Passport Application Experiences

I realized two things about Governments & me - one, I am not capable of understanding how Government works, the way that they do, and two, why common sense and logic have no place in any Government office.

So here are some learnings that I'd like to pass on to others:

1. RTI is simple & easy, its' a tool you should wield at the slightest doubt.

2. When the passport status stays as Passport application is under review at Regional Passport Office for 15 days or more, then the best course of action is to file an RTI, demanding explanation for this delay. Usually, you'll get a reply within 30 days with clear details on what went wrong.

3. Trust Murphy's Law to work 100% during Police Verification stage. Leave NOTHING to logic, common sense or make any assumptions.

4. By "Locality" (for references) in passport application the Government of India means the same building, at-least for Mumbai. For other cities, please draw a parallel to that, typically someone who can hear you if you shout - they are looking for trouble-makers, remember.

5. To counter the "No-bribe policy" enforced at passport office, they have collectively adopted a "Give-pain policy". To beat that, Talk! Folks are helpful, so talk to people until you find a good Samaritan who'll give you good advice.

I sincerely hope that no-one has to step into the Passport office for the kind of reason I went through, however if you do, please don't have any other plans for that day, as it'll leave you tired physically and "devastated" mentally at the sheer lack of reason that Government departments operate with.

Good Luck.

Rowdy Rathore: A Martians View?

Just had the misfortune of watching a disgusting, filthy, uncivilized and crass junk packaged into a celluloid format called Rowdy Rathore.

When did Hindi cinema hit such low points? Is this the price one has to pay for knowing Hindi? Rather, is this why we are making Hindi compulsory at schools?

What ails our society that leads us to create such movies is absolutely unfathomable, poking fun at poverty, visualizing crass fantasies, demonstrating the might of evil and above all, thoroughly badly behaved leads. If this movie is mainstream, I'm certain I'm a Martian.

SOS: India in a firm grip of corruption

India is in grave danger of turning into a rogue state in the near future.The pseudo socialism, crony capitalism and feudal history at work in public and national governance has taken India deeper into mess, which is too late to be cleansed from within.

The firm grip of politicos with criminal background over law enforcement, policy, welfare programmes, public finances amongst many others is beginning to show its manifestation through rampant large scale corruptions in sports, mining, telecom airwaves and even defence. The politicos at the helm are indulging in the worst form of governance via mud-slinging, character assasinations, unjustified and overt usage of power, unreasonable and senseless arguments and very recently, employment of lawyers and professionals to bend media and public opinion.

The media is in a worse state, its left with no choice but to side with those in power, as the government does not bat an eyelid before indulging in vendetta outbursts.The dependence of media on an overtly opaque bureaucracy and a system that functions on priciples of favouritism is there for all to see. What foreign media calls complete intellectual bankruptcy, the national media seem to state is only a passing "bad" phase of governance in an otherwise healthy government.

Indian politics itself is run on petty, shallow matters like caste, subsidies and black money plays a pivotal role in the selection of representatives. In the initial years after independence, this phenomenon was sprinkled with a fresh whiff of nationalism and pride of public service. However, the sudsequent governments have taken out most of the good politicos and have established a system which does not give any chance for well-intended genuine candidates. Why? Lets' look at the key reasons -
1. Corrupt and criminals have no deterrent. On the contrary, they have a strong purpose to be in power, as the judiciary - which has been kept purposely inefficient - takes way too long to deliver justice.
2. Lawlessness - be it in cities, villages or  any small towns - is rampant, and naturally leads to the dominance of those in power. In simpler terms - Laws of the Jungle still apply wholly in India.
3. Appeasement of religious and caste minorities, both abstract, unscientific, and terribly shallow concepts.
4. Creation of toothless bodies to oversee elections, law, public account and corruption.
5. Zero efforts at nationalism.

We should not forget that India represents 1/6th of humanity, and the few people that are entrusted with the well-being and governance of them are no less than a pack wolves preying on anything that has meat on it. Indian population welfare is in the interest of humanity, and this government is clearly detrimental to the welfare of 1/6th of world population. It should not only be removed, but ensured that it never finds it way into power anytime during the 21st century.

Manaswi joins Dr. Pillai Global Academy, Gorai

Mia started her school today - 13 June 2012 - a day me and Sony were both feared and longed for. The first step for our little daughter - away from us, towards the society that she will be part of. Happy tears, and heart filled with pride and hope that she takes a very different path in this journey than what was available for her parents, finds people that help her shape her personality positively, and above all makes her life complete in all respects. 

This has got  to be the most difficult time for us - parents - but at the same time I want her to know that I wish her the very best that life has to offer, and will always be there for her, no matter what life has in store for her. 

Go fly little bird, your wings will take you places.

Would Tablet replace Laptops?

Unlikely.

The two devices will serve two clearly delineable area - casual everyday computing and serious business.I would never imagine doing any sort of serious code / design on the tablet nor would I probably be doing emails and photo-browsing on the laptop.

This is clearly an evolutionary step, I was missing seriously, but love the idea of being connected on the go hereafter!

My first blog post from a tablet

Today I managed to find the time to purchase a Samsung Galaxy Tab, v.750. Still evaluating though, but typing this blog entry is quite painful. But I will post a more detailed review of the tab.

Ton-Tonna-Ton: Sachin Tendulkar > Cricket > BCCI

Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. He is the last of its' kind, and there never shall be another one. Why? He represents that golden era of Mumbai's when the balance between open spaces and its' population was still undisturbed, when its' populace knew what Hard Work meant, where the ambitions were soaring, and the future was as bright as summerday sunshine.

Sachin Tendulkar was a product of a generation untouched by instant fame, instant money, and cricketers still believed in ensuring long careers. The "young" lot today from small towns and fringe villages are hardly inspiring to watch nor is their brand of cricket commercial. When the Dhoni's & Raina's become the face of Indian Cricket, start expecting chaddi-banian, gutka manufacturers to become primary sponsors of cricket matches, as that's the kind of crowd they are gonna pull. Dhoni, with his despicable batting style, and "smarter-than-god" demeanour looks set to sell a lot of MDH masale and Amul underwears.

The day Sachin retires, is when Cricket retires from our television, unless theres' a master class batsman that rises in India. Arjun Tendulkar is promising, but he's hardly middle-class, the dude is not gonna care rats' ass if he gets' selected or not.

I am particularly worried about the whole concept of Sports in India, where winner get celebrated, regardless of their performance. I remember a Davis Cup match in Kolkata, where the Indian crowd was so partisan that one Mr. Goran Ivanisovic was disgusted, and gave up fighting for victory out of the discouragement on offer.

Indian Cricket - be forewarned - the sport is neither amazing nor entertaining without the likes of Sachin or Sehwag. Start searching for the next Sachin, or be prepared to sell Amul underwears.

Lastly, my sincere thanks to Sachin Tendulkar, thank you very much, you gave us hope, happiness and the spirit that made us what we are. Confident, well-studied, aggresive and above all - successful.

Mumbai's Bravehearts

Thank you Keenan and Santos. My promise to you - in true spirit of your "do the right thing" attitude, I swear I will always do the right thing, whether it kills me, or puts my family at risk. I don't want my kids to be growing up in a society that's berift of values, is teethering on poverty, and has serious issues with integrity.

Sheet Music for Kahin to hogi wo - Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na

Today I came across this highly useful tutorial to play Kahin to hogi wo from Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na.

Thought I should do my bit and created this sheet music based on the video - was quite late, so may have some mistakes.

ABC according to Google.co.in

I'd compiled a list of 1st suggested site when an alphabet is typed in Google.com.

See full post here: http://kolekar.blogspot.com/2011/10/abc-according-to-googlecom.html

The next logical step was to check what Google.co.in(dia) returned for the Alphabets.

Here's the definitions as per Google.co.in:

A = AirTel.co.in
B = BSEIndia.com
C = ESPNCricInfo.com
D = DTE.org.in
E = EBay.in
F = FaceBook.com
G = Google.co.in
H = HDFCBank.com
I = IRCTC.co.in
J = JustDial.com
K = FlyKingfisher.com
L = in.LinkedIn.com
M = MPSC.gov.in
N = Nokia.co.in
O = Orkut.com
P = IndianRail.gov.in/PNR_Stat.html
Q = BrainyQuote.com
R = RediffMail.com
S = Songs.pk
T = TimesOfIndia.IndiaTimes.com
U = UPSC.gov.in
V = Vodafone.in
W = www.FaceBook.com
X = XE.com
Y = YouTube.com
Z = Zedge.net

ABC according to Google.com

Had some time to kill today, and managed to compile this list of 1st suggested site when an alphabet is typed in Google.com.

e.g. Typing A automatically shows Amazon.com as the first result. Imagine the popularity of such sites that are linked to one of the 26 letters of the English Alphabet.

PS: Q is still open for takers, as the site returned didn't appear to be commercial to the extent others are.

Anyway - here's the full according to google.com.

A = Amazon.com
B = BestBuy.com
C = CraigsList.com
D = Dictionary.Reference.com
E = EBay.com
F = FaceBook.com
G = Google.com
H = HotMail.com
I = iPhone5Release.org
J = JetBlue.com
K = Kohls.com
L = Lowes.com
M = MapQuest.com
N = NetFlix.com
O = Orbitz.com
P = Pandora.com
Q = BrainyQuote.com
R = RedBox.com
S = SouthWest.com
T = Target.com
U = USPS.com
V = Verizon.com
W = Weather.com
X = XBox.com
Y = YouTube.com
Z = Zillow.com

Finished reading a very disturbing article.

Officials at Risk as India’s Graft Thrives (NYTimes)

Is there nothing in our constitution that will stop such criminals from infesting Public Service?

Why can't a massive army backed public health & education campaign be undertaken in any state ranking in the bottom three of "National GDP Contribution Index"? Is it so difficult to show a mirro to already unfortunate people?

Please - will anybody, answer their own conscience?

Lokpal Bill 2011 (?)

India never lacked laws, rather its' their enactment. Hawking, Traffic, Tax-Evasion, Pollution, Civic Contracts et al, are not in a mess due to lack of law, rather due to lack of their implementation. I'm not cynical, but not yet a believer either.

During the last two weeks, the Indian Government has been witness to the overwhelming force of public opinion pertaining to Corruption in Public Office. The UPA Government tried every trick in its' book from ridicule, merciless character assasination, fradulent charges and - as witness yesterday from the speech of an undeserving leader - denial of fitness of purpose.

I hate that politician, especially after learning about his truth from Subramanian Swamy's video on youtube.com, and such individuals, not content at sucking the Indian resource-pool dry for decades, take recourse of such antics at every opportunity they get.

Anyway, coming back to the point, a strong Lokpal Bill, will make it immensely difficult for those occupying public office to indulge in corruption, but there is a tremendous will amongst the bureaucracy to make the most of the powers given to them, and as the old adage goes - where there's a will, there's a way.

I am sure the bureaucrats will find their way out of the Citizens' Charter, with fine print that will overwhelm citizens in its' interpretation. The Lokpals & Lokayuktas' if appointed by the government can be as powerful as our current President or Lok-Sabha Speaker, and lastly, the lower bureaucracy will find cover under its' sheer volumes.

Status Quo? Perhaps not, there is always a turning point in the path of darkness, it seldom leads to daylight immediately, rather it assures one that every step taken leads you away from darkness. Yes, India has taken that the right steps, but, the day of celebration is too far away!

Sound Emissions: SX4 v/s Auto-Rickshaw

I hate autorickshaws! They represent the disease that afflicts Mumbai's prosperity, and are a menace on roads. Driven by un-educated, poor and unhygienic drivers, its' unbelievable that people of this city place their fate in such hands. As if the meter-tampering, abusive / filthy language and thick-spewing exhaust is not enough, there are reportedly 2 illegal rickshaws for every legally permitted one in the suburbs of Mumbai.

Two-stroke / four-stroke rickshaws are known for various vices, but the one that probably gets least attention is their enormous appetite for Noise Pollution. The auto-rickshaws' flout every known sound-limit imposed within the city for ANY zone anywhere. Its' socialism that's keeping them alive, otherwise, its' hard to imagine such an outdated relic of the past continuing to rub shoulders with Civics/SXs/Corollas/3-Series that dot the Mumbai roads.

I did a systematic study of noise pollution by recording sound levels while travelling in a rick and compared it to a drive in my SX4 car. The difference is neither subtle nor worth ignoring.


(Click to see the full sized version)

The rickshaws' are maiming us, perhaps even killing us slowly and steadily, but the corrupt officers and policemen will NOT act, not unless they find an easy way of bribes.

Idiotic nerds of the world unite...

...and unfortunately I'm having to bear them for a while now.

When brilliance gets sullied by incompetence, and pain gets compounded by opportunistic retards who neither share your vision nor bear a light - what does one do?

A house you worship, a family you cherish, all appear to be in tatters, and inspite of the initial tender care, when you stares down a dead road - who do you ask for help?

These are times that one cannot choose to ignore, but the true mark of a leader is when he turns issues turn into opportunities, problems into solutions, and protects the vulnerable in times of change.

Lastly, I wonder what can possibly be more valuable for a manufacturer than the piece of label which carries his name on the masterpiece he creates?

Playstation 3 Move

Last Sunday, I bought a PlayStation 3 + Move Starter Bundle - and with that I feel like having taken a long jump from within darkness into bright sunshine. I've never been so outdated in a certain technology for so long - ever.

The little 'bundle of joy' as described by avid gamers, and fanboys of the PS3 was never quite on my agenda. However the addition of Move and the subsequent reviews goading the amazing precision bought into gaming by the Move controller got me thinking. Is this a gaming device, a lifestyle product or a fitness program for lazy bones?

Honestly, it a lot of everything, atleast based on my assessment, hence with the same haste as I always show in items of interest, I went head first into buying PS3 with its' glorious Ax.

The total hit on my pocket so far has been around 40K, but I'm living every paise of what's been spent.

Cheers.

Club Mahindra: Demystified

A few days back, the devil took me over, and I stepped into Club Mahindra's office for their "presentation". It was hardly a presentation, it was a systematic brain-job, geared up to make you fall into their trap. Some key points that make Club Mahindra's presentation an absolutely disgusting (in-hindsight) experience:
1. They make an absolute fool represent them, the guy I was speaking to had zilch knowledge of inflation, costing and was so retarded, that I simply gave up reason within 3-4 mins into the session.
2. Take now, or fugget-about-it policy. This is akin to crying out loud, "about making the worst decision of your life".
3. The sales guys' guts to say that reviews written about their company are false and lies.

Finally, I decided to signup, only after knowing that I had the option to back-out within 10 days. I took a total of 1 hour to back-out. No sooner did I hit the following sites: mouthshut.com, consumercomplaints.in and blogs of folks that had been duped, that I made the call. I got the money after a lot of headache, which I don't wanna recall at this point.

However, the more important thing was that, I did a thorough cost-benefit analysis of the holiday scheme that was on offer, and was surprised to find out that on an average, Club Mahindra charged its members around 3.5 times the price they would charge web-customers for a stay at their resorts. Please see attached for the calculations, and pass the word around. It is nothing short of a loot!

2G Scam: Getting murkier by the day

The $33bn swindling by Telecom Ministry, better known as the 2G scam, has got even murky today. Mr. S.Swamy's of the Janta Party took this scam right into international terrorism waters, by naming LTTE, ISI, Hawala and Dawood Ibrahim as co-conspirators in this scam.

Any new revelations relating to new/old scams hardly come as a surprise these days, but ISI and Dawood Ibrahim are not names to be taken lightly. Did Raja practically fund the Mumbai / International terrorism operations that took place over the last two years?

Definition of Corruption

Picked this from a British web-site:

Corruption: Putting self-interest above social interest.

Simple, concise and very deep. It'd be a long time before Indian society weans itself off Corruption. If ever.

SUVs guzzling cheap diesel criminal: Jairam - The Times of India

SUVs guzzling cheap diesel criminal: Jairam - The Times of India

Jairam Ramesh is a top-of-the-line Politician that this country so desperately needs, and hence I'm a bit peeved when the above statement gets criticised by ambassadors & on forums (team-bhp.com).

To anyone who complains about subsidies or about the 1xx% tax on imported cars, know this - the food-grains we buy in India are about ~1/5 their fair market value. This artificial abysmally low sales-price is achieved by keeping the cost-price (to the farmers & traders) very low through subsidies in seeds, fertilizer & fuel. This equation will be altered substantially if diesel guzzling vehicles become commonplace in this country, as it's next to impossible to create a differently priced fuel infrastructure.

The only option left with the government is to remove fuel subsidy entirely and make up for the increase in fuel prices by providing more money in the hands of the common public. This task is again next to impractical, as there are not enough channels for the government to put money in the hands of the people, as hardly 15-20% of this country file their returns. Another point to note, is that fuel sales in India are still seen as a source of revenue by the states and are also responsible for the significant price-escalation in the hands of the consumer.

So how do you curtail the bleeding loss caused by diesel sales to the private car/SUV segment? Banning it outright, would be a desperate measure, especially given that Tatas and Mahindras of the world derive a significant portion of their revenue from this segment. The problem is clearly mani-fold, and the statement made by Jairam Ramesh, can be looked upon as merely a probe into getting the fuel-subsidy equation back on track.

My only criticism of Mr. Ramesh, is that there is no need to name manufacturers, especially foreign reputed companies like BMW & Audi, as that will send a very bad message to the world at large, who on its' part is hell bent on cornering India over its' protectionist policies.

I would love to see the day, when Indians, put country ahead of themselves, and act with integrity - i.e. Buy petrol vehicles for personal use.