Good Luck Happens!

I had the notion that most of the online sweepstakes, free coupons and similar such things are just to lure us in revealing our information and thereafter getting spammed was the end result. Also I had this belief that in case of any lottery, surprise gift cards, scratch cards etc. my luck is very bad. However, one fine days a few days ago I received a mail from Indiblogger with the subject titled "free KFC coupon".  

I was about to delete the mail but thought of reading it and then delete. Upon reading the mail I landed on the Indiblogger website which asked for my details for that free coupon to be delivered. Just to give it a try I gave my address details, although I was sure that nothing is going to happen. But then Good Luck Happens! I recieved a courier yesterday with the free coupon. What this has done is this shaken my earlier belief and I learned that yes good luck just happens, but only if you try.

Here are the pictures of the coupon that I received, thanks to the Indiblogger.com team:

The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn - The Experience

First things first, this is not a review of the movie as I am not in capacity of giving expert opinions on such masterpieces. This is more like sharing the experience of the movie. 

Image courtesy liverpoolecho.co.uk

Now having read after borrowing the books from kind friends and lovely neighbors I was really looking forward to the movie, especially since Spielberg and Jackman were coming together. As expected the movie has a mix of different stories but the spectator (yeah it was like watching an adrenaline pumping game) never ever misses the track as the story is very well woven. The 3D motion capture used in this movie has given it an amazing sense of reality even with the animated snowy doing a brilliant job. This is the best adaption of Tintin that I have seen on screen. 

The adventure starts off with Tintin buying a replica of the Unicorn ship and being accosted by mysterious looking men. What follows is a roller coaster ride of thrill and adventure as Tintin follows the clues looking for a story on the same. Daniel Craig as Ivan Sakharine stumps us with the evil performance. But the movie particularly belongs to captain haddock and Snowy. Other characters from the book also come alive in this movie with Bianca Castaffiore also getting a place.  The bike chase scene is one which will go down  in the history of this genre of filmmaking as an epic scene ( I have later come to know that it was a continuous take!). I feel even if someone who has never read or heard about Tintin (Is there someone?) they too would like the movie.

All in all a very well spent time and when I say the movie ended pretty fast I mean the time flew like seconds while the movie was on. It gives a hunger to see more and more of the adventure and that is what already makes the sequels worth waiting for. Personally I missed ‘thundering typoons’ from haddock although there was a healthy dose of”Blistering Barnicles”.

Great Snakes this is going to be a great Series!!

P.S: For interesting trivia on the movie visit this IMDB page

Sikkim - travelogue after the Earthquake

We had planned a Sikkim tour almost three months before the Puja Holidays. North Sikkim was unanimous decision and we booked the tour with the travel operator in Gangtok. Initially it was going to be a group of five, but as the days to the tour came nearer we started loosing partners as something or other came up either on home front or work which forced them to cancel the bookings and only two of us finally made it sure that this tour happens.

Destiny had something else in mind and when we were defying canceling the tour, a terrible earthquake shook the entire state with the maximum damage in the picturesque North Sikkim. This had almost sealed the fate of the tour to be cancelled, but the long holidays were not coming back again. Moreover with news coming in that apart from the northern part damage was less in west and south we re-scheduled the tour to visit Pelling, Ravangla etc.

One of the major reasons of going despite the earthquake was that we knew the operator will incur heavy monetary losses along with us and also that the Nathula –Changu lake route had been opened.

The Kolkata to Siliguri bus ride was the worst journey ever with roads caved in due to persistent rains. There was a delay of six hours in reaching Siliguri. The driver who picked us up was kind enough to wait for such a long time. Till this moment we were already feeling that we made the wrong choice, but from here started our beautiful moments.

The road conditions were not good in Sikkim and we were informed that the Earthquake had nothing to do with the condition of the roads; apparently this is the situation round the year. It was evening when we reached Gangtok and bad news hit us the moment we check into our hotel. Fresh landslides on the Nathula route had forced the Govt to stop issuing permits for tourists. So as compensation we were offered for a full day sightseeing of Gangtok. The place is beautiful and we did the usual sightseeing of the Rumtek Monastery, Ropeway ride, Do-Drul Chorten, Banjhakri falls etc. We were lucky to be the only tourists that day to visit the entire Rumtek Monastry, the rest room of the last Karmapa, the place where he used to wear the sacred cap, something which others do not get to see as tourists have the access to only ground floor of the main temple. The monastery has suffered heavy cracks in this recent earthquake.

Pelling is a smaller place than Gangtok and is at a distance far more than the distance between Gangtok and Siliguri. We went to Pelling via Ravangla in south Sikkim which is a tiny Hamlet with a tea garden. But the view of Kanchenjunga from this place is just awesome. Our sightseeing in Pelling was also very nice and we covered the entire place in two days including the Rabdenste ruins, the falls, rock Garden and the sacred wish fulfilling lake – Khecheolpari Lake. The place has a strange soothing silence that calms your mind and brings you to a standstill. The catch is to be at the place sans any other tourists, which we achieved by leaving the hotel early in the morning. We got some of the best views of the Kanchenjunga from our hotel balcony itself.

While returning from Pelling to Siliguri we got a driver who was present in Lachen during the Earthquake. We got the first hand experience of how bad the situation was and how after a 12 hour ordeal on those landslide stricken roads they were air lifted from Chungthang. According to the driver, it will take at least another six months for normalcy to return to North Sikkim.

All in all, what started off as a compromise tour later gave us some very nice moments and a long required holiday from the routine life at Kolkata. 

Humanity is not Dead Yet!

Picture this:


You had a stressful day at office, while retuning home you notice traffic is at its prime and some where your bike stops. You check and come to know you’re out of petrol. The nearest petrol pump is a KM away, you start pushing the bike to the pump and midway it starts to rain… now put this entire scenario in Kolkata. Get it… that was what I went through yesterday. The feeling when vehicles cross you spraying the mud water while you crawl on that very road with your boots is something you should not witness…

First things first Kolkata has petrol pumps in amazing awkward places, if you spot one chances are there will be five more in the vicinity but if can’t find one… it means on a radius of 2 Kms there is none and mind you Kolkata has more vehicles than the number of people it could sustain.

But this post is not about the traffic or road situation in Kolkata but how heart warming the people of Kolkata are… today if anything is precious it is compared to petrol, when you are out of it you know you have to reach that petrol pump and there’s no other way. Generally people don’t even bother looking at someone pushing a bike through the side of the road especially when you are returning home from office and its raining but I was actually offered petrol by two people. Yes, offering petrol is something honestly even I may not have done to a stranger but here I was a stranger in the city being offered fuel so costly and dear fuel by a complete stranger. On a highway in the dark of the night you may ay this could be expected but not in the city.

This small incident explains that humanity is still not dead and even if one does not wear those Being Human T-shirts they still have it in them. In my case since the petrol pump was few meters away I did not require the help, but it was still a very kind gesture and I salute the City of Joy for keeping the heart alive!!

Kolkata will be kolkata

Kolkata has the minimum road length among all the metros with 1,404 km, followed by 1,800 km in Chennai, 1,900 km in Mumbai and 25,948 km in Delhi. Hence the vehicle density in Kolkata is very high if not the highest among the different metro cities.

Therefore the Kolkata traffic police always have a hard time maintaining the traffic in order, but when ever a VIP or VVIP from the state government or similar (put anything here I don’t care) wishes to use the road they become hyper active in giving them a safe traffic less passage. While it may be important for their security and all, but in a state where road space is so low and every other person is a VVIP, where does the common man go?

At important intersections during office time one bloke wishes to have a ride on his Scorpio and the entire traffic is stalled. Alright the common man is habituated of suffering and sacrifices but Ambulances carrying patients should be given priority isn’t it! Well as the Bandh people have been doing this for decades, this may have become a standard among the traffic police also, but it’s just not acceptable.

Actually coming to think of it, the traffic police are helpless because the ground staff follows the orders of the top brass which is under political pressure. While the new government wants to give hassle free ride to the general public and the CM sets examples by traveling without the wireless relay ahead of her convoy some rather most of her fellow colleagues seem to enjoying the newly found taste of power. Among other things the party cadre who will always be party cadres irrespective of the party heading the government are also reaping in the benefits of coming into power. So much so that the thirst of 34 years is being quenched at one big gulp by them, What can we say except quote a line from Spiderman “With great power comes great responsibility”

Chemistry Lesson

Producing the awesome Chemistry cartoon I've seen on the net. The original is here: http://www.smbc-comics.com/

As I saw an option of putting this comic on my blog, so thought of keeping it for my own sake and the readers too.


P.S: I loved this comic so much because I am a chemistry graduate and I know how it feels for people who do want to learn this subject :-)

Bomb Blasts and Media Coverage

Bomb blasts have become a part of life for people in cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Islamabad or Kabul. While these cities have terrorism in common among themselves, India has been a regular target of the terrorists. Here is a timeline of terrorists’ attacks in India by India Real-time


While in the earlier times there were few news channels and lesser media coverage of these attacks, many people used to get the news of such blasts/ attacks after some delay. Then came hundreds of channels, everyone claiming to have exclusive footage of the crime scene, first hand information from the eyewitnesses…

The side effect of such media hype and sensationalism in the name of journalism was first experienced by us during the attack on the Taj Mahal hotel in Mumbai when apparently the terrorists got critical information regarding the rescue operations by NSG through the news channel videos. There was outrage among the cyber-citizens various social networking platforms about the inhumane coverage of the attacks. Opinions were ripe that changes should be brought about in the reporting of terrorist attacks and bombings.

But the media houses seem to have dished these views in the bin and move ahead with the cold hearted reporting of attacks with all the exclusivity in bringing the news of the death to the relatives of the victims. Taking a hard view and satirical observation one would say that these news channels feel elated that a blast/ attack has occurred and they will have hours of emotional/ gory footage to telecast. Also the new trend is to house in a panel of speakers and debate on the timings and procedure of the attacks or mock at the helplessness of the government in handling these attacks.

It’s high time that the government should bring in some change in the way the media broadcasts the news of such blasts and attacks. One may debate on the rights of the media in pure and unbiased journalism but when the question of safety of the common people arises someone should take control.

Paulography

Paulshutter's photostream on Flickr. Killing the laziness instead of the photographer in me.

And Happy 65th Independence Day!

Happy Birthday Kishore Da!!

Usually the ride to office is routine and boring and full of traffic etc etc, but today it felt nice to ride the distance primarily because the radio was playing beautiful Kishore Da Songs which was well supported by the weather.

Today is the birthday of the Genius Man, to be precise the 82nd birthday of the great singer, director… the list could go on. Those evergreen songs which even the GenY or GenZ (we used to call ourselves GenX) love and adore today and why not. So here’s a list of my favorite five comic songs that always brings a smile on my face:

1. Aake Seedhi Lagi Mere Dil Ko

2. Chil Chil Chilla Ke

 

3. Sing nei tobu nam tar singho (Bengali)

4. O Meri Pyari Bindu

5. Mannu Bhai Motor Chali

Sometime back I was listening to Kishore da’s interview on a radio channel where he mentioned that his favuorite singer was S.D Burman and he grew up listning to his songs and his one of the favourite songs was Dheere Se Jaana Bagiyan Mein by S. D Burman, which he later sang as the iconic song dheere se jana khatiyan me… here are the two songs:

1. dheere se jana khatiyan me

2. Dheere Se Jaana Bagiyan Mein-S D Burman (the Original)



What are your favourite Kishore da songs??

Londonisation of Kolkata

Kolkata will become London and North Bengal will become Switzerland. Apparently work will start for the Londonisation of Kolkata from 1^st of this August. Are you happy with this piece of news? Oh and one more thing, this is the promise of the new CM. Now there must be a smile on your face.

Well I don’t know if the above statements will become reality or not but I sincerely hope and pray for them to become reality. But how will that become reality when the entire city is nothing but pits and falls among something called roads or is it the pillars and “under construction road/metro/sewage” that should be called the stepping stone of becoming Kolkata?

Frankly I did not give a damn thinking about it, till the bug came to my doorstep. Yes my Doorstep. While I happily returned from work on a Monday, I found the road leading to my house and garage dug up. Now I don’t know where to park my vehicle and how to commute through the Mud Mountains.

Yes the general answer would be something like the department works and people question and when does not they question. But the thing is every work has a process. What if they dig up the road leading to Didi’s home? Oh my can they even dare to do so… but then I am not asking preferential treatment, its just one expects the civic body to have the minimum civic sense.

I guess the simplest solution would be to rename Kolkata to London. Yeah as they did to the metro stations, now when you go to Tollygunge from Dum Dum all you ask at the counter is দাদা দুটো উত্তম কুমার দেবেন আর একটা সূর্য সেন. (Two Uttam kumar and one Surya Sen please in the Queen’s Language)

Mere dreaming and planning of change will not bring change but implementation that is precise of a plan that is accurate will keep the smile and admiration on everyone’s lips. Ok my ranting is over but my problem is not. Where do I park my Vehicle?

Help a child

If you read and follow news then you would definitely know about "Super 30" which has gained attention among the major cities of the world and has been praised all over.

The idea is talented students should get the opportunity to showcase their talent. But, sometimes finances get in the way. I have studied under an education loan. I was lucky to get a loan and fulfill my dreams. Not everyone is Lucky or financially able to get a loan. But there are immensely talented students out there. The following is an NGO working for the dreams of such students.

Help A Child to Study sponsors the higher education of meritorious underprivileged students, supporting them to achieve dreams of a better future. We sponsor all formal courses above 10th, including 11th and 12th, diploma courses, degree courses, B.E., M.B.B.S. and Postgrad. Through education our students are able to escape the cycle of poverty through their own talents.

We are very proud of our students - who are the children of labourers, small scale farmers, weavers and other families with low incomes. These students have enormous potential to succeed and only need financial support to do so. We are thrilled that today some of our graduates are placed with large companies such as Mahindra Tech, L&T, and TATA Consultancy Services.


Support: Education, higher education, sponsorship of students.

For more details you can visit them here: Help a Child

This post is a part of BlogAdda's Bloggers Social Responsibility (BSR) initiative. I am exercising my BSR. You can too with three simple steps. Visit http://www.blogadda.com/bsr/ and support the NGO's.

Being "inhuman" to Being Human

This piece of news got me writing after a short break of dull routine life. No no… this is by no means something hip and happening. Actually it’s a matter of shame.

Crowd watches as goons kill man on street in Coimbatore



photo courtesy hindustan times



This piece of news is not from a farming village of UP or from the small towns of yeateryear Bihar. This is form the one state which boasts of very high literacy rates, educated and cultured people and very less violence. Fortunately there was electronic eye-witness that helped the police.

Although we are now at ease with watching violence and deaths on TV, where the media reaches a remote accident spot before the administration and now we have on lookers who would enjoy the live action rather than helping someone in need or at the least call the cops.

There have debates that people generally keep themselves away from such situations due to various reasons. One of them being the harassment of becoming an eye-witness, basically the problems faced by eye-witness always goes unnoticed. First, once you become witness, you invite the wrath of the goons and become their next target. The police instead of engaging into witness protection programs will harass them with visitation to the police station umpteen times just for the sake of it.

But, this has to end somewhere, because the violence will rise just like inflation and no amount of policy changes can reduce them. People need to be more “human” when such situations arise. It is not expected that some heroic young guy will beat the goons and help the victims, but at the very least get the police to help them and the police should also try and provide lesser hassles for people who help a wounded on the street or take and accident victim to a hospital.

The more we think of ‘only’ the safety of ourselves the more we put us in risk. There has been much such news in the past where people from one apartment suffered and others in the vicinity did not even notice for months that things were going wrong.

Reminds me of the poem/quote by the anti-Nazi theologian Martin Niemöller:

First they came for the Jews,

and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a Jew.

Then they came for the trade unionists,

and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a trade unionist.

Then they came for the communists,

and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a communist.

Then they came for me

and there was no one left to speak out for me



Sandakphu Trekking

Why Sandakphu

The Sleeping Buddha

Sandakphu is the culminating point of many trekking routes in the Darjeeling-Sikkim region. At an altitude of 3,636 m, it is located at a distance of 58 km. from Darjeeling. Maneybhanjang, at an altitude of 2134 m., is the gateway to the Sandakphu-Phalut Trekk route. Maneybhanjang, a small town. - can be reached from Siliguri via Ghoom or via Mirik. Sandakphu is the Paradise of Trekkers. Sandakphu is a vantage point from where one can see four of the world's five highest peaks - Everest, Kanchenjunga, Makalu and Lhotse in a continuous snow-clad arc. The place is resplendent with the ethereal beauty of Magnolias, Rhododendrons, Primulas and other sub-alpine flowers which are seasonal and change the entire trekking path every season. It also contains more than 600 varieties of orchids. Although open to tourists and trekkers round the year, the monsoon months of July-August are not suggested. For beginners this trek should be the one to start off.

The Trek Plan

Maneybhanjang is the base point or the start of point of this trek. From Maneybhanjang there are two routes that lead to Tumbling. One is an 11km trekking route through Meghma and Tonglu and the other one is from Dhotrey where the trekking route is 6.5 km. The route from Dhotrey is surrounded with long grasses and thick forest while the one through Megma is more exploring the beauty of villages in the hills and the scenic beauty.

Adventure Begins

Our trek plan was to explore the flora and fauna of this trek path and hence we chose Dhotrey, Also it saves sometime as the distance is lesser.

Dhotrey to Gairibans (12 kms):-- Porters or guides are available from Maneybhanjang or Dhotrey. But taking porters is very much necessary as they have the exact knowledge of the entire trek and are also helping hand in carrying the luggage. Within the start of the trek the forest begins to welcome the trekkers. The height increase is not very steep but the path is not a graveled path. This portion of the trek is soul soothing with absolute silence barring the birds chirping at some intervals. Depending upon the stamina and speed this portion of the trek can be covered in 5-6 hours. Tumbling is on the Nepal border and if the skies are happy you can have a nice view of the range from here only. There are only two trekkers’ huts in Tumbling; one can either have night halt here or at Gairibans which is walk downhill from Tumbling. We chose to stay at Gairibans after having a sumptuous meal in tumbling.

Gairibans to Kalipokhri (13km):-- Kalipokhri trek is not steep with a gain of 150 meters over 13 kms walk and is supposed to be easy on the legs. Kalipokhri gets its name from a small pond black in color, this is a holy place for those following Buddhism. The place is very nice for staying with lots of options for staying and preparing for the steep climb the Sandakphu the next day. This portion can be completed in 6-7 hours.

Kalipokhri to Sandakphu (10 km):-- The trek is of 10 kms and with altitude gain of over 600 metersbeing a steep climb there would be many stops in between so it is better to carry some chocolates for energy. This is the toughest part of the trek with altitude gain every few meters but the view and beauty of the place will keep motivating and the trek will be over before you knew it. One has to buy coupons at Bhikaybhanjang for entering into the Singalila national forest. Stay at Sandakphu is pleasant and clear skies will mesmerize everyone with the view of the range. We were unlucky the first time as clouds played hide and seek with us and we also had to face rains during this portion.

The View:-- Next day all of us were up at 5 AM to catch sunrise and Kanchenjunga, Everest Himalayan ranges. We were awarded with clear blue skies and perfect views of the Kanchenjunga. Nevertheless I sat there for a long time absorbing all the sceneries and will remember those for a long time.

Sandakphu to Srikhola (16kms):-- The trek is down hill via Gurdum, about 16kms and for a change through lush forest mostly bamboo trees and it is a test for everyone’s knees. Some rare red faced Pandas live here, only 30 are supposed to exist. Gurdum is actually in between a valley covered by lush green mountains. The place can bee seen from the top and is like a mirage that never comes and hours go by. One can have lunch at Gurdum, food here is nice and people are warm in welcoming. Srikhola is a tourist attraction in itself barring the trekkers. The mountain creeks gradually take the shape of a small waterfall and here it culminates into a gushing mountain river. There’s a hanging bridge which sways with winds and visitors love this place. If you start in the morning Srikhola can reached by the evening time. From Srikhola one walk up to Rimbik from where cabs to Darjeeling and Siliguri are plenty.

Camera/ Video camera fees have to be paid at Maneybhanjang itself. Although the entire trek is actually via Phalut and then to Srikhola but we did not have the time to cover the entire trek so we descended from Sandakphu instead.

In case you want to enjoy the place through my pictures you can find them Here!

P.S: This post has been drafted by my friend and roommate @rudyonmove

Caveat Emptor: Let the Buyer Beware!!

Websites that offer huge discounts on products and services in your area/locality/city are burgeoning like mushrooms these days. Mostly the products or services on offer are not the everyday necessities but in general cater to giving you a slice of that lavish lifestyle you always dream of. 

Courtesy : americanbedu.com

The general idea is to get many buyers for the seller and thus create a win-win-win situation for all. The seller is happy as the sales reach the peaks. The buyer is happy to get hold of a good bargain and the service provider is happy to make a commission out if and create its loyalists.

SoSasta was a start up which became an instant hit when Groupon a World Giant in this field decided to enter India and bought the start up.  Having subscribed for the Kolkata deals and regularly getting tempting offers, I decided to buy a watch given the huge discount on offer. The process to buy the voucher was streamlined but the customer would always keep wondering about the delivery and purchase options as full details were missing.

The contact number provided keeps ringing and no one picks the same. I was lucky to reach them on my tenth try and spoke to lady who was very helpful to stating that apparently there is no voucher required for the sale whereas the email I received stated that voucher will be sent soon. Next I was asked to send a mail with all details but no response from the service providers till today. Every business organization must understand that this is the era of customer satisfaction. While a prompt service might not have forced me to blog about it but poor service will always do…

One search on twitter and I learnt I was not alone:

‎	PurpleMossE‎ Hello someone from @SoSasta pls write back...one of ur offers bought has incomplete details... Twitter - 700032 16 May 2011

‎	sum1‎ @SoSasta Sent 2 emails to contact@sosasta.com. Last one was 10 days ago. Still no reply. Call that customer service bcoz I don't

While the online shopping scenario is picking up speedily in India with international service providers heading to the country like Amazon which now provides free shipping and sites like Flipkart are creating benchmarks in customer delight, such bad experiences will leave people with a bitter taste in mouth. 

Update: 
People from SoSasta have explained about the issue with their vendor for the deal and have also mentioned to take steps towards informing the customers about such situations in future. Its good when companies take the extra pain to reach out to all their customers big and small.


This episode also explains how internet and social media interaction is changing the dynamics between Businesses and consumers.