tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18827392508632703292024-03-16T06:40:39.725+05:30Random ReadingRandom Writings from Random Thoughts"AD" - D Anandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09209368109579260418noreply@blogger.comBlogger55125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1882739250863270329.post-42411103279286681332017-06-11T21:03:00.001+05:302017-06-11T21:03:35.726+05:30Penguins and the Zoo - at another zoo<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Some time back I had
written on this blog about the penguins at Mumbai zoo - "<a href="http://www.elephantdropping.com/2017/04/the-penguins-and-zoo.html">The Penguins and the Zoo</a>". A while after posting it I had the opportunity to visit the zoo
at London which also has a penguin enclosure with the same kind of penguins
that the Mumbai zoo has. Yes it’s the Humboldt penguins and they are held in an
area called "Penguin Beach" within the zoo premises.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I was awestruck by the
size of this exhibit as compared to the one in <i>amchi Mumbai</i>. For starters the Penguins were out in the open. There
were no closed enclosures or air conditioned viewing galleries.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Here is some
information on this exhibit: There is a 1200 square meter (Almost 12500 square
feet) pool holding 450, 000 liters of water. Yup that's just the size of the
pool they swim in. There is a breeding facility for these humboldt penguins with a nursery, an incubation unit and pool where the young ones learn to swim. How about that. You don't have to worry about importing new ones in case the
current population goes down for whatsoever reason. Apart from viewing them
along with the general public you can also have a one on one session with these
guys and learn more about them, of course for a small fee. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The viewing is open
with a stadium like mini sitting area on one side where visitors can sit and watch the
creatures. There are two feeding sessions every day with a live commentary providing you with all information about these penguins.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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An overview</div>
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A Port hole to watch the little guys swimming</div>
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That's how close you can get with just a glass partition in between.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">All Photos were shot in the afternoon with the outside temperature at 20 degrees Celsius. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Cheers.</span></div>
"AD" - D Anandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09209368109579260418noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1882739250863270329.post-3700127815616889352017-06-02T22:36:00.001+05:302017-06-02T22:36:37.736+05:30Ah London! How to spend a day or days doing nothing<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">London is not to be
visited. London is to be lived in. It is quite quiet for a city, without any
sense of urgency in the air. Being there calms you down (especially if you are
from Mumbai or any other chaotic city) so was I told and so it is true. Here is
quick journey of relaxation through my pictures.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Look out of the window endlessly</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">at the empty streets </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">at the skies while the clouds pass by</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">feed ducks at a park</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">and watch swan families go by</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">sit on a bench and look in the horizon, would your life be in a castle or a wheel on the fly</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">cross over to the other side for every view has an opposite story</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Come back to your side to sit by a lake</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">to watch birds of different feathers who are not fake</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Don't forget to walk the empty streets for you may not bump into anyone else.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">Relax and Enjoy.</span></div>
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"AD" - D Anandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09209368109579260418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1882739250863270329.post-9312730399495564312017-04-04T20:26:00.001+05:302017-04-04T20:26:21.280+05:30The Penguins and the Zoo<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Sometime last year
Penguins arrived in <i>Amchi Mumbai</i>. Their
coming had been controversial from the day the city wished to have some. Was it
necessary? Was the contractor competent to construct their enclosure? Do we
have the funds to support them? I don't know but since they were here, they had
to be viewed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The Mumbai Zoo or
"<i>Rani chi Baug</i>" acquired 8
Humboldt Penguins. One unfortunately died leaving 7. Humboldt Penguins are
natives of coastal Chile and Peru and named after the cold water current they
swim in and this city's weather is nowhere close to cold. Anyway an opportunity
of a mid week Tuesday holiday resulted in a visit to the Zoo along with the
Junior and one of the Seniors. Luck was in favour with minimal traffic on the
way, an immediate parking spot and no crowds. This is like a dream situation
for most <i>Mumbaikars</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> Over the years the Zoo has undergone a whole
lot of beautification. Beautification has nothing to do with betterment. The
condition of the zoo and its inmates has only deteriorated but more of that
later.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The newspapers had reported
massive crowds wanting a look at the "<i>Phoren
se aaya hua Penguin Log</i>". This was my only fear which turned out to be
unnecessary as there barely seemed to be any visitors on a public holiday. And
none of the those <i>mumbai darshan</i>
buses seemed to be there. Demonetization had no effect on the zoo tickets. You
could pay in coins and get in. At Rs. 5/- for an adult and Rs. 2/- for a child (a
total of Rs. 12/- for three) I had paid more for parking my car (Rs. 20/-).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">For all the crores spent
on creating the special enclosure, there is
not a single sign board giving directions to the penguin enclosure. Initially
we followed the crowds in the general direction they were taking since this was
the numero uno exhibit currently but gave up after a few minutes in the searing
heat. We finally got to it by asking 3 security guards and one gardener at
various cross roads within the zoo. I knew we had reached my destination given
the heavy police presence on the last mile. Right at the back of the zoo and a
considerable walk away, there stood a massive 2 storey white and blue building
with "<i>Humboldt Penguin Kaksha</i>"
in marathi headlining it. But that’s not where you enter from. You have to walk
at least 200 metres around the building, go to the back of it and enter.
Photography not allowed. Mobile phones in your pocket. What follows is a
complete let down.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC-xUUGP7xR3ed2IYWgqJTbNA95CneJLXLn2rV6Oafkelr7Vqs-VPQLC36zCkLhCSeW1FSUKw8FtHrC3bZEs-9B9ogrGOFncdpGkJKJnxlPm_ZXKLKGPehtrtOxU1iQoPd2kmLN-ZxWO8/s1600/image2+%25284%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC-xUUGP7xR3ed2IYWgqJTbNA95CneJLXLn2rV6Oafkelr7Vqs-VPQLC36zCkLhCSeW1FSUKw8FtHrC3bZEs-9B9ogrGOFncdpGkJKJnxlPm_ZXKLKGPehtrtOxU1iQoPd2kmLN-ZxWO8/s320/image2+%25284%2529.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Given the size of the
structure that the exhibit is housed in, there is a viewing frontage of only
about 30 feet. Okay let's be lenient and make it 35 feet. There is nothing inside
that comes even remotely close to resembling a natural habitat of the Penguins. There were
seven of these Humboldt Penguins. Down from the eight originally imported.
Strangely they seemed to be freezing and were barely moving. You could have
moved one of the fiber-glass replica ones kept outside into here and nobody
would have noticed the difference. This was a complete gyp. All that we have
seen on television were these shiny coated black and white creatures with
yellow feet and beaks sliding on ice bergs, diving into the sea and swimming
away and that is the expectation that most people must have come here with.
These were the poor cousins of the Emperor Penguins whom we are most accustomed
to seeing in any generic picture of penguins or on television. For all you know
our guys could have been two year old kids in penguin suits made to stand in a large
freezer. The python in the sun showed more movement. Slum dwellers get larger
apartments free of cost. Given the size of the entire structure, couldn't there
have been a larger enclosure?.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The poor penguins
looked completely lost and scared. They had nowhere to go. On one side was a four
foot deep pool 30 feet in length and may be 3 feet wide along side the glass viewing
frontage and on the other was something to resemble icy mountains. High on top
of these "mountains" were windows that looked out into the zoo
compound with the sun shining in. This is probably what prison cells must be
like. But one of them made his views clear. He turned around, raised his tail
and shot out poop in the direction of the viewers. This was the high point with
the crowds going "<i>potty kiya</i>".<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The viewing was done in
like 3 minutes tops. You couldn't view any longer. Not because you didn't want
to but you were being ushered out by the guards. So out we were to see the rest
of the zoo or whatever there was of it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The rest of the zoo
itself is in a deplorable condition. Many structures half demolished. New
structures coming up seemingly without a plan. Animals and birds visibly unable
to bear the summer heat. The Emus looked like prisoners incarcerated for life
without having committed any crime. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The ponds in most
enclosures were either bereft of water or covered in filth. The deer were lying in the shade of some trees escaping the heat. Luckily the Hippos had enough water
for mamma and baby to completely immerse themselves. Most of the birds looked tired and depressed. There were no lions, tigers, monkeys or their ilk or at least we didn't see them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">What are
we trying the achieve by keeping animals and birds in such deplorable
conditions. Gone is the age of showcasing wild life in tiny cages in an attempt
to bring nature to the common man. Television does it better and cheaper. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">A serious re-think
needs to be done on the utility of the zoo and how well it can be planned and
managed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Here are some Random Sign Boards at the Zoo</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Not Lost in Translation or Transliteration</span></div>
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For the hungry ones</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Whatever you are having, have it around the shop only</span></div>
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"AD" - D Anandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09209368109579260418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1882739250863270329.post-69815062590612278162017-02-06T10:46:00.000+05:302017-02-06T10:46:37.880+05:30An Idea for a Mobile Wallet Carry Trade<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Many
years back (and probably even today) there was an idea played in the investment
market to make money which was popularly known as the "Yen Carry
Trade". To put it simply one would borrow in Yen from Japanese markets at
ridiculously low interest rates, convert it to US Dollars and invest in US
Bonds at substantially higher interest rates thereby pocketing the difference
as the profit. The added bonus to this would be the US Dollar going up thereby
fetching you more gains with the downside being the Yen appreciating against
the US Dollar as well as lowering of interest rates.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Coming
to recent times, there has been large scale promotion of digital or mobile
wallets. These are wallets which mostly reside in your mobile phone and provide
ease in transferring funds amongst individuals, businesses and bill payments.
One can have money in one's mobile wallet by transferring funds from one's bank
account, credit card or receiving funds from another individual with a mobile
wallet from the same service provider. An important feature if one were to
convert this digital money in to real money is transfer from your mobile wallet
to your own bank account. This is where an idea for generating cheap capital has
come to germinate. Theoretically it sounds good but could well be a bubble. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">This
idea hovers around the fact that one can load one's mobile wallet via one's own
credit card as well as transfer funds available in the mobile wallet to one's
own bank account. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">In
a mobile wallet, one can transact with an upper limit of Rs. 20,000 per month without
need for documentation. There is also single transaction limit of Rs. 5000/- as
well as an overall daily transaction limit. With appropriate documentation you
can enhance your monthly limit to Rs. 100, 000/- subject to the transaction
limits. If one needs to empty ones wallet, one has to transfer the money to one's
own bank account.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">For
the purposes of our idea we will stick to a zero documentation limit of Rs. 20,000/-
per month. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">For
this idea to work the money from your mobile wallet needs to be deployed for
money making purposes. To the best of my knowledge, you cannot trade on the
stock/commodity exchange using your credit card. If one were to do a cash
withdrawal on your credit card, there would be an immediate charge of up to Rs.
300/- per withdrawal and a monthly finance charge of about 2 % or higher. So
for a Rs. 20,000/- withdrawal you would pay a sum of Rs. 300/- plus Rs. 400/-
which equals a sum of Rs. 700/- for a 30 day period or Rs. 900/- for a 45 day
period. Given the current times cash withdrawal and then deposit is not a wise
thing and not advisable.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">If
you were to load your mobile wallet via a credit card it costs you nothing. A
transfer to your bank account may cost you anything from nothing to up to 3 %
depending upon your service provider. Assuming it is 3 %, it will cost you Rs.
600/- for transfer of Rs. 20,000/- to your bank account. Now please note that
credit cards usually have a credit period of 45 days to 55 days. Assuming it’s
a 45 day period, you would have to pay your credit card company within 45 days
of loading your mobile wallet using your credit card.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">So
on day one of your credit card cycle you load your mobile wallet with Rs.
20,000/-. The same day you transfer this money to your bank account. Your bank
account is linked to your stock/commodity trading account with your broker. You
transfer this money to your broker to be used as margin for trading. If You are
trading in stocks your margin may be as
high as 50 % which would give you a trading limit of Rs. 40,000/- and you avoid
delivery stocks. In commodities or currencies the margins are usually around 5
% and you avoid trading in grains and stick to only metals. This would give you
a trading limit of up to Rs. 400, 000/-. So in a 45 day period (remember you
have to pay back your credit card company within this period) there are usually
around 25 trading days on the lower side. If one were to trade on the stock
markets without delivery with adequate risk protection strategies and make an average of about 1 % daily net of associated trading costs, you would make about Rs. 400/-
daily which would mean about Rs. 10,000/- (400*25) within the 45 day cycle. You
reduce the transfer cost of Rs. 600/- and you make Rs. 9400/- and repay your
card bill of Rs. 20, 000/-. In the currency or commodity market you would make
about Rs. 4000/- daily which would translate into Rs. 100,000/- (4000*25) within
the 45 day cycle. You reduce the transfer cost of Rs. 600/- and you make Rs.
99400/- and repay your credit card bill of Rs. 20,000/-. On an annualized basis
you would make anywhere between Rs. 75,200/- to 795,200/- depending which
markets you trade in. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Now
again the gains are on the limits based on documentation free single mobile
wallet. If you were to submit full documentation, you can get my mobile wallet
limits enhanced to Rs. 100, 000/- . Thus on the above calculations your annual gains
could be anywhere between Rs. 376, 000/- to Rs. 39, 76, 000/-. T</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">his is only on a single mobile wallet. Your gains increase exponentially if
you were to use multiple mobile wallets.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The
above rosy illustration is based on ideal conditions, adequate risk protection,
stop losses and regulations permitting. You are also prudent to pay your card
issuer on time and not incur late payment charges. You also do not display too
much greed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The
downside is that transfer to your bank account from your mobile wallet may not
happen immediately and may take up to 7 working days. Your bets may go wrong
and you may lose your margin and more. You may push for late payments or
minimum payments on your credit card bill and incur additional costs thereby wiping
off gains. There are per transaction limits and a daily transaction limit as
well. So your transfer from mobile wallet to your bank account may be spread
over some days. You will end up as a credit card defaulter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The
above is just a thought being said aloud. It has not been tested. I don't know
whether it will work. I don't know if the system allows this. I don't know if
this attracts any regulatory action. I don't know if there would be any
additional costs. But like I said at the start, it's an idea which may or may
not work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
"AD" - D Anandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09209368109579260418noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1882739250863270329.post-45019078700566864982016-07-24T20:14:00.000+05:302016-07-24T20:14:48.699+05:3020 things of an Office Lift that reminds you of the Mumbai Local Train<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">This is something that
I experience every morning in the office building which reminds me of the
Mumbai Local Train. I am sure that you will agree with at least a few of these.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: 150%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">It's crowded;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">There is always room for one more;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">3.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Almost everybody is late;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">4.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Everyone wants their floor to be the
first halt. Think slow, fast, and double fast;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">5.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Someone will always be running to catch
the lift before the doors shut, no matter how full it is and the fact that the next
one will be available within a short while;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">6.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">You will be surrounded by sweat;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">7.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">First, Second, and Goods are all rolled
into one. It's a one class carriage; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">8.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">You have things jabbing at you. Think
briefcase or an umbrella;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">9.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The fan never works;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">10.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Nobody believes in queuing;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">11.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">It takes forever for the lift to arrive
on the ground floor;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">12.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">There will always be that one traveler
in reverse direction who will go up and then come down. Like getting in at Kandivali
so you get a seat at Borivali and then commute to Church Gate;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">13.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Somebody will always step on your feet;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">14.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">In the rains there will be water
dripping on you from somebody's raincoat/umbrella;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">15.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">There will be at least one person with
an oversize backpack/purse/shoulder bag which will get caught in somebody's
else's oversize backpack/purse/shoulder bag and in the process break or tear
your bag;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">16.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">There will be someone asking you if it
halts at a particular floor. "Mira Road <i>jayega kya</i>";<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">17.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> There
is no such thing as courtesy to move a little and allow somebody at the back to
get off at his floor. Think of a Virar
fast from Church Gate and you want to get off at Dadar or Borivali;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">18.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">If you are getting in mid-floor, no
matter how empty the carriage, there will be someone standing right in front of
the door blocking your entry and showing extreme reluctance to give way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">19.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">There will be a mad rush to stand on the
side of the carriage with the coveted spot being next to the key board. Imagine
a rush for a window seat or a spot next to the doors of your train compartment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: 150%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">20.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">And lastly that one guy/gal who lets off
a "Silent But Deadly" when you are deeply entrenched in the carriage and you realize the true meaning of time standing still.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
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</div>
"AD" - D Anandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09209368109579260418noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1882739250863270329.post-23593030818229264972016-07-05T13:05:00.000+05:302016-07-05T13:05:44.343+05:30Zebra Crossings for Ghosts who Walk<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">All through
school we were taught the virtues of using Zebra Crossings or to cross the
street at pedestrian crossings with a light for safety purposes. Even today we
see road safety messages that<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span>educate people to cross streets at pedestrian lights or where there
are zebra stripes to indicate a pedestrian crossing. The crossings in my area
either seem to be made for the terminator T 1000 model or for ghosts who
walk to pass through the protective barriers as you <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>cross from one side walk to another.
Take a look.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIC_wX6vD1nkCNNkUWkuMoAjOJPYtC-mK_GQqRaoMbJ8_baQExAC6VGuFz6s0Z2O_jw6ItBaORhofKYCG_NsLDYBTcS5SFD-oZnDAjalAOpEOwtu6s3YxQEEowXypPxH9LFCqOyUBG8XY/s1600/IMG_1280.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIC_wX6vD1nkCNNkUWkuMoAjOJPYtC-mK_GQqRaoMbJ8_baQExAC6VGuFz6s0Z2O_jw6ItBaORhofKYCG_NsLDYBTcS5SFD-oZnDAjalAOpEOwtu6s3YxQEEowXypPxH9LFCqOyUBG8XY/s400/IMG_1280.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKrKmOOmggnJ1gXsMqiz3rHUuuyktoKPtttnVGZ56r3jg-ALFmNWH81N0Rs2gX7-Eb1DJbTZq6qDmKN_0Z2HO6NVATjxnWW7NDC7jtpP7bNw56YPw8LrnlOmjDYmVu2XzI8JJ5QNKVW54/s1600/IMG_1293.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKrKmOOmggnJ1gXsMqiz3rHUuuyktoKPtttnVGZ56r3jg-ALFmNWH81N0Rs2gX7-Eb1DJbTZq6qDmKN_0Z2HO6NVATjxnWW7NDC7jtpP7bNw56YPw8LrnlOmjDYmVu2XzI8JJ5QNKVW54/s400/IMG_1293.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Note the pedestrian light behind the steel barricade. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfmWvxaPSri1rdcxWK-lkV7bD3XoiHfuNzR34E9v7Pu3rh7qO7nQ6NvpI6yQe0l5_kg2vEDAWWFfthpIiI_n5fsEzVuGwSqmq8EIYTXsFzzm7ql_fqUEXg3ONyuU8j9kKc73yXOM9cVIc/s1600/IMG_1296.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfmWvxaPSri1rdcxWK-lkV7bD3XoiHfuNzR34E9v7Pu3rh7qO7nQ6NvpI6yQe0l5_kg2vEDAWWFfthpIiI_n5fsEzVuGwSqmq8EIYTXsFzzm7ql_fqUEXg3ONyuU8j9kKc73yXOM9cVIc/s400/IMG_1296.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Once again the pedestrian light is behind the steel barricade. Since nobody can cross over at this spot, you might as well park your car. No traffic violation here.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjILL96ykgmwGPVD-t6wwH5dRfoOHsbtT45DeY_DnaHkvCAou-78LYUh0EH5ta5ESoWWOKiLYUjW7E1I_8P0tY3sDF5Fw82BDINJevmXKAclrMTmtv78dA2n76aUCaFs7NJ0xTH9NBGXPs/s1600/IMG_1356.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjILL96ykgmwGPVD-t6wwH5dRfoOHsbtT45DeY_DnaHkvCAou-78LYUh0EH5ta5ESoWWOKiLYUjW7E1I_8P0tY3sDF5Fw82BDINJevmXKAclrMTmtv78dA2n76aUCaFs7NJ0xTH9NBGXPs/s400/IMG_1356.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Same story here too!!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Looks like a zebra took a dump on common sense.</span></div>
</div>
"AD" - D Anandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09209368109579260418noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1882739250863270329.post-74775127536183432652015-12-27T20:25:00.002+05:302015-12-27T20:34:32.509+05:30E-Tax on E-Commerce<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Every time you shop in
a large departmental store, mall or a shop belonging to some retailers
association, you are made to pay for the polythene shopping bag. You pay as per
the size which cost may vary from Rs. 3/- to Rs. 9/-. This rule was made to
dissuade people from using polythene bags, encourage recycling, reduce
dependence and move towards an environmentally friendly end user packaging
regime. This is a user pays model. You may bring in your own shopping bag and save on some money.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Now this rule covers a
walk in customer in a shop. What about shoppers in the digital world of E-tailers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Sometime back I had
posted about the new age entrepreneur who made money on the packaging material
of the E-tailers. See link <a href="http://www.elephantdropping.com/2015/07/a-modern-day-entrepreneur-story.html">http://www.elephantdropping.com/2015/07/a-modern-day-entrepreneur-story.html</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">To me the E-tailing
packaging is far more serious threat to the environment than the polythene bags
of the brick and mortar retailer. In a regular set up, you buy the product, put
it in your shopping bag and walk out. This is not the case in E-commerce.
Assuming you buy four products and irrespective whether you get free delivery, it is likely that you
will be delivered four different packages as the goods will be sourced from
four different locations. So what would otherwise be carried in a shopping bag
worth Rs. 5/- may see a packaging cost of Rs. 50/- collectively. The customer
is not complaining here with the kind of deals going on. He doesn't really care
who pays for the packaging or who is paying for the discounts or the delivery.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">I recently happened to
order some laminated paper posters. I got a discount of 25 % on list price and having crossed
a certain threshold with purchase of other products I also got free delivery. Since the posters were sourced from the
same seller, I would have expected a single package. But that was not the case.
The pictures given below will be proof of the wastage that goes in. Now mind
you these posters can be rolled easily and hardly have any weight.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTOhDdJLRZqCQUimaoDF2TZdMqk_oEYGNEPqg8IhN37mbKp_jbAz7EBzKy8i919U10-xB36JDxIJ93i2ntlKj2bltqdqZ6R3zzibAEuE_nf3LxJVBvR_rboS4M6hNXp7xNDxor127c2V8/s1600/IMG_20151004_113139.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTOhDdJLRZqCQUimaoDF2TZdMqk_oEYGNEPqg8IhN37mbKp_jbAz7EBzKy8i919U10-xB36JDxIJ93i2ntlKj2bltqdqZ6R3zzibAEuE_nf3LxJVBvR_rboS4M6hNXp7xNDxor127c2V8/s400/IMG_20151004_113139.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
The single rolled up poster and the six foot carton it came in</div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqP2EdW-SS_K31HRopFzz0wKgtpHiyDwNsnJuxTa5VdzH3XD2AK_MOe99_FXlXiVYUMmiBKO9TCOsH9ml01iELHc76qs753IugHsny7IH5OXMQJPtIsEIMMH0B_TSxbXH0P-lJodVSomM/s1600/IMG_20151005_165114.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqP2EdW-SS_K31HRopFzz0wKgtpHiyDwNsnJuxTa5VdzH3XD2AK_MOe99_FXlXiVYUMmiBKO9TCOsH9ml01iELHc76qs753IugHsny7IH5OXMQJPtIsEIMMH0B_TSxbXH0P-lJodVSomM/s400/IMG_20151005_165114.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
The other two rolled up posters and their carton with the third poster hanging in the background</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhRieoVwwGO0X50Ehs_WvjUpJr_oMGAG8gfYcgRgzCQ7TjDEsp3n99JkjtHKPi_ztVIyUFdshyAmPCGa-B9LSVuC5-OqGPE2vsJeOmNhYs7FkondW6CtTYpAt_DoI3XrBith4jfYSxAD4/s1600/IMG_20151005_165332.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhRieoVwwGO0X50Ehs_WvjUpJr_oMGAG8gfYcgRgzCQ7TjDEsp3n99JkjtHKPi_ztVIyUFdshyAmPCGa-B9LSVuC5-OqGPE2vsJeOmNhYs7FkondW6CtTYpAt_DoI3XrBith4jfYSxAD4/s400/IMG_20151005_165332.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
The empty space in the carton filled with air pillows</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">So effectively I got
two packages where the cost of packaging and delivery may have possibly
exceeded the cost of the posters. FYI each poster cost me Rs. 90/- and three such
posters were ordered for a total cost of Rs. 270/- inclusive of delivery.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">I understand there is a need to package goods in way so that no damage is caused, but how much of protective packaging is the question. Typically the outer packaging will be a paper carton with the inside filled with bubble wrap or air-pillows. The invoice will be in a polythene bag stuck on the outside with lengths of sticky tape. Effectively there will be more polythene in this than in your regular polythene shopping bag.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Now given this
background, I do not see any harm in the government charging an Environment Tax
on this business. If there could be a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Swacch
Bharat</i> cess on services, why can't there be a similar cess on e-tailing.
There could be different ways of charging it. It may be charged on per package
or a percent of the sale value. It could be a user pays model or the seller
pays model or the platform pays model. I would much prefer a user pays model
and cess of at least Rs. 5/- per package is not much to ask for. News reports talk of a single E-tailer getting 100,000 orders in a day. Assuming there
are a 100,000 packages delivered per day across the country (and growing), Rs. 18.25
crore per year (@ Rs. 5/- per package) is not a bad collection to start with. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">This needs a serious
thought by the government.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
"AD" - D Anandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09209368109579260418noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1882739250863270329.post-24311956898362311742015-12-18T19:20:00.000+05:302015-12-18T19:20:46.114+05:30Light House at Fort Aguada<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The lighthouse at Fort
Aguada as most people will associate with is the one built by the Portuguese in
the year 1765. This is tall round structure built on the upper fort and closed
in the year 1976. Painted white, you can only view it from the outside and
remains closed for entry to the general public "by order".</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSn6Cbzz1cvubFr18xwvc2cVlS6e5CzYjIk8nlabFfWTWupXzx9sF0j_9sU9Phj552-igCgZxfa02sFi0ovtR7jzzSIEbDBhGIv-PHckru5EyvyNNNCkHkE43pVcMwIfDpYch0zhI8o30/s1600/IMG_20151205_115755.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSn6Cbzz1cvubFr18xwvc2cVlS6e5CzYjIk8nlabFfWTWupXzx9sF0j_9sU9Phj552-igCgZxfa02sFi0ovtR7jzzSIEbDBhGIv-PHckru5EyvyNNNCkHkE43pVcMwIfDpYch0zhI8o30/s400/IMG_20151205_115755.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p>The Old Light House</o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">If one were to look
towards the sea on the west, you will see the new lighthouse built by us
Indians in the year 1976. All lighthouses are governed by the Lighthouses Act of
1928 and are under the control of the Directorate of Lighthouse and lightship (more
on this later) and so is this one. Architecturally it has no value and is a
tall square structure with light unit on top. As I was viewing it from the
upper fort, what caught my attention was the presence of civilians atop this
government property acting in a very touristy manner posing for selfies. This
had to be investigated. If they can be up there, why can't I?</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgriM_ypbyDVD3KrdmX0xmEEAhTmglwAwxPi0LuFhkHGUmKSge1LTonh4bVbRQPX9wvBFhKlWIL24g4nW24RIk-l3yMOpnLYLvC3U_9EbpaudDL286I0Zk1T-47XUWQG45_AkxIUeGtuAo/s1600/IMG_20151205_121729.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgriM_ypbyDVD3KrdmX0xmEEAhTmglwAwxPi0LuFhkHGUmKSge1LTonh4bVbRQPX9wvBFhKlWIL24g4nW24RIk-l3yMOpnLYLvC3U_9EbpaudDL286I0Zk1T-47XUWQG45_AkxIUeGtuAo/s400/IMG_20151205_121729.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p>The New Light House inside the Compound</o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">As I exited the fort, I
turned to the left where a road was leading to a grey compound about 50 metres
away. I strode in that direction and came to a visibly "sarkari"
looking property with concrete structures within its high walls and an iron
gate for entry. Yes it was the entrance to the lighthouse and the best of all open
to viewing by the general public. For the price of a half cup of tea, you could
enter the premises and go atop the lighthouse. You can also
photograph/videograph for an additional fee. No prohibitions here. Everything
official.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJSd0QGdP57v76pJoZKnw-yIo5kr-HFGhqm_uZiYa95tb3mPrwti9aHbYCaoV13QYeafCRQiDZqfY_DK6_KzOCKLK9INZPzmsf4_tzBXp2DvQRR-2sLU5T61z8T8rtp7BolzPlbsLbWi8/s1600/IMG_20151205_121816.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJSd0QGdP57v76pJoZKnw-yIo5kr-HFGhqm_uZiYa95tb3mPrwti9aHbYCaoV13QYeafCRQiDZqfY_DK6_KzOCKLK9INZPzmsf4_tzBXp2DvQRR-2sLU5T61z8T8rtp7BolzPlbsLbWi8/s400/IMG_20151205_121816.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The compound looked
deserted. Obviously no one seems to be interested in what I would call a
fantastic opportunity to go atop a lighthouse. Maybe no one knew. Maybe the
tourist guides/operators saw no worthwhile business opportunity in taking their
guests to this structure.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">As I entered, a lone
security guard with a stick approached me. I informed him of my purpose and was
immediately taken to the office. The guard called out to someone through an
open window. An adjoining door opened and man in a white Tee and khaki trousers
walked out. He was the lighthouse keeper or "Light Keeper" in
official parlance. Forty Rupees it was for two adults and one camera. Children
between the ages 3 to 10 are charged Rs. 3/- by the way. Everything official,
tickets issued, no extras. Absolutely polite and helpful gentleman. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA0lRBBpbfsz3i9m6xaXkSkCZMloilEzANaR331mFWvHWC9CQ7X3gqx286f3HxvXDi0H-yBKUe_kIIF0Xu-Q_DJZOgVN107lbeH510bSpaDXAPAYgXOnCo4OSjP4Uf_bY-bAA3srOnjlg/s1600/IMG_20151205_121821.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA0lRBBpbfsz3i9m6xaXkSkCZMloilEzANaR331mFWvHWC9CQ7X3gqx286f3HxvXDi0H-yBKUe_kIIF0Xu-Q_DJZOgVN107lbeH510bSpaDXAPAYgXOnCo4OSjP4Uf_bY-bAA3srOnjlg/s400/IMG_20151205_121821.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Visit Charges at the Entrance</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The guard led us to the
entrance of the lighthouse. As I said earlier, there were no other souls in
this compound. You have to remove your footwear before entering as a signboard
announced and then climb approximately 5 stories to reach the top. Now here is
a warning. As you reach the last landing level via the stairwell, the final
climb is via an iron ladder about 10 feet in height which opens to the top
through roughly a 60 cm X 60 cm opening. I had to drop my backpack in order to
squeeze through. And mind you there is not enough space to stand there with the
light equipment and other gadgetry. You have to then move through a small
opening in the wall below the glass windows and stand out in the open area
surrounding the beacon. And that’s when you realize the strategic importance of
building a fort at that spot. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQDau-MmwkYtTJ7qtkdpPES0GEz8tDO4bUeW5TPi5_OGpcMCdAgQfukQ0h4wUgP1ojg2yF0J9x3CMNsag1fVo4KthJU6cyd5f51AHrYrH7agJQoAT-Iqwq2yHNya_95bBTajU7ixTgDyY/s1600/IMG_20151205_121256.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQDau-MmwkYtTJ7qtkdpPES0GEz8tDO4bUeW5TPi5_OGpcMCdAgQfukQ0h4wUgP1ojg2yF0J9x3CMNsag1fVo4KthJU6cyd5f51AHrYrH7agJQoAT-Iqwq2yHNya_95bBTajU7ixTgDyY/s400/IMG_20151205_121256.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Light House Specs</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTiaKNbJWXiiTezs_j4Zb6pZe59XEHF2YyUGPBqdTKckHyLzbL9oStpgxZBaL981hmtL-vFvqaA3SqkP2wrAp5ZWf4VUTICvqSpTGN3rTLBhvIRwCbi_zSlxHZiyvuSAc5qxwhhmA5FR4/s1600/IMG_20151205_121510.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTiaKNbJWXiiTezs_j4Zb6pZe59XEHF2YyUGPBqdTKckHyLzbL9oStpgxZBaL981hmtL-vFvqaA3SqkP2wrAp5ZWf4VUTICvqSpTGN3rTLBhvIRwCbi_zSlxHZiyvuSAc5qxwhhmA5FR4/s400/IMG_20151205_121510.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Entrance to the Light House</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmRFjvdumw8g3XFZy5h5pMY6jqPhc958qytN5Q5TGVMTE43of6AYn0d7Cb3KqNriQYxu2UWzaiQH9foNKbsmHYLlEXslc9NrheA_BPFj18TARmQdLm28i45DRj2cQog-bnkVJzt6AEnSA/s1600/IMG_20151205_121632.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmRFjvdumw8g3XFZy5h5pMY6jqPhc958qytN5Q5TGVMTE43of6AYn0d7Cb3KqNriQYxu2UWzaiQH9foNKbsmHYLlEXslc9NrheA_BPFj18TARmQdLm28i45DRj2cQog-bnkVJzt6AEnSA/s400/IMG_20151205_121632.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p>Light House Office Block</o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQF8l-OQMRnBXY_Fcad-WX3ucNJKyFKGxm-jcIN5ef8STr0iyRz_jf5pl66QWrHfRUxl9fdcL1uZxng79ZBdU959A0FjACdbRXnEhgBU3DNkzkXZ2Zo0Pums6zXuaz6ZN4fNVgQ3dOp0U/s1600/IMG_20151205_120451.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQF8l-OQMRnBXY_Fcad-WX3ucNJKyFKGxm-jcIN5ef8STr0iyRz_jf5pl66QWrHfRUxl9fdcL1uZxng79ZBdU959A0FjACdbRXnEhgBU3DNkzkXZ2Zo0Pums6zXuaz6ZN4fNVgQ3dOp0U/s400/IMG_20151205_120451.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
The Light of the Light House. </div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">This was my first visit
to a lighthouse and it was absolutely worthwhile. Do go there when visiting
Goa. There are about 185 lighthouses along the coast of India, and if any of them
do allow you entry, don't miss it.</span></div>
</div>
"AD" - D Anandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09209368109579260418noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1882739250863270329.post-62961308578785212462015-10-10T01:42:00.003+05:302015-10-10T01:54:47.884+05:30Jazba the movie - what I saw<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Jazba the movie - what I saw</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Aishwarya run-bend-contort-exercise-go
to court- argue-steal evidence-win case-run-scream-break in to houses-get
beaten up-go to court-present evidence-win case-tell police officer he cannot
arrest without warrant.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Jazba - I do not what
it means though I am inclined to believe that it's an Urdu word, I still don't
know what it means.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The movie is about the
bandra-worli sea link, bandra reclamation, the eastern free way, marsh lands of
wadala, salt pans, reay road, hay bunder, masjid bunder, GPO all shot in sepia
tone, black and white, from the top, from the bottom, from the sides, and an
incident in between.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">This movie is a fitness
video meets court room drama meets action thriller meets revenge meets crimes
against women meets you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">There is an incident in
this movie which is a big clue to what the director had in mind when he made
it. So we have suspended police officer, suspended for being corrupt, (Irrfan
khan as inspector Yohann) bashing up a suspect<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Suspect: Tum mujhe maar
nahi sakte. I have rights.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Yohann: Tum aaj kal
hollywood ki picture bahot dekhta hai. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">This dialogue is the
dead giveaway. The director was so busy with the technicalities of photography
that he completely missed the dialogue writer surreptitiously insert a warning
to the viewers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">So we have Mrs. AR-B
running, and exercising and sending a message to all and sundry that at forty
she is absolutely fit. She is a criminal lawyer by day defending all the baddies,
and a hot shot one too. So what if she steals a little bit of evidence from the
police. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Let me mention here
that the director has absolutely no knowledge of the legal system, and has taken no efforts to do any kind of research. He is probably not even aware of <em>tareek pe tareek or agli sunwai</em>. After it
is all it is about Mrs. AR-B, her fitness and her acting and the worli bandra
sea link.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">So Mrs. AR-B's daughter
gets kidnapped in the middle of a relay race which incidentally is won by Mrs.
AR-B. The kidnapper wants Mrs. AR-B to defend a murder convict in an upcoming
appeal as he is "innocent" and thus secure the release of her
daughter. The police are of course told to vamoose as the daughter is
"safe" with her grandmother. No one including the school questions
her absence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">But why kidnap is the
first question that hits you. Wouldn't it have been simpler in getting her to
work by just holding a gun to her head?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Mrs. AR-B goes about
her job as if nothing has happened after all the kidnapper might harm her
daughter. By a strange co-incidence it is Inspector Yohann who has caught the
murder now being defended by Mr. AR-B and by a further co-incidence Inspector
Yohann is also Mrs. AR-B's school friend/class mate whom she used to outrun
even then. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">But instead of just
fighting in a court room, Mrs. AR-B goes beyond her call of duty. She cons the
victim's mother into thinking that she is a researcher, breaks in to the
victim's house for evidence, goes visiting disco's and rehab centers to check
on other suspects and all with the helping hand of Inspector Yohann. This is a Hindi
movie after all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The murder convict says
he has raped and murdered the victim. You say there is no logic to whatever
that is happening. At this point enters Jackie Shroff as a crorepati MP whose
son was the victim's boyfriend and now in rehab for drug abuse and therefore
not questioned at the time of the murder. We seem to have another suspect now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">There is also the
victim's mother (Shabana Azmi) who questions why Mrs. AR-B is defending the
accused who has raped and murdered her daughter when she is a woman herself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">There are way too many
glitches and loose ends in this movie. When the kidnapper sends Mrs. AR-B
daughter's shoes to her, the soles of the shoes are clean. I mean if the girl
was kidnapped from the school grounds on a sports day in the midst of a running
race, wouldn't the soles be dirty.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">In a scene towards the
end, you have Jackie Shroff sitting in the audience in the court room. If he is
an MP and insists that his son had nothing to do with the murder, what was he
doing there when his son was not even in the court room or had not even been
summoned.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Somewhere in the middle
you get a fair clue as to who might be the person behind what is going on. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Anyway Mrs. AR-B wins
the case. The kidnapper releases her daughter. The accused is set free. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">But this is not how it
ends. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It ends with Mrs. AR-B telling the
police that they cannot arrest the Kidnapper without a warrant. So far in all hindi movies the police have arrived on the "crime scene" towards the end and utter "You are under arrest". Nobody has ever questioned them on the necessity of a warrant. But our lady does.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Obviously this
top-shot criminal lawyer is now representing her daughter's kidnapper and has
never heard of the powers of the police to arrest without a warrant. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Now please see the
movie to fill in the gaps.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
PS: <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Please note that I have already mentioned earlier there is an element of revenge too.</span></div>
</div>
"AD" - D Anandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09209368109579260418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1882739250863270329.post-63698961809487884722015-08-27T11:22:00.000+05:302015-08-27T11:22:03.475+05:30A Pricey Milky Problem<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Enough families
travelling on vacation with a child would have faced the problem of arranging
for the child's daily morning and evening fix of milk. While it may be
difficult to procure on the road, it is not per se a problem of availability
but the cost at which it is made available.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Many a parent would
have balked at the price quoted for a glass of milk in a hotel. Taxes extra.
Depending on the location and the class of hotel, you would end up paying
anywhere between Rs. 90 to Rs. 400 for about 200 ml to 300 ml. Some places the
milk will be served with a couple of cookies. Thus if one were to order twice a
day for one days, on the higher side you would be paying Rs. 800 excluding
taxes. On a room rent of Rs. 10, 000 per day you would end up paying 8 % of
that just on milk!!!.. And if you were to compare with the in-room mini bar rates, you may find beer to be cheaper than milk.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">That’s like almost a
one month supply for an entire family.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Thanks to modern
packaging technology and also having grown wiser over the years, I choose to
pick up tetra packs of milk whenever I am travelling with family on a holiday.
They usually cost between Rs. 40 to Rs. 60 per liter depending on whether you
are buying toned, standardized, cow or pro-biotic milk. Since most hotel rooms
have a mini refrigerator, you can store the unutilized milk for later use or
use it for your tea/coffee and avoid powdered milk sachets. For reduced
wastage, buy 1/2 liter packs. Some brands have even come out with 200 ml packs.
The overall cost may be more than a 1 liter pack, but still beats paying an
exorbitant amount. Cheers..</span></div>
</div>
"AD" - D Anandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09209368109579260418noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1882739250863270329.post-63894245376851461192015-07-27T10:06:00.000+05:302015-07-27T10:06:56.943+05:30A Modern Day Entrepreneur Story<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Many of you may have
heard the story about a man who comes to the city in search of livelihood. He
approaches a potato trader who offers him a spot under his stall and a sack of
potatoes to sell every day. Every morning this man would take a sack of
potatoes, sell all the potatoes during the day and pay the trader at the end of the
day. What the trader noticed was that this man would sell the potatoes at the
same price that he bought from the trader. This went on for almost a month and
finally the trader asked him as to how he made money if he was selling potatoes at
the same price that he bought them. The man smiles and tells the trader that he
makes no money by selling potatoes but he makes money by selling the sack that the
potatoes come in.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Come to the present day
of e-tailing. Here we have Mr. X buying goods online for his
friends and neighbours. He doesn't charge them anything extra for the
purchases. So where does he make money. Very simple, it's on the packaging.
Most e-tailers are sending their goods in new corrugated paper packaging with
bubble wraps and air filled polythene buffers so that the goods don't get
damaged. Recycle and reuse and that is where you make money. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">And here is an interesting fact. If you return
any of the goods or exchange them, only the goods get picked up and not the
packaging. Thusly you still make money. Enjoy.. </span></div>
"AD" - D Anandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09209368109579260418noreply@blogger.com68tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1882739250863270329.post-67688091009933400822015-07-12T20:04:00.000+05:302015-07-12T20:04:34.667+05:30No Winter Guard for your Itch<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">It's July. Another 6
months and as a season it will be winter. Not that it matters to people in
Mumbai. But it also means that I will have to keep track of stocks of prickly
heat powders and make sure I have enough to last till the next summer. Now you
would wonder as to why somebody would stock up on something like prickly heat
powder.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Over the last 3 -4
years I have observed the disappearance of prickly heat powders from store
shelves usually in the period November to February. Enquiries would often throw
up allegations of non-supply by distributor or margin issues between the
distributors and the manufacturer. This I found to be a quite baffling as to
how distributor related issues arose only in these months. The alternates would
only be talcum powders which do not serve the purpose. You end up smelling like
lavender, lily, or mogra and still scratch yourself like a dog with lice
especially in the unmentionable regions. Not the one to give up, My search
would reach out to the smallest of the chemists/general stores who would have
some really old unsold stock. This search has now extended to online stores and
buying out enough to last the full year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Last year too I faced a
similar predicament but got a fresh insight from the store manager of a popular
grocery chain. Apparently, as the store manager informs, this is a seasonal
phenomenon and has nothing to do with seller margins or the distributor.
Prickly heat powders, and other over the counter anti itch lotions/medications
are primarily summer products and are not manufactured once winter is about to set
in due to their low off take.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">But who defines when
it's winter in Mumbai. It's probably those days when severe cold means you
switch off the fans. I have not even seen anybody selling heaters or electric
blankets in this city. Very few people own woolens. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Any resident of Mumbai
will tell you their battles with sweaty conditions through the year. Enough
fights occur in attempting to secure a spot under a fan in a local train. At
railway stations you will find people in a reverse huddle of sorts with backs
to each other at various spots to get some breeze out of the fan like
contraption hanging from an overhead girder.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The only way to protect
yourself, if you are the sweaty kind, is to douse yourself with liberal amounts
of prickly heat powders and hope that you don’t get some heat rashes and other
bacterial skin infections. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">To put forth a demand that prickly heat powders
should be declared as an essential commodity may not be entirely wrong. What
say friends?</span></div>
"AD" - D Anandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09209368109579260418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1882739250863270329.post-30570970113718315942015-04-12T18:56:00.000+05:302015-04-12T18:56:18.156+05:30How to visit Rashtrapati Bhavan<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Yes, you can visit
Rashtrapati Bhavan. No, you cannot meet the President of India. You are only
allowed access to some areas.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Where is Rashtrapati Bhavan. It is New
Delhi and is the official residence of the President of India.</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">How do I go about it. Visit
<a href="http://presidentofindia.nic.in/visit-to-rashtrapati-bhavan.htm">http://presidentofindia.nic.in/visit-to-rashtrapati-bhavan.htm</a> for details. You
can make an online booking.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">When can I visit Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Only on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays excluding public holidays and on days when
there are functions and ceremonies. Entry is subject to approval.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">What do you need to provide. You need to
provide proof of identity and residence. Carry originals at the time of visit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Can I take my car in. Yes, you can drive
in through Gate No. 37 and park it in front of Gate No. 4. Pedestrians can walk
in through Gate no. 2. At the time of entry please show your booking receipt
and id. Please check map.
<a href="http://presidentofindia.nic.in/Images/pdf/visit-to-rashtrapati-bhavan.pdf">http://presidentofindia.nic.in/Images/pdf/visit-to-rashtrapati-bhavan.pdf</a> . <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">What do I do once I reach. There is a
reception area where you will be welcomed. Your identities will be verified and
you will be photographed. If visiting in a group, the leader will be
photographed individually and then the entire group. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Will there be a guide. Yes, an
authorized guide will take you around. You don't have to pay him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Can I move around on my own. No, you
can't. You will be taken in groups and you have to stick to your own group.
Sufficient time will be given to view the exhibits and the various halls, and
rooms.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Is the experience friendly. Yes, very
friendly. All your queries will be answered. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">10.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">What about security. It is a high
security place. The guards are strict and stern. Do not fall out of line or
attempt to stray. You may run the risk of being ejected. Security will always
be trailing you and you will be watched at all times.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">11.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Are there restrooms. Yes, access is
allowed to restrooms. However please inform the nearest security guard of your
intended visit to a restroom. If you do not then please refer to point 10 above.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">12.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Can I take photographs. Yes, you can but
only on the outside with permission. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">13.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Are personal articles and bags allowed.
No, they will have to be deposited in a designated area prior to start of the
tour. Cameras, mobile phones, electronic keys, food, drink, tobacco products,
bags etc have to be deposited and are not allowed within the premises.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">14.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">What if I am hungry and thirsty. There
is shop selling limited beverages and pre-packed snacks outside and within the
reception area.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">15.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Can I buy souvenirs. Yes, souvenirs are
available at the gift shop within the premises. You can buy T- Shirts, Caps,
pens, key rings etc.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">16.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">How long does it take. About 1 1/2 hours
from entry to exit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">17.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Do I get to see the Mughal Gardens. Yes,
you are taken to see the Mughal Gardens before the tour ends. Please note that
Mughal Gardens are usually open from 15 Feb to 15 March for public viewing
independent of this tour.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">18.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Anything else that can be done. You can
visit the Rashtrapati Bhavan Museum independent of this visit. It's located in
the President's Estate and entry is from Gate No. 30. Vehicles are not allowed
inside the premises. The museum is housed in converted stables and coach
garages and is worth a visit. You get to see some of the gifts the President
has received from foreign heads of state and visiting dignitaries. Lutyen's
desk and glasses are also kept here. Lutyen designed the place. Time take is
approximately one hour from entry to exit. Again please note security is strict
and personal belongings are not allowed inside. Visit <a href="https://presidentofindia.gov.in/rbvisit/rbvisit_museum.aspx">https://presidentofindia.gov.in/rbvisit/rbvisit_museum.aspx</a>
for details<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">19.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Thank you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
"AD" - D Anandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09209368109579260418noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1882739250863270329.post-25029246512139258942015-03-10T11:39:00.001+05:302015-03-10T11:39:55.914+05:30Falling Trees in Mumbai and a Strange Theory<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Over the last few years
there have been spate of tree falling incidents in Mumbai during the monsoons resulting
in human loss or serious injury. Not that trees have never fallen before, it's
just that the cases of people getting hit have increased. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">A tree, as I have
recently learnt from the TV series "Science of Stupid" is most likely
to fall on the side that is the heaviest. Obviously, this would be the side it
is leaning the most or where it has the maximum outward branches. It is
difficult to say for a straight tree or one which is evenly balanced. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">For those living in
Mumbai, most trees are planted and grow on the outer edge of the pavement. Trees
are sheltered by buildings on one side and are open to the road on the other. After
watching this particular episode of Science of Stupid, I may have a theory, at
least to explain partially, as to why trees are falling in this city during the monsoon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Old timers may remember
the days that Mumbai used to have double-decker buses plying on almost all
roads. Since double-decker buses were prone to roof and upper deck damage by
brushing against outward growing branches, the bus company would deploy a tree
cutting bus that would cut off all those branches which were most likely to
make contact with a double-decker bus. Now residents living in the buildings
adjoining these trees would also complain to the
municipal corporation of tree branches entering their houses causing rodents,
pests and other creatures to enter their homes. After much follow up you would
have a gang of wood cutters axing out some branches. The result would be an
evenly growing tree.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The double-decker buses
are now restricted to a few routes. The tree
cutting buses are also missing. It is just the residents complaining and
those branches entering people's houses are getting trimmed. Therefore you have
a tree with branches extending only over the road, thereby increasing the
chances of falling during the monsoon. Of course there are weak roots to blame
due to dumping of cement concrete at the base by business owners wanting an
increased frontage for their shops and windows.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Here are photos of a
recent branch cutting activity which will support my theory. May not be applicable
everywhere, but still worth considering.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"></span> </div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
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"AD" - D Anandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09209368109579260418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1882739250863270329.post-47763727766190418182015-01-01T11:33:00.000+05:302015-01-01T11:33:25.113+05:302015 - The way ahead<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">At the start of the
last year I made a list of things I would do thenceforth <a href="http://www.elephantdropping.com/2014/01/new-years-resolution-to-be-or-let-it-be.html">http://www.elephantdropping.com/2014/01/new-years-resolution-to-be-or-let-it-be.html</a> .
I preferred to not call them resolutions but to act on them as a way of life.
At the end of the year I felt the need for a self appraisal. I went through the
whole list and am quite pleased that I have touched upon all the items therein,
some more and some less but overall brought some change.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">What have I thought for
this year 2015. Well, not much. I will continue with or rather live with what I
planned last year. I still don't have a SUV but am working towards it. I ignore
my neighbour and a whole lot of others. I am meeting my friends more often even
if it means travelling great distances and spending money to do so. I have done
more charity than ever before. Minding my own business brings far more peace
and accompanying prosperity than spending time figuring out somebody's else's
troubles.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">What do I plan to do
for this year? Nothing. Let things be. I may well just continue to do what I
did in the previous year. though I may add one more item to that list:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Conclude all pending
things. Yes that is what I may embark on. I have to bring to a conclusion all
things that I have started with and left them in a state of suspension.
Whatever the conclusion, they cannot be left in a state of incomplete. Either
abandon them as not workable or take them to their logical end. If there is an
idea, I will not start with it if I do not know how to end it. If I cannot work
on the idea, I will give it away to somebody who can work on it. There cannot
be any wires with open ends.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Having said this I wish you all a made to order
year ahead.</span></div>
"AD" - D Anandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09209368109579260418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1882739250863270329.post-72239724945521935032014-12-22T20:12:00.001+05:302014-12-22T20:21:49.467+05:30Batata Bhaji….Not Again!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<em></em><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">It's
wedding season. Time to air those bandh galas, kurtas, lehengas and other
assorted wedding wear. This time there was a wedding in the family and the
extended family as well. I had no choice but to be present at all the attendant
ceremonies, and lunches that precede the actual wedding ceremony. Thanks to the
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Punjabization</i> of Bollywood all
weddings, even if not Punjabi, need to have a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">mehendi</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">sangeet</i> as
per <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rasam</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rivaz</i> which was the case even in this <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Maharashtrian</i> wedding. Luckily for me I was able to escape all that
citing previous work engagements and also my child could not miss her school.
So what if she is still in Kindergarten. She can't miss her doodling lessons.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Anyway,
I was set for a three day session of chaos, general mismanagement and
disorganization. On day one lunch was a traditional affair. When I mean
traditional it must have <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Puris</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Batata Bhaji</i> (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Aloo Subzi</i> or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Aloo Shak</i>),
and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">shrikhand</i> along with the usual <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">varan</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">bhat</i> and other side items. These are items no longer restricted to
special occasions. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your friendly
neighbourhood <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Udupi</i> will dish them
out all year round in dry or runny form. Come evening, it was the same food.
Reason - Not all the had invitees turned up. So it was leftovers. I can bear this.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">On
the wedding day, it was a traditional sit down lunch. And guess what, it was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">batata bhaji</i> once again with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">puris</i>. Third meal in a row, the same
yellow <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">batata bhaji</i> with curry
leaves, pieces of ginger and chilies. So not much to be argued but to eat the "traditional"
food and hope that the evening would be better. The evening was a buffet so
there was a possibility that there could be something different. Nope not so.
It was not <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">batata bhaji</i> but its
cousins, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Aloo Chat</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dum Aloo kashmiri</i>. How much potato can
one eat. Obviously nobody had foreseen this or it was just a case of not too
much thought being given to the menu and left to the caterer and his best judgment.
Nobody goes wrong with potatoes and doesn't cost much too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The
next wedding I had to attend also had potato but in the form of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">batata wada</i> which again is the same old <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">batata bhaji</i> dipped in batter and deep
fried. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">When
did Potato become traditional food. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Puri</i>
and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">batata bhaji</i> may be soul food for
a whole lot of people but the soul also needs something beyond that. Some
research had to be done on this <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">batata</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Potatoes
originated somewhere in South America in the Andes and taken worldwide by the
Spanish. Potato is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Patata</i> in Spanish
which explains why it is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Batata</i> or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bataka</i> or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Papeta</i> in western India. I don't know why it is called <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Aloo</i> in other parts of the country. Globally
the average annual per capita consumption is about 33 kilos. In some East
European and central Asian nations, annual consumption could be as high as 75
to 100 kilos per capita. Potatoes were introduced to India sometime in the 17th
century possibly by the Dutch or Portuguese traders after which only they were
cultivated as a crop. Now there is good reason why potatoes are a common food
in our everyday life. India is the second largest producer of potatoes in the
world after China. It produces almost half of what China produces and double of
what the United States produces. Indians consume approximately 25 kilos per
year on a per capita basis at last count. Doesn't that make you proud! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">As
a taxpayer you should know that there is a government institute in this country
only to research potatoes and they even bring out a Potato Journal. Yessir it’s
the Central Potato Research Institute located in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh which
originally started in the year 1935 (see <a href="http://cpri.ernet.in/">http://cpri.ernet.in/</a> ). That makes you
double proud!!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Which
still does not answer my question as to how potatoes became part of a
traditional meal. If potatoes came to India only in the 17th century, what have
they substituted? Was it some smart cook who saw the efficiency in cooking
potatoes and just invoked God's name to place it on your plate. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">God
alone knows and till such time as we don't change, enjoy your potatoes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
"AD" - D Anandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09209368109579260418noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1882739250863270329.post-42945434802777455402014-09-20T15:23:00.001+05:302014-09-20T15:23:38.712+05:30Importing Goods for Personal Use, Please Check for Customs Duty<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Here
is an interesting piece of information I discovered last week in conversation
with a friend who routinely does online shopping. Inherently all of us are
looking for a good deal and we don't really care where the goods come from. If
you are shopping from a foreign site, usually for fragrances and cosmetics, you
are most likely to get a good deal. You pay by your card and the goods are
shipped either by post or courier.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So
far so good.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">If
your shipment tracker informs you that your shipment has arrived in India and
is handed over for customs clearance, you may be in for a bit of trouble.
Apparently there is a rule that you cannot import anything into the country by
post or air for personal use worth more than Rs. 2000/- (including freight and
insurance) unless it is a gift or a sample (both of which you have not paid
for) in which case the limit is Rs. 10,000/-. If you do so your goods will be
liable to confiscation or you will be liable to pay duty and penalty which can
be Rs. 5000/-. Furthermore if you do not claim it within 15 days, the goods
will be disposed by auction. Basically it means that you need to have necessary
permits to import goods over a certain value or to do it through someone who
has them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Not
many would be aware of this rule. None of your shipments may have even been
intercepted. But if they do come under checking, you will receive a letter from
the customs authorities to present yourself for appraisal and examination of your
shipment. You will be asked to bring along a whole lot of documents of which
you may have only the copy of the invoice and shipment advice. Once at the
customs office the shipment will be opened in your presence, examined and it
will be determined as to whether duty is to be levied as well as penalty. If
you are living in Mumbai or any of the cities where the appraisal and
examination is conducted at the inbound airport, you are lucky. If you are
living at a distance which will consume at least half a day of travel or more,
you may have to decide whether to pursue your shipment based on its value or
let it be put up for auction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">But
apparently there is a way out of this. The rule is applicable on per shipment
basis and not on the total value you import in a year. So as long as each of
your shipment is less than Rs. 2000/- (CIF), you are doing good. So if you are
buying multiple items from a single foreign website and the value is exceeding
Rs. 2000/- make sure you split it into multiple shipments. You may lose out on
the free shipping and may also have to bear extra shipping, but it will save
you a lot of money and trouble once the goods are in the country.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Another
interesting observation is that goods shipped by express delivery are far more
likely to be examined than those by ordinary shipping. Many will tell you that
that they have received their shipments through ordinary post with a demand for
customs duty attached to it and the postman collects it from you at your
doorstep. Guess it's a matter of luck.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">So the next time you shop online at a foreign
website make sure to check the import rules and the limits beforehand.</span></div>
"AD" - D Anandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09209368109579260418noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1882739250863270329.post-41716389448039853342014-09-16T17:48:00.003+05:302014-09-16T17:48:24.200+05:30The System Works<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">A few months back the
general elections were held and as usual there was a scurry of activity amongst
all political parties to ensure that all eligible voters had their names in
voting lists. I have been a regular voter at all elections held till then.
However under a voter eligibility exercise undertaken by the Election
Commission (EC), a whole lot of citizens found themselves with missing rights.
Apparently whoever did not answer the Election Commission's knock on the door
were delisted. In a city like Mumbai where almost everyone is out at work
during the day, there would be few retaining their rights in this manner.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Damage done, the EC
swung into immediate action. One could visit the EC website or the local
office, check whether your name has been deleted and then fill a certain form
for enrollment. You have to submit some proof of identity and address along
with photo. Nothing complicated. You could do it for yourself and all your
family members as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The EC website for
Maharashtra was extremely helpful, informative as to the purpose, and easy to
navigate (https://ceo.maharashtra.gov.in/). To my advantage the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Karyakarta</i> of the local political party
provided me with the polling district number and the correct district name. I
entered the details and lo behold, the details of my name deletion were before
me. I quickly downloaded the enrollment form, and also took a print of the
proof of name deletion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The enrollment form was
not at all complicated. Only basic details like name, address, and date of
birth. Details of other family members who are registered voters at the same
address which I guess was for a quick search and a ready reference. If you held
a voting card, mention those details as well. Form filled, photocopies of
proofs made and self attested, I headed to the local EC office at 11 am by
which time I was sure the staff would be in their seats. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The local office of the
EC was in a municipal school occupying the entire assembly hall on the ground
floor. The staff seemed to have been sourced from various state government
departments. On enquiring I was directed to a window that opened onto the back
of the school. There were just 5 persons standing in front of me. Should not
take long I thought. Well not the right thought I must say. The first person
took 20 minutes which kind of set the tone for a long wait. The question to me
was why was it taking so long if it was just about form submission. The problem
was not about the process or staff attitude. It was the applicant who either
did not have all the information requested for or was trying to establish some
right for his residence or simply could not comprehend what was asked for in
the application form despite its simplicity. Most of the time I realized was
being spent in locating the listing of the applicant in the original list
wherefrom it had been deleted. The applicants were either giving a wrong plot
number or road or quoting the wrong name of their building or at times their
nick names, suffixes and prefixes (a whole lot of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">balu</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">bandya</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">gotya</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">appa</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">anna</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">nana</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">tai</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ben</i>, etc). I have to
admit that the person manning the window was showing huge patience in handling
such crowds. Add to that each of the applicant was carrying application forms
for almost all their family members.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">When my turn came after
about 75 minutes, I simply handed over my form and the copy of my original listing
that had been deleted. The man at the window could not have been happier. All
he had to do now was pull out the book with the number that corresponded with
the number on the print I had handed him, go to the page number that was also
mentioned, and confirm my name and address. This took less than a minute. Next he stamped
my form, entered all corresponding numbers to my name in a separate book,
stamped my acknowledgement and handed it back to me. Then he proceeded to thank
me thrice and how I had helped him. Total time taken about 3 minutes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">I thanked the staffer
and walked away feeling pleased at having done my duty. A month later I
received a letter from the EC informing me that my name had been deleted from
the voting list and that I should fill in the attached forms and submit them at
the nearest EC office. Arrgghh. What happened to all my efforts. I chose to do
nothing immediately and thought of visiting the EC office when the next
elections were announced.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Yesterday I got a
message from the friendly neighbourhood <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">karyakarta</i>
informing me that the voters lists had been updated. If my name was still
missing I have an opportunity to update it in the next three days.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">I went back to the EC
website (https://ceo.maharashtra.gov.in/) and entered my name in the prescribed
form in the search field for updated lists. My name appeared with my correct age and address. I even had the option
of downloading the entire voters list for my district in PDF form and confirm
my details.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The system works as
long as you co-operate with it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
"AD" - D Anandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09209368109579260418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1882739250863270329.post-42878497494846049562014-08-05T15:13:00.001+05:302014-08-05T15:13:54.763+05:30No Route for my Bus<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">With
the onset of the monsoon, I find that a whole lot of BEST buses, the commuter
artery of Mumbai, lacking route indicators. Obviously the electronic route
indicators that were installed on many a bus about a year or so back were not
functioning. The reason can well be the rain water that may have seeped on to
the circuit board rendering it out of order or just plain lack of maintenance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">I
have multiple questions on the installation of these electronic route
indicators starting with a very basic one which is are they really necessary as
compared to the old generation low tech manually operated ones that had almost
a zero chance of malfunction. And not to forget almost no or low maintenance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The
old route indicators were a simple mechanical system. It was a cloth scroll
attached to rollers with different routes and route numbers printed on it
depending on which depot the bus was to be assigned to. It had a glass frontage
for visibility with a back light for easy viewing at night. The conductor was
responsible for changing the route on the side indicator and the driver would
do so for the front. All you had to do was roll the scroll till you got the
route you wanted. There was another benefit to those scrolls and that was colour
identification. If the route number was in red on white, it was a
"limited" bus meaning that it halted only at a few stops. The regular
ones were in white on black. And if it was an express bus, the route number was
in yellow. Thus even if one were not able to decipher the route number from a
distance, the colour of the route number would definitely indicate whether it
was worthwhile to make a dash for it. It was highly uncommon for these
indicators to break down. Maintenance possibly involved greasing the rollers
and changing the back light. Once in a while the scroll would gather on one
side rendering it difficult to read the route. However all it needed was a bit
of straightening to bring it to order. No need for a specialist or waiting
period to get it repaired.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Coming
back to the present, you have an electronic indicator where the route and the
bus number scroll from right to left without giving you a single window view.
You are therefore left waiting for the entire route to scroll to figure out whether
you need to line up for that bus or let it go. It can be quite frustrating.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Given
that the quality of ride is the same, I wonder whether there is really a need
for electronic route indicators on busses that nowhere come close to their
western counterparts in all aspects. Some things can remain low tech or no tech
without much disruption to life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">In
all this there is one thing that has not changed and that is the bus route and
number being written in chalk on the windscreen of the bus or on the body. Whether
it be the old cloth scroll or an electronic scroll, the back-up is the same.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
"AD" - D Anandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09209368109579260418noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1882739250863270329.post-27836680629770323382014-07-19T13:32:00.001+05:302014-07-19T13:34:44.453+05:30My Daily Traffic Grind<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
This is the daily traffic scene I witness in Mumbai from my window. Given are a series of photos shot at roughly one hour interval between 12 noon and 7 pm.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio5rV1kDOCrgrIRNro3JZVajjpBNWpXuhqhjljzIMSIP-JMqyGihBUYgWObAKUV4pzk3Mgy3xuyA1M5u4nO_gL6Iykek2Aowyx99U3qwkQUGqklynod4OvBsPlOlJXTQ75lp9GqeBcwn8/s1600/IMG_20140716_172629.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio5rV1kDOCrgrIRNro3JZVajjpBNWpXuhqhjljzIMSIP-JMqyGihBUYgWObAKUV4pzk3Mgy3xuyA1M5u4nO_gL6Iykek2Aowyx99U3qwkQUGqklynod4OvBsPlOlJXTQ75lp9GqeBcwn8/s1600/IMG_20140716_172629.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before it all begins</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb-vzC7yyHnIin23JJuX14C3bPEqWHu_hnJDOZIVLpBMik55HUMWB3qEthAUsQp4EsJRwOzHSE48yKE7ct8di6BSd0wU5LKb9ng6AQWqHL3R5f0ZSgiMvGYNwGRoVDqGEfB2pImScJtqw/s1600/IMG_20140716_141656.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb-vzC7yyHnIin23JJuX14C3bPEqWHu_hnJDOZIVLpBMik55HUMWB3qEthAUsQp4EsJRwOzHSE48yKE7ct8di6BSd0wU5LKb9ng6AQWqHL3R5f0ZSgiMvGYNwGRoVDqGEfB2pImScJtqw/s1600/IMG_20140716_141656.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Beginning</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBdvNwPX9tfF1Z8ziM9aVxr0mIR9P9j4cQICURs1jSHsYfLgFuq1aLM4m_XAhJ3Kw1lgjzWo7h8YOHw1Vd9bhRgFoZ6qfwGByS_F0ERvBeSCtnfiIq1mTkSLQpSCtQBEoG7sDLVjNGDNY/s1600/IMG_20140716_150550.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBdvNwPX9tfF1Z8ziM9aVxr0mIR9P9j4cQICURs1jSHsYfLgFuq1aLM4m_XAhJ3Kw1lgjzWo7h8YOHw1Vd9bhRgFoZ6qfwGByS_F0ERvBeSCtnfiIq1mTkSLQpSCtQBEoG7sDLVjNGDNY/s1600/IMG_20140716_150550.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Full on Action</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuvcTwvpyX8PtaLYYSn5qWynGkJJQfTsp7CWShsnH6s7Vg3xjBXLlgFbQ7bYWyQ70rn3bFOXY2Ez1sUGvq1mfDjaHyUI1Z2Nmyx8xZwmROYed5_T0HiD0RcmrRDWLkKRyzi-k8rFLj76U/s1600/IMG_20140716_150824.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuvcTwvpyX8PtaLYYSn5qWynGkJJQfTsp7CWShsnH6s7Vg3xjBXLlgFbQ7bYWyQ70rn3bFOXY2Ez1sUGvq1mfDjaHyUI1Z2Nmyx8xZwmROYed5_T0HiD0RcmrRDWLkKRyzi-k8rFLj76U/s1600/IMG_20140716_150824.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taxi Driver in White attempting to find a way</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiemIGgAbzeIYMcNPamWCp3tDxOrWfD6eHxK9P1pCJOxRdX3qTrXsVooGtzrcSmb0XJOfZ2fz9Gg3Faqk2idWorImHZGh0nC5FI1qtkLxd9wfwDciKQ3oV7uqGo6fT-pCB1lIx-aCsU4Z4/s1600/IMG_20140716_154336.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiemIGgAbzeIYMcNPamWCp3tDxOrWfD6eHxK9P1pCJOxRdX3qTrXsVooGtzrcSmb0XJOfZ2fz9Gg3Faqk2idWorImHZGh0nC5FI1qtkLxd9wfwDciKQ3oV7uqGo6fT-pCB1lIx-aCsU4Z4/s1600/IMG_20140716_154336.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Truck for Everyone</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKBzMm4HVMjheA76q8Y-FrBzmhLbCU_EMHJUpgz4MLDx4rAp7T__iQMGQZKS-uGDh4sjrAE8_fIRO5ynbi3P_9I24IMoguxEkSQW6of4egitMsX5WdUcAr6ADwO6Ux22dlHDbYCqWQVms/s1600/IMG_20140716_162316.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKBzMm4HVMjheA76q8Y-FrBzmhLbCU_EMHJUpgz4MLDx4rAp7T__iQMGQZKS-uGDh4sjrAE8_fIRO5ynbi3P_9I24IMoguxEkSQW6of4egitMsX5WdUcAr6ADwO6Ux22dlHDbYCqWQVms/s1600/IMG_20140716_162316.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finally a Cop to the rescue seen in yellow raincoat</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
</div>
"AD" - D Anandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09209368109579260418noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1882739250863270329.post-86288052523947482352014-06-16T17:39:00.000+05:302014-06-16T17:39:03.867+05:30Chor, Police and Adalat<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Possibly the only statute
ever referred to in hindi movies is the Indian Penal Code with its sections 420
(Cheating) and 302 (Murder). Presenting 25 common lines said in a crime set up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">"Main
chor nahi hoon. Maine chori nahi ki"<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">"Chaar
Sau Beesi karte hua tumhe sharam nahi aati"<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">"Main
khooni nahi hoon. Maine kissika khoon nahi kiya"<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">"Tumne
ek sangeen jurm kiya hai"<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">"Seeta
ke khoon ke ilzaam mein hum tumhe giraftar karte hain"<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">"Tumhe
chaar o taraf se gher liya gaya hai. Apne Apne hathiyar phenkke bahar aa
jao"<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">"Kanoon
ke haath lambe hote hain"<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">"Main
Bekasoor hoon. Mujhe phasaya gaya hain"<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">"Hands
up. You are under arrest"<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">"Adalat
ki karvahi shooru ki jaye"<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">"Jis
wakt khoon hua, us wakt tum kahan the"<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">"Order
Order"<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">"Silence"<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">"Mulzeem
ko pesh kiya jaye"<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">"Mulzeem
Vijay hazeer ho"<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">"Main
Gita pe haath rakh kar kasam khata hoon ke jo bhi kahoonga sach kahoonga
aur sach ke siwa kuch nahi kahoonga"<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">"Jhoot
bolne ki sazaa jante ho"<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">"Objection
Milard"<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">"Mere
kaabil dost yeh bhool rahe hain ke mulzeem ne khood kabul kiya hai ke us
raat woh Seeta devi ke kamre me tha"<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">"Objection
Overruled"<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">"Objection
sustained"<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">"You
may proceed"<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">"Tamam
sabooton ko madde najar rakhte hooain aur vakilon ki daleele sun kar yeh
adalat is natije par pahoonchi hai ke mulzeem vijay bekasoor aur nirdosh
hai aur use iss mamle main phasaya gaya hain. Adalat usse ba izzat bari
karte hue police ko aadesh deti hain ke who asli muljeem ko jald se jald pakad
kar iss adalat mein pesh karein"<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">"Mulzeem
Ajay ko yeh adalat doshi mante hue dafa 302 ke tahet marte dum tak phaansi
ki sazaa sunaati hai"</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">"The Court is adjourned"<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</span></li>
</ol>
</div>
"AD" - D Anandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09209368109579260418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1882739250863270329.post-30389761595341317022014-06-14T11:56:00.000+05:302014-06-14T11:56:55.489+05:3020 Things that Doctors say in Hindi Movies - a Life to Death Cycle<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">"Badhayee ho. Aap Maa banne wali
ho"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">"Garam Paani lekar aao"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">"Aap ko Beta hua hai"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">"Ghabrane ki koi baat nahi. Mai
dawaee likh deta hoon. Inhe samay per dete rahiye"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">"Inhe dil ka daura pada hai"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">"Aapko poore aaram ki jaroorat
hai"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">"Inko jald se jald aspatal leke
jana padega"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">"Khoon kaffee behe chooka hai"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">"Inhe khoon ki sakt jaroorat
hai"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">10.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">"Aap mein se mariz ke rishtedaar
kaun hai"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">11.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">"Mein kuch dawaain likh deta hoon.
Unka jald se jald intezaam keejeea"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">12.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">"Hame inka operation karna
padega"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">13.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">"Operation ka kaafee kharcha hai.
Aap paison ko intejaam kijiye varna kuch bhi ho sakta hain"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">14.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">"Nurse operation ke tayyari
karo"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">15.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">"Scissor"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">16.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">"Operation successful raha"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">17.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">"Inhe dawa ki nahi dua ki
jaroorat hai"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">18.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">"Hum poori koshish karenge"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">19.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">"Hum ne poori koshish ki lekin
mariz ko bacha nahi sake"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">20.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">"I am sorry"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
"AD" - D Anandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09209368109579260418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1882739250863270329.post-53743146365684503672014-05-25T16:45:00.001+05:302014-05-25T16:45:27.895+05:30The Dread of Attending Weddings in Summer<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">I dread attending
weddings in summer. It's something like visiting hell in all finery. If you are
part of the immediate family, you not only have to suffer the wedding day in
the heat but also attend to all shopping soirees and pre-wedding functions.
It's like sitting in a steam bath wearing silk.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The pain starts at the
time of departure from your home to the venue. You are fully draped and dressed
in accordance to your relative distance from the bride or groom. The farther
you are, the less of the finery you can be in. If you are just a friend or an
office colleague, it doesn't matter how you dress. But you still have to
suffer. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">To make it easy, make
discreet enquiries if the venue is air-conditioned or if in an open ground. If
in an open ground would there be a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">shamiania</i>/tent
erected for the guests or only for the part where the solemnization will take
place. If its during the day and usually in the forenoon, you should ideally
carry a change of clothes. Not one set but preferably two or may be as many as
you can. You should attempt to go dressed in shorts and a tee and change at the
venue itself. That way you will not reach drenched in sweat. Please note the
part that you get sweaty the most is attempting to find a parking space and if
you do find one it will be at least half a mile away from where you have to be.
If it's an open venue, stay away from the holy fire and be close to one of
those pedestal fans, if there are any. Pay some gratuity to a waiter and ensure
that any cold liquid being served is brought to you first and then to the
others. Make yourself comfortable and remember that you get to go home at the
end of all this. Avoid wearing artificial fiber. In the words of my tailor,
your feet will be encircled by tiny droplets of sweat falling from the inside
of your trouser legs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Food is going to be
another misery inducing item once all ceremonies are over. Having spent a good
part of your time enduring the chants and mantras, drinking super sweet cool
drinks and eating deep fried snacks, you would still be hungry. Lunch these
days is mostly a buffet spread and very few weddings have a traditional sit
down lunch. But the traditional food cannot be avoided and you will be
consuming a lot of sugar that will eventually make you thirsty and spices with
a slow release heat meter that will leave the soles of your feet burning, not
to mention your innards. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Mercifully people have
found a middle path and are renting air-conditioned venues. But as I said, they
are a middle path as food is served in the attached open ground or a non air-conditioned
adjoining hall. So basically your suffering is reduced by half. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">A long time back one of
my friends, a respected lawyer, once jokingly remarked that couples who marry
in summer have greater chances of a divorce. His logic was simple. All the
guests and invitees end up in discomfort that is forced upon them and instead
of receiving blessings, the newly married coupleis silently cursed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">If this was not enough,
you also have to gift something worth an amount that goes with your status and
that of the family that has invited you. Effectively you are paying for your
soul sapping experience. What an irony.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
"AD" - D Anandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09209368109579260418noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1882739250863270329.post-7520481054661792162014-05-17T12:52:00.000+05:302014-05-17T12:52:08.874+05:30Banking and Signboards<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Banking is a very
difficult business. At a customer level nobody teaches you banking. You learn
through trial and experience. Private banks deal with banking as a product and
government banks treat it as a charitable service to you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Anyway today's post is
a result of the incomprehensible signboards on the numerous service windows of
my bank. This bank started by one of India's most trusted communities with
foreign origins, completed about 100 years last year. I have been an account
holder for 30 years or so. Despite having held an account for so long therefore
a visitor for all these years, I am still not able to decipher any of the
"helpful" signboards made for portraying an image of being customer friendly. Nationalization and compulsory use of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Rashtrabhasha</i> has only made matters difficult. Use of archaic English
is rampant when almost 90 % of the country's population has difficulty with
foreign languages or at times with their own mother tongue. Do you know that a
whole lot of government banks have <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Rashtrabhasha</i>
departments with the sole objective of promoting the use of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Rashtrabhasha</i> and for translating and
releasing all official communication in Hindi. Apparently a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Rashtrabhasha</i> week is also celebrated
every year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Coming back, I was in
my home branch to deposit some money. There were two windows, each one said
"Cashier A/B", "Passbook printing". The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Rashtrabhasha</i> signboards were missing
maybe because of the recent renovation and computerization. Previously there
used to be <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Khajanchi</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mukhya Khajanchi</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Adakarta Khajanchi</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Deyakarta
Khajanchi</i> and of course "Teller". To me <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Khajanchi</i> was my neighbour who owned several grocery shops in
Dadar. Teller was someone who tells you how much money you have or don't have. Apparently in ancient times money was denoted by "tales" and therefore "teller" or whatever be its history which has no connection whatsoever with modern times.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">I </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">looked at the line of people ahead of me and what each one of them was
holding. A visual inspection always gives a better idea of what to expect at
the window. So there were hands holding passbooks, pay-in slip books, withdrawal slips
and cash. I seemed to at the right window. After five turns and a lapse of
about 25 minutes that included the time spent by the clerk for a toilet break I
was able to push my slip book and cash through the tiny hole in the window and
utter the word "Deposit". I was immediately shown a finger pointing
to the adjoining window. I was aghast. What had I done wrong? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I quietly moved to the next window which
mercifully had<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>no line of people in
front of it. Yes there was sign on the window that said "Receivables above
25,000 only. Tokan payment only". Now what is that supposed to mean. Who
is going to receive the receivable and on which side of the window. What is
tokan payment. Do you get only part of what you are supposed to receive?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Thirty minutes later I
am still where I was Thirty years back. I think I should write to the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mukhya Prabandhak</i> asking for the
installation of a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jaankari Kaksh</i> at
the entrance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
"AD" - D Anandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09209368109579260418noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1882739250863270329.post-69744291520302000182014-05-07T20:01:00.000+05:302014-05-07T20:01:04.517+05:30Terms, Conditions, and Declarations<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">This is something that
most people don't read unless they have enough time on hand and nothing else to
do. It's called "Terms and Conditions". <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">I booked a letter
through a courier service right next door and was promptly handed a printed
receipt or airway bill which could be tracked through their website. On the
back in bold were the "TERMS AND CONDITIONS". I am sure there is only
one original draft of these terms prepared by an attorney for the pioneer in
this service and has been conveniently "copy pasted" by whoever has
chosen to enter this business with their own twists and correctness. This is
what caught my attention:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Due to existing regulations the company
will not accept the following items: Antiques, Currency, Drugs, Explosives,
Fire Arms, Jewellery, Liquor, Live Stock, Money Orders, Personal Mail, Works of
Art, IATA restricted articles, Instruments in bearer form and Articles in
Liquid Form. The Shippers, sending any such article without declaration /wrong
declaration, shall be doing so at their own risk.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">All freight excluding the items noted in
Point No. 1 are accepted entirely at the risk and responsibility of the
Shipper/Consignor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">So what does that mean.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Read term no. 1 carefully.
To me if I ship any such article without declaration or wrong declaration, it
will be entirely at my risk. But does that also mean that if I declare them, it
will still be shipped that too at the risk of the courier.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">If you read term no. 2,
all items excluding those listed in point 1 above are being accepted at the
risk and responsibility of the Shipper/Consignor. So again items listed in term
1 above will still be shipped at the risk and responsibility of the courier
company.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">There are other
questions that come to my mind on the exclusions. What constitutes Work of Art.
Are wild animals excluded as well. Is jelly liquid or solid. How do you figure
out personal mail in a sealed cover.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">What you declare and
how you declare is also important as I learnt some time back. If you go to a
post office, you will have to carry your parcel in a semi open/close state so
that the clerk can check the contents. Once verified you will be told to get it
cloth bound and sealed with red wax on the stitches. Now this sealing is done
outside the post office and nobody is bothered whether you have exchanged the
original contents with something else.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Move to a private
courier/delivery service. There are no written declarations. The clerk will
feel the packet, check the weight and if he feels so he will question you on
the contents. If they do not fall in a category that he considers ineligible
for shipping, your parcel will be accepted else rejected. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Now there was a sample
of ladies face powder/compact to be shipped by someone I know. It was
immediately rejected when the clerk heard the term "powder" irrespective
of what preceded it. It was also immaterial that it was compacted in its small
case with original packing and history of manufacture and could not be
considered as weapons or ammunition grade. No amount of explanation worked. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Move to another courier
company. The same "powder" when informed to the clerk over there as
"ladies make up sample" was accepted without further questions. After
all its about the right declarations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
"AD" - D Anandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09209368109579260418noreply@blogger.com0