Modern_Baby_Girl_Names

DTH (Direct-to-Home) enables you to receive satellite programs on your regular TV using a mini-dish and STB (set-top box). There are currently 6 major DTH players in the Indian market – DD Direct+, Dish TV, Tata Sky, Airtel DTH, Reliance Big TV and Sun Direct.

With DD Direct+, you just need to pay for the equipment (Rs. 3,000 maximum). There are no activation charges or monthly dues. However, the bouquet of channels and radio stations is limited to free-to-air i.e. 19 DD channels, 14 private channels and 12 radio channels (all are ‘All India Radio’ only).

With Dish TV, you need to shell out approx. Rs. 1,590 for the equipment and then pay Rs. 125-325 per month depending on channel package chosen (includes most of the popular channels in India including all Star and Zee channels).

With Tata Sky, the equipment initially costs Rs. 1,599. Then, the monthly dues range from Rs. 125-Rs. 275 per month, depending on the channel package. Channel lineup is similar to Dish TV. However, it is the quality of equipment and customer service that is attracting so many people to Tata Sky.

For both Reliance Big TV & Airtel DTH, initial equipment cost (STB+Dish) is Rs. 1,490 and channel packages range from Rs. 110 to Rs. 330 per month. For Sun Direct, initial equipment+ activation costs Rs. 1,250 and channel package pricing is similar to other DTH providers.

My experience with Tata Sky DTH:

After getting frustrated with inconsistent quality of reception and cable operator’s indifference to my complaints, I finally decided to opt for DTH.

Considering the very limited choice of channels on DD Direct+, I ruled it out. I had to now choose between Dish TV and Tata Sky. Dish TV is cheaper and offers the French channel – TV5 Monde (interesting for me, considering my long association with France). However, after reading people’s complaints about Dish TV’s pathetic customer service and sub-standard equipment, I decided to go for Tata Sky.

I called Tata Sky’s customer care center with my questions and found them to be courteous and helpful. So I went ahead and purchased the equipment from a local electronics store in Vashi on 13/12. The vendor assured me that the installation would be done next day in the evening.

Tata Sky engineers called me 2-3 times during the day to confirm my availability and as promised, installed the dish and STB on 14/12 evening. They were efficient during installation and patiently explained the various features.

It is indeed very rare to see such a professional customer service in India!

Deficiencies in Tata Sky DTH:

A few downsides that I see in Tata Sky DTH, at present, are the following-

Advita on Day 23

After a wait of nine long months, our little angel was born on 19th May’10 at Manipal Hospital in Bangalore. Looking at her sweet face and the innocent look in her eyes, we gave her the pet name of “Pari” which means “fairy” in Hindi.

After browsing through several baby names’ sites, we named our baby girl- “Advita” which means “unique” in Sanskrit. Advita now also has her own domain- advita.in where we have mentioned some interesting details about her.

Experience at Manipal Hospital:

Though we would recommend our gynecologist- Dr Praveena Shenoi whom we consulted during my wife’s pregnancy, our experience with Manipal Hospital was less than satisfactory.

We especially had unpleasant experience with nurses on the 5th floor who either didn’t respond or were not available many times when we needed their help.

Manipal Hospital also has some ridiculous practices e.g. not allowing husband in OT AND even in the recovery room! They also keep all newborns under observation in NICU for 6-7 hours where they won’t allow even babies’ parents to enter!

Useful resources for expectant/new parents-

1. babyCenter.in- Affiliate of renown Johnson & Johnson group, this site has very useful advice for expectant/new parents &  a very search-friendly section on choosing your baby’s name

2. welcomebabyhome.com- Another useful site with step-by-step information on various pregnancy/newborn stages

3. What to Expect When You Are Expecting- This best-seller book is simply a must-have for all expecting parents!

4. PregTastic Podcasts- If you prefer listening to reading, these useful podcasts are for you! Expert information & friendly advice. You can also find them on iTunes by searching for “Pregtastic”

5. Last but not the least, create your own pregnancy tickers & keep track of your pregnancy at every stage. Here are the links to some good trackers- Link 1|Link 2|Link 3

Let us put things into perspective- he is an anti-national person who depicted Hindu gods and goddesses in vulgar compromising positions and hurt the sentiments of Hindus around the world!

However, he has never dared to represent his own religion- Islam in such derogatory manner. Had he done the same thing in Islam, the same country- Qatar that is now offering him citizenship would have punished him with death penalty!  It would have become impossible for him to live anywhere else in the Muslim world!

Utter hypocrisy and double standards are clear here! Rational Indians of all faiths must realize that Husain is a pervert who is trying to disturb the communal harmony of our multi-ethnic nation.

Rather than feeling sorry or supporting such anti-social elements, we should ensure that such people are given exemplary punishment to deter others from committing such disgusting acts!

Related links:

• Exposing MF Husain (YouTube video)- Part 1|Part 2|Part 3
• MF Hussain: Sexploiting Hindu gods (Memory & Desire Blog)
• Husain’s Crooked Art (Drishtikone)
• MF Husain denigrated Indian culture (Express Buzz)
• Husain stay back, all is not forgiven (The Pioneer)

I am happy to announce that I passed my PMP exam yesterday.

The entire process of studying for this exam and exploring the invaluable inputs, tools, techniques and outputs of the various project management process groups/knowledge areas were real eye openers to me.

PMI has done an exceptional job of compiling proven best practices from around the world into a de-facto project management standard. The 200 question and four hour long PMP exam targets two aspects of learning: knowledge and practice. Most questions in the exam relate to “real world” situations and assess not just expertise but also the ability to apply it in real-life situations.

A key ingredient for innovation in any field is the ability to get ideas and approaches from outside our comfort zone. This is where PMP provides that extra edge by helping us consolidate wisdom from diverse areas.

Also, maintaining the PMP credential beyond 3 years requires 60 PDUs (professional development units). Therefore, PMPs need to stay updated with new skills through continous learning.

Here are my key learnings during the process of becoming a PMP-

1. Stabilize the environment, allowing work to shift from perpetual firefighting to more proactive work that addresses the root causes of problems.
2. Electrify the fence in order to keep everyone accountable and responsible for playing by the rules.
3. Goal should be to reduce the amount of time spent on unplanned work, by reducing the number of self-inflicted problems and modifying how problems are solved.
4. Awareness is better than being oblivious, and managed is better than unmanaged. Start with a particular class of changes and constantly refine the process.
5. DON’T sit in the office all day, crunching numbers and sifting through data. The ability to analyze data in order to spot trends or hot spots is an important skill for project managers.

We dance for laughter, we dance for tears, we dance for madness, we dance for fears, we dance for hopes, we dance for screams, we are the dancers, we create the dreams. Dancing is like dreaming with your feet! It’s what I always did…the laughter, the fun, the joy of dance. Dancing with the feet is one thing, but dancing with the heart is another. As aptly said : “Dance isn’t a form it’s a way of life”

To dance is to be out of yourself. Larger, more beautiful, more powerful. This is power, it is glory on earth and it is yours for the taking. The dance is a poem of which each movement is a word. There are short-cuts to happiness, and dancing is one of them.

Nobody cares if you can’t dance well. Just get up and dance. Dance like nobody’s looking. To watch us dance is to hear our hearts speak. Why not dance yourself rather than look at others. You never know, your two left feet may tap the poem of your heart, which even words could not speak.

Dance, an Art Form
The Body, an Instrument
Learn To Play The Instrument
So You Can Master The Art Form
–Attributed to Debbie Dee.

While I dance I cannot judge, I cannot hate, I cannot separate myself from life. I can only be joyful and whole. That is why I dance. Play the music, my feet will tap… my hands will swing. Even if I cry, dance can lift me high. I do not try to dance better than anyone else. I only try to dance better than myself. Its the best way to let my feelings out, express my inner-self and elevate my spirits. What I feel, is on my face. Without dance I cannot feel my soul, hear my heart, or see my dreams.

Opportunity dances with those who are already on the dance floor. Move your body, he could fall in love. Offer a dance, the girl could be yours. Play the rythm, it may turn into a festive celebration. On your heart-beat, the Lord will dance on his two feet. If you wanna compete, dance seems to be the best feat.

Dance is indeed, the hidden language of the soul.

Disclaimer: This beautiful narrative on dance was shared with me by one of my colleagues and is not my self creation.

Woke up in the morning today to birthday calls and greetings from friends and family. Another year has passed in this beautiful journey of life. A lot of things have changed and probably, there are many things that will never change!

It’s my first birthday in this new city that I now call home- the bustling new metropolis of South India called Bangalore. Known as the Silicon Valley of India, this city is home to some of the largest IT companies from around the world.

We (myself and my twin) were born on a Friday on the 180th day of the year. Our birth coincided with the premiere of one of the most successful James Bond movies- “Moonraker” starring Roger Moore in the United States.

On surfing the web, I also found out that there is a concept in probability theory known as the Birthday Paradox. It states that in a set of randomly chosen people, some pair of them will have the same birthday. This probability is more than 99% for a group of 57 people or more! You can read more about it here.

There is another paradox I remember from my school days. One of my teachers in high school had once stated that birthdays actually bring us a year closer to our impending death. So, should they be a cause for grief or celebration? Some people might feel that it is a pessimistic way of thinking but nonetheless, it is a viewpoint to ponder about! Are birthday festivities nothing else but self-delusionally defying our own death? Is birthday revelry another way of preserving our illusion of immortality?

Now, to look at it from an optimistic viewpoint, birthdays are special because they symbolize the significance of our existence on this planet! Or maybe, we celebrate the fact that we have survived another year against so many odds! We celebrate having arrived so far because such successful resilience allows us to continue forward. We proclaim our potential to further enjoy the gifts of life. Birthdays are expressions of unbridled, blind faith in our own suspended mortality!

Birthday Types

Some eastern countries like China, Japan, and Vietnam etc. even have a different way of counting a person’s age! In their traditional systems, a person’s age is counted from his conception rather than his birth and each passing of a New Year rather than the person’s birthday adds one year to his/her age. This leads to people being 1-2 years older in this system compared to the international version! You can read more about it here.

There is another concept called Decimal Birthday wherein people celebrate the 100th day of an infant’s life. This practice is predominately followed in Korea and is known as Bek-II.

In some traditional Indian sub-cultures, a special ceremony called “Sashtiabdhapoorthi” marks a man’s 60th birthday. On this day, all the celestial bodies are said to align in exactly the same way as they were during the birth of this individual. The entire family gathers to give and seek blessings to and from this person for good health and prosperity. The man and his spouse also reaffirm their wedding vows and there is a re-enactment of their wedding ceremony!

A Golden Birthday happens only once in a person’s lifetime. It happens when the person’s age and the date of the day they were born is the same.

Birthday Trivia

As someone rightly said-

Our birthdays are feathers in the broad wing of time.

If you planning to get new broadband connection, steer clear of Sify Broadband.

While their tariff plans may sound very attractive compared to other ISPs, their business model is purely based on cheating customers & unreliable service. The network keeps on going down every now and then & the customer care number “mysteriously” stops responding during such occasions.

Also, the tariff plans are not what they seem to be. Sify does seem to offer some ‘Night Unlimited Plans’ that should allow unlimited downloads from10 PM to 8 AM. However, you will be amazed to discover your plan abruptly expiring earlier than its stipulated duration. When asked, Sify customer care will give you stupid reasons, never accepting that this is a problem with their billing system!

My personal saga with Sify Broadband

My Sify plan- 400 MB with Night Unlimited unexpectedly expired after just 15 days, despite the fact that I always downloaded after 10 PM. When I contacted Sify Customer Care, I was told to write to customercare@sify.com.

They kept on sending me automated replies, giving me details of my plan, without even bothering to read my mail! After I sent them a strong mail demanding an explanation, an executive from Sify called me & told me that I had logged in at 9:59:40 PM instead of 10 PM (20 seconds earlier!). Therefore, the entire session was considered as “before 10 PM” session & deducted from my 400 MB limit!!

After hearing his “irrational” explanation, I asked him if the opposite of this situation would also hold true. If I connect, let’s say at 10:30 PM & do not log out till 11 AM the next day, would that entire session be considered as “10 PM to 8 AM” session, allowing me to make unlimited downloads till I have logged out. He categorically replied “No” & told me that MBs will start getting deducted from my account as soon as I cross 8 AM in the morning.

So why does the same rule not apply at night? As soon as person crosses 10 PM (which was 20 seconds away in my case), MBs should stop getting deducted from the account.

To summarize, Sify Broadband can go to any extent in trying to make extra money, even if it means indulging in unethical billing & making a fool of their customers. One thing still remains to be seen, how long can such devious business practices continue! Probably, till the time when monopoly of such ISPs in specific areas ends & people have better choices.

Your comments & experiences are welcome!

It is astounding to note that even so-called educated & modern people of India believe in mind-numbing superstitions and harmful pseudo-sciences. One such pseudoscience called “Jyotish” (Indian Astrology) dictates vital decisions in our society like whom to marry, on which day and at what time! It also dictates whom not to marry using some ridiculous concepts of guna-matching (compatibility score), grahas (planetary positions), doshas (negative effect) etc.

1. The first point of validation, especially in arranged marriages, is the concept of “Manglik Dosha”. This dosha is said to happen if you are born in the 2nd, 4th, 7th, 8th or 12th house of astro-chart. Jyotish dictates that a manglik should marry another manglik only otherwise all hell can break loose (accident, death of partner, financial problems and what not!). As a result of this belief, parents of non-manglik son/daughter will outrightly refuse a manglik groom/bride even if all other conditions are favorable.

2. Once manglik criteria is met, the future of matrimonial alliance now depends on guna-matching. Indian astrologers strongly advise against any wedding (often citing dire consequences) if guna-matching score is less than 18 (out of a total of 36). Even if you passed both manglik and guna-matching tests, there are some other absurd doshas like kalsarpa dosha, naga dosha etc. that can still hamper the alliance!

3. For many of these doshas, there are so-called remedies available wherein you need to squander thousands of valuable bucks on performing religious ceremonies or buying so-called auspicious stones etc. which are said to either cancel or reduce the negative effects of such doshas. This precious money can definitely be used elsewhere for much better purposes.

Our media is also proliferating this nonsense by beaming many programs on sun-signs, lucky stones, numerology and what not! The most noteworthy thing about such damaging practices is that they come wrapped in the fancy dress of following Indian culture & tradition!

Jyotish appeals to so many people because it addresses their longing for emotional comfort & guidance in midst of all the uncertainty. Many believers who say jyotish works are under “Faith creates it own verification” effect. They believe, follow & make it happen through their own actions or interpretations.
As a great poet once remarked –

The fault is not in our stars, but in ourselves.

The highest rainfall measuring 944 mm was recorded last year on 26/07/05. The ensuing chaos and floods claimed 1,000 lives and exposed Mumbai’s shoddy constructions, corruption and lamentable infrastructure.

My personal experience with Monsoon Fury on 26/07/05

As I started driving towards home (barely 10 minutes from my office by car), the nightmare started unfolding before my very own eyes. First, it was the heaviest rainfall unlike anything I had ever seen! Then, it was flooding of Andheri’s roads till water started entering my car through the door!

It dawned on me that this was a matter of my life and death! I parked my car at the nearest elevation I could find and started walking in knee deep water. Mixed with kerosene, petrol, debris and what not, the water on the road had acquired a pungent color and smell. After 5 hours of tireless walking, I finally reached home, only to find it in total darkness without electricity and water supply!

The situation this year

Although not so dismal like 26/07 so far, some low lying like Andheri are already inundated. Heavy rains have been lashing the city for over a week now. Maharashtra government’s claims about monsoon readiness and disaster recovery appear shoddier and shoddier as the rains intensify!

Major disruptions in traffic flow are commonplace. Lightning, collapsing houses and falling trees have claimed many lives. Mumbai’s municipal corporation (BMC), plagued by its notorious lethargy chose to dig up the roads just before the monsoon! Instead of facilitating relief, BMC is endangering many lives as mud chokes the city’s crumbling drainage system and uprooted trees fall on people!

Luckily, I am now living in Navi Mumbai, a better planned township with wider roads and fewer encroachments. Though many roads have been badly damaged here too, the situation is still salvageable.