800 in 1983 has any car gripped the imagination of a nation and indeed car manufacturers the world over so intensely. If commercially successful, the Tata Nano can alter the passenger car market in India, and perhaps the world, beyond description.

Star of TZP.

2008-01-05T21:08:00.000+05:30

He is the new Boy Wonder and the B-crowd can’t wait to cash in on Darsheel Safary’s newfound popularity.

There is a film offer from Vidhu Vinod Chopra, a television show, and a high-end fashion brand that wants little Darsheel to endorse its soon-to-be-launched kidswear. Putting it in Darsheel’s own words, “Main toh hero ban gaya!”

But, for the little hero, studies come first. “Immediately after finishing shooting for Aamir Khan’s latest film, I got back to studies. And, I would like to keep it like that. I don’t want to take up acting full time for now.

I’m not signing anything as I would like to finish my studies. Even Aamir uncle told me that if I want to make it big in the industry, I should make a comeback when I’ve finished my studies. I have big plans in life and I want to make lots of money to look after my family. If my parents are cool with my career in acting, I’ll be game, too, but otherwise it is a big no!” Darsheel’s mother Sheetal has said, “His father and I are complete outsiders in the industry. We will contact Aamir Khan Productions before taking any call about Darsheel’s career in films. Darsheel’s busy preparing for his exams at present.”

But, Darsheel is clear about one thing: He has won the race. “I have left kids my age behind. Even those who are older to me have been left behind. Peeche rah gaye. Of course, I feel proud of myself. Look, there are three kinds of kids — the first kind is the category that likes me and applauds my work, the second group tells me, ‘Achcha, don’t fly in the sky!’ and the third type discusses the money that I can earn through films. I like only the first category!”

Darsheel has learned a new quality recently and that isn perfectionism. says the child prodigy, “Though I didn’t have many weaknesses, I wasn’t perfect. However, after working with Aamir uncle my prepositions err... punctuations have improved. I don’t forget my commas and full stops now. Earlier, I wrote my name without a full stop, but now things have changed,” says Darsheel, adding, “I didn’t even recognise Aamir uncle before I met him. The first day I met him, he said, ‘Hi, I’m Aamir’ and that’s when I got to know that he is Aamir Khan. Though I like him, I didn’t like his habit of smoking, but I never told him that. I thought I has better mind my own business.”

Well, words of wisdom indeed. Darsheel, sure is learning fast.

Tare zameen par!!!

2008-01-03T20:17:00.000+05:30

Aamir Khan’s directorial debut Taare Zameen Par has been appreciated by one and all and no wonder Aamir is on top of the world. The good times continue for this wonderful actor – director as news comes that his film has now been declared tax-free in Mumbai for a period of six months. The film, currently running in its second week, had earlier got a tax- exemption in the capital and now this surely comes as even more good news for all those associated with the film. Here’s wishing that the film continues its victory march, even in the weeks to come.

BJP wins in Himachal.

2007-12-29T14:49:00.000+05:30

Riding an anti-incumbency wave, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday swept back to power in Himachal Pradesh winning an absolute majority ousting Congress in the assembly elections capping a year of triumphs in Gujarat, Punjab and Uttarakhand.

Conforming to the cycle of the ruling party being ejected from power in the hill state, the saffron party bagged 41 seats, five short of two-thirds majority in the 68-member assembly. In the outgoing House, BJP had only 19 MLAs.

Congress, which yielded ground to an impressive performance by BJP in all parts of the state, secured only 23 seats, down by 18. The bad tidings came for the party on its 123^rd Foundation Day.

The BSP, which played the spoiler for Congress by cutting into its traditional vote bank of Dalits, made its debut in the state winning one seat while Independents took away the remaining three.

P K Dhumal (63), a professor of English literature, who was named BJP's chief ministerial candidate, led the saffron surge winning from Bamsan in Hamirpur district beating his schoolmate and Congress candidate retired colonel B C Lagwal by 26,000 votes.

Dhumal, who also represents Hamirpur in Lok Sabha, is likely to be chosen as the leader of the BJP's Legislature Party on Saturday and may be sworn in for a second term as chief minister on Sunday.

The Congress, which went to the polls under the leadership of grand old man of Himachal politics and five-time Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, suffered on BJP's campaign plank of corruption, price rise and unemployment.

Three ministers bit the dust in the hustings while Singh survived the saffron sweep retaining his Rohru seat in Shimla district winning by a margin of 14,000 votes. The defeated ministers were Raj Kishan Gaur (Agriculture), Ramlal Thakur (Forest) and Kuldeep Kumar (Industries).

The party appeared to have conceded the race even before it had begun when Singh was harping on his continuing in power till March when the term of the current assembly expires, an implicit admission of defeat.

The saffron surge came on the back of a 11 per cent swing in its favour over the 35 per cent votes the BJP had notched in the last election. The Congress, which had 41 per cent of votes, recorded a slide of two per cent while the debutante Mayawati-headed BSP polled seven per cent. Others accounted for eight per cent.

As BJP cadres broke into celebrations, Dhumal said the party won on its campaign against price rise, unemployment, rampant corruption and the Congress failure to get special development package from the UPA government at the Centre.

Senior Congress leader Vidya Stokes won from Kumarsen after she initially trailed. Former Union Minister Sukh Ram's son Anil Sharma won from Mandi (Sadar).

G S Pali, who was shown in a television sting in the company of bar girls during his birthday party, won the Nagrauta seat in Kangra district. Pali had to resign as minister after the episode.

Winner takes it all.

2007-12-23T19:45:00.000+05:30

Narendra Modi's impressive performance in Gujarat on Sunday won him accolades from friends and foes alike amidst indications of a possible realignment of political forces at the national level.

Having failed to oust Modi, a stunned Congress congratulated him for a "great, remarkable victory", while the Left parties voiced concern over success of "communal politics" in Gujarat.

BJP leader L K Advani described the Gujarat election results a "turning point" for national politics with his party signalling a "comeback". The party talked about the possibility of a bigger role for Modi at the national level.

As soon as it was clear that the 57-year-old leader would retain chief ministership, Modi received congratulations from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who called him.

Congress spokesman Abhishek Singhvi said, "It is a great victory for him. It is a remarkable victory."

Among those who called up Modi to congratulate him was AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa, in an indication that the erstwhile ally of the NDA was again warming up to the BJP.

"Your spectacular victory has brought hope and cheer to the vast majority of people in this nation who now believe that all is not lost and that India can still be saved from the clutches of unscrupulous power mongers," she said in her congratulatory message to Modi.

The Left parties expressed concern over rise of "communal politics".

"The results show that where the impact of communal politics is deep, electoral efforts alone are insufficient to defeat the communal forces," the CPI(M) said in a statement.

It said what was required was a determined and uncompromising struggle against what it termed the communal ideology of Hindutva and the rightwing economic policies of the Modi government.

CPI leader D Raja said, "Gujarat election results show that secular forces would have to unitedly intensify the struggle against communal fascism, the danger of which continues."

Renewing the Left party's attack on the Congress, he said it should realise that secularism alone was not enough and it should do some serious introspection of its policies, particularly on the economic front.

"It should also rethink on the Indo-US nuclear deal and carry out mid-course correction of its polities," Raja said.

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) congratulated its alliance partner BJP for its performance in the Gujarat, with party working President Sukhbir Singh Badal saying: "This is people's rebuff to Congress's attempts to communalise polity."

Rebel BJP leader Keshubhai Patel, Modi's arch rival, also congratulated him.

"I congratulate Narendra Modi for BJP's victory. For the interests of the people, both the ruling and opposition parties should work together to take Gujarat forward on the road of development," the dissident leader, around whom the BJP rebels rallied, said in a statement.

TATA'S most transparent and accuntable.

2007-12-21T21:11:00.000+05:30

The Tata Group, easily India's most respected business house, has been named the world's third most accountable and transparent company by Britain's One World Trust although US hotel chain Orient-Express has not found it worthy of an alliance.

According to Rob Lloyd, the report's lead author, the assessment is a measure of the extent to which organisations have the policies and systems in place to enhance consistent and coherent accountability to the people they affect." The report ranked GE number 1 and GlaxoSmithKline number 2 among the most transparent and accountable companies.

Tata Group, was however, considered ahead of Coca-Cola, Petrobras, HSBC Holdings, PriceWaterCooopers International and Google, when measured on the parameters of transparency and accountable leadership among global companies.

The annual Global Accountability Report considered the Tata Group at number 10, among the world's 30 most powerful organisations from the inter-governmental, non-governmental and corporate sector, to be accountable to civil society, affected communities and wider public.

Orient-Express Hotels had recently rejected an offer of alliance from Tatas, saying tying up with the "predominantly Indian" hospitality firm will erode the US hospitality chain's brand image. Tata Group's interests range from hotels to steel to salt and software and auto.

One World Trust rated UN Development Programme followed by Asian Development Bank and Christian Aid the most transparent and accountable organisations among world's top 30 organisations.

TATA'S RS 1 LAKH CAR IN DELHI!!

2007-12-20T12:27:00.000+05:30

The wait is now over. Tata Motors has announced its plans to unveil its people’s car on January 10 at the New Delhi Auto Expo. The biennial event has been the showcase of the Indian automobile and auto component industry for the last 18 years. A company release said that while the commercial launch will take place later in 2008, in keeping with its tradition of unveiling its new cars at the Auto Expo, Tata Motors will unveil its most-talked about product, at a special ceremony on January 10.

It may be mentioned that company Chairman, Ratan Tata, had said here in August, after the Tata Tea annual general meeting, that although there were efforts to delay the project, the Tatas would use their capabilities to make good those delays. He had, however, declined to set a date to the roll-out then, saying that vested interests were at work.

An official spokesman of the company told The Hindu that work had now intensified to overcome the delays that had crept into the project, especially after the heavy monsoons which had caused water-logging at the project site at Singur. Shapoorji Pallonji is the turnkey contractor for this project for which 1,000 acres have been acquired triggering intense opposition by Trinamul Congress mainly.

Commercial production of the four-door, five-seater, rear-engine car is targeted for the middle of 2008-09.

The expo will also see Tata Motors putting up a joint show with Fiat India Automobiles at the ninth Auto Expo beginning on January 9, 2008, with a pavilion spread over 5,200 sq. m. Besides the small car,

Tata Motors will display a range of new passenger vehicles, while Fiat will display passenger cars from its international range. It may be mentioned that Tata Motors has an agreement with Fiat Auto to build a pick-up vehicle in Argentina. It already distributes Fiat-branded cars in India.

Ayurveda online.

2007-12-16T22:09:00.000+05:30

Ayurveda remedies now at the click of a mouse! This is what the National Institute of Ayurveda (NIA) in Jaipur promises for those who want to follow the age-old herbal system of Indian medicine for any ailment.

The NIA will begin its online consultancy services within a month and later also offer telemedicine, said institute director Mahesh Chandra Sharma.

"With our online consultancy service, people will be able to report their illness on NIA's website. Operators will forward all queries to the expert concerned and submit back his or her advice. Ayurveda consultants anywhere in the world can also seek advice on treatment of a particular illness," Sharma told IANS.

NIA, run by the union ministry of health and family welfare and coming under the department of Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH), is known for its many pioneering researches in ayurveda.

"The world has accepted ayurveda as an authentic form of medicine and one of the oldest medical sciences. Nowadays, ayurveda has even got a status symbol. So there is a growing demand across the world for accurate information and consultancy on ayurvedic therapies," he said.

"Apart from online consultancy service, we are setting up web-server based centers at three divisional levels - at Jodhpur, Kota and Udaipur - in the state. Practitioners of ayurveda in hospitals in these places can regularly be in touch with experts of NIA for consultancy on treatment of patients," he added.

"A panel of ayurveda experts is being constituted to provide advice on diseases like obesity, diabetes, depression and knee and abdominal pain. NIA will also provide information on different therapies like 'panchkarma', and blood purifying through ayurvedic treatment," he said.

NIA has a hospital facility in this Rajasthan capital, research centres as well as an educational institute that offers courses in all branches of ayurveda.

299 inmates escape from jail!!!

2007-12-16T22:06:00.000+05:30

n a daring jailbreak, 299 inmates including 110 Naxal activists escaped from the Dantewada jail in Chhattisgarh after prison guards were overpowered in a planned action in which three guards and two undertrials were injured during firing and clashes.

The incident happened around 4.35 pm when the inmates were being served food after a lone Naxalite commandar Sujit Kumar overpowered a jail guard inside the prison and snatched his weapon.

Kumar then fired and injured three other guards, Dantewada jail sources told PTI over phone. As many as 377 inmates are in the district prison, about 375 km from the state capital, which is located in a Naxal infested area.

The Naxals snatched six rifles of the guards and one wireless set belonging before they fled.

Rahul Sharma, Superintendent of Police, Dantewada said the jailbreak was a ''pre-meditated conspiracy'' hatched by the undertrials who were mostly Naxal supporters. A search operation has been launched.