Hun Tah Assi Dilli De Haa

I had never thought not even in my wildest dream that I would have to come and stay in Delhi for my higher studies. Everybody had thrown caution on the wind that the capital city is full of crime and thugs and to some extent it is true but at the same time it has also got numerous caring and affectionate populaces. Though the experience has been a total contrast but what I liked the most here is the people’s hospitality for its guests. They have been really very helpful in all aspects and I am glad that I am able to share my experiences with you people.

The first step was to find a place to stay that should be close to my college. In view of the fact that I had not traveled much to Delhi and had no relatives or friends there to help me out with the places to stay, I took help of Google Maps which helped me mark out the nearest places, find the roads and search for any particular location close to my college campus. After I got an idea about the places where I can afford to stay, I contacted few estate agents in that area if they could help me find any place to reside. Later on it proved futile as those people (Estate Agents) are out there to make money and they will barely entertain any client with small budget. Going there to those agents was as if you are making fun of yourself. Getting a place in Central Delhi where my college (Indian Institute of Tourism & Travel Management {IITTM}) is located was proving to be a real nightmare. Being in the propinquity of CP (Connaught Place) the area was bound to be very expensive. Then I had to ultimately search for a PG (paying guest) which was comparatively cheaper than that of staying alone and the best place to find it was the internet. After a lot of search I finally was able to get a place in New Rajinder Nagar which is one of the prime localities in Central New Delhi or be it the NCR in that instance.

Since I had decided that I would take up a PG, I invited my friend Mukesh who belongs to Jaipur (from the same course and the same institute) to come and stay with me as my roommate. We were fortunate enough to get a good landlord who is a Retired Colonel of Indian Army. He asked me to check out and to save on the money which I was spending on the hotel accommodation and instead stay in his other apartment for a few days while the apportioned room could get vacant which was due on the 1st of August. His approach and outlook to help people made me realize that everything which was said against Delhi is not entirely true. While we were staying in the other apartment we came across few good gentlemen (Gunjan Arora and Shalabh Agrawal) who were working professional. I am sure that their guidelines and tips would certainly help us reside here without any problems.

Studying in a Metropolitan definitely gives you an edge from others; it asks you to be tough and helps you to tackle the most difficult problem. Staying alone and managing things on your own without your parents help is a unique experience. Facing new challenges rushes adrenaline in my veins and since childhood I have always being very adventurous. This is just a learning process for me and every day I am coming across new and interesting stuff. Such experiences will help me become a good entrepreneur, a good manager and more important a good human being. I look forward to have a wonderful stay in New Delhi and who knows I might get settled here, it is all destinies’ game!!!

The Central Park, Gwalior

Hotel Appraisal:
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

The Central Park, Gwalior
City Center, Gwalior - 474001
(TEL)+91751 2232440/4011140 (FAX) +91751 2346502
Hotel Star Rating: 3 Star
Overall Verdict: ***

Pros:
• Centrally Located
• Exceptional Room Service
• Excellent Food Quality
• Comparatively Priced
Cons:
• Very Few Amenities Present
• No Swimming Pool

The Central Park is centrally located in Gwalior and is easily accessible. I had asked the hotel for a pickup from Gwalior Railway Station in view of the fact that I was coming there for the first time and very promptly the chauffeur was ready with a placard, though the train was an hour late but he waited very patiently. It just took 5 minutes to reach the Hotel from the railways station. As soon as I entered there was no one at the reception desk and I had to wait for 5 minutes to locate someone. My luggage was taken care by one of the bell boys who escorted me till my room. Overall the experience was a pleasing one and anybody who is coming to Gwalior for an official or personal stay can come and stay in this Hotel.

Location: *****
Being centrally located it scores high in the category. Since it is one of the very few premium hotels in Gwalior, almost everybody knows the address. Even if you wish to come to the hotel on your own it is easily reachable and you will have no difficulty at all.

Hotel Ambiance: ***
The hotel lobby is a little shabby. The interiors at the lobby were not that impressive as it should be. It seems that the interiors have not been altered from quite a while.

Hotel Amenities & Facilities: *
Travel desk is available for car rentals and city tour but facilities like Business Centre, lockers, gym, swimming pool, etc are missing.

Room & Suites: ***
Deluxe room and Suites are bigger than expected. There is ample amount of space which makes the room to look extremely good. Interiors of rooms are good with beige coloured carpet complimenting it. TV and a small refrigerator are also present. Central Air conditioning was also quite effective. I feel that instead of two small sized beds there should have been one king size bed. Basic stuff like notepad, letter pad, envelopes, feedback form, laundry bags and shoe cleaner are present. Tea/Coffee maker is missing. Bathroom was clean and hygienic; it has a WC and a bath tub which is reasonably fine. Fire safety guidelines were also present at the back of the door.

Food: ****
Food quality is excellent and everything was available on the menu. Though there is still scope for the food presentation and appearance. After the order of food was placed it was served in a least possible time frame. Exceptional food quality increases the expectations and thus few additions like continental cuisines or Italian food would prove to be an asset. Overall the experience was great.

Cleanliness: ***
The rooms and lobby were comparatively clean. Rooms were also kept clean all the time. Though there is still some scope for improvements. All in all it was satisfactory.

Service: ***
The service was a little par below the standards (except room service). The services are not the ones which will delight you it will just satisfy you and that is where it is lacking. Proper grooming and training of the staff is required. Rest everything was again satisfactory.

Value for Money: ****
It is absolutely worth the price you are paying. Highly recommended

Where Do We Lack???

India had always been a land of riches. Its ancient civilization is dated 10000 years back. It was once said that India is “Sone Ki Chidiya” i.e. “Golden Sparrow” and was considered to be the land of “Maharajas”. Ever wondered where all this wealth has gone? Be it the great Humayun, British East India Company, our Politicians, Business man or the common man, everybody has played an equal and important role to tarnish this image. Why do we always say that there is no shade of white or black, there is only a shade of grey? Why are we still behind other countries? Why we are still called a developing nation? There are such countless questions in my mind and in the quest to find answers to these questions I have decided I need to ask myself and everyone a question that where do we lack?

In this modern world nobody is ingenuous to anyone. There is a race, race to become one of the richest and to chip in this race people are stooping to the lowest level possible. They have forgotten all their values and ethics. If someone desires to grow, the only way he feels is to step someone down. Everyone or the other has found out ways to cheat or fool someone and to earn money which they called it as “surviving” in this world.

I always cogitate about the other developed countries and I wonder how do they manage to keep the poverty levels at bay? Is there no corruption at all?? Certainly there is but the major difference lies in the people’s attitude. They also desire to grow but not at the cost of pulling someone down. People earn their bread and butter with dignity and not fooling or cheating others. Be it any product or services, the charges are fixed and there is hardly anyone who is overcharging. Here in India, if you take an instance of a rickshaw driver, they tend to fool their passengers every now and then. And it is not just the case with rickshaw drivers; take any car rental company and they are doing the same thing. Person who is fooled in turn cheats someone else to compensate the loss. This is like a chain reaction; it keeps on continuing on every single incidence. Nobody follows the right way to earn their livelihood; they do not understand that somehow at the end it is affecting their own self.

Why do we say that the inflation is touching the double digits? Very few people understand the fact that growing economy will have higher inflation comparatively than that of already developed nations. With such good growth rate, the inflation is bound to be high and in fact it is good for the economy. There are some factors like the global indices around the world which deals with financial system for instance fluctuation of fossil fuel prices augments inflation. Such factors most of the times are not within the reach of any particular nation which tends to rise in inflation. But there are also certain miscreants who try and take advantage of the situation. To earn extra bucks they try and infringe the supply chain so that they can keep the stock with themselves and if the scarcity arises in the market they can sell their stock at a higher price and this is what affects the common man.

There is an urgent need to understand the importance of being truthful to ourselves first than to others. Money is not only thing that we look forward to in our life. This hunger to earn more and more money leads us to live a fabricated life. If we desire to see India as a developed nation with no poverty level, we immediately need to stop being dishonest, corrupt and devious. You may not earn more instantaneously but at the end of it you are earning your livelihood with dignity and only thus can you contribute towards nation’s success.