Delirium Tremens

The Iron Tooth by Prithvin Rajendran - A Review

2011-12-06T20:34:00.001+05:30

Author – Prithvin Rajendran

Pages: 226

List Price: Rs. 195

Publishing Year: 2011

Official Website: http://prithvinrajendran.com/

First, let me start with why I thought of reading this book.

The name itself struck me as peculiar – the iron tooth
Being an Indian mystery/fantasy book had me in aspot

This book is the first book that I read that is written byan Indian author that is in the Fantasy &Magic category.

There are several works of fiction by Indian authorsspringing up every now and then. If we were to see and analyze most of thebooks, they are of the same category as the cult novel – Five Point Someone – by Chetan Bhagat. Most, if not all of thecurrent generation of the so called, young and aspiring novelists from Indiaare trying to cash in on the ‘youth’ factortheir books. This not only is killing variety and inturn is seeing a resurgenceof people discarding books and going back t watching movies.

However, this book promises to be different from the so manyother Indian novels out there. If I were to think about this then I willdefinitely say that the region in which this book traverses is definitely avirgin territory. It must have required a lot of conviction and guts to eventhink about writing such a novel, let alone the research. Prithvin deserves allcredit and praise for thinking of writing such a book. My 5 on5 to Prithivin onthis part. How this book shaped up is an entirely different story on which Iwill shed some light on the next couple of paragraphs.

First Impressions

The first impression one gets while breezing through thevarious pages of the novel is that it is indeed one written by a new/firs-time author.Also highlighted here is the fact that it does seem like a minor rip-off from Harry Potter – series and Lord of the Ring – series.

Intended Audience& Narration

After going through the entire book, I can safely say thatthis book is most likely will not appeal to the adults – 21 and over in age andmight even be written by Prithvin with the intention of writing a book for theteenagers. Although Prithvin has tried to throw in a literary-classical anglehere by alternating between text and prose/poetry. But, the overall effort isreally not adequate to attract adults who look for more detailing and more flowbetween lines and among paragraphs. These two together in my observation makefor a conspicuous slip-up especially from a first time author.

As far as narration is concerned, there is a major flaw.There are some things like maps, etc which are concise, clear. However, thedescription of characters, situations, fights, struggles, forest leave a lot tobe desired.

It is clear from the map, detailing of characters, creatures,etc. that Prithvin wanted to create an Indian equivalent of Harry potter andLord of the Rings which will appeal to the global audience. Thus, the names ofcharacters, places, etc are not remotely Indian, which indeed gives this book aglobal appeal.

Story

The overall story is good. To me it did seem like jumping from one place to another with littleconnection. However, I conceded that this might have been deliberate from theside of Prithivin. This perhaps is something only Prithvin will be able to shedlight on. From my side, the overall story in terms of suspense, aspiration valueand relatable value to the reader, I would rate this book at 3 on 5.

To sum up, ‘The Iron Tooth’ makes for an ‘ok’ read. Itcertainly could have been better, but given the fact that this book exploresunchartered territories in Indian fiction writing, we should give Prithvin abreather. It should be enjoyable to limitedage group of people. As always, you read and decide! My final verdict: 2 on 5.

This review is a part of the http://blog.blogadda.com/2011/05/04/indian-bloggers-book-reviews"target="_blank">Book Reviews Program at http://www.blogadda.com">BlogAdda.com.Participate now to get free books!

The Secret of the Nagas – A Review

2011-09-25T03:03:00.000+05:30

Author: Amish Tripathi

Pages: 414

List Price: Rs. 295

Publishing Year: 2011

This book is second in the three book series titled ‘TheShiva Trilogy’.The books in this trilogy are:

Book 1: The Immortals of Meluha
Book 2: The Secret of the Nagas
Book 3: The Oath of the Vayuputras

I remember reading the first book in the series - TheImmortals of Meluha (read my review here: http://laghusikarwar.blogspot.com/2010/10/immortals-of-meluha-review.html)after I read a small excerpt about it on a small HT feature page. Ever since Ifinished the first book, I was keenly waiting for the next part in the threebook series to release and to answer the question in some of your minds – yes Idid pre-order the book online and received it well before most others got it.

It isn't often that one comes across a book by written by anIndian author with a sequel. It is even rarer to see the sequel doing just asgood or even better than its predecessor. The rarest thing in Indian fiction today is to find one good work offiction based on Indian mythology. Amish Tripathi brings all of these togetherin one successful package.

This book begins right from where ‘The Immortals of Meluha’ended and moves on at a brisk pace. The narration is as crisp and clear as itspredecessor. This book, like its predecessor, moves on at a breathless pace;keeping the reader glued and almost goading him to keep turning the pages.However, when compared to the first book, this book is not the most compellingread, but even then I could not stop myself from reading as fast as I can tofind what ‘Shiva’, Sati’ and the ever mysterious ‘Naga’ will be doing next.

The first book had better narration of scenes and scenarioswhich would allow people like me to imagine a screenplay in front of my eyes asI read on. This book does give the opinion that it is being written by a newauthor. It is of course unpleasing to read lines/narration with words such as ‘India’mentioned, but then one can always choose to ignore them and move on with theoverall story building at great speed to keep you engrossed.

As we move on we see the transformation of a man confused ofhis destiny in the first book, to a confident self believing individual. Trueto the title, the focus of the book gradually shifts towards the purported‘evil’ ‘Nagas’ and ‘Shivas’ journey to find the elusive truth.

This book has everything from pain to suffering to joy to motherhood to loss to survival tofatherhood to death to revenge to betrayal to mystery to science to bravery toastonishment to belief.

Amish has a wonderful yet very simple way of telling thestory. The language is pretty simple and the book is definitely worth reading.You can read more about the book on the officialwebsite.

You can read one chapter of the book from the officialwebsite here:

http://shivatrilogy.com/the-secret-of-the-nagas/the-secret-of-the-nagas_episode.pdf

To sum up, ‘The Secret of the Nagas’ continues on thefootsteps of its predecessor and makes for a good read. It certainly could havebeen better, but this doesnot in anyway undermine this book. It should beenjoyable to most people irrespective of caste, creed or religion. As always,you read and decide! My final verdict: 4 on 5.

Following great online deals are available - Flipkart,Infibeam,Landmark,Crossword.

Dork: The Incredible Adventures of Robin 'Einstein' Varghese – A Review

2011-08-28T09:33:00.003+05:30

Author: Sidin Vadukut

Pages: 248

List Price: Rs. 199

Publishing Year: 2010

I have a habit of reading book reviews before buying a book. And since I had not bought this book, I had not read any reviews. So, I was not very sure about the reputation of this book when I picked it up. I was going on a short tour and lifted this book straight from the book-shelf of a friend.

And guess what, the moment I started reading it, I wished I could finish this book without having to stop.

The unique style in which Sidin wrote this book speaks volumes about his experience in experimenting with writing. I wish to congratulate Sidin on the superb writing style.

Diary, Robin ‘Enistein’ Varghese and an infectious enthusiasm will be amongst the things that you will certainly remember when you are done reading this book.

After ‘Five point Someone’ this book gives a superb description of college-campus life and the life afterwards. It seemed to me that this book carried on from where ‘Five point Someone’ ended. The book does appear to give a heavily drugged view of the world through the eyes of the protagonist., but that is what kept me glued.

There are several things I loved about the main character of the novel – Robin ‘Enistein’ Varghese. Some of the most notable to me were:

Superb description of men/women/situations/surroudings – giving a vivid, visual image to characters & so much so that you start to see them develop in your vision
Fantasies of Robin with regards to women
Super confident, day dreaming B-school grads for whom nothing is impossible and everything is too easy

This work of fiction made me laugh out loud on a couple of occasions and certainly made me smile on most pages. I am pretty sure that this book would make most people smile if not laugh.

You can buy it online from most stores like ‘Flipkart’, ‘Indiaplaza’ etc.

This book is a good read. As always, you read and decide! My final verdict: 4 on 5.

PS: Heard that it is a trilogy. I certainly am not looking at the other books in the series, no sir!

Life In India - Superb Parody (must watch)

2011-08-06T14:27:00.002+05:30

I really liked this video. Though this is nothing special, it is still refreshing and funny.

Indian Social Media Landscape 2011 – Video By Nielsen

2011-06-27T15:35:00.001+05:30

Johnny Gone Down - A Review

2011-03-06T23:54:00.004+05:30

Author: Karan Bajaj

Pages: 324

List Price: Rs. 99

My review of this book is again spot on.

To begin with I was really apprehensive about reading this book. The reason was Karan Bajaj’s earlier fiction novel - Keep off the Grass. I never liked that novel. Why I didn’t like it was because it seemed like it was completely inspired by the novel that is touted to have started a revolution in Indian fiction – Five point Someone.

However, one friend recommended this book as a good fast paced read and I for once paid heed to her advice.

So here, in was on the very first page of the book and it went something like this:

“‘Stop staring,’ said the woman through clenched teeth.

The little boy, presumably her son, looked away reluctantly. ‘His left arm is missing,’ he burst out finally.”

These first few paragraphs along with the synopsis had me hooked on. And to my utter amazement once I crossed the first nine pages, I could not put the book down and when I had to it was agonizing.

This book is a complete package (a la Bollywood). It offers a good dose of romance & love (for people looking for it). It offers quite a bit of spirituality (Buddhism, to be precise). And it does have its fair share of violence (for people looking for action). The protagonist has seen it all and has gone through all. He in many ways is similar to ‘Shantaram’.

It all depends on what one is looking for. If it is a casual enjoyable read that you are looking for then this is the ideal book. However, if you are looking for a piece of literature then you obviously are at the wrong place. The best part is that it is an inexpensive book available for only 99 Indian Rupees. You can find it online for a much lesser late.

You can download the first chapter- The Prologue from here: http://www.karanbajaj.com/Johnny-Gone-Down-Complete-Prologue.pdf

This book is a good read. As always, you read and decide! My final verdict: 3.5 on 5.

Brilliant - World Ending video (in punjabi)

2011-02-06T01:12:00.004+05:30

I received this video as a forward and loved it instantly. Uploading the same here :-)

PS: I have not made this video and i donot claim ownership. All rights rest with the maker. I hope that i am not violating any copyright rules.

Lovely, Nostalgic,Old Indian Ads

2011-01-30T01:38:00.005+05:30

I just happened to reach these ads and nostalgia gripped me tight before i could get a grip on myself. I recalled the lovely days when i as still very young-a school goer. Here are some ads that i loved to recollect.

1. Jalebee

2. Hamaraa Bajaj

3. Paan Parag

4. Asian Paints

5. Rasna

6. Lijjat Paapad

7. Bajaj Bulbs

8. Luna Ad

The ordering and numbering is not on the basis of preference and is random.

Also some worthy mentions would be the Nataraj pencil Ad, Liril soap Ads, Vico Vjridanti Ads, etc etc.

The Silent Indian National Anthem

2011-01-30T00:39:00.002+05:30

The Girl who Played with Fire - (Millennium Trilogy Book 2)

2011-01-26T22:21:00.002+05:30

A Review

Author: Stieg Larsson

512 pages

List Price: Rs. 380

My review of this book is again right on. But before I shed more light on the same here is some background info on the author.

Stieg Larsson (1954-2004) was a Swedish writer and journalist who passed away in 2004. Prior to his death he finished three novels (Genre: detective novels) in his trilogy "The Millenium-series" all of which were published posthumously. They are:

"The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo",
"The Girl Who Played With Fire" and
"The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest"

You can read more about the author here: http://www.stieglarsson.com/

Let me get back to the book and talk about my thoughts on the same. This book, part – 2 in the three book series is again a complete page turner and a thriller.

I give the author a 4.5 on 5 for packing another great thriller in the 500 plus pages.

This book starts where the first book left off. It begins with Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist going their separate ways and Blomkovist having revived his career as a top financial journalist.

Soon enough you get a taste of the wizardry of Stieg Larsson when he spuns the story quickly and makes Lisbeth Salander the ‘most wanted’, fugitive woman of the country. And guess what Mikael Blomkovist comes to the defense of this woman for whom all have the vilest of thoughts and comments to share.

From here on the story moves ahead in rapid strides that make the book almost impossible to put down.

The only downside is that a person who would start into this series from this book, Book no. – 2 might find it a little touch to cope up with the who’s who of the novels’ characters.

Apart from that this book is a must read! As always, you read and decide! My final verdict: 4 on 5.

2011 South Asian Challenge

2011-01-25T09:23:00.002+05:30

This is one challenge that I am looking forward to. Want to know what this challenge is all about?

This challenge is about reading books, simple. The more you read the better it is. Now, the catch here is that the books need to be either written by a South Asian author or are about South Asia (fair enough). Both these conditions are again easy and simple. To know more about the criterion of qualification and participation please refer to the following link:

http://www.skrishnasbooks.com/2010/11/2011-south-asian-challenge-faq.html

This link will answer most of questions like whether you need to be a blogger or if you need to write a review etc .etc. I have signed up already and I look forward to breezing through South Asian books :-). And that too all in good time and best of faith :)

Oh! Almost forgot the important point. The contest dates:

January 1, 2011 - December 31, 2011

Happy reading!!

Poem on Sales people and their lifestyle!

2011-01-12T09:19:00.004+05:30

I got this forward from a friend who is working in the Sales team of an MNC! I absolutely loved the rhyme and the context! So thought of sharing it over on my blog. So here it goes:

Wo Dekho
1 Sales ka Banda ja raha hai.

Zindagi se Haara hua hai
Par "Customers" se Haar nahi manta.

Apni sales-pitch ki 1-1 Line isey Rati hui hai
Par Aaj Kon se Rang k Moze pehne hain, ye nahi janta.

Din Par Din 1 Excel File banata ja raha hai.

Wo Dekho
1 Sales ka Banda ja raha hai.

Das Hazaar Customers me se Achhe Customer Dhund lete hain lekin.

Naraaj biwi-bachhon ki Aankhon ki complain Dikhayi nahi deti.

PC pe Hazaar Windows Khuli hain
Par Dil ki Khidki pe Koi Dastak Sunayi nahi deti.

Saturday-Sunday nahata nahi
Weekdays ko Naha raha hai.

Wo Dekho
1 sales ka Banda ja raha hai.

Reporting karte karte,Pata hi nahi chala Boss
Kab Ma-Baap se bhi Bade ho gaye.

Kitabon me Gulab rakhne wala
Kab Cigarette k Dhuen me Kho gaya

Dil ki Zameen se
Armanon ki Vidayi ho gayi

Weekends pe Daru pi k Jo Jashn mana raha hai

Wo Dekho
1 Sales ka Banda ja raha hai...

Politicians are a filthy lot in India

2011-01-06T13:27:00.002+05:30

I got this as a forward and have not verified the claims made herein. But, even if one of this is correct then its a shame on Indian politics.

In INDIA there is one place where you can get all food for very low price. Tea: Rs.1, Soup: Rs.5.50, Dhal: Rs.1.50, Meals: Rs.2, Chappathi: Rs.1, Chicken: Rs.24.50, Dosa: Rs.4, Fish: Rs.13, Veg Biriyani: Rs.8. These prices is only for poor people who earns very low. And that place is Indian Parliament canteen. These poor people's salary is minimum of Rs. One Lakh Per Month.

Olive Telecom's OlivePad reviewed and compared to Apple's iPad

2011-01-03T10:49:00.001+05:30

Philips DVP3996 DVD Player

2010-12-31T23:49:00.003+05:30

I had this great DVD Player for a while and all that I played with it were region free DVDs some pirated, some original or movies and music through the USB drive.

I was mighty happy with the way this DVD player performed.

It was very recently when I bought my new Home Theatre that I started buying new original, 5.1 hard-coded DVDs. The moment I inserted the very first disc all hell broke loose.

Error – Incorrect Region code

Of course we all have heard of it. But despite everything that I did I never located a way to change the region code to either code free or to an India region.

Guess who came to the rescue – Google!

I googled, browsed through a lot of websites only to find that nothing works for my Philips DVD player DVP 3996.

A couple of hours more and I finally found out that I need to enter a code on the ‘Preference’ page. But, inside the setup I could not find any mention of ‘Preference’.

Now I was dumb founded. I had the solution with me but had no clues on how to apply it. Another couple of hours went down the drain when I chanced upon the right way to unlock my Philips DVP3996 DVD Player.

I am mentioning the same here so that someone looking for it might be benefitted. Here they are:

Press Setup
Go to ‘Preference’ page

Preference Page is displayed only in the following two conditions

i. only when the tray is open; or

ii. there is no disc in the drive

Once you see the preference page do not click anything
Then enter 138931-current region shows on TV screen,
Use cursor to change the region to 0 [zero]
Press ok
Now play the same disc
It will ask for Password
The default password is ‘136900’

And Eureka!! All should be well!!

My New Home Theatre System

2010-12-25T13:34:00.006+05:30

Just bought and installed my latest spanking new Home Theater System.

Although technically speaking this is not a home theatre system as it does not have a separate AVR (Audio Video Receiver).

What's In The Box

Package Contents Speakers: 4 satellites, 1 center channel, 1 subwoofer
6-channel direct cable
Digital SoundTouch™ control center
Wireless remote control, batteries included
User's manual
2 year limited warranty

Technical Specifications

Total FTC power: 505 watts RMS
Sub-woofer: 188 watts RMS (into 8 ohms, @ 100Hz, @ 10% THD)
Satellites:
Left/Right: 62 watts RMS x 2 (into 8 ohms, @ 1khz, @ 10% THD)
Center: 69 watts RMS (into 8 ohms, @ 1kHz, @ 10% THD)
Rear Left & Right: 62 watts RMS x 2 (into 8 ohms, @ 1kHz, @ 10% THD)
Total Peak power: 1010 watts
Maximum SPL: >115 dB
Frequency response: 33 Hz — 20 kHz
Amplifier: Ultra-linear, high-capacity analog
Signal to noise ratio: >93.5 dB, typical 100
Input impedance: 8,000 ohms
Compatibility:
PC/Mac
CD
MP3
DVD
PlayStation®
Xbox®

My current Setup

32 inch Panasonic Viera LCD (am looking to upgrade to LED soon)
Philips DVD Player
Logitech Z 5500 5.1 speaker set

Moving on in Life

2010-12-16T11:01:00.002+05:30

Yesterday life stood still for me! I thought, i evaluated! Yes, I was nervous, angry, hurt, indecisive for quite a while! Then i thought and thought hard and for long! I evaluated the pros and cons my shortcomings as a person and a lot of other things as well. This was when the indecisiveness started dissipating as if it were smoke and suddenly a gentle breeze started. I could suddenly see a light among the all encompassing darkness.

After all the thinking what happened is that i understood that my life has become too complicated and i started thinking in terms of simplifying my life. And as of where i stand today, i've decided to move on! Nothing is as grim as we think it to be! So all's well..moving on in life inspite and despite the consequences!

Indian Hackers..Did they do Right or Wrong?

2010-12-02T10:08:00.003+05:30

I am sure that most know about the fact that on 26^th November 2010 a group of hackers who like to call themselves the ‘Indian Cyber Army’ hacked into a server that was hosting over 40 government of Paksitan websites including the ones related to defense. They went on to deface these sites. The reason cited was that it is an indication and a response to the terrorist event that occurred on 26^th November a year back and in common parlance referred to as 26/11.

I was contemplating whether this was good or was it bad.

My heart says ‘Yes’ it was bloody (please excuse me for using expletives but this is coming straight from my heart) damn good.

My brain says know. An eye for an eye will only blind the whole world and this might not be the most rational thing to do. There are some forums which I read and read a lot, if I may say. The popular notion there is that the response of the Indian Hackers ‘Indian Cyber Army’ is great and is something that the Indian government failed to did.

I am still undecided. But I pray for peace!

Secrets of Success in Corporate World Revealed - Must Look (in Hindi)

2010-11-25T09:13:00.005+05:30

PS: I hope i am not doing any copyright violation. I got this email as a forward. I liked it and decided to upload it here. If there is anything wrong please let me know!

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - (Millennium Trilogy Book 1)

2010-11-07T23:13:00.006+05:30

A Review

Author: Stieg Larsson

608 pages

List Price: Rs. 350

My review of this book is right on. But before I shed more light on the same here is some background info on the author.

"The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo",
"The Girl Who Played With Fire" and
"The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest"

You can read more about the author here: http://www.stieglarsson.com/

Moving back to the book, I’d say that reading it is worth every penny invested in buying it.

The very first page will enchant you with the unsolved mystery of the flowers being sent to an old man for more than past 30 years of the days & times of the novel.

If you are already hooked on and you move on to the next couple of pages you will hear the story of a certain ‘Mikael Blomkvist’ who is one of the main characters of the novel. He is a financial journalist who is about to loose a case against a giant industrial conglomerate and is about to be sentenced to jail for libel.

As if this were not enough, the author throws another parallel story of a thin almost anorexic lady who is struggling to be sociable.

Then comes the show stopper an offer to investigate the disappearance of a young girl from a small island in Sweden more than 30 years back in history, a case police till date had not solved.

The simple yet nice way in which the stories became entangled to form a complex and then the appearance of the ‘Dragon Tattoo’.

From here on the story becomes so enchanting that keeping the book down will feel like it hurts. Trust me, I hated the idea of not having been able to finish the book in a weekend and then waking up to find a lot of pages left still and the clock showing Monday morning; absolutely hated the idea of going to office.

The only thing that I did not like was the unfolding of the final moments of the plot. It seemed kind of abrupt and was not at all subtle.

You read you decide! My rating 4.5 on 5.

Arundhati-citis

2010-10-26T12:11:00.004+05:30

This is a brilliant post by the 'comic project'. I absolutely loved it and so am adding it to my blog. All credits to the original poster, i have not done any value addition here and have posted it here simply for the love of it. You can read the original post here: http://thecomicproject.blogspot.com/2010/10/arundhati-citis.html

Drinks and Personality

2010-10-11T09:28:00.005+05:30

I got this in an email as a forward (hope am not flouting any copyright rules) liked it so posting the same here:

Before you order a drink in public, you should read this! Seven New York City bartenders were asked if they could ‘nail’ a woman’s personality based on what she drinks. Though interviewed separately, they concurred on almost all counts. The results:

WOMEN-DRINKS, WHO THEY ARE!

Drink: Beer
Personality: Causal, low-maintenance; down to earth.
Your Approach: Challenge her to a game of pool.

Drink: Blender Drinks
Personality: Flaky, whiny, annoying; a pain in the ass.
Your Approach: Avoid her, unless you want to be her cabana boy.

Drink: Mixed Drinks
Personality: Older, more refined, high maintenance, has very picky taste; knows EXACTLY what she wants.
Your Approach: You won’t have to approach her. If she’s interested, she’ll send YOU a drink…

Drink: Wine (does not include White Zinfandel)
Personality: Conservative and classy; sophisticated yet giggles.
Your Approach: Tell her you love to travel and spend quiet evenings with my friends.

Drink: White Zinfandel
Personality: Easy; thinks she is classy and sophisticated, actually, she has NO clue.
Your Approach: Make her feel smarter than she is…this should be an easy target.

Drink: Shots
Personality: Likes to hang with pals and looking to get totally drunk… and naked.
Your Approach: Easiest hit in the joint. You have been blessed. Nothing to do but wait, however, be careful not to make her mad!

Drink: Tequila
No explanations required – everyone just KNOWS what happens there.

MAN-DRINKS & WHO THE MEN ARE!

THEN, there is the MALE addendum — The deal with guys is, as always, very simple and clear cut:

Domestic Beer: He’s poor and wants to get laid.

Imported Beer: He likes good beer and wants to get laid.

Wine: He is hoping that the wine will give him a sophisticated image to help him get laid.

Whiskey: He doesn’t give a damn about anything but getting laid.

Tequila: He is thinking he has a chance with the toothless waitress.

White Zinfandel: He’s gay

The Immortals of Meluha - A Review

2010-10-04T00:41:00.004+05:30

Author: Amish Tripathi

Publisher: Prakash Books India Pvt Ltd

Price: INR 295

Pages: 398

This is a book that landed up with me when I read about the same on a small HT feature page way back in March or April 2010. I loved the concept and lapped it up with enthusiasm. This book was my first online buy from the website www.flipkart.com. The entire package; right from the cover page to the first chapter are very alluring and trust me you will not let go till you’ve read the last page. And once you’ve read the last page you will start looking for more. You will start asking about the release dates of the next two books of the sequel. At least, I did. J

Moving on to my views and excerpts:

‘The IMMORTALS OF MELUHA’ is the first book in a trilogy. The other two books in the series are:

Book 2: "The Secret of the Nagas"

Book 3: "The Oath of the Vayuputras"

It is the story of the simple man, whom legend turned into a God. The book is set in 1900 BC, in Meluha a near perfect empire created many centuries earlier by Lord Ram. We commonly refer to this era as the Indus Valley Civilisation.

The proud empire of Suryavanshi rulers faces severe perils as its primary river, the revered Saraswati whose water is used to make Somras or ambrosia is slowly drying to extinction. Suryavanshi’s are surrounded by enemies in the form of the evil Nagas and Chandravanshis.

The only hope for the Suryavanshis is an ancient legend which says that ‘when evil reaches epic proportions, when all seems lost, when it appears that your enemies have triumphed, a hero will emerge’. This person is called Shiva – the Neelkanth.

I will not describe more about the book here and spoil your experience of reading the same. Here is the official link to the first chapter here: http://shivatrilogy.com/books/1st_chapter.pdf and indulge yourself.

If you like then please go forward and but the book - "The Immortals of Meluha" from here: http://shivatrilogy.com/buyonline.html.

Well done Amish, I look forward to the next two books. I absolutely love the fact that people are taking the Indian folklore to fiction and the same is doing it well. As a matter of fact this book has been in the Top 10 fiction list in India right from the time of its launch to till date. Kudos to Amish and eagerly awaiting the other books.

Indian Grand Prix

2010-10-01T10:34:00.003+05:30

October 2011, will signal the start of the first Indian Grand Prix at a state-of-the-art, brand spanking-new race track in Greater Noida near New Delhi.

TRACK FACTS

5.14 km track to be ready by June 2010, in time for FIA inspection
Track designed by Herman Tilke
Total cost of the track around USD 350 million
Fastest speed expected from an F1car — 318 kph
Average speed — 210 kph
Slowest corner— 93 kph
World-class motorcycling events to come to the track
Four layers of ticketing for the inaugural race
Feedback from current racing drivers used in finalising track design
Karting circuit and racing institute planned
Bernie Ecclestone influenced the track design
Grandstand alone will handle 30,000 people
140 marshals will be trained and the rest of them chosen from abroad
No night race to begin with — but possible in the future
One of the top three fastest circuits in the world
Site part of the special development zone

What remains to be seen is whether India can pull its act together unlike the Common wealth games and build a great track on time and also if the race can draw enough enthusiasts to make it a profitable model.

I for starters am going to Delhi in October 2011 for sure :) :)

Long Sales "Gestation Period"

2010-09-22T11:04:00.002+05:30

ADRUSHY MK-II, an anti Tank mine

2010-09-15T14:30:00.002+05:30

I just read about the ADRUSHY MK-II, an anti Tank mine. I was mightly impressed with what i read and heard, so here is a jist of the same.

It is popularly called as "The Indian Influence Mine"(The Invisible Tank Killer).

The Specialty of this mine is that it doesn't explode if Indian Vehicle unit(Like a Jeep ,truck or even a tank )passes over it, but if an enemy unit passes over it explodes.

The trick behind this mine is that the DRDO scientists have recorded seismic signatures of the vehicles which are unique as our fingerprints or DNA to be precise. If the mine detects an unknown signature it shall explode as it thinks that it is an enemy vehicle.

Features

* Armour Penetration 85 mm causing 'k' kill.

* Full width attack capablity

* Tank trawl discrimination

* Reusable with three field settable SN periods of 10, 40, 80 days.

* Immunity against CLMC blast.

* Electronic cum mechnical safety.

Dimetions:
Lenght -- 330 mm
Width -- 240 mm
Height -- 140 mm
Total weight -- 7.6 kg
Explosive -- 2.3 kg
Body -- 10% GRP Polycarbonate
Linear -- Copper
Battery cells -- LiSOCI2(lithium Thino Chloride)

Of ‘Azaadi’, ‘Kashmiri’ and other false words - The real issue in Jammu & Kashmir -by Arnab Ray - (copied verbatim, link given)

2010-09-02T16:01:00.003+05:30

This is a brilliant post by Arnab Ray. He has put forth in clear, unambiguous way how we are at fault in Kashmir and how people of Kashmir and Media (both Indian-foreign owned and foreign) are painting a sad picture of India. SO much so that some have gone to call India a terrorist country. It amazingly well questions MF Hussain on his calling India a non-free country when at the same time the state of India allowed him to speak so. The original post is copied here, i've added the link here as well. If i'm flouting any copyright then please let me know.

The original post is below in italics:

"There has been a slew of pro-Azaadi, anti-India articles in the Indian mainstream press recently. One fine specimen of mediahood proudly recounted how he became a stone-thrower for a day, pointing out quite pointedly that the only thing that saved him was the Hindustan Times staff card, with the emphasis being on the sub-string Hindu. Of all these marvelous bits of journalism, with their objectivity and integrity misaals in their own right, my favorite piece is by one M F Husain, who tells us how he left India for its lack of freedom. Yes, and presumably found it in Qatar, an Islamic theocracy where freedom of all religions other than Islam is severely restricted and where apostasy (leaving Islam) is technically punishable by death.

To castigate India for being “not free” while being a voluntary citizen of Qatar is the height of hypocrisy.

Anyhow, this article is not about M F Husain. Nor is it about the way forward in Kashmir nor whether trying to bribe the local population with money will work. Nor about the draconian Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) which I believe needs to be repealed, for the armed forces have to be made accountable in civilian contexts like everyone else. Nor indeed about the recent violence per se.

It is about the Kashmiri ‘fighting for independence against the wicked Indian state’ thing that we see repeated ad nauseum not just from Pakistan but also in the Indian mainstream media.

My first beef is with the word ‘independence’. Historically independence struggles have been fought against foreign powers, those who have taken control over a piece of territory for the purpose of economic exploitation. It has also been fought between peoples of the same nation, like the Bangladesh independence struggle where a section of the population that has attained power (Punjabi Muslims) treats another ethnic or linguistic community (in this case Bangali Muslims) as second class citizens, systematically annihilating and depriving them of their most basic rights.

In the case of India’s Jammu & Kashmir state, none of this is true. India does not economically exploit Kashmir. On the contrary it spends a massive amount on the state trying to buy the loyalty of the population. Even the New York Times, which last time I looked wasn’t a right wing newspaper, says: “The dirty little secret of Srinagar, the heart of the movement to secede from India, is that many of its residents live quite well on the Indian government’s money.”

At the very least, no one can accuse the Indian government of taking anything out of the state. It is, of course, true that a lot of the development money lands up in wrong hands (that happens everywhere in India) but there are far more deprived areas of India that have no ‘freedom struggles’. As to the rights of Kashmiri people, they have privileges over property ownership that very few Indian citizens outside Kashmir have, making them super-citizens rather than inferior ones.

So none of the traditional characteristics of freedom struggles hold here. However, it is true that Kashmiris are fighting. But for independence. They are fighting to establish a theocratic Islamic shariyat state, aligned with or as an intrinsic part of Pakistan, where “independence” is defined somewhat as it is defined in Qatar, with subjugated status for minorities, and where the establishment of liberty, equality and fraternity—the ideals of any freedom struggle—is farthest from the minds of the stone-throwers and those that support them.

Sure, one can say “So what? If they want to establish an Islamic state, that’s their decision. What right does the Indian government have to interfere?” This brings us to my second bone of contention—the word “Kashmiri”. Like “independence” this too, in this context, is a false word. A better more honest descriptor would be “Kashmiri Sunni Muslims”. There was a time when Kashmiris meant both Hindus and Muslims, but then the Kashmiri Hindus were killed and driven out of the state by ‘Kashmiris’. Since these Hindus (as well as people in Jammu and Ladakh) are not part of the ‘freedom struggle’ it is not fair to use the word Kashmiri to refer to the agitators, who, since they use Islam as their reason for wanting independence and identify themselves solely by their religious orientation, should also not object to being called what they actually are—Kashmiri Sunni Muslims.

The question should now be framed as: “So what is wrong in letting Kashmiri Sunni Muslims, after they have driven out the large section of the minorities, from establishing an “Islam is the answer”, “independent”, non-democratic state? Their free will—they shall do as they like.”

If tomorrow the majority in Jat-land start an armed struggle to establish an autonomous Khap-istan where castist lynchings, dowry and child marriage are legal, and where inter-caste marriage implies death and retributive rape , would you call that an “independence” struggle and say that India should just let them have their way and not have the army fight them? If the day after tomorrow, if Gujarat decides that it wants to throw out its Muslim minorities and establish a Hindu theocratic Dhokla-land will the same Indians who post “Stop illegal military occupation of Kashmir by terrorist-state India” on Facebook also support the rights of Gujarati Hindus to choose how they wish to be governed because that’s what the ‘Gujarati’ majority wants?

I think I know the answer.

So please sirs and madams, do protest against the Indian state and the Indian Army and sign petitions and protest outside the United Nations while drinking Starbucks and discussing EB2 Green Card priority dates. Do whatever you want to do but please, for the sake of truth of labelling, please drop the “independence struggle” from the description, and qualify the word “Kashmiri” with what should come after it.

Of course, if you do so, then the romance and the liberal “feel good” of standing shoulder-to-shoulder with an independence movement will be gone. Hurling stones at the Indian Army would be seen not as an act of supreme passion and justified frustration but as an act of war against the Indian state, something I believe which there are laws against.

Which is why you won’t do it."

Dilbert: Managers take on appraisals!

2010-08-20T08:56:00.003+05:30

Another favorite Dilbert post on Managers and appraisals!!

Dilbert and Numbers

2010-08-12T15:54:00.001+05:30

Another yesteryear Dilbert strip that i loved.

Do you do consulting - the Dilbert way??

2010-08-03T11:23:00.002+05:30

This is awesome. Had me at my wits end - laughing.

Dilbert on Managers and Bosses

2010-07-29T15:45:00.002+05:30

One of my all time favorite Dilbert comic strip on Managers!!!

Jeffrey Gitomer - No more Cold Calling

2010-07-28T09:11:00.002+05:30

This is an excellent video tutorial on how and why cold calling is going to be extinct.

Indian's and Indian-ness (being Indian)

2010-07-22T11:15:00.001+05:30

Fly You Fools - Indian Comics about Life.

Median Salary for Sales Professionals in India by Years Experience

2010-07-22T09:51:00.003+05:30

This is the median salary (and not the average) in India for people working in Sales ala Account Managers, Sales Managers, Business Development Managers, Business Development Executives, Sales Executives, etc.

Why am I in the bottom of the list??? Boo hoo hoo :(

Median Salary by Years Experience - Job: Account Manager Sales (India)

Compare your salary: Get a free Salary Report

Evolution-of-Mobile-Phones

2010-07-19T15:23:00.002+05:30

Great short post on history of evolution of mobile phones.

Nokia N9 comes with a 4 inch touchscreen

2010-07-18T18:01:00.002+05:30

I am eagerly awaiting this phone. I've been looking for a worthy replacement of my Nokia N82 and believe me when i say that i haven't find any phone matching my specifications, not even the Black Berry.

This is when i heard of Nokia N8 and Nokia N9. Both phone look great and the feel good factor is amazing. Looking forward for the launch of these phones.

Nokia N9 from Techno Buffalo on Vimeo.

Source: http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_n9_smartphone_to_actually_pack_a_large_4inch_touchscreen-news-1780.php

The Routine - My routine

2010-07-02T11:20:00.002+05:30

Indiagames releases Shivam Gupta's 26/11 game, Terror Attack: Project Fateh, for free

2010-06-28T21:11:00.004+05:30

This game has been developed in India and that too by a teenager. The description of this game as mentioned in the developers website is following:

The sole purpose of this game is to unite you all to stand up against terrorism. This is a war we need to win. The catastrophic incident on the 26 November 2008 the day when Mumbai was attacked with massive explosions and brutal gunfire which took the lives of 195 fellow citizens and injured many, is still painful. This is our effort to tell them, We will not fall; We will stand tall. Kasab, the only terrorist caught alive will be sentenced to death and her-eon, all such anti-social elements will be exterminated from our society. We salute to all our policemen and NSG Commandos who risked their lives to keep us safe. Let’s all unite and put an end to this, for now; and forever. * Jai Hind *

Here is the video:

and here is the download link: http://www.projectfateh.com/game.html

Did i mention that this is absolutely free of cost. So all Indians please download and play this game and give your feedback to the kid so that he can develop many more patriotic games.

Dilbert's "Salary Theorem"

2010-06-28T17:03:00.000+05:30

Dilbert's "Salary Theorem" states that:
"Engineers and scientists can never earn as much as business executives and sales people."

This theorem can now be supported by a mathematical equation based on the following two postulates:
1. Knowledge is Power.
2. Time is Money.

As every engineer knows: Power = Work / Time
Since: Knowledge = Power, and Time = Money, then Knowledge = Work / Money
Solving for Money, we get: Money = Work / Kowledge

Thus, as Knowledge approaches zero, Money approaches infinity, regardless of the amount of work done.

Conclusion: The less you know, the more you make.

Dilbert and Average Industrial Salary

2010-06-28T16:52:00.001+05:30

Dilbert fooling Manager with Twitter

2010-06-28T10:21:00.002+05:30

I'm inspired now and now i'm going to ask my manager to start using Twitter. Hope he does :)

Anti Smoking ad by Indian Cancer Association

2010-06-27T11:03:00.002+05:30

Respect your National Anthem, respect your Nation!!

2010-06-27T10:55:00.001+05:30

Social Media Evolution in India 2005 – 2010

2010-06-24T12:15:00.000+05:30

Social Media Evolution in India 2005 - 2010

View more presentations from WATConsult.

Dilbert and MBAs

2010-06-22T12:02:00.000+05:30

Do Not Believe Everything You See (V M )

2010-06-20T22:50:00.001+05:30

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

Do Not Believe Everything You See (V M )

View more presentations from Valeriu Margescu.

Dilbert and Appraisals

2010-06-20T20:09:00.001+05:30

E3 2010- Halo: Reach preview

2010-06-20T18:42:00.000+05:30

Unofficial eLearning Salary Survey 2009 - India

2010-06-08T00:03:00.001+05:30

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

Unofficial eLearning Salary Survey 2009 - India

View more presentations from Manish Mohan.

MBA Salary Survey 2010

2010-06-08T00:00:00.001+05:30

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

MBA Salary Survey 2010

View more presentations from iimjobs.

Some nuggets of wisdom: Silicon Valley Comes To Oxford - 2009

2010-05-24T16:23:00.003+05:30

This is a repost, borrowed in full from http://letsgoexploring.blogspot.com/2009/11/silicon-valley-comes-to-oxford-2009.html. But, reading it i thought that this has to be a part of the blog. My apologies if i'm flouting any copyright rules.

Some nuggets of wisdom:

"If you're not embarrassed by your first product, you've launched too late." -- Reid Hoffman

"You pitch an entrepreneur with success.. not with work-life balance." -- Reid Hoffman

"Don't fall in love with your product. Stay close to the market." -- Kim Polese

"The future will be there." -- Reid Hoffman

"There is an alchemy that takes place when you decide to share something publicly rather than privately - it becomes valuable" -- Biz Stone

"Deciding to take on a global issue doesn't mean you need to be arrogant enough to think you're going to solve them." -- Biz Stone

"Don't be afraid to start over again. Don't forget to trust your gut. Contradictory? Maybe. But you need both." -- Kim Polese

"Most people use only 7 sites. If you want to insert a new one into their lives, ask yourself.. which one are you replacing?" -- Reid Hoffman

"Innovation is spelled R-I-S-K." -- Reid Hoffman

"Which one of the 7 deadly sins is your social product subscribing to?" -- Reid Hoffman

"Humour is the delivery mechanism for truth." -- Biz Stone

"Sometimes the founder isn't the best person to be the CEO.. kinda like a rock band!" -- Kim Polese

"There's nothing that is massively successful that doesn't have some luck. But you have to plan for both good and bad luck." -- Reid Hoffman

"Entrepreneurism means becoming mortal.. being able to give it 100% and be able to fail." -- Biz Stone

"The future is always sooner and stranger than you think." -- Reid Hoffman

"You don't motivate people by being a cheerleader." -- Kim Polese

"The failure of imagination does not constitute an insight into necessity." -- Reid Hoffman

The Immortals of Meluha

2010-05-13T21:07:00.002+05:30

A must read, this book is. I'm glad that i laid my hands on it sooner than later. See a preview video here:

I'd be writing a review soon. For more details refer to the website of the author here 'http://shivatrilogy.com/theimmortalsofmeluha.html'.

What will you do?

2010-03-20T13:12:00.004+05:30

This is a touching video and goes a long way in showing how terrorism is not liked by anyone, irrespective of his caste, creed, religion or place of birth. People see it as a pain. I saw this video for the first time today when my friend Mayank shared the same with me on Facebook. I was most touched and decided to share the same here:

koi deewana kehta hai

2010-03-17T22:32:00.002+05:30

This is the video of the absolutely stunning shayari by - Kumar Vishwas. I posted the lyrics in my last post. Here he is in the midst of entertaining the audience.

I love the way he engages the audience and generates applaud through some great shayari and cheeky - in your face one-liners. Enjoy!!

Koi Deewaana Kehtaaa Hai

2010-03-17T13:44:00.001+05:30

This is a poem by an Indian Poet - Kumar Vishwas. I love the way he interacts with the audience. Enjoy!!

Koi deewana kehta hain koi pagal samjhta hain
magar dharti ki bechani ko bas badal samjhta hain
Main tujhse dur kaisa hu,tu mujhse dur kaisi hain
Yeh tera dil samjhta hain ya mera dil samjhta hain

Ke mohobbat ek ehsaason ki paawan si kahaani hain
kabhi kabira deewana tha kabhi meera diwaani hain
Yahaan sab log kehte hain meri aakho mein aasu hain
Jo tu samjhe toh moti hain jo na samjhe toh paani hain

Mat poooch ki kya haal hai mera tere aage
Tu dekh ke kya rang hain tera mere aage

Samandar peer ka andar hain lekin ro nahi sakta
Yeh aasu pyaar ka moti hain isko kho nahi sakta
Meri chahat ko dulhan tu bana lena magar sun le
Jo mera ho nahi paaya woh tera ho nahi sakta

Bhramar koi kumudni par machal baitha toh hungama
Humare dil mein koi khwaab pal baitha toh hungama
Abhi tak doob kar sunte the sab kissa mohobbat ka
Main kisse ko hakikat mein badal baitha toh hungama

Koi deewana kehta hain koi pagal samjhta hai
magar dharti ki bechaini ko bas badal samjhta hai
Main tujhse dur kaisa hu,tu mujhse dur kaisi hai
Yeh tera dil samjhta hai ya mera dil samjhta hai

mohobbat ek ehsason ki paawan si kahaani hai
kabhi kabira deewana tha kabhi meera diwaani hai
Yahaan sab log kehte hain meri aakho mein aansu hai
Jo tu samjhe toh moti hain jo na samjhe to paani hai

Bahut bikhra bahut toota thapede seh nahi paaya
Hawaaon ke ishaaron par magar main beh nahi paaya
Adhoora an suna hi reh gaya youn pyaar ka kissa
Kabhi tum sun nahi paaye, kabhi main keh nahin paaya

Bhramar koi kumudni par machal baitha toh hungama
Humare dil mein koi khwaab pal baitha toh hungama
Abhi tak doob kar sunte the sab kissa mohobbat ka
Main kisse ko hakikat mein badal baitha toh hungama

Main uska hun wo is ehsaas se inkaar karta hai
Bhari mehfil mein bhi ruswaa har baar karta hai
yaki hai saari duniya ko khafa hai humse woh lekin
Mujhe maaloom hai phir bhi mujhi se pyaar karta hai

Main jab bhi tez chalta hoon nazaare choot jate hain
Koi jab roop gadhta hoon to saanche toot jate hain
Main rota hoon to aakar log kandha thap thapate hain
Main hasta hoon to mujhse log aksar rooth jate hain

Mat poooch ki kya haal hai mera tere aage
Tu dekh ke kya rang hain tera mere aage

Samandar peer ka andar hain lekin ro nahi sakta
Yeh aasu pyaar ka moti hain isko kho nahi sakta
Meri chahat ko dulhan tu bana lena magar sun le
Jo mera ho nahi paaya woh tera ho nahi sakta

Halo Legends

2010-03-14T17:07:00.001+05:30

Directed by: Frank O'Connor, Joseph Chou

Produced by: Bonnie Ross, John Ledford

Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures

Release date: February 16, 2010

Halo Legends is an animation anthology series bearing a striking resemblance to other similar series such as "Animatrix", "Batman: Gotham Knight", etc. It consists of 7 short animated stories that explore areas of the rich Halo game universe. These 7 stories span the entire history of the Halo Universe. Of all the seven stories my favorites are ‘The Prototype’ and ‘The Babysitter’.

I’ve always been a fan of Halo – the game. So when I heard that a movie on the legend of Halo is coming up, I was excited.

Here’s a quick description (from the DVD) of what Halo Legends is all about: “This sweeping science-fiction saga delves into the rich Halo universe with seven exciting stories (told in eight parts) focused on Master Chief’s mysterious origins, the Spartans’ advanced combat capabilities and the tense rivalry between Spartans and Orbital Drop Shock Troopers (ODSTs). Created in collaboration with some of the world’s leading animators from Japan, Halo Legends draws you into the center of humankind’s ongoing battles with the Covenant, dynamically depicted in cutting-edge animation styles that delivers breathtaking visuals and gripping adventure. Go beyond the game – and join the roll call of Halo Legends.”

Animation/Design

My rating: 9 on 10

Rich 3D/2D graphics. Highly detailed scenery and the characters. Loved the overall look and feel.

Story

My Rating: 7.5 on 10

Although the plot has 7 stories and don’t go by the rating. They are all good stories in their own right. But, the only thing that I missed was lack of a common character or a strong thread to hold the stories together.

Overall Rating

8 on 10

Overall, if you’re a fan of animation (which I am J) you’ll probably like HALO LEGENDS. If you're a Halo nut, you'll most likely love it.

New Income Tax Slab for FY 2010-11

2010-03-14T12:47:00.000+05:30

Income upto Rs.1.6 lakh	Nil
Income above Rs.1.6 lakh and upto Rs.5 lakh	10 per cent
Income above Rs.5 lakh and upto Rs.8 lakh	20 per cent
Income above Rs.8 lakh	30 per cent

Particulars	Taxable/Non- Taxable	Exemption/Rebate	Limit
Taxable Items:	-	-	-
Basic Pay	Fully Taxable	-	-
Dearness Pay	Fully Taxable	-	-
Grade Pay	Fully Taxable	-	-
Dearness Allowance	Fully Taxable	-	-
House Rent Allowance	Fully Taxable	-	-
City Compensate Allowance	Fully Taxable	-	-
Medical Allowance	Fully Taxable	-	-
Family Planning Allowance	Fully Taxable	-	-
Arrear Amount	Fully Taxable	-	-
Maturity Amount of NSC	Fully Taxable	-	-
Total amount withdrawn from NSS	Fully Taxable	-	-
Transport Allowance	Partially Taxable	Rebate	Maximum upto Rs.800 PM
Children Education Allowance	Partially Taxable	Rebate	Maximum upto Rs.100 PM
Deductions:
Less-Allowance U/S 10(13A) Actual Rent Paid	-	Exempt	Actual amount of HRA received or Expenditure on rent in excess of 1/10th of the salary or 50% of Salary, which ever is less Rent Paid
Interest on HBA U/S 24	-	Deduction	Maximum Rs.1,50,000
Reimbursement of Medical Exp. U/S 17(2)V	-	Deduction	Maximum Rs.15,000
U/S 80C	-	Deduction	Maximum Rs.1,00,000
Refund of loan taken for the construction of House	-	Deduction	Maximum Rs.1,00,000
C.P.F / G.P.F	-	Deduction	Maximum Rs.1,00,000
G.I.S	-	Deduction	Actual
LIC Premium	-	Deduction	Maximum Rs.1,00,000
Subscription of N.S.C. / P.P.F	-	Deduction	Maximum Rs.1,00,000
Interest Occurred on investment in N.S.C.	-	Deduction	Maximum Rs.15,000
C.T.D. / L.I.P. / ULIP (Mutual Fund)	-	Deduction	Maximum Rs.1,00,000
Unit Linked Plan	-	Deduction	Maximum Rs.1,00,000
Tuition Fee (Limited to 2 children) & (After XII th full time course)	-	Deduction	Maximum Rs.1,00,000
5 Years Fixed deposit & 5 years time deposit scheme	-	Deduction	Maximum Rs.1,00,000
U/S 80D CCC	-	Deduction	Maximum Rs.10,000
U/S 80CCD	-	Deduction	Maximum 10% of BP & DA (Recruited on or after 1.1.2004)
Medi Claim Premium U/S 80D	-	Deduction	Maximum Rs.15,000 (Other than above Rs.1,00,000)
Premium paid for Self, Spouse & Children	-	Deduction	Maximum Rs.15,000 (other than above Rs.1,00,000)
Premium paid for Parents (If parent is not senior citizen)	-	Deduction	Maximum Rs.20,000 (Other than above Rs.1,00,000)
Premium paid for Parents (If parent is senior citizen)	-	Deduction	Maximum Rs.20,000 (Other than above Rs.1,00,000)
U/S 80DD	-	Deduction	Handicapped dependents :spouse, son / daughter, parents and brother / sister - Deduction Rs.75,000 to Rs.1,00,000
U/S 80DDB	-	Deduction	Maximum Rs.400,00 (other than above Rs.1,00,000)
U/S 80E	-	Deduction	Entire amount (Interest on higher Education/Study loans)
U/S 80 G	-	Deduction	Deduction for contribution to charitable organization
U/S 80U	-	Deduction	Disability Deduction Rs.75,000 to Rs.1,00,000
	Tax Relief - Additional savings in Infrastructure Bonds : Rs.20,000

CGHS subscription will be exempted u/s 80D

Way to work - Monday morning

2010-03-08T22:34:00.000+05:30

MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU

2010-03-06T19:43:00.000+05:30

I feel beautiful when it is 3:00 am

2010-03-06T03:38:00.001+05:30

Loved the lines in this pic so added the picture here!

We weren’t lovers like that

2010-02-24T00:48:00.003+05:30

Book: We weren’t lovers like that

Author: Navtej Sarna

Publisher: Penguin Books India

Rate: 150 INR

I finished reading this book while travelling from Pipariya (a small town in M.P., India) to Mumbai.

I started this book for two simple reasons:

1. because I had nothing better to do and had to kill time.

2. Because I didn’t have anything else to read

I loved the way the book started. The first chapter was titled ‘Delhi’ (my favorite place) and said these lines:

“I am leaving. Doing the one thing that I’m still good at: running away.”

This line kind of struck a chord somewhere and I knew that I’ll be finishing this book and that too in a trot. And indeed, I did. Infact, I kind of broke my own speed reading record with this one. I finished this book in 7 hours flat – the fastest I’ve ever been across 215 pages.

I never was in a hurry to finish this book as I had the entire day to kill before I’d have reached Mumbai. But, this one was a sure page turner.

I read a lot of reviews on the net and most of them pointed to the fact that this book was depressing and not a good read at all. I’d take a completely different take from all this.

This is one book that is, yes, not like five point someone. It is certainly not the story of your average guy next door, who gets a girl, a good job and lives happily ever after. It is a book of struggles, struggle to wake up, struggle to think rationally, struggle to not do what should’ve been done. This book will not give you cheeky onliners that one can use to impress cute chicks. This is instead a book that will want you to stop, ponder and deliberate over a lot of things. This book will give the involved reader action points.

In a nutshell this book's about Aftab (protagonist), who turns a 40 and whose wife left him for his friend, taking with him their only 10-year-old son. This journey is the journey of Aftab, who used to dazzle and shine in the past, but is now, in a pitiable state.

Reviews of some eminent people:

"Exquisitely written, deeply-felt, introspective and evocative, Sarna's first novel marks an auspicious debut."

-Shashi Tharoor

"Navtej Sarna's shimmering meditation on love and loss becomes a compelling journey through the haunted landscapes of memory. "

-Vikram Chandra

My rating: 7.5 on 10

This is a must read. Readers will be tickled with thoughts, sheer pace and life of the characters. All in all a page turner and a good read.

Monologue on a cold, chilly winter morning!

2010-02-20T00:09:00.007+05:30

One fateful morning, I was standing on a platform at Pipariya (a small town in MP, India) at 2:45 am. I was on my way back to Mumbai after attending a close friends wedding. As i stood there, I could clearly hear the clitter-clatter noise that my teeth were making. It was some 8 degree C out there. All i was wearing was a cotton shirt over a vest and a jeans. I was dead tired having danced like mad at friends wedding (but that's another story) and very very cold. The only support that i had was that of warm tea. It helped in keeping me warm and kept me awake as well.

So i welcomed the gentle breeze (though it made me cold) and tea as both helped me keep awake that night!

Here is what i decided to kill time. I realised long back (back when i was all of 9 years) that i'm most comfortable when i'm with myself.

I decided to spice up this time that i was spending with myself, engrossed in my thoughts. So i decided to talk to the camera of my Nokia N82 in video record mode. The motive was to talk loudly and keep this as a videolog.

So this video above was a result of this self-talk. I realised that i can actually talk absolute nonsense for hours at a stretch, if the audience lends a good ear.

Kingfisher Great Indian October Fest 2009

2010-02-08T23:13:00.000+05:30

Has Your Boss Been Lying to the CEO?

2010-02-01T13:02:00.001+05:30

Sales Techniques Guaranteed to Lose the Deal

2009-12-17T19:34:00.002+05:30

Just had a look at this amazing Sales video. It tells one in no ambiguous terms that what not to do at sales. Btw such tactics are still being taught at a lot of B-schools for sales. And, i'm afraid to say that i've found that most times this doesn't work at all.

Have a look and see for yourself!

Devdutt Pattanaik: East vs west -- the myths that mystify

2009-11-22T01:23:00.000+05:30

Devdutt Pattanaik takes an eye-opening look at the myths of India and of the West -- and shows how these two fundamentally different sets of beliefs about God, death and heaven help us consistently misunderstand one another. Must See and Hear :)