Anna and the casue: out of sight in Facebook

In my previous post, Lets Stop Pouring Water, I questioned the impact of Facebook in social movements. We saw abundance of messages requests and status updated in SNS (social networking sites). It died out as fast it started. Now can hardly see any such activities on these sites. I must say that FB can certainly be the fastest medium to unite large number of people across geography, BUT the faith and need should come from within or from suffering. There was no FB during national movement for independence, there wasn’t even telephones, but the momentum was huge. Let’s try to analyses the reasons behind it.

Something comes easily goes easily: the momentum was not deep rooted, majority of the people who were supporting the cause actually are seldom a victim of corruption, nepotism and red-tapism. Had they been a sufferer of any of these they would have stick to it. It was euphoria which majority felt and clicked the buttons. I cannot see any follow up.

Impact of health, wealth and ego: One need not have to suffer to protest, but to do so one has to be visionary and educated enough to realize the impact, direct or indirect, on health, wealth and our ego. Another way is to read and hear more from visionary leaders, this will also educate us. i guess we lack in this also.

Herd Mentality: Last week, I had been audience to this play "12 angry men" by Reginald Rose, in that the Jury’s opinion differed when voted in open ballot and in closed ballot. Same way any SNS is like an open ballot count, where people bound to follow the herd mentality. So we all did what is expected from a sincere citizens.

Non herd mentality: Herd or not, we are alike, this has been proven by many postulates of Behavioral Economics and Game Theory that we Indians choose easy way. majority choose to support by click.

 

Face Value: We take thing on face value, how many of us truly try to analyze the lokpal bill, we believed the bulleted points circulated in mails and links. To be honest how many of us were knowing exactly why anna was on fast. Was he fasting to get the bill passed or he was on satyagragh so that right set of people can come on board the committee who are finalizing the bill.

Conclusion: SNS's are enabler and not reformer, it helps us in achieving what we desire, but for that our desire has be strong.

What a Gentleman!

Do I need it?

Is it worth?

Wait for some more time before prices goes down further.

To buy or not to buy, I contemplated for long and researched every bit before I finally purchased the new touch screen android handset from Samsung, last week. I had not inserted my personal SIM card yet, and was using alternate SIM to get used to of the features. My nephews used it more as gaming screen than I used it as phone.

Yesterday, I found this mobile again before I realized I had actually lost it. The story goes like this…

I was travelling alone from Darbhanga to Kolkata. And as usual all belongings were kept inside the Laptop bag, decked under pillow. When the train reached penultimate station Bidhanangar Road, I woke up and hurriedly disembarked train as the stoppage is for 1 min only. Another 20 mins, i reached my friend’s place, where I was staying for the day. There, we talked about job openigns, career, friends and family before I mentioned about my recent purchase. I was telling him the advantages and disadvantages of inexpensive android OS. I finished tea and moved to show him the handset, and my phone rang, it was GV, she asked me if I have my new phone with me. I told " actually I had switched it off and kept it inside the bag pack". To my surprise she mentioned she received a call from that number asking if it is our’s. She was right, when i checked the bag it wasnt there. I called up immediately, but the phone was not reachable and then switched off. I knew for sure its gone. But to my surprise the guy called again.

This was Mr. B. Nandi, train A/C attendant of our coach. Who found this handset, he struggled to switch it on and called up last dialed number, with the help of someone who knew how to operate it. He waited for me at the station for about half an hour, escorted me to the shed where they retire after journey, checked my ticket and gave back my phone. I thanked him, wrote an appreciation letter, gave some token money and returned back with the questions in mind.

What dint he kept the phone with himself?

Did he knew about mobile tracker feature of Samsung phone?

What would have happened if I would have enabled password protection?

What if the terminating station would have far from the place I stayed?

This has happened once and may not happen again, so I promised to myself to activate the mobile tracker feature, learn more about theft insurance, which I bought for Rs 99 and last but not the least be more careful when GV not accompanying.

Gudgudiya sedi nedo (smoke the hukka)

"Gudgudiya sedi nedo" I heard this song first time in Raghu Dixit concert, he narrated the meanings of first two lines in English for those who dint know Kannada. I was transpired by those two line, minutes after I came back from the concert I was searching for the meaning of entire song and after reading it two times I downloaded the song in kannada. And I loved it. Since then I have individually shared this song with many so thought of putting it in my blog too.

English Translation of "Gudgudiya sedi nedo" poem by the great Kannada poet Sant Shishunaala Sharif, a 19th century spiritual poet of North Karnataka, who is also called KABIR of south India. The best part of his poems is they will take you inside the depth of life so easily that you don’t even realize. Raghu dixit version has meditating characteristics.

I am sure you would love this song certainly after reading the translation.

Smoke the hookah smoke the hookah
smoke out the disease inside you

Open your mind and throw out the daily feelings,

Burn the chillum called faith with help of burning coal called intelligence.
Smoke the hookah smoke the hookah

smoke out the disease inside you

feel good, open the small cloth bag called mind
take out the hash called lust and crush it

put it in a chillum called faith
light it up with burning coal called intelligence

Smoke the hookah smoke the hookah
smoke out the disease inside you

think brain as the body, shape as of chillum.

fill with water of lord shiva [varashishunala]

close this with cloth with regret/feelings...
Smoke the hookah smoke the hookah
smoke out the disease inside you

Only good thoughts(feelings) will raise up,
bad things will get burnt

your fumes will only bring intelligent people near you,
as your thoughts are good.

You will near to lord shiva [varashishunala]

Smoke the hookah smoke the hookah
smoke out the disease inside you.

Two States: one car vol: 2

In today’s job scenario, we often change locations, sometimes temporarily for short term deputations and sometime permanently when we change our base and company. Central Govt. employees goes on transfer from one state to another. This bring misery for changing house moving goods and transferring vehicle. We get surplus of info for looking out for accommodations and packers and movers over Internet and other sources. But when it comes to vehicle registration, NOC, entry into other state and road tax etc. there is no clarity and information also not clearly displayed on the state RTO portals.

This make more difficult as the rules and taxes are not the same in all states.

In my previous blog, I mentioned that i will collate the information and get back to you. Here is this post compilation of information from various sources, people & portals. Mostly the information is verified from the authentic sources but can change with course of time or exceptions can be found to these

Terms:

Vehicle Registration: This is only an identity of vehicle, given by RTO in a state, to track and identify ownership in case of theft, damage and accident etc., the cost of registration is nominal vary from 100-2000 Rupees. One vehicle can have only one registration no at a time. In case one want to move out to another state and want to change the registration one has to surrender the first registration.

Road Tax/Life time tax: Road tax is given to state govt. for using the infrastructure of the state, earlier the road tax was given for 1,5,10 years, now the rule has changed and one has to pay the life time tax at the time of registration. In case the vehicle is moved out of state this can be refunded based on number of years of use. However you cannot hear this unless you have a relative in RTO.

NOC: No Objection certificate is given for the vehicle to take the vehicle out of state and consent is taken from 1. RTO for tracking and re-registration. 2. Police: to verify that the vehicle is not under theft, 3. Financier : if loan has been taken and if it is hypothecated to any institution than in that case consent of the institution is also required.

Octroi: This is special tax levied by Municipal corporation and not the state, it is tax on entry of goods for use/consumption within areas of the Local Bodies. Very few  cities like mumbai, Baroda, chennai etc are levying octroi.

　

1. When Visiting other state only as tourist: you can show the toll bridge slip, petrol bunker receipt etc to prove that the vehicle entered recently. If the stay is prolonged than better take the challan for entering the state. There are naka’s at state entrance, but are not operating properly in most of the Indian states. Maximum on 30 days is the period when you can be considered in transit.
2. When going to other state for some time and don’t want to Re-register the vehicle in new state: Pay the road tax for the period one intend to stay with old number. I am not sure of interval one can stay. But as per AP RTO site, its mention that in case one want to stay for more than an year the re-registration is must.
3. When going to other state and want to Re-register the vehicle in new state: 　you need to get the NOC from old state authorities and pay the life time tax to new state get the new registration in the new state. Surrender the RC of old state and get the balance of Road tax paid to previous state.
   

   Below is the link for a detailed case by case procedure from Karnataka Hope this helps…

http://knol.google.com/k/rules-to-transfer-vehicle-within-india#Case_1(3A)_New_vehicle_(3C)_30_months

How will you justify this...

It’s happened with me not once, not twice but many a times at least 10-12 times in my recent memories and it happened again today.

I was busy in the office with my team members resolving an important issue, we were on call from US discussion how to resolve an database issue. The call on my phone was going on for hours and we were checking the possibilities. In the mean time I felt like calling an acquaintance, which was not necessary that time and this idea came out of blue, usually when I am into something, I don’t usually get deviated.

Since my phone was not me and being used for the onsite discussion, I resorted to an old email which had his number. I used my office phone to call them and checked how are they doing.

Once the onsite call got completed I saw two missed call on my phone, from the same friend of mine, I thought he might have called again to tell me something but when I checked the timing he called me before I called him@ 7:05 PM and I called him @ 7:10PM.

I call it………6^th Sense..what will you………

Two states: One car

A friend of mine, who has relocated to Hyderabad 2months ago from Pune and bring along his  car, brand new i20, which bears Maharashtra registration. Two days ago his vehicle was seized by a vigilance team and he had to pay, life time tax in Andhra Pradesh. The tax which is 12% for new car is an heavy penalty.

Since the  seizure was done by senior vigilance officer, nothing could be done by the RTO officials. Otherwise he could have paid one year road tax along with some penalty, he could have saved lot of money.

Now as he has already paid lifetime road tax to AP, he can claim refund from Maharashtra by registering the vehicle in AP and surrendering the RC of Pune. There are lots of technicalities and nuances of these rules which are not available in any of the RTI portals. One can get some info from less reliable sources over Internet but can not be guaranteed.

State Governments of AP and Maharashtra and likes are claiming to implement e-governance, but fail to provide even basic of information to the user. and we suffer from this inability of government. we can be taken for a ride under exclusive rules which are not made available to mass.

If you are in Hyderabad: Vigilance team appears to be very active in Hyderabad since a week, seem they are running sort of revenues and out for collections. Keep your papers ready and reviewed.

Try searching for any such rules you will realize yourself.

If you spend time to read this blog. do a favor to yourself send feedback to RTI portals if you dont get information.

I will compile the information and place them in next post.

Better Safe than Sorry

The details came out of the case i reported in my previous blog.

http://expressbuzz.com/cities/hyderabad/4-held-for-killing-ibm-engineer%E2%80%99s-wife-mother/245365.html

Very young workers for aluminium frame for windows assumed that they will get big booty from the house, which they didn't.

I am afraid that when they come out from prison after completing the term, what will they become?

Security has been beefed up in the apartment, CCTV, recording, gate pass, security log, solar fencing and intercom...but if the crime will intended for such brutal plan and organised with 4-5 people, it can be only avoided with co-operations and precautions.

I would advise and recommend women's and elder people to take following precautions, which i gathered from various discussions after the incident.

1. Dont believe any worker blindly, despite since when you know them, mind that the culprit in above incident were working for almost one year.

2. Don't allow any outsider to work at home when alone, consider security guard or neighbour to accompany you.

3. Even for small time anyone is coming in house keep the main door open.

4. Advise security personnel to ask for small note to anyone who is carrying items from any house, if  residents are giving any item to maid or any outsiders they must send a note along.

5. Check from peep hole before opening door specially,when alone during afternoon.

6. Don't keep valuables left outside in open when outsiders are at home.

7. Don't discuss about valuables or show bullion or cash in your closet, in case carrying much even for short time.

when going out of home for long time, specially outstation. tell your neighbour and security personnel to visit the house and check for any deviations.

I used to feel all the above unnecessary, until i witnessed the incident in my apartment.

Its a sorry state that we cannot relax in our own home, but that is the reality let's face it.

21Mbps Vs 22 Knots

Creating blog site appeared easier than done, first step was easy i had Gmail account and need not to bother about what password to keep which is difficult to forget.

The next step was choosing appropriate URL, any word which appeared appealing was already taken by somebody or other. As a habit, whenever i get tired i retire my thought to my glorious past i.e. my merchant navy days...

I wanted to plagiarise the name of yahoo groups which belongs to our mariners community "22knots". its the speed to an old bulk carrier ship, which sails on high seas, fight waves and winds but moves on @the speed of 22 Knots to reach the harbour to rest epitomise life.

whereas 21Mbps is the maximum speed of 3G, it symbolises how life is changing, its moving so fast, few months ago we used to be happy with speed of 256 Kbps and used to dream about 2Mbps, and now 21Mbps is speed of the day that too on mobiles.

I prefer to blog about changes than constant so i choose 21Mbps over 22Knots.