Why I Stopped Watching TV News Channels

It was 21st June 2015, was 1st International Yoga Day, it was a great feat for India that the world agreed to celebrate this day as "International Yoga Day" which means several countries have recognized yoga, even countries like China and several Arab nation voted for this at UN.

The day arrived, I being a yoga enthusiastic person and my wife being a Yoga instructor, were delighted, had organised events in our apartment and other places nearby, there was good number of participants attending the event, thus spreading the benefits of Yoga to all.

Its not just in India, people around the world celebrated this day, was very keen to know how other countries celebrated this day, I switched on prime news channel to see what was happening, but it was so demoralizing, there were news and debates that govt. points raised were

• Govt. is forcing people to wake up at 5am to do yoga.
• Forcing minorities to do Yoga
• Not allowing people to have peaceful sleep on a weekend
• Making it mandatory for students to attend the event.

I failed to under stand, why media is so anti yoga, doesn't practicing yoga regularly help improving one's health.

After watching these news channels, I went to bed feeling as if I did a big mistake, have hurt several people by celebrating International Yoga Day.

Is it true, on ground nope that's not the case, its the way the media turn things around and present it to all, many people have actually appreciated it.

So didn't want to go to bed with all those sad / bad / violence news and loose my peace of mind with so much negative in the world, so have stopped watching news on TV.

So bye bye NDTV, CNN-IBN.

My Family Holiday to Maldives (Maafushi Island)

Destination: Maafushi Island, Maldives Google Map Location
Date: May 2016
Family Size: Couple with children (total 4 members)

Visa for Indians
Being a member of SAARC, we can get visa on arrival, there is no visa fee also, entire process of visa stamping happens in less than a minute, no questions asked, process is so simple, you don't feel you are travelling outside India. You feel you are welcomed to this country. 5 star rating to the Maldives immigration team at the airport. (in fact I had issue at Bangalore airport with immigration officer, but no issue in Maldives)

Route
Bangalore to Male by AirIndia, journey is 2 hours, Male is 30 minutes behind India time.

Airport Transfer to Hotel
my final destination was Maafushi Island. There are two modes of reaching this island.

Public Transport: 
Ferry daily once, starts at 1500hrs, costs Rf 12 / person.
Good thing about this ferry is, you get to see locals and get to travel with them
Downside of this is, it takes 2 long hours and noisy engine.
How to use this:
Step 1, take a ferry from airport to Male city, costs Rf 10 / person
Step 2, from Male city take a taxi and reach Villingili Jetty Terminal, costs Rf 30 / trip
Step 3, From Villingili ferry terminal, take the ferry to Maafushi, only one ferry in a day, it starts at 1500hrs, takes 2 hours, reaches 1700hrs, note no ferry on Friday's.

Speed Boat Transfer:
You need to inform about you requirement of speed boat to your hotel in advance, there is a private operator who operates at regular time, speed boat transfer which can accommodate 20 people, it picks you directly from Airport, takes just 35 minutes, costs US$ 20 / person.

Hotel:
Stayed at Water Breeze Hotel a good budget hotel, with very clean rooms and friendly staff,
they can also arrange your daily activity.

Read me reviews of this hotel in TripAdvisor site click here

Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival (Airport to Hotel transfer used public ferry)
Day 2: Fihalhohi Island Resort - Water Breeze organised it for us, it cost US$ 40 / person for transfer plus US$50 for entrance to the resort, without buffet lunch, if you want lunch add US$ 25.
Day 3: Package of two point snorkeling, dolphin cruise and Sand bank visit, US$ 40 / person
Day 4: Water sports activity by Active Watersports at Maafushi
Day 5: Return to Home (Airport transfer took a speed boat)

Food:
Being a Indian vegetarian, this was a challenge for us, for breakfast hotel chef was kind enough to understand our requirement and prepared some Indian veg food.
Lunch was, what's available at the place we visited
Dinner, we had carried some ready to eat, for which we used hotel kitchen, chef helped us to prepare it.
for some Bakery items, don't forget to make a visit to Fine Bake, its near football ground, walk-able distance from jetty terminal, our evening snacks was from here.

General feedback of Maldives
Very good, being a tourism dependent country, they really take very good care of their tourists, not just govt department, even the general public are tourist friendly, you don't get cheated, rates quoted matches in the market. Despite being an Islamic country, don't find public to be conservative, they let you be the way you are, however there are some restrictions the way you dress in an inhibited island like Maafushi, bikini is allowed only at the Bikini beach and not at the general beach, which is used by local also.

Found lot of Europeans and quite a few honeymoon couples from India.

Lovely place to spend some time in the beautiful lagoons with crystal clear water.

Enjoy your holidays.

If you have any questions do leave them in comments section, will try to answer them.

Some Photos

A warm welcome at the Airport, with very quick immigration process

Quick transfer from Airport to Male city (10 min ride)

 Ferry service from Male to Maafushi (2 hours journey)

Ferry Ticket

Hotel Water Breeze

Beach front in Maafushi Island

Shallow water Snorkeling 

 Dolphin Cruise

 Sand bank visit

Deep water snorkeling

Jet Ski ride

 Canoe Ride

Knee Board Ride

Fun Tube Ride

Sailing

Have Fun at Maldives!!!

Kerala Trip Aug 2009

Had been to Kerala in the last week of August 2009,

Places visited:
Munnar, Thekkady, Alleppey (Houseboat) Cochin, Gurvayoor, Cherai Beach & Attirpilly waterfalls.
Stay:
Ayur County Resorts, Munnar
Periyar Meadows, Thekkady
Sopanam Heritage, Gurvayoor
Hotel Mermaid, Cochin
Houseboat stay in ATDC boats
Travel Agent: Cochin Taxis, http://www.cochintaxis.com/

It was 5N/6D trip, well organised, family of 4, me my wife and 2 kids, vehicle was Tata Indigo, out of the all the places, I was bowled over by Munnar for its greenery, it was as if mother earth has been covered with an green carpet, that was the view of the tea estates, being the monsoon season all water falls were gushing with water and landscape was green all around.

Started from Bangalore to Ernakulam by Kochivalli Express, departure at 5:15pm reaches Ernakulam Juction at 4:50am. with kids and overnight journey, didn't want to head to Munnar, checked in at Hotel Mermaid (3*), Cochin @ 5:30 am, had an short nap, did our morning yoga and kriya, freshened up, had breakfast @ 9am, by the time v went to restaurant, most of the items were exhausted, didn't get much options, what was available was good.
Started to Munnar @ 10am, its a 4 hr drive, enroute you get to see 3 falls, Cheriappara water falls, Kallar waterfalls, Vallar waterfalls, and Kardippara view point. only at Kallar waterfalls, v got to get down and play in the water, photos of this place has come out superb, an good desktop wallpaper material, reached munnar @ 2:30pm, had food at Sarvana Bhavan, food is served on traditonal bannana leaf its 100% veg restaurant, oh! we are pakka veggies, kerala known for sea food, it will be difficult to find veg food at all places.

Kallar Falls


Karadippara View Point

Stayed in Munnar for 2 days, sightseeing in Munnar:
Kerala Hydel Park, aka Blossom Park
Floriculture Centre (Flower garden)

Erivikulam National Park - couldn't get to see any animals, had an 2 kms nature walk as it was drizzling had to get umbrella on rent, a pleasant waterfall is what v get to see.
Mattupetti Dam
Echo Point
Cinema shooting point... perfect view for an dance sequence.
Elephant Arrival spot
Pothenmedu view point
View points....where u get to see valleys, tea estate.. they are amazing mate...
Elephant ride...Rs.200/head for a 15 minutes ride.
We stayed in a Ayur County Resort @ Chinnakannal, its 18kms from Munnar town, the scenery enroute to the resort is fabulous, would recommend to stay in a resort rather then a hotel in Munnar town, so that u don't miss the early morning sunshine in the lush green surroundings.

Blossom Park


View from Ayur County Resort


Falls in Ernakullam National Park



Cinema Shooting point


Next destination Thekkady

Checked in to Periyar Meadows (3*), its in place called Kumili, a good hotel, clean and tidy rooms, good restaurant and quick room service. we visited Periyar Tiger Reserve, took a 2 hr boat ride in Periyar river, had few deer sighting, seats in the boat are not fixed, it kept very close to each other, v hardly have leg room, enjoyed the view and ride I would say. Its a good place for shopping, close to hotel you have many shops selling crafts, cloths, etc....
getting Veg food was disaster here, when I say veg restaurant, we are looking for an 100% veg restaurant, only after having our dinner v found a good veg restaurant. Apart from boat ride in Periyar river, you have Kathakalli dances, Karadipattu an traditional marhal arts

Periyar Meadows Hotel, Thekkady


Periyar Tiger Reserve


Other place visited:
Guruvayoor Temple
and 
the amazing Attirpalli Water Fall



returned by flight from Cochin and Bangalore by GoAir


Thanks to Ajit of Cochin Taxis for well organised trip.

Safety Share: Spilt my coffee all over my laptop

Safety Share, this is one of the point we follow in our company, every meeting starts with an Safety Share, where in any participant shares his/her experience in their work place or even at home, related to safety, its a good system which every one should follow.

Here is one related to laptop, we did had an incident related to this few years back, HTH - Cheers, Suresh

It's late, you're struggling to stay awake at your desk, so you decide to make yourself a cup of coffee. A few more hours' work ahead; the coffee will perk you up … And then, oops, there it is, all over your laptop, ruining your evening. The coffee has drained into the machine; the damage could be irreparable.

And worse: you may actually be in danger of being electrocuted. Since data travels between the laptop's components via an electrical current, if any liquid comes into contact with the components while the power is on, it will short out the traces between the circuits. Everything can be affected – keyboard, motherboard, memory and processor.

So what should you do if the worst happens?
Don't panic. By acting promptly, you can usually prevent significant damage. If your laptop is running on battery power and isn't connected to an AC outlet, quickly press the power button to shut the machine down. Then remove the battery.

If the machine is connected to a power outlet, unplug it. Important: you must do this immediately once the spill has occurred. If the power is removed quickly enough, the electronics inside will be undamaged. Then remove the battery.

Now you aren't in any immediate danger, so you can start clearing up the mess. Blot up as much liquid as you can with a soft cloth. Next, remove all cables, USB components, cards and any other external devices. Tilt the laptop gently from side to side to drain it, without madly shaking it around, then place it upside down so the liquid can drain out. Removing the outer casing might affect your warranty; if you choose to do so, don't touch the circuitry inside.

Now all you can do is wait. Leave the laptop open, so air can circulate, for at least 24 hours, in a warm room. You could place it on the sort of rack used for cooling cakes, if you've got one.

As long as your laptop hasn't started to smoke or emit any strange buzzing noises, it should now work normally, but it may look rather smeared and dirty. After all, even before the spill you probably dropped the odd crumb or some cigarette ash on it: all these bits and pieces can adversely affect its performance.

Use a soft, damp cloth to clean the casing – nothing abrasive – or a special cleaning agent, one without any ammonia. Spray this onto the cloth, not directly onto the laptop. Cotton swabs are useful for cleaning around and between the keys.

If you want to clean the display, turn the laptop off first so can see the dirt more clearly. Use a soft cloth to wipe it, never any paper products like tissues, as they can scratch the surface and leave behind lint that can get into the LCD. You can buy special spray solutions for cleaning monitors.

By following these steps, you should be able to limit the damage. But of course, the best advice is the most boring: don't drink while you work!

Please note, In our case, Dell would replace your hardware at no cost as its cover under Complete Cover, but it cannot retrieve your data.

Source: HP

Include Child Name in Birth Certificate in Bangalore

This post provides information on process to include name into birth certificate for child born in Bangalore BBMP Limits

Case in Point:
My niece who was born in Malleshwaram Bangalore in 1994 had got a birth certificate without her name mentioned in it. It was all fine, she was able to complete her graduation with this certificate, but when she wanted to apply for passport, it was mandatory to have birth certificate which mentions her name.

Process:
Documents Needed:
Photo copy (xerox) of following:

1. Current Birth Certificate
2. Any document having child name, photo and date of birth, 10th Marks Card or Study certificate from School if kid has not completed 10th yet.
3. ID Proof of the child (Aadhar Card)
4. Both Parent ID Proof (Aadhar Card)

BBMP Office:
Visit BBMP office in Majestic, its building next to Upparpet Police Station.
Google Map location - https://goo.gl/maps/psoCd2zfbfr


Timing: Monday to Saturday, opens at 10:00am, suggest go earlier, you can beat the crowd.

There is an application form, which has text both in Kannada and English, so should be easy for non kannadigas to fill it up, there is field to mention child name, mentioned it the way you want the certificate, fill other details in the form and submit it along with the documents mentioned above. Only parent of the child is recommend to sign this application form.

There are two computerized counter which accepts these application form, I submitted it, the person at the counter checked my documents and mentioned father name would be only first name, last name was not mentioned in the old birth certificate, if you want last name to be included then you need to get a letter mentioning the change and signed by both the parents. In my case both parents were not present, so I was OK with only first name. What was important was the child name.

I received an acknowledgement  receipt, mentioning to visit on 6/04 - 3PM to collect birth certificate. I paid Rs. 120/- for 3 copies.




The way entire process was done and the person knowledge at the counter and the computerisation process gave me the confidence that it should be done with in specified time.

Collection Process:
On the specified date and time, I visited BBMP office, ground floor there is a dispatch counter, where I presented my receipt, person checked a bundle and mentioned 1st floor, went to 1st floor computer section, there were two ladies, both ladies checked bundles with them couldn't find my certificate, one of them checked on her system and mentioned it was processed yesterday, spoke to another girl in the room got one more bundle, found my birth certificate handed it over to me. I thanked them and walked back..

All the time, I was praying that they don't ask me to come back tomorrow, that's what happens in most of the govt. departments.

But, Wow...I was able to get my required documents in just two visits, once for submitting the application and 2nd for collecting.

Most surprising fact was no one asked or expected money for this service.

Thank You BBMP department for such good service.

-*-

Two photos of notice board at this office, which has details on how to avail birth certificate and documents needed. (apologies for bad resolution, expand it to full screen to read it)




HTH

Chitra Sante 2016 - Photos

Photos of Chitra Sante 2016 held by Chitrakala Parishat in Bangalore on 3rd January 2016

For more pics click here - https://flic.kr/s/aHsksds5G3

Forum for Excellence in Education

Forum for Excellence in Education

48/7, 13th Cross, 8th Main, Malleshwarm, Bangalore - 560 003

(Opposite Manipal NorthSide Hospital)

2016 Talent Search Test will be held on 24th Jan 2016 at their centre in Malleshwaram.

Google Map Location - https://goo.gl/maps/UjStnT1Z6YD2

Talent Search Test - Registration Form

You may print a copy of this, fill it up, scan and email it to the id mentioned in the form.

2016 test date is 24th Jan (Sunday)