Social Media Works - There is Method to the madness!

Well I am simply amazed on how social media works in getting your voice heard! My last post about the mad methods of a radio station in choosing winners of a contest has seen a lot of activity.

Yesterday I got a call from a friend who works with the same radio station saying that my blog post had created a big uproar internally and it’s causing a lot of trouble to a lot of people.

So he asked me to remove the post in good faith! I told him that I would think about it and do what I feel is right! I was in all mood to republish the post as is! But then since he was nice enough to call me and request me, I thought I will remove the brand name and the concerned person’s name from the post and publish it anyways.

It was amazing on how a simple blog post created havoc in a Brand’s daily life! The post on my blog got published to my Facebook account and someone read it and sent to the producer of the show from the Radio Station that triggered this whole situation.

I am happy, someone out there cares. Unlike some other brands that I have been battling with (Read the story about Travelocity here). I have given feedback to the producer who has personally responded to my feedback. I know this could mean that my number and name could be blocked from further contests etc. but I really don’t care, as long as it does some good.

Red FM Bajate Raho! Kiski Baji?

Was driving home from work today and was listening to the radio. The evening show RED FM was on. Like everyone, they too are having this New Year and Christmas contest where they are giving out shopping vouchers.

RJ Mantra and his side kick Cookie were hosting the show and Cookie had hidden some gift vouchers. The simple question was to guess where the vouchers were hidden basis the hints and you could win a voucher for yourself.

Since I was waiting at the signal, I whipped out my cell phone and sent them a message. In the next 5 minutes I got a call from someone from RED FM, and the following conversation took place

SJ: Hello?

RFM: Hey is that Sahil?

SJ: Yes it is!

RFM: Sahil, I am calling from the Radio Station, you just sent us a message about the question we asked on air right?

SJ: Yes I did!

RFM: Can I ask you where you work?

SJ: At a TV Channel

RFM: A TV Channel? Really? Which one?

SJ: NDTV Imagine!

RFM: Wow! Cool! Also, have you won anything on radio?

SJ: Yes, my wife won a cellphone a couple of months back?

RFM:  Arre Wah! When was this?

SJ: I don’t remember, I was some time back!

RFM: Ok Sahil, your number has been shortlisted! Will call you if your number makes it to the next round! And when I call back the next time, sound excited!

SJ: Sure man!

----

Beep Beep Beep

Then I was waiting and waiting and waiting! No word from the Radio Station!

What kind of twisted person calls you and tell you that you have been shortlisted? You call me if I have won! Don’t call me if I haven’t! It’s so stupid to do something like it. And what’s the deal with telling me to sound excited!? Give me the voucher and see how excited I would be!

Pure dumb!

Objects of (my) desire on 2 wheels

The Royal Enfield Classic 500 EFI

Royal Enfield is one brand that entices every India biker. This bike is every biker's dream! I also wanted to get one, when i got my first bike when i was 21, but had to settle for the 150cc Hero Honda CBZ, my dad did not allow me to get a 350cc Monster then the Royal Enfield Electra which was available for a difference of only Rs. 7,000.

What attracts to this bike are the looks. Purely. Obviously there have been developments on the engine and technology fronts as the 500 has got the Electronic Fuel Injection technology from Japan. The bike seems to be a tweaked version of the models developed in the 50's - the up-swept exhaust, the saddle seat, the styling of the tank et cetra.

 

Specifications of Bullet Classic 500 EFi:

Engine: Single Cylinder, 4 stroke, air cooled OHV
Capacity: 499cc
Fuel system: Electronic Fuel Injection
Ignition: Digital Electronic ignition
Starting: Electric start
Maximum power: 20.3KW (27.2bhp) @ 5250rpm
Maximum Torque: 41.3Nm @ 4000rpm
Gear box: constant mesh 5 speed
Brakes (front): disc brake single 280mm disc with 2 piston caliper
Brakes (rear): drum brake (152mm)
Tyre (front): 90×90-18” Tyre (rear): 110×80-18”
Fuel tank capacity: 14.5liters
Weight: 187kgs

The dream still lingers on for me, I know of my friends who have made me jealous by booking it, owning it and flaunting it.

I hope to get mine soon!

Objects of (my) desire! (Personal Media Player)

I have owned quite a few MP3/Media players in the past. Starting with the Cowon iaudio X5, it gave me all that i needed, a 20GB HDD, Colour screen capable of playing videos, FM Radio and Music. Then i got myself the Sony NW A1200 walkman, it was a basic MP3 player with 8GB memory and music & FM Radio capabilities only. Moved on to the Creative Zen. Pretty Happy with it, 4 GB memory, video payer, FM Radio, Voice Recorder and expandable SC card slot. But like all things that you get bored of, I too got bored of all these and got myself an iPod Touch 8GB simply because of the lack of options!

I wanted to the Microsoft Zune HD but the lack of it's availability or rather exclusive availability in USA and Canda didn't allow me to get it. 

But my top choice was the Archos 5

 

The high price and the limited availability was the reason of not getting it.

Why did I want to get it? Well the Specs speak for themselves

1. Display characteristics:High resolution screen, 800x480 pixels, 4.8'' TFT LCD, 16 million colors
2. User interface:Touch screen, ON/OFF, vol+ and vol- buttons, retractable virtual keyboard
3. Processor(s):Central Unit:Main processor: ARM CortexTM-A8, 32 bit, In-order, dual-issue, superscalar core @ 600 MHz | Additional processor: 32 bit DSP @ 430 MHz
4. RAM memory:128 MB* (Low-Power Double Data Rate SDRAM)
5. Mass storage memory: Hard drive, capacity according to the product version
6. Operating system: Linux
7. Connectivity: On board WiFi (802.11 b/g), USB 2.0 host with optional accessories
8. PC accessories: Possible attachment of numerous standard USB PC accessories (keyboard, mouse, memory key, memory cards reader, camera and other future computer accessories)
9. Video playback: MPEG-42 (ASP@L5 AVI, up to DVD resolution), WMV (MP@ML, up to DVD resolution) included WMV protected files,M-JPEG (in QVGA resolution)
10. With optional software plug-in:HD support: MPEG-4 (ASP 720p) & WMV HD (MP 720p) | MPEG-2 MP@ML up to 10 Mbps (up to DVD resolution) and AC3 stereo sound (5.1) | H.264 up to DVD resolution with AAC
11. Audio playback: Stereo MP3 decoding @ 30-320 Kbits/s CBR & VBR, WMA, Protected WMA, WMA pro 5.1, WAV (PCM/ADPCM). | AC3 stereo audio and 5.1 sound files (via SPDIF output of DVR Station) | Flac and OGG Vorbis audio files
12. With optional software plug-in: AAC3 and AAC+ stereo audio files
13. Photo viewer: JPEG, BMP, PNG, GIF
14. PDF viewer: Reads PDF documents (may not implement all PDF features)
15. Video recording: Via the optional DVR Station or DVR Snap-on. Records NTSC/PAL/SECAM in MPEG-4 AVI format with stereo sound, VGA resolution (640 x 480) @ 30 or 25 f/s
16. Audio recording: Via the optional DVR Station or DVR Snap-on: Stereo line-in, WAV (IMA ADPCM or PCM) format
17. Email client: Compatible with Email accounts supporting POP3 and IMAP services Import/export of vCard contacts
18. Connections: WiFi (802.11 b/g) connection. Free Web Browser (Opera® Web browser with Adobe Flash® 9 video support) upon registration
19. Battery life: Music playback time: up to 22 hours | Video playback time: up to 7 hours

That's not all with a built-in speaker, ability to play games, and widgets it is a true competitor for the iPod touch!

Full Archos 5 review can be read here 

Objects of (my) desire! (Communication)

My object of lust as a communication device has been the HTC Hero for while

The HTC Hero is the first divine looking piece of hardware that runs Android. It's the flagship for HTC and also for Android at the same time. It's the true game changer in it's category and can take on any other phone head on, thanks to its open source heart.

Key Features of the HTC Hero:

    * Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support

    * 3G with HSDPA 7.2 Mbps and HSUPA 2Mbps

    * Heavily customized (in both graphics and performance) Android OS v1.5 (Sense UI)

    * 3.2" capacitive touchscreen of HVGA resolution

    * Qualcomm MSM 7200A 528 MHz CPU, 288 MB RAM

    * 5 megapixel autofocus camera with video recording

    * Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g and GPS receiver

    * Trackball navigation

    * Accelerometer sensor for auto-rotate and turn-to-mute

    * Digital compass for automatic navigation of maps

    * Multi-touch zooming in gallery and web browser

    * Standard miniUSB port for charging and data

    * Stereo Bluetooth (A2DP)

    * microSD card slot with support for up to 8GB cards (2GB one included)

    * Standard 3.5mm audio jack

    * Direct access to the official Android repository

    * Web browser comes with full Flash support

    * Smart dialing

    * Tethering support right out-of-the-box

To take a closer look at the Hero, check out these 4 videos

Meet The HTC Hero

Make it Mine

Stay Close

Discover the Unexpected

These 4 videos will give a peek at the features of the HTC Hero and what the Android platform has to offer. The Hero is flawed, though, in ways that are truly depressing in light of its potential and how much it does get truly right: It's often sluggish, which absolutely destroys the user experience. It's a particularly unfortunate affliction as the iPhone 3GS and Palm Pre emphasize speed, making the Hero feel that much slower.

The Hero will need about 6 months according to me for ironing out the Software and Hardware flaws and more importantly for the price to drop.

At Rs. 34,000/- it is not a phone that is by any means easily affordable!

Objects of (my) desire! (Computing)

Starting with Personal Computing, let me talk about the Acer Ferrari One Netbook.

The netbooks have been termed as game-changers. They have made personal computing more affordable and portable. Many critics believe that the netbook category is still in its nascent stage and there is room for much more than what exists. I thinks that's the case with all forms of technology. The pace at which technology evolves, it's always the case that what you have now is going to be redundant in 6 months time if not less.

Lets Look at the specifications of the Acer Ferrari One:

The Acer Ferrari One FO200-1799 has an 11.6-inch HD widescreen display with a resolution of 1366×768 pixels. It is powered by an 1.20 GHz MD Athlon 64 X2 dual-core processor L310 and runs Windows® 7 Home Premium 64-bit.

The notebook measures 11.2 x 8.03 x 0.9/1.2 inches and weighs 3.31 pounds.

The notebook packs ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 3200 Graphics for good visual quality, 4GB DDR2 RAM, and 250GB 5400rpm HDD.

The Acer Ferrari One FO200-1799 notebook is equipped with a Ferrari-engraved multi-gesture trackpad and a Crystal Eye webcam.

I guess its perfect for my personal use of writing a blog and surfing the web, my work on my computer doesn't involve any graphic heavy operations or gaming.

It’s basically an upmarket Netbook with an upmarket price, starting at around 450 euros which equates to $656 United States Dollars or a whiff off of £400. These are starting prices though; it’ll cost you more if you want some of the extras.

How Geeks Buy Gadgets [Friday Fun]

How Geeks Buy Gadgets [Friday Fun]: "
Geeks love gadgets and this flowchart will help our geeky friends decide on their new gadget.

How Geeks Buy Gadgets

[credit]

Spicejet - The airline less preferred!

Well after Travelocity, its time for some Spicejet bashing! I was flying from Mumbai to New on Spicejet flight SG118 departing Mumbai at 9.30 PM!


We made our way to the airport well in time! Proceeded for check-in & then the security check! Everything was fine, then the boarding announcement happened and we proceeded to board the aircraft!

Now 9.30 is typically dinner time for most of the people, hence we decided to eat at the airport or in the aircraft! Now Spicejet being a low cost carrier, you have to buy your food, even though you pay Rs. 4k per head for a stinky low cost carrier, yet you have to buy your food!
The aircraft took off and we were flipping through the page of their in-flight magazine called 'spice route', which also serves as their menu card.

So i turn to the menu card and it reads 'spice it up. Hunger pangs need not torment you on a long flight. Our All-Day Fresh Feast offers both vegetarian and non-vegetarian meal option'. I thought to myself, Hurray! Something to look forward to! The choices were
 
1. Newly launched All-day Fresh Feast. A wholesome combo, this includes an option of vegetarian or non-vegetarian kathi rolls, delicious walnut brownie and a beverage of your choice. Onboard - Rs. 150 &  Online - Rs. 125
2. The special Breakfast Box comprising stuffed croissant, Danish Pastry, yoghurt, fresh fruit compote and a choice of beverage, is available on all flights departing before 9.30am. Onboard - Rs. 150 & Online - Rs. 125
3. Wholesome Sandwich Combo (vegetarian & non-vegetarian) are available throughout the day and include a brownie and a choice of beverage. Onboard - Rs. 150 & Online Rs. 125
4. Mixed nuts available for Rs. 60

Well the choice was obvious. Kathi rolls rule all the way!

So i am seated Row 9. The crew get into the act and start serving the meals from Row 1. And it took them a good 30 mins to reach row 9! All this while i was dreaming of the delicious kathi roll and the brownie! The flight steward comes to me and asks me what i'd like to have, i am by now jumping with joy because finally someone has come to serve me those rolls!

So i quickly ask for a kathi roll and the steward politely declines, saying that the non-veg sandwiches and kathi rolls are over! OVER!!? From row 1 to row 9... OVER! I was very irritated and to rub it in he said we are serving only Tea, Coffee & juices. So my wife asks me to ask them if they have anythung from the breakfast menu! And what do you know? Nada! Nothing! So i proceed to ask for some Mixed Nuts from these nuts, and yes the Nuts are over too! (Row 1 to Row 9 - the food is over)
And the reasoning they gave was that some passengers ordered the meals online at the last minute and we had to serve them! I mean what kind of an excuse is that? Since you had confirmed number for your Kathi rolls you should stack more!

Or better still, why dont you just say that if you want to have a meal onboard then you book it along with your ticket! And nothing will be sold onboard! You want to eat? You book it with you ticket and pay beforehand!

Anyways, I land in Delhi at 11:30 PM and i havent had dinner, i aint getting anything when i get out of the airport either. I have decided never to fly Spicejet again, unless its a matter of life and death!

Travelocity India - The Travel less preferred

Well, when it comes to Air Travel everyone uses a website as a service partner to book tickets, unless it's an emergency, very rarely do people go to the counter to book their air tickets. Well, we have to then trust the website/ticketing partner for everything going smoothly. This is more like a compulsion than choice.

One such incident has let a bitter taste.

www.travelocity.co.in claim to be 'Your Online Travel Agent'. And like an unsuspecting customer i logged on to find the best travel deals (considering that air travel isn't as cheap as it used to be, so we have to hunt and hunt for the best deal).

So i started out on 16th December (Morning), logged on the site and behold, i came across an offer from ICICI bank that said, i could an additional Rs. 300 off if i have an ICICI Credit or Debit card, which i can use to generate an eVoucher.

So i thought to myself, Hey! why not? I generated an eVoucer and proceeded to make my bookings. And then drama. At the first try, i got an error saying that the booking did not go through, so i said yeah could an erratic data package that my ISP sent out, so i proceeded again, and then another error, this time it was about the eVoucher (which has expired, thanks to my previous try)! Life for getting a little irritating! So i thought that i would give it one more try and if it doesn't work, i will go somewhere else.

Try number 3 was a little to much to take. Error message yet again! And this very time, my phone beeped with an SMS, and what do you know, the account has been debited! No ticket has been issued! I picked up the phone on the 'Customer Care' department and told them of my problem! They promised to call me back with the relevant details.

The day just went by without any revert, so i called them back and they told me, that they cannot do anything, i would have to speak with my Bank and then get the amount reversed as the transaction was tried using a debit card! So, I promptly called my bank and they said that it will take 7 working days for the refund to happen! In the meanwhile the customer care representative (travelocity chooses to call them Travel Advisors) informed me that there is a problem with the website and it will be sorted in about and hour and your previous eVoucher still holds good!

I let the say pass and in the evening got to booking my ticket yet again! Same story repeated - Try#1: Error | Try#2: Error (expired evoucher) | I generated another eVoucher and thought of giving it another try and at that time Travelocity was the cheapest website for booking tickets. So Try#3 was a surprise, the transaction when through successfully! My joy know no bounds! A New-Delhi to Mumbai ticket for Rs. 2460 was a definite steal!

December 17 2009: Email from travelocity

Dear Travelocity Customer,

Greetings from travelocity.co.in

This email is regard to your recent booking under the Trip Id: 99966441

We find you have used more than one ICICI VISA promotional eVoucher in this
booking. We had outlined upfront at the time of eVoucher generation, and in
the terms and condition of the promotion that usage of more than one
eVoucher in a single transaction would result in your booking being
cancelled without further notice.

As you did not fulfill the required criteria, wherein you were supposed to
redeem only one eVoucher, we have cancelled your booking. Please find below
the break up of the cancellation charges:

Airline cancellation fee      : INR 750.00 per person
Travelocity Administration fee: INR 250.00 per person

Total refundable amount       : INR 1430.00 per person

Should you require any further information, please do not hesitate to
contact us.

Calling from within India:
Tel: 1800 180 1222 or 0124 239 8222
Fax: 0124 239 8233
Calling from outside India:
Tel: +91 124 239 8222

Kind regards,

Sahrish Naseem | Sales & Customer Care | Travelocity India |
www.travelocity.co.in

I was shocked beyond my wit! Rs. 1000 down the drain! So i decided to take it up with them. After a call with their 'Travel Advisor' i was told that i had f***ed up and i am to blame and i used to 2 eVoucher when i could use only one!

So while this battle is on, i still need to travel from New Delhi to Mumbai in Jan! I Scouted the web for a cheap deal and everything went back to travelocity! I gulped my pride and ego and said maybe they have ironed out the issues, so lets try again! Another eVoucher was generated and proceeded for booking!

Try#1 - ERROR! No Ticket! Account debited again! Damn!

Spoke with them again! They promised me that they would refund the amount in 48 hours!

I have been left with a few questions:

a. Who monitors these websites for errors?

b. If only 1 eVoucher can be used for the booking, why wasn't i prompted at the time of the booking that i already have an active eVoucher?

c. If they can charge me an admin fee for cancellation of a ticket (for no fault of mine), can i not charge them some harassment fee?

d. Customer Care? Who coined this term? When all Customer Care departments of all products and services are only trying to tell you how its your fault and they cannot do anything about it. Where is the care?

e. Is there an organization/association that can be approached or any website that can help with grievances like these?

Do share this will all the people you know! Maybe this story can be helpful to get people to be cautious!

Will post the followup to this when i receive a response from travelocity!

Until then - Happy booking! Happy Flying!

Hangover

Hangover:

After the annual office party blow-out, Colin woke up with a pounding headache, cotton-mouthed, and utterly unable to recall the events of the preceding evening.

After a trip to the bathroom he was able to make his way downstairs, where his wife put some coffee in front of him.

'Louise,' he moaned, 'Tell me what went on last night. Was it as bad as I think?'

'Even worse,' she assured him, voice dripping with scorn. 'You made a complete ass of yourself, succeeded in antagonizing the entire senior management and insulted the Regional Director General to his face.'

'He's an asshole. I should have pissed on him.'

'You did,' Louise informed him. 'And he fired you.'

'Well, screw him!' yelled Colin.

'I did. You're back at work on Monday.'

These Pictures Will Melt Your Mind

These Pictures Will Melt Your Mind: "




[Via Reddit | Flickr 1

Wedding catastrophe!

Nokia did a contest which was called "Offline as it happens"! It's all about the catastrophe that happens if you aren't online.

Things get complicated when you're offline as it happens.

See more films and create the next "Offline as it happens" story and you might win a Nokia N900

Source -Youtube

Häagen-Dazs - Ice Creams of Discrimination (Follow Up)

Haagen-Dazs probably did not realise that a sign that was meant to tempt the Capital’s crème de la crème to its premium ‘international-quality’ ice-creams would instead land it in hot water. A day before the US brand opened its first outlet in a south Delhi mall, it put up signboards around the area for a “preview for international travellers” with the telling rider, ‘Entry restricted only to holders of international passports’.

An Indian who saw the sign and was turned away from the store — only because of lack of space due to weekend rush, according to Haagen-Dazs — took a photograph. He e-mailed it to a Times of India blogger; within minutes it had gone around the globe ( Sorry, Indians not allowed ), inciting a hail of protests that left the company red-faced. “An error was made in the creative execution,” Anindo Mukherji, MD of General Mills India, which markets the brand here, told ET, adding more precisely: “It was a wrong choice of words, and we regret the error.”

As there are no such things as ‘national’ passports — they are after all used only for international travel — it was apparent that ‘international’ was used as another word for ‘foreign’. And since the booklet’s only use, once the holder clears an airport immigration counter, is as a proof of nationality, the clear implication was that only foreigners would be allowed for the ‘preview’. It was not, however, intended to be a case of reworking the old British sign, ‘Dogs and Indians not allowed’.

“No one was turned away because of nationality,” insisted Arindam Haldar, director, Haagen-Dazs. “I was present on all days. If people were refused entry momentarily, it was only due to overcrowding as there was a rush.” Obviously, Haagen-Dazs is here to tap the Indian market, not keep it out, but the words of the teaser campaign left the company vulnerable to the charge of apartheid. And it was compounded by the very poor choice of words by TBWA, the agency that did the teaser campaign.

Upon sustained queries to company officials about the intention of the campaign, it emerged that what Haagen-Dazs really wanted to convey was ‘Now get a taste of abroad right here in India’. But by preferring several long words — that are liable to be misinterpreted — instead of short, clear ones, they ended up generating a lot of heat: something that ice-cream brands, in particular, should steer clear of, if they don’t want their market to melt away, thanks to offended sensibilities. Especially, since it plans to open 30 to 40 outlets in the next few years.

Source - Reshmi R Dasgupta, ET Bureau

Häagen-Dazs - Ice Creams of Discrimination

Discrimination

My friend Ramit (name changed on request) called me late Friday night. He sounded quite agitated. “You know, Haagen Dazs has opened its Delhi outlet”. I reacted with a joke. “Good, now you can spend a lot more on an ice cream than you normally would. But why are you agitated?”

“Because I am not allowed to enter”, he said. Now, Ramit is not like one of the politician’s son or into drugs, the sort who are often in news in India’s capital for all the wrong reasons, nor is he the kind who will shoot someone down because she refused to serve him a cone of ice cream.

He did not waste much time and said he has taken a picture and is mailing me the reason. I switched on my mail, and clicked on the attachment. I couldn’t believe what I saw. Was I in India, 62 years after gaining independence, and years after South Africa officially ended apartheid?

The banners outside the outlet said: Exclusive Preview for International Travellers. And under that, in an even finer print, the real bombshell: Access restricted only to holders of international passports.

I immediately called Ramit. “You are an international traveler, and you have a passport, so you can go in”, I said. Ramit’s response was instant: I tried to enter but they said you are not allowed for you don’t have an international passport.

I am normally not given to immediate emotional reactions, but I couldn’t resist this time. I was, to be honest, upset. How can they do this to an Indian, in India? Do a story on TOI or NBT? Do it for print or Online? Call other media friends and colleagues? I simply didn’t know how to react. Print would have a better impact, but should I wait that long?

Then I felt, why not use the power of the social media? Next thing I knew was that I had put up a few pictures on facebook, added a caption and also sent out a tweet with a request it be retweeted. In a few hours, it had turned into a viral and I started getting messages from angry Indians all over. Why just Indians, even friends in international media wrote to say “this is the stupidest thing they have seen in a long time”.

I didn’t stop at that. I ended up calling a few MPs I knew I could speak to bluntly and told them about it, taunting them about it.

I don’t know what finally worked, but it seems word did get around to the outlet’s franchisee and they started claiming there never was any restriction on anybody entering the outlet.

While this may be considered a victory for people power, I am still unable to figure out who in his right senses would have advised the dessert company to do something so stupid. Was it a way to generate controversy for free publicity? Did they think it will work subliminally on Indians mind that now that it has been ‘certified’ by international travelers it would be good for them too?

Whatever it is, it is idiotic. I checked later and found that the franchisee is an Indian company based in Delhi and the man incharge is also an Indian.

I have often maintained that we ourselves are our biggest enemies. Our mentality is that of slaves and we think anything is good only if its approved by foreigners, or the “holders of international passport”.

Perhaps the Indian franchisee had this in mind. And a comment on the picture I put up on the facebook by an Indian who migrated to Australia decades ago sums it up: Most international travellers don't want HD in India when they can get it in their own backyard. Its a commodity not a special thing for them. They would also see this as pure cashing in and thinking they are idiots - 'India taking them for a ride.' Have to remember not every international traveler is American; makes an average salary of squillion dollars; can often be allergic to dairy (yes); is in India to have an 'authentic Indian' experience and by golly even enjoy kulfi, falooda, lassi, dosa! This is all about how India and Indians see themselves. Foreigners have nothing to do with it.

Source - Times of India Blogs

What have we come to? Indian's sitting on the back of Indian's and taking them for a ride? An Indian Franchise with an Indian owner, does let an Indian enter?

I guess they should be told to go back to where they came from. They aren't needed here anyways!

Flyovers

निम्नलिखित लेख उस छात्र की कॉपी से लिया गया है, जिसे निबंध लेखन प्रतियोगितामें पहला पुरस्कार मिला है।निबध का विषय था - फ्लाईओवर।


फ्लाईओवर का जीवन में बहुत महत्व है, खास तौर पर इंजीनियरों और ठेकेदारों के जीवन में तो घणा ही महत्व है। एकफ्लाईओवर से न जाने कितनी कोठियां निकल आती हैं। पश्चिम जगत के इंजीनियर भले ही इसेन समझें कि भारत में यहकमाल होता है कि पुल से कोठियां निकल आती हैं और फ्लाईओवर से फार्महाउस।


खैर, फ्लाईओवर से हमें जीवन के कई पाठ मिलते हैं, जैसे बंदा कई बार घुमावदार फ्लाईओवर पर चले, तोपता चलता है किजहां से शुरुआत की थी, वहीं पर पहुंच गए हैं। उदाहरण के लिए ऑल इंडिया इंस्टिट्यूट ऑफमेडिकल साइंसेज के पास केफ्लाईओवर में बंदा कई बार जहां से शुरू करे, वहीं पहुंच जाता है। वैसे, यह लाइफका सत्य है, कई बार बरसों चलते -चलते यहपता चलता है कि कहीं पहुंचे ही नहीं।


फ्लाईओवर जब नए-नए बनते हैं, तो एकाध महीने ट्रैफिक स्मूद रहता है, फिर वही हाल हो लेता है। जैसेआश्रम में अबफ्लाईओवर पर जाम लगता है, यानी अब फ्लाईओवर पर फ्लाईओवर की जरूरत है। फिर उसफ्लाईओवर के फ्लाईओवर केफ्लाईओवर पर भी फ्लाईओवर चाहिए होगा। हो सकता है कि कुछ समय बादफ्लाईओवर अथॉरिटी ऑफ इंडिया ही बन जाए।इसमें कुछ और अफसरों की पोस्टिंग का जुगाड़ हो जाएगा। तबहम कह सकेंगे कि फ्लाईओवरों का अफसरों के जीवन में भीघणा महत्व है।


दिल्ली में इन दिनों फ्लाईओवरों की धूम है। इधर से फ्लाईओवर, उधर से फ्लाईओवर। फ्लाईओवर बनने केचक्कर में विकटजाम हो रहे हैं। दिल्ली गाजियाबाद अप्सरा बॉर्डर के जाम में फंसकर धैर्य और संयम जैसे गुणोंका विकास हो जाता है,ऑटोमैटिक। व्यग्र और उग्र लोगों का एक ट्रीटमेंट यह है कि उन्हें अप्सरा बॉर्डर के जाममें छोड़ दिया जाए।


फ्लाईओवर बनने से पहले जाम फ्लाईओवर के नीचे लगते हैं, फिर फ्लाईओवर बनने के बाद जाम ऊपर लगनेशुरू हो जाते हैं।इससे हमें भौतिकी के उस नियम का पता चलता है कि कहीं कुछ नहीं बदलता, फ्लाईओवर काउद्देश्य इतना भर रहता है किवह जाम को नीचे से ऊपर की ओर ले आता है, ताकि नीचे वाले जाम के लिएरास्ता प्रशस्त किया जा सके।


फ्लाईओवरों का भविष्य उज्जवल है। कुछ समय बाद यह सीन होगा कि जैसे डबल डेकर बस होती है, वैसेडबल डेकरफ्लाईओवर भी होंगे। डबल ही क्यों, ट्रिपल, फाइव डेकर फ्लाईओवर भी हो सकते हैं। दिल्ली वालेतब अपना एड्रेस यूं बताएंगे -आश्रम के पांचवें लेवल के फ्लाईओवर के ठीक सामने जो फ्लैट पड़ता है, वो मेराहै। कभी जाम में फंस जाएं, तो कॉल कर देना,डोरी में टांग कर चाय लटका दूंगा। संवाद कुछ इस तरह के होंगे -अबे कहां रहता है आजकल रोज अपने फ्लैट से पांचवें लेवलका जाम देखता हूं, तेरी कार नहीं दिखती। सामनेवाला बताएगा - आजकल मैं चौथे लेवल के फ्लाईओवर में फंसता हूं। अबेपांचवें लेवल के जाम में फंसा कर, वहांहवा अच्छी लगती है। अबे, ले मैं तेरे ऊपर ही था, पांचवें वाले लेवल पर और तू चौथेलेवल पर, कॉल कर देता,तो झांककर बात कर लेता।


Source - A forwarded email!!!


via - umennet

Heroics of Taj Hotel’s Staff in Mumbai

I just received this email... It's worth a read!

Meeting with H N Srinivas – Senior Executive Vice President, Taj Group of Hotels 

Last evening, I had a dinner meeting with HNS in Goa (I was there for a National Institute of Personnel Management conference – as a speaker).

He narrated the 26th November 2008 terror attack on Taj Mumbai and there were some important points.

A. Terrorist entry

1. They entered from the Leopold Colaba hotel entrance and also from the northern entrance – spraying indiscriminate bullets on the Taj security personnel and guests in general.
2. Though Taj had a reasonable security – they were surely not equipped to deal with terrorists who were spraying 6 bullets per trigger.
3. The strategy of the terrorists was to throw chunks of RDX in an open area that will explode and burn – creating chaos so that the guests and staff run helter skelter so that the terrorists could kill them. The idea was to create maximum casualties.
4. There were several critical gatherings and functions happening in the hotel on that day – a Bohra wedding, global meet of Unilever CEOs and Board members and 2 other corporate meetings were being held in the hotel – besides the usual crowd.
5. The firing and chaos began at about 8.30 p.m. and the staff including employees on casual and contract basis displayed exemplary presence of mind, courage and sacrifice to protect the guests who were in various halls and conference rooms.

B. Stories of Staff Heroics 

1. A young lady guest relation executive with the HLL gathering stopped any of the members going out and volunteered 3 times to go out and get stuff such as ice cubes for whiskey of the guests when the situation outside the hall was very explosives and she could have been easily the target of the bullets
2. Thomas George a captain escorted 54 guests from a backdoor staircase and when he was going down last he was shot by the terrorists
3. There were 500 emails from various guests narrating heroics of the staff and thanking them for saving their lives
4. In a subsequent function, Ratan Tata broke down in full public view and sobbed saying – “the company belongs to these people”. The wife of Thomas George who laid his life saving others said, she and the kids were proud of the man and that she did not know that for 25 years she lived with a man who was so courageous and brave
5. The episode happened on 26th November, a significant part of the hotel was burnt down and destroyed – the hotel was re-opened on 21st December and all the employees of the hotel were paraded in front of the guests
6. It was clearly a saga of extra-ordinary heroics by ordinary people for their organisation and in a way for their country. The sense of duty and service was unprecedented
7. The young lady who protected and looked after the HLL guests was a management trainee and we often speak of juniority and seniority in the organisation. She had no instructions from any supervisor to do what she did 
1. She took just 3 minutes to rescue the entire team through the kitchen
2. Cars were organised outside the hotel as per seniority of the members
3. In the peak of the crisis, she stepped out and got the right wine glass for the guest
8. People who exhibited courage included janitors, waiters, directors, artisans and captains – all level of people 

C. The Tata Gesture

1. All category of employees including those who had completed even 1 day as casuals were treated on duty during the time the hotel was closed
2. Relief and assistance to all those who were injured and killed
3. The relief and assistance was extended to all those who died at the railway station, surroundings including the “Pav-Bhaji” vendor and the pan shop owners
4. During the time the hotel was closed, the salaries were sent my money order
5. A psychiatric cell was established in collaboration with Tata Institute of Social Sciences to counsel those who needed such help
6. The thoughts and anxieties going on people’s mind was constantly tracked and where needed psychological help provided
7. Employee outreach centers were opened where all help, food, water, sanitation, first aid and counseling was provided. 1600 employees were covered by this facility
8. Every employee was assigned to one mentor and it was that person’s responsibility to act as a “single window” clearance for any help that the person required
9. Ratan Tata personally visited the families of all the 80 employees who in some manner – either through injury or getting killed – were affected.
10. The dependents of the employees were flown from outside Mumbai to Mumbai and taken care off in terms of ensuring mental assurance and peace. They were all accommodated in Hotel President for 3 weeks
11. Ratan Tata himself asked the families and dependents – as to what they wanted him to do.
12. In a record time of 20 days, a new trust was created by the Tatas for the purpose of relief of employees.  
13. What is unique is that even the other people, the railway employees, the police staff, the pedestrians who had nothing to do with Tatas were covered by compensation. Each one of them was provided subsistence allowance of Rs. 10K per month for all these people for 6 months.
14. A 4 year old granddaughter of a vendor got 4 bullets in her and only one was removed in the Government hospital. She was taken to Bombay hospital and several lacs were spent by the Tatas on her to fully recover her
15. New hand carts were provided to several vendors who lost their carts
16. Tata will take responsibility of life education of 46 children of the victims of the terror
17. This was the most trying period in the life of the organisation. Senior managers including Ratan Tata were visiting funeral to funeral over the 3 days that were most horrible
18. The settlement for every deceased member ranged from Rs. 36 to 85 lacs in addition to the following benefits:
1. Full last salary for life for the family and dependents
2. Complete responsibility of education of children and dependents – anywhere in the world
3. Full Medical facility for the whole family and dependents for rest of their life
4. All loans and advances were waived off – irrespective of the amount
5. Counselor for life for each person

D. Epilogue

1. How was such passion created among the employees? How and why did they behave the way they did?
2. The organisation is clear that it is not something that someone can take credit for. It is not some training and development that created such behaviour. If someone suggests that – everyone laughs 
3. It has to do with the DNA of the organisation, with the way Tata culture exists and above all with the situation that prevailed that time. The organisation has always been telling that customers and guests are #1 priority
4. The hotel business was started by Jamshedji Tata when he was insulted in one of the British hotels and not allowed to stay there.
5. He created several institutions which later became icons of progress, culture and modernity. IISc is one such institute. He was told by the rulers that time that he can acquire land for IISc to the extent he could fence the same. He could afford fencing only 400 acres.
6. When the HR function hesitatingly made a very rich proposal to Ratan – he said – do you think we are doing enough?
7. The whole approach was that the organisation would spend several hundred crore in re-building the property – why not spend equally on the employees who gave their life?

Minuted by Dileep Ranjekar

Boy Genius - Pranav Mistry and the 6th Sense Technology

Pranav Mistry is the inventor of SixthSense, a wearable device that enables new interactions between the real world and the world of data.

You have to see this video to believe what he has done and thought off! It's amazing, brilliant, thrilling and mind boggling!

Imagine the potential that this can unlock... just one device that you wear can be all you need for work and play!

Google Goggles - Visual Search!

Now here is a feature that we all wished for and for quite sometime.


How often have we wondered what a particular thing is and how to find more about it. There have been times when i thought that oh! i wish i could just click a picture and search on the internet using the picture. Well, all you android users out there, this one is for you. The Google Goggle allows you to click a picture from your android powered phone and just search on Google using this application.


For example, if you see a book, just click a picture of the book cover and you get all the information about the book online.


Now! i am dying to get my hands on an Android phone... my next phone for sure.

The Workout - Bhangra Style

Well, i am not a big work out fan, but recently i heard of something very interesting called "Masala Bhangra"! A special workout class at my gym in Andheri. So i decided why not! (actually it was the Punjabi within me which leaped out hearing the word Bhangra in a work out routine).

So left work early and decided to attend the class. There were about 40 odd people who were wanting to attend the class and it seemed to be fun.

The class is conducted by Ms. Sarina Jain, (yeah, she is Rajasthani Jain and not a Punjabi). She is the founder of the Masala Bhangra routine. More about her and the routine here.

Well this one hour work out was awesome! The energy that Ms. Jain brings in was fabulous. I am not a dancer by any means and i have 2 left feet, but this was all about losing the inhibitions and working out and have some serious fun! It started out with a basic routine and as the work out progressed the steps were added and the workout got better and better.

Unfortunately Ms. Jain was in Mumbai for the shooting of her 7th Workout Video, so this won't be a regular feature.

Catch a glimpse in the video below!

Shashi Tharoor - Why Nations should pursue "Soft" Power

Shashi Tharoor's talk at the TED India Conference! I saw it a couple of days ago and quite enjoyed it! I think he is from another breed of Politicians in our country.

He focuses this talk on the use of power, a kind of power that we have in abundance in our country. The Soft power!