My Kingfisher Experience!

For a moment, I froze.

I was watching the screen in front of me onboard Kingfisher flight from Chennai to Delhi on the evening of 4th of July. To my horror it indicated that the plane has crossed Delhi and was heading straight towards the Himalayas. “Oh My God, pilots must be sleeping” was my first thought. (The news of Air India Pilots sleeping while flying from Jaipur to Mumbai and heading towards GOA was still fresh in my mind)

Next moment, the screen showed the statistics- Altitude, speed, distance and more. I realized that the aircraft is not at a cruising altitude and speed is pretty low. So it couldn’t be auto pilot. Still, something is wrong…Mount Everest is some 29000 feet in height. Current altitude is too low-Himalaya is nearing-should I storm into the cockpit and pull that lever up? (I love driving remember? An aircraft is no exception. I’ve seen in movies how they pull that lever up just seconds before a possible head-on collision with mountains ahead). That lady told there’s a life jacket beneath the seat, which could be used in case of water evacuation-will it save me if I have to jump on a mountain covered with snow? Why are they not keeping parachutes? Even skiing accessories would have helped…

Nearest emergency exit is 2 rows ahead of me-when should I start initial approach of jumping out? No one else seem to be worried about the impending disaster. May be they’re just not aware. May be I should use the remaining time to make a quick video of me explaining what’s happened and send it to National Geographic-they can use it for their “Seconds before disaster” or “Air crash investigations” programs. Wait-how do I send the video to them? Damn, I don’t have GPRS on my cell-even if I had, not sure if we get signal at this altitude-I should have taken Reliance connection-no air, no water, no land, nowhere to escape, but total network… Unless I send across the video, it will be a futile exercise-it’s likely that my mobile will never be discovered…Wait-what’s that thing which stores all crucial information about aircraft? Yes-black box- maybe I can open the black box and keep my cell phone inside it, so that investigators will understand what happened…

It took 6 minutes to type above lines, but all the above thoughts crossed my mind in less than 6 seconds. Then came the cabin announcement-“Due to congestion in Delhi airport we’ve been asked to circle around and our landing will be delayed-we regret for the inconvenience”

Oops! To yeh baath hain, pehle kyo nahin bataya? My brain immediately shifted gears-From Survival instincts and business continuity to Process optimization.

The screen now showed that the aircraft has now turned right and flying above Meerut. I felt like telling the pilot this-"-“आप फालतू मैं चक्कर काट रहे हो मैं यहाँ उत्तर भारत देखने ही तो आया हूँ आप ज़ारा ऐसा कीजिए, हवाई जहाज़ को झरा नीचे लेके जाइए -दिल्ली का कुतुब मीनार, पार्लीमेंट, लाल किला, आगरा का ताज महल जैसे देखने लायक चीझोन्को आसमान से ही दिखा दीजिए, इन सबको देखने के वास्ते मुझे नीचे उतारकर ट्राफ़िक मैं फसना ना पड़े हाँ, अपुन को मालूम हैं, आप ज़्यादा नीचे नहीं जा सकते, इसी लिए तो मैं १५x आप्टिकल झूम वाला केमेरा जो लाया हूँ दिल्ली, आगरा, जेपुर सब घूम के आराम से नीचे उतरेंगे -तब तक दिल्ली का हवाई अड्डा बिल्कुल खाली हो जाएगा" (Hindi for: Why are you wasting time and fuel unnecessarily circling around? I’ve come all the way to see north India only-why don’t you go to a lesser altitude and show us the places like Kutub Minar, Red fort, parliament and other significant places from air itself? I’ll be happy if you save me from the trouble of having to survive Delhi traffic jam to visit these places. I know you can’t get too close, but that is fine, I’ve a 15x optical zoom camera with me. Let’s see Delhi, Jaipur, Agra, Mussoorie, hrishikesh, haridwar from up above and then leisurely land-Absolutely no problem)
Well, unfortunately my dream didn’t come true. Aircraft took half a circle and landed with a 30 min delay.

If this sounds as exaggeration, the Mussoorie express we travelled the same night (4th July) got derailed in Dehradoon station next morning, after we got out. (Some 5 bogies got derailed while the train was being moved to shed from station-there weren’t any passengers inside and no one was hurt-but that was pretty close)

Coming back to Kingfisher, Vijay Mallya has decided to discontinue the legendary Kingfisher Pouches and now they give the pen and earphones loose. That would have saved few rupees per passenger, amounting to few crores every year, but it is a bit disappointing to see that price pressure has led even King of Good times Vijay Mallya to compromise.

Also, all aircrafts give the mandatory demo of how to wear seatbelt and oxygen mask, besides other security measures. In my opinion, they should also give a demo of how to use various accessories and controls in and around the passenger. Lots of first time flyers these days who won’t have an idea as to how to push the seat back, how to turn on the overhead lamp, where to plug in that earphone or how to change channels (No one became frequent flyer without becoming first timer-so we can’t criticize first timers for not knowing things). Usually we don’t want to reveal that we don’t know anything and prefer to struggle with the controls ourselves, instead of asking a fellow passenger or cabin crew. If a demo is given for these activities, it would be really useful.

Also one more serious thought. 

Assume an aircraft is supposed to land at 5 PM. Don’t we have enough technology to predict the possible congestion at 5PM based on the details of other flights which are expected to land at the same time? If the airport is expected to be clogged at 5PM and a particular incoming aircraft will be expected to hover around for some time, is it not possible to predict it 30 min advance and convey the same to the specific aircraft? If we can tell the pilots at say 4.30PM that they may not able to land at 5PM but only by 5.20 PM, the speed of the aircraft can be reduced. They can fly slower and reach only by 5.20 PM. Flying slower will be more fuel efficient than flying few hundred kms extra. Wondering why can’t we do that.

Disclaimer: True incidents, narrated with slight exaggeration.

That’s it for now. Sing: Ulalalala ulle-o, Ulalalalla le-o
Similar: Selling cashew nuts on board Indigo * For cheapest air tickets book direct with airline *

Can I sell cashew nuts inside Indigo Flight?

Disclaimer: This post explains a theoretical scenario wherein you can earn back the money you spent buying Indigo air ticket. Practical feasibility not known and reader discretion advised.

This thought was conceived when I was on Chennai-Mumbai Indigo flight 2 months ago, and perfected during Delhi-Chennai Indigo flight today. Like most of the low cost airlines, Indigo also sells food items to its passengers on board. I am only wishing that I be allowed to sell one particular item on their flight, so that I can you can earn more than what you spent on air ticket.

Ok. Without any further delay, let me come to the point. Of so many items they sell on board, ‘flavored’ cashew nut seems to be the most popular and tasty one. They sell a small packet of cashewnut for Rs 50. When I saw the packet, I was hoping it will be at least 50 gms. Only after I got one in my hands I realized that it is just 20 gms-I ended up paying 50 Rs for just 4-5 cashewnuts.

Last remembered, 100 gms of cashew nut was being sold at Rs 29 in my hometown in a kirana shop. (Some super markets in Chennai sell 50 gms for Rs 35). Now, my proposition is that I can sell better quality cashew nut, for lesser price, in higher quantity than what Indigo currently does. While Indigo sells 20 gms for Rs 50, I propose to sell 25 gms for Rs 40. Now, assuming I get a bulk purchase rate of Rs 250 per kg and other expenses of Rs 50 per kg, I can prepare 40 packets of 25gms out of 1kg at a cost of Rs 7.5 each. If I can sell them for Rs 40, I can earn Rs 32.5 per packet. Keeping a provision of Rs 2.5 for taxes, airhostess commission etc, I can earn Rs 30 per packet easily.

If I am allowed to sell them on board, on an average at least 100 passengers would buy one packet each, and I can earn a profit of Rs 3000 in one round, which is almost at par with the ticket fare for short haul destinations (Chennai-Mumbai/Bangalore-Hyderabad and such) For longer flights like Chennai-Delhi that lasts over 2.5 hours, maybe I can go for second round and sell 200 packets, earning 6000 Rs which is a decent profit above the current Indigo airfare of 5400 Rs for the journey.

Now that I’ve given the business idea, go ahead and give it a try. Let me know if you succeed.

Hello Indigo…Are you listening? I want to sell cashew nut on board your flights-please permit! (I've dropped the URL of this post as a feedback at their website-waiting to see what happens!)

Similar: Cheapest air fare-Book direct on airline website * The Kingfisher experience 

Kerala/Vizag trip plans-Open Invitation

After reading my Mysore Self drive post, few readers expressed interest that they would like to consider joining me in future trips, if found feasible. In this post I am sharing some plans, let me know if you’re interested.

What are your plans for Aug 15, 16 and 17? 3 days of leave. (iDay followed by weekend) I have drafted some plans but am doubtful if they will materialize as some participants are showing signs of pulling out. In this post, I’m presenting an outline of those plans and would like to know if you wish to consider joining.

Plan A: Munnar and Alleppey, Kerala

Munnar is 600 kms from Chennai and Alleppey is another 200 kms from Munnar. There is a blogcamp happening in Alleppey (Alappuzha) on 16th August, sponsored by Kerala Tourism.(Details on this blogcamp)) God's Own Country is one of the most sought after tourist destinations in India and the Blogcamp being held there inspired me to make serious considerations of using this as an excuse to visit Kerala. (I'd travelled through Kerala several time to go to my hometown near Mangalore and I've visited few places like Guruvayur, Bekal fort etc. But haven't visited the best ones-Munnar and Alleppey yet)

Trip Plan A1: Rent a car on self drive
Tentative Itinerary:
14th August evening: Start from Chennai towards Munnar, Reach Munnar by 15th Morning, refresh in an economic hotel/homestay.
15th Aug: Visit places around Munnar, leave for Alleppey by late evening (say 11 PM), Reach Alleppey on 16th Aug morning-refreshments.
16th Aug: Attend blogcamp in the houseboat, travelling in backwaters of kerala
17th Aug: Visit other places (like Kumarakom) around and leave towards Chennai

Approx expense: Rent: Rs 10000, Fuel Rs 5000, Hotel, Food others: Rs 3000= Rs 18000, Rs 4000-5000 per person
(Related: Shrinidhi's complete guide to self drive car rentals in India)

Trip Plan A2: Travel to Alleppey by train and back
All trains are already booked full and we’ll have to rely heavily on Tatkal tickets for this. Leave Chennai 14th night, reach alleppey on 15th Morning 11 AM, Return on 17th. Expense will be around 2000-2500 per person or even less.

Trip Plan A3: Fly to Cochin, Rent a vehicle for other movements
This will be most expensive option. Rs 4500 per person on airfare alone, Rs 1500 other expenses. 

Plan B: Vizag
Vizag is a beautiful place in coastal AP and is famous for ship building. Araku valley, Bora caves, Submarine Museum, Ramakrishna Beach, Hrishikonda are few of the popular tourist places in Vizag (Vishakapattanam). Vizag is some 820 kms from Chennai, 1000 kms from Bangalore and 650 kms from Hyderabad. 2-3 days will be ideal time to cover most of the places in and around Vizag

Trip Plan: B1 (Chennai Vizag and back by train, hotel stay and local site seeing by rented cab)
Tentative Itinerary:
Departure: 14th August night from Chennai by Howra Mail, Reach Vizag by 1 PM, 15th Aug, Check in, cover Museum, Hrishikonda, parasailing, Ramakrishna Beach etc on day 1
Day 2, 16th Aug: Araku Valley and Bora caves
Day 3: 17th Aug: Dolphin Nose, Simhachalam and other places, departure by 2 PM Howra Chennai Mail

Approx expense: Train: Rs 800 per person , Hotel: Rs 1500 per person for 2 days, Cab & others: Rs 1200 per person: total: Rs 3500 per person

Status: We’ve confirmed tickets for 3 passengers. One is likely to pull out. To ensure minimum fun and be economical, trip will be executed subject to min 3 people.

Benefits: Train journey is more comfortable and economical than road journey.

Risk factors: Train tickets may not be available for those who show interest late. (Tatkal is there though)

Trip Plan B2 (Rent a car on self drive-drive all the way to Vizag)
This would be very expensive than option A1 and 820 kms will be bit too high to cover on road at one stretch. We’ll be spending 2 days on driving alone and participants will have to apply leave on 18th Aug. Still can be considered.

Tentative Itinerary:
15th August, early morning: Start journey, Reach Vizag by late evening (13-14 hours of journey under ideal conditions)
16th, 17th: Local site seeing covering places listed above
18th Aug: Return Journey

Benefits: Greater flexibility on timing, planning and execution. Extra fun for those who enjoy driving
Risks: Vehicle breakdown, getting lost and other risk factors.

Approx expense: Ford Fiesta/Honda City on self drive from Avis would cost about Rs 10000 for 4 days. Expected fuel expense for 2000 kms: Rs 5000, Food, hotel and other expenses Rs 5000: Total: Rs 20000. Rs 4000 per person if it is 5 member team or Rs 5000 per person if it is only 4 members.

Trip Plan B3: Fly to Vizag, local site seeing by rented cab
There is a morning flight to Vizag and airfare may cost upto Rs 4500 one way. Total expense may come upto 12000 per person

Please note:

• If you’re from a city other than Chennai-say Bangalore or Hyderabad, you may either chose to come to destination directly or come to Chennai and join us
  
• We can have combination of A2 and A3 or B1 and B3-i.e few travelling by train and few who are willing to spend can fly and join others at the destination.
  
• Myself and Harishankar (who has confirmed his participation) are good drivers. So you can count on our driving skills.
  
• We’re looking for min. of one more person and max of 3 more (Taking total to min 3, max 5, for A2,A3, B1 and B3. For A1 and B2, min passengers would be 4). Trip will be confirmed subject to min reqd participants . In an unlikely event of more than 5 people showing interest, we’ll have to rework on logistics.
  
• If you’re confirming your participation, you might be asked to make some advance payments towards reservations and other preparations. Depending on cancellation policies of respective hotels/rental agencies and other parameters, this amount may or may not be returned in full if you decide to pull out later. So don’t confirm unless you’re sure about joining.
  
• This is being planned on a no profit no loss basis. Costs indicated are indicative only and actual expense incurred may vary. All expenses (excluding personal ones) will be shared equally among participants. Excluding for options A3 and B3, every attempt will be made to ensure that per head expenditure doesn’t exceed Rs 5000 but possibility of it exceeding that amount is not ruled out.
  
• Feel free to spread the word or invite your friends
  
• Right of admission reserved.
  
• Self drive will be more economical than chauffer drive for 4-5 passengers-A TATA Sumo would cost Rs 9 per km=Rs 18000 + driver batta for a 2000 kms drive
  
• Feel free to give your suggestions. We’re flexible enough to consider changes in itinerary/plans if found beneficial
  

If you’re interested or have some questions, pls send a mail to admin at enidhi.net giving following details: Name, Contact Number, Email, City and your preferred option (A1/A2/A3/B1/B2/B3) I'll get back to by 12th July. Thanks in advance.

Related posts: Club Mahindra's Coorg Trip for Travel Bloggers * Trekking at Anantagiri * Skandagiri Betta, Bengalooru *

Self Drive Car rentals in India- A complete Guide

The concept of self drive is still in a nascent stage in India. Unlike west, manpower is pretty cheap here and coupled with the facts that driving in India is best left to professional drivers, the idea of self drive car rentals doesn’t seem to have really taken off. While in every street you’ll find couple of travel agencies offering Sumos, Qualis and Indicas for rent, the number of car rental agencies who dare to give their machines on self drive is very very few. Also, driving is not considered a respectable job and drivers are treated at par with watchmen, cleaner and such other unskilled or semi skilled jobs. Many of us do not have an idea what self drive is and if that option is really available in India.

Recently I took a Skoda Octavia on self drive rental for 3 days from Hertz India franchisee, Carzonrent. (My trip experience). Based on this experience and general observation and knowledge, I am listing some notes which will be useful to travelers considering self drive options in India.

Quick Navigation: Advantages of Self Drive* Risks involved in self drive (in India) * Suggestions to those planning to take cars on self drive rentals in India * My feedback on Hertz India (Carzonrent)* Eligibility for taking cars on Self drive * Companies renting cars on self drive in India

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Advantages of Self drive:
1. You get an extra seat
2. If you enjoy driving, it will be better experience driving yourself
3. Some intercity highways are pretty good-one can enjoy driving.
4. It gives privacy
5. For long drives (3 days and more, for unlimited kms advantage), self drive (with daily rental + fuel expense) will be economical than chauffeur driven rental (Per km billing + daily driver fees) [I drove 1300 kms in 3 days and it did cost me around Rs 16100 including rental and fuel-if I had taken Skoda on regular chauffeur driven rental, it would have costed nearly twice that amount.]

6. Sometimes cab drivers might be extremely stressed, due to several long trips and not enough rest in between. Some drivers also tend to be rash and negligent. If you’re confident of your driving skills, self drive might give you an advantage over these factors.

Risks of taking a vehicle on Self drive:

1. Liabilities: If anything goes wrong you’ll be answerable, and there're lot of things which can go wrong (vehicle break down, flat tyre, accidents, road blocks, getting lost and so on). In a chauffeur driven rental, you can enjoy the ride while the driver will be responsible for both driving and overall care taking of the vehicle. If the vehicle breaks down you can leave the driver and his vehicle and continue journey in another vehicle. (if possible) With self drive, a small incident can ruin all the fun.

2. Rental companies usually buy the cheapest available variant of a car and the vehicle may not have basic facilities. And unlike a passionate owner, not a single rupee will be spent on optional enhancements/accessories which would add to safety/comfort/beauty of the vehicle (The skoda Octavia I rented had an outdated cassette player, while mp3 player is a standard these days. The vehicle was 4-5 years old with lots of minor dents and scratches. Except front left, all 3 tyres were in almost worn out condition and hardly had any threads-all these spoiled my fun to some extent)

3. As per RTO norms vehicle given on self drive will have yellow numbers on black background. With Hertz sticker and this yellow number plate, rest of the road users take it as a taxi and the driver is taken for granted as an experienced taxi driver. So you may not get the respect of a car owner and since your expertise as driver is taken for granted you won’t get much consideration on the road either.

4. Driving in India is an art. Besides knowing how to drive you also need a strong mouth. When two vehicles touch each other, irrespective of whos fault it is, one driving the expensive vehicle is held guilty by default. You'll need a strong mouth (and muscle too, sometimes!) to survive an argument.

5. Not economical for short trips (2 days or less and for just a few hundred kms) (this one is a disadvantage-not a risk)

6. Besides knowing how to drive, you should also know the roads to take and knowledge of local language will be essential if you wish to take help from localities during the journey. (Navigation assistance on Indian roads are relatively poor-better to have someone on board who knows the road)

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Is it advisable to take cars on self drive in India?

Unless otherwise you’re tempted by the advantages of self drive listed above, and are comfortable with few risks listed, it is advisable Not to prefer self drive.

If you plan to take cars on self drive in India:

1. Take a car made by either Maruti/Tata or Mahindra. These manufacturers have dealers all over India and if something goes wrong finding help will be easy. Other makers like Skoda, Chevy etc are yet to spread their dealership network and service centers.

2. Insist on a relatively new vehicle which is less than 2-3 years old and that vehicle should have relatively newer tyres.

3. Take a vehicle with high ground clearance. Most of the Indian roads will be in bad condition and may have unscientifically designed humps. Vehicle with low ground clearance will make driving tough.

4. Driving in India is not as easy as driving in other countries. Attributes for this are many-bad roads, irresponsible follow road users who might make unpredictable movements, lack of road sense, not having proper navigation facilities.

5. Consider keeping an Indian friend as co passenger (preferably one who knows local language and also knows driving)

6. Take rental from a reputed company. Some operators may resort to unethical practices like charging a huge amount even for a negligible scratch, handing over a vehicle which is in bad condition, refusing to reimburse you if you had to spend money replacing a faulty spare, renting out vehicles without genuine documents etc.

7. If you need to rent a vehicle for months, better to buy a second hand car, use it for few months and sell off again. Check with a used car dealer for this.

My Feedback on Carzonrent (Hertz India licensee)

Over all I am satisfied with their services, but following factors you must keep in mind:

1. My pickup was delayed. I had asked the company to send a cab to pick me up at 10PM (so that I can go to their office, complete the formalities and take the delivery of the vehicle) but the cab reported nearly 40 mins late. Very bad. (Usually cab drivers report in few minutes ahead of requested time)

2. The car was old, didn’t have basic facilities like mp3 player, tyres were worn out.

3. Billing was prompt. Infact they gave a small discount on quoted price. Quite happy on that front.

4. During my email communications, Hertz executives were prompt in responding but gave selective response-Some of my questions like the age of the vehicle, if it will have some physical security devices like wheel locks etc were not answered.

5. Asked Hertz if they could answer few of my questions related to self drive business in India-they chose to ignore my request.

6. There’re not many companies in India which give cars on self drive-so Hertz seems to be the best of the available options for self drive.

7. The car had all India permit. Good. Else interstate permits can be messy affair.

Disclaimer: Above feedback in based on my one time experience for a particular model at particular Hertz office. These factors may change w.r.t time, city, vehicle etc.

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My suggestions to Hertz

1. Pls keep some basic entertainment gear and accessories as standard in all cars (cd players, mobile chargers etc)

2. Keep a quick reference manual in each car explaining key features and controls of the vehicle. (For example Skoda has reverse gear in an odd position-some other controls which will be unique to each vehicle, customer would otherwise need to spend time understanding and exploring them.)

3. Right now, a customer needs to physically visit their office-atleast for second time customer, relax rules that vehicle will be delivered and picked up at/from their residence without they having to come to office.

4. Promote the idea of self drive through some advertising etc. Right now many people do not know what self drive is or have no idea that it is available in India. This will also help bring down the cost, which might make self drive more attractive.

Eligibility to take cars on Self drive rental in India

1. A driver’s license (India or International, LMV) which is min 3 years old and without any endorsements

2. Age 23+ (it was 25+, recently brought down to 23 by Hertz, with some other operators it is still 25+)

3. A credit card with sufficient credit limit (Rs 30k deposit plus anticipated rent amount for the duration you plan to rent)

Terms and Conditions you should be aware of:

1. If you take the car for 3 or more days (2 or more days for some operators) it will be unlimited kms. Else besides rental there’ll be a charge on per km basis also.

2. Car will be delivered full tank and needs to be returned full tank. Else 15% extra on fuel filled by the company.

3. Insurance is provided against theft, accidents and major damages. However renter will have to compensate the car company in case of minor damages (dents, scratches etc) which can’t be claimed under insurance.

4. If there’s a fault with the vehicle and if you replace the spare, car rental company will reimburse the expense (Condition: Not when damage is due to reasons like driver’s negligence, driving on bad roads etc.)

Check with respective rental agencies for complete list of terms and conditions.

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Whom to contact for self drive car rentals in India?

There’re very few companies which give cars on self drive in India. So your choices are fairly limited. Only if the awareness about self drive increases, we can expect more players to come in, bringing in more options and cutting down prices.

Option 1. Carzonrent (Hertz India franchisee) is the leading one. Their rates are a bit expensive, but have slightly better collection of cars and are backed by Hertz International reputation. Carzonrent website says they have SUVs (Tata Safari, Ford Endeavor, Honda CR-V Hyundai Tuscan etc) on self drive but their Chennai office said they don’t have any SUV for Self drive. Their Chennai office has over 200 cars (though not all of them are for self drive-as per RTO norms self drive cars will have yellow numbers on a black background)

Option 2. Autoriders: Their rates are slightly cheaper than Hertz, but do not have much options. Ford Ikon is the best car they have on self drive, as per their website. They haven't responded to my enquiry since weeks.

Option 3. Eco Rent a car -In and around Delhi

Option 4. Avis -Another popular player,operational in many Indian cities, slightly cheaper than Hertz, but limited options (Honda city or similar-is the best option you get, as per their website) 

Update: I saw their Ford Endeavor, Toyota Corolla and Innova self drive vehicles on the roads of Chennai and asked them if they are available for rent. Got a reply that these vehicles were for exclusive use of some corporates and can't be rented to individuals. Also they have mostly petrol vehicles-meaning, though rent is same or slightly cheaper that Hertz, one will spend more on fuel. Chevy Optra 1.6 Elite Petrol is the best vehicle they have in Chennai for self drive.

Option 5: Individuals: If you can scan local newspapers or web forums, you may come across individuals who have a vehicle or two on offer for self drive. They are usually vehicle owners who may wish to make some extra money out of their cars. Such cars are usually well maintained and really Cheap (Someone in Bangalore was offering Ford Ikon for Rs 3000 for weekend (Friday evening to Monday morning) which is quite cheap- Hertz charges nearly 3 times that amount). Downside here is that the deal is unofficial and often based on mutual trust. Not much clarity exists about insurance, how much you may have to compensate if there's a damage etc. Not much paper work either.

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Please feel free to share your ideas/experience/suggestions in this regard.

Related post: Hyderabad-Bengaluru by bus-Comparison of operators * Skoda Octavia self drive experience *

Chennai-Mysore by Self Drive-Dating Skoda Octavia

“Indulge” is the one word to explain what I did for 72 hours starting June 5 2008 midnight till June 8th 2008 midnight. I took a Skoda Octavia on self drive from Hertz Chennai and drove all the way to Bangalore-Mysore and Back, totaling over 1300 kms in 3 days. This post is an experience account of this excursion.

Most of my friends and relatives know that I love driving. Beg/borrow/steal I try to get my hands behind wheels at every available opportunity. Many have handed over their keys to me hesitantly while few have said polite but firm NO when asked if I can drive their car a bit. Have driven several vehicles so far, such as WagonR, Mahindra Utility and Pickup, Accent, Esteem, Indica and Tavera, totaling to few thousand kms. [Details of me driving a tractor in this post, video of me driving Tavera here] But all these drives were for small stretches each time, not long drives extending hundreds of kms to quench me. I haven’t saved enough to buy a luxury car yet (maybe I can buy one on loan but I am not sure if I will enjoy owning a car as much I do driving it) but fortunately I am in a position to afford (once in a while) the luxury of renting a car for few days. Minimum age for self drive was 25 years sometime back but recently Hertz has brought it down to 23 years, obviously to target young executives. This made me eligible for self drive.

When a Mysore visit was being contemplated I decided to use this opportunity to indulge in what I always wanted to do-long drive in a sporty vehicle. I wanted to rent a TATA Safari but Hertz said they don’t have Safari on Self Drive. (For the uninitiated, Self Drive is a rental scheme where you can take a vehicle from car rental company without a driver. You drive and take care of the car for the duration you rent it) Dream brands like Mercedez were pretty expensive (may be next time) so I decided to settle for a Czech beauty named Skoda Octavia, which I felt sporty enough (A beast of 1.9 liter engine within with 170 kmph max speed). Got a booking confirmation from Hertz.

I wasn’t sure if any of my friends would join me in this drive (Reasons: 1. They do fear for their lives, 2. Departure was on Thursday night so anyone joining me were required to apply leave on Friday, 3. The mail I had sent was a bit formal-demanding high punctuality) but to my surprise many people showed interest. All 5 seats were full for Chennai Bangalore sector and I had to deny seats to two people who wanted to join. For Bangalore-Mysore sector there were 2 passengers (Chandrakanth & Nagaraj- If I had shouted Mysore-Mysore in Kalasipalya market I would have got some passengers and coffee money too: LOL). For Mysore local site seeing I had my family members and relatives for company and for return journey (It was a day journey-most of my passengers preferred to spend time with family during the day and start by night) I had only one passenger-Nagaraj.

Passengers for Chennai-Bangalore sector

Made adequate preparations for the journey- A first aid kit, a print out with name and contact details of hospitals in Vellore, Hosur, Bangalore, Madya and Mysore, pre boarding safety instructions to passengers etc. But the 3 days journey ended smoothly without even a minor incident. I was anticipating problems like road blocks etc-because of fuel price hike and fertilizer shortage related agitations. But was lucky not to face any.

Got my hands on the Skoda at around 2330 hours on 5th June. To my disappointment, the car was several years old model and had age old cassette player, except front left, remaining 3 tyres hardly had any threads on them. Natural with its age, it also had several minor dents and scratches. Took the delivery, reached home and when I wanted to take a reverse I was in for a surprise. All the cars I had driven so far had reverse gear on extreme right, below 5th gear, but in Skoda this was different-on the extreme left, adjacent to first gear. I could not move the vehicle backward-called the Hertz driver and he told that I need to push the lever down and then move to position. Not sure why Skoda has this crazy position for reverse gear-very tough to identify if the vehicle is in 1st gear or reverse, unless you experience the vehicle moving. Loaded my luggage and picked up my co passengers. Removed my shoes and shifted to chappal, as I feel more confident and comfortable when I can feel the pedals with my legs and it was nearly 0100 hours when we left Chennai city limits.

Where is Nitrous booster?

I had covered Chennai Bangalore on bike some 2 years ago and had taken some 7 hours to reach Bangalore. This time in a car, I had benchmarks to exceed. Night driving was new to me but was fun. Making way through slow moving trucks soon we hit the relatively empty highway. Had slept for few hours previous evening to prepare myself for an all night drive. Chennai Bangalore road is superb (Via Vellore and Hosur) and driving was real fun. Wish I had nitrous boosters! Some stretches of the road had self reflecting navigation lights-which made driving easy. The headlamp was just adequate, though I wished they were slightly more powerful. Lack of full visibility forced me to stay within 150 kmph. Nearly 150 Rs was spent on 4 toll gates that exist between Chennai and Bangalore. With 2 minor breaks and one major break in Hosur, we reached Bangalore city (Basavanagudi) by 6 AM. 2 of my passengers (Sudhir and Krishna Shastry)) got down in Bangalore and soon we were on Bangalore-Mysore Express corridor. We stopped at Kamat Lokaruchi for a refreshment and were in Mysore (Saraswatipuram) by 9 AM.

Driving by green country side

My family and relatives were taken by kind of surprise when I told I came driving all the way. 550 kms in 8 hours. After refreshments plans for next 3 days were drafted. We had seen Mysore local tourist places-palace, KRS, Chamundi Hills etc, so this time focus was on tourist places on the outskirts of Mysore. We visited Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary, Srirangapatna, Shivanasamudra, Talakkad and Somanatheshwara Temple and the Infosys Campus. Information about these places already exists on internet, so not planning separate post on each of these. (To be honest, we did a lot of searching on internet about these places but the info was bare basic. For all practical information (what is the distance between two places, which road to take, is the road good etc) we had to stop and ask locals)

Taking a vehicle on self drive has its own pros and cons, which warrants a separate post. I enjoyed being undisputed owner of that car for 3 days. Could perfect my skills in every aspect of driving-city and highway, day and night, good and bad roads, parking, reversing and more. Two wheelers and autos were the most dreaded things during my drive, because of their tendency to make unpredictable movements. Had to ask Nagaraju to keep an eye on vehicles coming on left side for any possible abrupt movements. To all those maniac drivers of 2 and 3 wheelers- if you’re alive still it is not because you drive great-it is because we, the four and six wheeler drivers are being considerate enough to accommodate your rash and abrupt movements on the road.

3 days went off in a flash. Wish the journey lasted little longer…

All images of the trip are available as slideshow below. Most of the photos are taken by Nagaraj. Some personal photos have not been disclosed.

Unable to view slideshow? Try this link

About the car: Except that engine was powerful, didn’t find any appreciable difference in this car w.r.t interiors and suspension, compared to other cars I have driven, say WagonR and Indigo CS. (Note: The Skoda I drove is 4-5 years old model, cheapest variant in its class and was being used as a taxi. So one shouldn’t keep too many expectations.) But vehicle is quite sturdy and stable. Even at 160-170 kmph there were no hesitation from the engine or vibration in the body. For 1300 kms it consumed over 81 litres of diesel, resulting in a highway average of nearly 16 kmpl, which is quite decent.(AC was used for may be just 10% of the drive-rest of the time we rolled down the windows and enjoyed the cool breeze of nature). Ground clearance was a bit poor, wiper and indicator controls were unconventional, similar to Ford.

A video if you're interested.

The rent was supposed to be Rs 4500 per day plus tax, but Hertz gave me a discount and charged me Rs 13014 (or Rs 4340 per day approx-not sure why I was given a discount-I think it is a corporate discount while JOJO feels it is because I returned the car in one piece!) Little more than 3067 Rs was spent on diesel, resulting in net expense of about Rs 12.4 per km, which is far cheaper than chauffeur driven rental option for 3 days/1300 kms for Skoda. All in all it proved to be a bit heavy on my pocket but as I said in the beginning, once in a while we need to indulge in what we enjoy doing, so I am not complaining.

I want to drive a Volvo bus next… Any rental company in this world giving me a B7R on self drive? Please let me know.

Related: A driver's instincts * A Complete Guide to self drive car rentals in India

Dating a Czech Beauty

Deal all,

I am currently away from Chennai dating a Czechoslovakian beauty. Keep watching this blog for hot pics and juicy updates. Assuming nothing goes wrong, I am scheduled to date her 3 days and 3 nights.

But then, please don’t start dreaming or visualizing bad things-hold your breath for a day or two for details.

Secret revealed: Full details in this post

Other updates:

My book review of Chetan Bhagat’s “The three mistakes of my life” has reached top 15 in Google when you search for keywords related to “the 3 mistakes of my life”. It took just 10 days to reach this position from infinity.

Cross posted my “12 reasons why MLM companies go bad” at Churumuri (A popular news blog moderated by Journalist Krishna Prasad)-Within couple days comment count has neared half century-You can read the comments here if interested.

Want cheapest air tickets? -book direct on airline website

Do you book your airline tickets through travel aggregators like makemytrip (MMT), Ezeego1,Yatra, Flightraja, cleartrip etc? All of them claim they give you lowest airfare. Some of them offer an “upto 50% cash back offer” when paid through a ICICI platinum and other specific credit cards. Because these websites book several tickets everyday they must be getting some discount from airlines and ideally should pass on a part of it to end users (customers who buy tickets from them). But truth seems to be otherwise.

After preliminary inspection I found that booking direct on airline website is cheapest option, as most of the travel sites quoted slightly higher than airline website.

Some random sample data for your quick information:

One way trip- Origin: Chennai , Destination: Mumbai, Date 23^rd May 2008 Indigo flight 6E-422

Fare at airline website: Rs 3174 MMT- Rs 3249 Cleartrip-Rs 3276 Ezeego1-Rs 3301 Yatra- Rs.2,959 (Rs 99 + Rs 2,860 taxes & fees)

One way, Origin: Mumbai, Destination: Kolkata, Date 31^st May 2008 Jet Airways 9W-211

Fare at airline website: Rs 6800 (4075+2350+225+150) MMT- Rs 6855(4050+2805)Cleartrip-Rs 6855 Ezeego1-Rs 7025 Yatra Rs.6,835 (Rs 4,075 + Rs 2,760 taxes & fees)

One way, Origin: Delhi, Destination: Chennai, Date 26^st May 2008 Kingfisher IT 234

Fare at airline website: Rs 5200 MMT- Rs 6325 (Rs 3525+2800) Cleartrip-Rs 6352- Ezeego1 Rs. 6472-Yatra-Rs 6335 (Rs 3,575 + Rs 2,760)Flightraja

Feel free to explore on your own to see if they really offer lowest fare.

So, in conclusion, none of the travel sites give you lowest fares. So why are all these site claiming of cheapest offers? The 50% cash back is even bigger joke. Cash back is on base fare only-you’ll get 49 Rs back on Rs 99 base fare, after few months. Even after cash back the fare is expensive than airline direct quote.

My advice: Refer to any of the travel site, select the flight you find convenient, then go to website of that airline and do the booking.

Most of us won’t have patience to check price at multiple sites and chose lowest one. We blindly select one of the above sites and book the ticket. The only advantage, if any is that these travel aggregators may save some time (which otherwise might have been spent typing credit card number and other details at multiple places) as you can do multiple tasks at one place. If you don’t mind paying a small premium for that then go for it.

Also note: If you had to reschedule/cancel the flight, getting a refund from these travel sites will be a nightmare. Those who have used IRCTC for online railway ticket reservation know that IRCTC has an extremely efficient cancellation mechanism. Amount will be promptly credited back within days if you cancel the ticket. If IRCTC can offer such a smooth technology enabled reservation cancellation facility why can’t these travel sites (including most of the airline websites) give the same? Why customer is expected to make several phone calls (STD calls in many cases) to travel sites customer care? Why the advanced technology (like online payment) is used only to take your money and when it comes to refund your money why should you use age old idea of calling through telephone?

Same with hotel rooms- Call the hotel directly and insist on a corporate discount-you are very much likely to get it at a rate far cheaper than what is offered on the travel sites.

Similar: Caution about Super markets * Hyderabad-Bangalore-Chennai by bus * My Kingfisher Experience * Fly for free on Indigo

Mumbai visit- Quick notes

Morning: Sat in an auto and saw that minimum fare is just Rs. 1.00 Felt something must be wrong somewhere. Asked the driver why it is showing  Re 1. He couldn’t see anything wrong with that and after some discussion I learnt that I need to pay 10 times whatever this meter shows. If it shows Rs 2.5 at the end of the journey I need to pay Rs 25…Was a nice experience this but why can’t they have a proper meter that shows correct amount?

Evening: Rented a car for to drive around Mumbai to make use of few hours I had during the evening.

Saw Shivaji park-driver told me that Sachin Tendulkar used to practice in this ground in his childhood. Saw Bandra-Kurla complex from a distance, saw Rolce Royce Phantom on display at Navneet Motors in Atria Mall, Haji Ali. Saw Marine drive, Hilton Towers and Taj Mahal Palace & towers. Ferrari cars were on display infront of Taj and had a close look. While the Phantom is known for its luxury and elegance, Ferrari on the other extreme is worshiped for its speed. Which one shall I buy?

Gateway of India was under renovation and since it was night time couldn’t see much. Saw BSE building from a distance-felt secure that my shares are safe inside. May be I could have asked the security- बाबु, अ०दर् मेरे कुच् शेर्स् पडे हे, जरा जाके देख्के आउ?? (Some of my shares are inside-can I have a look at it?)

Requested driver to let me drive a bit, enjoyed driving on Marine drive. Victoria Terminal and Church Gate looked magnificent from outside. Missed experiencing a journey in Mumbai’s local train and also getting a glimpse of Dabba waalas. As we neared Zuhu beach driver said “साब् आपका हाथ बहुत साफ् है जो मु०बइ मे गाडी चला सक्ता है, वो भारत् मे कही० भी चला पायेगा” (You drive very well-one who can drive in Mumbai can drive anywhere in India) but he was quick to add “साब् आगे बहुत् ट्राफिक् हे, मुज्हे चलाने दीजिये”(there's heavy traffic ahead, let me drive)

Juhu beach was very flat. Siva Sagar restaurant near the beach (on Juhu-Tara road opp Ramada Palm Grove) served some good food. I just wanted a small piece of pickle but they served a bowl full. The mango pickle was so tasty, I felt like taking the rest with me to home. Why do they serve side items in excess quantity?

Autos are allowed only in some specific areas in Mumbai. Elsewhere over-aged Fiat taxis rule the road. Also felt that number of two wheelers in Mumbai is relatively less.

Will be looking forward to visit this city again.

Related posts: Live blogging from Mumbai * Hyderabad-Chennai-Bengalooru-Comparison of 3 cities

Pondy Trip, QN, Liveblogging & Other updates

5 days since my last post may look like a long time considering I have been publishing new posts every alternate day so far. Have lots of stuff to blog about but running on a very tight schedule. So compromising a bit and giving quick updates.

Quick Jump: Pondy Trip | Questnet Scam update | Live blogging @ webinnovation.in |

Enjoyed a one day trip to Pondy and surrounding areas covering MatriMandir at Auroville (an under construction spiritual township some 15-20 kms north of Pondicheri (130 kms from Chennai)), Puducheri (Pondy) and Mahabalipuram last Saturday with Krishna Shastry, Gulshan Raj and other classmates from JNVC. [Related: JNVC memory snaps] The places we visited were nothing great (in fact many were disappointed as Pondy and Auroville had nothing exiting to offer and it was evening by the time we reached Mahabalipuram) but had some great time with old school pals- all are doctors and IT professionals now. We also sang lot of songs we were taught during JNV days. The best thing I enjoyed during the trip was me driving the Tavera for about 60 kms. (A review on this vehicle by me can be read here on Mouthshut)

Photos of this trip are available as a slideshow below. (Trouble viewing it? Try http://enidhi.slide.com/)

Branding tender coconut
Observed that some coconut vendors in Pondy have started branding the tender coconut they sell, by attaching a sticker to it. To me this looked like a cheap and useless imitation. A detailed post on this I have guest authored at Churumuri blog. Read that here. I think it is a good idea to guest blog in other blogs once a while. Your regular readers will be seasoned to your way of writing and may blindly agree with whatever you say. Also well known friends may hesitate to give negative comments. Guest blogging at other blogs bring whole new set of readers and gets new new perspectives and also some sharp criticisms. Some nice debate has already triggered there...

Wanted to write part 2 of Manipal visit but that is still pending. Some updates are too small to qualify as blog post, so posting them at my twitter account-you can keep an eye on my twitter page for quick updates.

QuestNet International and its members in troubled waters
Chennai police are cracking whip on Quest Net, a multi level marketing company which has spread its tentacles all over India (mainly among IT folks) and many other countries, spreading false hope that everyone can become rich by buying coins and referring others to do the same. Now several victims who were lured to invest in this pyramid scheme coming out to lodge complaints against QN. We need to see if law enforcement agencies can do something effective to stop this kind of companies. I had written earlier about this company in this post but due to time constraint unable to keep track of the latest developments. Mohan BN is following this development effectively and closely in his blog. Keep an eye on his blog for latest happenings on Questnet scam. 

May 17 update: Mohan used to follow this story closely but recently has deleted several posts related to this issue. I don't have great expectations from the police investigation, but the negative publicity is going to make it very tough for QN to sign-up new people. May be they would go for a name change again-let us see.

Live Blogging at WebInnovation.in Summit, 8 May, Hotel Grand Hyatt, Mumbai
Leaving for Mumbai this evening to take part in a one day summit on Web 2.0, called Webinnovation.in. Taking '1 minute manager' for inflight reading. With the complementary registration offered by the organizers I’ll be live blogging the event on the event website. I enjoy journalism (read my journalism experiences) and live blogging will be akin to live reporting. I am sure I’ll be able to enjoy that. Keep an eye on blog section of event website for my live blogging posts.

Each of my trips generate enough content for atleast 5-10 blog posts but not sure when and where to write and publish them all…

Rice, in its most nutrient form...

It is quite a common scene in Chennai roadside to see carts selling unpolished rice with its gravy. Called KooLu or Kanji in tamil and Ganji in Kannada, they sell nearly 500 ml of this for Rs 5. Many of you will term this as roadside and unhygienic , but this is the most nutrient form of rice available and is certainly worth having. I sampled it twice and don’t see any side effect or harm in this. Mixed with buttermilk and onion and served with fried chilli and raw mango slice, you might actually enjoy eating it.

The highly polished white rice we eat sans most of the nutrients, more so with the liquid filtered out. The original, unpolished version of rice takes extra time to cook and not that tasty, hence most of the hotels and households never use it. If you can think of any hotels in your locality which serve this variant of rice in their meals, please drop a comment. Kamat hotel in Milagris, Mangalore is one place where I have enjoyed such a meal.

Any thoughts on this issue?

Similar posts: Toddy Palm * Coco Fresco Hyderabad * Ragi Mudde

Banner Mania

The banner nuisance is not new to us but usualy reachs its peak during election time.
But thanks to strong enforcements of election commissioner, Mr. Gopalaswamy, banner mania is under check in Karnataka currently.

Erecting flex banners with self photo is easiest way to gain publicity and get an identity for yourself as a public personality. You can have some top political leader or some film star in the same banner to support you in case someone objects. Flex banners are pretty cheap. This post reveals that in Manipal (near Udupi, Karnataka), it costs just Rs 13 per square foot for flex banner. At that rate it takes only few hundred rupees per banner and for less than Rs 10000, you can cover your entire locality with banners exhibiting your photo.

Though election is prime reason for these banners, you don’t really need a reason if you are determined to erect a banner of yourself. If there’s a festival around, you can wish public with your full size photo in the banner, if some events are happening, you can welcome the delegates, if nothing is happening, you can form a fan club of some film star, call yourself its president, chairman (or whatever you please, though I am surprised to see no one calling themselves CEO of a fan club) and erect banners wishing the star happy birthday, success to his current movie or whatever. Any other innovative ideas?

Those setup with prior permission from municipality fetch some revenue to govt and help in city administration. But most of these banners and hoardings are often illegal. Earlier, cloth was used to prepare the banner, which used to deteriorate over a period of time due to rain, sun etc but these days, the vinyl banners are being extensively used, which are not biodegradable and stay for a long long period. (A related kannada post on this)

Usually nothing much is done to remove these illegal hoardings and banners, except some rare instances when they are brought down. Recently in Chennai, there was a massive drive to get rid of unauthorized hoardings and thousands of them were pulled down in a span of few days. Related Hindu report here and here (Scrap dealers literally had a feast because of this). Chennai city is looking much cleaner now and two localities, Harsha Koda and Suresh Menon have launched an initiative to thank the chief minister for this. Their website is http://thankyouchiefminister.com Suresh Menon, a filmmaker got this idea which is implemented by Harsha Koda and his wife Prabha who are graphic designers by profession. The site allows people to log their appreciation towards their politicians ("we always complain, let us also thank them when they do something good", is the core idea behind the site) Site is barely 2 weeks old and Harsha told me he has plans to develop this site further and add extra features and eventually extend it to other states in near future. With this move, “lots of slums will have colorful tarpaulins this monsoon” he says. Harsha also runs Jalakara.com, a web designing company.

June 23 Update: I think this thank you CM website is a kind of stagnant idea. We can thank once or twice-what next? The site should have some provision to keep visitors engaged and make them come back. -Just my suggestions to the site owners.

Similar drive is needed in other states to get rid of excess hoardings and banners.

Hyderabad is famous for its unipole hoardings. Nearly an year ago one of them collapsed in Banjara Hill, killing a person. GHMC has been more cautious with these hoardings since then. They also have even more distracting digital hoardings displaying videos and animation, diverting attention of motorists towards them. I am not sure of current situation there.

Any thoughts and suggestions on this issue are welcome.

Similar: Public sanitation can be made free for all...

MMSC Manipal 08 - An Experience account

Quick Jump: The journey | Betrayed by my Laptop | Talk on podcasting | My talk on Corporate Blogging | MIT Men's Hostel|

Answer this question: When you were in college, probably you might have hated your hostel and now as a professional are used to travel around the world staying at star hotels at your company's expense. Now tell me, given an opportunity, wouldn't you love to go back to college hostel and spend few days in college campus?

I am currently spending time at Manipal, an educational hub in coastal Karnataka, attending Manipal Media Students' Convention-MMSC 08.

This is a 2 day event conducted by students of Manipal Institute of Communication, involves unconferences, workshop on podcasting, expert talks and more. I am here as a sponsored delegate and gave a talk on corporate blogging.

The journey-
The west coast express was extremely punctual and arrived at Mangalore at 5.15 AM, but it took nearly 3 hours to reach Manipal from there-I boarded a direct bus to Manipal waiting outside the railway station-despite having bus full of passengers, they (bus crew) waited for 25 minutes near railway station, 20 minutes at Mangalore service bus stand and finally left Mangalore little after 6 AM. Next time I would walk across the town hall and catch a bus which has just left the stand.

Volunteers of the event were extremely professional- They did follow up periodically after I confirmed participation and I was received at Trinity Circle (or is it Tiger Circle?), Manipal and escorted to MIC hostel, IXth block. The room was pretty good. Going back to hostel and living in a campus for few days is like college days revisited. It may not match a hotel in terms of luxury, but the environment of so many students around, is a good experience- I am sure you can imagine those days and I don't have to explain. The energetic students of MIC, headed by Ragamalika (incidently its her birthday today) were quite punctual and professional in handling their responsibilities and event management. This was my first visit to an institute as a delegate (the inter college events I had attended during college day-I was treated as a student, so that was fine) and I was given a respect and significance for which I am not used to. I am not used to being called 'Sir', 'Sir' and other formalities. However the care and warmth these students poured on the delegates was great. I will cherish it for a long long time.

We headed to chaitya hall in Hotel Valley View in MIT's college bus, which reminded me of the yellow maxicab we had in JNVC, with Udayanna as its pilot.

Betrayed by my laptop
Once we settled in the venue, I realized that my laptop's wi-fi is not working. Last time I had connected my lappy to internet via wi-fi was in August at Hyderabad-now when I wanted it, it was just not there...Probably a hardware problem have to get this fixed. Without net connectivity, it is almost useless to carry it-doesn't serve much of the purpose. I wanted to live blog the event (as a preparation to next month's WebInnnovation.In which I will be attending and live blogging) but this idea was spoiled by my laptop and I got a feeling of betrayal.

Good thing is, I could shut-down my laptop and focus on the session, while many others were busy checking mails and chatting while someone was speaking on stage.

But then, it is also good to stay off-line for few days once a while, by force, if not by choice. Let me accept it- world is NOT going to turn upside down, if I don't check and respond to my mails for few days. I did check my mails once through someone else's laptop but obviously I can't borrow it for hours to live blog or for other purposes.

A session on podcasting by Aditya Mhatre of theindicast.com was useful and gave us a good idea of what podcasting is and how to go about it. For the uninitiated, podcasting is recording audio (interviews, discussions, talks) around a topic and allowing your readers across the globe to download and read it from the convenience of their phone/ipod/computer etc. The idea is good, but I am of the opinion that while anyone can start blogging, podcasting is not for common man, at least not yet-the time and effort that goes in may not be worth it, unless you manage to get really exciting stuff to air on. We also did a workshop n podcasting-recording our audio conversation and uploading it. During this, we got a chance to check out the TV studio and audio room of MIC.

Was expecting to see Kiruba Shankar conducting a workshop on podcasting but he had to pull out of this as he had to attend Club Mahindra's Cerebrate.In in Goa.

Annie Zaidi spoke about blogging and journalism-as I am interested in both, her talk was very interesting to hear.

The interior of Chaitya Hall in Hotel Valley View where the event was conducted was poorly lit and my entry level digicam was quite ineffective in taking good pics (unless it was a close shot). So I haven't taken much photos. Some photos uploaded by other are available here 

Shrinidhi speaks on corporate blogging
My turn came at around 3.30 in the afternoon to speak. The synopsis which I had submitted and accepted by MMSC was on corporate blogging hence I kept the same topic for the talk. Luckily, the remote control of my laptop did work properly and didn't put me in another embarrassment. I had conducted a session on blogging internal to my company but this was my first public talk after I started working. A bit of excitement, a sense of guilty feeling that I could have prepared better, but the presentation went on smooth-without any disturbances-technical or otherwise. I talked about the need and advantages of corporate blog, both internal and external, what it takes for a corporate blog to be successful, how one can measure ROI on corporate blog and so on. I got an honest feedback later that the topic of corporate blogging was more suitable at a business event than a gathering of media students. I should have thought of that-but since my synopsis was on same topic which was accepted, I didn't think of a second topic. Also I should have focused on making it more interactive-few points to take home for me. (Please note that I was just one of the 40 odd speakers during the event, though I was lucky to get a timing in second half of first day.)

I could meet many interesting people during the event- Siva of Internet Society, Chennai Chapter, Kenny Jacob of Mobme.in, Nithya Dayal of Muziboo.com and many more.

The MIT men's hostel:

I woke up early morning and went for a walk-It is a vast campus indeed. There is a big running track (looks like a 800 mt one, not sure) While university has thousands of students, I hardly saw anyone using that for a morning jog. Probably these professionals will spend few thousands a month later on GYM when they start earning, something they can save if the