3G vs 2G spectrum price issue

There is a demand these days from the opposition parties asking Telecom Minister Raja to resign over the price at which the 2G spectrum was sold to the telecom companies and the huge price the 3G spectrum is commanding in the auction being held right now. However, maybe not as planned, the side effect of cheap spectrum is the low voice call rates available to consumer. The higher the price of the spectrum, the more costly the services to the end consumer.

3G spectrum is a luxury service to start with, so it being costly won't hamper the aam janta which is more concerned with getting voice from one place to another. High cost of 3G spectrum does not concern aam janta as it should not affect them. However high cost of 2G spectrum could have been a problem for aam janta as the telecom companies would have passed on the high cost to the people. So an unplanned pleasant side effect of cheap 2G spectrum is lower voice call rates which you and me enjoy.

Maybe the honourable minister can use this as the good reason :)

Club Mahindra Review - Is it worth it?

This question has been haunting many people over many moments over many years and it will continue to do so. My take on this is it is worth every penny I have invested in it till now. It is a very debatable statement and controversial to say the least, as if you google and read peoples opinions, most would not agree to this. But everyone is entitled to an opinion, including me. My reasons for this opinion:

a) I have been guaranteed a certain level of service whenever I visit any of the resorts. I do not need to do any research on the kind of accomodation before I make my bookings. Quality assured :)
b) The value grows with time. I bought the membership 2 years back at 2,60,000 and now I am told it is worth around 3,10,000. As Club Mahindra grows in stature, so do our holiday value.
c) The mathematicians argue the amount of interest lost on 2,60,000 down-payment plus Annual Subscription Fee is much more than if you were to make the booking yourself every year whenever you want to visit any place. Maybe, maybe not. But there are some things which money can't buy and the experience you have along with your family when you visit any of the resorts is worth it.
d) For a person like me who is not fond of traveling, this ensures I would go at-least once a year to different place which is for sure required to relax.
e) The resorts are self-sufficient for you and your family to layback and relax. If you want you can make it hectic, but I love the idle pace at which things move in the resort and you just relax.
f) I know of people who made some initial payment, decided to drop the idea of taking the membership but a couple of years later made the full payment to take the membership. They are pretty happy and would have some reasons for being happy.
g) Even though Club Mahindra promises 7 days holiday every year, however if you go in a season below your membership, the number of days are increased. For ex. I am planning to go to Shimla and for two nights stay, I would be charged only 1. Some would argue that you are going in an off season and thats why you are being charged less, however my opinion is that with both me and my wife working, we can go only when we get time and not on peak / off season. So it suits us according to our requirements.

India goes GaGa over the IPL SaGa

A shrewd combination of sports and entertainment - thats how our Defence Minister put IPL. Prefectly right! And that is what sells. Thats the reason why the whole nation is going GaGa over the IPL Saga.

Empty Cups, Lost Minds

To understand this post better, a small explanation is required about the Tea / Coffee Making procedure in our organization. We take milk from the vending machine, put sugar and tea bags in it. Shake it a little and put it in Microwave Oven to heat it.

However, over the past few months, I have noticed a couple of guys put empty cups inside the Microwave Oven. Pressure gets on you and slowly it gets on your mind. The cups get empty and the minds lost.

It is the story of most young people these days. Running from pillar to post, everything is flying. Empty cups are just symbolic representation of the lost mind. They show in different forms for different individuals. Life, after all, is not that simple :) Or rather, Life is as simple as you want it to be.

Parshuram Mahadev(Kumbalgarh)

On our trip to Kumbalgarh, we also went to Parshuram Mahadev temple in Kumbalgarh. The description of the temple has already been done pretty well at this link. Something which I want to add is this image taken at that temple.


We were told that almost everything in that temple is natural and nothing man-made. Even this idol of Hanuman appeared on the rocks and has been painted to highlight by man.

Kumbalgarh

Start of journey: Friday, 20th Feb, 2009
End of journey: Tuesday, 24th Feb, 2009

The journey started at 7 pm on 20th Feb, 2009 from Nizamuddin Station in Delhi. We boarded the Mewar Express that goes from Delhi till Udaipur. The train reached Udaipur on 21st Feb at 8 in the morning. It was 1 hour behind schedule. We took a taxi from Udaipur till Kumbalgarh. Kumbalgarh is around 85 km from Udaipur. We were staying the the Club Mahindra resort in Kumbalgarh. The bargaining started at Rs. 1350 for the taxi and we settled at Rs. 1000. While going from Udaipur to Kumbalgarh, we enquired if there is any place in between that can be visited. The driver told us about Haldighati - the battle place of the famous war between Maharana Pratap Singh and Mughal Emperor Akbar. We decided to go via Haldighati. Some more negotiation and Rs. 1400 was the final fare for travel from Udaipur till Kumbalgarh via Haldighati. A new museum is being built at Haldighati dedicated to Maharana Pratap Singh. In addition to a depiction of the battlefield of Haldighati, a small video is shown about the historical facts. We also had sugarcane juice there which was being made in a rather interesting way with a buffalo being used to rotate a wheel that crushes the sugarcane to get the juice. From there we went to Haldighati. The place gets its name from the fact that the sand there is exactly the same colour as haldighati. From there we proceeded to the place where the final war was fought. Around 18000 soldiers lost their lives and there was a famous incident where Maharana Pratap Singh riding on his horse Chetak tried to kill Mansingh (the Commandant of the Mughal forces) riding on top of an elephant. Mansingh escaped. The trunk of the elephant had a sword that cut one leg of Chetak. Chetak on three legs managed to get his master to safety, even though it had to jump 22 feets to get past a water canal. The place was filled with so much blood that it came to be known was Raqt Talai (Pond of blood)

Raqt Talai

HALDIGHATI - Note the colour and thats where the name comes from

From there we proceeded to Kumbalgarh and reached there at around 1. A straight run from Udaipur to Kumbalgarh is around 2 hours. After getting fresh, we took a taxi to Fort Kumbalgarh at 4:30 in the afternoon. It is Rs. 300 to go from Club Mahindra resort to Fort which is around 15 minute run. The fort was build by Raja Kumbha. A guide took us around the fort and showed us the major places. There is a 36 km wall around the fort which is the second biggest wall in the world after the Great Wall of China. There are nine gates known as POL. Some of them are pretty far from the Fort and some are in fort. The highlight of the Fort is the light show that starts when it gets dark. The fort is divided into four layers, each one is lit one after the other starting from the top. After the whole fort has been lit up, it is a sight to watch. The topmost part of the Fort is known as the Badal Mahal. During cloudy season, the clouds enter the Fort. The guide showed us the path from the back of the fort to the nearby jungles where the Kings in the past used to go for hunting.

Fort Kumbalgarh just before darkness

Fort Kumbalgarh after being lit up

Raja Kumbha wanted to build the fort. However whatever was built during the day would be gone at night. A Goddess appeared in the Kings dream and told him that a human life would need to be sacrificed to enable the fort to be built. However the person who sacrifices his life should volunteer for it. A person agreed to volunteer with the following conditions:
a) The fort should have some landmark by his name
b) The palace should be build at the place where his body falls
Thus the main palace is build where his body fell and a POL has been kept after his name.

Lots of different stories are there about the fort. The guide showed us the guns from which bombs were fired at the enemy. There was one person who used to light the gun and used to jump in a well nearby to escape the sound that came when the gun fired. Also Aurangzebs army once fired a bomb at the Fort and a mark is still there on the Fort (Stories of the guide :)). We also saw how Air Conditioners used to work in olden days. There were better scientists then than today I suppose. A road is being built along the 36 km periphery of the fort and it should be possible to visit the periphery of the fort in an years time.

Suddenly, one day you ask yourself!

Suddenly, one day you ask yourself: "What is this adding to my value as a person and as a professional?" If you ask this question consistently and the answer to this question is "Nothing" consistently, then its time to sit down and review.

I found myself asking this question consistently during the IPL (even though I saw it almost in full). The answer to the question was also almost "Nothing" always.

Okie, Lalit Modi achieved one of his dreams through IPL. Yes, Preity learned how to do business. Yes, Shahrukh films might just sell a little more in Bengal now. How does all this help you as an individual?

Who will watch the matches then if everyone follows this line of thought? To start only, only a few will even think about this. Even less would actually try to do anything about it and only some would actually do something. Those some would probably add some value to themselves as a person in most of the things they do.