Urban In Nature; Taking On Urban Characteristics

Bangalore city witnessed the World’s richest 10K run

noreply@blogger.com (Ramesh Balasundaram) — Mon, 19 May 2008 08:06:00 +0000

When the sun went up in the city on Sunday, May 25, Bangaloreans witnessed the world’s richest 10K run.

A plethora of humanity, ranging from some of the world’s best distance runners to the curious first timers, were seen in action.

Celebrities from all walks of life, participated to add touch of glamour to the event that offered a prize-money of $150,000.

And after the Mumbai marathon and the Delhi half marathon, the 10K in Bangalore is supposed to be the richest in the world.

The race had both the serious and amateur runners who test their endurance levels.

A total of six races were organised as part of the event namely:

World 10 K Elite Men
World 10K Elite Women
Senior Citizens' Run (4 Km)
Wheelchair Event (4 Km),
Open 10K Run & IT Challenge
Majja Run (5.7 Km)

The event had participation from from a few BIG names from the industry, both in terms of people and in terms of Brands.

TATA Safari Dicor - A Bag Full of Woes

noreply@blogger.com (Ramesh Balasundaram) — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 10:43:00 +0000

I purchased a Safari Dicor from Prerana Motors (Bangalore) in the last week of May 2007 .

I am an extremely unsatisfied customer, thanks to the inefficient team that deals with the Service of a Safari Dicor- I was stranded in the middle of a Highway with my family for over 7 hours.

This was when I was driving back from Tirupati to Bangalore on 1^st November 2007; about 75 minutes after I started from Tirumala –I heard a rattling noise and the indicator displayed a ‘Check Engine’ message.

Time: 12:15

I tried to check the physically the connections and everything seemed normal. I tried starting my car- the engine would crank up, but when I tried to accelerate the vehicle it would not move as the engine would not rev up.

Time: 12:25

I was surprised because I was stuck in the middle of a highway with my family in a car that was barely 6 months old. I immediately reached out to my hand phone and called on the ‘24 Hour Help Line’ numbers that were prominently displayed on my Windscreen.

The Service representatives who attended to my calls – after listening to me and understanding that I was stranded in the middle of a high way with my family promptly asked me to call on another number (The other number mentioned on the windscreen)

The little hopes I had, was shattered when the representative who received my call asked me to call the first number listed on the windshield.

It took 2 calls to understand that the numbers listed in my windshield were neither 24-HOUR of support nor had anything to remotely do with HELP, wonder what got them associated with the term 24-HOUR HELP LINE.

I then reached the owners manual to look for the Helpline numbers hoping they may finally be of some help.

Time: 12:40

I called TATA Motors-Tirupati and was given the number for Chitoor (MGB Motors), the representatives manning the 24-HOUR HELP LINE had apparently gone for Lunch and returned 45minutes later to hear my plight.

Time: 13:30

They agreed to come over and look at the car – provided I was willing to pay a premium for them having to travel outside their Service Center. I promptly agreed to pay their fee and the Mechanics reached in about 40 mins.

Time: 14:15

It was quite surprising that the Authorized Dealers from TATA Motors had not been trained on the dynamics of the Safari Dicor and needed instructions to be given by the Mechanics in Bangalore about what to look for - even for a simple sanity check.

The real surprise to me was when I was given to understand that a laptop was needed to diagnose the problem and the mechanics from Chitoor didn’t have a clue about this.

Just when I thought the Mechanics from TATA in Chitoor would fix the Minor issue and help me reach Bangalore – did the struggle to locate a Service Center with a lap top/desktop begin.

Time: 16:15

A series of calls to were made and the most obvious choices were to reach Chitoor(15kms) away who did not have a Laptop to fix the issue and the other most obvious choice to reach Tirupati (55kms) also failed as they also mentioned that they did not have a laptop.

The mechanics from Chitoor were convinced that they could fix my car if I went to their Head Office which was about 250kms away in Nellore. What they were unable to explain is HOW we could reach 250 kms when my car was not in a position to move a single inch.

Time: 16:15

My next obvious move was to call the help line numbers of other towns that were listed on the owner’s manual- I tried calling Vellore (about 55 kms away from where I was stranded)to realize that the agency listed(VST Motors) did not deal with TATA anymore…

Time: 16:30

Thankfully a passerby who stopped to attend to nature’s call walked up and suggested I call the new showroom in Vellore and mentioned that they may be of help.

He apparently happened to be a local from Tamil Nadu and thankfully happened to be able to source the number of the TATA showroom in Vellore (Vijay Motors) through his acquaintances.

Time: 16:45

I called Vijay Motors (Vellore) to explain the unpleasant situation I was stuck in and mentioned my fear of being stranded in the dark with women in the car.

I would affirm agencies like Vijay Motors (Vellore) are the only saving grace for TATA motors.

The person at the reception was quick to transfer the call to person concerned and got the ball rolling to check how they could be of help.

Time: 16:55

The team from Vijay Motors (Vellore) called to check with the mechanics from Chitoor about the issue with the Safari; and were prompt in reverting to confirm what they thought may be the cause of breakdown. They agreed to come over to where we were stranded – took directions and promised to reach at the earliest.

Time: 17:05

A representative from Vijay Motors (Vellore) called and confirmed that a rescue team has started from Vellore and gave me the mobile number of a person coming over to help us.

Time: 17:55

The time of day immediately following sunset- fear griped everyone in the car as it was pitch dark and was close to six hours of being stranded with no food and waiting for help. The hand phone number that I use was dying out and the number of the Rescue team was not reachable.

Frantic calls to the Rescue team gave me just one outcome - ‘The Number was not reachable’.

We were left crossing our fingers hoping we remain safe.

Time: 18:45

The rescue team finally arrived and for the first time that day – I realized that I was dealing with a set of professionals.

The team that arrived knew what they were doing – they quickly did a sanity check on the Safari and then got a few iron chains and began to hook up the Safari to their rescue van – preparing to tow the vehicle.

Time: 19:00

We finally start moving – after having been stranded for over 7 hours. One member of the rescue team began driving the Safari – while we were asked to sit in the rescue van.

The rescue team from Vellore had apparently been sensitized to handle these situations.

Time: 21:25

We reached Vijay Motors (Vellore) and were happy to be a part of civilization after having spent 7 hours in the middle of a highway. Thanking our stars for being bailed out.
The team was quick in plugging in a desktop to the engine and confirmed the cause of the failure.
We were informed that it would take approximately 15 days to get my car moving.

The components that needed to be replaced were:

Injectors – 4 nos
Common Rail
High Pressure Hose
Cam Sensors

On getting off the rescue vehicle I found the bumper/crash guard/number plate, etc damaged because of having towed my vehicle.

It would be amiss if I do not mention the customer service skills that were exhibited by the team in Vellore – if at all anyone needs to be appreciated during this fiasco- I would strongly recommend Vijay Motors (Vellore).

Time: 22:00

We made our way to the closest Restaurant available to have our Lunch (yea – after being stranded for over 7 hours) and found a place to rest that night.

During my conversations with executives from the various Centers I was time and again told that several TATA Safari Dicor’s have faced similar situations and this was not the first car to have gone thru this kind of a breakdown.

When stuck, I obviously did not expect the team from Bangalore to drive up to where I was stranded – but the least they could have done is to have escalated the issue to the people concerned who may have had information about new Service Centers that were close to where I was. I would have been less harassed if I didn’t have to stay in the middle of a highway (pitch dark) with women in the car. How I hope people concerned had exhibited some seriousness to HELP.

A few questions that remain unanswered and need clarity:

Who will bear the expenses for the failure on the part of TATA motors?

The Showroom who sold the car?
TATA Motors?
TATA Service Centers that dropped the ball?

Who will take responsibility for the performance of a brand new vehicle that ends up with a large failure that takes 15 days to repair?
Is this vehicle (Safari) made of sub-standard products? Or was my vehicle one of the vehicles in a certain batch that did not go thru a comprehensive quality check?
How can I be sure that I will not be stranded in a similar fashion if not worse – because of an issue that is known to officials in TATA motors (little has been done about the same).
Will the support provided to customers ever be dialed up by sensitizing the TATA Service Centers and equipping them with adequate tools/support?
I have been informed that the crash guard, front bumper, number plate, etc that was broken/damaged while the care was being towed by the TATA motors executives has to be replaced at my own cost.

After the utmost trauma I have gone thru – I am forced to wonder if I made the right decision of buying a TATA Safari.

I have request the officials concerned to take note of the situation and do the needful to refund the charges of a Safari.

I bought a TATA Safari because the advertisements read “Put the Tata Safari to the only test that matters” Little did I know what the team in TATA motors meant when they spoke of a TEST.

Test a person – After a Traumatizing experience

Harass people in the name of a 24 Hour Help Line’s

Inadequate support in the name of Service Centers

Improper- training to the support staff.

noreply@blogger.com (Ramesh Balasundaram) — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 13:37:00 +0000

Rashtrapathi or Rashtra Pity?

India now has its First Woman president and the entire country needs to be impressed because a powerful politician pulled off a history of sorts by throwing in the gender card.

The irony is that the same day that Pratibha Patil was sworn in as President, the first Indian woman to join the Indian Police Service was denied the post of Police Commissioner of Delhi.
I am referring to Kiran Bedi an IPS officer who passed out in 1972.

Kiran Bedi was denied the post because she apparently does not have enough active policing experience – and the entire country needs to be convinced, because Kiran Bedi has duly performed the duties and has in the past called for controversy and admiration for discharging her duties.

Kiran Bedi has proved herself repeatedly in outsider-unfriendly Mizoram where she made insurgents surrender, in reforming Asia's largest prison – the Tihar Jail and as the chief of the Narcotics Bureau she has always ensured she left her mark.

However let us continue to feel happy about having a woman as a President during our 60th Independence Day; because Pratibha Patil is a complete nobody, has had no strong opinions, and has never added any great value during her career. She is also only responsible for making minuscule appointments, such as:

Governors of States.
The Chief Justice.
Judges of the Supreme Court and the High Courts.
The Attorney General.
The Comptroller and Auditor General.
The Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners.
The Chairman and other Members of the Union Public Service Commission.
Ambassadors and High Commissioners to other countries.

This President has a strong sense of history because she thinks that subjugation of Indian women began with the Mughal invaders, she is also contemporary and is a classic example of Modern India because she wears a full-sleeved blouse and keeps her head covered under her pallu.

This Independence day when the nation hears the Presidents speech it cannot be called an address by the Rashtrapathi an abvious alternative to this fiasco would be to call it ‘Rashtra Pity’.

noreply@blogger.com (Ramesh Balasundaram) — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 12:32:00 +0000

Elaneer……Elaneer

This is probably a group of people who are fast disappearing in urban India; with every passing day the number of people selling Tender coconut on cycles is soon becoming a thing of the past and Supermarkets are making a quick buck by removing the outer green husk and repackaging it with plastic wraps.

This particular vendor had a tip in choosing the best variety; he mentioned that “Tender coconuts should be young and green. While there are various preferences for the taste of coconut water, generally a green coconut with some age spots tastes good.
Coconuts from various parts of the world also differ in taste. For example, Indian coconuts tend to be salty and Brazilian coconuts have sweeter water.”

Today, Coconut water is commonly found in regular cans or tetra packs and is marketed as a sports drink because of its high potassium and mineral content which helps the body recover from rigorous exercise.
Depending on the size a tender coconut, it could contain liquid in the range of 300 to 1000ml and is popularly known as 'Elaneer' in Tamil/Malayalam/Kannada.

noreply@blogger.com (Ramesh Balasundaram) — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 10:00:00 +0000

Smiley Dictionary

After my post about the acronym dictionary here is a quick reference to the smiley dictionary.

So don't get left behind in the smiley revolution. Pick the smiley from the Smiley dictionary that best suits your mood.

Smiley	Meaning	Meandering Thoughts
:-)	Smiling	Duh.
:-(	Frowning	Seriously, duh.
;-)	Winking	Just in case they want you to explain that joke.
:-P	Sticking-out-tongue	Zing your friends. Then add some salt to the wound.
=-O	Surprised	Wow.
:-*	Kissing	Our most unsettling smiley.
>:o	Yelling	WHO NEEDS ANGER MANAGEMENT?!?
:-D	Ecstatic	Again, duh.
:-$	Money-mouth	We're not sure what this one is for.
:-!	Foot-in-mouth	Say something wrong? Tisk, tisk.
:-[	Embarrassed	It happens to everyone, right?
O:-)	Innocent	If your buddy has no evidence that you did anything wrong...
:-\	Undecided	Meh. We haven't decided.
:'(	Crying	Boo-hoo.
:-X	Lips-are-sealed	We'll never tell you what we really think about this one.
8-)	Cool	Giggidy, giggidy goo.

Thought, the origin of the smiley is not completely straightened out; the smiley has become an essential of Internet culture, with animated images and representations, as well text-based emoticons.

noreply@blogger.com (Ramesh Balasundaram) — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 10:55:00 +0000

National Highways

Driving back from Chennai a week ago I was pleasantly surprised by the handiwork of NHAI.

It is over a year since I traveled to Chennai by road and what welcomed me as soon as I got off the Chennai city limits was a 4 lane road that continued uninterrupted; if there was anything that had to do with a stretch without a 4 lane road then it was a 6 lane road.

It would be amiss if I do not mention the excellent work by NHAI in constructing the roads; when one drives on this road we are left wondering if we are using a highway in India or are on a freeway in another nation.

The authorities have ensured- the existence of well tarred roads, with adequate support in the form of ambulance on call, regular police patrol, no hawkers, no unauthorized vendors, boards with speed limit mentioned and prominent boards that have numbers listed in case you would need support of police or medical support.

There is a ‘toll fee’ one needs to pay to use the road – but one can def pay a small fee for the excellent service rendered.

Will the other states take a note of this and be quick in learning and implementing similar stretches of world class roads rather than giving the public, excuses about land acquisition, tenders, monsoon, etc.

noreply@blogger.com (Ramesh Balasundaram) — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 10:33:00 +0000

Kaval Deivam - Guardian angel

During a recent trip I happened to capture a picture of Ayyanar (Kaval Deivam-guardian angel). The statue of Ayyanar with his whip and Karuppusami,(his most important companion with a moustache and an aruval-a large sickle) - are eternally vigilant and stand guard on the outskirts of most villages in Tamil Nadu.

Ayyanar shrines are usually located at the peripheries or boundaries of rural villages and the deity is seen riding a horse with a sword. Weapons such as a trident or a lance are also associated with the shrine.

Ayyanar temples are not architecturally elaborate but are signs of continuing traditions — of craft, myths, rituals and caste politics.

Ayyanar is a regional Tamil male deity who is popular among the rural social groups of South India, specifically Tamil Nadu. In the old Tamil literature he is mentioned as Sathanar and in Vedic stories, Ayyanar is considered as one of the several local manifestations of Sastha.
The deity is also popular among vast majority of South Indian & Sri Lankan (read Dravidian) Hindus and some Buddhists in Sri Lanka. He, along with his two female consort deities, is the central deity surrounded by 21 associate folk deities identified as the Kaval Deivam (guardian angel).

noreply@blogger.com (Ramesh Balasundaram) — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 09:21:00 +0000

Acronym Dictionary

Let's be honest (LBH) - easy (EZ) is better. Get your message across quickly. Find listed the most common abbreviations that you (U) might come across while IMing with your friends. Good luck (GL) and have a nice day (HAND).

Acronyms and initialisms are abbreviations that are formed using the initial letters of words or word parts in a phrase or name. Acronyms and initialisms are usually pronounced in a way that is distinct from that of the full forms for which they stand.

This will make you familiar and help you graduate from a Newbie (Noob) to Been there, done that, got the t-shirt and wore(BTDTGTTSAWIO)

A
AAK	Asleep at the keyboard
AAR8	At any rate
ADAD	Another day, another dollar
AFAIC	As far as I'm concerned
AFK	Away from computer keyboard
AIM	AOL Instant Messenger
ASAP	As soon as possible
A/S/L	Age/Sex/Location
ATM	At the moment
ATW	Around the web
B
B	Back
B4N	Bye for now
BBS	Be back soon
BC	Because
BCNU	Be seein' you
BFN	Boyfriend
BFN/B4N	Bye for now
BG	Big grin
BIL	Boss is listening
BITD	Back in the day
BMG	Be my guest
BOTOH	But on the other hand
BRB	Be right back
BTDT	Been there, done that
BTDTGTTSAWIO	Been there, done that, got the t-shirt and wore it out
BTW	By the way
BYKT	But you knew that
C
CD9	Code 9: Parents nearby
CID	Consider it done
CSL	Can't stop laughing
COZ	Because
CU	See you
CUL or CUL8R	See you later
D
DQMOT	Don't quote me on this
E
EOM	End of message
EZ	Easy
EG	Evil Grin
F
F2F	Face to face
F2T	Free to talk
FAQ	Frequently asked questions
FWIW	For what it's worth
FYI	For your information
G
G2G	Got to go
GAL	Get a life
GF	Girlfriend
GGN	Gotta go now
GJ	Good job
GL	Good luck
GOL	Giggle out loud
GR8	Great
GRT	Great
GTG	Got to go
GW	Good work
H
H8	Hate
HAK	Hugs and kisses
HAND	Have a nice day
I
IAC	In any case
IAE	In any event
IC	I see
IDC	I don't care
IDK	I don't know
ILY	I love you
IM	Instant Message
IMHO	In my humble opinion
IMNERHO	In my never even remotely humble opinion
IMNSHO	In my not so humble opinion
IMO	In my opinion
IMPOV	In my point of view
IOW	In other words
IRL	In real life
J
JIC	Just in case
JK	Just kidding
JTLYK	Just to let you know
K
K	Okay
KIS	Keep it simple
KIT	Keep in touch
L
L8	Late
L8R	Later
LBH	Let's be honest
LOL	Laughing out loud
M
MIRL	Meet in real life
MorF	Male or Female
MOS	Mom over shoulder
MTFBWU	May the force be with you
N
NE	Any
NBD	No big deal
NMU	Not much, you?
NP	No problem
NRN	No response necessary
Noob	"Newbie" -- someone who is a novice
O
OIC	Oh, I see
OMG	Oh my god
OTP	On the phone
OWTTE	Or words to that effect
P
P911	Parent emergency
PAW	Parents are watching
PCM	Please call me
PIR	Parent in room
PLS	Please
PLZ	Please
POC	Point of contact
POS	Parent over shoulder
POV	Point of view
PRW	Parents are watching
Q
Q	Question
R
ROTFL	Rolling on the floor laughing
RL	Real life
RSN	Real soon now
RUOK?	Are you okay?
S
SFETE	Smiling from ear to ear
SIT	Stay in touch
SOZ	Sorry
SYS	See you soon
S2R	Send to receive
T
TAFN	That's all for now
TBA	To be announced
TBH	To be honest
THX	Thanks
TIA	Thanks in advance
TMB	Text me back
TOY	Thinking of you
TTFN	Ta ta for now
TTYL	Talk to you later
TY	Thank you
U
U	You
U2	You too
W
WB	Welcome back
W/E	Whatever
WFM	Works for me
WTG	Way to go
WTH	What the hell?
WU	What's up?
WYGOWM	Will you go out with me?
X
XOXO	Hugs and kisses
Y
Y	Why
YT?	You there?
YW	You are welcome
Z
ZZZ	Tired or bored

noreply@blogger.com (Ramesh Balasundaram) — Fri, 25 May 2007 12:55:00 +0000

The changing face of the 'Public Transport' system

On roads of Bangalore now air-conditioned Volvo buses are plying, introduced by the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC)- a first in the country. Despite transportation and traffic woes increasing by the day, Bangalore is the first city to have Volvo buses as part of public transport.

These buses operate with conductors, like the present buses. They are pleasantly coloured with spic 'n' span interiors, low-floor, disabled-friendly, senior citizen-friendly, cushioned seats, disc brakes that ensure passengers are not jerked forward, electronic system that provides vehicle data to drivers, these are just some of the features a Volvo offers presently.

Sleek, red coaches, fully air-conditioned and compliant with Euro-III environment norms, other special features include kneeling mechanism for the benefit of the aged and the physically challenged; wide, pneumatically operated doors to enable easy boarding and disembarking of passengers. All for a price though. Like an autorickshaw, the minimum fare on a Volvo bus is Rs 10.

With only limited buses it gets difficult to track a bus coming to your area & this is when an interesting service called 'Yelli Iddira' comes to your aid. To know the current location of the buses, send an SMS message to 99456-34666 reading ‘Yi V356C U', where 'Yi' stands for ‘Yelli Iddira?'‘V356c' is the route number ‘U' stands for ‘up' (buses heading out of the 'starting station' are designated to as ‘up', and buses heading towards the 'starting station' are designated as ‘down'). Now this is sure to evoke a 'cool' from most of us.

The minimum fare is Rs.10 and maximum being Rs.45, though a little on the higher end BMTC's argument is "All good things come at a price".

noreply@blogger.com (Ramesh Balasundaram) — Tue, 15 May 2007 07:52:00 +0000

Mockery-Freedom of Speech & Expression

An excerpt from the Indian constitution:

‘All people of India shall be guaranteed and secured social, economic and political justice; equality of status and opportunities before law; and fundamental freedoms - of talk, expression, belief, faith, worship, vocation, association and action - subject to law and public morality.’

The recent spate of affairs in India does not seem to showcase the freedom of speech and expression. Let’s look at a few incidents that seem to be rocking the country and flooding newspapers/24x7 news channels.

Political turmoil that was caused by an opinion poll in a newspaper.

A family’s political ambitions were made visible, when the sons of political leader M.Karunanidhi took to damaging public property and killing a few innocent people.
The irony is that the loss of public life which was a result of the insecurity; lost visibility to the speculation about Maran’s press conference and Karunanidhi’s gimmicks to get his daughter into main stream Politics.
What surprises me is that the leaders of this country are willing to compromise on policies that will benefit the nation and lack the maturity to understand the know how of an opinion poll.

If media cannot plug in what they would like in their own publication – but need to get a sign off from the government about every article that goes ‘live’- may be it is time to abolish the ‘Freedom of Speech and Expression’ and amend the constitution accordingly.

Outrage in Vadodara about art that was considered Obscene:
The last I checked:

We did not have a rule book that mentioned the difference between art and obscenity.
Police had a restriction about entering educational institutions unless they had the consent of the head of the educational institution.
Politicians also had to follow the rule of not being able to barge into a place of their choice – when the place was not open to public.

There is little attention paid to the aforementioned aspects, a politician who gate crashed into an educational institution has gotten away from the law enforcement agencies- but an art student who put expression of his imagination on canvas has been behind bars for 5 days.

Let’s understand that -views on public morality do change over time. For example, there have been proscriptions against eating in the street or allowing women to smoke in public. These examples show that public views on things which are unacceptable often move towards wider tolerance.
These incidents raise serious questions about our ability, or even desire, to protect the cultural freedom of individuals. I strongly condemn all attempts by communal forces to violate cultural freedom.

All of us are a witness to the current breed of leaders making a mockery of ‘The Freedom of Speech and Expression’; this also strengthens the fact that today’s leaders want to be perceived as being powerful and enforcing what they perceive is right- conveniently masking areas that actually need attention.

Even the media has become a puppet in the hands of our uncouth politicians; they want to ensure they have content to power 24x7 operations – but one should realize that politicians are getting away with murders and are conveniently breaking the law. May be someday we want to stand up for what is right.

Is the media shying away from reality because they are not free to speak-up or express themselves?
Or is being in the good books of politicians more important than delivering what the viewer/reader needs to know?

noreply@blogger.com (Ramesh Balasundaram) — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 12:12:00 +0000

A pot making unit in the foot hills of 'Nandi Hills'

Pottery is made by forming a clay body into objects of a required shape and heating them to high temperatures in a kiln to induce reactions that lead to permanent changes, including increasing their strength and hardening and setting their shape.

There are wide regional variations in the properties of clays used by potters and this often helps to produce wares that are unique in character to a locality.
It is common for clays and other minerals to be mixed to produce clay bodies suited to specific purposes; for example, a clay body that remains slightly porous after firing is often used for making earthenware or terra cotta flower-pots.

The potter's most basic tools are the hands, but many additional tools have been developed over the long history of pottery manufacture, including the potter's wheel and turntable, shaping tools (paddles, anvils, ribs), rolling tools (roulettes, slab rollers, rolling pins), cutting/piercing tools (knives, fluting tools, wires) and finishing tools (burnishing stones, rasps, chamois).

noreply@blogger.com (Ramesh Balasundaram) — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 11:28:00 +0000

Civilization’s oldest profession - Begging

Begging is the practice whereby a person obtains money, food, shelter or other things from people they encounter by request.

In larger cities, it is common to see beggars asking for money, food, or other items.
Typically, beggars often beg for spare change equipped with coffee cups, mugs, small boxes, hats, or other items into which money can be placed and sometimes narrate sob stories as well.

We’re sort of immune to them-
Their faces, their pleas, their sob stories. Yet, beggars generate the most diverse emotions in us: sympathy, pity, scare, sneer, disrespect.
Often quoted as one of civilization’s oldest professions, beggary rarely receives the legislative cover ‘professions’ usually get.

Begging raises questions that peer into the heart of social security and human dignity. While common people, in order to earn Punya, donate generously to one-armed people hiding the other arm in their shirts, the police kick and prick lepers and disabled beggars not even capable of moving an inch.
Only when the laws are diversified to target various forms of begging-related activities differently and work together with NGOs to rehabilitate truly incapacitated persons, significant change will take place.

noreply@blogger.com (Ramesh Balasundaram) — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 07:56:00 +0000

Take a sneak into where your lovely silk saree or silk shirt comes from...

I grabbed these pictures in a Sericulture unit about 60 kms from Bangalore (Sulatanpet).

The process of drawing silk fiber from the cocoon is called ‘reeling’. The cocoons are allowed to boil in hot water and the silk fiber is unwound from the cocoons. The silk am told consists of two proteins, the inner core of fibroin and an outer cover of gum sericin. During reeling, the cocoons are processed in hot water at 95-97 degrees C for 10-15 minutes. This process is called cooking.
This enables the sericin portion to get softened and make unwinding easy without breaks. The cocoons after cooking are reeled in hot water in different types of machines.
In India, 61% of the silk amounting to 1,320 tonnes is reeled on the country-type charka (spinning-wheel)

In India, the Sericulture unit is critical to rural development because it:

Provides for off-farm employment.
Prevents the migration of rural people.

As per the recent numbers - 60 lakh persons are engaged in various sericulture activities in the country and every 3.07 kg of silk produced and used generates gainful employment of one man year.
This potential is par-excellence and no other industry generates this kind of employment, especially in rural areas, hence, sericulture is used as a tool for rural reconstruction.

noreply@blogger.com (Ramesh Balasundaram) — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 10:13:00 +0000

Yercaud - Poor man's Ooty

This weekend, if you want to drive out of Bangalore – visit Yercaud.

Yercaud is a hill station near Salem, Tamil Nadu-in the Servarayan range (anglicized as Shevaroys) of hills in the Eastern Ghats. It is at an altitude of 1,500 metres (4,920 feet) from mean sea level.
The town gets its name from the lake located at its center - in Tamil "Yeri" means "lake" and "Kaadu" means "forest".

The drive from Bangalore will not drain your energy – Thanks to the well maintained roads by NHAI between Bangalore and Krishnagiri .The route to reach Yercaud is - Bangalore - Hosur - Krishnagiri - Dharmapuri - Salem - Yercaud (on road, 250km approx)

Places to see in yercaud:

The Big Lake or Emerald Lake: The first thing one sees as you enter Yercaud is this placid lake in a wonderful surrounding of hills and natural shoals.
Kiliyur Falls: This breathtaking waterfall is 3 km from Yercaud Lake, the surplus water from the Lake reaches the Shevaroys Hills and falls deep into the Kiliyur Valley in a breath taking 300 feet fall.
Lady's Seat, Gents Seat and Childrens Seat: A cluster overlooking the ghat road and the town of Salem to the South. There is a natural rock formation in the form of a seat where reportedly an English Lady of yesteryears spent her evenings viewing the magnificent panorama.
Monfort School: Monfort School named after the founder of the Order of St.Gabriel. St.Louis Marie Grignoin de Monfort. The schools vast campus with attractive buildings, spacious play grounds, well planned and beautiful gardens, and a swimming pool is the envy of all the schools in the South.
Orchidarium-Botanical Survey of India: This is one of two orchidariums run by the Botanical survey of India. It has a large collection of native orchids. Not to mention the rare Ladies Slipper, an insect eating Orchid.
Ornamental Lake: Also known as Small Lake and lies in the heart of the town between the Yercaud Library and Sports Club and the Monfort School.
Shevarayan Temple: A flat-topped hill with a plateau. The view from the temple on all sides is magnificent - the mass of mountains and hills spread out like a map between the Shevaroys and the nearest hills.
Silk Farm & Rose Garden: You can see the cultivation of Mulberries, the growing of silk worms and the method of spinning silk. The Rose Garden – that once had a good collection of colorful Roses is 2 km from Yercaud town.
The Grange: This is one of the oldest buildings in Yercaud, built sometime in the 1820's.
MD Cockburn the then Collector is supposed to have established the first commercial plantation and planted Coffee, Oranges, Apples and other fruit trees brought from South Africa.
Tipperary View Point: One can reach this southern most view point of Yercaud by taking the Tipperary Road. From there one can see the Elephant Tooth Rocks. Which are reportedly said to be the remnants of a meteorite which fell on earth.

Do not miss the famous ‘Black Panther Oil’ sold by Ramesh Singh and Bhavani Singh. This is supposed to be a medicated oil made with the use of over 20 different kinds of herbs.

Why should You Go:

To beat the summer heat and relax in a hill station that is not commercialized.
It is a quite place not more than 4 hours away from Bangalore.
It is not polluted
Because you have a long weekend and you are looking to spend some quality time.

noreply@blogger.com (Ramesh Balasundaram) — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 00:01:00 +0000

Food For Nocturnal Creatures

If midnight is dinner time for you then you have enough reason to celebrate. You need not have to hunt for a place to have a decent meal late in the night after a spell of pub-hopping or after watching a movie over the weekend.

The city hotels in Bangalore have the late night buffet, during the weekends- that serve food from midnight to 3 a.m. The price range from Rs.149/- to Rs.795/-

The menu includes green salad, soup, raita, assorted papads, pickles, dum biryani,a non-vegetarian gravy, ghee rice, daal, chilli chicken, parathas, spicy and tangy curries,sherwa, dal and lip-smacking desserts. And for those who do not opt for the buffet -Dosas, appams, burgers, sandwiches and shakes are also available a-la-carte .

A few of the hotels that I turn to for a Midnight Buffet are:

Coral Court
Gateway
Le Royal Meridien
Limelight
Mynt
Park Kensington Terrace
The Capitol Hotel
The Chancery

I grabbed this picture @ about 0230 this morning, when all the tables were filled with people...Looks like the day when we would need to reserve a table for midnight buffet is not too far away.
With the city police coming down heavily on food joints that stay open beyond 2330,looks like more and more people are beginning to frequent places that continue to remain a hideout and serve good food @ a nominal price.

noreply@blogger.com (Ramesh Balasundaram) — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 13:05:00 +0000

Is this the new face of patriotism?

I am no die hard cricket fan; however the recent behaviors’ of the so-called angry fans that went on a rampage because of India’s loss @ the hands of Bangladesh has got me concerned about the state of affairs…

The urge to see my country excel and win the prestigious World cup is deep rooted in my heart, and so is it amongst the millions of people who were glued on to their TV sets over the weekend wanting to see their country Triumph.

However,the impulsive behavior of the people who took to vandalism to show their displeasure is criminal.

It is not acceptable to display the support for ‘Team India’ by attacking the families and properties of the chosen sport stars.

Is this the way we demonstrate the love for our country and the SPORT?
Is this how we stand up for our players who represent us?
Is this the new face of patriotism?

If people in this country want the Team to come back (Home) just because they lost ONE match, may be the law should read that INDIA should not participate in any sport as we may lose.
When the country is celebrating campaigns because INDIA has arrived, hoping the new age Indian has reformed - in reality is there lack in the skepticism of our minds?

Is the Indian whom the world perceives as a Leader, actually hot-headed and destructive?
Is this the way, youth of a Pulsating country behave?
Has the fear of failure out-grown the faith in success?

The team that represents each of us has sprung, stumbled, run, fallen, rolled-over, won and lost….. for us.

We should neither accept mediocre performance nor should we take to the streets to express our displeasure, after all if we don’t stand up for our players who will?

Remember: Destroying public property and shouting filthy slogans should not be the new Face of Patriotism-However,love for the country and willingness to sacrifice for it,should represent the true feeling.

When the Great Scorer comes to write against our names he writes not if we won
or lost- but how we played the game.

noreply@blogger.com (Ramesh Balasundaram) — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 13:51:00 +0000

Moustache

The word Moustache comes to the English language via the Middle French Moustache which in turn is derived from the Old Italian Mustaccio which originates from the Middle Greek Moustaki, a diminutive of Greek mystak.

Common vernacular terms for the moustache are stache, tache, tash, pushbroom and mo. There are numerous others mostly reflecting the moustache's resemblance to a variety of animals.

Found this interesting moustache being sported by a door-keeper in a popular Bangalore Hotel.

Ned Flanders on The Simpsons uses a variety of nicknames for his mustache- nose neighbor, soup strainer, Dr Fuzzenstein, among others. He also once had it called a hippie-lip by a boss.

Popular Moustache's:

Dalí - narrow, long points bent or curved steeply upward - Named after Salvador Dalí who was known to sport such a style later in his life.
English - narrow, beginning at the middle of the upper lip the whiskers are very long and slightly curled;the ends are pointed slightly upward.
Fu Manchu - long, downward pointing ends, generally beyond the chin.
Pancho Villa moustache - similar to the Fu Manchu but thicker; also known as a "droopy moustache.
Handlebar - bushy, with small upward pointing ends.
Fingers - also known as a "spaghetti moustache", because of its stereotypical association with Italian men.
Imperial - whiskers growing from both the upper lip and cheeks, curled upward (distinct from the royale, or impériale)
Moustachio - bushy moustache, with hair sometimes growing down the sides of the mouth. Also known as the Nosebeard, or the Moustachio Fantastico.
Pencil moustache - narrow, thin, closely clipped, outlining the upper lip, with a wide shaven gap between the nose and moustache. Also known as a Mouthbrow.
Toothbrush - thick, but shaved except for about an inch (2.5 cm) in the center; associated with Adolf Hitler and Charlie Chaplin.
Walrus - bushy, hanging down over the lips, often entirely covering the mouth.
GG - bushy hair grown only over the corners of the mouth, shaved in the middle. Named after musician and performing artist GG Allin.

noreply@blogger.com (Ramesh Balasundaram) — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 11:34:00 +0000

Dog-Tired Of Stray Dogs

Bangalore- India's third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan, has recently called for criticism about the way the authorities have handled the four-legged menace.

It all started with a ghastly shock-when a pack of stray dogs mauled 8-year-old Sridevi to death (Chandra Layout) in January and rabid canines brutally killed four and half year old Manjunath (Banaswadi) in March. These incidents finally got the concerned authorities, animal right activists and all the citizens in the city into a tizzy.

Government:

I am left wondering if the government some day would order all humans to be culled because they have been involved in murders,execution,extortion,genocide,theft,slaughter,massacre,sexual assault & flesh eating.Will the state authorities advocate more such ghastly deaths like that of Sridevi & Manjunath?

Animal Right Activists:

Will animal right activists continue to raise a hue and cry about unethical treatment meted out to Strays and choose to remain silent during the death of innocent children? Will these groups continue to claim success because the Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme - a part of the amended Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960 championed by Maneka Gandhi, succeeded in tackling barely 3000 strays over the last six years(after spending over Rs 5.64 crore) ?

Residents:

Will the residents continue to throw garbage as per their fancies?Continue to open meat stalls without adequate permissions and dispose waste in ways best known to them and cry foul when dogs attack humans and vice-versa?

Will responsible residents adopt the dog and keep them @ home?

Has everyone forgotten the difference between being Proactive and Reacting, where have all the responsible people gone???

Has this city run out of visionaries?

Has this city run out of responsible citizens?

Is this incident a mockery of what we’ve always called as - Life?

The problem is far more serious, consider the thousands of cases of dog-bites, those involving postmen, telephone mechanics, courier or pizza delivery boys, which never get reported.Stand up for what it takes to be RESPONSIBLE.

Be Proactive

noreply@blogger.com (Ramesh Balasundaram) — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 14:09:00 +0000

Think creepy crawlies, and your blood curdles. But butterflies, which are also insects, evoke a pleasant reaction.

This weekend if you want to do something Zara-Hatke, then drive to Bannerghatta National Park that is situated 22 km south of Bangalore, Karnataka, India. (The journey to the park takes nearly half an hour from Bangalore)
The hilly place is the home for one of the rich natural, zoological reserves. The 25,000 acre zoological park makes this a major tourist attraction of Bangalore.The Butterfly Park that is tucked away in one corner of this vast land, spreads across 7.5 acres, it comprises of a butterfly conservatory, a museum and an audio-visual room. The dome of this park is a 10,000 sq.ft. circular enclosure, inside which the environment has been carefully designed to support over 20 species of butterflies. The environment has a tropical setting — complete with the humid climate, an artificial waterfall and a host plants and shrubs that attract butterflies.

Should you go?

Yes, because you need to believe that the Government is capable of executing some great ideas.Also,because the Butterfly Park at Banerghatta is not only a jewel in the crown of Bangalore, but also because it is the first of its kind in the world that integrates tourism, education, research and rural livelihood all under one roof.

Tips:

Food is not allowed inside the Park(Phew - Finally Somebody thought about this)

Carry your Camera if you want to capture these beautiful creatures.