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Rags to riches..

The inspiring rags-to-riches tale of Sharath Babu.. Check out the link

Super 30..

Recently the breaking news came from a coaching institue of Bihar. All 30 students of the coaching institue have successfully cleared the IIT entrance exam.. It's a remarkable achievement.. The strength of the coaching institute is 30 and they are called Super 30.. Now Mr. Anand Kumar (founder of Super 30) is a house hold name not only in Bihar but also in India.. The objective of Super 30 is to train the poor children of Bihar for the most prestigeous IIT entrance exam.. To get into the Super 30, the candidates from all over Bihar goes through 2 rounds of test.. 1st round: General IQ test.. total 200 candidates (out of approx. 4000) gets short listed.. 2nd round: Subject knowledge test.. total 30 candidates (out of 200) are short listed and they become the Super 30.. After the Super 30 selection, the candidates will go through rigorous training for the preparation of IIT entrance exam..The duration of the training is for 7 months.. The Super 30 gets free accommodation, free food a

iPhone 3gs

Apple iPhone 3gs.. what a device.. worth possessing.. I'm loving it.. Check out the link Thanks!

BJD Manifesto

BJD's manifesto 1) Agriculture to be given top priority 2) Tax free electricity to farmers 3) Agriculture loans at 3% interest rate 4) Creation of 15 lakh jobs 5) Industrialization to be accelerated 6) Not a single person will go hungry 7) Poverty eradication and improvement in infrastructure 8) Computer education in all schools with internet connection facility 9) Tribal education to be boosted 10) Local dialects to be used as schools in tribal areas 11) At least one full fledged hospital for every 5000 people 12) All people of the state to be covered under health insurance 13) ITI to be set up in every block 14) A diploma engineering college and polytechnic college in every district 15) Rs. 2 per kg rice to be continued.. Let's monitor how these promises are getting fulfilled in next 5 years.. All the best Naveen Babu.. Go and achieve it.. Justify the mandate..

Orissa voters' verdict nullified..

Though BJD has done exceptionally well both in State as well as Center election, still BJD was wrong in its strategy.. Again Orissa is not representing at center.. DMK was able to bargain very well with the UPA having won 18 lok sabha seats. BJD has got 14 lok sabha seats but now it's equivalent to zero since it's not part of the Govt. formation.. So, all the efforts from Orissa voters are nullified.. Mr. Naveen Pattnaik has done a blunder by not allying with a major party at center... Again Orissa will be deprived from Center aid for 5 more years.. When there is no presentation from Orissa at center, it's most unlikely that any major projects coming to Orissa in next 5 years.. In the 15th Lok Sabha election, Mr. Naveen Pattnaik relied on Third front and Orissa will pay a heavy price for the wrong calculation.. Mr. Pattnaik should have understood that Third front is the most fragile front and even if it comes to power then the Govt. will not last for more than 2 years (by a

Congress ka haath aam aadmi ke saath

The 15th Lok Sabha election is over and Congress party led UPA coalition registered a stunning victory by proving all the political pundits wrong. Let us get an insight of the election: Total population of India: Around 120 crores (1.2 billion) Registered voters: Around 70 crore Voters' turn out: 60% Some of the key points that went in favour of UPA are: 1) National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme: In the rural area, one person in each family is assured a job for 100 days in a year with the minimum wages as applicable.. if the job is not available then Govt. will compensate for 100 days of wage. It is said that this scheme is the turning point of UPA's success.. 2) Loan waiver scheme for marginal farmers: UPA Govt. was able to waive-off the loans of the marginal farmers.. Again, this scheme was a big relief for the poor farmers.. 3) Right to Information (Mera paisa mera hisab): Every Indian has the right to know how the Govt. is chanellizing money that were paid through ta

Yes to Buffalo.. No to Bangalore..

We have been hearing many news from USA since Barack Obama has taken the oath as President. However, the news that mattered most to the Indians is the news "Yes to Buffalo.. No to Bangalore".. Let us understand what does it mean and how it is going to impact the Indian IT industry.. 1. Earlier, the American companies (e.g. IBM, Intel etc) used to get a lot of tax incentives by opening offices at off-shore (e.g. Bangalore). So, a lot of American companies were encouraged to open offices at off-shore. 2. However, president Obama has put an end to these kind of tax benefits to the American companies those have offices at off-shore. Instead, the companies having offices in USA, will enjoy the tax incentive now. This means, the companies that are creating jobs in USA will get tax incentives. 3. Hence, this is a big set back for the American companies those have offices at off-shore. 4. There should not be much impact on the Indian companies (e.g Infosys, Wipro, TCS etc) as the Ind

Nano homes..

After the successful launch of Nano car, now it's time to gift Nano home to the Indians from TATA company. "Tata Housing" will be building small apartments in the range of Rs. 4 lakh to 7 lakh. The main objective of this project is to provide homes at low cost to the indians. Again, the target audience of this project are middle class Indians.. To start with TATA is constructing Nano homes at Mumbai.. slowly it'll spread across different parts of the country.. Again a commendable job from TATA and setting a benchmark for other companies.. Specification: Area: 283 sq. ft. One room-kitchen Price: Rs. 3.91 Lakh Thanks, Srimaya Rath

Women power..

I used to ponder why America as a country is so advanced?? After observing for many days I came to the conclusion that out of many factors, the freedom of women is a very crucial factor for the country's advancement and the women of America are enjoying the status of freedom. Yesterday, the result of "Civil Services Examination 2008" was published and the top 3 ranks have gone to girls.. Also, out of top 25 candidates, 10 are women.. this is sensational.. The result shows that the Indian women are also slowly getting the status of freedom and definitely this is good for India.. (FYI: Some days ago the "Indian Idol" (Reality TV show) competition was won by a girl..) If the women are excelling then the country will definitely excel. This shows India is in the right path.. Good show girls.. Question: Will you support women reservation in parliament? Thanks, Srimaya Rath

e-parking

The other day I had been to St. Paul international airport. On that day I came across a fine piece of automation work for parking. Let me elaborate it step by step: 1. Drive your car to the parking lot. 2. You'll be obstructed by a check gate and it'll prompt you to swipe your debit/credit card. (FYI: You need to pay for parking, depending upon the number of hours you have parked your vehicle). 3. When you swipe your debit/credit card then it'll be authenticated and the in-time is recorded. Till now you have not paid anything. 4. Now the gate will open and you can park your vehicle. 5. On your return in the EXIT, again you'll be obstructed by a check gate and it'll prompt you to swipe your debit/credit card. 6. When the card is swiped, it'll calculate the number of hours you have parked your vehicle and it'll show you the amount to be paid. When you approve the amount then it'll be charged from the debit/credit card and a receipt is printed. Again a no-m

Not voting.. a crime..

India is in the process of voting and 2 phases of polling is over.. 3 more phases to come.. It's a shame to Indian Democracy that in the 2nd phase of polling, the average turnout of the voters was only 55%. I work for an IT company and one day holiday was given to the employees to cast the vote. But unfortunately people utilized that holiday as a long weekend and went on trips. Also many people gave excuses like 'who will go to vote in this scorching heat..'. So, ultimately the educated people didn't vote.. This is really disheartening.. It shows many educated masses are unaware of politics and they are taking everything for granted.. I'm very sorry to say that one 26/11 was not enough for our educated people to wake up.. In my opinion these activities (of not casting your vote) are no less than crimes.. and corporates should take strong actions like deducting one day salary of employees who does not have black mark in their finger.. Three more phases of polling are

Apartment culture...

Everyone has a wish to buy a house and live there for the rest of his/her life. These days the dream has become a reality because of good salaried jobs and hassle free loan availability from different banks. Not to be surprised, the real estate market went rocket high and the price of the apartments have gone very very high. Even the good salaried people are feeling the pinch to pay EMI. Very soon the happiness of being the proud owner of the apartment goes off and people succumb under pressure because of heavy EMIs. Ok.. now let us try to understand the apartment culture in USA... 1. The entire apartment building is managed by a leasing company. 2. The apartment house is given on lease to the tenant. 3. The apartment community is facilitated with different amenities like Gym, Club house (TV room, Library etc), Sports area (Racquet ball court, basket ball court, Tennis court, Pool table), Swimming pool, Internet cafe, party hall etc and everything is managed by the leasing office of th

Work from home..

I've a very strong feeling that the usage of modern technology will take India to the next level. The sooner we implement, the better for country.. These days Work From Home culture is a reality. In India, some MNCs and Indian IT companies have adopted this culture. However, majority of the chunk have not yet adopted. Let us understand how the 'WORK FROM HOME' culture can be implemented in all the iT companies: 1. Work: People can work through VPN connection using office laptop. 2. Meeting: By using dedicated bridge, all employees can attend meetings through phone. 3. Presentation: Many softwares are available e.g. 'Windows Meeting Space' can be used for any kind of online demonstration. 4. Video conference: SKYPE can be used for video conference. Advantages: a) There will be less traffic on road b) Less cubicles are required in office space c) People will save money from fuel expenditure and many more.. Disadvantages: a) Initial infrastructure cost e.g. providing l

Professionals in Politics

Any good outcome from 26/11? Yes, the incident has reunited the country and it has pushed the intellect mass to join politics. Meera Sanyal (country head of ABN AMRO) is contesting Lok Sabha election as an independent candidate from South Mumbai. Hats-off to her for the brave decision .. I hope this is just the beginning of professionals entering into politics.. many more to follow.. Though Meera Sanyal's decision to enter politics is well respected and being welcomed by everyone but the question comes why to contest as an independent candidate? Why not to join a political party? But which party Meera Sanyal can join? Definitely a big 'NO' to Congress or BJP (Anyway, she'll not get the ticket). In my opinion, she should join the "PROFESSIONAL PARTY OF INDIA". Meera Sanyal could relate her ideology with Professional Party and the probability of winning the election is more if there is a party back-up rather than contesting as an independent. Also the Profession

Leadership

The meaning of good leader and average leader is well understood by analyzing BJP party. Under Mr. Vajpayee's leadership, BJP flourished all over the country with only one agenda i.e Development.. Now the commander in chief of BJP is Mr. Advani and the party has degraded. The party has lost its focus under Mr. Advani's leadership. Let us analyze what has gone wrong under Mr. Advani's leadership.. 1. Portraying himself as the PM candidate (81 years old).. should have portrayed Mr. Arun Jaitley as the PM candidate. 2. Still the agenda is Ram Mandir.. favouring Mr. Varun Gandhi's remark.. supporting Sadhvi Pragyan Singh Thakur in Malegaon blast case.. so, the approach is communalism.. not at all acceptable to the people of India.. 3. Appointing wrong people in important positions.. e.g. Mr. Rajnath Singh.. 4. Neglecting the key persons like Mr. Arun Jaitley.. 5. Failed to keep good relationship with the allies.. the major set back is by losing BJD as its ally.. 6. The part

Election Time..

The election time is on and all the parties are trying hard for seat sharing.. So, the onus is on the voters to choice a good party which can lead India to development and growth.. Presence of multi-party system in India make the voters confuse.. but thanks to active media for making people more aware and judgemental.. This is the era of regional parties and the regional parties are making their presence at national level also. So, it's very confusing to decide to vote for which party... Let me give my point of view.. Regional parties are more focussed towards their regions and they are doing good work for their states... just take the example of BJD.. Mr. Naveen Pattnaik is doing a tremendous job in Orissa.. so, definitely the regional parties are good candidates for state election.. However, a big no from my side to the regional parties in center election even if the regional party's candidate is good.. If we are voting for regional parties in center election, then there will

Google SMS Channels..

Try out this feature in your mobile.. Google SMS Channels. This feature is only for Indian users.. Create a group or channel and invite people by entering their e-mail or mobile number (they must be indian residents) and if they subscribe to your channel then they can get SMS updates which you will post on your channel... This is like creating a yahoo group.. Ok.. let us understand this step by step.. 1) Create Channel.. 2) Invite people to join it.. 3) People subscribe to your channel.. 4) You post news / updates etc... 5) Your subscriber gets updates as SMS for free in their mobile.. That's it.. pretty simple.. isn't it?? Through this feature, your content can be reached to more people via mobile phone.. and in India, mobile phone is more prevalent.. The service is easy to use for both Channel Creators and Users.. To use the Google SMS Channels you must register it. Visit here: http://labs.google.co.in/smschannels 1) Login with your Google Account. 2) Select a nickname for us

US - Work Culture..

My existence comes from a country of great culture from the EAST.. I am privileged to be a part of the most-civilized, culturally profound nation of the WEST.. The United States of America...This nation has the amalgamation of various cultures from far and wide... However, my search begins for an insight of the original American culture... In this post, let us get an insight about the "Work Culture" of the Americans.. 1. The Americans believe in early to bed and early to rise... They go to bed by 9.30 pm or max by 10.00 pm... Also, they wake up very early at around 5.00 am in the morning... So, they are at office by 7.30 am or 8.00 am in the morning... 2. Upon reaching office, they are glued to their seat and it's just WORK,WORK and WORK... 3. Noise is not at all encouraged during work hours.. 4. Gathering in cubicle is not looked upon as healthy work culture... 5. The use of IMs (Instant Messaging) and phone is prevalent while working.. The job is done very quietly.. 6.

Economic Recovery..

Hi Guys, The economy slow down has devastated the dreams of many people. A lot of people have already lost their jobs.. many are in the pipeline.. even the best brains of market are jobless now.. Find the 2 videos to know how President Barack Obama is planning for the economic recovery.. President Obama addresses Economic Recovery Governer Tim Kaine answers Economic Recovery questions Thanks, Srimaya Rath

Valentine Day...

1. Woke up late in a relaxed manner.. and the weather was perfect for a great valentine's day.. 2. To my surprise, Our home was nicely decorated.. all credit goes to my wife.. 3. Had a nice brunch (with tea).. It was very satisfying.. 4. Bought some gifts for my wife.. 5. Did some shopping as we were invited for a gathering... 6. Drove 20 miles to reach the destination.. It was a nice, long, scenic drive with great weather condition.. 7. Got the chance to meet with some wonderful couples at the gathering.. 8. Had a nice discussion on numerous topics.. with some delicious pakodas being served every now and then.. 9. Then it was the dinner time.. I must say, the food was fantastic and had a lot of varieties.. 10. At the end, Rasogollas were served.. Typical Oriya rasogollas.. very very delicious.. 11. At midnight we were back home.. Overall, it was a fabulous Valentine's day.. relaxing, with great food and full of love.. Thanks, Srimaya Rath

Forget iPhone, Add Calling to iPod Touch

Want the iPhone without the two-year baggage? Why not pick up an iPod Touch and install Jajah, an application that enables users to call using VOIPIn the same manner that Skype enables VOIP calling on the PC, JAJAH's new downloadable application provides the same service on the Apple iPod Touch, making it a fully functional mobile phone for consumers. The drawback is that users can't just call from anywhere.. there must be a Wi-Fi connection for the application to work. The company also said that there is no need for a SIM card or contract to use the JAJAH application. "Millions of people around the world already have an iPod touch in their pocket. With JAJAH's solution, any company can turn their customers' iPod touch into a fully functioning mobile phone," said Trevor Healy, CEO, JAJAH. "The device is particularly popular amongst students, who live in a world where Wi-Fi access is always available and, like everyone, they are looking to save costs, so t

Maa...

One of my favourite songs... dedicated to my mother.. Main Kabhi Batlata Nahin Par Andhere Se Darta Hoon Main Maa Yun To Main, Dikhlata Nahin Teri Parwaah Karta Hoon Main Maa Tujhe Sab Hain Pata, Hain Na Maa Tujhe Sab Hain Pata...... Meri Maa Bheed Mein Yun Na Chodo Mujhe Ghar Laut Ke Bhi Aa Naa Paoon Maa Bhej Na Itna Door Mujkko Tu Yaad Bhi Tujhko Aa Naa Paoon Maa Kya Itna Bura Hoon Main Maa Kya Itna Bura....... Meri Maa Jab Bhi Kabhi Papa Mujhe Jo Zor Se Jhoola Jhulate Hain Maa Meri Nazar Dhoondhe Tujhe Sochu Yahi Tu Aa Ke Thaamegi Maa Unse Main Yeh Kehta Nahin Par Main Seham Jaata Hoon Maa Chehre Pe Aana Deta Nahin Dil Hi Dil Mein Ghabraata Hoon Maa Tujhe Sab Hai Pata, Hai Naa Maa Tujhe Sab Hai Pata...... Meri Maa Main Kabhi Batlata Nahin Par Andhere Se Darta Hoon Main Maa Yun To Main, Dikhlata Nahin Teri Parwaah Karta Hoon Main Maa Tujhe Sab Hain Pata, Hain Na Maa Tujhe Sab Hain Pata..... Meri Maa

The WINTER CARNIVAL..

Saint Paul is the capital city of the state Minnesota.. Winter lasts for almost 8 to 9 months in a year at St. Paul and this city is one of the coldest places in the United States.. Long ago, people described this city as "Another Siberia" and it's unfit for human habitation during winter.. However, the people of Saint Paul took it as a challenge and they started adapting to the cold conditions and even tried to enjoy the white, snowy, icy winter.. To escape the gloominess of the winter, people started with different winter sports and other snow-filled activities and finally it all took over as the idea of a CARNIVAL, i.e, THE WINTER CARNIVAL... Every year the people await the month of January in order to celebrate WINTER CARNIVAL.. Now the WINTER CARNIVAL has become a tradition and Minnesotans have been celebrating it for past 123 years.. Amazing... We all know about the sand sculpture artist Mr. Sudarshan Pattanik.. Today I was amazed to see the snow sculptures and ice

Winter Sports...

It's been more than 6 months now since I'm at Minneapolis, Minnesota... Again I'm very fortunate to be here during the winter as it is called the "God's frozen land".. It's really amazing to experience the snow which is very rare for us back in India.. Last weekend, I had been to a snow amusement park called "Buck Hill".. It was an ever lasting experience for me... At Buck Hill, you can do skiing (which I had seen in TV till date), Snowboarding and Snow Tubing... In the freezing cold, I did snow tubing (as it was relatively easier) and it was a thrilling experience.. For Snow Tubing, you have to pay $13 and you can enjoy it for 2 hours.. Let me tell you, 2 hours time is a big duration to sustain in that freezing cold... At Buck Hill, apart from different snow sports activities the presence of different food courts and coffee centers makes the place more special.. The prices are reasonable.. Going forward, definitely I'll visit Buck Hill more

Jaago Re...

The US election is over and the new president has taken the charge.. Now it's our turn.. Our general election is some months away.. Last year we witnessed a huge turn out in the assembly elections and the Jammu and Kashmir election was exemplary with more that 60 % voters turn out.. Let's continue the same pattern by participating in the election with huge numbers.. Follow the below link to register yourself and participate in the general election... It's very simple.. You can vote from anywhere.. www.jaagore.com It's a great move from the JAAGORE team.. We salute your enthusiasm and dedication.. Thanks, Srimaya Rath

President Obama.. the hope..

Today (Jan 20, 2009) Barack "the hope" Obama took oath as the 44th president of USA. Well, it's a memorable day in US history. It's a very special day for the Americans as well as the rest of world.. The dream of Martin Luther King Jr. (Speech: I've a dream..) has become a reality today.. It's incredible to see how a common man can move the entire nation with great hope.. I'm very fortunate to be in US during this period to catch all these actions... Today the entire world witnessed the meaning of a great democracy.. Everyone was amazed to see the smooth transitioning of power with great respect for each other.. Also it was great to see that Ms. Mitchelle Obama presenting a gift to Ms. Laura Bush in the farewell ceremony.. And at the end it was thrilling to watch the inaugural ball (ball dance) of Barack and Mitchelle Obama.. It's a great tradition.. After following the entire day (US Presidential inauguration), I must say we have a lot to learn from A

Moditwa...

Which was unthinkable some years ago, today it's reality.. the "Moditwa" (read in hindi).. In the recent 4th Global Investors' Summit, the corporate heads of India have endorsed Mr. Narendra Modi to be the future PM of India.. A big statement from the corporate biggies.. Can we digest Mr. Modi as the PM of India?? Can the world digest this?? Let us analyze what this man is all about.. why so many intellectuals are endorsing Mr.Modi?? Mr. Modi means.. 1. Industrialization of the state and job opportunity for everyone.. 2. Modernization.. both in rural and urban areas.. 3. Corruption free state.. No nonsense in bureaucracy.. 4. Very strong against terrorism.. 5. Having a great vision for the state.. a vibrant Gujarat.. Having said all these good for Mr. Modi, no one can deny about the Godhra incident.. Still the Godhra ghost is haunting Mr. Modi.. When the supporters of Modi have many things in their kit, the detractors of Modi are still talking about the only incident

The "Mithya" story of "Satyam"...

Well, "Satyam" has been proved to be a big "Mithya" (lie).. it has been a shocker from the Indian fourth IT major. The revealing facts are scary. Hopefully Satyam is just one of the case. Now the investigation will start.. During investigation, if some other company will be found with the same charge then the IT image of India would be in turmoil... We have been hearing of the Satyam scam for past 2 days.. How did the company collapse in just 1 day? Let us try to understand how did it all start... Let us understand this by taking a small example.. Suppose the company is making a profit of Rs. 100 in one quarter.. Mr. Raju manipulated the accounts to show the profit as Rs. 1000. So, Mr. Raju inflated the accounts by Rs. 900. By showing huge profit margin, Satyam was able to attract a lot of investors and a lot of clients in a very short span of time.. So, Satyam did all its expenditures assuming it has got Rs. 1000 (but actually Rs. 900 was missing)... In this proces

A month later 26/11...

Now it's more than a month since 26/11. Let us analyze how our Govt. has acted during this whole month. From my side, I'll give full credit to the Govt. the way they have dealt with the situation. It's a fantastic job from Mr. Pranab Mukherjee for working day and night to formulate the strategies to side line Pakistan. What we witnessed during this month 1. Every citizen was deeply hurt by this heinous act and expressed their solidarity with the Mumbaikars. I must say, 26/11 has united us as a country and a lot of young leaders will emerge to serve for the country. 2. I must salute the attitude of the citizens of India. Though we all are deeply hurt, still we don't want war. This shows we are educated, civilized and a responsible country. 3. Resignation of Shivraj Patil and appointment of Mr. P Chidambaram as Home Minister. This is the best thing to have happened during this month. 4. Oberoi Trident and Taj hotels are back in business.. A big and brave step.. This shows

Happy New Year 2009...

Wish you all a very happy and prosperous new year 2009... A year has gone by.. This is the time for me to introspect myself.. What all good things and mistakes I did last year.. In this new year, I'll promise myself to continue all the good work I did last year and rectify all the mistakes I had committed last year... Let us welcome the new year with lots of new hopes and dreams.. On the other day I had been to WALMART to take hard copy of some photographs.. I had taken all my pictures in a USB drive. In WALMART, you'll find many KODAK kiosks.. I approached one of the kiosks and inserted my USB drive.. In no time the hard copies of the photographs are with me.. and without anyone's help... It was like drawing money from an ATM machine... It was fantastic.. and I was really amazed to see the clarity of the photographs.. Once more I was amazed to see the level of automation in US.. Thanks, Srimaya Rath