Monthly Archives: January 2015

The Mouse Charmers – Digital Pioneers of India by Anuradha Goyal #Bookreview

the mouse charmers

A nice classic if I can call it for the start-up community and the entrepreneur in you. I know the author as the quintessential blogger and this is a nice compilation of the stories that have impacted our life.  With the impact of internet and the mobile only going to go higher in our lives we need to know these companies from the inside out. And this book achieves that.

The story and the narration of the companies and the business model and the technology being laid thread bare makes you appreciate the nuances with ease and may be kindle the entrepreneur in you.

After reading this I felt we need more stories like this should be introduced to the young people so they can take the risks and look at the entrepreneurial journey at an young age.

The author has taken the 3 Cs – Commerce, Content and Connectors as the theme and woven a nice story around the customer and the company in question. This will surely be an eyeopener for the readers in a way they are introduced to these companies.

She has got it with the three Cs. Obviously we have more players and I am sure the constraint in the space would be the reason for not getting others in here. Nevertheless it has achieved the purpose.

I would recommend this to any one who is thinking about entrepreneurship especially in the technology domain. Though the times and technologies have changed, the inherent spirit of the entrepreneur and the way he goes about will remain the same.

I am sure you would be able to find your calling or niche and also sometimes make judgement about your business plan when you read this book. You would easily find the answers at ease.

I don’t want to write in with each companies specified here but I am sure these will serve as lessons on both sides, success becuase they have and for us how not to do it.

One thing I must mention is that Indiblogger is also a part of this stories under the connectors. Thanks Indiblogger for sending in this book!

A nice read and highly recommended one at that – startups and those starting up, the time you invest here in this book will be doubly rewarded.

Senthilkumar

This is a part of Indiblogger Book Reviews

Littering is in our genes!

Just watched the video, very fantastically portrayed ‘chaltha hai’ attitude of the great Indian citizen. So very like the one who dont vote but go around with social media and keep trending things.

Probably this is one feature that doesnt create a divide between rich and poor, the hindus, muslims and christians. One character which makes it a marked Indian trait.

But you send them to the other side of the world they will keep the word and abide by the law. They know they cant get away, from the heavy fines they pay. But here they know how to get away from anything called fine.

Sometimes its a wonder how we don’t even litter them in the dustbin and can see all the waste all over the place except the litter bin. We can keep talking about it and that precisely why I was so happy to learn about The Great Indian – http://greatindian.timesofindia.com/ an initiative by Times of India.

So is there a chance, ofcourse there is and it has to start somewhere and this video excellently depicts the issue, and something else is also happening in the country by the name Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan. Possibly instead of watching the video and going off as we often do with all the viral videos, this one must be taken seriously simply because it matters things with us. Probably this can change a lot of mindset and who knows it can also work wonders on the human psyche across the way he/she thinks about himself.

A clean surrounding can alter the way you think and act. Mahatma Gandhi the father of the Nation has said, “Cleanliness is next to Godliness!”

We need to make it cool to be good and have a great surrounding around us. The first part of the work would be to keep the places clean where we use. How difficult is it for us to understand that all the government buildings are built using our hard earned tax money.

Once we get a sense of ownership on all these things there could be a way to get on. Possibly we need to rework the way History and civics is taught to us. Civics needs to be more practical than just some sections on the constitution. There has to be a way we need to tell people that duties exist alongside when we talk about rights and that they go together.

It might seems like an unworkable idea. It has to start with I – for initiative. Make things clean around us, and then extend it to the house, street, community, the district, state and the nation.

So as they say charity begins at home and thats where we can start keeping things in a pretty nice way and work towards better environment.

Let the great Indian video charge us to tell people to stop spraying. Do you know what people had to do to stop this. Literally start Praying, they installed pictures of Gods on the walls to do just that.

Whatever, we need to execute this very urgently, somewhere a start shall be made and the best place is now and around you.

Senthilkumar

This is a part of Indiblogger Happy Hours

A healthy child makes a healthy home!

A healthy child brings us all joy!
A healthy child brings us all joy!

The arrival of the child is one of the most cherishing moments in everyone’s home. That moment is a moment of rejoicing for one and all. I have come across this statement attributed to our People’s President, that that is the only day when our mothers felt happy we cried.

And the journey continues for the child at home, everyone is on their toes literally keeping an eye on the child. For the dads its a new experience and they also get to share those wonderful moments alongside the mother helping her with the upkeep of the child and generally taking turns to make the child sleep, play and indulge.

There is always a feeling of euphoria when the child is around, we would feel the magic in the sounds of the cries, the giggle the very effort it puts to make itself heard and what not.

These days everything gets recorded and what not. In all these, the child’s health is of paramount importance. In earlier days we had the luxury of having our grandparents around us to help the new mother and also take care of the health.

We call it ‘Paati Vaidyam’ in tamil which roughly translates to “Grandma’s Medicine”, it could be a potion mix with herbs and ingredients that are healthy and give us the innate and underlying immunity for the child. But these days without those learned and experienced people around us, its become pretty tough to take care of the child in the early stages.

Aunt & Grandma! They have been a part of growing up for the kids
Aunt & Grandma! They have been a part of growing up for the kids

In case the child becomes unwell, the home will lose its charm, since all the activities used to be revolving around the child. The home will be ill as a matter of fact.

The childs health being of very sensitive import, the immunity build up should be there to assist the child to withstand the external factor that we live in. In earlier days we were used to Ragi and other food especially for the kids and they never had to go to a doctor at any time. Home remedies would be enough to a great extent.

My nephews at play! We are healthy!
My nephews at play! We are healthy!

But times have changed and so too is the environment we live in. The child needs the best of immunity in an indirect way and there is an answer in the form of Dabur Chyawanprash, a time-tested, age-old formulation has a number of herbs like Amla, known to be one of the best antioxidants, Giloy (Guduchi), known to have immuno-modulatory properties, and more than 40 other natural ingredients. Dabur Chyawanprash increases Immunity by 3 times* & hence protects against illness.

In times like ours when we have to be godspeed in our health, its not advisable to take chances on the immunity factor. We have always known the medicinal and curative properties of some of the basic fruits and herbs like that of amla for example.

As I write this would like to give a big thumsup to Dabur for its intiaitve to bring back the goodness of life the natural way and especially starting this at a young age right from being the kids that we were and the other kids who will play in the world in the future.

To know more of this, please visit https://www.liveveda.com/daburchyawanprash/ and you would be glad you did.

This post is a part of Indiblogger Happy Hours

Senthilkumar R

Pic by self.

Girl from Fatehpur by Sarita Varma #bookreview

Girl from Fatehpur by Sarita Varma

This is a story of Sanjana fondly called as Sana hailing from Fatehpur a town in Uttar Pradesh, and thats where the title comes from. A very simply and well narrated story in the confines of her world, a bit of it from Mumbai and the days to her trip to her hometown Fatehpur for her cousins wedding, there is a lot of travelling with her in real as the author takes you around the Allahabad Maha Kumb and some drives during the big fat Indian Wedding.

This is a story of Sana, her childhood crush Rajan and her office colleague turned admirer Krish. The plot is a simple one in the sense leading to a love triangle, but the way the author has treated it from the perspective of Sanjana is excellent, the character who develops cold feet with her colleague and suddenly finds herself in a bubbly character after she meets her childhood crush and first time turned down love, Rajan.

There is a wedding that happens which only makes her get close to her heart throb, and the unexpected presence of Krish makes it a twist. She has to now be tight rope walk with two men vying for her attention in myriad ways they seem to suggest.

A forgetful incident later and back to Mumbai and her heart still longing to see her crush and her friend Zoya all make this novel a nice crisp one. So does she end up with her childhood crush or will she get on with her office knight in arms! Read it up to know what happens to Sana.

Loved the narrative and there is a rural charm to the characters and its quite easy on you and you could identify them easily around you. Its a fast read and it takes you on a easy ride, along with Sana, her friend Zoya, Krish and Rajan and hold your attention with their strenght and human weaknesses.

I sometimes think it was very short period in all, though we could have had a better glimpse of Rajan / Sana’s  past and ended too soon.

Sarita has a fine narrating style and takes you on a journey across the Maha Kumb and a portrayal of Sana that makes you sit through the pages in one shot. Its an easy read and concise read too.

My rating: 3.5 stars 

Senthilkumar Rajappan

My F1 years! #NarainKarthikeyan #F1

Narain Karthikeyan (IND) Jordan has his seat fitting. Jordan Seat Fitting, Jordan HQ, Silverstone, England, 3 February 2005. DIGITAL IMAGE
Narain Karthikeyan (IND) Jordan has his seat fitting.
Jordan Seat Fitting, Jordan HQ, Silverstone, England, 3 February 2005.
DIGITAL IMAGE
Formula One World Championship
Narain with team mate Tiago Monteiro and Trevor Carlin

Dear Friends,

I will be writing about the first F1 years with respect to Narain Karthikeyan. Come Jan 31st it would be 10 years since that announcement that Narain Karthikeyan went on to make history as the First F1 driver from India. In his own words, ‘there are fewer F1 drivers than astronauts on earth’ that was an achievement only he could have earned and deservedly so.

As it was about to sink in, and the pulse racing on how it would all go that year saw a great revival in Indian’s fortunes and some near misses. The Australian GP was one of its kind. I can easily recall that qualifying under the rains and Narain was in his elements and lo the he had Schumi the God on the track in his rear view mirror when he started that first race of the reason.

It was a drive for Narain and an aspiration for a billion people lived that moment when he raced past the chequered flag completing the race. Bringing home the car mattered the most. In a nation that took time to understand the sport and with people looking to Narain to win a race, it was all like they say in a race – eventful year for Narain and Indian motorsports.

It was during the Thursday’s press conference Narain was acknowledged by the Master Schumacher saying ‘I saw him drive’. With a billion aspiration on his shoulder Narain set out to race in one of his life’s unforgettable moments. His close knit family travelled to see the event unfold, the Australian fans waving the Indian flags and it was a sight to watch when he was aboard the car during the parade moments preceding the race on Sunday.

I still remember a poster which said ‘Narain Marry Me!’ from one of the fangirl.

On March 18, 2005, the yellow coloured Jordan No.19 was cynosure of all eyes in India glued to the TV screens and that signature Chakra & tricolour helmet was all we could see in action as he set out to drive the race of his life time. Its no mean achievement to be the first Indian F1 driver. History was made! He finished 15th!

We shall relive all these moments in the series starting now. And you cant forget TATA, Speed by Bharat Petroleum, JK Tyres, Amaron and Raymonds and JCB later joined the party!

Senthilkumar Rajappan

Pics Courtesy: Jordan F1 2005

TATA BOLT: The bold statement from TATAs

The Tata’s journey to excellence continues, after the Zestful introductions it’s now to TATA Bolt.

bolt-from-tata-motors

So it was a pleasant experience to check out the TATA BOLT when it premiered at Coimbatore Brooke Fields under the aegis of SRT Cars the dealers and event managed by Wizcraft. Here I am going to summarise 5 features or combined in no particular order.

Ready to #get bolted
Ready to #get bolted
The front grille looks great with the sexy headlamps and the parking lamps below
The front grille looks great with the sexy headlamps and the parking lamps below

Looks: ( Adorable)
Now first things the colour was striking red and the front grille was pretty TATA style. Overall the car looks huge for a hatchback with a wide chrome grill and the sexy eyes for the head lamps! The lines are clean, distinct on the sides and neatly edges to the rear with a nice and well etched rear lamps. The chrome bar at the back makes a solid statement. The alloy wheels add to the sturdy look.

The car is styled well, look out the refined rear lamp
The car is styled well, look out the refined rear lamp
Alloy wheels add to the sturdy Looks!
Sturdy Looks!

One thing I should also mention is the black matt coated C pillar which makes a nice distinct floating roof, adding a sense of refined finish.

IMG_2073

The Revotron at its heart! (Petrol version)
We have already been introduced to this marvel which is powering the Zestful ride across the country. Here it becomes the first in the segment to offer you a multidrive: the Sport, Eco and City modes and choose them at will and according to the roads you are on. Get on the power mode with Sport, maintain fuel efficiency with Eco and choose the City mode to balance the two! Chances are people will be using this multi drive mode with the kind of traffic we are used to and can be useful in city driving condition.

Revotron under the hood
In case you wanted to know the Coimbatore connection to this, it’s the hometown of Narain Karthikeyan, Indias F1 pioneer who was involved in the design of Revotron – a 1.2 L engine giving you 90 PS @ 5000 RPM.

The Diesel counterpart will have the Quadrejet 1.3 L delivering 75 PS @ 4000 RPM.

Interiors:
Inside you have the best of the collapsible power assisted steering wheel with the music and controls at finger tips.

Steering with Controls

 

Very nicely done dashboard and console with the ConnectneXt touch screen by Harman and ergonomically well appointed seats. Did I miss the MapMyIndia navigation system on smart phone, and the advanced voice recognition systems.

Dashboard and Music console
Very clean plastics if you ask me and the dash board looks neatly done and is refreshing for a change. You have it all in a package thats gonna floor you down and expect the unexpected from TATAs.

Nice finish!
Nice finish!

Safety:

Think safety you have ABS by Bosch, the corner stability control giving you the ultimate control and add to that twin airbags in the front.

Space:

Then there is ample space in the front and back, there is enough legroom and height for seating tall people also. The backseats are foldable to make for more boot space in case you need it otherwise you have a 210 litres of space to keep things on a long drive. The finish is pretty good and gives an overall look big feel.

Back Seats
Spacious Back seats should easily fit in 3

 

Foldable back seats

 

210 litres of boot space: Can I get in??
210 litres of boot space – Can I get in??

The ride height is around 165 mm and should be good enough, I think with most Indian roads.

Ride Height
I am sure TATA has a winner in BOLT especially riding the success of Zest. In case if they can match pricing expectation as they did with Zest we will be seeing more of BOLT in roads in the days to come.

Boltified for sure! #theboltstatement
Boltified for sure! #theboltstatement

I wish I could do a test drive, well thats for the next week and would give a first hand review on the feel of how it is behind the steering wheel.

Wish I could drive it around!
Wish I could drive it around!

The team at the venue was enthusiastic and gave a patient hearing to all those who had questions and answered them to the full satisfaction.

Posing withe the team which held the audience in attention
Posing withe the team which held the audience in attention

 

Looks like it gets people #bolted
Looks like it gets people #bolted

There was a contest going on. I did answer a few quiz question and received a Bolt Clock as a gift 🙂

The Bolted for ever - Gift
The Bolted for ever – Gift

There was a corner where you could take picture you know just like that and an app will post it with Narain standing by the side! How awesome!

Just in case you wana test drive check here http://www.tatamotorsbolt.com/brand/

This post is a part of the Get. Set. Bolt. activity at BlogAdda.

PS:

I first saw this contest on Dr. Roshan’s FB timeline and moments later ended up registering for the #GetSetBolt experience and some hours later the confirmation also arrived with a rule to post one of the best blogs since there were lot of entries.