High on a hill only about 12km from the Shimla bus stand near Tara Devi temple stands the Rothney Castle , home of A O Hume, founder of Indian National Congress. Not even a flag notes the heritage value of this place, or that of the headquarters of Bharat Scouts and Guides nearby . The British had made this spot a train halt for visitors to alight and marvel at the natural grandeur of the region, but today, the areas importance is lost.
The queen of hill stations is in crying need of a guardian angel to restore its many heritage sites and arrest its much-lamented degradation. There is no dearth of historic notables, but state apathy has ensured even the frescoes on Christ Churchs walls, made by Rudyard Kiplings father Lockwood Kipling, have given way to cheap designs.
Today, Shimla is a story of decay, where infrastructure is deficient, population is exploding, civic services are stretched and unsafe constructions are rampant. A recipe for disaster should an earthquake strike. The biggest tragedy of Shimla has been the complete erosion of its heritage value, says Raaja Bhasin, author of Simla: The Summer Capital of British India. At the core of the city is heritage, not just an economic asset but as an engine for its growth. Remove its heritage value and you have a Ludhiana on a hilltop, he said.
Considering it is still one of the two summer getaways for the President of India and is still one of the most-visited hill stations going by tourist figures, Shimlas glamour can yet be restored if the three big ills can be taken care of: water, parking and lack of registered hotels.
Growing, Growing, Groan
Shimlas population today is more than 2.20 lakh and is projected to touch 2.36 lakhs by 2011, says Ramesh Sharma, a former employee of the census department. The floating population of tourists40 ,000 in 1991, 56,000 in 2001is projected to touch 76,000 in 2011. If tourists continue to hanker for Shimla, the numbers will cross 100,000 by 2021, say authorities.
Getting there is tough enough. Traffic remains at a standstill for hours on end. A permanent winter has settled over recommendations by the National Town Country Planner to the government as far back as in December 2003 on ways to address this problem.
Tourist influx in the summer has grown. Infrastructure has remained stagnant. Make-shift guest houses run on the sly with no facilities worth the name but manage to run full because of demand during summer.
Ajit Butail, CII incharge of tourism cell, says the acute shortage of bed capacity is a major problem. A number of unregistered guest houses and hotels operate where tourists have to shack up for nights at exorbitant charges in absence of places to stay. Besides, the khans (porters) are given hefty commission to bring tourists to these guest houses, which only give a bad name to the hospitality industry as a whole, he says.
The thick deodar and oak carpeting that robbed visitors of speech are mere words on the guides lips. Felling on the sly continues fast for new constructions, while many ageing trees have succumbed to the warm temperature. Multi-story buildings with black water tanks on rooftops greet visitors instead of the green canopy.
Precious little has been done to develop places of interest where tourists can spend the day. As a result, everyone throngs the Mall. Glen used to be a beautiful picnic spot at walking distance through a thick deodar forest and it was also decided that the spot be developed for tourists for which a plan was also made, but it is gathering dust somewhere, says Butail.
The Scouts & Guides HQ spans about 300 acres, he says. More than 2,000 people can stay at a go, theres space for four amphitheatres where open air plays can be held, there are massive kitchens and dining halls. Scout camps are held here, but the place can be used for a lot of events. But then someone has to do it, he adds.
With an over 100-year-old water supply scheme built to cater to the needs of 18,000 people, the current infrastructure is on the verge of collapse. Local population is 1.65 lakh, say officials and add to that a floating population between 100,000 in August and about 500,000 in June. Under normal conditions, Shimla requires 60 million litres daily to meet its water supply, but in summer with discharges at resources falling and an increased demand to meet tourist requirements, the supply at 40 MLD falls well short of demand , said a municipal engineer.
Despite tall claims of water harvesting , tube-wells bored at Ashwani Khud and the much-publicized Giri water project , people still have to wait long hours for tankers. The Shimla Municipal Corporation can supply water to localities in the outskirts just once in three or four days. Hoteliers meet their requirements ferrying water in tankers from distant natural water sources.
Parking for thousands of vehicles that form a steady slow trickle into the hill capital is a nightmare. Multi-storied parking lots built are not enough. In fact, tourists are stuck as most of the parking slots are taken up by residents. Parking area contractors are better off with locals parking as they get money round the year.
What planners have failed to keep in sight is the carrying capacity of the destination , the hill terrain and constraints it imposes on transport systems, says Bhasin. Billy Mahlans, convener Himachal INTACH says the hill city is growing at a pace that outstrips the civic amenities that can be provided at this altitude. New townships like New Shimla were planned meticulously but executed so poorly that they are already burdened with vanishing spaces and
cho-STORY OF DECAY
At Peterhoff, the former Viceregal residence, Gandhi-assassin Nathu Ram Godses trial was held. It got burnt down in 1981. The new Peterhoff is a state-owned luxury hotel
Walker Hospital, Kennedy House and Wildflower Hall reduced to skeletons of their former selves
Traffic snarls on narrow pedestrian paths. The rail link to this hill station is a British engineering feat and the airport just manages to provide landing facilities for small aircraft ked civic amenities. All in all, Shimlas alarm bells are ringing wildly, but its old-world magic still draws the crowds. Its a rich treasure trove out there thatll quietly sink into nothing if care isnt taken now.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Queen of the hills in need of guardian angel
The Return of the PDA?
For a while, they were a must-have for all those needed to work on the move. And then the smartphone wave came and swept them into history. We are talking about the personal digital assistant (PDA), that small handheld device that allowed users to do basic computing tasks on the move such as editing documents, checking contacts and even the odd sport of web surfing and e-mailing (provided a wi-fi hotspot was handy).
In the decade spanning the mid nineties till around 2005, they were considered the bridge between notebooks and cellphones. However, once phones got smarter, the PDA got pretty much wiped out, with most people preferring to do everything on one device. In fact, some even christened touchscreen phones as PDAphones. No one seemed to want a stand-alone handheld computing device that could not make phone calls. Convergence was the new mantra. Or so it seemed.
Coming back under a different name…
The past couple of years have seen the PDA make a return of sorts, although not under its original name. People who had sworn not to carry multiple devices seem to have changed their minds, at least as far as personal media players and portable consoles are concerned. Gaming on cellphones might have improved considerably and larger storage spaces might allow one to store a goodish part of one’s music library on a cell, but people still prefer to lug around a console like the PSP or the DS and a media player like the iPod or Walkman, for personal entertainment. Some even carry ebook readers and digital camera around.
And it is through these devices that the PDA is returning, if not in form, then in function. If that sounds a tad difficult to digest then just consider the iPod touch, which is perhaps the closest thing to a PDA today. Yes, its primary function is to play music and videos, but thanks to Apple’s App Store, that allows users to download thousand of applications on to the device. For instance, I have a word processor and ebook reader on it, besides using it to store my contacts and back up my important documents. And when wi-fi is available, I use its Safari browser to catch up with news online and the email client to send a few mails back and forth. Now, that sounds like a PDA.
The iPod touch is not the only gadget that is showing symptions of PDAitis. Sony’s PlayStation Portable comes with wi-fi connectivity. Nintendo’s DS too has wi-fi, a calendar application and a very handy version of the Opera browser. Most GPS devices have basic computing functions like address books and in some cases, even office suites and internet browsers, built into them. In fact, even Amazon’s Kindle ebook reader comes with a browser. Top it off with the fact that Sony’s DSCG3 digital camera comes with Wi-Fi and a browser, and it is hard to escape the conclusion that PDAs are steadily coming back.
A continuing trend?
Facts seem to indicate that until the perfect single device comes along, users will continue lugging multiple gadgets and manufacturers will keep adding basic computing functions and connectivity options to all manner of devices. All indications are that the number of gadget categories is going to increase, not decrease.
In fact, what seems to be converging are not devices but a set of features.
The difference between investing and planning
Honesty is his best policy. Soumya Gupta saw tough days in his childhood. His family’s finances were always unstable. They had to borrow money to pay for his higher education. When he first came to Mumbai from Kolkata to work, relatives supported him financially to meet his initial setting-up expenses. Yet, he never dithered from his childhood teaching of ‘honesty is the best policy’. Therefore, when it came time to finalise his marriage plans with Debshree, he insisted that her family visit him and verify his living conditions. His would-be in-laws were also told that his parents were completely dependent on him. Marriage bells are going to ring in November 2009 for Soumya. The 31-year-old has a degree in pharmaceuticals and works with a leading pharmaceutical company as a scientist in Mumbai. Debshree has done her MA in political science.
WHAT IS SOUMYA SAVING FOR?
(1) His biggest anxiety is to accumulate Rs 1.75 lakhs for his marriage. (2) Over the next eight years, he wants a house worth Rs 25 lakhs. (3) Also, he wants to set aside Rs 10 lakhs to take care of his parents. (4) Over the next 20-25 years, he will need Rs 35 lakhs towards educating and getting his children married. (5) Finally, he needs Rs 1 crore for retirement after 33 years. All these are at today’s rates of inflation.
WHERE IS HE TODAY?
Cash flow: His total monthly inflow is Rs 48,000. Against this, his outflow is Rs 46,500, which goes towards routine household expenses, taxes, rent, EMI for house in Kolkata where his parents are living, insurance premium and mandatory savings. The EMI is 4% of monthly inflow. Net worth: The total value of the assets is worth Rs 17.03 lakhs. This includes assets worth Rs 14.60 lakhs for self consumption. Against this, the outstanding loan is Rs 1.24 lakhs. Loans constitute about 7.32% of assets.
Contingency fund: Against mandatory expenses of Rs 35,200 (excluding monthly savings), the balance in the savings bank account is Rs 12,000. This is equivalent to about 10 days’ expenses.
Health & life insurance: His employer covers him for health expenses upto Rs 3 lakhs. The total life cover is Rs 12.70 lakhs through investment-oriented polices. For this, he pays premium of Rs 1.04 lakhs every year.
Borowings: Of total loans of Rs 1.24 lakhs, the outstanding balance on the education loan is Rs 59,700, housing loan Rs 58,000 and Rs 7,000 for personal loan. Savings & investment: The balance in the savings bank is Rs 12,000 and EPF is Rs 72,000. The market value of equity funds and ULIPs is approximately Rs 1.29 lakhs. Another Rs 30,000 is given as deposit for his rented house in Mumbai.
FISCAL ANALYSIS: About 27% of income is being saved. But, unfortunately, most of it is in the form of a high-expense ULIP, which has not completed three years and hence is illiquid. The contingency fund is low. Life cover is low. Borrowing is very well within limits. The only way to fund marriage expenses is to borrow.
WAY AHEAD
Contingency fund: Liquidate equity mutual fund (even at a loss) and keep aside those funds for contingencies. Over a period of time, build up this corpus to Rs 1.05 lakhs.
Health & life insurance: Health coverage is taken care of by the employer. Enhance life cover to Rs 50 lakhs through the term plan in the next one year and, further, to Rs 75 lakhs in next two years. Loans: For the time being, continue paying EMI on loan. There is no scope for prepayment of loans. In all probability, most loans will be completed in the near future.
Planning for financial goals: The financial situation will be a little difficult for about a year. But after marriage, there will be two earning members. Also, most
loans would have been paid back and there will not be the burden of EMI.
Marriage expenses: If there is any bonus expected, then set that aside in the bank FD. Whatever is the shortfall, borrow from the employer or opt for a personal loan.
Home buying: After about a year, once most loans are settled, start an SIP in an index fund for about six years. At the time of buying a house, liquidate this amount and borrow the shortfall.
Parents: Use spouse’s income to create a corpus for parents. Start another SIP in an index fund to create a corpus for parents. Continue this for about six years. Later, start shifting them into a debt instrument. At the end of eight years, the allocation should be about 80% debt and 20% equity. Plan all other long goals after the home buying is complete.
PLANNER’S EYE
The fundamental difference between investment advice and comprehensive financial planning is as follows: Investment advice aligns income to market conditions. Therefore, if the equity markets are up, funds are parked there and when interest rates go up funds are invested in fixed deposits. This does not look at goals. In the case of comprehensive financial planning, every bit of income is invested only keeping in mind financial goals. Soumya needs funds for marriage in the next six months. However, investment is in insurance polices where it cannot be withdrawn for three years. Also, last year, equity funds were bought without realizing that his fund requirement is near term. On top of it, there is an outstanding loan. Now, when markets are down, he will have to liquidate investments at loss. So, for peace of mind, always align investments to your condition and not to market conditions.
Microblogging@work
The concise communication medium has caught on in the corporate world
microblogs had really arrived when this excruciatingly verbose colleague started using twitter to coordinate on projects,” says Rohan Mehta, a software professional from Mumbai, with a grin. “It saves us all a lot of time, since she says, all that needs to be done is keying in 140 characters instead of her usual 1,000-word emails.”
Concise is exactly what microblogging is about. Microblogging services such as Twitter, Yammer and (closer to home) DilKholKebol are basically tiny versions of blogs with restrictions of using just about 140 characters to communicate. Besides, these tiny blog-lets are accessible both on the internet as well as the mobile phone, making the medium omnipresent.
Microblogging initially started as a casual communication phenomenon where people used these services to share mundane details such as, ‘having coffee at Café Coffee Day’, ‘spending time with friends at the mall’ or ‘cooking pasta for dinner’. But over time, it has evolved into a short but a more meaningful mode of communication for keeping in touch, posting observations, coordinating with colleagues on projects, networking real time with similar-minded people and even for promoting your work.
What’s making this medium tick is the fact that one needs to be interesting and succinct at the same time. So you need to have something of substance to say to make people listen. For instance, when companies tweet (twitter messages) they can’t be annoying and self-aggrandising like in the usual advertising mediums because people will simply stop listening to you and you can’t afford that. After all, where else will you find a medium that gives you access to customers in real time, right? Microblogging as a medium, however, is far from evolved with Indian companies. The only ones that currently make good use of the medium are startups and the one-man outfits. On the other hand, celebrities and publications definitely seem to have made a head start with this medium. Be it cricketers, Bollywood stars, politicians and even some company heads — microblog streams are bursting on the internet in a big way.
“But if you thought only celebrities were using tweets then think again,” says Pallavi Mathur, a Bangalore resident, “my hairstylist also recently started communicating with clients about new schemes and such over twitter. And it works brilliantly for her since she can start offers on a spur of the moment.” For instance, only last Tuesday Mathur benefited from following her hairstylist on the microblog. “It was a slow-moving Tuesday, so my hairstylist offered a 30% discount, and it happened to be a free afternoon for me so I went right ahead,” says Mathur.
Real time is one reason why microblogging is also starting to evolve as a medium of coordinating with colleagues. “Unlike other means of communications, these messages are very quick to read, write and replies are optional additionally you don’t need to take the headache of deleting these if you don’t want to use them,” say experts. Moreover, people can look at these posts as and when they come in or just read them in batches thus making life simpler for everyone.
It is also helping bring real time synchronisations between teams in some stray cases. Say, the marketing team needed to quickly check a technical detail during a conversation with a client, so he can simply leave a quick microblog to check who is free at that particular time and whoever is free in the office can reply. “Chat is good for quick one-to-one messages, but microblogging is better if you have to have one-to-many messages,” says Chintan Pandit, a marketing manager in Pune. “It’s a good idea, however, to keep these concise messages devoid of any confidential information,” he adds.
Microblogging has also become great for networking with the like-minded. There are groups interested in a cause or a particular topic which you can choose to follow. By carefully selecting which people or companies you like to track, you can tailor a stream of real time news that will suit your taste. This makes it a much better way over the usual subscriptions-based news updates. You can even connect/ network with people who have very similar life or business goals or in real time using microblogs which can help you strike up instant business opportunities. Microblogs will also give you quick look at the random snippets of the live conversations happening in your city or location giving you updates on the local going-ons.
These are also brilliant sources to find out about the current hot topics catching the collective attention span of people all around the world. In a way these can also turn into your peephole into the current happenings — simply type a term in the search box on Twitter (search.twitter.com) to check on any topic under the sun.
But then again, moderation is important to exercise in the case of microblogs too. You could get hooked. With continuous snippets of information, musings, observations and interesting insights coming out in bursts you could easily lose focus of time and place. But even with all its flaws, microblogging in many ways is finally starting to deliver on the ‘real-time’ promise of the internet.
Fighting for other people’s causes
His many visits to the port were an exercise in futility, and the septuagenarian had lost all hope of getting his money, that is, until he met Rajesh Dharod. “Together, we filed a Right to Information (RTI) query asking the authorities at Kandla port to give us a valid reason for why they had withheld Shah’s money all these years,’’ said Dharod, an electronic engineer. “In less than a month, he got the refund from the port.’’
Rajen Dharod is part of a group of 80 young professionals that include doctors, engineers, lawyers and chartered accountants, who have started a unique RTI movement — under the aegis of the NGO, Tarun Mitra Mandal — to assist people in their immediate neighbourhood with problems such as getting refunds, information on development plans, etc.
Over the last two years, the volunteers have been conducting several RTI awareness camps across the city, and with over 50 success stories, they have made a difference in the lives of the average Mumbaikar. The TMM has now opened 10 RTI centres across Mumbai, and their volunteers have been assisting citizens in filing RTI queries on various issues pertaining to local governance, individual problems, and so on.
“So far, our volunteers have so far filed 500 RTI queries on problems like IT refunds, procuring documents on redevelopment plans of old buildings, refund of stamp duty deposits, inadequate water supply and delay in insurance claims,’’ said Rajesh Gada, convenor of the TMM. The volunteers admit that it was initially difficult for them to commit almost half a day every week to RTI activism.
“Sunday is the only day we get to be with our families. And in a city like Mumbai where commuting takes up most of your time, it is difficult to set time aside for social work. Initially, our wives could not understand what we were up to, but when success stories began to trickle in, they began to support our cause,’’ said Rasik Poladia, a chartered accountant from Andheri, who is a volunteer with the organisation.
The TMM can be contacted on their website thetmm.org. “Anyone who wishes to file an RTI query or wants to know about the RTI Act and how it can help him is welcome to approach us,’’ said TMM member, Suresh Gala, a lawyer from Mulund.
The cases the NGO handles varies from personal ones like Shah’s to an issue that may affect an entire neighbourhood.
For instance, from 2004 onwards, residents of Charkop were being adversely affected by the waste of a nearby cement mixing plant in Kandivli. Many complained of breathing problems and asthma attacks.
Despite lodging several complaints with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board, no action was taken by either of the authorities for five years. About a year-anda-half ago, residents approached the Borivli TMM centre. Volunteers filed an RTI query, and the plant was shut down in two months.
TMM began this initiative with the help of another NGO, Mahadikar, that is considered to be a pioneer of the RTI movement in the city.
Making a Difference 1
Three years ago, vehicle owners
in the city were forced to pay higher than normal rates at the Thane railway station’s parking lot, which was overcharging them. The contractor took a whole day’s fee even when motorists parked their cars for only two hours. Three months ago, citizens approached the TMM for help. The volunteers used the RTI Act to get the actual parking rates, and then approached the station master to put the new (and correct) rates on display at the station 2
Residents of Charkop were being adversely affected by the waste of a nearby cement mixing plant in Kandivli. Many complained of breathing problems and asthma attacks. Despite lodging several complaints with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board, no action was taken by either of the authorities for five years. About a year-and-a-half ago, residents approached the Borivli TMM centre. Volunteers filed an RTI query, and the plant was shut down in two months 3
Jayantibhai Gogri, a Currey Road resident had spent
45 years trying to get her property tax assessed. Even
the tenancy rights of the property were not established. Five months ago, the NGO filed an RTI query, and were able to help Gogri — the tax was assessed, and tenancy rights were established within a span of two months 4
Jyothi V Ranbhia, a Goregoan resident was unable to get the money due to her from her private insurance company. For
five months, despite repeatedly reminding the agents of the money that was owed to her, there was no response. The TMM called up the insurance company to inform them that they were filing an RTI query, the insurance company released the cheque in five days 5
For years, Talakashi Chedda, a Thane resident, was unsuccessfully
attempting to get a copy of his late father’s original will, which was
registered with the registrar office in Pune in 1987. He was at wits end, as the registrar did not respond to his many reminders. Eight months ago, with the help of a volunteer, he finally filed an RTI query, and 18 days later, he was able to read his father’s original will
The NGO has RTI centres in Chinchpokli, Dadar, Matunga (Central), Matunga (W), Ghatkopar, Mulund, Thane, Andheri and Borivli
Friday, February 27, 2009
a nice story about india
| An American decided to write a book about famous churches around the World. So he bought a plane ticket and took a trip to China. On his first day he was inside a church taking photographs when heNoticed a golden telephone mounted on the wall with a sign that read "$10,000 per call". The American, being intrigued, asked a priest who was strolling by what The telephone was used for. The priest replied that it was a direct line to heaven and that for $10,000 you could talk to God. The American thanked the priest and went along his way. Next stop was in Japan. There, at a very large cathedral, he saw the Same golden telephone with the same sign under it. He wondered if this was the same kind of telephone he saw in China and He asked a nearby nun what its purpose was. She told him that it was a direct line to heaven and that for $10,000 He Could talk to God. "O.K., thank you," said the American. He then travelled to Pakistan, Srilanka, Russia, Germany and France. In every church he saw the same golden telephone with the same "$10,000 Per call" sign under it. The American, upon leaving Vermont decided to travel to up to India to See if Indians had the same phone. He arrived in India, and again, in the first church he entered, there Was the same golden telephone, but this time the sign under it read "One Rupee per call." The American was surprised so he asked the priest about the sign.. Father, I've traveled all over World and I've seen this same golden Telephone in many churches. I'm told that it is a direct line to Heaven, But in the US the price was $10,000 per call. Why is it so cheap here?" Readers, it is your turn........ Think .....before you scroll down... ................................................ ................................ .............................................. .......................................................... ........................................................ ........................................................... .......................................................... .......................................................... .......................................................... ........................................................ .......................................................... ......................................................... .......................................................... ........................................................... .......................................................... The priest smiled and answered, "You're in India now, Son - it's a Local Call". This is the only heaven on the Earth. KEEP SMILING i m proud to be an indian .... ru? | ||
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