Jifils Here--My Experience(Indiblogger meet)

The Meet Experience
-----------------------
          Often it happens that my mailbox is spammed with promotional mails from Different banks offering various loan schemes...I sometimes hate to open this.But  one fine day when i looked at the Promotions Section of my mail i had a smile on my face...It was an invitation from Indiblogger For a blogger meet..And it was unlike any other previous blogger meet cos it was the first time Indiblogger was conducting a meet simultaneously in three cities viz Delhi,Bangalore,Mumbai...

        The theme for the meet was launch (Promotion) of Kotak Mahindra Banks New Product Jifi(More about Jifi in the latter Section of blog).The venue for Bangalore Meet was The Biere Club....One should say That Indiblogger is very good at choosing venues for meets.They choose best of the Hotels /CLubs for any meet...Congos Team Indiblogger For that..

       The meet started with 'Cocktail hour'  as they called .It was more of a get-to -know each other kind of stuff..while you were soaked in the pleasure of having free cocktails.There were a lot of new faces this time.The Legendary Bloggers were there too...And then they were some of them who although joined Indiblogger long Back..But had forgotten the very of crux of it "Blogging".Yes I mean it ,some of them had not blogged for almost a year..

     The host for Bangalore - "Pratik" did a decent job..by keeping the audience involved.and entertained.There was one moment when he asked who blogs about music and i happily raised my hand.Then he asked me to come and sing.Being a proffesional musician i was like that is all what i wanted.
I sang "Tum hi ho".It was very well appreciated.Some even took the video of my Performance .And I even won a "Spa Voucher" for it(But Frankly I have No Idea what to do with it)...ALso Pratik was like You will win a lot of girlfriends cos of the performance ....But alas nothing of that sort Happened !!!!!!!

    Then we were joined by fellow bloggers at Mumbai and Delhi via Video Conference.The star Indian Author "Chetan Bhagat" Launched Kotaks "Jifi" Product...Another highlight of the meet was the selfie contest..It was then followed by lunch. I have to mention one thing though."I had an unnamed Cocktail at The Biere CLub.It was Tasty yet Intoxicating..One of the best I ever had"
 
    All in all it was a decent and fun filled meet ..Great job Indiblogger.Keep them Coming..

Kotaks New  Product Jifi
----------------------------
  A major share of our online activity is on Social Networking Sites ,Be it twitter or Facebook..While you are busy updating Facebook Status or reading Tweets ,It is But Obvious that you tend to forget some things..Like forgetting to deposit the cheque that your father had told about,or paying the premium amount which your mom had asked to...But No worries.."Jifilshere"..Banking is Now Social...


Kotak realised that people of today are very busy with Facebook ,twitter and they dont have time for trivial tasks like Banking..So Kotak decided to help us ...And they made banking Social...

Yes with JIFI you can now open an account with your facebook or twitter login...

Here are some of the sailent Features Of Jiffi
-----------------------------------------------
1)You can open an account with Facebook or Twitter or email
2)The moment you open an account with Jiffi you get 1000 points credited to your account.
3)And Everytime you refer a friend you get 10 points..Great Isn't It..Refering a friend was never so rewarding...
4)Dont worry about security..ITs damn Secure

There are many more benifits you can reap out of this...So go ahead and open your account
 
And do check this to know more https://www.kotakjifi.com/Default.aspx

A better Humanity- Blog for a cause(Milaap)

   We boast a lot …isn’t it? “Our Country is shining;We are a major IT hub of the world;We have launched innumerable satellites …in space and so on…I don’t mean these are trivial things..These are in fact great achievements .Agreed!! they are worth boasting…But while we are doing this we are ignoring something; rather a major thing..The villagers and the villages..

       

    India is definitely a land of Intellectuals…but a major population of India is ignorant...They are not aware that India is shining..Nor they have heard the word satellite..All they worry is how to fill their stomach for the day..They have no time to give a shit about anything else…

     

    Justifying my opening statement we have no right to boast until we improve the condition of these masses. And raising my voice on these lines I have some ideas listed below that I think will help for their betterment..

        1)   Education in Practical Sense:   It’s commendable that many NGOs are working towards educating the rural masses.The condition has improved a lot now.But there is a shortcoming here.You find many people in the villages educated but they are not knowledgeable..I hope you understand the difference between literacy and knowledge. Let  me give you some examples:

                    

*) The  Government comes up with so many schemes for the poor.Subsidies,BPL card..etc  .But how many of the rural people are aware of it.They don’t have a clue at all that such a scheme exists. The end result is they will never reap benefits out of these.Only the government officials and Politicians gain benefits form this which is manifested in the form of those huge tummies..:P

                  

*)The Political Education: Most of the age old people and those dwelling in remotely places have a false picture of political system.Trust me in some places they still think Congress means Indira Gandhi.They are unaware of how some of the Politicians are looting India by consuming Coal,Fodder etc..If people are going to be so ignorant then the true purpose of democracy is not served .All we end up is in a vicious cycle of Corruption

                 

    So my take on this is along with the normal process of making people literate..they should be given education in these lines.

    There should be some volunteer from some NGO educating them about the schemes that are made for them; help them avail the schemes battling the corrupt challenges posed by the government offices that issue them.

     There should be someone who can rightly and convincingly educate them about current Political conditions.We don’t want someone to vote considering some ancient leader…right!!!!

      2)  Agriculture:  We consider agriculture to be the backbone of our country rite..Then I would hypothesize that the backbone is weak and soon it will break…let me share an experience of mine to you  in this regard…

I was travelling in a bus .I found out that my co-passenger was a farmer.I was just inquiring him about farming.What I found out was that he was a frustrated farmer.He told me that he is never going to bring any of his children into farming..He was frustrated with the middle man intervention,.The crops getting deceased ..not getting the right remuneration for his hard work etc…This is not the right way to nourish our backbone right?

    

Further I found out that he still uses the age old methods of farming.There was no awareness in him about the modern  technologies used in farming.

I urge NGOs to concentrate on this aspect very much.Some how we need to solve this .We cant have frustrated farmers.They need to get the right price for their crops.They need to be educated about simple and effective techniques about modern farming.I had done a few projects related to agriculture.Let me share it with you..so that you can take a cue from this and help them out

·         Mulching Process:  In mulching process the bed of the plants is covered with organic waste like dried leaves,twigs etc..When it is coupled with drip irrigation it brings a lot of benefits to the farmers..The dried leaves serve as organic fertilizers to the plants.Since the plant bed is covered there is no soil drain ..the drip irrigation makes sure that water is supplied in correct amounts not extra nor less…and many other benifits.And moreover its a very economic method.In Fact you need not spend anything at all.

..

·         Flyash use in agriculture: The soot that gets accumulated in chimneys when removed turns into a blackish powder called Flyash .,,This has a lot of agricultural benefits,,Again an economical method

·         Use of robotics in Agriculture: There is   a lot of labor problem in India.You don’t get the labor at right time and they are demanding too..So how about using Robots in Agriculture like the west..The robots do everything from sowing till harvesting..And as far as cost is concerned if u analyze the cumulative costs of current agriculture and robotic agriculture ,the latter turns out to be cheaper..

      3)  Help in Hospitals: This is from a personal experience .I have seen a lot of villagers who look like confused frightened souls in hospital's.They don’t know what to do.They stand in unnecessary queues all the time only to find out that they were in wrong queue.Some hospitals exploit them too..(Not all,Some hospitals are very good in this regard .They treat some Patients for free).And again there is lack of education that shows its presence.There are so many schemes like Yashashwini etc which they are unaware of.

         Some group of volunteers or some NGOs  must be there in these hospitals to help them out and show them the correct way.

     

4)   Corporate Social Responsibility : It’s a great job that all Corporate giants are involved in social welfare programs.With Sachin pilot introducing the mandate that every company must spend 2 percent on social welfare the activites have become even more.But the shortcoming I see here is there is no unified planned effort because of which there is no profound impact.Some company cleans a lake while the other visits a orphanage and so on…

   

      If the NGOs and Corporate can sit together and chalk out a plan then the money and effort will be well directed creating a profound impact.

Lets all wish for a better India,Better world,and above all better humanity.

P.S.:Do check this link www.milaap.org

               

Sachin Tendulkar -Legend Redefined

      5ft five inch height. A smiling face, reflecting calmness and determination at the same time .A personality beaming incessant passion for the game of Cricket. Be it the straight drive or paddle sweep;backfoot punch or cut; leg glance or hook ;he has the rare distinction of coating every shot with flamboyance. Be it the in swinger or out swinger ;off spin or leg spin; Yorker or Bouncer; He can face it all with  ease, perfection and smile. If cricket is a crown he is the diamond in it. That’s –SACHIN RAMESH TENDULKAR….for you…

      

      Records seem to be his close friend. You name it he has it. Most number of runs in one days and Test. Most centuries and fifties .Most number of matches played in both formats…oh the list is endless…

    

      Even after having almost all records under his name his hunger did not die..Every time he came to the field he depicted that passion. That  endless hunger for runs was always seen in him…right from the age 0f 16 till the age of 40.Oh it was treat to watch him on the field..Not just batting..He excelled as a bowler too and even fielding. The commitment ;the attitude of giving his 100 percent was seen in his every aspect of cricket….The respect he has for the game is immense

   

    Another unparalleled trait of his is Humility. He has all records under his name, a billion people as his fans, yet there has not been a case of arrogance .Never was he involved in a scandal..nor did he question the umpire’s decision .All he did was to play cricket with a smiling face. This trait is seen quite a lot among his contemporaries be it Dravid, Laxman, Ganguly or Kumble.The younger Cricketing Generation should learn from these legends..”Its not enough if you score a ton or take a 5 wicket haul. What makes you great is this trait called Humility.”

   Thanks SRT for entertaining us right from our childhood till today. You have not just entertained but also inspired us. You have taught us that relentless passion,hardwork towards the goal along with humility will take people to heights.

    The people, game of Cricket is going to miss you  a lot Bharat Ratna Sachin Tendulkar.The eyelashes of Billion people doesn’t get wet for no reason.You are a legend infact you have redefined what “legend” means….#ThankYouSachin

Cricket is never going to be the same again……

    

     

Falling in Love again ..........with my wife...

 “I had committed the blunder again”.!!!!My grey matter had ditched me. It was my 6^th marriage anniversary  the day before and I had completely forgotten about that. This was like “blunder repeated” since I had forgotten the anniversary date the previous year  too…Last year somehow I managed to escape from the consequences but this time the aftermath of the blunder  had manifested in a furious way…..

    

    “Furious reserved looks; silent tantrums; generally don’t look good on a pretty face. Especially if they are intended for you. But that was what I was getting from my wife; that too in myriad amounts in response to my blooper..”So here I was a poor chap, feeling guilty of forgetting anniversary date and figuring out ways to convince his angry wife…”.

     

     Next up I was in front of my laptop with Google on screen. It’s an unequivocal belief among all engineers that Google is one stop destination wherein all your queries get answered. Be it a professional question,or a personal question or any damn thing…the first thing we engineers think is Google. And since I am no different I decided to take help of “God” like Google with a hope to tackle my situation. I keyed in the phrase “How to console your enraged wife”…..There were myriad of results for this but none of them was convincing enough .There was no tailor made result considering the fact that my wife is a unique creature….

   

  Dismayed by these series of events I shut my laptop with a thud and sat on the couch . My eyes were staring at the roof ,walls hoping to get an answer. While i was busy staring ,the shelf caught my attention. I saw our marriage album lying there. My mind told me go pick it up. I obliged….And you know what after that something amazing happened……

    

  I was flipping through the different photos. One picture  got my attention. It was a single photo of my wife in her bridal attire. She was looking stunning in it. I felt guilty for having disappointed such a beautiful wife. I kept on looking at the picture. I noticed her alluring dimple…for the first time which I didn’t even have a clue about all these 6 years. I just thought how bad I am in observing and perceiving beauty. The longer I looked at it more the finer and exquisite things I found out which I hadn’t observed all these years….

   

  As I was observing the picture a chord struck in my mind. Yuppie I had found my answer. I recollected someone saying that  “Women folk appreciate when you observe and appreciate those finer things about them”. Taking cue from that I texted my wife who was in other room.

”Hey dear, was looking at the marriage photo. And trust me your dimple is elegant. I am falling for it “…

I was waiting for her reply.5 minutes had passed .There was no sign of reply .I was just on the verge of accepting disappointment  but then I saw that my mobile beeped. I was elated and opened the message with excitement. But when I read the message I was agitated….

“It was from a bank, about house loan”

I threw the mobile and decided that staring at the wall is the best thing I can do.Just a couple of minutes later my phone beeped again. It was an endorphin rush when I checked it …It was from my wife …the message read

“Hmmmmm J J”

I was like girls and their “hmmmmms”.

I replied her back “Can I have the privilege of witnessing that alluring dimple”

 I was waiting for her reply .Just then I heard the sound of door getting unlocked. The plan had worked. She came out and stood in front of me with her hand on her waist and a made up angry face which had a tinge of smile highlighted by the beautiful dimple”. This was followed by some tantrums from her. But I knew that the anger had finally melted

My grey matter was finally helping me now…I recollected that my wife loves nocturnal long drives. So I asked her “How about a long drive tonight”….She was more than happy. She just hugged me and said yes….In the meanwhile I decided to present my wife with an anniversary gift …So I went out to purchase one….

-----------------------------------------*---------------------------------------------------*----------------------------------------

The Evening

    We were all set to go out for the drive. She came out of her dressing room clad in a beautiful skirt..She asked

“How am I looking”.

.I said “you look stunning but…” ..

She replied “But what??”

I said “With you hairs open you will look more beautiful”..

She smiled and said “give me a minute”..She rushed to her dressing room and came back with her hairs open…Trust me friends “Looking at her I was going weak in my knees”….

   

  We got into the car and got started…..It was a happy and romantic vibe inside the car….She asked me to put on some music…I switched it on…Then something struck in mind. I was like why not dedicate a song to her…I said  “hey dear this song is for you” and  played

“Soniyo Soniyo tumhe dekhtahun to soch ta hoon…..”.

She turned red in her face…and said thank you in her mellow voice….

As the drive continued she asked where are we heading ???? I replied “It’s a surprise for you”.As I had already told that my wife is a unique creature…She had some unique inclinations. She had once told me that she loved to drink tea in small tea shops  that are present on the outskirts of city. She had done lot of this stuff during her college days.And I thought why not do it today….And you see I had understood that “A sure shot way to make a person happy is to understand those small things that make them happy and do it for them”.

So I parked my vehicle in front of a small tea shop on the highway. She was amazed and questioned me “What are we doing here”…I replied  “ hey how can you forget this. Don't you remember you love this?”..She then smiled and hit me on my arms and said “chalo”….Her happiness was radiating…I could feel it and so was mine….

-------------------------------------*-------------------------------------------------------*-------------------------------------------

We got back into the car and continued our journey..I was now waiting for the perfect moment to present her the anniversary gift…And guess what nature came to my help. Rain God Started pouring drizzles to enhance the romantic vibe…I decided to seize the moment and parked the vehicle ...

 I asked her to get out of the car stating “lets enjoy the rain”…She was reluctant but yielded to the persuasion. She was like what is wrong with you…?I replied “You will get to know and grinned”.

I opened the platinum love band and held it in front of her. She depicted a feeling of amazement amalgamated with happiness.  I had a plethora of options to present her but the platinum love band surpassed everything. The way it signified and symbolized love was unmatched and unavailable in other gifts.Hence I chose Platinum Love band to celebrate love.

I went on my knees, took her hand and slid the platinum ring expressing my feelings through this poem which I had written for her

"Beauty lies in the eyes of the Beholder"

Is what the world said

It is the unequivocal truth

My thoughts said

But my thoughts transformed,

The truth became a lie,

When i saw you

Because

Beauty lies in your eyes

Because

Beauty lies in your face

Because 

Beauty lies in you...

A tight hug and a warm kiss was what I got in response…. J J  I felt like  I was in love again --Obviously with my wife!!!.But this time the love was much more intense than ever

P.S.:Check this link out Platinum Day of Love

               

An Advice to Mark About our Country

The intent of this write up is to give an overview of India to my friend Mark(stays in UK) who plans to visit India For a trip.

Hi Mark,

                 First of all congratulations. Wonder why? Cos you have chosen a remarkably exotic yet unassumingly mysterious place for your trip. And that’s India. Exotic because it’s a land where in you will find tremendous treasure of culture and beauty and mysterious because of the sweet, yet confusing people.

Lets get on to the “exotic “part of India first..

1)      You are lucky chap because you are visiting India at the right time. This is the festival Season In India. The time when Beautiful Mother India is embellished with Festivals. There is Ganesh chaturthi,Deepavali,Durga Pooja ,Onam Going around this time. Your eyes will have a treat witnessing the beautiful  Idols of Lord Ganesha,Durga Mata, in almost every nook and corners of the country. The fireworks, the chanting of Mantras, Processions of Gods, and above all the positive vibe these festivals create is going to mesmerize you for eternity.

2)      Next up we have The beautiful monuments, temples that you can have a look at. There is tajmahal, Somanatheswara temple, Forts,etc.Every structure boasts of architectural excellence. Every carving on the stone is Intricate yet alluring. And above all every structure has its own story to tell.Dont miss on that

3)      “Yoga”-I don’t think you are unfamiliar with this.People in your country practice it to attain “mental peace”. And  you know what We Indians were the People to present this wonderful “yoga” to the world. Our martial art repertoire is not just limited to Kung-fu or karate. We have a wide variety in it too like the Kalaripayattu, Lathi etc .Do check them all.

4)      Indians are those species who have a lot of Creative Grey Matter in them.Dont be amazed if you discover so many forms of music and dance here. We have Hindustani ,Carnatic ,Folk music and as far as dance forms are considered we have Bharatnatyam,Kathak kuchipudi etc…

5)      Also do you know what we Indians are the One who gave the number “zero” to the world.

Well the exotic list goes on but now let me stop this and acquaint you with the mysterious India

Mysterious India

   I call India to be mysterious because of Its People. I can give you an open challenge that you will go  hay-wire if you try to understand us. I am not trying to intimidate you when I say this. Its not that we are bad or harmful people but we are very confusing.Let me make it clear to you…

1)      If you visit any vegetable market or you interact with an auto or taxi driver you will find People bargaining for hours in loud voices. The bargain is not for huge amount of money it’s just for a rupee or two. On the contrary you will find the same people helping the needy with money generously.

2)      You will see Neighbours fighting over petty things for hours. But the very next day you will find them celebrating birthdays, functions together with lot of fun.

3)      You will see the brainy Indians with tags of Multinational companies earning a six figure salary. But you can find the very same people sipping tea and chatting on the katta of a local tea shop.Btw Mark,Do try drinking tea at a local tea shop. Its one of the best you can ever get.

4)      We Indians are known for our hospitality. If people find you to be a good person they will treat you royally even though you are an outsider for them.

5)      And Lastly about Indian women. They are very sweet. But try misbehaving with them and you will experience the wrath of Goddess Durga.They  look great when they are in western wear but they make you go weak in your knees when they are in their sarees.Such elegant beauty they possess.

This is in short what I had to tell you about India. Do visit this place and you will experience many beautiful things. It will be a trip you will remember for long.

P.S.:This entry is for the Touch Thursday contest conducted by Preeti Shenoy.

Khoya hoon rahoon mein

khoya hoon rahoon mein,

 jana kaha naa pata,

 paana hai manzil ko,

 manzil hai kya na pata,

Soche yeh dil,pal pal, 

Kab jeeyunga wo pal,

 kab dekhunga wo kal, 

jiske aanchal mein samate hai wo pal

Shopping 2030

      I sat on the couch –Tired of giving opinions. More than 3 hours had passed ,but there was no hint of any selection made. I think now you  are wondering  what I was up to .Well let me reveal it to you right away. I was with my gal at this garment/apparel (or whatsoever) shop situated in a big mall. I was literally tired with the no of dresses she was trying and  the opinions I had to give for every dress she wore. It was almost 3 hours that I was going through this trying situation. And after enduring this for 3 hours she said no dress appealed to her .I was like WTF.

      Back home I sat on the couch watching T.V..Just then my phone beeped. It was a mail from Indiblogger regarding their new contest. It  was a contest held in association with eBay and the theme of the contest was “How do you imagine shopping in 2030”.Almost instinctively my mind replied…”I imagine women selecting their dresses pretty quickly and their husbands/boyfriends/bothers/  spared from becoming  victims of feminine shopping”.

     After a while My brain ‘stormed’ and came up with some more thoughts about shopping In 2030 which are  as follows..

Holographic 3D projections

    Just imagine you are shopping some dress for yourself or may be a jewellery  online. You love the dress so much but you are not sure whether the size fits in aptly for you. You see a unique jewellery-meticulosuly designed. But you feel it would be nice if you could witness how gorgeous it would make you before buying. With current  online shopping this ain't possible right now.

    Now just imagine the same shopping scenario in 2030.Adjacent to you is a Holographic 3D Projection of your own self  on which you can drag and Drop every dress or every accessory. And then if that seems right you can buy it without any worries.Sounds great isn’t it?

     If you aren’t aware what holographic 3D projection is  then check this video..

     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSICZ_7hpho

Online Customization

     You find an awesome Jacket during your online shopping session. It looks great .Something which will make you more presentable. But then your mind says “Every thing looks great except that embroidery or Print on it”. And it so happens that eventually you drop off buying  the jacket due to that awkward print or embroidery.

      Now just imagine if you could  remove  that awkward embroidery or print with just a click of mouse and then buy that befitting Jacket Happily. Sounds awesome isn’t it?

Holographic 3D Projection coupled with Online Customization can prove to be a great feature in  Online Shopping.

Scan and Buy

      You go to a friend’s house and find a beautiful furniture set. It’s almost like a love at first sight when you see the furniture. You want to possess one such. But then finding something alike in market or online is itself a tedious task.

      But now lets imagine that you have a mobile app that can solve this problem. All you have to do is open your app,and take a photo of it and upload it to the server. The server will scan the photo and will give you the results on your mobile  that consist of  furniture sets alike with the best possible price.

      Scan and Buy feature will look great when its used along with Google glasses. All you have to do is see the stuff you want to buy and give a voice command.If you aren’t aware of  Google Glasses check the video here

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BTCoT8ajbI

Gift what they like

      Its always nice when you get a gift;Its nicer when you get a gift which you like.And if you are the person who  is giving the gift you would always want to give a gift which the other person likes.But the question is how would you determine their liking.?

      How about this.

      The online shopping company must maintain a social network within itself. Each profile has its own interests mentioned.When  ever you are giving gifts to your friends or family it will automatically pop up their interests and you can gift accordingly.

      Maintaining a social network within e-commerce would help since everyone in the network will be reminded of special occasions like birthdays ,Marriage etc and they can choose the gifts right away and send.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

P.S.Check this new chrome extension by eBay that gives the best deal for any product.http://bit.ly/eBayCheck_Extention