Sheila Dixit: Florence Nightingale of Delhi

She looks like everyone's idea of a favourite grandmother - the kind who would read you bedtime tales and tuck you in. But appearances can be deceptive and this is no exception.

She's Sheila Dixit, the chief minister of the capital of India, New Delhi. She has made New Delhi a green belt with parks and roundabouts gracing this historic city. She's also been the first to enforce that vehicles plying in Delhi convert to the more environment-friendly compressed natural gas, CNG. She's a progressive leader and with an ability to charm the voting public into re-electing her into office, the second time around.

But she didn't come into politics with any burning ambitions, she happened to be married into a political family and as a result, was immersed in the hurly-burly of events. Being the daughter-in-law of the freedom fighter, Uma Shankar Dixit, she was asked to contest the election from East Delhi, which she did and lost by 40,000 votes.

So the girl who studied history at Miranda House and who wanted to become either a writer, an artist or even Florence Nightingale was thrown into the poltical battlefield. She admits, it has not been easy for even someone with her kind of background and connections.

Preparing yourself for defeat is always tough on novices, and she was no exception. But she was inspired by Indira Gandhi and the ideology she stood for, so she persevered. Later in 1984, when she was formally inducted into politics, she saw another young leader emerge - who could lead India to greater heights - Rajiv Gandhi.

Studied history at Miranda House.
Wanted to be either a writer, an artist or Florence Nightingale!
In 1984, inspired by Indira Gandhi, she joined politics.

Sheila Dixit does understand the importance of being a woman leader. She finds it easier to appeal to women voters on economic issues because they would give her a patient hearing, rather than a male politician. But there are not many women who chose to get into this profession. She told CNBC-TV18, "Politics is really rough and tumble and there are highs and there are lows. There is a lot of uncertainty and perhaps very often, if I am not using too strong a word, the indignity and the unsurety of this career does not attract many women."

"That is why even though I was a little skeptical on whether 33% (reservations for women) ought to be given or not. I do feel now, it should be given because if you really want that segment of a civil society, to get into areas where decisions are taken, where futures are determined, I think it is necessary for women to be there."

Initially, she claims she didn't give the women's reservation idea any thought - either for or against it - but now "after this experiment with the panchayats and the nagar palikas, where women have come into public life, I have evolved my thoughts on this."

She has implemented some programmes like the Resident Welfare Associations, RWA and the people participatory programme called Bhagirdari. She advises people to be a little patient to see results and good communication is the key.

She explained, "Councillors should not feel threatened by them (RWAs). This is a kind of socio-political movement rather than any power grabbing movement. I remember the last time when we went in for elections, our opposing parties also tried to grab these RWAs - that this party seems to have reached out to people so let’s also do it - and they asked them over to teas and dinner but nobody got taken in!"

About the Bhagirdari project, she says there is awareness spreading about it. She elaborated, "People understand what bureaucracy is, you can’t tell a bureaucrat 'I want this and I don’t care how you get it', because the bureaucracy works with certain regulations and disciplines. But to understand those disciplines is important for the community, and it's important for the bureaucrat to understand what the community wants. So we called it governance through partnership."

She has had to reach out to people from across the social strata and deal with their problems, but women still find Delhi a problematic city, in terms of their safety. The irony not being lost on many, that Delhi is the capital of India and with a woman chief heading it!

She acknowledges, "There are two aspects to this problem, one is social and the second is the policing. People must have confidence in the policing system. I am afraid, somewhere we have not been able to bring around that confidence. Unfortunately, the police does not happen to be with the state government. We are trying now through our Women's Commission and other things to make women aware of what they need to do. Girls need to protect themselves. The immediate thing the government is thinking of, is to have more women in the police force."

So many issues that need sorting out, with every day bringing more challenges. So is she looking at a third term? She said, "No, I am far too preoccupied with seeing that we achieve things in this term." But she's had to prove herself to get the success she's currently enjoying because she admits, "The expectations from you are much more somehow because the skepticism about a woman’s capability is there."

Even now, women are given the softer portfolios like health and education or social welfare. There has been a woman prime minister but never a woman defence minister. That is what's so contradictory about the Indian polity. So when Sheila Dixit makes a mark, as a woman CEO of a city-state, it's time to take a bow.

Written for moneycontrol.com

When dire straits is not the end of the road

She came back from an elite girl's school in the US and walked straight into a slum to make a difference in the lives of the slum children. She began by teaching a small group of kids and today, this has evolved into a basic 7-year education course. At the end of which, the children learn to speak almost faultless English.

They also suddenly see a bright future in front of them, out of the poor circumstances of their birth. Shaheen Mistri has done this single-handedly. Well, with some help from her friends who were the first teachers to the kids and now a host of people who volunteer their time with Akanksha, the NGO that educates slum children, which Mistri set up.

Its beginning was very arbitrary - with money coming in from friends and family, the name was chosen by a college student and they all liked it, while the logo was designed by yet another collegian. She feels that all this has come together so perfectly because young people believe that they can make a difference.

So this is one place where you might just find privileged children making the time to teach their much-less privileged bretheren. The curriculum is almost the same as in formal schools but Mistri says that the methodology is very different because it should be able to engage their attention. So, the kids are taught through stories, games, quiz shows, and songs. To keep them coming back, there are many positive reinforcements given to them.

Akanksha may have started on a wafer-thin budget and with word-of-mouth publicity but today, it has a healthy corpus of Rs 8 crore and it's looking to move to other cities apart from Mumbai and Pune. Akanksha has also begun to work with municipal schools to reach out to more children.

There are teachers who are trained and employed by Akanksha but who go out and teach in government schools, and they also train the teachers there. At the moment, this initiative is in the pilot phase but the idea is to extend the same benefits that children get at Akanksha, to a formal school setup. Akanksha is also looking to share its resources like their curriculum, teaching expertise etc with everyone, who is willing to borrow and use them.

As NGOs go, this one has been around for 15 years and now is self-sustainable for the next 3-5 years. Mistri has managed to do this by matching projects to resources. She says that each Akanksha centre is adopted by a business house. Also, there are other measures like where the kids co-create a painting or do a sculpture with a famous artist or sculptor, which is then auctioned off.

The companies that sponsor each centre have been amazingly supportive and generous. Mistri explains that Akanksha goes to corporates with 15 options that they could chose from, to get involved with them. It could be an outright financial assistance or even a mentor programme, where the kids get to interact one-on-one with someone in these sponsoring corporates. Each kid gets to spend a day with one person - be it a CFO or mid-level executive of a company.

Today, Mistri has the satisfaction of having bettered so many lives. Carrying her work forward are Akanksha's alumni, who do unto others what was done for them. They visit the paedetrics ward at Bombay Hospital thrice a week, to cheer up the children there and spread good cheer, love and enlightenment.

Written for moneycontrol

India Inc steps in to ignite young minds

India is the land of the Vedas, Upanishads, the country which gave the world the number zero and the oldest language Sanskrit. We also gave the world treatises on Hindu law and how society should be governed (Manu Smriti) and ofcourse sex (Kamasutra). But in the 21st century, all these great achievements pale in the face of an ugly reality - that there are children who still don't know how to read and write and are just not prepared to face the ruthless and hyper-competitive future in store for them.

This is a cruel fact in a country, where the IITs and IIMs are considered temples of excellence. This was confirmed in a Time magazine survey this month, which ranked IITs and IIMs, as being on the the list of Top 100 educational institutes in the world. A list that includes schools like Harvard, Cambridge and many other ivy league schools.

Private education in India is comparable to the best in the world and now the emphasis is not so much on rote learning but on making the classrooms more interactive, on public speaking, general knowledge personality development. The internet and cable TV have become the world to millions of urban Indians.

But how proud can India be with almost 34% of Indians being illterate? In India, around 50 million children between the ages of 6-14 are out of school. Only half this number manages to get to Std 5 and only a mere 7% get all the way to college. Here are some more numbers - the National Literacy Mission says that the national literacy rate has gone up from 18% in 1951 to 65% in 2001. But are these government schools doing their best to awaken curious, young minds?

There seems to be a big disappointment in store, when kids finally show up in some of the rural schools, as they lack infrastructure and/or teachers who are not paid or motivated enough to teach. That is where India Inc has stepped in - with the likes of Bharti Foundation and Wipro setting up schools. The Bharti School which is part of Bharti's social arm is the promoter's way of giving back to society.

The Mittal brothers have not forgotten their youth and Ladowal, a village just 12 kms away from Ludhiana city is proof of that. Education was not available to everyone here but now the youth of this village will get that - thanks to Bharti Enterprises.

As Chairman, Bharti Enterprises, Sunil Mittal told CNBC-TV18, "Our vision is ready to support the underprivileged children and youth of our country, so that they can achieve their mission in life. We picked up education as our core theme because we believe that if we could contribute in our own way through the Satya Bharti programme, I believe we would be contributing to supporting the underprivileged and children and youth of the country."

Vice Chairman, Bharti Enterprises, Rakesh Mittal explains, "The family and the associates have committed a corpus of Rs 200 crore to Bharti Foundation and the interest income of that will fund these schools - in capital expenditure, in building up the structure and meeting the running expense in perpetuity."

Bharti's school has spread practical knowledge among the kids of Ladowal and they are actually hopeful of a brighter future. Bharti Foundation has plans to start 200 schools with 100 schools in the villages of Ludhiana and the balance in other northern regions of the country. The Satya Bharti school starts from pre-primary to the primary level and follows the state curriculum but the Bharti Foundation takes care of infrastructure, study material and mid-day meals while land has been leased for the local panchayat. The school's fees are nominal and in some cases, is even waived. But the small amount makes the villagers value the education provided even more.

Doing something similar is the Azim Premji Foundation, which is hoping to use technology to transfer knowledge to the underprivileged children. This Foundation is run entirely on the contributions made by Azim Premji personally. CEO of the Azim Premji Fondation, Dileep Ranjekar explains, "What we are trying to contribute to is how do we create solutions for a systemic change? And what it really means is raising the level of a lake by 1 or 2 inches than filling a glass up to its brim."

The Foundation has designed CDs in various languages that plays on a child's basic inquisitiveness, and these CDs take the place of traditional text books and entice children to study. The Foundation has introduced programmes like the Learning Guarantee Programme, Child-friendly School Programme and Education Management Programme, which shifts the onus onto the families, society and the government to create an enabling environment.

The Azim Premji Foundation has been able to reach 27,52,000 children through their 16,600 schools. Apart from the government, the Foundation partners with Unicef, Microsoft and the MS Swaminathan Foundation.

Though contributions mostly come from Premji's pockets, Wipro's 'Applying Thought' and 'Wipro Cares' programmes also are involved. 'Applying Thought' provides intensive training to teachers and principals, so that they can in turn ignite young minds.

With corporate India doing what the government of India has abysmally failed to do - let us doff our hats to these corporates with a conscience.

Written for moneycontrol.com

Dream the impossible: Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Meditation comes highly recommended. As Sri Sri Ravi Shankar told CNBC-TV18,"Meditation is food for our soul. If we don't meditate, we would be starving our soul. Meditation brings inner wealth." And praying is a path to meditation. However, he says people who say that it's important to be a good human being by being helpful to the needy and to do good deeds but not to meditate, are not helping themselves.

That's because meditation removes fixed and preconceived impressions and drains away the stresses of day-to-day living and only when that occurs, will a person be in a frame of mind to do compassionate deeds for his fellow being. So, without the beneficial cleansing nature of meditation, he won't be able to carry out kind deeds. And the reason people have such notions is because "many people don't understand meditation. They think it's about concentration and you have to focus your mind. Or it's another ritual or it's so difficult. So, these kind of wrong ideas have come up about meditation."

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar equates meditation with sleep because they are both rejuvenating. In fact he says, it's a 100 times more refreshing because it helps you live in the present moment and and also frees you from anger and past hangups. The biggest bonus is ofcourse, is the extra zing - the energy - it brings.

There is also the heightening of intuition, which comes about because of meditation and this especially helps when you are confused and need to make some decisions. So, when one surrenders with confidence and leaves things to God, that's when your intuition will usually be right about any situation. And has it been a correct decision or not, only time will tell.

He adds, "Confusion happens when there are choices to be made. And the choice is usually between good and better or between bad and worse. It's never between good and bad. You have to see what gives you long term betterment. So, if for a short-term loss, you can get a long-term gain - this kind of clarity is essential and is the only criteria to be kept in mind. And to get this clarity, having only intuition is most essential."

So, in the end, he suggests that if you've chosen a path, then stick to it. Over-analysing past mistakes will lead to people regretting their decisions, and he would rather they relax, take some time out and continue on their journey through life. He also encourages people to dream the impossible and work their way towards it.

Written for moneycontrol.com

Ishmeet Singh: Candle in the Wind

I'm not a television buff but one day, while skipping channels, I came across the Voice of India show by accident. I've not been following any of the reality shows with any amount of dedication but just as I switched on to STAR Plus that day, Ishmeet Singh came on. I was about to switch channels but I was destined to hear this honeyed voice that's hushed forever now.

And I became rooted to the spot. I couldn't move because he sang so wonderfully. It was obvious, this young man was going to go places. He reminded me of two of my favourite singers - Marc Anthony and Bryan Ferry. He had screen presence, confidence, amazing amount of comfort in front of the mike and the camera and was note perfect. In addition to all this, his brilliant smile simply lit up the stage.

That voice is no more and that the tragedy happened to one so young and who was at the cusp of life - this is what makes it all the more painful. He had so much to live for and I can't even put myself in the shoes of his grieving family because I can understand that it's not something that an outsider can ever experience in the same depth.

I often wonder why God chooses to take people away just when we need them the most. Ishmeet's voice would have provided entertainment to millions in this country. It would have soothed people after a hard day's work. It would have made sick people sit up and listen and forget their pain. His voice was made to work its magic on us.

Now, only God gets to listen to it. That's not fair. I feel cheated out of something that's priceless.

He made his family proud of him in the few short years that he was graced with - and that's an immense legacy. How many parents can boast of a child like him? Ishmeet Singh was a candle in the wind. His spark fluttered briefly but brightly. Let him rest in peace.

This captain maps his own destiny

Captain Nair is very fortunate to get the right advice at every step of his life and one person who has played a key role, is his wife Leela. All his ventures are named after her. When you see the 84-year-old Captain CP Krishnan Nair, all charged up like a young cadet discussing his hotel expansion plans, you would wonder where he gets his energy from.

May be, it comes from his many years in the army. Captain Nair seems to prove the rule that a good soldier never retires. That is evident when you see him behaving like an army captain at his workplace - guiding his men around, explaining how to strategise and work towards a business plan.

Not only does his work impress you, but what strikes you immediately is his sharp and agile mind, his meticulous planning and eye for detail. All these qualities show in the chain of hotels he runs. His group, Hotel Leela Venture owns properties in Mumbai, Goa, Bangalore and Kerala and many more are coming up. So, how did he plunge into this business or who advised him? Well, here's his story in his own words.

"I was having a successful army career. At that time, my wife's father was running a very large handloom complex in North Kerala. They were having some marketing problems. My wife Leela thought if I quit the army and join the handloom industry - with my experience in Bombay and my knowledge of the Textile Commissioner and many people here - would help it immensely."

He continues, "Gandhiji was my inspiration. He said handloom and khadi will be the mainstay of the nation. So, when Leela suggested this thing, I took it up as a great opportunity to serve the people."

He made his wife's handloom inheritance into a Rs 300 crore success story and decided to leave everything and become spiritual. But he was advised against it by Swami Sivananda, who told him to go back to the people and be of service to them because he had an active and probing mind. So he did just that and more.

At age 60, when people think of retiring, he thought of starting a new venture and also made it successful - the Hotel Leela Venture. So, how did he dare to dream so big, so late in life? He explains, "I was a part of a trade delegation to Germany in 1957. At that time, Morarji Desai was the Commerce Minister and he nominated me on that trade delegation. Trade was very crucial for Germany and for India also. We were the guests of the German federal government and we were put up in the best hotels in Germany."

"They provided us with the ultimate in luxury. Although, it was a war-ravaged country, their hotels were all in good conditions and they were resplendent. That inspired me. Why should India not have these kind of hotels. I decided one day, if I have an opportunity, I will build hotels like these in India. That was my dream in 1957, only after 1984 could I make it happen."

His wife has a influence over him like no other. She also managed to convince him to set up the first lace factory and helped him with production, whenever he was abroad for marketing the product. So, he has the distinction of setting up the first lace factory in India. But he gives credit to some other people who guided him.

Captain Nair says, " I go for advice to only those who are personally and intimately involved with me. In business, Leela is my advisor, I do not go to many other people. In the hotel business, I never went to anyone. It's only our intuition. But I did go to Vasantdada Patil, who laid the foundation stone for this (Mumbai) hotel, who was very sagacious. He gave me great confidence. Until his death, I wanted to get some permission from the Maharashtra Government and he did not have any problem with that."

Even today, this octogenarian's spirit is as young as ever. And true to this zeitgeist, he says, if he was given advice to start a fresh venture, he may take it up! As he puts it, "My guidance is from old Indian scriptures, Indian ethos, Indian culture or basic Indian psyche. Once the wisdom comes from an elderly person or a child, you must accept it with grace."

So says the the great old man of Indian hospitality - which is another quintessential Indian trait - to make sure your guests are well looked after is an Indian tradition that he's living up to.

Written for www.moneycontrol.com

Eternal and ethereal Kashmir

Kashmir – the word conjures up images of unparalleled beauty and the reality more than lives up to those images. If anything, it’s so mind-blowingly lovely that when the locals quip about not wanting to leave ‘jannat’ to even visit Mumbai, I know the feeling. After just 10 days there, Kashmir has now entered like a narcotic in my bloodstream.

The people are very polite and their blend of Kashmiri-Urdu-Hindi patois is pleasant on the ears. And they seem genuinely happy to have people come visit Kashmir because tourism and selling of handicrafts is the only income stream for them as of now, as things are slowly coming back to normal there. In fact, since the Prime Minister has promised a rehabilitation package of Rs 4,000 crore for Kashmiri Pandits to go back and - resume their lives, there is hope springing up there. 

Everywhere, I went – Gulmarg, Pahalgam, Udhampur, Anandpur, Jammu, Srinagar - had a lot of military presence, so ironically instead of creating an environment of fear, I never felt more safe in my life, than when I was there! There are five different paramilitary forces there maintaining law and order – the Army, the Indo-Tibet Force, the CRPF, the BSF and the Jammu & Kashmir police force. So, with so much show of force, it is advisable for tourists to respect the effort that is being made by them to adhere to rules and any spot checks that they may conduct. For instance, there were some places where we were told to not shoot photographs, in other places, we were told to keep our bus windows shut.

In many places, we were told to get out, so the bus could be searched because if a local Kashmiri is found travelling with us, we could find ourselves in prison! One is not allowed to stop on the National Highway 1 and dilly-dally and even near Dal Lake in Srinagar, we had to be prepared with our belongings and wait in the aisle before the bus stopped, so we could get out as soon as possible. It’s patently clear that the army rules there and I for one saw the difference! The roads were far better maintained – much cleaner and broader. In the mountains coming from Jammu down to the valley, the roads are frequently washed away by massive landslides and the armed forces painstakingly rebuild it again and again.

If one sees the massive boulders that have been flung down into the Tawi river, one knows that the task is very commendable. And ofcourse, there are men standing in full combat gear even high up on those mountain ledges, where as far as I could make out, they just had clouds and some stray goats for company! Hats off to you guys - you are doing a fabulous job there and I didn’t hesitate to tell this to a soldier who was only too pleased and touched. He said he was glad that their contribution to the country was being recognised by us. I did also ask him how things were going between the civilians there and the armed forces and he said that trust was being built slowly and they were offering help like medical facilities to them. He did admit that to dispel suspicion that has accumulated over so many years was not an easy task because so many families have been at the receiving end of strong arm tactics from both sides – the terrorists looking to recruit locals through an atmosphere of fear and intimidation - and the armed forces who had to get information out of these recruits once they were nabbed.

This is really the Catch 22 situation that Kashmiris find themselves in. But with unemployment levels being high – I saw a lot of men loitering around in front of abandoned shops, market junctions, bus stops on weekdays, when they should have been at work. So, it is really obvious why such men are ripe for the picking by terrorists. I wish Indians would start investing in their own way, in Kashmir’s future and not wait for the government to do it all. I mean, do something simple like start travelling to Kashmir and create opportunities for people there to start earning money.

Even, if you did something enjoyable like booking a holiday on a houseboat (and I know this is a memorable experience because I tried it and loved it.) and follow it up with some shopping (which everyone loves doing) and you’ve spread your money around in a state, which needs it, despite the massive subsidies. At the moment, Kashmiris get a subsidy of Rs 4,000 per family member, so if people are not weaned off this, they will have no incentive to work. 

The women have a hard life but since they live in such a beautiful place with such wonderful climate, they hardly seem worse for wear. During the spring-summer season, they farm and maintain vegetable gardens, apple orchards, flower beds, kesar (saffron) fields and during the colder autumn-winter season when tourism dries up almost completely, they bring out their sewing kits and do the intricate resham work on dress materials. They embroider everything from large bedcovers, complete saris to tiny kurtis for children. The Pashmina shawls and Kashmiri carpets which are handwoven are expensive but worth every penny. Pashmina shawls can be priced as high as Rs 15,000. Pashmina saris are also available.

I also tried Kashmiri pulao and qahwa, which is a drink that has no milk in it but an amazing amount of other ingredients like green tea leaves, ginger, pepper, cinnamon, honey and all of this boiled in hot water and served and I loved it. Especially, in the cold (we Mumbai-ites considered it cold but it was really spring there in April, but the temperature in Srinagar hovered at 17 degrees and it never gets much hotter than that!) weather, this was a really ideal way to soak up some warmth. And what’s more, I had this in the home of a Kashmiri. They welcomed us with open arms and let us wander through their beautiful lakeside home, which we people in this city can only fruitlessly dream of ever owning. 

I thought to myself, that this was the real irony....that this family which makes money by taking tourists out water skiing during only few months of the year made less money than the Shahrukh Khans and Anil Ambanis of the world. But neither Khan or Ambani can ever boast of a beautiful home in paradise, which is exactly what Kashmir is. That home was a simple but spacious wooden cottage but it just might have been a mansion on the shores of Lake Geneva in Switzerland. Actually, because it’s our, own dear Kashmir, it’s even more precious to me than Switzerland will ever be. 

Facts Jammu & Kashmir is separated by the Jawaharlal Nehru tunnel, which one has to pass through to get to either place. This tunnel is strictly manned by security personnel. So, on one day, traffic movement is allowed in one direction on the next day, it moves the other way. This is pretty standard practice all over J&K and something that Mumbai should mull over. Jammu and Kashmir is administered from two different places. 

In the winter months the administration setup is in Jammu and in the warmer months from Srinagar. And yes, our indefatigable armed forces escorts files and bureaucrats across the state during this transition.

During that time as well, civilian and tourist movement is kept minimal, so the date of such a move is announced in advance. Flying to Kashmir takes 3 hours and by train, it's a 36 hours journey from Mumbai and a 2 days-2 nights voyage from Pune! But I heard that the Konkan Railways may be building a line all the way to Srinagar. As of now, the only way for outsiders to live permanently in Kashmir is to marry a local (and the men are delicious and a sight for sore eyes but most are unemployed!) But with Kashmiri Pandits being asked to return, there is hope that Kashmir will soon start pulling its weight and contributing to India's GDP - then nothing can hold us back except shortsighted politicians. 

Written for the Spark Magazine. Photos are the author's personal ones and hence copyright protected.

How first-time entrepreneurs suffer...

My website is just a week old and it's been exactly nine months since I started work on it. So, in a way, it's almost been like having a baby. I just had to share with my readers what an experience it has been - one might call it a warning of sorts.

The companies in India that provide support services like domain hosting, server space, domain registration, corporate e-mails are dime a dozen. But as with everything else, I asked a friend to recommend the right people to do business with and he suggested Net4 India, who also host his site www.carbonyatra.com. I went to them for all of the above services, except domain registration which I got done at a cheaper rate with India Internets.

On May 17, a Saturday, I transferred money to Net4 India's account and I was told by their sales executive Savita Kamath that everything will be enabled in 24 hours. But in reality, till May 29, it was apparent that they were just not capable of giving me great service. After giving them 2 weeks to sort out problems, it still hadn't been sorted out. So, on May 29 (Thursday night), I told my developer to take my site off their server and he immediately posted it on a US server and the site was online in a matter of hours on the same night. Now that's called quality service...wouldn't you agree? So, I'm entitled to get a refund right? Wrong! Net4 had found ways to hang on to my money, by getting someone from their office to call me and tell me that "We didn't deny you services, you chose to leave!"

For more on this issue, I'm posting my e-mails to them and their responses to those e-mails. I hope you read them and learn that giving quality service is the last thing on their mind and hanging on to your money is more important to them.

Ultimately, they still have my money and I'm going to transfer domain registration to them and and use it up that way, so as to not use too much of their awful services. But read the emails...


From: manali rohinesh
To: savita.k@net4.in
Subject: Expedite my refund
Date: Thu, 29 May 2008 13:15:10 +0000

Hi,

I would like a complete refund because Net4 has not been able to host my website. It's been two weeks since I made a payment of Rs 3,818 to buy ASP.NET, a package of 5emails and just simple hosting and it's been a never ending process of raising trouble tickets.

If Net4 has so many issues that needs people to raise trouble tickets so frequently (even BEFORE the person's site has been hosted), may be there is something here that you need to look into.

My experience has been an unhappy one. Trouble ticket queries were not resolved except the one about the webmail not working. And shouldn't this be working when a Net4 executive tells me that my email IDs have been enabled? Apparently not. Because no one bothers to send me a mail saying that after enabling, I've got to go to the control panel, create aliases...and then after that go to another website called mail4india.com and do the same procedure again. I don't call this a user-friendly method at all. Was I supposed to get all this step-by-step process to 'enable' my emails in a dream or in an e-mail? Also all this information was given to me over the phone by your technician after I asked 'how does one know these IDs are active?' And even then, your mail forwarding didn't work for which a trouble ticket was raised...so please tell me what exactly did you enable?

I can't work with a backup support that needs this much hand-holding and where it's such an effort to provide smooth service.

The delayed launch of my site has been a victim of Net4's inefficiency. I'm in a curious position, where because of word-of-mouth publicity, people are waiting to check my site out and I've got business cards printed to give out to people, but I don't have the site hosted yet!

Please expedite my refund immediately as decency demands this because Net4 has not been able to provide the services, for which it was paid, to begin with.

Please credit my bank account for the same. My account is with ICICI Bank, Prabhadevi branch and the A/c no is XXXXXX.

Regards

Manali

I got a verbal reply saying there would be no refund. So, I took it to the next level...to Savita's boss Mr Sanjay Kathuria whose 'head in the sand' attitude and complete state of denial was really amazing. Here's my next e-mail to him.


From: manali rohinesh
Sent: 03 June 2008 11:13
To: sanjay.k@net4.in
Cc: savita.k@net4.in
Subject: FW: Expedite my refund

Mr Kathuria,

I want my money back for the services Net4 has not provided. As a listed company, you shouldn't be hanging on to people's money through crooked means. Not having provided a service, you've got no reason to hold on to my money...and this is understood in any language in any country across the world...except possibly in India and your organisation.

I can prove in any forum that I've made this payment. Can you prove you've kept your end of the bargain?

So, on what grounds are you refusing to refund the money?


Manali

His response...

From: sanjay.k@net4.in
To: rmanali@hotmail.com
CC: savita.k@net4.in; anamika.m@net4india.net
Subject: RE: Expedite my refund
Date: Tue, 3 Jun 2008 11:56:41 +0530

Hi,

I am getting it checked, you will get the update by end of the business day.

As such we have automated system at the backend so what caused the delay is something important to know.

Regards

Sanjay K

After this e-mail, I got that great phone call and I then wrote to him again.


From: manali rohinesh
Sent: 04 June 2008 10:59
To: Sanjay Kathuria
Cc: savita.k@net4.in; 'Anamika Mukherjee'
Subject: RE: Expedite my refund


Mr Kathuria,

I got a call from someone from your office yesterday. Please don't waste my time by getting your people to call me and trying to justify to me why Net4 would like to illegally hold on to my money.

I was not impressed by the girl's argument that 'Net4 never denied you service, you chose to leave'. Before making such stupid statements, please remember 'why' I chose to leave. I gave you ample time to provide me with your 'so-called service' and out of frustration, I had to see what was good for me. You probably would have liked me to stick with you guys indefinitely, even when I don't like the quality of your service, which is JUST the question here.

I would like to ask all three of you to whom this e-mail is addressed to - do any of you use the other services that your company provides to people? Apart from your corporate e-mail IDs, I don't think, any of you know the first thing about 'using' any of your own company's services. So, please don't pretend you know what I went through. If anyone has a fair idea, it's Savita.

If you were not served at a restaurant after sitting there for more than 10 minutes, you would consider that as being poor service. Would you like it if you were charged for just sitting there? Would you like it, if the restaurant manager came to you and said 'I'm not denying you service but you chose to leave' because 'eventually' he planned on serving you? This is exactly the case with me. I don't think I need to highlight the issue anymore in a more clear manner.

If the only smart person in your organisation with any conscience is Savita, then you need to seriously do some thinking. After all, I don't think India is a banana republic, where this kind of behaviour is acceptable. Have you heard of terms like 'corporate ethics' or not?

What's more, my developer has told me that every other company in India doing exactly your kind of work, has a 30-day refund period. Money has to be refunded if the work is not done satisfactorily. So, I repeat, I'm well within my rights in every sense of the word to demand my money back. Net4 didn't provide satisfactory service and as a free citizen of this country, I can take my business anywhere else I want to.

Please let's not quibble anymore. Also stop looking for endless reasons to hang on to money that does not belong to you. You don't have a ground to stand on. Today is Wednesday, and I want this issue resolved by the weekend. And when I mean resolved, I mean to my satisfaction - this is the least 'service' your company can provide...let me see if you do that.


Manali

His response...

From: sanjay.k@net4.in
To: rmanali@hotmail.com
CC: savita.k@net4.in; anamika.m@net4india.net
Subject: RE: Expedite my refund
Date: Wed, 4 Jun 2008 18:13:44 +0530


Dear Ms Manali

Let me be absolute clear with you, There is no intention to hold money of any customer. As a service provider we value the customers and their importance but at the same I will not buy the argument wherein you said services were never delivered to you. I have personally gone through all the TTs opened by you and responses(you can also read in net4 control panel), in which 2 were for mails and 5 for some add on feature and folder permissions on hosting. That clearly states service was delivered to you.

Your developer’s statement of 30 days refund seems to be very generic with no base, As per our knowledge no India service provider do the same and even if someone is doing the same it’s not a regulatory requirement.

Dissatisfaction is more of a gap between expectations and deliverables and that can happen on any instance. Now keeping our commitments intact towards customer satisfaction we can extend the credit note of the equivalent amount that can be adjusted with any service offerings from us in future.

Regards

Sanjay Kathuria
Head - Online Business


In the above e-mail, he admits his company may have not lived up to my expectation, so why was he still not refunding the money? Here's my final e-mail in the drama..


The fact that so many trouble tickets needed to be raised BEFORE you people even officially were hosting my site speaks volumes about your service to begin with.

Are you seriously telling me that you think you provided me service because trouble tickets were attended to? I've admitted that only the Webmail issue was attended to and if all those trouble tickets raised over hosting were taken care of, I wouldn't be having this conversation with you.

(His quote) "Dissatisfaction is more of a gap between expectations and deliverables and that can happen on any instance. ...."

Which it definitely did in this case. Nice of you to admit that your service didn't live up to my expectations.

Manali

And here is what my developer had to say on the issue...

1] Enabling read/right access to file and folders IS NOT an add on feature.
2] You say the issues were resolved, it's still not resolved till date. Replying to a ticket doesn't mean (the problem) is resolved. Also you guys changed the status of the ticket to resolved as soon as you reply, how can you do that?

My advice is to stay away from this firm. Anyone not knowing and more importantly not caring about customer service behaves like this.. we deserve better.

An animated, immortal Indian love story

'Bhagmati - The Queen of Fortunes' is India's biggest ever animation film, which was released in 2005 amid much fanfare by producer Zee. It was held up as an example of India's prowess in coming out with a world class product. This 1 hour 35 minutes film, Bhagmati is being touted as the longest animation film ever made. But despite its Rs 5 crore budget, making it in India was atleast five times cheaper than anywhere else in the world.

The film depicts the historical romance between medieval prince Qutub Quli Shah of Golconda and a local beauty Bhagmati. The movie is made part in animation and part with living characters. Zee has released the movie in 50 screens across India and is planning an international opening in several languages in a fortnight. But for all that, this magical tale doesn't spell a fairytale ride for the industry.

Director of Bhagmati - Queen of Fortunes, Ashok Kaul told CNBC-TV18, "In India, in the global scheme of things, we don't factor anywhere because this industry doesn not exist. Just to give you a little background on how we started work on Bhagmati. When the project was commissioned, the problem was there were no animators."

For this movie, Zee was so starved for talent that it used a team 110 graduates from its own animation academy to painstakingly sketch the film's seven million plus frames! That is why Bhagmati has an international quality classic animation feel like an 'Alahadin' or 'Lion King'. But without the right artistic input, the result can look rather tacky, like in 'Krishna', which was released in November 2005.

Indian animation wants to do a 'Lion King' or a 'Finding Nemo' but often enough, it's hampered by lack of talented people to do such projects. So, unless Indian universities and colleges recognise animation as a subject, India will continue to languish and not become the artistic powerhouse it aspires to become.

Indian companies like Maya Entertainment and Toonz Animation are lapping up work outsourced by studios in the US, Britain, France, Italy and Germany but it's mostly 3D animation, like that used in 'Spiderman' and not the top level classical variety. Even Mumbai-based Crest Animation Studios, which just signed a multimillion dollars, three-movies deal with America's Lions Gate Entertainment says that manpower shortage is stifling growth.

CEO of Crest Animation Studios, AK Madhavan says, "The Indian universities don't recognise or do not even have a course in animation."

Nasscom says that by the end of 2005, animation in India will be growing at 30% a year would account for USD1.5 billion, while the global animation industry is pegged at USD52 billion! But dreams of this industry becoming the next BPO of India will remain just that - a dream without the necessary talent to go with it.

Written for moneycontrol.com

Discover what lies beneath

'Archaeology – Techniques and Methods’ is a must-have dictionary for archaeologists – both the budding and expert kind. The book is in an easy-to-read and understand format for the layman, who just wants to know what goes into looking for treasures belonging to lost cultures – especially after watching a gripping episode on Discovery Channel!

The alphabetized glossary style of the book makes it a simple task to just look for the word you have in mind. While the lucid way the words are explained is also a relief, for those who may be put off by the dull cover of this book. The author Harpreet Kaur has kept the book accessible to everyone with her idea of explaining archaeological terminology, but the publishers could have done a better job at proof-reading.

For instance, under ‘Mummified and Dried Human Tissues, Study’- this term has been explained well but Christian Era has been spelled as ‘Christian Eera’ – such typographical errors should have been looked into.

But this book, does give a dry subject a good shot at sustaining people’s interest by including fascinating facts like when excavators were digging at the site where the Roman city of Pompeii had once stood, and which was destroyed when the Mount Vesuvius volcano erupted – the excavators found lifelike casts of people. They found casts like that of a woman who was fleeing from the ashes and fumes and who died, while covering a part of her face with her clothing. She was discovered in exactly this manner, centuries later.

Harpreet Kaur has done her research well to unearth these jewel-like details, which will make for great dinner table snippets and conversation. If only, the book also had pictures of these statues – it would have added greatly to its visual appeal.

One rule that should be a must for books such as these – which are not exactly academic but is also not something people will pick up for light reading – is use as many visuals as you can possibly get your hands on. After all, one picture is equivalent to a thousand words – no matter how well written or well said.

Want Craig David and Dido all night long?

Those music channels, whose USP so far has been Hindi film music should wake up and smell the coffee because there is another opportunity waiting in the wings. MTV's sister channel VH1, which with its all-English and no veejay mantra is today a hit with its listeners. This is because niche channels are muscling to media planners notice and therefore, niche music channels can also make the most of this attention.

Though MTV made Hindi film music its mainstay in 1997, when it swept away a huge Indian audience, VH1 has reached its annual target of 12 million subscribers in just 10 months. It has also roped in 20 brands like Pepsi, Nokia, Samsung and Hyundai. The channel has no costs because it airs recycled, international music, no annoying veejays and little programming, this is one channel that is all about pure, unadulterated music. With this, the channel is looking at breaking even in the next two years.

A top source at VH1 told CNBC-TV18, "There are 120 odd channels addressing different market segments. There was this one segment, which was international music and it was going unaddressed and VH1 saw the gap there and came into the country at the right time. So we've hit upon the need gap and we are servicing it and it seems to be large enough so that advertisers also want to come on board and address them." But the honchos at VH1 will continue to want the channel to be more niche based because the market for English music and lifestyle ccontent is that much smaller currently. So the idea is that VH1 will remain India's only English music and lifestyle channel and MTV will be more broadbased.

Even though a broad player like MTV has seen a slight dip in growth, as compared to Channel V, people in the know admit that a channel like VH1 that purely plays music is going to have a high share but Channel V does not want to go down that route. They would prefer to position their channel as a youth product with great music being flanked by glamour and fun activities. All the same, media planners feel that all channels, including niche music channels will have to work to keep the eyeballs glued to their respective channels.

Written for moneycontrol.com

Endearing characters roll off his fingers

Vaibhav Kumaresh is playing God - in less than a week, he'll be breathing life into characters he is moulding for an ad shoot, for Cartoon Network. Like any other kid, Vaibhav doodled his way through school and only realised much later, that he could turn it into a profession thanks to a Visual Communication and Animation Design course at the National Institute of Design, NID, at Ahmedabad.

Today, Kumaresh has an impressive body of work. After Poga of MTV which won gold for the best animation at the Promax Asia Awards 2003, he went on to set up his own studio and more awards came his way. Since then, he's done the Amaron claymation commercials and created that lovable Sardar teacher, Simpu on Channel V.Today, this gifted animator is busy with a new project, every month or so.

He takes up only one project a month, so he can give it his complete attention. He confesses to being very happy doing all kinds of animation because it allows him to work with different mediums.But he also feels that comparisons between the Indian animation industry with Europe or the US is unfair because abroad, "animation is much older. Audiences have been exposed to it for a much longer time. People have been making films, learning from their mistakes, basically the process (abroad) is atleast 18 years old. And, its been around 15 years since animation has picked up as a profession in India. So, I think there is still a long way to go before we are as experienced in the medium as the West."

But is the quality of the animation coming out of India today, matching up to international standards, or are we putting out slipshod stuff? He says, "We haven't applied ourselves enought to long format storytelling and we haven't done it sincerely or consistently enough. So, it works both ways, we need to put in better effort and the infrastructure has got to improve."Keeping this in mind, what kind of work is being outsourced by Italian and French studios to India?

He explains, "There are different structures of studios operating in India. Currently, the more lucrative kind is the type that is totally running on outsourced work." After the awards and the recognition, he set up his own studio and he calls it the most happy moment in his life, well, possibly after his marriage though! He says, "It's definitely better, it's more independent. You are handling your own money and not someone else's money. In all aspects, creatively and financially, you get to work with the best people. Your planning projects that you really want to do and like to do."

The most important factor in any man's success is support from his family. His father pointed him in the right direction by telling him about the course at NID and even enrolling him in. Also, Kumaresh readily acknowledges his wife, Suranjana's role in giving him the space and the encouragement. She is also an NID alumni and she doubles up as partner and co-director in her husband's studio. When they aren't working, the two attempt to cook a meal together, though Kumaresh might just find animation that much easier! Animated movies are something else he likes to unwind with, and his favourite is ofcourse, the adorable 'Lion King'. He says this movie has got all the ingredients - style, characters and storytelling - just perfect.

Written for moneycontrol.com

Flaunt a yacht...if you can!

If you have the cash to spare and want to splurge on something that will make your neighbours go green with envy, then why not spend on a yacht? There are a number of people in India, who’ve decided to make this multi-million status symbol available to Indians who want to ride the waves with panache.

Firms like Sorenstam, Ocean Crest Marine, West Coast Marine, Marine Solutions, Navnit Marine, Royal Yachts and Cruisers, Ferreti Yachts and many more have all sprung up to fill a void in the burgeoning Indian market.

Some people have jumped into this tried and tested waters - like the skilled yachtsman Aashim Mongia of West Coast Marine. He loves the sea and joined the NDA. But a rare blood disorder threw his career off-course and he decided to go into business for himself. He initially did find the going tough but now feels that the good times are all set to roll and he’s happy to ride the wave of prosperity. But sometimes, it’s about providing a service that you realize is completely lacking, when one goes to buy a pleasure boat for yourself.

Riyhad Kundanmal of Ocean Crest Marine is doing just that. This trained architect has branched out into the yacht selling business because when he was looking to buy one for himself, he realized there was nothing remotely structured about the market in India. So, he decided to take the plunge, as it were, into an appealing and nascent business opportunity. He’s also selling these yachts along with some luxurious homes he’s designed as a kind of package deal.

So, how does one avoid pitfalls when buying something this expensive? Do your homework. So check out all the great cruising options at the Mumbai International Boat Show, which is on from February 28 till March 2, this year at the Gateway of India and the Bandra-Kurla Complex. Visit www.mumbaiboatshow.com for details.

You can also make a beginning by asking the right questions! Director of Marketing, Ocean Crest Marine, Rihyad Kundanmal answers some pertinent ones.

Q1. How many yacht buyers are there in India?
A1. With the emergence of Ocean Crest Marine in the yachting arena, yachting has suddenly become affordable to all. A sport that was once considered only for the elite few, has now emerged with yachts starting at under Rs 15 lakhs and which is delivered to your doorstep. What the Tata Group is doing with cars, Ocean Crest Marine is doing with boats. We’re making it affordable, especially considering that India sits along a vast coastline which has untapped potential and is virtually virgin to the yachting world. With over 1.5 billion people in the country, Ocean Crest Marine is targeting only 1% of that population - around 15 million to say the least.

Q2. Do you sell most outright or is there some EMI system in place? If yes, how much does an aspiring yacht owner have to cough up per month?
A2. Ocean Crest Marine is in the process of tying up with several finance companies to assist a potential customer with their finance needs. Besides the cost of a captain (starting at Rs. 6000 per month) and the fuel cost depending upon use, the boats are completely covered with a 5 year manufacturers warranty.

Q3. From where do you import them or are most of them custom-made in India to save costs?
A3. Being the importers of Marques Monterey and Formula Yachts (USA) - both brands having 5 year warranties - we are positioned to ensure that anyone and everyone has access to yachts. Safety, superior materials, advanced technology, economical yet powerful engines, and standard onboard equipment, that other manufacturers would consider as extra options, as well as the pricing, are the factors that Ocean Crest Marine stands for. Indian manufacturers unfortunately are too far behind with technology and understanding the needs of a ocean going vessel. It’s like comparing a Bentley of the seas to an antiquated Fiat!

Q4. Is there a time-share scheme for using them and if yes, how does it work? Please elaborate in terms of cost of fuel, services provided, usage etc.
A4. With a boat under Rs 15 lakhs (the cost of an entry-level car), it would not be prudent to get into time-share schemes. But boats that are over 40 - 50 feet. Ocean Crest Marine does charter their fleet for an average of about 4 hours and it costs in the range of approximately Rs 1.5-2 lakhs, which depends on the wines and catering required. Captains, deck-hands and fuel is included in the cost. Ocean Crest Marine is moving into the lodging world, whereby destinations are being set up across the country to make it viable for an adventurer to spend weekends with a purpose, rather than just cruise up and down the coast.

The Mumbai International Boat Show is organized by Ocean Blue which is a holding company that services yachts via its firm Ocean Blue Services and it also owns Ocean Blue Marinas, which is into developing marinas. Dr. Malav Shroff, Managing Director of Ocean Blue clarifies and says, “You don't need to be a member of the RBYC to get a mooring. The cost of mooring ranges between Rs 2000-5000 per month depending on the size of the boat.” Here he answers FAQs.
Q1. Does one need the permission or membership of the Royal Bombay Yacht Club or the Bombay Sailing Association to berth a yacht, which isn't easy to get. Can one berth their boats off Alibaug or Mandwa?
No, you cannot. However, it is a misconception that it is difficult to get a mooring for your boat through the RBYC. Anyone who buys a yacht can approach the RYBC to get a mooring. (Berthing is different from mooring). It is not mandatory to get permission from RBYC either, as actually, it is the Mumbai Port Trust who has authorized the RBYC to give these permissions. So, technically one can get mooring directly from MbPT. Registration of boats is through the MMB (Maharashtra Maritime Board)

Q2. What are the maintenance costs incurred? How steep are they and are experts available to help maintain them?
Maintenance costs range from 4 - 7% of the value of the yacht and increases with size and complexity. For eg. a 20 foot boat would be about 3 to 4 % p.a. while a 100 foot boat would be above 6 to 7% p.a. because it requires a permanent crew. The expertise is still evolving in the marketplace and is still in its infancy. There is still a long way to go to match international standards.

Q3. Where are the boats docked during the monsoons? Is there a special dry dock of some kind?
Smaller boats are dry docked on land and larger ones are sheltered in the protected waters of the Mumbai Port Trust.

Q4. So far, how many Indian customers have bought yachts from the dealers at your event?
In the region of about 200 - ranging from kayaks to super-yachts

Q5. Which yacht brands/models are popular with your Indian clientele? Are they what's considered 'happening' with foreign owners or are we miles behind them?
A5. The Formula and Monterey brands are considered one of the safest and most reliable in the world. What is in the international market is also in the Indian market. The Indian clientele is well advanced - having travelled the world - they are pioneers in trying things well before their foreign counterparts.

Q6. Can you give me some names of people you've sold yachts to?
A6. I could give their names, but unfortunately that would be unethical. Our yachts start at under Rs 15 lakhs and go up to over Rs 500 crore. It would not be fair to dwell into personal lives.

Q7. How much do you foresee a market for this aspirational purchase in India? Meaning, it's obviously not a volumes game, so how many yachts do you see yourself selling in a year?
A7. With Ocean Crest Marine making it affordable for all, we have in the last 3 months itself, sold over 47 yachts across the country. We anticipate our sales to cross well over a 100 units this year itself.

Q8. Lack of a marina is a big hindrance for yacht owners. Are you looking for some sops from the FM in this budget towards really developing the Western seaboard (specifically Mumbai)? If yes, what's on your wishlist?
A8. Fortunately, the boating arena is opening up for the first time with a concerted effort being put in to improve the dismal situation. Citizens are becoming aware of the need of (developing) the waterways due to the poor situation of the roads.

In order to improve the boating infrastructure, we would need to have breakwater barriers made along with suitable floating marinas, so as to make it safe for the passengers/owners to have access to the boats - not only throughout the coast, but within parts of the cities itself. For example, North Mumbai can become accessible to South Mumbai with the assistance of a marina because the traffic congestion in the city will be eased, and heavy expenses on the roadway infrastructure is saved. In addition to this, the government needs to either lower, or completely eliminate the import duty structure from the existing 35%, so as to make it viable for the consumer to opt for a boat for his daily commute, rather than be imposed with heavy taxes, which obviously discourages movement on waterways.

Along with this, the Government would need to work on marine falls near the sewage outlets, whereby the sewage itself will not be washed back ashore, but rather falls into the trenched, underwater pits.

Q9. What smart tips can you give to aspiring buyers? In terms of what to look out for and not get taken in by the glossy brochures and glib sales talk?

A9. Before buying a yacht or a boat, Ocean Crest Marine understands the needs and wants of the potential buyer, and then suggests a boat or a yacht that suits his/her needs. If one simply wanted to cruise the harbour; travel across the shipping channel; go on to the high seas or even for that matter, travel to international destinations, we would suggest something that would be the right choice.

Safety being the most prominent factor. Before handing over a yacht to a client, we hand over a qualified captain in addition to the training we impart to the buyer himself. Our part as the sales team is not to sell the yacht and feel that our work is done. On the contrary, our work only begins there, as we want to ensure that the after-sales service is far better than the sale deal itself.

Q10. In Mumbai, you need the permission or membership of the Royal Bombay Yacht Club or the Bombay Sailing Association to berth a yacht, which isn't easy to get. Can one berth their boats off Alibaug or Mandwa?
A10. It is a misconception that memberships are required to berth boats in the Mumbai Harbour. Memberships are encouraged and recommended, but not mandatory. The reason for memberships is to avail of the private slipway opposite the Taj Hotel, which has been leased to the Royal Bombay Yacht Club (RBYC), the Bombay Sailing Association (BSA) and the Colaba Sailing Club (CSC). Memberships indeed can be expensive and exclusive, but the Colaba Sailing Club has a one-time entrance fee of Rs 10,000-12,000 and an annual renewal fee of Rs 2,000-3,000. Memberships are open and available to anyone interested or keen on sailing. Non-members too can avail of the bay, but at the same time cannot use the private slipway or the facilities of the tender boat service to and from their yachts. They can use the non-private slipways at gate 2, 3 and 4 near the Gateway of India.

Boats can indeed be berthed off Mandwa as well, but once again, it is strongly urged to have membership(s) for any facilities needed. Once a member of any sailing or yachting institution - either in Bombay or Mandwa - the use of the Club tender boat is reciprocal.

Q11. What is the cost of these memberships?
A11. The RBYC costs Rs 5,00,000; the BSA Rs 1,00,000 and the CSC Rs 10,000-12,000. Not too expensive considering the cost of memberships available at any other reputed club or social institution in Mumbai.

A12. All of our yachts come with a full 5 years manufacturers warranty. So, besides the fuel and incidentals, everything else is covered for the first 5 years. The average maintenance costs for boats without a warranty are as follows:

The maintenance cost of a boat under 20 feet is approx 30,000-40,000 annually; 25 feet approx 1,00,000 annually; 30 feet approx 1,00,000 - 1,30,000 annually; 40 feet approx 2,00,000 annually; 50 feet approx 2,00,000 to 2,50,000 annually.

This is just the general service, maintenance, lifting, storage, transportation and cleaning charges. Damage or any kind of mechanical issues beyond the manufacturer’s specifications are additional.

Q13. Where are the boats docked during the monsoons? Is there a special dry dock of some kind?
A13. Ocean Crest Marine is in the process of setting up dry docks all over the country. But for the moment, space at Princess Docks is available for the larger yachts and the smaller ones will be stored on the grounds of Ocean Crest Estates boatyard at Mandwa and at the Ocean Crest Marines Drydocks at Dharamtar Creek. The costs for storage all work out within the annual maintenance costs. Special cradles, trolleys and slings are available to handle the yachts, when out of the water.

Q14. So far, how many Indian customers have bought yachts - from you and/or your competitors?
A14. Approximately 47 yachts have been sold by Ocean Crest Marine in the last 4 months itself. With the emergence of the yachting market now opening for the first time, we are hopeful that this year itself, we would cross numbers in excess of 150 units after our presence at the Mumbai and Dubai Boat show. Thereafter, when the set-up is complete across the country, with dealership networks in place, the yachting arena will see a rise in numbers.

Written for MoneyLife magazine

Buying a notebook sensibly

I’ve been discovering the pleasure of working from home or a coffee shop, and it beats the grind and monotony of working from an office. All you have to do is maintain the discipline and put in the regular hours. The time spent sitting in a traffic jam is so easily converted into a productive period of quality output.

So, I decided to forego full-time employment out of sheer exhaustion and slid into part-time work effortlessly. To work from anywhere and at my convenience, I went looking to buy a laptop. There are so many to choose from and to make an intelligent decision is tough.

Actually, I didn't have too much of a problem choosing because I was sure which brands I really wanted to own - it was a toss-up between the Sony VIAO and an HP product. (I think making up your mind firmly about the brands you want to eliminate for whatever reasons, is the smart way to go.) One may not like the size, styling, features and I did ask for feedback from friends who owned laptops.

I did initially want to buy the Sony VIAO but though sleek looking, I discovered it is on the larger side and I had feedback from a friend who owned one, that the in-built mouse felt slightly disconnected. Another friend swore by his Toshiba but said it was not a lightweight product at all. So, I was scouting for a smaller, easy-on-the arm yet stylish and branded product. I had seen some good-looking HP models in TV campaigns (TVC) and advertisements and decided to check them out. Their eye-catching ‘The computer is personal again’ TVC certainly influenced my decision.

I, therefore, stepped into a Hewlett-Packard (HP) store in my neighbourhood ‘Gigahertz Now’ and checked out some of the notebooks and tablet PCs on display there. They were all so much sleeker looking than the early bulky pieces I associated HP with. There was one in particular which caught my eye – a special edition DV 2601 TX model. This is a notebook with a shiny two-toned snazzy, abstract design on the body, weighs about 2.5 kilos and really neatly put together in a small package. It had tonnes of features like an in-built web camera, Bluetooth enabled (which segued wonderfully with my camera phone because I made sure they were compatible and hotfooting together!), a Windows Vista operating system and the picture clarity is truly 75 mm widescreen quality.

The price the dealer offered me was Rs 54,500 and I took my time to plunk down the cheque despite wanting the notebook badly before anyone else bought it because this special edition pieces were selling like hot cakes and there was a waiting list for them. (The dealer told me they had sold 15 pieces in a month by then) But then I checked with the Tata store - Croma – and they were selling the same model for Rs 52,990, but I would have to wait since they were all sold out. They also had tied up with ICICI Bank to give the bank’s debit card holders a 5% discount on purchases made in their store. So, all in all, I was going to get the same notebook for Rs 50,340, which was Rs 4,160 less than the HP dealer’s price.

So, I went back to my local dealer and told the sales manager, Payal Agarwal the result of my homework and she told me that she would offer me the same price but would not be able to offer me the 5% discount since she didn’t accept credit/debit card payments. But then she also told me that she was putting in all the additional software I had requested free of cost, which Croma will not do. So, buying the new Office Suite 2007 (not the demo or the pirated version) plus Adobe Photoshop would cost me around Rs 11,000 extra. So, if I went to Croma and bought the notebook, I would have come home with a bare-bones metal shell and then would have to put in all the juice at my cost, which would have cost me, finally, over Rs 60,000.)

I also would have to wait for my notebook. Payal had a fresh piece ready for me and that cinched it for me. I went to her to buy my notebook because she was giving me the additional software as freebie and plus was willing to give me Croma’s sticker price.

So, it does pay to weigh out all the pros and cons before buying anything, especially big-ticket items because what looks like a good deal may be deceptively so. There is no substitute for doing your homework and then spending your money in a smart, sassy manner, where you come out with a winning deal.

(The price of this model has come down a bit now but please remember I bought this in November last year, when it was first introduced in the market.)

Written for MoneyLife magazine

Thrillers that are a must-read

Do something different in the New Year. Instead of mindlessly partying in your leisure time, curl up at home with a hot cup of chocolate and some of these writers. Here are some of the thrilling authors who will leave you panting for more with their intricate plots and in-depth research. Travel the world with them on exciting journeys that even your imagination couldn't think of!

Steve Berry: This lawyer-turned-author has written five books with such fabulous plots – ranging from art history to Western mythology to actual historical facts that knit his books together. Start from ‘The Templar Legacy’ and move on to his latest ‘The Alexandria Link’.

Steve Berry is a Georgia based lawyer whose books have been more about art, Western history and art history than about law. So, he’s not followed in John Grisham’s footsteps but in Dan Brown’s shoes - at least where his first bestseller was concerned – The Templar Legacy. This book has so much fast paced action thrown in with superbly researched facts about a secret society called the Knights Templar, which did actually exist.

Steve Berry looks into the Templar’s own history and the fact that this society was forced to go underground by the Church and generations of vengeful popes because they really didn’t concede that Christ was the divine saviour after all. To them, Christ was just another human preacher - that he lived and died like a mortal human and was not a immortal son of God. And they can prove this fact. How? Well, that’s the plot of this book!

There is treasure to be found and everyone is trying to get to it for their own agenda. And they have to do it via complicated epigrams and maps which point the way. It is high stakes danger and thrills all the way till the very end.

Mary Higgins Clark: She’s the modern day answer to Agatha Christie. All her books have been topping bestselling lists and with good reason. Her tight plotting and with believable characters who fight all odds to win against psychopaths, will leave you breathless. Mary Higgins Clark is the right person to have inherited the crown of the 'Queen of the Suspense Novel' from Agatha Christie.

Her books have great penetrative psychology and they are about issues plaguing us these days - kidnappings, rapes, murders. What's more, her perpetrators are not always the poor, disenchanted scum-of-the-earth kind of people and her victims don't always deserve what's been done to them. There are no stereotypes in her novels.

In the book 'No Place Like Home', the assumed murderer is a child and she's carried the 'perceived' guilt of having killed her own mother for almost 20 years, when only she knows how her mother died because the only other witness is her stepfather, who implicates her in the first place.

Then as an adult, her husband buys her a house as a present and it turns out to be the same one she lived in and in which her mother was killed. So, she's got haunted memories associated with it. So, does she battle with old ghosts? Does she clear her name and convince people of her innocence? Or is someone still out to paint her as a killer and why? Enjoy this book.

Clive Cussler: His books are for the marine aficionados. The plots are better than Ian Fleming’s and he does do research on marine archaelogy, underwater technology and exploration, the latest military and defense wizardry and he really explores the country he situates his stories in.
Clive Cussler’s books sell out as soon as they hit the stands and that is because he knows how to keep the action moving at breakneck speed. After reading his books, you will think Ian Fleming’s James Bond is so tame!

He’s written close to 30 books and all of them are worth reading. But lately he’s introduced a fresh crew of heroes. They operate from a hi-tech ship called the Oregon and which carries a helicopter, speedboats, weapons and a magic shop – a Hollywood kind of design studio that can come up with anything from costumes to latex face masks – the kind that Tom Cruise used in Mission Impossible 2.

This ship is run by a firm called The Corporation and it offers its services out to wealthy clients and governments who need their expertise. They fight the bad guys and so don’t work for terrorists. The ship is captained by an ex-CIA man called Juan Cabrillo and he’s put together the best team under him. So, with such a great backup cast, ‘The Sacred Stone’ makes for a fantastic read. To tell you more would be to ruin it for you, so just grab a copy now!

Ken Follett: His espionage novels are superb. His books will grab you by the seat-of-your-pants and leave you stunned. Ken Follett’s books are heavy on espionage and in one of them he’s also brought up the issue of corporate spying as well. Recommending any one book to read is difficult but ‘Code to Zero’ is a great way to begin.

It’s got a sexy rocket scientist for a protagonist and his gorgeous wife and what everyone thinks is their perfect life. But as the saying goes, looks can be deceptive and that is just the case here. There are military secrets that are being leaked and no one knows who is doing it and there is a top secret rocket launch that has to go off without a hitch. So, will it happen or will the spy get away with a catastrophic interference? And more importantly, who is the spy?

Read the book to find the answer to all these questions and more. Follett’s books are so much more thrilling than boring everyday life – even though the thrills are between the pages of a fabulous book!

Globetrot with soul-sisters

If you are an experienced woman traveller who knows how to traipse around the world like a pro but yet there are moments when you just don’t want to be around members of the opposite sex because you are recovering from a broken heart or some illness, then there is another opportunity for you.

Ofcourse, first-time solo female travellers would jump at the idea of the WOW Club, The word ‘Wow’ standing for Women on Wanderlust. This Club conducts women-only tours and was started in 2005 by an intrepid globetrotter, Sumitra Senapathy. She’s bitten by the travel bug and has been to most places on the world map as she points out on her website http://www.wowsumitra.com/ She’s written about her sojourns as well in many publications.

She realized that women were looking to expand their horizons and were willing to step outdoors without spouses/boyfriends/part-time lovers dogging their shadow. So, that’s just what she gives them. Foreign jaunts with the least amount of male interference!

This year she’s is doing trips to Egypt, Ladakh, Italy, Turkey, The Czech Republic, Hungary, Budapest and Poland. In the past, she’s taken people to South Africa and Egypt as well and in the future she may include China on her itinerary. So, far her ‘travellers’ congregate at meeting points like Mumbai and Delhi and then fly out together. She’s going to add Bangalore to this list soon.

But her tours are not cheap because as she says, her club is “situated between the Fiat and Mercedes price points”. So, she may not be as expensive as Cox and King and Thomas Cook but she doesn’t do bare-bones budget tours either because she admits “Indians are not ready for backpacking kind of trips.”

So, a trip to Egypt which has already taken off on February 14 this year costs around Rs 1,35,000 not including the costs of domestic flying or hotel expenses (if they have to stay overnight for any reason) that people will have to do if they are coming in from other parts of India to the point of embarkation – either Delhi or Mumbai. All in all, these trips will come out to cost almost as much as bigger travel agencies charge.

The difference being that the big tour operators factor in all these costs into their packages and take care of everything for you. All you have to do is show up on the appointed day! The WOW Club, on the other hand has to differentiate in some way from the more established names so Sumitra has plans to introduce memberships to her club.

She told me that it would cost each member Rs 3,500 and it will be valid for 3 years. Members will get a 2% cash discount and will enjoy preferred pricing on select lifestyle products/services. She’s also going to organize discounted trips of a shorter duration (2-3 days) for her members. There are also plans for her club members to enjoy, for instance, six wine evenings in three months and other such events in various cities. She says this would be a great way for her regulars to bond and meet, after having met up on her tours for the first time. She also added that the WOW Club is popular with a lot of NRIs, who have taken her tours with their relatives.

So, if you are interested in hotstepping abroad with some soul-sisters, then join this club at http://www.wowsumitra.com/contact_us.htm and enjoy a rollicking time.