2007 = movies + so many other things.

The last day of the year. This is the only time of the year when we recollect all achievements and analyze the misfortunes and mistakes of ours, obviously for betterment.

The sad feeling of the one-month holiday coming to an end creeps in, while I sit in the couch and swap channels in the TV, to gain information on tomorrow’s specials. I now think. :)

Is it not the best time for the television channels to telecast programs that inspires the common man and gives him a head start for the year?
On the contrary what I see is only these interviews with actors, titillating song sequences and dumb discussions which I feel have no educational value at all. Honestly, any average mind if given an option, will choose something like an interview with Abdul kalam or Narayana murthy over an frivolous chit-chat with Namitha or Simbu.(hey nothing against namitha! and simbu deserves this! :)

Definitely there were other exciting things too in 2007, than movies and serials.
Instead of every channel selecting the best song, stunt sequence, director, lights-man etc. doing something different like identifying best sports person from the state or choosing the best maintained constituency, most able IAS officer etc. will not in any day bring down the TRP ratings, rather it induces a positive attitude in the minds of the viewers.

With reality shows gaining popularity and people s attitude changing, hope next Jan 1 will be different with respect to these Sun, Raj, and Vijay etc.

Thala!!

Hey!! One has to really appreciate ultimate star ajith for him daring to come to an interview(actually 2) without dyeing his hair. Those white streaks depict the experience, confidence and guts to believe in what he is. Hats off thala!!!. Remember, only the superstar himself would dare to come out without the make-up. The path is set. right??

Say how is this?:

Whether hell or heaven,
It was 2007.
Now it is 2008.
Go, prove your might!!

Happy new year 2008 !!

There is nothing called the End!

The times are such that every single youth in the country is dreaming of becoming the next tata or ambani or a mittal. The days are gone when people who do not get jobs resort to business as their last hope. In the past few years we have witnessed so many bright young chaps boldly rejecting fabulous international job offers and trying to start their own ventures be it a eat-out or a holiday resort or simple net cafes.
Though most of them are successful in their own way, it should also be noted that the society has started to acknowledge and accept failures. Rather, some high profile concern in the Silicon Valley has openly stated that it would prefer those who have an unsuccessful start-up history to their top managerial jobs.
Being a premier institute admitting in the best of the Indian youth to its courses, many in our college feel accomplished after landing on to a job at the campus. Even those who had those big dreams have started calculating the opportunity costs and few have already decided to grow with their company itself.
Before arriving at such a conclusion, remember that we fall in the top 1 percent country’s youth (at least that’s what statistics say!) and if not us then no one else can even think to follow their dreams. And about the fears of risk etc. I would like to point out that we will not be reduced to rags and start living on the streets if at all failure befalls us. Opportunities are plenty and are everywhere. It is for you to spot and reap or rape them.

I am remembered about this man who makes money in a astonishing way.

The Mumbai metro trains run fully packed day and night. Any one who travels without a valid ticket can be fined up to Rs. 500. Spot checking is carried out occasionally and the person getting caught is fined and a proper bill is given. Now, this brilliant fellow though uneducated has devised something like an insurance plan in which he gives a identification card to his customers at a price which is half the price of the regular season ticket and for the concerned month the customer is entitled to full re-imbursement of the fined amount. So the customer does not sweat or panic on seeing the Traveling Ticket Examiner, he coolly pays the fine but remembers to collect the receipt.
None of us would have ever thought of this idea, though illegal it is innovative and first-class!

So just before deciding your path say to yourself: ‘This is my ONLY life!!’

Will be back.

yo! ppl.

i have been very busy for the past one week and did not find any time to post entries.do keep checking out for some interesting stuff!!!!. But i have something interesting here too.. check this link out. Get to see a new dimension of creative blogging

http://www.dayinpictures.co.uk/

Color colour what kalar do you see ??


hello people, this is my art attack!!!!

Berkeley's point of departure is that the mind perceives ideas. These ideas are:

(1) Ideas of sense, such as colors, smells, shapes, and so forth;

(2) Ideas of reflection, such as ideas of volition, pain, sadness, and so forth;

(3) Ideas of the imagination, such as unicorns and chimeras, as well as dreams, etc., which are merely a combination of (1) and (2).

what do you perceive of the image ?

let me see??

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LUNCH @ THE HINDU...with those who talk to you daily but you never get to see them.



Hi everyone,
This entry gives you some insight in to a different aspect of the motoring world.

I happened to meet Mr.S.Muralidhar, motoring editor of the Hindu Businessline news-daily. He is basically an auto analyst who has been reviewing and test riding bikes and cars for the past hmmm…more than ten years at least.

While chatting with him at his office at the Kasturi buildings (for the uninformed its The Hindu’s head office at Anna salai,chennai) , i was surprised to hear that he is basically a chartered accountant by qualification(I can hear your “ooh” s and “aah” s) and now pursuing a full time writing career as an automobile analyst. Maybe, that’s what they call “following the passion”. I also learnt that “The Hindu” is planning to launch a magazine exclusively for content on automobiles and some part on latest electronic gadgets. Good news eh.. hope they keep the prices down initially to impress the market with their quality.

I had a chat with him for about some good 3 hours or so and learnt so many things.
Thought I would share some.


• I realized that we at NIT-Trichy have a very good quality to boast about. It is our large network of friends from different places, through whom we are recognized initially. This fellow happens to be the cousin of aditya kalyanakrishnan (popularly known as (p.k.a) kalyani).so it was initially very easy to start the discussion and maybe this is what helped to prolong it. Thank you kalyani!

• An auto analyst has a very busy schedule traveling around the world, visiting motor shows and attending conferences organized by the auto companies. His recent trip was to bologna (Bo-lon-ya), Italy.(Koduthu vaichavaru!!).
The popular motor shows like Frankfurt, Geneva etc. are open to the media well before they are open to the general public. So, if you want to be the first one to comment on the Tata s one lakh car introducing at the delhi motor show(JAN 2008), kaushikram007@gmail.com is my e-mail address. :)

• He gets to drive most of the cars even before they are launched. Organized test drives are a pleasure as you get to drive long a new car in one of the best highways. Last time, he was allowed to take home a new Hyundai i 10 and return it whenever he is done with it.

• Just like many of us, he has nt got a chance to drive sports cars like lamorghini s and Ferrari s. But he is very confident that he’ll soon get a chance to ride them too. All the best sir, at least you have a better chance than most of us do.

• This is for my personal satisfaction; he has tried some of the tractors too and I think he said they were amazing to ride!!(Just got a confirmation from google that I can write anything in this space!!)

• He neither has any complaints against his job nor does he complain of work related stress. The only thing is the space constraint, which restricts him to write only a side (on a newspaper!!!) every week which he usually exceeds and that poses, a tough job for the lay-out designer.

• So, if you ask me about the other side of the coin, he usually has very little time for his family and friends and the work may demand his presence any time as one cannot predict, which company is to launch what , where and when.

• And the journalist part of the profession, brings in threat-calls and the other mishaps associated.


His concerns:

During the talk, I felt that most of us Indian drivers are not aware of the usage of some of the most basic features in automobiles. Prominent among the many is the difference between the Dim and Dip adjustment of the front head lamps. The other one is considering essential features like ABS(Anti-Lock Braking Systems) and Air-bags. I feel this is very much true as you may know when you browse through the features of cars sold in foreign countries, I can assure that you will not find any car without these. But in India, these are optional which means that an average buyer will not even try to know about these.
But nothing will change until they stop manufacturing cars with only single rear view mirror (they are cutting costs it seems. Production engineers are not here to blame as it was the design!)


http://www.truthABOUTtoyota.com

Recently, this site caught my attention and anyone reading it would definitely change their stance about the famous Japanese automaker. To clarify the doubts he just gave an analogy

“Imagine the kind of criticism a shuddha brahmanan would face, when for the first ever time he strikes a conversation with the village beauty”

I hope you get the point.
Toyota has been successful in making cars for the Japanese markets, where fuel efficiency and eco-consciousness are a part of the custom, a condition very similar to the situation existing in India. People are not surprised when the illiterate street sweeper enquires about your car’s mileage. So ,after surviving these markets obviously when Toyota starts manufacturing cars for the American buyer who prefers a big car, despite showing himself as a green guy etc, it is mandatory that to realize profits they have to compromise on fuel efficiency for better design and glam.

Things never said about the YO! Bikes

Though the cost of driving the bikes were advertised as 10 paise per km , it has to be noted that the lead acid batteries have a replacement time of 3 years. Replacement costs are around Rs.7500/-!!. So it is nt that economical.

Another issue is about the capacity of the bike.


Q: Is it powerful enough to take me and my girlfriend to the nearby pizza hut?
A: The answer is straight NO, then where is the question of bringing you two back home?


Q: Hmm...Ok, can I ride from G.N chetty road to Satyam cinemas on a bright Sunday afternoon?
A: Why not? Sure!! But avoid the Anna fly-over, it might roll backwards on the way.


Bangalore s story:

Anyone visiting Bangalore would have felt the popularity of these REVA cars over there.

The success can be attributed to three reasons.

1. The slow and irksome traffic. It is a place where laws of time and distance never valid. It is also that when you for direction, they answer in minutes of travel and not in distance.

2. the mentality of people. These people in the services industry are well-educated and more than that they are ecologically aware. They chose to contribute in this way though they know that they are paying more.

3. Reva is based in Bangalore. Hence, easy access to spares and service.


Well, things are going too much in detail .let me draw a stop line here. We went on discussing about France implementing electric cars 30 years back as their Public Transport, Toyota prius being popular in Hollywood, few concept cars,superleggera meaning super light(it s not the name of Lambo car, there is a Ferrari superleggera too),lambo naming culture, his trip to Italy, fiat palio…….. and so much more ….


Coming back with non-auto article soon…..

Title may be:

How Nitt ians become POACHERS …….. (based on a true life story)

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2nd BIKEX -----A visit to remember.



Hi everyone here I come back with another entry. hope it finds its place among billions(may be I counted less!) of other stories.

Yesterday it was just another normal Sunday but for the visit to the 2^nd BIKEX India bike exhibition at the Chennai trade centre.

About a month or two ago, one of my friends in trichy, a bike enthusiast had told about the event and about his plans to attend it.

So when I gave him a ring on Saturday afternoon, I learnt that unfortunately he would not be able to make it to the exhibition at Chennai.

I spent some time in the night in gathering information about the exhibition. It was the second of its type to be organized in India.

The first one was a huge success at New Delhi early this year and this the first one here at Chennai aims to bring together the national and international manufacturers and traders of Motorcycles, Scooters, and Bicycles and its parts, components and accessories. The show is organized by Sunstar Expositions Private Limited,New Delhi.

After spending the morning in a frivolous way watching silly comedy scenes etc. in the small screen, I thought I would give a call to my good old friend Sathya and I was surprised to hear that he was also interested in visiting a bikex.

The Travel

Chennai trade centre is situated at nandambakkam. The place is easily accessible from anywhere in Chennai(though it is quite far from places like triplicane etc.). In case you take a share-auto its just Rs10/-. away from guindy railway station.J

The show:

The entry was just a nominal thirty rupees. The place defied all my expectations about a bike exhibition as it did not have any power bikes or race Bikes or either any popular auto giants displaying their concepts and yet-to-be introduced technologies. Though the organizers boast of international participation,either they were not so keen on inviting Indian big-shots like bajaj,enfield etc or may be those companies did not value this opportunity as a productive one. But though TVS had a stall displaying its new FLAME 125cc and its other scooty pep variants, there was not a single technical person who can answer questions like “where is the 3 rd valve-the bike’s specialty located?”. The answer got was “in the engine!!!!”. Needless to say ,I was stumped!.

Electrifying exhibits

Hero ultra and Yo! Bikes were the centre of attention , not because they occupied more than half of the floor space and also not because they had appointed mini-skirt models to help you on the details but because of the technology they sell. A joint venture between hero cycles and ultra motor company of UK,the company is manufacturing a range of revolutionary electric bikes and scooters. The scooters are sleek and come in 7 variants and 6 of these models do not demand drivers license or all those registration or road tax tortures. You can gift these to any kid on his birthday and need not make him wait till 16 or 18.yes! there is no age limit!!!.And all those child prodigies who drive santros at an age when they cannot even do their homework alone ,can better try their hands on these.

The owners can now smile with a reason when they hear gossips about rise in petrol prices and they can even stop frowning at the kid at the petrol bunk for letting that one drop fall down. The costs they say is as low as just 10 paise per km which is one-tenth the running cost of petrol 2-wheelers.i never tested these and it is for you to believe but critics say that it is just a little above the price quoted, and if it is the case it is fantastic!. The vehicle is noise free(“why dint I try honking those horns??”) and hence you and I cannot switch channels when we recognize papa’s bike arriving!!

Nothing good in life comes without the price!!! Even these bikes. At least not until another decade or so.

Though these come with the same price tag as a scooty pep+ or ++, the maximum speed you can expect here is just 40 kmph!!! Do not panic.this is the max. speed on the costliest ride in this segment. Others have it at 25kmph max. this means that if you want to ride to your workplace or college at say somewhere on the ECR, you would nt be partying late in the night.

Another major limitation is the battery charging time which is a constant 6 to 8 hours and a fully charged battery can fuel you only up to 70 kilometres.

Reading through the pamphlet,I found this thing interesting.

**The vehicles are not deemed to be motor vehicles for compliance to CMVR requirements and are exempted as per criteria specifies in GSR589 (E) dated 16.09.2005

So, just consult your banker whether you can avail an automobile loan and all its benefits. But this is just a beginning. As our automobile sir says “ a lot of research is going on and on” and at the present rate of support from organizations world over, we can expect a lot to change. Maybe in a few years ahead we can see those beautiful petrol and diesel engines only at a museum.

Another interesting information was about how Mc-donalds(Andheri-lokhandwala) uses 40 YO! Bikes to meet their delivery commitment and Hypercity mall too has replaced its fleet with Yo!. Kudos to these eco-responsible corporates!! Instead of bearing huge import charges on petroleum governments can subsidise such projects which can be a measure to counter pollution and also reduce dependency on the middle-east.

So, think twice before gifting your wife or loved ones with a normal bike.J

What else?

Another main attraction was the rough surface rider and the caddie type car that TamilNadu government had bought (I think three),for its chief minister to see around exhibits and to travel short distances inside campuses. A magazine shop gave out two magazines at the cost of one and food stalls were also not to miss.

The surprise!

The organizers for some bizarre reasons had made arrangements for a ramp walk. Even though I was fairly comfortable with models posing with those heavy bikes in foreign motor shows, it was quite odd to see a ramp show being organized with these delhi models walking amidst the crowds here at Chennai. Maybe the organizers tried to surprise the crowd.

Being a bike enthusiast myself, though I would like to reinstate that expectations were not fulfilled. This may be because of the wrong time of visit, probably all those bike stunts, bike marathons and bike races got over in the first two days itself. But as it is the first ever time a bike show is happening in Chennai, it is a must visit for all those bike freaks living in and around.

Cya soon..

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