Annual Fest @ Rangashankara

What do you generally do over weekend? If you are not sure how your time flies away, without doing anything useful, you might want to visit the Rangashankara .

Rangashankara hosts English and Kannada plays (performed by different groups) on regular basis. You can catch a few good plays every week. You can even get a chance to meet Girish Karnad , as he is a regular visitor to Ragashankara.

Next week, Rangashankara is also hosting its Annual Fest.

What are roads meant for?

Some times I wonder - What are roads meant for?



The picture which you can see above is a day time snap shot of Bangalore’s busy MG Road. Surprised seeing no vehicles? The people which you see around are BJP (an Indian Political Party) workers, who are mourning their fate - they were denied a chance to rule Karnatka State by their coalition partners in the state. But is this the right way to show their frustration? Why can not they choose a play ground for such demonstrations? They were duped by their coalition partners, not by the ordinary citizens of Bangalore. Then why to cause misery to the day to day traffic?
Bangalore has the highest road tax and vehicle registration tax in India. But it also has narrowest roads (as compared to other Metro cities) in India. On most roads a considerable portion of the roads is used for vehicle parking. Such demonstrations further add to the vow of Bangalore citizens. These kind of political and religious processions are becoming common these days.

Indian Citizens are one of the most heavily taxed citizens. No other Asian country has such high income tax rates. On top of income tax, we need to pay other local taxes as well. What do we get in return. Poor infrastructure which is further burdened by poor administration.

Do you Tango? If not you should think about it.

I brought out Tango, because Tango is in news, as the Tango World Championship is currently being organized in Buenos Aires (Capital of Argentina where Tango was originated). However, you can as well try out any other form of dance (based on your taste).
Dancing is a great form of performing arts. It has manyfolds benefits - it helps you to stay physically fit, it helps you to keep the brain active (needs a lot of creativity), and it gives a great Joy to mind, body and soul (which every one starves for). What more can you ask for?

There are many good dancing schools in Bangalore (or in any other Indian Metro - if you are not in Bangalore). Shiamak (western and fusion), Shambhavi (Indian Classic) and Dance Studio (Salsa) are some of the famous names in Bangalore. There are also a number of “Bharatnatyam” Dance Schools.

In case you are a bit scared of big names, you should be easily able to find a good number of options around your place. Just look out and have fun.

Smile Bangalore

Do you live in Bangalore? If yes, there is a good news for you. Now you can find any information related to Traffic in Bangalore online at unified Bangalore Traffic Information System. This is a well implemented project. Apart from finding information about shortest route between two locations in Bangalore, you can also check for the approximate Auto Fares and get the information on current Traffic Conditions.

The most interesting feature as per me is the CAR POOL. Here, you can create a Car pool or you can find information on existing Car Pools. I am not sure how much people are going to use this feature. But if used, not only it will ease the traffic, but it will also help in saving the fuel and decreasing the pollution. This is a very good starts by Bangalore Administration (in joint venture with Airtel and Mapunity). I hope that we get more such gifts from administration.

PS: Only problem with the site is that there is no “Sitemap” or “Feature Information”. Even the “Search” option has not been provided. The “Feedback” button (through which we could have given our feeback) is also not activated. Another Bangalore Syndrome … I hope such things get improved soon.

How much the real estate can rise?

live in Bangalore (India). In last six years, real estate prices have rose 3 to 10 times (based on the location) in this city. It is not a local phenomenon to Bangalore. Land prices in my native place, have rose on the similar scale. I am thinking of investing some money in to an apartment. Apartments in Bangalore are out of my budget, so I thought of booking some apartment in Mysore (which is around 100 miles away from Bangalore). But even Mysore prices are out of my reach.

I was getting frustrated with my poverty, but then I read this news which says that a Car Parking Space in Manhattan is currently selling for US$2,25000 . Hmm we are far far better than some people in world.

Though real-estate has been a lucrative business always, but prices in India (as per my knowledge) have never rose so steep. Let us analyze a few reasons why prices are increasing so crazy:

(1) Open Economy: There was a big gap between India and USA (and europe) in terms of salaries and real-estate prices before we opened up our economy. This big gap was the major factor behind real estate boom over last few years. The foreign investors found the increasing prices still affordable (if they compared it with the prices in their own country). The salaries also rose considerably and there were more and more potential buyers who could afford increasing prices.

(2) Low interest rates and easy availability of home loans: Interest rates on home loans have decreased considerably over last few years (though there was a little increase again a few months back but that was not substantial). Also the home loans are very easy available. Most of the banks just ask for last few months salary slips. This means that any person with a high current salary can buy an expensive house.

(3) Rise of Upper Middle Class: The upper middle class in India has come up as a potential consumer in last few years (because of open economy) . High income for professionals (combined with the easy home loans) has created a big pool of consumers who can afford high prices products. The “Real Estate Companies” realize this fact and they conspire together to keep the costs high.(4) Organized Industry: Real Estate was never such an organized industry in India. Now we have dozen of professionally managed real estate firms across India. Dealing with these real estate firms have many advantages: (a) They help you on each step. They even facilitate bank loans. (b) They are more reliable: you can trust that your money will not be eaten away (c) You can trust the quality …

(5) Lack of Investment Options: As the salaries for professional in India are growing, professionals have a big amount of money in their hands. Most of these professionals , really do not know what to do this money. They do not have any prior business background and they do not have much investment skills. They find real-estate as the most safe and effort-less investment. If you try to collect statistics from buyers, you will realize that most of the people buy apartments for investment and not for living (they already have apartments and houses). Increasing rentals also promise them a continuous return on their investment.

A WORD OF CAUTION: There is a big number of consumers who are willing to invest in real-estate sector. Those consumer who made investments a few years back have got very high returns. The commons mentality of investors is that they are going to get similar returns even on the current investments. The real-estate companies realize this mentality of consumers and they have increased the prices on anticipation. Those who are investing their money, need to be a little cautious and analyze if they are really going to get a very good return. As I mentioned before, the biggest reason for real estate boom was the big gap in real estate prices between India and USA. But this gap has been constantly bridging. In fact most places in USA are now more affordable than Bangalore (and other metro cities of India). Also if you compare the availability infrastructure and quality of life, then you will observe that India infact is now much costlier than USA. I know a few friends of mine, who wanted to buy apartments in India (recently) and after checking the prices they decided to buy it in USA. So be a little careful. Do not invest your money blindly in to any property. Check the prices. Analyze how much infrastructure growth can happen in this area (where you are investing) and check up the prices of similar property in the areas where that kind of infrastructure is available. If you see a difference of less than 100%, do not invest. However if you are planning to buy, with an aim of getting a shelter (rather than investment), it might be wiser to go ahead and buy the property.

SW development: India Vs China

Bangalore is the IT hub of India. There were many factors which helped Bangalore to become the Si Valley of India.

(1) Availability of Skilled Man Power
(2) Lower Wages
(3) Lower Infrastructure Costs
(4) Corruption free administration
(5) Moderate Climate

In past couple of years I have seen many MNCs closing down their India Operations. In last one year China has emerged as a much better Software Outsourcing Destination. Most of the Engineers in India, refuse to accept the fact that China can take over India in Software outsourcing. But, it is the time that Indian IT work force wakes up before they start loosing their jobs. Let us compare India and China based on the above five factors.

Skilled Man Power : Number of skilled software man power in Banglaore is continuously growing. But the number of good quality skilled man power is continuously on decline. Most of the bright engineers prefer to migrate to USA and Europe. And those who stay back, switch their jobs so fast that companies hiring them can not count on them. Migration and Attrition are working against Indian work force. On the contrary, the quality and communication skills of chinese software engineers is continuously increasing.

Lower Wages : The average Software salaries in Bangalore have more than doubled in last three years. This is also in sync with the inflation rate in India. However, the infaltion and wages in China are under strict control, which makes it an Ideal destination for investors. Shanghai, the most expensive city of china, is still much much cheaper than Bangalore.

Infrastructure Costs: The infrastructure costs in Bangalore have become comparable with most of the cities in USA. However the quality of infrastructure is becoming comparable with third word countries. Office spaces in China are many times cheaper than in Bangalore. The SEZs in China also offer other investment benefits to the investors. At some IT parks, office space is available for free and tax benefits are a big attraction. Most of the Chinese cities have infrastructure comparable to the USA and Europe.

Corruption Free Administration: One of the reason why Bangalore emerged as a bigger IT hub, as compared to other Indian cities (Hyderabad, Pune, Chennai and Delhi) was the ease of entry and corruption free administration. Those who live in Bangalore are aware of how the scene has changed in last few years. I am not sure if local Chinese administration is really corruption free. But Chinese Government at least makes sure that foreigners do not get affected by the corruption in administration (if at all it exists).

Moderate Climate : Climate alone is never a factor for investors. However for the work-force it can be a decisive factor. Bangalore seems to be loosing advantage even on this front.

Let us come back to the common perception in India, that China can never overtake Indian Software Industry. Those of you who believe in this theory might find THIS REPORT shocking and shaking. Indian software engineers had following three distinct advantages over China:
(a) Better English Speaking skills
(b) Better quality software
(c) Better Anti-piracy laws in country
Over last couple of years, this gap between India and China has bridged, and there may be a time, when China might be on a stronger side than India.

This is the right time that Indian IT force wakes up.

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For those who want a comparison between India and China, there is another interesting news. Chinese Forex reserves hasve crossed 1 trillion USD mark. Current Indian Forex reserve is about 6% of Chinese Forex reserver.

My Little Heaven

No, it is not a drainage. It is not a garbage zone either. The marvelous piece of architecture which you see in this picture is the Road outside my home. I moved to this new apartment (on rental) just last month and I pay close to 20 grand per month. But, one fine day, some one decided to dig this road to lay some cables (not sure who, because these days every T, D and H, is in to telecoms business). The very next day (21 July), rains have started and this place has become a little heaven (read hell). More than half of the road (in width) is dug, and the rest half is full of mud. This is the story with around 300 meter stretch. Not sure what City Administrative authorities are doing about this. I guess they are busy making money some where. It is the lag on their part, which makes Bangalore a tough place to live. Wake up Bengaluru.

Auto Rickshaw Complaints

Today being so bugged at Auto Guys, I tried to figure out any online complaint center for Auto Rickshaws. After few google searches, I could find the following phone numbers where you can register any complaint against autos. If some auto guy asks for excess fairs or denies to go some where, you can call up these numbers and give the registration number of auto rickshaws.

080-22253500
080-22260554
080-22207750

I have personally not tried any of these numbers. I am not sure if these number are working OR if some one will pick it up (if it is working) OR if any action will be taken against the auto character (if some one picks up the phone and listens to the complaint). But it may not be a bad idea to try. Feed these numbers to your mobile, it might help some day (a day when you are excessively bugged at life).

I have also decided to post any ass-holy acts of auto drivers on this blog (whenever I come across). I will encourage you guys also to join me.

Bangalore Sucks

Today, I returned back to Bangalore after a long vacation. I spent recent few days in Kerala (in Cochin and Allepy) and had a wonderful time. As soon as I stepped on the Bangalore soil, I can feel the frustration which this city brings in to one's life. I paid 30 Rs for an auto from Madiwala to Koramangla (which by meter will be 12 rs). More frustrating was the fact that the auto guy dropped me 200 mtrs away from my house. He wanted some more money to come till the door step. How ass-hole are these auto guys and more ass hole is the Bangalore administration. Hey Admins, wake up, do some thing to save this dieing city. Do not be over greedy. Has your Grandma not told you the story of Golden Hen. If not, feel free to send me an e-mail, I will tell you.

Asses on Bangalore Roads

There was a time when asses were considered to be a dumb creature. They were never considered fast or reliable. Horses enjoyed all the privileges of being favorite. If I remember my grand-ma's stories, asses were only used as a goods carrier across the ponds. But Grand ma has gone. And gone are the dumb asses. This is the era of cool and smart asses. Not to mention, modern asses are rich enough to afford big big cars. If you do not trust my words, try stepping out of your house after 10 pm. You can spot them on almost any road. Easy identity - They will be driving with high beams. They will honk all the time, validating the fact they are not dumb any more. Smart people are not always rich. It takes more than the plain smartness (probably hard work, good luck and may be much more) for a smart human to become rich. So is true with asses. There are poor (but smart) asses, who really can not afford buying a car. But nothing can beat their determination to put up the smartness-show. Most of them have taken cab-driving jobs on call-center vehicles. Their ass-power combined with the cab's horse-power can probably beat the smartest horse on earth.
In the not-so-lucky category of asses, there is another distinct breed, which is known as pedestrian-asses. You can see them blocking half the roads (on a red pedestrian signal) in effort to cross the road. This causes some trivial troubles to the traffic (which already suffers because of extra-ordinary width of city roads). But I believe that standing in middle of the road, amidst fast moving traffic, is a great show of courage by asses. I really admire it. By the way, today I met two most courageous asses of my life time. I was returning back home, late in the night, and I saw them standing in middle of the road, on IndiraNagar fly-over. Initially I had some trouble recognizing them and I mistook them as human beings (Wish asses had horns). But later I remembered that humans are not allowed to walk on fly-overs.
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Have you ever met any smarter asses? If so, please post your experience on this blog.
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I have posted this blog, with a hope that one day the smart-ass community will read my blog and realize that how their presence in a civilized society is being appreciated. It might also give me some political mileage, as asses have a great chance of coming to power in Indian Democracy.

How to Fix Traffic Chaos

In 1913 Henry Ford invented "moving assembly line". In assembly line, a product is built cumulatively, passing from one unit to other unit, sequentially. Since the product flow is sequential, the over-all production rate of an assembly line depends on its slowest unit. To optimally use the production facility, more effort should be spent to increase the production rate of the slowest production unit. Same is true with moving traffic on a road. The slowest vehicle (on a given lane), can slow down the traffic speed of all the vehicles. Hence, in order to improve the travel time, one needs to fix the slowest vehicles on the road.

There needs to be a two-fold effort to fix this up:

• Improve the overall travel speed
  
• Provide different driving lanes
  

In this post I suggest a few steps to implement this two fold situation.

• No Pot-holes: Improve the road quality fix all broken roads.
  
• Free left turns: combined with strict lane discipline - Vehicles on Left Lane must turn left.
  
• No Parking on Busy Roads: Building owners must provide parking facilites for the visitors in their premises.
  
• No Vehicle Halt within 50 mtrs range of a traffic signal: Which should also mean moving all the BMTC bus-stops slightly away from traffic signals.
  
• No-Pedestrian-Zones: Provide over-pass and under-pass for the pedestrians on busy roads. No pedestrians shall be allowed to cross/walk-on these busy roads¹.
  
• Enforce heavy penalties on law violations. Penalty should also include include temporary/permanent suspension of driving license on repeated negligense.
  
• Transparent Law Enforcement: Law enforcement should be made transparent².
  
• No multi-story buildings on narrow roads.
  
• Increase the number of buses in BMTC fleet. Provide more frequent services. Provide different luxury grades. Provide women special buses.
  
• Encourage³ organization to provide group transport for employees.
  
• Widen the roads
  

NOTES:

[1] No insurance claim must be provided for pedestrian hit by traffic on "no-pedestrian-zones". No criminal offense shall be registered against vehicles, which hit the pedestrians on these "no-pedestrian-zones".

[2] There need to be a public participation in the law enforcement. There should be complaint booths/web-site where public complaints (with sufficient proofs) can be registered against erring vehicles. All the complaints and their resolution shall be made public on regular basis. With every other citizen carrying a cell-phone, and with every cell-phone having a camera, it should be easy to collect proofs against traffic law violations.

[3] Encouragment could involve tax benefits and subsidies on vehicle and fuel.

Restaurants in Bangalore

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Sahib Sindh Sultan
If you are craving for a royal treatment, "Sahib-Sindh-Sultan" @ Forum_Koramangla is the right place to be. You will need to make a reservation before you go.
It is a place with wonderful food and ambiance. You will surely get a feeling that you spent your money right.
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Indi-Joe
Is as wonderful as it was when it just started
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Oh God. Why is it a Friday?

A Sad Friday
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Bangalore has been going through a bad phase for last few years. I think most part of its body are sick. If you are planning to step out of your home or office, you are going to go through a painful experience, and most likely you are going to loose your temper on some thing or other. Any road which you take home, will be packed with traffic. Any product or service which you buy will have "no-value-for-money".
Today I went to a restaurant on airport road (opposite DD) with one of my friend and I had a horrible experience.
(1) Bad Service: Waiters at this place seemed to have forgotten why a waiter is paid for. They were arrogant and they seemed to be very bugged with any non-white-skinned creature (I am not very sure if they were nice to those white-skinned either) and they behaved as if they were on a social service for us. We completely felt unwanted. I think the waiter's attitude had also to do something with the fact that we were not dressed like a friday.
(2) Too expensive: A 30 ml tequila shot costed around 10 USD (most places in USA I had been to, aree cheaper than this). Cocktails tasted more like mock-tails (I could not smell or feel any alcohol in their ultimates). I used to admire their drinks till a few months back, but now they serve shit. I doubt if some one now will be really happy paying a load for this even during the so called happy hours.
(3) They don't care: They do not even provide a free parking to their customers, for the fat money they charge.
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I hope that will be no more Fridays.
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