Category: Uncategorized

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Any body Listening?

Yesterday we received an unexpected disturbing mail stating that WorldSpace services would be discontinued in India with effect from midnight of 31 December 2009. Though thoroughly disturbed we dismissed it as some kind of prankster mail as there was no other news of this development. However today’s Times of India and Economic Times articles confirm this news.

This is really really sad. Our musical bonds with WorldSpace go back to 2001 when we got our first Hitachi receiver when posted in Assam. There was not much by way of entertainment and most of our squadron members had this on the top of their list of must-buy products on arriving there. The best part was that the service was free then. Our favourite channels are Spin, Gandharva, Surabhi, Up Country, Maestro and Holly (available only in the Christmas season).

Besides a total lack of advertisements, the best part is undoubtedly the huge variety on offer. We had music on at all times to suit every mood every taste 24X7. WorldSpace became an undemanding friend who stayed with us through three postings and through our move back into civil life! We will go back to our CDs or music via the Internet but life wont be the same…

One newspaper article mentioned that India had the biggest subscriber base for this company. We read of so many ‘acquisitions’ happening all around the globe particularly in these recession times. Surely surely there would be some one interested in taking over India operations of WorldSpace?? With thousands of customers ready to pay to listen to music and infrastructure in place is this an opportunity that must not missed? Anybody listening?

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Silicone Heaven

Being Christmas Day, I decided to investigate some stores that stocked baking items hoping to pick up some things that usually are hard to find or not available in Pune. I had some luck in that department but came across something different… Silicone
Silicone baking ware.
Yes apparently the stuff can be used to bake our cakes, muffins and so on in the oven and microwave.

Here is what I saw: the pans, tins, trays were completely flexible and were kept folded up on the shelf. That seemed to be a huge plus considering the space challenges in our kitchens. I came across this article on Kitchen Butterfly that gives you an in depth idea of what this stuff is, its pros and cons. There are several accompanying pictures so worth reading if you do plan to acquire these new age baking tins. Spatulas, pastry brushes made of silicone were also available. Cost wise the silicone bake ware was modestly costlier than the conventional stuff.

I still need to find out if using silicone to cook will harm our health in any way. And the environment. Once I get answers to these two questions, I may go in for these easy to clean, easy to store silicone bake ware.
Happy Christmas!

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Khandeshi Mande

Last week Puneites were spoilt for choice on what to do on the weekend. There was something for the foodies (the Bhimthadi Jatra) and the geeks as well (the IT expo). The Bhimthadi Jatra held on the grounds of the Agriculture college was a showcase for women’s Self Help Groups (SHGs) in Maharashtra. There were over 500 stalls by women entrepreneurs and there are no prizes for guessing what most of the stalls were devoted to!
That’s right Food!!

And what a variety! Absolutely Desi (and I mean from the Marathi heartland) stuff cooked in the authentic manner right in front of you. Fish, chicken, mutton, bhakri, bhajee and more.. served piping hot by ladies who were keen to show that had what it took to run a business even if they were rarely featured in glossy business mags. The best was each took pride in what she did had a good idea of the economics involved and had good marketing skills. I guess there’s more than one place to learn business skills other than ivy league B-schools and that’s the school of Life!

But here is something that was my star of the foodie stalls. Khandeshi Mande stuffed with Puran. To the uninitiated these are huge (around 18″ diameter) puran poli that reach this size not with a rolling pin but by actually stretching it out by hand.

There were two stalls and we had to book and await our turn to get the Mande. Each was priced at Rs 35 but the process of watching the ladies make it was a delight. You may have heard of pizza makers who throw the dough up in the air while making the base. Well the process here is something similar. After stuffing puran (bengal gram cooked with sugar and ground to paste) in the dough made entirely of maida (refined flour) the artist (yes, that’s the only word for the lady making the Mande) initially rolls out a small poli. Thats when the magic starts.

She picks up the poli and begins tossing it in circles over her both her arms as it gradually stretches into a bigger circle. A few minutes and the poli is big enough to be placed on an a huge upturned kadhai (wok) that serves as the griddle. A couple of minutes cooking on either side and lo behold! The Mande is yours! Thin crisp golden with not single tear in it. Drizzle (or drench) with ghee and enjoy!!!

This fair was the fourth one to be held in Pune and hopefully will continue each year. For those who missed it, Bhimthadi Jatra may return.

Here are some photos that will give you an idea of how the Khandeshi Mande were made.

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‘Cat’astrophy

The much touted CAT went online this year. While aspirants spent several thousands taking mock computerised tests the suspense till the last moment was expected to be the difficulty level or if those appearing later in the ten-day schedule would have an easier time.
Yet the unexpected happened.
The online examination system crashed not once but repeatedly three times (today is the third day).
While experts will obviously analyse what went wrong. the government has stepped in and asked for a report on what went wrong.
As a parent and lay observer I have some questions:

  • There apparently was no back up plan in case something went wrong. Now remember we are talking the top institutes in our country. How can they have overlooked this aspect? Even for a routine dinner party home makers have something to fall back on in case of a disaster. Hey don’t blame me for a mundane comparison. The situation demands it as here we are talking about the future of several thousand aspirants.
  • The glitch was blamed on a virus attack. Surely the tech brains should have anticipated this.
  • I believe the job of conducting the exam was entrusted to an American firm. India has some top notch tech firms with excellent grey matter. Why could they not have been entrusted with the responsibility?
  • Is the CAT and are the IIMs slowly becoming over hyped? Have they been swayed by obscene salaries and prime media time allotted to them when their summer and final placement starts?
  • Rescheduling is not easy as almost all Sundays from now onwards are ‘booked’ for entrance exams to other B-schools. Often students appear for more than just the CAT so how do they cope? Remember all tests have a different format…

Obviously a computerised exam is the way forward considering the huge numbers involved, man-hours spent in hall tickets, assimilating all data, correction, results etc. This does not include efforts to set valid questions as often there are reports of mistakes there as well. But we’ll look at that issue another time…

These are some interesting reports:
CAT Chaos on ibnlive.com
Pagal Guy has aspirant views
This report suggests that along with the aspiring candidates, the IIMs too should have taken mock tests.
This is a link to an article on ndtv.com
This article describes the plight of CAT aspirants in Bangalore

Good Luck to those who are yet to appear and those who may have to give the rescheduled test.

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Ginger Squares

This is an unusual sweet and spicy preparation ideal for winters.

Ingredients:

125 gms fresh ginger

1 cup milk

1 ½ cup sugar

2 tsp castor sugar

Wash and finely chop ginger. Grind ginger and milk in a blender. Add sugar to this mixture and cook on a low flame till thick. Remove from heat and add a little castor sugar and mix thoroughly. Put into a greased plate and let cool. Cut into small squares to serve.

Enjoy! Have a Healthy winter!

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Where Love Has Gone?

I read in the papers that 19 November was celebrated as International Men’s Day but from some reports suggest this seems to have been marked more as the International Husband’s Day. Read this news from the Hindustan Times.

Whoa there.. I was under the impression that it was us the weaker (and fairer) sex that was the one that were subjected to atrocities, dowry harassment and more. Countless zealous women’s welfare organisations must have obviously worked zealously for us to have reached this state. Is this really the state of affairs? Has the equation changed?

I read about an organisation called Purush Suraksha Sanstha in Maharashtra. There were many more and affected groups actually converged together to fight for their rights. Read this news. There are reports that like women, some husbands (and quite a frightening number that) committed suicide due to harassment. Bangalore based Save Indian Family Foundation has taken up this cause.

Times certainly are changing. It took quite some time for us to accept that men could actually turn tormentors to their wives but never ever did I imagine things going to this extent.
Divorce rates are increasing alarmingly as well.
Where are we heading?
Think about it.

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Wake up

How often have you been accosted by someone selling you insurance? I am not referring to telecallers but someone from your friend or family circle, an acquaintance? Quite often right?. Many times a person ‘buys’ an insurance policy just because all their neighbours were buying it. Some buy policies for their beloved without even inquiring mode of payment when the policy matures and how exactly does the beloved benefit.

Very few agents bother to explain details to you unless you ask. Even then some are not really clued up. Agents get ‘commission’ for all policies they sell. This may be up to 15-30% of the first premium you pay (can even go up to 60% in some cases!!). That means if you pay Rs 10,000 the amount actually going towards your corpus will be only Rs 7,000. Read this article on livemint.com for more. For some policies (called products) almost the entire first premium goes towards agents’ commission, marketing costs etc.

Did you know that? Did you ever find out?
I admit I did not.

Yesterday I watched a very interesting interview of Mr Swarup, Chairman PFRDA on NDTV Profit by Manisha Natrajan. The organisation is in the process of revamping the process of selling insurance in India. The entire exercise is totally focused on the consumer (you and me who buy policies). The aim is to bring in transparency and accountability to the process of insurance selling by agents. I was impressed by Mr. Swarup’s clarity of thought and determination. He has a tough job ahead of him as obviously agents will resist this move tooth and nail.

Visit this link for a PDF on a consultation paper the PFRDA has released on its website. It covers common minimum standards for financial advisors and financial education. Its long (30 pages) but very simply written and all of us MUST read and understand implications of this major and radical move by PFRDA.

Not many nations in the world have such systems in place but must we always be ‘followers’ can we not be ‘leaders’ in financial reforms?

When buying insurance understand what is it that you really need cover for, which products offer it to you, what does the fine print say, what is not covered. Most important, your agent has to answer all these questions and guide you to a proper choice. He also has to reveal the commission that he will get (that is embedded in the premium you pay). His job is not only to help fill up forms and give you service at home, he must give you service for the entire duration of the policy (15/20/30 years etc).

Don’t we pick and choose our potatoes and onions and look for the best bargain when buying a new HD TV?
Then why this laxity when buying insurance? In times of crisis this is what will help you.
Wake up. Be aware.

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Progeria

Everyone hates seeing and some fear signs of the march of Time on our bodies. That would explain the huge adspends (and revenues) of hair colouring products (removes grey) and anti-wrinkle, anti aging creams- just to name a few.
At least these people have had a chance to experience life for some years.

Nothing could be more tragic than a condition called Progeria- Hutchinson-Gilford syndrome.
Derived from a Greek word, it means ‘prematurely old’.
I guess that terms explains it all.

I met a child with Progeria in Bhuj, he was on his way for treatment to Mumbai. The boy was just past half way into his first decade yet had the appearance of a very old person. I shall never ever be able to forget him.

Progeria is a rare genetic condition that is fatal on average by the time the child is 13 years old. Most children with Progeria have a gene mutation (the LMNA gene) that encodes the protein lamin A. The cause is not known and children are usually born healthy. signs of aging usually appear at 1 and 1/2 to 2 years of age.
Research for treatment, ways to improve longevity and quality of life are on.

These are some useful links for more information:
The Progeria Research Foundation

Progeria FAQs

Progeria Research

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PL Deshpande Garden


The PL Deshpande Garden situated on Sinhagad Road Pune is probably the only one of its kind in Pune. It is open only in the morning and evening hours, charges an entry fee of Rs 5, visitors may not walk/play/sit on the grass and eating is not permitted in the wonderfully clean property.

So obviously this is not a place one can go on a picnic but is certainly worth a visit. I would say visit more than once and in different seasons.

Also called the Pune Okayama Friendship Garden, this beautiful garden is based on the 300 year old Korakuen Garden at Okayama City, Japan. The landscape is designed to give visitors a feel of changing nature throughout the year (do refer to the map at the entrance that gives a suggested route to be followed for the best experience). As one walks around one feels various elements like , stillness, light, hardness etc.

I must add that trees/bushes don’t carry botanical names so my walk around the park was challenging as I tried to identify names of various trees/bushes/ flowers planted here. The landscaping includes a small waterfall, a hillock, several bridges, undulating lawns and several ‘gazebo’ like bamboo structures where one may sit. The tiled walking track also has several benches where one may sit and enjoy the natural beauty.

Word or pictures obviously cannot capture the beauty of this garden. Visit it.
Cheers!

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CHD Awareness Week

14 February is all about Hearts so marking the day as “Congenital Heart Diseases Day” is only logical.
The Congenital Heart Information Network based USA in works extensively and tirelessly on CHD. As part of planning for CHD Awareness Week in 2010 and planning for the week in 2011, the organisation would like opinion on several issues about a CHD campaign. Those interested in helping sharpen focus of their work do fill out a questionnaire available at http://tinyurl.com/yly46g7.
It won’t take long.
Thank You!

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