Thanks Everybody..

This is my last blog in Mumbai since I am shifting to Delhi for Higher Studies for a couple of years at least. Mumbai has taught me how to live the life to the fullest. At every step I have learned something, be it good or bad. There are some experience which should always be a part of your life, such experiences doesn’t come with money, it comes with time and such experiences ultimately helps you get success. Coming from a small town and living here on my own was like a dream. Now I have come a long way and looking back I have realized a fact that the only reason I am here surviving at this juncture is because of my parents especially my Dad. I take this opportunity to thank my parents and my friends who have helped me ever since they met me.

My parents have always been the pillar of my strength. I have been very fortunate to have such parents who have helped me unremittingly at every step of my life. They never interfered with my studies in any point of time in my life. I was allowed to do what I wanted and if anybody in the family opposed then they took the stance for me. They have been my source of inspiration and I really aspire to become what my parents are today. Hope I would be able to reach that stage and accomplish their dreams.

My friends here in Mumbai whom I am going to miss badly are Rahul, Harshal, Ballu, Kunal, Bhakti, Sush, Celia, Prithvi and Madhu (though now Sush & Kunal have shifted to Banglore, but they are still away). In their own and unique way every one of them has played a part of an angel in my life. They have taught me many things and I am really thankful to God that I got such friends. Harshya, I am going to miss all the fun that we used to have when we use to go out and roam. You have been one of my best friends and I wish that you should get into the same field where I am today so that we can go out and roam more.

One of the most special people without whom I would not have been the way I am today is Ipshita. It is YOU who add colours to my life and I really don’t know how I am going to spend these two years without you. You really are a wonderful person and I hope and I wish that everyone in this world should have a friend like you to make this world more meaningful.

I also take this opportunity to thank my dearest brother Vivek with whom I fight a lot and his fiancé Shweta. You are really very close to me though I will never show it and I would also like to state that you two really make the sweetest couple on this planet. I wish all the best for your future endeavours.

And last but not the least, as they say “desserts always comes at the last”, I would like to thank Dilpreet who has taught me to comprehend the meaning of real friendship. Her friendship is unselfish, magnanimous and philanthropically altruistic. If I were to substitute a word for “Friendship” then it has to be “Dilpreet”.

Banking Regulation Act, 1949

This is an endeavour towards proving information to the common people about legal acts in India. Every week I will try and get other legal acts which would be helpful to everyone in accessing the legal data at one place & understand its complexities.

This weeks legal act is: Banking Regulation Act, 1949

Download link:
http://rapidshare.com/files/129942892/BANKING_REGULATION_ACT.doc

Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra

This section is dedicated to those music artist whom I love very dearly. Every week I will highlight some artist from the Music Industry and will also get their song for download. Please understand that the music download link is given for reference purpose and it should not be passed elsewhere, this tends to piracy and I am personally against it. Thank you.

This week's Music Artist is: Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra

The Orchestra was founded in 1977 and is the only professional, full-sized Chinese orchestra with 85 musicians in Hong Kong. It came under the management of the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra Limited on April 1, 2001 when the latter took over from the Leisure and Cultural Services Department of Hong Kong.

The Orchestra is deeply rooted in the Chinese cultural heritage. Its performance format and repertoire include both traditional Chinese music and contemporary full-scale works. It also explores new frontiers in music through commissioning new works of various types and styles, and over the years, has commissioned more than 1,700 original compositions and arrangements. The Orchestra currently has an establishment of 85 musicians who perform in the four sections comprising bowed-strings, plucked-strings, wind and percussion instruments. Traditional as well as improved Chinese instruments are incorporated.

Their Achievements:
* A new Guinness Record was set by the Orchestra when some one thousand erhu players played at a mass performance entitled Music from a Thousand Strings. The official entry was made as the largest number of people performing the erhu at the same time. (2001)
* The Orchestra held the Opening Rally of the Hong Kong Drum Festival at an unprecedented mass performance witnessed by all Hong Kong, when three thousand Hong Kong citizens played a drum piece, The Earth Shall Move. The event marks another Guinness World of Records entry for the Orchestra and served to boost the morale of the people of Hong Kong after the ravages of SARS. (2003)
* More than 500 dizi players joined the HKCO in a mass performance at the Opening Ceremony of the Hong Kong Dizi and Xiao Festival 2005 - another world record for having the largest number of people playing the dizi together. (2005)
* The Orchestra was awarded for 'The Most Outstanding Achievement in Advancing Contemporary Chinese Music' by the ISCM World Music Days 2002 Hong Kong. (2002)
* The Council of the Orchestra was awarded 'Directors of the Year - Statutory/ Non-profit-distributing Organization Board' by The Hong Kong Institute of Directors for achievement in corporate governance. (2004).
* The 2003-2004 Annual Report of the Orchestra was awarded '2004 Best Corporate Governance Disclosure Awards - Gold Award of Public Sector/ Not-for-profit Category' by the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants. (2004)
* The Orchestra was awarded for 'The 28th Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Award - The Golden Needle Award' by Radio Television Hong Kong. (2005)
* Awarded the 'Caring Organization' logo by The Hong Kong Council of Social Services. (2005-2007)
* The Orchestra was awarded the 'Most Outstanding Achievement in Advancing Asian Contemporary Music' by the Asian Composers League. (2007)
* Roots of the Chinese, a recording that featured the Orchestra, won two awards in the 'Instrumental Music - Album' category and the 'Instrumental Music - Performance' category at the 6th China Gold Record Awards. (2008)

Music Download Link:
http://rapidshare.com/files/129668657/12_Daring_General_-_The_Hong_Kong_Chinese_Orchestra.mp3
http://rapidshare.com/files/129669783/17_Fisherman_s_Song_Of_The_East_China_Sea_-_The_Hong_Kong_Chinese_Orchestra.mp3

Raunak International, New Delhi

Verdict Criterion:
* - Ewww, Pathetic, Highly Not Recommended
** - Not too Good, Not too Bad Either; You Can Take a Risk
*** - Fair, I might come again
**** - Good, Par with International Standards, Recommended to others
***** - WOW! Excellent, First on my List, Highly Recommended

Hotel Raunak International, Karol Bagh, New Delhi
4/38, W. E. A. Krishna Market, Saraswati Marg, Karol Bagh, New Delhi-110 005
(TEL)+9111 45060000/45060006 (FAX) +9111 45060001/45060002
Hotel Star Rating: 3 Star
Overall Verdict: *

Pros:
• Low Priced (If booked Online – via makemytrip.com)
• Centrally Located
Cons:
• Pathetic Service
• Unprofessional Attitude of Staff
• Poor Food Quality (Menu Card is useless as Most of its stuff is never available)
• No Parking Facility

Hotel Raunak is located in the Karol Bagh Area which is centrally located. The Karol Bagh area is famous for its market which is called as Gaffar Market which is predominantly into selling electronics goods. Karol Bagh have more than 50 Hotels and most of their clients are small and big businessmen. One such Hotel in this area is Raunak International. My stay with the hotel was really a bad experience. Prior a day of check in to the Hotel, I had asked the hotel for a pickup from New Delhi Railway Station in view of the fact that I was coming there for the first time by train, to which the hotel staff replied affirmatively. Next day when I reached the station there was no one to pick me up and when I called the hotel they said that they don’t have any information regarding the pickup. Such is their professionalism. I had also seen some bunch of guys having their food in the lobby itself; it was looking as if it is a banquet cum lobby. One of the most pathetic things that happened while during my stay was that Front office people will call you in the room and will ask you if they can show the room to others who wishes to stay in the hotel, and it is not that which is pathetic, sometimes the people will directly barge inside the room whether or not you have said yes or a no to show the room. There are many more things which will be revealed section wise.

Location: ***
Being centrally located it scores high in the category. If you are travelling for the first time in New Delhi or not a frequent visitor, please don’t risk by taking a cab or a rick directly to the hotel. As I said earlier the Karol Bagh area is full of hotels and thus it is difficult to locate a particular hotel. Getting your cars in the narrow roads is also a daunting task; you will probably end up with some scratches on your lovely car.

Hotel Ambiance: *
Justice isn’t done to the good furniture and a huge LCD TV lying in the lobby. Heavy improvements are required with back office not being in the Front office.

Hotel Amenities & Facilities: *
There is hardly any facility available. Business Centre, travel desk, lockers, gym, swimming pool, etc missing.

Room & Suites: *
There are no suites in the hotel. Rooms are fair enough and interiors are good, an LCD TV is an advantage but the hotel guys could not capitalize on it since it has cable television which is most of the time not working and has poor reception. A Dish television would have been better. Electricity goes on and off frequently, so sometimes the AC also does not work. Bed bugs also seen on the bed, after loads of efforts I was successful to put them away. Room tags like DO NOT DISTURB, Clean my Room, Laundry Pickup are not seen anywhere. There are no fire safety exit guidelines which is a must in a Hotel of a 3 star stature. Basic stuff like notepad, letter pad, envelopes, laundry bags and shoe cleaner are also missing. Bathroom is okay; it has a WC and a bath tub which is reasonably fine. Hot water is generally available only during mornings that too between 8am – 10am. Tea/Coffee maker is also available but coffee powder, tea bags, sugar, powdered milk sachets missing.

Food: *
Food quality is bad and most of the items on the menu are not available. Only thing I liked at the hotel is the chicken clear soup which helped them earn single star otherwise there would have again been no ratings. The food items are not worth the price put on the menu.

Cleanliness: *
The rooms and lobby are comparatively clean than the others present in the same area. The housekeeping team will only clean the rooms if they are told to do so. So I you are going out somewhere out, inform the front office to clean your room.

Service: No Ratings
Since I could not see any professionalism in the staff, I find it is better not to rate them. They are far below in achieving even a single star. Do not expect any welcome or a door attendant opening the lobby doors or bell boy taking care of your luggage. Everything is missing.

Value for Money: *
Not worth the price you are paying. Highly not recommended

Important Points to be remembered:
• Confirm your booking prior coming to the hotel and if asked for an airport pickup or a railway station pickup – give them a call at least an hour before you reach.
• Confirm the car rental tariff from the front office before hiring a car. Make sure you remember the person’s name from whom you have booked the car i.e. the front office representative and get the details in writing because from person to person the tariff changes.
• Avoid coming by car as there is no car parking available and even if you get one there is no security and moreover the roads are very narrow.
• Avoid having hotel food. There are some good restaurants nearby which are better than that of the hotel.

2951 Down Rajdhani Experience

This was my first time that I traveled by Rajdhani (Mumbai Central to New Delhi) and I really expected it to be very exciting and so was it. One more reason for me to get enchanted was that I was traveling by 1AC, so I was bestowed with royal treatment that Rajdhani provides to its 1st class passengers. I knew that many politicians and bureaucrats mostly travel through it since it travel at high speeds and moreover has limited stops and thus becomes convenient for them to reach their destinations on time.

My journey began on a good note since I could locate my boogie at the very first instance (being the very last one) and didn’t have to rush much. Though it took some time to find the reservation charts for 1st AC but then I found out where it was placed and so was no real problems as such. I immediately stepped inside to put in my luggage. The interiors of the Cabin were neat and clean and the loo too was kept very hygienic. Everything was very well placed. The Rajdhani experience of being India’s premier train was living to my expectations. The train left the Mumbai Central Terminus right on time i.e. 04:40pm.

I had some eminent personalities traveling with me in the same cabin that day; they were MP (Member of Parliament – Dhule) Mr. Bapu Choure, DGM of Railways Mr. Nigam and Agri-Expo Businessman Mr. Kaushik. MPji were also accompanied by one of his cohorts in the cabin. He was traveling in 1AC on a 2AC’s ticket, but such is our Indian System. The TC (Ticket Checker) couldn’t utter a single word against him as the MP was present and he didn’t want to risk his job by saying anything. Soon they started discussions on the Left’s decision to withdraw support from Congress and how Samajvadi Party gave their support to Congress. Soon political discussions started to heat up the cabin. In the meanwhile we were served with some snacks (snacks include – Samosa, Salted Cashews and lentils, Cadbury & “Motichur ka laddoo”) and tea.

Discussions continued while I hooked on to my iPod and put my Lappy out to complete my incomplete blog of Koraigad and Kune falls. Then came dinner, it was literally a feast. First we were served with the Peas soup served with bread rolls and croissants which was very yummy and then it was the time for scrumptious Vegetarian Cutlets, Pasta and Boiled Vegetables which had intercontinental flavour to it. The main course was yet to kick off and we were already full. Main course consisted of two vegetables “sabjis”, one was cabbage and other was Shimla Mirch with Paneer (Don’t remember the name) with Chapattis and Pulao. Tasty Ice Cream was served as a dessert in the last. Dinner was enjoyable as the food and discussion continuously kept us busy.

After finishing the dinner, the cabin was immediately wiped and our bedding was prepared, the work was clean and tidy. I took my upper birth and at the same time I was constantly on the phone. The journey so far was good, the only problem we faced was that the train in between use to jolt very badly. Soon it was discovered from the DGM that the coaches were imported from Germany and had some serious problem with couplers of the coaches. The jolt use to be very strong and use to shake the entire cabin badly. If someone is sleeping he would immediately get up with these strong jerks. There was interesting fact which came from MPji that sometime back because of this problem the engine got detached from the coaches and went 2km ahead in front without taking any of the coaches. This is a high profile train and I wonder why the Railways have not carried out the repairs or replace defective couplers?

I had more or less a good sleep in the night. Morning when I got up I was presented with the bed tea which I am not used to. But then I thought it wouldn’t be nice not to give company to others. So I had coffee which is my favourite. Then immediately corn flakes and a banana were served. We were literally hogging since the night, it was such a royal treatment Aah! Just mind boggling!! Then we learnt that the breakfast is yet to come but since we all were already full everybody denied. The train throughout was on time and reached Delhi just 10mins late of its stipulated arrival of 08:00am. I was really very impressed with the service, hats off to Western Railways who runs 2951 Down Rajdhani Express. Mr. Lalu Prasad you are doing a wonderful Job!!! God Bless!!!

Trek to Koraigad & Kune Falls

We college friends after studying together for almost 4 years finally decided to go out at least somewhere to have fun. Harshal thought that going for a trek is a wonderful idea. Moment everybody got this news they got thrilled to the core. Since it was the first time that Bhakti and Sushba would be trekking, harshal thought that Koiragad would be the right location for these girls to trek since it is one of the easiest treks. However these girls now refuse to accept that it was the easiest given that they had to literally drain a lot of energy, it wasn’t Koraigad fort though who played a baddie, it was the Kune Falls.

Our day started a little late as the car that we hired came almost an hour late as it usually happens with Indian cabbies. We then started at around 8:30am in the morning then suddenly one of us remembered that we were not carrying our cameras. We then had to turn back to get the camera which gave Bhakti and Sush an opportunity to ask for some munchies. Finally we started at 9:30am and in just an hour’s time we had already reached Lonavala exit on the Expressway. Harshal was in fumes as I asked the driver to take the second Lonavala exit from the Express Way, he had suggested that to get to Koraigad we had to take the first Lonavala exit from the Expressway. Nevertheless it didn’t take Bhakti long to make Harshal realize that we had come for fun and it hardly matter if we travel some kilometers extra. Aah, my life was saved!!! :D

We then reached Peth Village after seeking help from people in Lonavala (if we knew it lies on the same road to Amby valley perhaps we could reached a little faster). Peth village is the base for Koraigad Fort (“gad” itself is called as fort in “Marathi”). At first we were unable to locate the path for the fort and thus we had to take help from the villagers there. We all were looking intently whether we could locate the fort on the top of mountain but could not trace anything. Madhu with his witty attitude tried to shoo and bully a sheep nearby (just for fun!!! :D) which aggravated the caretaker of the sheep to provide us a wrong route. Soon it was discovered that Sush had come with her pair of heels for trekking which made Harshal donate his pair of footwear to Bhakti, who in turn gave her footwear to Sush. Wow! What a connection that was!

Since Sush had difficulty to walk I accompanied her all the way. As soon as we started for the trek, girls started feeling the heat and as a result they got exhausted even before we reached the steps for Koraigad. Once the steps started, we could see the great fort surrounded by greenery from all the sides. We thought summiting the mountain and reaching the fort would be a daunting task but then eventually it turned out to be very easy as we had to just climb the stairs, though we halted several times to rest. (You are required to climb a total of 585 small and big steps to reach the fort.)

Soon when we climbed the steps we could see a huge entrance get in front, we then quickly clicked some snaps.There was a small face carving opposite the entrance of the Fort which was quite unusual, wondered why it must have been there. Nature provided a perfect ambiance; the view was absolutely mesmerizing with awesome landscapes on one side and beautiful Amby Valley on the other side. There were few small ponds of water also on the fort. It seems Amby Valley owns Koraigad Fort as we could see spot lights which focus the mountains in the night and we also spotted some security guards at the top of the fort. (Very atypical as we have not seen government keeping any guards on any such sites)

There was greenery all around. It was so calm and pleasing, aah! I wish I just could stay here for a day or two and put a campfire. Rain God too was in high spirits, he started pouring his blessings on us. It took only 5 minutes for us to get wet. It was real fun since we were enjoying the nature’s milieu. Finally after spending quality time we decided to climb down as we had to go and experience fog which we had seen on the Tiger Point in the morning while going towards Koraigad. Coming down was not a problem and it just took half an hour to reach the base. It was around 02:00pm when we immediately left to see Tiger point and to our disappointment there was no fog at all. We still waited in the hope that it would at least rain but no luck. Finally we had to move as hunger took a toll on us. We then came to Kumar Resort for our lunch. We had to wait for some half an hour since the Restaurant was under renovation and was already full with so many people waiting outside.

After we had our lunch, we left to see the Kune falls. Kune falls were very difficult to locate. We had asked few people but they hardly had any idea about it. We only knew that it is close to or on the way towards Kune Missionary. Then after lots of investigation and some pilot trips by Harshal and Madhu, we found the way towards the waterfall. Since Harshal and Madhu had already reached the falls Sush, Bhakti, Rahul and I had to find out our own way towards the falls though Harshal was giving me instructions over the phone. The way towards the waterfall was very difficult and I had to literally hold Sush and take her. She was so sweet that she didn’t even complaint and continued even after skidding twice. We had to form a chain so that it would become easy to climb the rocks up and down. Unfortunately Sush slipped again which led her fully worn out. She could not come till the end of waterfall and had to settle only with the pictures that we took. The efforts were worth, the fall was spectacular and we all were very ecstatic to see it. We then clicked some pictures at the mouth of waterfall. We then could not resist ourselves to get into the waterfall. It was fun, the force of water was tremendous, if we would found ourselves in its path then we would have directly fall down 100fts. It was getting dark so wanted to move on fast. In the dark it would have been nearly impossible to climb those rocks. This time with Harshal’s help we were able to rescue out Sush and get back to our base that was a bridge near Kune Missionary where we had parked our car. At around 08:00pm in the night we started our journey back and reached CBD Belapur in an hour’s time.

Rahul Sharma

This section is dedicated to those music artist whom I love very dearly. Every week I will highlight some artist from the Music Industry and will also get their song for download. Please understand that the music download link is given for reference purpose and it should not be passed elsewhere, this tends to piracy and I am personally against it. Thank you.

This week's Music Artist is: Rahul Sharma


Rahul Sharma is one of the bright young Santoor players. He is the son and disciple of Santoor pioneer and the person most responsible of its raise as a classical instrument, Pt. Shivkumar Sharma.

Rahul Sharma was born in 1972. He started learning santoor at the age of 12 from his father Pt. Shivkumar Sharma. He started accompanying his father in concerts in 1996, at the age of 24.

He is a musician. A versatile musician, who loves to take the tougher path, to begin with, he chose Santoor, an instrument with 100 strings. Then he chose the ancient and extremely demanding idiom of Indian classical music to harness and express his creativity. And, after diving deep within this time-tested ocean if Indian classical music, he chose to share the pearls he discovered with creative minds across the globe.

Music Download Link:
http://rapidshare.com/files/126777040/03_Orchids.mp3
http://rapidshare.com/files/126779187/05-_Silver_Moon_-_White_Lace.mp3

The Consumer Protection Act, 1986

This is an endeavour towards proving information to the common people about legal acts in India. Every week I will try and get other legal acts which would be helpful to everyone in accessing the legal data at one place & understand its complexities.

This weeks legal act is: The Consumer Protection Act, 1986

Download link: http://rapidshare.com/files/126774754/The_Consumer_Protection_Act.doc

If you require any particular legal act, please put a comment and I will try and get it here. Thank You.