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Medical Transcription: Keltron and KSITM join hands

Enabling job seekers to have a go at the expanding IT and BPO business in the state, 'Akshaya' e-literacy programme, currently being rolled out across Kerala, will impart training in Medical Transcription. Reckoned as one of the major outsourced business to Kerala's ITES domain, the latest move through 'Akshaya' is perceived to provide the extra edge for job seekers in the Medical Transcription industry. The Kerala State Information Technology Mission (KSITM), the implementing agency of 'Project Akshaya' with Keltron, has made the training possible through a recent tie-up. First phase of the training programme will be launched in Malappuram, the fully first e-literate district in the country. A certificate course of six months duration in Medical Transcription training would be offered through Akshaya centres. Each centre would train ten trainees in two batches. Keltron would provide the required technical support as well as the course materials. Initially,

Back in Action!

I'm really sorry folks... i was down with Jaundice for the past one month or so and hence couldn't update the blog... I will resume blogging with renewed vigor and energy from this new year - Year 2008 - with regular updates!! So pls bear with me till then as I've a barrage of mails to read and things to do that I couldn't in my absence... Cya SooN!

Health is Wealth!!

Whoever coined the term "Health is Wealth" is a genius... One will realize it only when one is down with high fever, as I realized it over the past 3 days... Thanks to a late night dinner @ Kairali Mess and Heat exhaustion when I went to Kerala, my body quickly responded and activated my immune system, only to make me suffer (had 105*c)!! Now as I'm recovering, I realize how important it is to remain healthy!! So, guys & gals, better start concentrating on your health and avoid food from hotels :-(

Pink Slips @ Perot India

IT services firm Perot Systems has retrenched 100 employees in India, a move seen as part of the company’s recently-announced initiative to cut 650 jobs globally. However, Perot India officials termed it as a regular measure to get rid of poor performers. Announcing its 3Q earnings two weeks ago, it had said that it would cut 650 jobs globally to lower costs. The company had reported lower-than-expected Q3 results and said its contract with Triad Hospitals, which generated $20m revenue in the qtr., was being terminated as the healthcare company had been acquired by Community Health Systems. Read more Perot Systems Corporation provides solutions to clients in healthcare, insurance, commercial and public sectors. It reported revenue of $2.3 billion in 2006. It currently has about 7,500 employees in India across four centres in Bangalore, Pune, Chennai and Coimbatore. The company offers its complete portfolio of business process solutions, consulting & applications, and infrastructur

KGISL plans to penetrate Chinese and Korean markets!

After making an indelible mark in providing online scoring services for the Japanese educational institutions, KG Information Systems (KGISL) now plans to extend its services to Chinese and Korean markets.Ashok Bakthavatsalam, director, KGISL, told buoyed by an explosive growth witnessed by the company on this front, it is now negotiating with some of the educational consultants in China and Korea. “We are also planning to introduce spoken English scoring services for the Japanese,” he added. The company, in 2004, started to provide online scoring services for essays written in English by students in Japan’s middle and high schools. It has tied up with over 75,000 schools. According to Mr Ashok, most non-English speaking countries were outsourcing the job of evaluating English essays. “Indians’ proficiency over the English language is definitely to our advantage. We started with 6,000 schools a year back. The numbers have swelled since.” Though the job involves assessment of essays, t

What a Price to Pay!

By: K. Gautam It is ironic that Pervez Musharraf has declared Emergency in Pakistan citing terrorism as one of the reasons – the very same terrorism that Pakistan has been abetting and spoon feeding for the last 2 decades. It is though debatable whether Emergency was declared for this reason or as a desperate move to stay in power. Terrorism has come to a full circle for Pakistan. What started off as state policy with the Kashmir issue as justification has now boomeranged on Pakistan. At the same time, it would not be correct to only blame Pakistan for the terrible state of affairs in the region. The United States has to take a major share of the blame. Pakistan was only an opportunist who came to the party and cashed in and is now repenting. How did it all start? It all started with the erstwhile Soviet Union supporting the Communist Party of Afghanistan against the Islamic fundamentalist forces in the late 1970s. This was superseded by a full-scale invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 by

The coolies are scheduling the trains!

Shashi Tharoor, former UN diplomat has written a nice little piece on the indian BPO industry in Khaleej Times Weekend Magazine, a publication based in Dubai. A good read for all in the BPO industry.... Though many decry the fact that BPOs in India are nothing but back offices or glorified sweatshops providing cheap service to US and British firms, there is more to it than meets the eye. The backroom boys and girls, are in fact, calling the shots! IT HAS become fashionable of late, amongst India's bien-pensant classes, to sneer at the success of India's business process outsourcing industry — the call centres and the like which have become the visible face of globalisation in our formerly protectionist land. Some 700,000 Indians work in the BPO business, which contributes an estimated $17 billion to the burgeoning Indian economy. The call centre has become the symbol of India's newly globalised workforce: while traditional India sleeps, a dynamic young cohort of highly skil

New Industrial Policy

With much fanfare, TamilNadu government announced its new Industrial policy yesterday. The new industrial policy is targeting to create additional 2m jobs by 2011 and raising the contribution of the manufacturing sector to 27% by then from the present 21% of state GDP. The policy focuses on employability-based incentives for new investments, rather than offering incentives using investments as benchmark. Considerable attention has been given in the policy to double exports from the state to Rs 1,40,000 crore by 2011!

Hello Coimbatore!

It's music to ears for Coimbatoreans this Diwali... Radio Mirchi (part of the Times Of India group) and Hello FM (part of Malar Publications) have started their broadcasts in Coimbatore from today. Freebies And to get a kick start in Coimbatore, both these stations are doling out freebies. Hello FM is planning to give away 1,064 gold coins on the launch day, while Radio Mirchi is instigating listeners with a Treasure Hunt in and around the city. Competition Ahead It's going to be a tough market for both these players as already Suryan FM (part of the SUN TV group) has got a good marketshare. There's also Rainbow FM to fend off with, but due its lacklustre programming, it hardly finds a place among the audience. Going by the initial reactions of the public (including me), both FMs gives the listeners a set of new refreshing programs and good RJs. People who have gotten bored with listening to the same old programs in Suryan FM will definitely migrate. New FM channels are spr

Goa Goes Broadband!

If your first impression about Goa is about sandy beaches, feny and loads of tourists roaming around, think again!! According to this report in Times UK, Goa is fast becoming the number 1 state in India in terms of Internet Connectivity and Broadband. If you thought Kerala Government's IT initiative of e-governing itself is the big bright idea, Goan government has already achieved it. "It all seems a little fantastic in a country where nearly half the 1.1 billion population does not even have an electric light in the home. Goa, though, is probably the only place in India where this futuristic scenario stands a chance of becoming reality. It is the smallest state, so is relatively easy to manage, as well as being the richest per capita – Goans earn about three times as much as the average Indian. It is already well developed in terms of infrastructure because of the tourism industry, which accounts for half of the state’s GDP. The roads are good, everyone has electricity and n

The Saravanampatti Story!

Kalapatti and Saravanampatti, two villages about 15 km from Coimbatore, have become favourite spots for private IT special economic zone developers. Till the late eighties, these villages were best known for agriculture. Today, however, agriculture has failed. And these two partly industrialiased locations are better known as the twin IT villages of the textile city. Land prices have zoomed. Today, an acre costs anywhere between Rs 1.25 crore to 1.5 crore, according to data available with the Builders Association of India (BAI). Two years back, the going rate was Rs 50,000-75,000 per acre. Commercial IT seems to be the only driving force on the commercial front. With at least two major companies -- Bannari Technopark and KG Information Systems (KGISL) acquiring land for their IT projects recently, the land in these two villages has suddenly turned into a gold mine for farmers, who never had it so good. Some of the corporates located in Saravanampatti are KGISL, Bosch, Perot, SPi, Cogn

Heaven & Hell

A holy man was having a conversation with the Lord one day and said, 'Lord, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like.' The Lord led the holy man to two doors. He opened one of the doors and the holy man looked in. In the middle of the room was a large round table. In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew, which smelled delicious and made the holy man's mouth water. The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very long handles that were strapped to their arms and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful. But because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths. The holy man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering. The Lord said, 'You have seen Hell.' They went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one. There was the large round table with the large

Something to Cheer About

By: Gautam For all the monkeying around by some of the Indian cricketers in a bid to get under the skin of the Australians, they only have a 2-4 series loss to write home about. At the end of the day, runs, wickets, and catches are what really matter rather than what you say on the field and off it. Reality has hit Team India a bit, if not real hard. They would have realized that the 50-over game is a totally different ball game, especially against the World Champions, after being crowned 20/20 World Champions. It is understandable that some of the youngsters wanted to carry the 20/20 momentum and spirit against the Aussies, but throwing caution to the wind in such an unruly fashion badly misfired. It is unfortunate that none of the seniors including Sourav Ganguly who tickled Steve Waugh in 2001 as captain, could bring about controlled aggression amongst the youngsters. Bad mouthing the Australians was not a good idea after all. It only fired them up. With a series Down Under not far

Bourne Ultimatum Reviewed!

Bourne Ultimatum is the third Jason Bourne novel written by Robert Ludlum and a sequel to The Bourne Supremacy. First published in 1990, it was the last Bourne novel to be written by Ludlum himself. Now, in an avatar of a hit movie franchise, Jason Bourne's Ultimatum is successfully running in theaters all over the world now... Our in-house movie reviewer, Mr. Gautam, reviews Bourne Ultimatum over here in my Movie Review Blog , Life is Reel

Bugatti Veyron in Dubai

My bro-in-law who is in Sharjah fwded me these "amazing" pics of a Bugatti Veyron which is worth 5 billion pounds!! It is owned by Sheik Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum of UAE. And it's probably the most expensive car with the most expensive number plate in the UAE!!! A few stats: V16 engine 1000bhp 9 radiators… Top speed 405km/hr Cross posted in Car India blog

A 747 over my head!

I had a really bad dream today...! Yep, i dreamt of a 747 crashing near my house while I was videographing it LIVE... I then become famous with all major news channels interviewing me, repeatedly playing my video... the video becomes a major hit in YouTube with millions of viewers... And then, suddenly the police arrest me saying that I was a terrorist and I was behind the crash... Am then seeing a lock-up room where the police beat me right and left... They beat me up like they do in movies, tying me up on top of a table and beating me up using their lathis... suddenly Mansoor Ali Khan in police attire comes and pushes me out of the table... Thug! I fell on the floor from my bed and woke up! :-(

Google SMS!

Google announced today the launch of Google SMS ™ for mobile users in India. With Google SMS mobile messaging service, users can get business listings, movie showtimes and more simply by sending a text message to the shortcode 54664 [5GOOG] from their mobile phones. This service is currently available on the Airtel, Aircel, BPL, BSNL and Reliance networks, and has relevant local data for mobile users in Bangalore, Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai. Carriers' premium text messaging rates apply. More!

Legitimate Apple in India!

Reliance Retail has clinched an exclusive marketing and distribution deal with the $19.3-billion iconic maker of iPods and Mac computers, Apple, for standalone iStores. This is Reliance Retail’s first exclusive alliance with an international brand. The partnership was sealed on Monday. The first store, to be called iStore by Reliance Digital, will come up by October-end in Bangalore. This is the first time Apple is tying up with a big corporate house for distribution anywhere in the world. The iStores would be standalone stores selling Apple products ranging from Macintosh computers to iPods and later, once it’s launched in India, the latest cult offering from Apple, the iPhone. More

The Great Indian BPO Story!

Do you feel that the appreciating rupee is an issue that needs to be addressed? Our strength in services export is derived from business process outsourcing (BPO) and information technology. Between the two, IT companies have a larger margin than BPO. I would imagine that IT companies on an average have a 20-25% margin while a BPO company would have a 10% margin. At the same time, wages are increasing and rents are going up, which have already brought down margins of BPO companies. The BPO model has to be sustained and it is very necessary that we grow this industry because we have large manpower. We have 60% of our youth below 30 and thousands of youth are coming into the job market. I don’t think we can employ them all in the manufacturing sector. Today, a graduate is getting three job offers as soon as he is out of college. Earlier, a graduate would have to hunt for jobs or become a taxi driver. Deepak Parekh, Chairman of HDFC in Economic Times !

Amazing Kerala!

Pics taken when I recently visited Alapuzha, better known for its backwaters!

Anti-People Bandh!

By: K. Gautam The unabashed one-upmanship by the TN government declaring a bandh (declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court) and its brazen support by the CPI-M have left the common man of the state inconvenienced. But who cares? On one hand, the TN government wants to score a political point over the Sethu Project citing the people’s welfare. On the other hand, the BJP and the AIADMK (they had filed the petition in the SC) want to garner as many brownies as they possibly can out of this issue. Added to that is the open endorsement of the bandh by the UPA, who doesn’t seem to have a choice but to support the DMK, which is a key ally. Where is the Governor? Amidst all this, there is no word from the Governor of Tamil Nadu on the issue. I am beginning to wonder whether Tamil Nadu has a Governor. If I have not erred, Surjit Singh Barnala is the Governor of Tamil Nadu, who assumed office in 2004. Mr. Barnala is a former Chief Minister of Punjab, and had served as TN Governor from 1990

Chennai No. 1

According to a study by services globalisation & investment advisory firm Tholons and media group Global Services, Chennai tops in their latest ranking of top 50 promising outsourcing cities around the globe. Apart from Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune and Kolkata are rated among the top five emerging destinations. Coimbatore also finds a mention at 21. The study ranked Chennai as the top most emerging hub for outsourcing globally, with established expertise in application development and maintenance, finance and accounting, product development, engineering services and testing. The Tamil Nadu government was IT-friendly, and an upcoming Mahindra World City, slated to be the world’s largest IT Park, in Chennai was favourable to its outsourcing climate.

A Let-off!

By: K. Gautam Rain saved India from what looked like a scratchy run chase. India had gotten into a tangle by requiring too much to chase under the lights. Cricket is a funny game, but Michael Clarke who scored a brilliant 130 (132 balls, 10X4, 3X6) probably batted India out of the match. India couldn’t stamp its authority after Australia was reeling at 18 for 2 in the 5th and 90 for 4 in the 17th. The decisive moment in the match was Michael Clarke taking on Ramesh Powar, after the bowler bowled a brilliant first over, beating the batsmen in flight. Unlike the English and the South Africans, whose timidity against a quality spinner might have handed India the game in a platter, Clarke was dauntless. He used his feet brilliantly hitting Powar for two sixes, leaving the bowler unsettled. Early Wickets Yuvraj made a good start to the series taking an airborne catch diving to his right, to dismiss Adam Gilchrist. Sreesanth despite his initial waywardness got one to cut in to dismiss Brad H

Ocean's Reviewed

Danny Ocean's team is back, this time with the so called unlucky number 13. Gautam, our very own movie critic has reviewed Ocean's 13 in my Life Is Reel blog. Read the full review here ....

Ur Heart at stake?!

ITES/BPO firms, already looming under pressure because of dollar/rupee parity and US subprime crisis, gets another jolt from the Indian government! Alarmed by the rise in health related issues of BPO employees, the ministries of health and information technology have decided to crack the whip on India’s booming BPO sector. A dedicated IT workplace health policy is being jointly formulated by Union Health Minister A Ramadoss and IT Minister A Raja. TOI Reports: Ramadoss said it was shocking to see 22-year-olds dropping dead on their desks, suffering heart attacks. IT is India’s flagship sector and it is the government’s duty to protect its image and its employees, he added. "We are, therefore, finalising a blueprint of India’s first dedicated health policy for the BPO sector. We will finalise the policy in a national conference in Bangalore by the end of October after discussing with our industry partners. IT sector representatives will be invited to that conference."

All Dressed Up!

English Translation: Ducks will be dressed up and sold!

Celebrity Catch!

Met up with one of Malayalam's best known lyricist/musician Kaithapram Damodaran Namboothiripad a few days ago. Indeed, it was very special meeting up with him.

Banished to the Back!

By: K. Gautam I had fumed at the haughtiness of some of the Australians, who shoved Sharad Pawar off the victory podium at the Champions Trophy last year. Now, after seeing Mr. Pawar shamelessly hogging the limelight in the felicitation meant for the victorious Indian team, along with the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra and other BCCI officials, I am beginning to think, “He probably deserved no better.” Going even further, the DCM went on to credit Sharad Pawar for the victory of the team in his speech. Fortunately, he didn’t claim that Sharad Pawar was the one who coached the Indian team. Though the shove Mr. Pawar received was no doubt insolent, we should not miss the very clear message being sent by the Aussies during the ceremony - “Don’t overstay your presence. Your job of presenting the trophy is done. Now keep moving. Leave the celebrations to us.” Sharad Pawar doesn’t seem to have learned anything from the Aussie experience. The Indian team, with the exception of captain D

Interesting!!

You love someone but You marry someone else. The one you marry becomes your dear wife or husband. And the one you loved becomes the password of your Email "ID" There's only one perfect child in the world & every mother has it. There's only one perfect wife in the world & every neighbor has it! Three dreams of a man: To be as handsome as his mother thinks. To be as rich as his child believes. To have as many women as his wife suspects... Husband & wife are like liver and kidney. Husband is liver & wife kidney. If liver fails, kidney fails. If kidney fails, liver manages with other kidney!!!! Via mail fwd: Manju

Heavenly IT Dept

Duties and responsibilities of people in Heaven:- Brahma Systems Installation Vishnu Systems Administration & Support Lakshmi Finance and Accounts consultant Saraswati Training and Knowledge Management Shiva DBA (Crash Specialist) Ganesh Quality Assuarance & Documentation Narada Data transfer Yama Reorganization & Downsizing Consultant Chitragupta IDP & Personal Records Apsaras Downloadable Viruses Devas Mainframe Programmers Surya Solaris Administrator Rakshasas In house Hackers Ravan Internet Explorer WWWF Lakshman Support Software and Backup Hanuman Linux/s390 Jatayu Firewall Dronacharya System Programmer Vishwamitra Sr. Manager Projects Valmiki Technical Writer (Ramayana Sign off document) Krishna SDLC ( Sudarshan Wheel Development Life Cycle ) Arjun Lead Programmer (all companies are vying for him) Abhimanyu Trainee Programmer Draupadi Motivation & Team building Bhima MAINFRAME LEGACY SYSTEM Duryodhana Microsoft product Written in VB Karna Contract programmer

What a Match!

By: K. Gautam The Indian and Pakistan cricket teams scripted what even the most innovative of Hollywood scriptwriters find hard – create a sequel almost as engrossing as the first part. The final may not have ended in a bowl out as on the earlier occasion - but what a match, what a finish! Misbah-ul-haq almost did a Javed Miandad as he almost single handedly won the match for Pakistan from a hopeless position. Hope he is a man of impregnable mind and heart to get over the agony of coming close to beating India not once, but twice in the competition. They say, “sometimes even when you lose, you are a winner,” – but try telling that to Misbah-ul-haq. He might say “Nothing succeds like success,” especially in an India-Pakistan final. Dhoni and his men pulled off yet another memorable victory. MS Dhoni has led his team in an impeccable manner in this competition, never letting the occasion get to him and his team, and ever intrepid to make unconventional moves. Today, his bowling change at

The Dream Final!

By: K. Gautam There are some things you wait a lifetime for and almost wonder if it would ever happen. A world cup final between India and Pakistan is a dream come true for cricket lovers of both countries. Agreed it is a 20/20 world cup and not the longer version, but who cares! An Ind-Pak final is an Ind-Pak final, even if it is gully World Cup cricket. After being unceremoniously knocked out of the 2007 ICC World Cup and having been persecuted by the public, it is redemption time for both the countries. Pakistan also had to go through the loss of their coach Bob Woolmer. India vs. Australia Lightning never strikes at the same place twice, they say. Well, it actually did at Durban in the form of Yuvraj Singh, who after a rest day against SA (injured) continued his blistering sixes. He lit the entire stadium with another swashbuckling innings of 70 of just 30 deliveries, with 5 fours and 5 sixes. The two teams gave a display of high quality cricket, with both teams not giving an inch

Bye Bye, South Africa!

By: K. Gautam One of the definitions for ‘boomerang’ is “a miscalculation that recoils on its maker.” Preparing a pitch that had pace and bounce to suit themselves really backfired with a huge thud on South Africa, with the Indian bowlers taking full advantage of the conditions. It was a boomerang, big time! It was also a double whammy for South Africa, who not only lost, but were also bundled out of the competition. Recovery India recovered from being 33/3 and 61/4 to post a reasonable total of 153/5. It is heartening to see a newcomer like Rohit Sharma playing well under pressure. Though he struggled to get some deliveries away towards the end, he kept the scoreboard ticking with frequent boundaries. His six of the last delivery of the innings helped India get past the 150 mark. He remained unbeaten on 50 of 40 deliveries (4X7, 2X6). MS Dhoni played his best innings of the competition with a fighting 45 of 33 (4X4, 1X6). The Indian innings was pegged back by some disciplined bowling

Yuvraj's Revenge

By: K. Gautam Being hit for a six makes most bowlers feel silly, especially in limited-overs matches. Being smashed for 6 sixes in an over would probably make a bowler wonder why he ever took up the game - or worse wish he were never born. We will have to get into Stuart Broad’s psyche to know exactly what is going through him. Yuvraj Singh must have said to himself, “I was made to look silly in the last few days, with batsmen clobbering me for sixes. It is my turn to make someone else look sillier.” Poor, young Stuart Broad had to bear the brunt of his fury. History Yuvraj thus became the first player to accomplish this feat against a test playing nation, the second player after Herschelle Gibbs against an international team (2007 world cup against the Netherlands), and the 4th player ever in top cricket (the other two being Gary Sobers and Ravi Shastri in first-class matches). It was also the first time a fast bowler has been hit for 6 sixes in an over. The other unfortunate victims

The Replacement Killers!

By: K. Gautam Pakistan started the World 20/20 without Mohammad Yousuf (reportedly joined the ICL) and Shoaib Akthar (sent home for hitting his teammate with a bat). Is Pakistan missing these two accomplished performers? Hardly, at least for now. Misbah-ul-Haq (for Yousuf) and Sohail Tanvir (for Akthar) have been more than worthy replacements. The 33-year-old Misbah-ul-haq, a heavy scorer in Pakistan domestic cricket has done well against India and Australia. He almost won the match single handedly for his team against India and against Australia played a superlative innings, where he scored an unbeaten on 66 of 42 balls. He along with skipper Shoaib Malik played a serene knock after Pakistan was reduced to 46 for 4 in the 7th over. They dispatched the bad balls, ran their ones and twos sensibly and chased down the Australian target with 5 balls to spare, hardly having to resort to bravado. Sohail Tanvir is just 23 and his unique left-arm bowling action has kept the batsmen guessing. H

Jokes Apart!

By: K. Gautam What a joke the political system in this country has become! Two officials of the ASI have been suspended over the Ram Sethu affidavit affair. It looks like in this country, political responsibility doesn’t originate at the top, but somewhere in the middle. Politicians of other countries would love to emulate our political system. “Oh! What a system! Let us adopt it,” they would say. Having already created a political mess for itself by passing a controversial affidavit, which mentions Lord Ram’s existence, the top bosses of the Congress Party are showing absolute lack of guts and gumption by suspending two officials rather than a minister. Are they trying to say that the affidavit was passed without the knowledge of a single minister concerned? Minister of State and Commerce Jairam Ramesh and Senior Congress leader RK Dhawan’s suggestion that Culture minister Ambika Soni’s should resign accepting moral responsibility and Ambika Soni’s retort that she would resign if ask

Lost Opportunities!

By: K. Gautam New Zealand, 112/5 after 15 overs after a good fight back by the Indians through Harbhajan Singh – a sense of déjà vu was floating in the air as soon as I saw Yuvraj Singh came into bowl the 16th over. Hasn’t it happened before in 50 over matches - with the opposition taking advantage of unimaginative Indian bowling. The dreaded feeling came true like a nightmare that keeps coming time and time again. The momentum was immediately shifted once 25 runs were plundered in the 16th over, with Jacob Oram and Craig McMillan taking the game further and further away from India. Despite a good last over by RP Singh, 191 was going to be too much to chase. Though I am tempted to criticize Dhoni’s decision to give Yuvraj Singh the 16th song, I wouldn’t do that, as he is new and he wouldn’t learn, like we all do from our mistakes. Let me try to analyze. Why would Dhoni give the ball to Yuvraj? Had he not been belted for 5 sixes in an over by Dimitri Mascarenhas not too long ago? Why! W

History!

By: K. Gautam So , India and Pakistan managed to create a further piece of history by playing out the first ‘bowl out’ ever in 20/20 cricket. They managed to create further flutters in the already feeble hearts of their fans. Though I am happy India just managed to avoid snatching defeat from the jaws of victory - yet again, I really pity the Pakistan team and its fans for coming so close, yet so far. I think a tie would have been a fairer result, as neither team deserved to lose, especially Pakistan who fought back well through Misbah-ul-Haq, who didn’t deserve to be on the losing side after a fighting 54 of 35 balls. Neither did Mohammed Asif, who bowled one of the best spells (4/18) in a 20/20 game. The top Indian batsmen, with the ball swinging around, found him too hot to handle. Robin Uthappa showed the value of youth in the side by playing a gutsy 50 of 39 balls, along with able support from skipper Dhoni. This helped India reach a fighting 141/9, a distant dream after being 4/3

Original or Fake?

Here's a unique way to check whether your mobile is factory made or cloned in some remote areas of Azerbaijan. You all know that all mobiles will have a factory set international mobile equipment identity number, right? If not, press *#06# in your mobile. You will immediately see a 15-digit number. Now just check the 7th & 8th number in that series and note it down. Here's the interpretation of it. IF the digit number Seven & Eight is 02 or 20 that means it was assembled in the Emirates which is very Bad quality IF the digit number Seven & Eight is 08 or 80 that means it was manufactured in Germany which is not bad IF the digit number Seven & Eight is 01 or 10 that mean it's manufactured in Finland which is Good IF the digit number Seven & Eight is 00 that mean s it was manufactured in original factory which is the best Mobile Quality ... IF the digit number Seven & Eight is 13 that mean s it was assembled in Azerbaijan which is very poor quality and

Let us stick to the facts, shall we!

By: K Gautam A s expected, there is a furore over the affidavit filed by the ASI (Archeological Survey of India) regarding the Sethusamudram Project. The self-proclaimed political guardians of Hinduism, the same guardians who followed the Hindu Dharma by turning a blind eye while countless innocents were massacred in the Gujarat and Mumbai riots have criticized the government for hurting the feelings of Hindus all over the world. While we have got used to such backlashes from such political and pseudo-religious maniacs, the same was not expected from Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, a well-respected seer, both in India and world wide, who has rapped the UPA Government for letting a judicial affidavit pass, which has proclaimed that there is no historical evidence to prove the existence of Lord Ram. He also went onto say "There were unproven miracles in the lives of religious figures of other faiths. If we dismiss Lord Ram as a fictitious character, then we have to dismiss all miracles in the

Not a Good Sign

By: K. Gautam It is really disappointing reading some of the Indian players’ views just 2 days before their opener against Scotland, in the print media. Sehwag was quoted as saying that he doesn’t have any plan as such, that he just plans to walk out and hit. He should be bright enough to know that even in 20/20, things can go terribly wrong, and if you don’t have a plan B or C, you are in serious trouble. Hope Sehwag doesn’t necessarily mean what he says or he doesn’t require other plans, as we all know he can decimate any bowler with his blitzkriegs. Even worse is a kind of a negative statement by Ajith Agarkar, who was quoted to have said that he is resigned to the fact that he is going to be hit around by the batsmen. Not very encouraging words from an international player, who has played for so long. He should be motivating newcomers like Piyush Chawla and others, who require the much needed encouragement from their seniors. While it is inevitable that bowlers will get smacked, wi

No Ram?

In the midst of a political controversy over the Sethusamudram project, the Centre on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that there was no historical evidence to establish the existence of Lord Rama or the other characters in Ramayana. In an affidavit filed before the apex court, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) rejected the claim of the existence of the 'Ramasetu bridge' in the area where the project was under construction. Uh ho, looks like we are in for a trouble here... Hindutva parties are going to be up in arms pretty soon!

From 50 to 20/20

By: K. Gautam The Lord’s didn’t turn out to be one last lucky venture for India after all. Once Tendulkar and Ganguly were separated, the other batsmen were found wanting. Most Indian fans would argue India was Dar-ed (Aleem Dar’s two controversial decisions), but they were just a small part of the cause for India’s downfall. To be fair to Umpire Dar, the Snickometer definitely showed an edge of Dravid’s bat. Add to that the fact that Dravid instinctively looked back at the keeper once the ball passed his bat, which most often is a telltale sign that the batsman has edged the ball (some batsman are smart enough not to look back). However, Dravid insists he didn’t edge it, though he accepts he cannot argue with technology. Tendulkar’s decision, however, looked to be a definite error in judgment on the part of Dar. Even there, there was a sound of Tendulkar’s bat hitting the pad. Overall, Dar has been unfairly targeted as the villain by the Indian viewers. There were also the Anderson an

Before the Climax!

By: K. Gautam With all the comedy of errors and the house of horrors on the field, India has huffed and puffed to square the series at 3-3. Whatever you think about the Indian team, love them or hate them, you just cannot ignore them, and you cannot deny the fact that they have been great entertainers in this series – Tendulkar; Ganguly; Yuvraj Singh with the bat, Zaheer Khan; Piyush Chawla; Ramesh Powar with their bowling guiles, Dravid with his entertaining post-match speeches, and of course the fielding(mis). However, I am sure the Indian viewers would rather prefer Team India as dull winners rather than entertaining winners. We all wish they win matches more convincingly, when they are in a commanding position, without making the Indian viewers requiring pacemakers. We would prefer India snatching victory from the jaws of defeat rather than the other way around. Personally I am a very content man, no matter the outcome of the last match. They have worked hard and fought hard after

Mysore Trip!

My colleagues @ KGiSL went to Mysore this past weekend for our annual team trip. Unfortunately, I couldn't join them due to personal reasons*. But thanks to an enthusiastic Travel Organizer [who went on to click nearly 350 snaps], all the fun my team had has been captured in fine digital print. Check out all the photos over here! *'it was my marriage anniversary ;-)

RGV Ki Aag - clever marketing?

"I will go down in the history of cinema anyhow. If the film clicks with the audiences then I will be the man who remade Sholay and if it doesn't then I will be the man who will ruin Sholay" - Ram Gopal Varma Now now, going by the reviews in various journals, we sure know that this movie is a disaster. And I heard it's been pulled off from a few theaters. But, it has created a curious interest in me to watch it, to really know why they call it such a big disaster, to know why this movie is really bad, to watch it and butcher it with a review... but on second thought, if a bunch of people like me have the same tingling feeling, isn't it a clever marketing ploy by RGV to get more people in?? :-)