Love for the Land-line!

Somehow I still prefer the land-line telephones over mobiles. I feel more at ease and peace during the chatter patter. I don't know may be it feels a lot -real. Funny, but I noticed I actually am reluctant in making calls when it comes to Mobile phones. And whenever I see a land-line wired phone; all I do is pick up and make a call. 


This, I only realized today when my operator called me up today asking if I want her to connect me to someone? The surprised me inquired, "Why are you asking this all of a sudden?" She replied, "Boss, the first thing you do after entering office is call me to connect you to someone. You didn't today so I thought I should remind you."

I had noting to say, All I could say was (after a long pause) "Not really. I ll let you know. Thanks!" Then followed the embarrassing laughter (I laughed at self), and the the realization of the fact that I do have a direct line and I should start using it. :D

OF SANTA AND SHOPPING

DANISH MANZOOR:


Banjara Hills is all geared up this festive season. People are busy shopping and the good times have just begun. With Christmas just round the corner; the city and its churches are all lit and to top it all the aroma of Christmas cakes in the air makes it just perfect -its celebration time! 
Celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, Christmas has evolved into a festival that honours generosity and togetherness. The charm of this holiday is increased manifolds by the tradition of stories and carols related to the festival. The spirit of giving and receiving presents during Christmas time began from the story of Three Kings who travelled to Bethlehem to present the newborn Christ with gifts. The practice gained popularity in the late 18th century when retail stores began cashing in on it to promote Christmas-related offers and advertising Christmas collections. 
Enter, Santa Claus, the symbol of gifting and sharing. Santa ended up as the brand ambassador for these stores and still continues to be, while X-Mas tree is the deputy, for business establishments. Christmas Tree-a symbol of the decorations and the spirit of the festivity surrounding it. Right from small vendors to big showrooms Hyderabadi's have ample selection to choose from this Christmas. 
In Banjara Hills and adjoining areas alone, the average turnover for Christmas decoration item shops reaches close to INR 30 lakhs every year. 

What's on offer? 
You can buy a Christmas tree from INR 40 to INR 53000, a Santa from INR 75 to INR 25000, Tree decorations from INR 50 to INR 700 a piece depending upon your budget. All the major shops have Christmas décor items for almost everyone. According to Srinivas, manager at Walden, Christmas trees and its add-on décor are the best sellers. "We have a huge collection of Christmas special items. This year we have about 1000 different varieties of tree decorations, candles, trees ranging from small ones to 8-10 feet ones. Customers are buying and this year the business is better than the last."  
A Christmas tree is incomplete without perfect trimmings and lights decorations. From mistletoe to tinsel and holly and electrical lights, everything is available in such abundance that it is hard to decide what to take and what not to, for that complete X-Mas tree. Speaking of decorations, some people also like to recreate the nativity scene with various models or dolls, placing them outside their homes and Churches. Others hang up decorative stockings above the fireplace (if they have one), as they believe that Santa will slide down the chimney and fill their stockings up with gifts.
We spoke to the Harpers, who purchased a Christmas tree for INR 47000. "Every year, we decorate the tree at our place; it's a family event for us. We all get together and decorate our custom made X-Mas tree. This year the collections were so wonderful that we went on buying the tree décor and still feel that it is not enough". 
Each festival in Hyderabad is celebrated with a different touch, so is Christmas. Experience the Hyderabadi flavour of the festivities. Enjoy your Christmas amidst the gleeful sounds of Jingle Bells and Sweet Carols all around you. No matter how big or how small your Christmas tree is, this year; let your heart be as big as can be. You have the means, there are many who don't; so bring in gifts this Christmas, but remember to give out as well. Spread the joy, Merry Christmas Hyderabad !!

A Christmas tree is incomplete without perfect trimmings and lights decorations






(C) Dainik Jgran City Plus 2011

BRINGING IN 2012!

Transiting from year of the Rabbit to the Dragon 


Danish Manzoor:
ITS New Year's Eve and celebrations are a must. As the Gregorian calendar turns and we bring 2012 into our lives, people in the city all geared up for New Year's Eve. 
Like any other metropolitan in the world, the eve in Hyderabad is all about celebrations, parties, booze, friends, music, and kissing the previous year good bye. Amidst this 'Kolaveri Di' of celebrations, thanks to the Mayan Calendar, some are scared to the core that this could be their last New Year bash, but majority of people are laughing it all out. "I shall live and so will the rest of us. We will see what happens, as of now the party fever is on," says Niteesh, a businessman in Banjara Hills. 
The whole party scene in Hyderabad has evolved a lot in the past few years; there was a time when parties would only mean pubs and discotheques, now it is more than just that. Besides, over the years, television programmes have given way to families and friends organising small parties to usher in the New Year. Cityplus takes a peep into the lives of people to know their plans.  
Geetika Sood, has been a pub hopper for years now, studied communication and applies that well, not to forget she loves partying till dawn breaks. "I love to party all the time, last year I took my friends to Bangkok. We had fun. I hang-out with a bunch of old friends and we love to party," says Geetika. When asked about her plans she said, "My friends and I have tried partying in clubs, this time it's a house party at my place BYOB/F (Bring your own booze/food). This is the first time we are trying it. We hope it will be fun." In-house parties are in, the best part. Even neighbors take it easy for this night. 

On the other hand Suman Bandi, an entrepreneur, thinks partying in clubs or huge events is overrated. "I prefer partying with close friends. This time we are planning to go out of the city. Maybe we will head towards Suryalanka and enjoy with a bunch of close friends, some drinks, bonfire and some conversations. Now that's our idea of fun." He dislikes the idea of huge parties as he feels people end up wasting their time. "I feel it is better to go to smaller places as in these huge events it's all so disorganised. You end up waiting for ages for your drinks to arrive," added Suman. 
Most of the been-there-done-that ones are skipping the party circuit this year. Anansha Roy Choudhury is one example. She has been in Hyderabad for 5 years now. She is an extrovert by nature who loves good food, interacting with people, some good music and party with her bunch of close friends. "It doesn't always have to be a club or a wild party to celebrate. This year, I am going out with my parents on a family vacation to the forests of Karnataka. We plan to go for white water rafting as well. I believe this is the best way to celebrate the New Year's Eve and I am happy about it." Quite a different thought from what we got to hear from rest of the youngsters, who think spending the New Year's Eve with parents or family, is 'un-cool'. Well, they have the right have to their opinion and thankfully not all think that way. 
So here's hoping that this New Year brings in new hopes, health and happiness for us all. Happy New Year, Hyderabad! 

Quick reference:
1. Meru Cabs:              +91-(40)-44224422      , 40520000
2. Delta Cabs:             +91-(40)-30222277      ,            (+91) 9160531540         
If you'll be throwing a party at your home, make sure guests who are drinking have a designated driver in their group. Give numbers of cab companies to all guests and offer to pay the fare.

Too drunk to drive? Call a cab:
For those revelers who are planning to go out and party hard, many cab companies have come up with plans that bring some respite. "We have tie ups with the organizers of 2 top events in the city. We will be giving priority to clients going to the Manjeera and Vanquish event. But, we have made necessary arrangements to be there for all our clients in general," says Ranganath Surya, manager- Corporate Sales, Meru Cabs. Speaking about the huge rush and their inabilities to provide cabs to all he added, "The problem is availability. As we are making sure that our clients who need a ground transfer to the airport the same night also get picked up and transported". He said that if the cabs are available, we will ensure that they are always on the move to facilitate our clients. 

(C) Dainik Jagran City Plus 2011

VAADA AGAINST DRUNKEN DRIVING

This New Year's Eve stay alive; don't drink and drive  

Danish Manzoor:

This New Year's Eve if you find a group of youngsters out on the road regulating traffic, don't be surprised. The volunteers of Vaada Foundation will be lending a helping hand to the Traffic Police in regulating the traffic at night ensuring zero accidents, fearing increased number of accidents due to drunken and reckless driving on December 31. 
"A number of people who die of road accidents than those who die due to terrorism, 
natural calamities or health hazards," claims Suresh Raju, founder of Vaada Foundation, an NGO which believes in road safety, better roads and traffic education. When asked about his New Year's plans, Suresh said, "I am volunteering that night which is my idea of making the best of the last night of the year." He is one amongst the millions of youngsters who want to make a difference; only he is turning his words into actions.  "We want people to enjoy a safe New Year's Eve by avoiding drunken driving and staying within the permissible speed limits." 
These youngsters will assist the traffic cops and helping the people on the road stay safe. "Starting from 10:30 pm to 2 am in the morning we will be on the roads at Banjara Hills and Jubilee Hills as these areas have the highest numbers of pubs. We will try to keep moving to un-manned junctions. We are starting small but dream big, let's see how others take us," said Karthikeya, a member of Vaada. Whereas Shashank mentioned, “As of now all we want from people is to drive safely." 

Cop speak:
"We at HTP (Hyderabad Traffic Police) urge people to be responsible citizens. We want to keep away from the roads as much as possible but people do indulge in drunken and reckless driving so we don't have a choice but to keep a check. This New Year's Eve we are planning to make adequate arrangements," asserted DCP Traffic, GVG Ashok Kumar. Speaking to Cityplus the DCP asked drivers to stay under the permissible speed limit of 60 kmph. "We will have speed guns on the job. The vehicle will keep changing locations to keep a check on speedsters. We will also try to have barricades at a few roads to reduce the speed of vehicles." He said that HTP wants people to enjoy but not at the cost of lives of themselves and others. 





(c) Dainik Jagran -City Plus 2011

Gandhigiri in America

  The Indian techies in US, who have been waiting for the acceptance of their applications for Green Card finally opt for ?Gandhigiri? as practiced by Munnabhai in his movie. They have been sending flowers to USICS for the last one-month.

INSPIRED BY Munnabhai’s (Bollywood flick "Munna Bhai MBBS") Gandhigiri philosophy, frustrated techies from India, who are presently living in the US, have been sending flowers to US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director for the last one month. Techies initiated this move in wake of unprecedented delay on the part of USCIS regarding acceptance of the Green card applications.

Though USICS had announced in mid June that anyone who clears the first stage of the Green Card process can apply for the final stage and later-on potentially work for any employer of his choice, USCIS has not been accepting any application for the Permanent residency (Green Card) program.

This campaign was started by an organization, Immigration Voice. This is a non-profit organization, which acts as an interface between the set of immigrants and the legislative branches of the government. This helps in reducing the excessive delays and clearing the backlog of petitions, which have been submitted by nearly half a million highly skilled workers who are certified by US Government to be doing a job that no US citizen is willing, qualified or able to do.

In the recent days American government tried to legalize all the illegal immigrants but the issue of the legal immigrants is of least concern to all the lawmakers. AILA (American Immigration Lawyers Association) is channeling up all the energy to fight against USCIS lawfully.

Emilio Gonzalez, Director, USCIS who is also aware about this initiative said, “I understand that individuals have been sending flowers to USCIS since July 10. USCIS has made arrangements to forward those flowers to our injured service members recuperating at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and at Bethesda Naval Hospital.

Most of the organizers are happy that at least their efforts are acknowledged by the Director and these flowers will add colors to the life of soldiers and their families.

But the question is— Will this Gandhigiri really work and help in speeding up the process?