THE COOL DEVIL

Small Savings Schemes Revamped: PPF CEILING RAISED TO RS. 1 LAKH, INTEREST RAISED TO 8.60%

2011-11-14T12:19:00.000+05:30

11-11-11 has turned out to be a great day for investors in small savings schemes.

In an effort to update and boost small savings schemes, the Union Government on Friday announced that both the ceiling and the interest rate for Public Provident Fund investments have been increased as well as make some changes in other small savings schemes. Let's see what these changes are:

PPF
The ceiling is now Rs. 1 lakh p.a. as against earlier limit of Rs. 70,000 p.a.

The interest rate is revised to 8.60% p.a. from 8% p.a.

This will remain tax free on maturity, continuing with the Exempt-Exempt-Exempt model for PPF. So this is the equivalent of a very attractive pre-tax interest rate of 12.28% (considering a 30% tax bracket).

KVP
The small savings scheme Kisan Vikas Patra has been discontinued.

Post Office Savings Accounts
Post Office Savings accounts will now earn 4% instead of 3.50%.

Monthly Income Scheme & NSC

In addition, the NSC has been revamped. The maturity for both MIS and NSC has been reduced from 6 years to 5 years, and the interest on these schemes has been increased from the earlier 8% to 8.20% and 8.40% respectively.

There will also be a 10 Year NSC available offering 8.70% interest.
The 5% bonus given on maturity of the MIS has however been scrapped.
The rationale behind the move...
The Finance Ministry has said "The rate of interest on small savings schemes will be aligned with the G-Sec rates of similar maturity, with a spread of 25bps, with 2 exceptions. The spread on 10-yr NSC will be 50bps and the spread on Senior Citizens Savings Scheme will be 100bps. The interest rates for every financial year will be notified before April 01."
The decision to increase interest rates on small savings schemes has stemmed from the volatility of cash flows into and out of small savings schemes, when compared with corresponding safe rates of return available in the market.
Currently, we are in a period of very high interest rates, which means the market has plenty of attractive investment opportunities available, including by way of Bank and Corporate FDs. As these rates (post tax) are in many cases higher than the rates offered by small savings schemes of comparable tenure, these schemes have seen significant outflows, reducing the amount of money in the Government's coffers.
To staunch the outflows and also to bring rates in line with the market, the Government has made this move.
This will make small savings schemes more attractive to investors. Returns will be in sync with market returns.

When will it take effect?

The date is pegged at Dec 01, 2011.

A wonderful Article on Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar by Masood Hasan

2011-08-04T17:22:00.000+05:30

Here is an article on the gorgeous Pak FM, written by a Pak journalist.

Pak perceptions are different from Indian perceptions, where most of the press and the TV had gone ga-ga.

Masood Hasan. Sun, 31 Jul 11

HRK – Hina Rabbani Khar is drop dead gorgeous. Her three day fashion onslaught has left the Indians gasping for breath and ambulances howling all over the countryside. Here we are crooning with delight – the men exchanging high fives, the women – the sensible ones that is, shaking their heads slowly from side to side. Is HRK the nuclear device that we promised we’d explode over the Indian capital? Have we scored a major diplomatic victory over arch enemy India? Is HRK going to lead the country armed with nothing but a Hermes bag and change global policies with a snap of her diamond encrusted fingers? As the euphoria subsides and her Birkin bag is safely stowed away along with her undoubtedly large Hermes collection, we, the ordinary riff-raff of this despondently poor country need to take a good long look at the events of last week. If we don’t, rest assured the lollypops in Islamabad certainly won’t. Introspection is not as fashionable as Roberto Cavalli shades.

Let’s get one thing straight. One dresses for the occasion. Anyone recall Angelina Jolie’s ‘designer’ outfits on her many visits to the Afghan camps? There is a time and place for all things. I think HRK didn’t quite get that right. She has many things going for her but maturity and a sense of balance seem to be virtues that Pakistan’s new foreign minister does not care about much.

It is amazing that the old hands at Hotel Scherezade that masquerades as Pakistan’s foreign office thought little of actually ‘briefing’ Lady Bond before she flew in her special aircraft to New Delhi. (No PIA please. That’s for the plebs). Did anyone tell her what precisely was her mission, if any on her maiden voyage to India? I doubt it. While she must have spent an enormous amount of time choosing her wardrobe and accessories – she has a talent for accessories as a gushing designer confided last week, one wishes there were men or women who could have briefed her on how she must conduct herself – but this is unlikely in a country where ‘yes sir, yes sir, three bags full’, is the most successful strategy.

As it is the ‘success’ of her trip is best summed up in the joint communiqué glued eternally together with Fevikol, the wonder Indian adhesive, that both sides will stick to their points of view. As before one might add. Sure we can talk till the cows come home but that much has more or less been there almost always, so those crooning about a ‘great diplomatic victory’, need a knock on the head administered by Mr Ijaz Butt. Having demolished cricket, he now has the world’s largest bat collection.

India may be many things to many people but even the most vitriolic Indian-haters grudgingly accept that our two countries are now worlds apart – poles apart will no longer do justice to the real on-ground situation. The Indians are suave diplomats and they manage – with all its warts, the world’s largest democracy. Whether this is for public consumption or genuinely felt, there is a strong current of simplicity that runs across India and does not require 3-D glasses to see. All of us who have travelled to India have been surprised by their casual attitude to attire given most days. We who are so class and caste conscious on the other hand must display all the banal outer vestments since we value these far more than any principles.

The Indians thus dress so simply that you can mistake them for minions whereas they may be billionaires. They go to work in loose sandals and creased trousers or faded jeans but sit and make strategic decisions that run into billions of dollars and have the power to change the direction of their huge country. Simplicity is not a put on like our constant bowing and scraping to the Maker without any meaning or sincerity. Our rulers and high stake rollers live in mansions of glory. Indians richer than their counterparts here live in modest homes. Retired generals there live in small houses or high rise flats whereas our medal laden over-fed blobs lord it over topping all records of ostentation. Time and again you are flattened by this simplicity on display in India – if it’s a put on, my God they should give a Lifetime Achievement Award to all the affluent and influential people who live there.

It is in this context that one finds HRK’s jaunt into India nauseating and in gross bad taste. Did she go to a tense foreign ministers’ meeting or launch a fashion show? Did she read up on India? She represents an impoverished country, now permanently and shamelessly begging day and night for sustenance, for alms, for mercy to keep Ms Khar and her ilk in clover. She is part of one of the most disastrous governments it has been our misfortune to have – incompetent, brazen, cruel and corrupt. When it is knocked out sooner or later, no one will shed tears for the fallen leaders who have given loot and plunder a new dimension adding to that great robbery repertoire fine tuned to an art by their predecessors.

HRK’s government boasts of a two percent growth rate against India’s nine percent, has no power or gas and soon will have no water. It groans under loans, yet gives walloping funding to keep the ‘khakis’ happy, depriving millions of men, women and children such basics as health, education and sanctity of life yet live like kings. Its representatives like HRK and 24 other ministers in 2010 paid no income tax because they were poor. HRK coughed up Rs 7,500 agricultural tax and declared that she couldn’t even afford a car! I suppose BMWs and Mercs must fall under the ‘donkey’ category.

She should have perhaps studied tapes on Sonia Gandhi who is always in cotton saris, her hair pulled back and with hardly any make up. You would not catch Sonia dead with a garish and ridiculously priced, diamond-laden wrist watch (Arab style) or pricey south sea pearls and $ 900 Jimmy Choo shoes, but then that’s Sonia and this is Hina – chalk and cheese with Devonshire in between. When the PM who spends more time on his clothes than on the pressing needs of his wretched country went to Paris and called upon the French president, he ensured that he was all trussed up in a reportedly $ 10,000 suit. Lady Bond, although it was evening had her designer shades perched on top of her pretty head. Babes out partying might do so for a lark but FMs with feudal blood coursing through their veins should avoid such nonsense. What a fantastic thing it would have been had she chosen to dress most simply, travelled by her national airline and told the Indians that she was here, in all humility and sincerity to move on and build bridges for the generations ahead. She should have said my country is struggling – with terrorism, suicide bombers, law and order, the Afghan problem, a poor economy and so on but that we would prevail if there is peace.

But then this is the stuff dreams are made of. In real life nothing like that happens – not here and we lost yet another opportunity to tell the world we are not shallow buffoons and idiots. Pakistanis are blaming the Indian media and Ms Khar left Islamabad in a huff, but when you set yourself up as she did, what is the media going to make of that? The ‘fash frat’ as one Indian newspaper said, had a field day and we had the customary egg on our face.

Gamesa Press Conf in Mumbai - Mar9, 2011

2011-03-29T12:25:00.000+05:30

Gamesa in China

2010-12-16T14:39:00.000+05:30

The World Famous Lungi

2010-12-07T15:00:00.001+05:30

This is one funny article...

The Legendary Lungi

Just as the national bird of Kerala is Mosquito, the national dress is 'Lungi'. Pronounced 'Lu' as in loo and 'ngi ' as in 'mongey', a lungi can be identified by its floral or window-curtain pattern. 'Mundu' is the white variation of lungi and is worn on special occasions like hartal or bandh days, also at weddings and Onam.

Lungi is simple and 'down to earth' like the mallu wearing it. Lungi is the beginning and the end of evolution in its category. Wearing something on the top half of your body is optional when you are wearing a lungi. Lungi is a strategic dress. It's like a one-size- fits-all bottoms for Keralites.

The technique of wearing a lungi/mundu is passed on from generation to generation through word of mouth like the British Constitution. If you think it is an easy task wearing it, just try it once! It requires techniques like breath control and yoga that is a notch higher than sudarshan kriya of AOL.

A lungi/mundu when perfectly worn won't come off even in a quake of 8 on the richter scale. A lungi is not attached to the waist using duct tape, staple, rope or velcro. It's a bit of mallu magic whose formula is a closely guarded secret like the Coca Cola receipe.

A lungi can be worn 'Full Mast' or 'Half Mast' like a national flag. A 'Full Mast' lungi is when you are showing respect to an elderly or the dead. Wearing it at full mast has lots of disadvantages. A major disadvantage is when a dog runs after you. When you are wearing a lungi/mundu at full mast, the advantage is mainly for the female onlookers who are spared the ordeal of swooning at the sight of hairy legs.

Wearing a lungi 'Half Mast' is when you wear it exposing yourself like those C grade movie starlets. A mallu can play cricket, football or simbly run when the lungi is worn at half mast. A mallu can even climb a coconut tree wearing lungi in half mast. "It's not good manners, especially for ladies from decent families, to look up at a mallu climbing a coconut tree"- Confucius (or is it Conspicious?)

Most mallus do the traditional dance kudiyattam. Kudi means drinking alcohol and yattam, pronounced aattam, means random movement of the male body. Note that 'y' is silent. When you are drinking, you drink, there is no 'y'. Any alcohol related "festival" can be enjoyed to the maximum when you are topless with lungi and a towel tied around the head. "Half mast lungi makes it easy to dance and shake legs" says Candelaria Amaranto, a Salsa teacher from Spain after watching 'kudiyaattam' .

The 'Lungi Wearing Mallu Union' [LUWMU, pronounced LOVE MU], an NGO which works towards the 'upliftment' of the lungi, strongly disapprove of the GenNext tendency of wearing Bermudas under the lungi. Bermudas under the lungi is a conspiracy of the CIA. It's a disgrace to see a person wearing burmudas with corporate logos under his lungi. What they don't know is how much these corporates are limiting their freedom of movement and expression.

A mallu wears lungi round the year, all weather, all season. A mallu celebrates winter by wearing a colourful lungi with a floral pattern. Lungi provides good ventilation and brings down the heat between legs. A mallu is
scared of global warming more than anyone else in the world. A lungi can be worn any time of the day/night. It doubles as blanket at night. It also doubles up as a swing, swimwear, sleeping bag, parachute, facemask while entering/exiting toddy shops, shopping basket and water filter while fishing in ponds and rivers. It also has recreational uses like in 'Lungi pulling', a pastime in households having more than one male member.

Lungi pulling competitions are held outside toddyshops all over Kerala during Onam and Vishu. When these lungis are decommissioned from service, they become table cloths. Thus the humble lungi is a cradle to grave apparel..

(An anonymous piece) Not the Lungi - the essay.

Gamesa India Expansion Plans in Chennai

2010-11-09T11:39:00.000+05:30

Gamesa's New Turbine Models

2010-09-29T14:42:00.000+05:30

Gamesa, a world leader in the manufacture and maintenance of wind turbines, will again attend one of the wind energy industry’s premier annual events, the Husum WindEnergy Trade Fair (Germany), scheduled for 21-25 September at which Gamesa will showcase its new Gamesa G9X-2.0 MW platform.

The company will participate in the industry exhibition under the theme, Gamesa Innovates: Evolution of a Technology, detailing the history and development of a broad range of platforms and wind turbines, from the Gamesa G5X-850 kW to its last technological innovations, the Gamesa G9X-2.0 MW and the Gamesa G10X-4.5 MW.

The combination of a 2.0 MW unit wind turbine with a range of four different rotor size options (diameters of 80, 87, 90 and 97 metres) makes the Gamesa G9X-2.0 MW platform the most versatile in the market, offering maximum output for any location.

The launch of the new platform is getting underway with the G97-2.0 MW Class IIIA model, specially designed for low wind sites, a segment from which Gamesa expects over half of the demand for the 2 MW category to come. The Gamesa G97 has a swept area 16% higher than the existing G90, coupled with an increase in energy output of almost 14%.

Gamesa G97-2 MW wind turbine features a new aerodynamic blade tip design and the Gamesa NRS® control system to ensure to maximum output yet minimum noise. Also, other prominent characteristics of the wind turbine are:

A 97m long next-generation rotor for low wind sites
Cutting-edge blade technology: manufacture of lightweight blades using fibreglass, carbon fibre and prepregs
Pitch and variable speed technology to maximize energy output
Gamesa active yaw system to ensure optimal adaptation to complex terrains
Gamesa WindNet® system: remote web-enabled monitoring and control system
Gamesa SMP: Proprietary predictive maintenance system
High-tech solutions to guarantee compliance with the main requirements for international grid connection.

Gamesa also plans to showcase its G10X-4.5 MW platform and the G128-4.5 MW wind turbine, the company’s most ambitious project ever and the land-based wind energy industry's most powerful product to date, at the trade fair. Gamesa, which has already begun to market the new turbine and to develop the manufacturing process, plans to go into pre-production in 2011 and to start up assembly line production in 2012.

The energy generated by each Gamesa G10X-4.5 MW turbine helps to produce an environmentally-benign energy supply by preventing harmful atmospheric emissions. Each turbine is capable of generating enough electricity to power 3,169 households for a year, replace nearly 1,000 tonnes of petroleum equivalent (TPE) annually and avoid 6,750 tonnes of atmospheric CO2 emissions per year.

Families Together

2010-09-21T13:08:00.001+05:30

Dear Folks,

After a long time, my mother has reason to cheer as she her gender holds equal rights...

http://www.youandimag.com/index.aspx?issue=issue138&page=69

stats:

2008: Males 3 Female 1
2009: Males 3 Females 2
2010; Males 3 Females 3

See, we fight for equality....

Cheers
Gopal

My Brother's Wedding

2010-09-14T13:40:00.000+05:30

Dear Folks,

It been a long time since i posted something nice.. not about the company that i am working or the stock that i am buying but meaningful things related to me and me only...just kidding.. why would i do that?

Well, bringing you the special on my brother's wedding...Well he looks awesome..

Agenda was very nice.. First the engagement ceremony. Picture here..

full info below...

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/tabloids/extravagant-engagement-366

second.. the pre-wedding dance bash... picture here

link here... http://www.deccanchronicle.com/tabloids/dancing-all-through-night-266

well... sangeet, wedding and reception soon to follow...

GVK:)

Thermax Forms Joint Venture with Babcock & Wilcox of U.S.

2010-03-10T12:44:00.000+05:30

Press Release

Thermax - Babcock & Wilcox Joint Venture for Supercritical Boilers: Offers higher efficiency of power generation in India’s mega projects

Mumbai, March 10, 2010

Thermax Limited and Babcock & Wilcox Power Generation Group, Inc. (B&W PGG), a global leader in power generation industry and the original Babcock & Wilcox, today announced the formation of a strategic joint venture to engineer, manufacture and supply supercritical boilers for the Indian power sector. The Joint venture will also manufacture subcritical boilers over 300 megawatts (MW) in size. The agreement was signed by M S Unnikrishnan, Managing Director and CEO, Thermax, and Richard L. Killion, President and Chief Operating Officer, B&W PGG.

Thermax will own 51% share of the joint venture while United States-based B&W PGG will have 49% ownership. The joint venture will bring to the Indian power sector Thermax’s expertise of integrating energy and environment solutions and B&W’s long history of providing proven, state-of-the-art power generation technology and world class project management capabilities.

B&W pioneered the development of supercritical boilers, and this technology will allow the new joint venture to contribute to efficient power generation in the mega thermal plants planned to meet the massive energy requirements of the country. Supercritical boilers operate at higher pressures than subcritical boilers, increasing efficiency and producing more energy from the same amount of fuel.

“We are proud to offer the services of this joint venture to support the government’s initiatives to improve the power scenario of the country. And we are happy that in B&W our joint venture partner, we have a global technology leader whose boilers generate over 300,000 MW of power around the world,” said Unnikrishnan.

The supercritical boilers will be manufactured in a new facility that is being planned. The plant, with an annual capacity of 3000 MW equivalent in the first phase will indigenize the technology and contribute to local component development.

Thermax and B&W have maintained a business relationship for over 20 years. Recently in February 2008, Thermax signed a technology transfer agreement with B&W PGG for manufacturing subcritical power boilers.

“This joint venture presents substantial opportunities for both B&W PGG and Thermax, two companies which have successfully worked together on joint ventures and licensing agreements for more than two decades,” Killion said. “This agreement also augments B&W PGG’s presence and profile in the global marketplace and presents a substantial opportunity to continue the growth of our business in India and around the world.”

The new joint venture is being established at a critical time when India’s ambitious growth plans and its dependence on coal fired power plants for power throw up tremendous energy and environment challenges. In the context of emission reduction and the need to conserve fossil fuel, energy efficient power generation is a critical requirement. This joint venture will help meet these challenges.

About Thermax Limited

Thermax Limited, a Rs. 3300 crore energy and environment solutions provider, is one of the few companies in the world that offers integrated, innovative solutions in the areas of heating, cooling, power, water and waste management, air pollution control and chemicals. The sustainable solutions that Thermax develops for client companies are environment-friendly and enable efficient deployment of energy and waste resources.

Thermax has a well established technology research and development facility. The company has 120 patents, 82 national and 16 international trademarks to its credit. Over the years, Thermax has had technology partnerships and alliances with at over 40 global organisations.

For more information on Thermax, visit www.thermaxindia.com

About The Babcock & Wilcox Company

B&W PGG is an operating unit of The Babcock & Wilcox Company (B&W). B&W, a subsidiary of McDermott International, Inc., is a leader in advanced energy technology innovation and service, primarily in nuclear and fossil power. Providing quality products and technical services to commercial and government customers, B&W is focused on issues such as energy efficiency, clean air, global market competitiveness, and safe and secure resolution for nuclear waste. B&W has locations worldwide and employs more than 20,000 people. The company is located on the Internet at www.babcock.com.

Thermax - Babcock & Wilcox Joint Venture for Supercritical Boilers: Offers higher efficiency of power generation in India's mega projects

2010-03-10T11:59:00.000+05:30

Thermax Ltd and Babcock & Wilcox (B&W), a global leader in power generation industry, have announced establishment of a strategic joint venture to manufacture supercritical boilers for the Indian power sector.

Check the link for Press Release.

Cheers
GVK

Thermax Settles Dispute with Purolite

2010-02-24T10:42:00.000+05:30

Its done finally...

Thermax has entered into an amicable settlement with Purolite International ending an outstanding legal dispute regarding its ion exchange resin business in the US. As per this out-of-court settlement, Thermax will pay Purolite four installments of USD 9.5 million each, spread over the calendar year to settle the litigation.

The two parties will now be joint co-owners in perpetuity of the information and technology in dispute. The agreement permanently resolves all claims and counterclaims. There will be no further financial obligations on this account. While the terms of the agreement are confidential between the two parties, Thermax is following all norms of corporate disclosure and has promptly informed the stock exchanges where it is listed.

Thermax had been regularly reporting the lawsuit in its annual reports, but decided not to make any further public statement as the matter was sub judice. On the basis of the facts of the case, report from a renowned technical expert in the US and feedback from its US attorneys, the company did not expect any serious liability from this case. The case, involving a series of inter-related claims and counterclaims, was to be judged at a jury trial in March in a US district court.

However, there was an unexpected turn of events last month, where the US district court passed an order that three production processes (for certain kinds of ion exchange resins for applications in water treatment) in dispute, constituted Purolite`s trade secrets. Thermax then evaluated its options: One, to continue with its defense at the jury trial and beyond, by way of filing an appeal, should that trial be unfavourable or, two, to resolve the matter out of court.

The board of directors along with the management leadership team chose the latter option after taking a long-term view of potential risks of significantly higher liabilities, given the uncertainties associated with jury trials, as well as the costs and time involved in protracted litigation. Thermax has tremendous growth opportunities; and therefore the decision was to settle this at a level that is less significant as compared with its future growth prospects.

Thermax is confident that, given the situation, this decision is in its best interest. Beyond a one-time impact on the balance sheet, the settlement paves the way for Thermax to move on and focus on growing and strengthening its energy and environment business.

So..it ends!!!:)

The Next Leg of the Journey with: Laveena

2009-11-16T14:25:00.001+05:30

The Wedding

The Reception

Cheers

GVK

My Life's Best Moments - The Wedding

2009-11-12T15:27:00.000+05:30

Click on the Title -'My Life's Best Moments - The Wedding' for pictures of the wedding

My Life's Best Moments - The Reception Dinner

2009-11-12T15:20:00.002+05:30

Click on the Title -'My Life's Best Moments - The Reception Dinner' above for the pictures.....

Thermax Chairperson's Presentation for 28th AGM

2009-07-27T13:41:00.002+05:30

Dear Investors,
The presentation made at the 28th Annual General Meeting by Thermax Chairperson, Mrs. Meher Pudumjee is shown...

Regards
GVK

Annual Report 2008-09

2009-07-20T10:28:00.004+05:30

Folks,
Finally a picture to say that I do work for a company!!!...

Incase, you cannot recognize the people... then you don't work...
Cheers
Gopal

A Day of Traffic Jam

2009-06-17T16:35:00.006+05:30

Dear Folks,
On 17th June, the largest event of Phaltan's religious and social calendar passed through Wakadewadi, Pune. 400,000 people are walking for over fifteen days and 250 km from a town near Pune to a temple in Panderpure on a journey called the Palki. They follow the path of the 13th century Saint Nyaneshwar (literally: god of wisdom) who was a religious child prodigy. After writing a poetic companion to the Bhagavad Gita and purportedly performing a number of miracles, including causing a bull to speak from the Holy Scriptures, he chose to starve himself to death at the Panderpure temple when he was only 22 years old. The procession has been in existence since the time of Chaucer and is only one of several parades leading to the same holy site.
The procession, which carries symbols of the god's footprints on a silver chariot, passes directly in front of our office, blocking the whole traffic for a day. The women carried all of their clothing, bedding, and often food on their heads in giant parcels, as wide as they are tall. They also balanced holy basil plants to give to the god upon arrival. Videos of the same show the trails of faith and religious fervor.

GVK

Linkin Park : New Song

2009-06-15T09:58:00.005+05:30

The soundtrack of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is by Linkin Park. The title of the song is New Divide and the lyrics are great as usual. The lyrics are as good as any songs from Hybrid Theory, Meteora, Minutes to Midnight and all the other hit singles... Enjoy!!!

I remember black skies
The lightning all around me
I remembered each flash
As time began to blur
Like a startling sign
That fate had finally found me
And your voice was all I heard
Did I get what I deserve?

So give me reason
To prove me wrong
To wash this memory clean
Let the thoughts cross
The distance in your eyes
Give me reason
To fill this hole
Connect the space between
Let it fill up to reach the truth and lies
Across this new divide

There was nothing inside
The memories left abandoned
There was nowhere to hide
The ashes fell like snow
And the ground caved in
Between where we were standing
And your voice was all I heard
Did I get what I deserve?

So give me reason
To prove me wrong
To wash this memory clean
Let the thoughts cross
The distance in your eyes
Across this new divide

In every loss, in every lie
In every truth that you deny
And each regret, and each goodbye
Was a mistake too great to hide
And your voice was all I heard
Did I get what I deserve?

GVK

HOOBASTANK: BAND & SONG Intro

2009-06-12T11:23:00.006+05:30

"What if I don't want to hear the things you say? Where were you when I was needy yesterday?" -Too Little Too Late
Put a band together with influences like Faith No More, Tool, and Fishbone, let each member add unique influences ranging from Phish to Guns n Roses to Trance music. Enter Hoobastank.

Hoobastank Band Members:
Dan Guitar, Doug Vocals, Chris Drums, Markku Bass
Song Lyrics: Born to Lead

With eyes closed tightly,
I march so blindly.
Pretending everything's fine,
'Cause you're there to keep me in line.
I want your guidance,
I'll break my silence.
So sick of asking and being denied and now I realize.

We're holding the key, to unlock our destiny,
We were born to lead.
We're finally free, no longer following,
We were born to lead... we were born to lead.

You can't ignore me(you can't ignore me)
You cant think for me(you can't think for me)
Your world will come crashing down to the ground,
'Cause I figured you out.

We're holding the key, to unlock our destiny,
We were born to lead.
We're finally free, no longer following,
We were born to lead... we were born to lead.

I use to think I'm all alone,
But now I see our numbers grow.
I'm not afraid to break away,
Think on my own

With eyes wide open,
My new life begins.
Without you there to tell me, when, where and how,
And you can't stop me now

We're holding the key, to unlock our destiny,
We were born to lead.
We're finally free, no longer following,
We were born to lead... we were born to lead.

We're holding the key, to unlock our destiny,
We were born to lead
We're finally free, no longer following,
We were born to lead.

Enjoy!!!

GVK

A MOVIE TO WATCH AGAIN AND AGAIN !!!

2009-06-10T11:37:00.004+05:30

THE HOLIDAY – MOVIE REVIEW

• Starring Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jack Black, and Jude Law
• The Holiday marks Kate’s first starring role in a true romantic comedy

How do you get over a horrible relationship? Well, you can drown your sorrows in ice cream and hours of watching lousy television programs. Or, if you have the financial resources, you can do what the leading ladies of The Holiday do: exchange homes with someone you've never met who lives in a city far, far away from the man who killed your desire for romance.

Amanda (Cameron Diaz) lives in an exclusive neighborhood in Los Angeles and owns a hugely successful company that puts together trailers for movies. Iris (Kate Winslet) lives in a small community outside of London and works as a wedding columnist for the Daily Telegraph. Both ladies are fresh out of troubled relationships and heading into the holiday season without much to look forward to at all.

On impulse, workaholic Amanda decides to get away from it all. An online ad promoting house-swapping catches her eye and after exchanging instant messages with Iris, the two decide to really switch things up by swapping lives for a couple of weeks.

City dweller Amanda's not quite ready for the challenges facing her when she tries to settle into Iris' small country cottage. But Amanda soon finds life a bit more enjoyable when Iris' delicious brother, Graham (Jude Law), stops by to sleep off a night of drinking. Meanwhile Iris has found a couple of men to while away the time with in sunny California. A co-worker (Jack Black) of Amanda's ex catches her eye and turns out to be an engaging conversationalist who's fun to hang out with. She also befriends an elderly gentleman (Eli Wallach) who turns out to be an Academy Award-winning screenwriter.

To Sum It Up

The Holiday is a sweet romantic comedy featuring pretty people & houses, and appreciable acting. If you're ready for the cinematic equivalent of cotton candy, then The Holiday is just the sweet confection for you. The background music is excellent and is by Hans Zimmer along with some lovely songs like Just for Now by Imogen Heap, Cry by Hans Zimmer, Breathe Me, Let go by Frou Frou. This is one such movie which always moves me and tears swell up in my eyes, irrespective of my mood. A movie worth watching any time and any number of times. Enjoy!!!

June 09, 2009 –Star Movies @7:15 p.m.

2009-05-27T15:15:00.016+05:30

Oscar Wilde once said, “A
well tied tie is the first serious step in life”.

Years may have passed since then, but the importance of ties still holds true even today. Neckties have always been a passion for men who want to look fashionable and who also want to make a professional impact. Knowing how to choose the right tie and learning the right steps to tie the perfect knot are important subjects they don't teach you at business school.

For me, a good looking necktie still embodies style, professionalism and maturity. A professional look promotes credibility, respect, and ultimately, success. Despite its size, a tie is in fact the most expressive accessory in a man's wardrobe. It reveals his personality to a great extent. We have come a long way with ties, right from the childhood days the one with the elastic band where in you just put it over the head, to the clip on ties to the professional way of wearing a tie. Normally people buy a shirt or trouser and then find a tie to match it. But I do the reverse. I first buy a tie and then go about finding the right shirt / trouser that can match it. The tie is the first thing that you get to see in detail and not the shirt behind it or the trouser below it. I am a tie collector. As I write this, I have a collection of 41 ties in my wardrobe.

I remember the Virgin mobile commercial where the guys are giving advice to a guy about tying the tie and he is unable to make it or the way it is said, "Put fatty over thinny, bring fatty around again, bring fatty through the loop and tuck him down the drain." Sound pretty simple to remember, right? But not always; of the many ways to tie a tie, the common knots are:

Four-in-hand: is the most well known basic knot and easy to tie and untie. It is perfect for most ties and almost all types of collars.

Double-hand: is similar to the; except for a "second pass" or wraparound. This knot is ideal for men who are not particularly tall as it reduces the length of the finished tie. It is perfect with Italian collars and for ties made from a thin fabric, like silk. It is quick and easy to tie.

Windsor: which owes its name to the Duke of Windsor, is a knot full of English class and one of the most popular; when finished the Windsor knot has considerable volume and is best suited to wide-spaced collars and to thin fabric ties.

Half – Windsor: has less volume than the full Windsor. It is ideal for straight parallel ties, thin fabrics and open collars.

Small-Knot: as the name implies, is small and suitable for ties made from a thick fabric and for close-fitting collars.

Cross-Knot: used with thin fabric ties, is smart when finished but is complicated to achieve.

An executive from the corner office once said to me, “Without a tie, I feel naked”. Some times I feel that the tie helps me to cover the little corporate paunch that is coming into existence, though I know I have to work on getting rid of it and not cover it up with a tie. And, here are some useful tips about ties:

Your tie should be darker than the color of your shirt. Ideally, the end of the tie should touch the waist band of your trouser.
Always hang your tie when not in use to allow heavy creases to smoothen out naturally.
Try not to buy on looks alone. Touch and feel the tie. If you don't like the feel, you won't wear it!
Remember to check the inside of the tie, which should be lined with a stiff material so the tie will retain its shape.

The point is that it is very important to know how to wear a tie. It will help you in your future career and profession. A well-knotted tie can give you the look of confidence and determination that you need for a bright future. As the old saying goes "There are no ugly men in this world, but only men who do not know how to look handsome".

(From the column of Fireside - Thermax In-house Magazine by GVK)

THERMAX FY09 RESULTS

2009-05-25T09:39:00.002+05:30

No to Criminals

2009-04-06T09:09:00.005+05:30

Dear All,
As a resurging nation gears up for the 15th Lok Sabha elections, we need to make sure that history is not repeated again. One in five Members of Parliament elected in India’s 2004 general election had pending criminal cases against them, either awaiting trial or on appeal after conviction. About half the cases are for murder, violent robbery or rape. We have had enough with false representation and it is the right opportunity to clean up the parliament! Members of Parliament cannot represent citizens if they’ve been convicted by the courts. And if the law allows it, the law needs to be changed. It's profoundly immoral that they are allowed to represent us. Please vote for the right candidate. A clean candidate. Let’s vote for a clean parliament.

Meher Pudumjee of Thermax - CEO of the Year 2007-08

2009-03-13T11:20:00.002+05:30

Thermax FY09 Q3 Results

2009-01-29T10:28:00.002+05:30

Satyam: Best in Corporate Governance

2009-01-16T16:18:00.002+05:30

This is the best webpage i have come across in the last few days!!!

http://www.satyam.com/media/pr6sep08.asp

Satyam Receives Golden Peacock Global Award for Excellence in Corporate Governance

LONDON, September 22, 2008: Satyam Computer Services Ltd. (NYSE: SAY), a leading global consulting and information technology services provider, has won the coveted Golden Peacock Global Award for Excellence in Corporate Governance for 2008. The organization was named the winner by The World Council for Corporate Governance (WCFCG), with Dr. Ola Ullsten, the former Prime Minister of Sweden, serving as lead judge.
The honor is especially relevant given that corporate governance best practices are considered key benchmarks by stakeholders who evaluate corporations. In fact, their importance is magnified in difficult economic environments.
"It is a real honor for Satyam to receive such a prestigious award,” said Srinivas Vadlamani, Satyam CFO. “It is a testament to our efforts to continually innovate and advance corporate governance best practices in our industry and around the world."
The award was presented at the Ninth International Conference on Corporate Governance, held in London. G. Jayaraman, Satyam’s Global Head of Corporate Governance and the Company Secretary, accepted the honor at a function attended by business leaders, corporate governance experts and policymakers.The Golden Peacock Award is the latest of several corporate governance honors for Satyam. Investor Relations Global Rankings (IRGR) rated Satyam as the company with Best Corporate Governance Practices for 2006 and 2007. It also won the Golden Peacock Award for Excellence in Corporate Governance from the Institute of Directors in New Delhi in 2002.
“This honor demonstrates the value Satyam places on corporate governance, and on the importance of serving the interests of our investors, clients, associates and of society,” Jayaraman said.

Thermax New Order Win: 450Cr Captive Power Plant

2008-10-07T14:05:00.001+05:30

I Didn't Believe Till I Experienced...

2008-08-27T09:27:00.001+05:30

Here Are The 15 Rules Or Laws That Pune Lives By

1. The Other Side Law:
If my side of the road has a traffic jam, then I can start driving on the wrong side of the road, and all incoming cars will be rerouted via Nanded.

2. The Queue Nahin Rule:
If there is a queue of many people, no one will notice me sneaking into the front as long as I am looking the other way.

3. The Mind Over Matter Law:
If a red light is not working, four cars from different directions can easily pass through one another.

4. The Auto Axiom:
If I indicate which way I am going to turn my auto rickshaw, it is an information security leak.

5. The In Spit Of Thing:
The more I lean out of my car or bus, and the harder I spit, the stronger the roads become.

6. The Cinema Hall Fact:
If I get a call on my mobile phone, the film automatically goes into pause mode.

7. The Brotherhood Law:
If I want to win an argument, I need only to repeatedly suggest that the other person has illicit relations with his sister or mother.. .

8. The Baraat Right:
When I'm on the road to marriage, all the roads in the city belong to me.

9. The Heart Of Things:
If I open enough buttons on my shirt, the pretty girl at the bus stop can see through my hairy chest into the depths of my soul.

10. The Name Game:
It is very important for the driver behind me to memorise the nicknames of my children.

11. Parking Up The Wrong Tree:
When I double-park my car, the road automatically widens so that the traffic is not affected.

12. The Chill Bill Move:
When I park and block someone else's car I am giving him a chance to pause, relax, chill and take a few moments off from his rushed day.

13. The Burrp Break:
The louder I burp in a public place; the more it helps other people digest their food.

14. The Bus Karo Law:
If I don't stop my bus at the correct place near the bus stop, the city will explode and blow into 6 million pieces.

15. The VIP Rule:
There are only 7 important persons in this city-Me, I, Myself, Main, Mainu, Aami and Moi !

PS: Although these rules have been made for Pune - BUT - they are applicable to MOCOI (Most other cities of India)

Adventures of Sivaranjan

2008-08-27T09:23:00.001+05:30

SIVARANJAN & THE INTERVIEWER
Interviewer: What is your birth date?
Sivaranjan : 13th October
Interviewer: Which year?
Sivaranjan: ... EVERY YEAR

SIVARANJAN & HIS MANAGER
Manager asked to Sivaranjan at an interview....
Can you spell a word that has more than 100 letters in it?
Sivaranjan replied: P-O-S-T-B-O- X

SIVARANJAN & LONDON TRIP
After returning back from a foreign trip, Sivaranjan asked his wife, Do I
look like a foreigner?
Wife : No! Why?
Sivaranjan : In London, a lady asked me, "Are you a foreigner?".. that's why ...

SIVARANJAN & TOURIST
One tourist from U.S.A.asked to Sivaranjan whether any great man born in this
village or not .. and Sivaranjan said .. "No sir, only babies were born here."

SIVARANJAN & HIS EXPERIMENT
Sivaranjan was experimenting with a cockroach. First he cut off oneof it's
leg and told WALK. WALK. Cockroach walked.
Then he cutoff it's second leg and told the same. Cockroach walked. Then
he cut off the third leg and did the same. At last he cut off it's fourth
leg and ordered it walk! But cockroach didn't walk.
Suddenly Sivaranjan said loudly, "I found it. If we cut cockroach's four
legs, it becomes deaf.
Sivaranjan become a saint!

SIVARANJAN & DRIVER
When Sivaranjan was travelling with his wife in a motorised tricycle, the
driver adjusted mirror. Sivaranjan shouted, "Are you trying to see my wife? Come,
sit back here and I will drive.

SIVARANJAN GOES TO HOTEL
Sivaranjan went in a hotel. To wash hands he went to the washbasin. There he
started washing the basin. Seeing this, the manager asked what was he
doing. Sivaranjan pointed towards the board "WASHBASIN"

SIVARANJAN & INTERVIEWER - FINAL PART
Interviewer : Just imagine your in 20th floor in a building, it caught
fire and how will you escape ?
Sivaranjan : It's simple.. I will just stop my imagination . :)

Oh .. i forgot . the funniest part ...
On a political rally Sivaranjan was arrested. Why ????????????
Because, a woman journalist walking with a badge wrote "PRESS" on her
right chest ... and he did it !

Why I Love my City !!!

2008-08-26T17:33:00.001+05:30

7 Different reasons I love my city:

Energy Savings

My city has regular periodic (approved – not me but some one has approved) power cuts, which has helped me in my education, skills and knowledge upgrading and other such literary activities

Earlier I used to watch so much TV on weekends and even after coming back from work daily. These power cuts have helped me by not watching TV. So I spend my time now by reading so many magazines, and books. Also cooking has become my favorite past time.

Environment Friendly

The power cuts have reduced the production (non-existent) and my usage (which is hardly any – 110 units /month) considerably, thereby decreasing the GHG emissions in the atmosphere. At this rate, we will comply with Kyoto protocol by next year only; don’t have to wait till 2012.

Savings

Due to the power cuts, my electricity bill has reduced drastically, there by less usage of my microwave used for majority of pre-cooking and post cooking activities. Also the usage of all electronic equipment and heaters, thereby increasing the life of all white goods used. Also the time and effort in cooking is saved.

Health

Health has improved to a great extent as I eat outside most of my time. This is due to the avoidance of my extremely oily, fried food cooking. Hence less cooking, leading to more additional time, more reading and more improvement under #1.

Social Life

Earlier, I used to be home most of the time, watching TV or doing something at home. Now, I spend more time checking out my neighbors (some good? looking girls) and other buildings. Thereby my eyesight has also improved. I go out for movies to theatres, thereby improving my social life. More people know who I am now than they new before. Great beginnings!!!!

Infrastructure

The infrastructure like roads and other things are so poor, that u don’t feel like spending time outside at all either driving or doing anything. (Once u shop, u spend more; the less u go out, more the savings).

The roads have pits the size of my car, so it’s pretty cool that my car can sit in any of the pit lane at any time. It’s like parking basically, U Park in the pit and wait for the tow truck to come and take it out.

Ownership and Patriotism

In this part of the country, people take ownership of the road, as if it is their own (Built to drive formula). They drive according to their wishes and are in total control of themselves. They don’t bother who else is driving on the road. They spit only next to them, thereby not intruding in others spitting zone.

Such a pleasure to be in such circumstances…. I keep telling my friends. If I ever leave my job and go somewhere, I will surely remember the city only. Definitely, as other things are not worth remembering…. Friends, office, work, colleagues have never left me any memories… it’s only the city that is etched in my memory forever…

So many benefits in one city!!! The dream of the future….

NINE PHRASES THAT WOMEN USE THE MOST!!!

2008-08-26T14:38:00.004+05:30

Hi folks,
It’s been some time since I promised to write some thing and haven’t written. Well…There are some experiences that I have gathered over a time talking to lot of women and then I thought what if this is it. For a change I got a different topic to write finally!!!.....

Nine Phrases that Women Use and what do they mean by them!!!!!

Fine -- Fine is a simple word, which means ok, but when the women use it, it becomes like this “I AM RIGHT AND YOU NEED TO SHUT UP”.

Five mins -- how many times we might have heard, when you ask “HONEY! ARE YOU READY?” and she says “FIVE MINS, DEAR”... Well the truth is five mins is five mins when you are watching the last over of the world cup final with India vs. Australia and you say I need five mins…. Because in 5 mins the match will be over…. But the women’s five mins means that it’s going to be 30 mins... So watch out...

Nothing -- Many times when we see women, just blank doing nothing, we tend to ask “WHAT HAPPENED?” and they say “NOTHING”. Its means there is some thing. It’s the calm before the storm. Arguments starts with “Nothing” and end with “Fine”.

Go ahead -- sometimes you get irritated and you tell “I am going to find some one else better than you” and she says “Go ahead”. IT'S A DARE, NOT PERMISSION. So please don’t be fooled by this, otherwise you are dead.

Loud Sigh -- A non verbal statement….When you want to help her out and you ask her “WHERE DO I KEEP THIS?” and she gives a LOUD SIGH. This is the only phrase that is expression bound and audio oriented, but no words come out. It basically means that “U ARE SUCH AN IDIOT”. That is what she thinks of you.

That’s ok -- You were doing some thing in a room and broke some thing and she rushes into the room and sees what you have done. You are apologetic and look at her but she says “THAT’S OK” and she leaves. That means that she is planning to get back at you at a later stage and she will surely make you pay more than your worth. Please be careful.

Don’t worry about it, I got it -- This means that she had asked you to do some thing so many times and got fed up of it that now she is doing it herself. While doing so, she will show tendencies of #3. It means that you will ask “WHAT HAPPENED?” and she will say “NOTHING”. Phrase #3 situation takes over from here.

Whatever -- You are busy saying how much you have worked this week and you have earned credit form your boss and she says “WHATEVER”. It basically means she doesn’t care about it and it’s her way of saying “F*** YOU”, SO WHAT IS THE BIG DEAL?

Thanks -- It’s the rarest of all phrases, probably once in a life time phrase. So please shut up and just accept it by saying “YOU’RE WELCOME”. Anything more than that will result in any of the earlier phrases being used. So please shut up and take it.

I am sure these are the best and only phrases that women can come up with any time in their lives to use against any one. So all the children, men, and any one who is not women, please note it down and be ready with the reply.

If you happened to find anything better than these, please do leave a comment and I will try to research into them. Till then….

For the love of God!!!

GVK

Thermax receives an order of Rs 415 crore

2008-08-04T15:14:00.001+05:30

Thermax Ltd has informed BSE that the Company has received an order of Rs 415 crore, from a leading steel making Company, for setting up a captive power plant for their upcoming Blast Furnace Complex on an EPC basis. The captive power plant will use the waste gas from the furnace to produce power.

This order is a part of the 4.2 MTPA Steel capacity expansion of the customer. Thermax scope includes design, engineering, manufacture, supply, erection and commissioning of captive power plant with blast furnace gas fired boilers, steam turbine generators and balance of plant.

Thermax opens unit in China

2008-08-04T09:09:00.003+05:30

Energy and environment solutions firm from India, Thermax Limited, has opened a manufacturing facility under its subsidiary in Zhejiang province in east China with a registered capital of USD 11.47 million.

The facility set up under Thermax's 100 per cent subsidiary, Thermax (Zhejiang) Cooling and Heating Engineeri'ng Company Limited is the companys first overseas manufacturing unit.

The plant with a capacity of over 400 absorption chillers per annum with the state-of-the-art machinery would cater to the absorption chiller market in China and some other overseas markets.

Consul General of India in Shanghai Vishnu Prakash inaugurated the facilitynin the presence of Thermax Group Chairperson Meher Pudumjee and Jiaxing Vice-Mayor Jiang Ren Huan.

Thermax Limited, a USD 800 million leading company in energy and environment solutions, offers total integrated solutions in the areas of heating, cooling power, water and waste management, air pollution control and chemicals.

Headquartered in Pune, Thermax's international operations are spread over China, South East Asia, Russia, West Asia, Africa, UK and the US.

Thermax FY 09 Q1 Results

2008-07-23T13:16:00.002+05:30

Thermax makes yet another very profitable quarter.....:)

Thermax 27th AGM Presentation

2008-07-23T12:38:00.002+05:30

http://www.bseindia.com/qresann/news.asp?newsid={655B2A08-04DC-44AA-9FE6-4AF96FF17C21}&param1=1

One more Blog: Sigh......

2008-06-18T15:06:00.002+05:30

Hey dudes & some dudettes,

What’s happening? It’s been long time since I have been in contact with the sane part of my life. Well…. When you work like me… there is only insanity in the making....

Hmm… me working in a new role in the corporate office… can’t tell much about what I do but it is in a prominent office in the corporate… well to refresh all I am still working in Thermax…

Well…. All seem surprised. I am one of the only few who haven’t shifted jobs or locations in the two years that have passed by after MBA. Who else is there… well there is pavan who has moved to Atlanta, hari prasanth, and all the tamil gangs are in operation in various part of the world… so the world is taken care of.

No wonder inflation is at an all time high in many parts of the world, the south Indian crowd must be downing tons and tons of rice with sambhar which would have been definitely loaded with tons of vegetables and the dal to start with…

And what else is going on? Nothing much happening at my end… the usual barrage of marriage invitations from friends are on, information on people getting new girl friends, single girls on the block yet no time to meet…

I am getting my usual gyaan of get married, its high time, how long will you be like this?, eww…. Tired of going through all that.. marriage is some thing that is in the hands of destiny, we are mere mortals in the hands of fate, providing entertainment to the puppet masters of this universe.

Bullshit… haha. me and all that philosophy and jargon… my my… I am turning into a stupid a** who has too much time to write such crap.. I am tired of everything right now... wish i could get some change in my life... maybe a girl.. maybe some thing new... maybe even a guy doesn't seem bad at this time... just kidding...
well... some one give me some bright idea yaar and win a free halls goli....right away... for two ideas you can get a unopen halls goli and a well licked one too... so hurry!! offer lasts till the goli lasts...
some one write a letter or some thing to me and make it a little interesting so that i can spend some time reading that and avoid work... was reading Meenakshi Reddy Madhavan's post" The compulsive confessor"... Hmm... the only reason to start with i went there was that she was a reddy girl... heard that she is 26 .. single.... writer...hmm... maybe i also can become a writer...may be then my luck can change..
lets hope for the best... let me check out more of her blog and be back... in the mean time some write a comment saying " how lucky am i"...

Take care... take away... and all that...
Lv
Gvk

Promoted to Associate Manager

2007-07-24T08:59:00.001+05:30

Dear Folks,

Hmmmm...... Hello to all and hope all who visit my blog are good....

What's happening nowadays? The markets are doing good... still i couldn't make much of the rise.. ofcourse i am risk averse citizen of India, so can't help wid it.. what else?... Was caught up in the rain doing nothing for my birthday which passed of on June 30.. turned one more year old..Thanks to all the friends who remembered my b'day and did call me or msg me or sms me or orkut me.. I love you all for the love and affection.. will definitely remember ur birthday's and wish you for sure...and what else??

I GOT PROMOTED TO ASSOCIATE MANAGER..... Surprise surprise.. made the promotion in one year only... got a very good rating for the work done..so i am an associate now from a deputy earlier..

Was visiting many places this quarter... not for pleasure though but pure business... was visiting the power plants that our company was constructing ... Bhuj in Gujarat, Sirohi in Rajasthan, Vijayawada in Andhra, and many more... looks like i will become a power projects person in a year or two more time frame...

Whatelse is happening?? No news from any of my friends on their jobs or anything.. Heard that all married people... sathish, vijay krishna, harshil.. all are happy... somehow that seems very strange so.. but still they are good people so will take their word for granted..

Nothing more to write now.. will make it a habit to write more and more in short intervals... Signing off wid a pic of me...

Lv
GVK

After a long time.....

2007-03-02T13:36:00.000+05:30

Dear folks,

It's been a long long time since i have put in a post... A combination of lethargy, dis-interest and other such things have prompted me to abstain from putting put some posts. But alas what can i do... i need to tell the world what i feel about...

Lot many things have been happening on my front.. work is going well.. little bad health keeping me at bay from showing my skills on many fronts.. now that i have started taking interest in my nemisis.. the finance section. But time has come for me to face my worst fears and i have started reading up anything on finance that i can lay my hands on..

Ofcourse first impression is always the best impression and my first entry into the world of mutual funds was marked with skepticism, cautiousness and at the same time the need to make use of my new found mutual fund knowledge... Finally embarked on that concept and made some money in the first cut.. but alas the market lures you at first and then once it knows that it has got a gambler in sight, it starts ditching.... I bet heavily on this budget to do better and the finance minister did disappoint me... In the sense that if i was an "am admi" i might benefit from what he said but i am a corporate donkey doing tons of work and less of pay so it hit me harder than ever and currently me in an irrepairable loss to my hard earned income..

The sensex tanked 1700 points since the day i made my second set of investment (it was a 6 figure investment close to being 7 figure investment) i have made terrible losses, trying to understand where i failed. Anyway leaving that aside... everything seems ok for now.. i have been getting good reviews for the work that i have been doing (on the work work front... no my other financial work front, though i give some good recommendations and tips on the stocks)

My appraisal is not due for another couple of months.. so have enough time to do well and get that bloody promotion that i have been weeping about and the lack of a proper compensation which is the case with most of the engineering based companies...

My parents usual push of " have to put on weight?" or " have to look good for the girl whom we will see" are all on as usual... nothing much has changed i am still the same.. will post some better pictures soon...

what else?... hmmm...nothing seems to come to my mind rite now... will write something interesting soon... probably on the ground breaking work that i am doing or my thoughts on anything that might interest you folks..

Till then do keep in touch...

Lv Gopal

Some of My Recent Pics

2006-08-23T13:26:00.001+05:30

Hey Folks,

Thought i could post some pics that were taking recently. well... will keep posting better ones soon.

Thirty on Thirty on Thirty

2006-08-07T17:53:00.000+05:30

THIRTY ON THIRTY OF THIRTY (30/30/30)
(My 30th post on 30th June which is my 30th Birthday)

Dear Folks,

It has been a long time since I have written or updated my blog with some thing that I think is of sense to me. Well... let me think... What all important do I have to say since the last time I updated my blog.

Finally I celebrated my thirtieth birthday on the thirtieth of June. 30/30 that is where the title of this blog comes from… Hmm.. New set of friends, the ones with whom I stay in the Thermax Guest House and share with them the present needs and circumstances… Nice and lovely bunch they are from different colleges and different cultures and I have got used to them.

My thirtieth birthday passed of with them and was not much of importance like the last year when I threw a party for the whole class but this time it was a conservative and meaningful approach with my age in the picture and my behavior matching the 30 I have become.

Hmm… Pictures, yes I will post them here only and some nice ones and not so nice ones too... I have shaved off my moustache now so dunno if it is good or worse to look at my picture but you ppl take a call on it. Work is great, I am loaded with work and I love the workaholic nature which is the predominant one in me takeover and guide my life and career. Thinking about marriage also… decided that it is high time that I settle off. Waiting to find the rite girl….

Talking about girls, that is one distraction I am not having here since my division hardly has any girls and not much time is left to meet any … but still I am not that close with my gender too… The rains have been lashing here and everywhere…No trouser of mine or shirt or infact anything went back home without getting wet any given day…

The best thing about Pune is there are hardly any cops… why are there no cops even though no signals are there because there are enough pot holes to restrict the speed limit to 5cm/hr. yes cm not meters or Kms….
That is the pathetic state I am in when it comes to driving which has been my passion.

After my Dad’s generous gift of the Honda City to me I thought I can whiz pass everyone and pick up the girls. Alas…. Dreams remain dreams and I still dream on… The nearest decent place to eat or look at some thing remotely feminine is 22 kms away… that is the distance of the main happening places to my place of living…

So life is currently spent in getting up, getting ready and then traveling to the office and then come back in the evening tired and exhausted and dreaming about the awesome females that I am missing back in all the other places of the world that I have been to and finally finishing my dinner and snoring off…..

My whole life revolves around thermax at present and I think it will happen to do so for some time. The work is awesome though and I love doing what I am good at … OPERATIONS and PROJECT MANAGEMENT… So anyone wants to disturb me or share some of what they do please do drop in a message or calls… you all know where my number is available rite….

So take care my friends, and all my well wishers, will be back with an interesting topic to discuss in the near future…

Till then,

Your Devils Advocate.

Final Blog as a Student ..... Reflections of Friends

2006-05-22T10:51:00.000+05:30

It has been close to 3 weeks since I graduated and the college got over... the initial week was very difficult when i returned home with memories of all my friends and loved ones... i was missing them all.... We somehow kept in touch thanks to orkut and chat... The use of technology " THE CELL PHONE" has somehow made up for the loss a little bit...

The next two weeks was a complete shocker.... Many of the ppl whom i thought were my closest friends and my trust mates ripped me apart in many ways then one...It proved how they manipulated me and used me for a period of one year in many ways. they broke the trust, the bonds and all the loyalty i showed for them. For them i was an opportunity to be used and for me they were friends to the core. I was trying my level best to live up to their expectations and their needs, investing a hell lot of emotions and what happened? .... all down the drain not because they could not do anything for me, but for the reason that they used me like a tissue and continue using me more and more...

I have realized a lot of things. When i first joined the college one year back, I was very uptight and speaking very less. Did not want to get involved in the politics of life as a student and their personal issues. But then i realized that i need to share and care and show emotions. Finally when i started doing that ppl took advantage of me and i never even realized since i blindly trusted them. Never asked them questions, took everything they told me for granted and was trying my best but they kept manipulating me for their needs and wishes.

Alas!!! what are friends for? I ask this question to myself and then i ponder: are they really my friends and is the time that i am spending thinking about them and missing them worth it?? That is why i have decided to be my normal self... The old Gopal... Who cared a damn about any one and had a free will...

TODAY I FREE MYSELF FROM ALL THE BONDS AND EMBARK ON A NEW JOURNEY....A journey where i trust myself and i try to be the best for myself... Realized that it is always ONESELF whom you have to put in perspective and live for that... So that is what i am going to do from now on..

I will be joining work in a week's time and hope all this pain and hurt would go off and I would be normal again working as i used to earlier. It will take time but TIME IS THE BEST HEALER AND I HAVE TO GIVE ENOUGH TIME AND SPACE FOR MYSELF TO OUTGROW FROM THESE AND BE A HONEST AND TRUSTWORTHY PERSON... atleast to myself..

Finally i would like to end this post on a cheerful and high note with a couple of pictures from "MY BEST FRIENDS WEDDING"... NO not the movie but the real wedding of my best friend Anand Jayachandran... I Would like to wish the couple a happy and properous married life... It was an awesome wedding with great traditions and excellent food... The best way to end my student life...

Love all the folks who support me in this time of need and hurt... Will miss you more than ever.. The final thing i would like to say is there is nothing more than TRUST, LOYALTY, DEDICATION, SINCERITY and HONESTY that make a person SUPREME... Would die even if i have to let go of any one of those qualities that i have...

Farewell friends, fiends and all those who hurt me

GOPAL (still the perfectionist)

The Final Moments of College

2006-04-25T01:51:00.000+05:30

Dear Folks,

This is an emotional post for me, not for the reason that i am showing too much of sentiment and posting too many pictures, it is just that these are the final days of my college., Probably the end of my education ( this is my fourth graduation.. one Bachelor and Three Master Degrees). I had a great time this one year. It was a great learning experience for me...

The diversified class gave me so much and it made me to give up so muchhhh.... (ego and many other things)..... My love for some of them will never cease to exist. So these few final days i am gonna post in lots of pics....

Many facets of life, brings me in touch with many ppl, I will miss all these ppl. They have been my good moments, my sad ones, my happy ones and erratic ones... But still i will miss them.. they are my friends for life....

The Gravity team makes the final contributions in the form of the second edition. My best team and best team work ever was reflected when working with these ppl. From left to right: Sathish, Sai Sudha, Myself, Nikunj and Neha.

All these ppl have left such an impact on my life in a positive way that i can never express my feelings enough... [:)]

Keep waiting for more ..... Will be posting tons of pictures.... [:)]

GVK
(Emotional Bundle)

Malaysian trip pictures

2006-03-25T15:34:00.000+05:30

Friends,

Finally i am back from a vacation that was due since 11 months since I joined Great Lakes and this trip covers Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. I would love to write a nice blog on it and i will be doing it soon. Till then these are the pictures that i am putting up. Since this was a family vacation, the only pictures i got are of my parents and my brother. Would put other pics at a later time..... till then..... Welcome to my FAMILY.

Heights of Joblessness

2006-03-07T22:00:00.000+05:30

Folks,

Finally the 6th term exams have ended and a little relief. Maybe a big relief since i am not going to be having classes till the 31st of this month. I am finally taking a vacation and going on a trip to Malaysia and Singapore with my family members. Sunno what came into me, I finally decided to take a break. Maybe the hectic schedule is breaking me down. Hope i can still hold on when Graduation comes around. Got still 51 days for it. So eagerly waiting on for it.

What else? Learnt new concepts in supply chain modeling and analysis. Never really did not understand how to develpo a network for a supply chain but the book on "Designing of Supply Chain" by --------------- is supposed to be good. I forgot the author's name. Will put it up ASAP.

The new buzz is about the coming batch students. They are so eager to start the classes that few of them are already sitting in our classes and having fun. Told them not to get so worried about the classes as there will be plenty by the time their sessions start. They are a real eager bunch, already waiting for the placements without even having started their classes. Some of them were eager to know why my salary is what it is right now.

Anyway there is nothing much to write now. Boring Boring Life...... Waiting for some thing nice to happen. Hope that i will have some fun before i leave this place. Till now nothing has happened except hoping for some thing to happen.

Bless me Oh! Lord so that some thing can happen, Miracles Miracles.... Dont happen when you actually need them to happen. And what else, will be on vacation starting next monday, so will keep you updated on the trip once i come back. I hope to take lots of pics, This is my first trip to the eastern side, hope it is as interesting as the west was...... :)

Till then...... Dreammmmm ooooonnnnn,

GVK

Hits and Hits all the way!!!!

2006-03-01T12:38:00.000+05:30

Surprised at what i am talking about??? the hits part. ok it is this.

The number of web searches that google gives : Results 1 - 10 of about 18 for kavalireddi. (0.14 seconds).

The number of hits on my current blog : 1317.

The number of profile views on my current blog: 259

I came to know also that i will be on wikipedia soon. (hope it is for a good reason).

So just doing some time pass and getting your attention, Nothing more happening. Lots and lots of exams this week, i hope that some one will help me out in some manner. I have been praying to god fervorously not to have cricket matches during the exam times.

The ICC had given the cricket schedule long back and it was submitted to the college, but the college timetable is so dynamic, by the time one version of the timetable is clicked to sent, there will be another one ready.
Well the nuances of studying a one year MBA probably :)

Oh!! another time table has come, let me check and be back ok.

cheers
GVK

What's New????

2006-02-24T13:45:00.000+05:30

Sorry folks,

Its been long time , since i posted some thing. It is not because i was extremely busy or some thing, it is just that there was nothing much happening unless you discount the fact that there were some issues that kept on dragging.

So what's new??? Job is fixed, graduation nearing, hmmm..... bird flu in India spoiling my chances of eating the chicken. Not that I eat a lot, maybe once a week thing is also eliminated. Waiting for the budget, want to see if atleast now i can make use of my MBA. Never really understood the budget, except that prices go up and I am supposed to make some purchases ASAP.

Will be moving to Pune around the month of June and new life starts from there. Hope things work out smoothly from now till then on. After that work will take over, fatigue will creep it and i will finally stop posting anything at all.

Working on the next edition of Gravity II along with the team, Have to come up with some good themes for this edition.

Class in progress, so will post some thing later,

Bye
GVK

Finally a Job ........... THERMAX

2006-01-20T09:07:00.000+05:30

Dear Friends,

It is been long time since i bored you with some nonsense or my own troubles. Its been more than a month if i can say, that means i definitely must be either really busy or really lazy. Well... it is neither and it was placement season.

After the day one hiccups of Infosys, Wipro, TCS and CTS, i could get through THERMAX, proving that my heart rests in operations and i cannot be an IT guy any point of time. If Infy interview was excellent, TCS procedure of using the governmental procedure to hire was pathetics, Wipro did not know what to offer whom. They were offering me a job in Marketing when i was a hardcore Operations guy. Strange, either they are not focused or some thing is really wrong with me for going to that interivew after being selected in the GD round.

So i can say successfully that the placement of more than 72 students in the fifrst three days was not a phenomenal but an appreciable target. For a 18 month history, the students really did good and the Institute came out great with excellent logistics, suport systems, timely advices for the 3 days.

I got my placement on 17th January,2006 at 6:20 PM. That is going to be there, etched forever because i fought in the interview with everything i knew and i came out great. It was worth the effort fighting with a panel comprised of IIT K and IIMA with great years of experience. That is when i realized where my heart rests. Though manufacturing companies may not be high paying, but i got the profile that said that McKinsey guys will be baby-sitting me and i have to learning from them for the next few months to come.

So i will make a transcript of the inteview sometime later and post it here so that ppl can know that i had to deal with 10 subjects for technical and my whole life for the HR interview. The GD was a separate altogether.

Ciao for now.

Gopal (Deputy Manager - SCM)

L'Attitude and Gravity, the pillars of success

2005-12-14T18:44:00.000+05:30

Dear Friends,

I am really sorry that i could not complete the part - II of story that i was writing, Instead of that i have decided to put the success of the Great Lakes college Fest that went off in the best possible way that even many accomplished organizers were astonished at the remarkable way it was conducted.

Management Students from 20 schools took part and the events went off in grand success. The conclaves were excellent with Dr. Chandrababu Naidu, the former CM of AP, Jairam Ramesh, Congress MP in Rajyasabha, Dr. Arunachalam and other dignitaries speaking words of wisdom.

The release of the college magazine, the maiden edition of Gravity was launched with great fanfare. I will be posting many pictures in the coming days.

Here are a few to start with .........

A CONFUSED MBA GRADUATE NIGHT-OUT

2005-11-14T18:04:00.000+05:30

Garam Masala - A ruined night

For me the day normally begins at night, not that I don't do anything during the day. It is only that I get sick of the group work, deadlines, the girls with thier boyfriends and the boys with their repeated attempts to get girlfriends, the spamming and other things. So Night for me is a God's gift at enjoying my personal time in my own domain pursuing the unlimited education that I have access to with no finger up my ***.

This night was like a regular night till my room mate called me up and said that we should go for a movie today. He knows about me very well that I am not an ardent fan of movies if it some regional language or anyother. Lets say my movie watching limit is only till the English ones where in I get my dosage of BRAS (Blood, Revenge, Action, Sex) and all that you can think of without any sentiments attached.

Due to previous nights achievements on gyaan, I decided to take a break and go ahead with his proposal. He told me to meet at a certain place and then we both can go out for dinner and for the movie afterwards. My repeated telling him about my navigational skills and map reading capacity fell on deaf ears and he convinced me that I can achieve it (He motivated me by saying that there will be lots of girls).

Finally the prediction came true, I got lost and was somewhere of nowhere and had to call him and convince him to come and meet me at that godforsaken place. Finally after much deliberation we met at a place. We went for dinner at a Jain restaurant and were treated to a meager meal that in no comparison could fulfill me if it was not for the pretty ladies sitting next to our table whom I kept oogling at from time to time.

we reached the movie theatre and parked my car (Yes!! i have a car). Then I scouted for some girls. Found one in a tight jeans, one in a loose top and other with a boy friend's hand on her who was too huge for me. So before I could decide whom to oogle at or go after all of them entered the theatre.

We entered too and god!! could i believe myself; the theatre was some thing like an enlarged toilet with seating arrangement and all for a meager Rs.80 only. The seats were prepared to take in fighter pilots and not me. I finally put my ass in there and wriggled. NO CHANCE AT ALL. So i thought what the hell, let me adjust somehow and I looked around, there was no female in sight and the only female I could see was like a little far (5 MILES away) with a husband and 4 kids trying to argue with him why he is not getting popcorn and drinks already!!!

I resigned to the fact that it cannot get better than this and prayed to god to relieve me from the pain that I was going to face for the next 3 hours or so...

After showing a documentary on how to save water ( every drop...), how to use condoms, and some jewelry ads that reeked of overdone sets and half naked women the movie started.

Hmmm.... This itself is a big thing. So let me stop here and I will put it in the next post.... Till then a few pics from the movie.

COLD PLAY IS JUST AMAZING!!!!

2005-11-08T19:29:00.000+05:30

Hey,
Continuing with the previous post here is another song. This is by cold play (my best) from the album " Rush of Blood to The Head" and the song name is " God Put a Smile on Your Face". This is an awesome song and the music is so cool......... I just love it.

The Lyrics have so much meaning and everyone of the songs that I am going to be putting will be better than the previous lyrics all the time. So keep Enjoying!!!!:):):)

God Put A Smile Upon Your Face

Where do we go, nobody knows
I've got to say I'm on my way down
God give me style and give me grace
God put a smile upon my face

Where do we go to draw the line
I've got to say I wasted all your time
Oh honey honey
Where do I go to fall from grace
God put a smile upon your face yeah

And ah, when you work it out I'm worse than you
Yeah, when you work it out I wanted to
And ah, when you work out where to draw the line
Your guess is as good as mine

Where do we go, nobody knows
Don't ever say you're on your way down when
God gave you style and gave you grace,
And put a smile upon your face oh yeah

And ah, when you work it out I'm worse than you
Yeah, when you work it out I want it to
And ah, when you work out where to draw the line
Your guess is as good as mine.

It's as good as mine, It's as good as mine
It's as good as mine

As good as mine, as good as mine,
As good as mine, as good as mine
Where do we go, nobody knows
Don't ever say you're on your way down when
God gave you style and gave you grace
And put a smile upon your face

Linkin Park - The Best of All Ever

2005-11-06T23:54:00.000+05:30

FANATICS like me will probably acknowledge that the two albums " Hybrid Theory" and "Meteora" have the best heart- touching lyrics ever heard. I thought I would die listening to them, since more or less I had to go through the pain and sacrifice that I thought depicted. I probably listened to a million times all the songs, but the best of lot have the lyrics are here. I Thought I should start putting few of the best lyrics that I have by Linkin Park, Cold play, Train, Ana Johnsson etc.

So keep watching out for the best from me!!!!

This is a song from the the Album "Meteora"

Artist: Linkin Park Lyrics Song: Somewhere I Belong Lyrics

(When this began)

I had nothing to say

And I get lost in the nothingness inside of me

(I was confused)

And I let it all out to find

That I’m not the only person with these things in mind

(Inside of me)

But all that they can see the words revealed

Is the only real thing that I’ve got left to feel

(Nothing to lose)

Just stuck, hollow and alone

And the fault is my own, and the fault is my own

[Chorus]

I wanna heal, I wanna feel what I thought was never real

I wanna let go of the pain I’ve felt so long

(Erase all the pain till it’s gone)

I wanna heal, I wanna feel like I’m close to something real

I wanna find something I’ve wanted all along

Somewhere I belong

And I’ve got nothing to say

I can’t believe I didn’t fall right down on my face

(I was confused)

Looking everywhere only to find

That it’s not the way I had imagined it all in my mind

(So what am I)

What do I have but negativity

’Cause I can’t justify the way, everyone is looking at me

(Nothing to lose)

Nothing to gain, hollow and alone

And the fault is my own, and the fault is my own

[Repeat Chorus]

I will never know myself until I do this on my own

And I will never feel anything else until my wounds are healed

I will never be anything till I break away from me

I will break away, I'll find myself today

[Repeat Chorus]

I wanna heal, I wanna feel like I’m somewhere I belong

Somewhere I belong

The Devil in the flesh!!! :)

2005-11-02T18:23:00.000+05:30

Hey friends,

Here are a few pics of mine. Don’t ask me why I am putting them here, it is only for the sake of a few people who don’t know how I look like and why I keep posting all these things ok.

So enjoy the pics, if there is anything bad or silly, don’t complain but just go through them, if there is some thing good and nice that you like about, then please post your comments ok. If you need some more pics, please feel free to ask anytime.

Bye :)
cya

GVK

The Return of the Devil ...... from Outbound to Blog

2005-11-01T05:06:00.000+05:30

Dear Friends,

Sorry for the long delay in writing the blog. Was held up with so many things that by the time I was finished with everything, 2 weeks have passed. There are lots of things to write this time, personal mostly, so feel free to skip it or read through.

At first I want to mention that though i did not take part in any of the IIM contests or confluences, my mark is found everywhere. I had the pleasure of doing the presentations for most of the students submitting their ppts (incase you did not know, stands for power point presentations). This took me a better part of 10 days. Then there was the usual Outbound that was planned as a term break and it was soggy.

Chennai was raining pigs and donkeys and there was nothing that I could do except get wet for most of the time. The outbound turned out to be a normal with more role plays and creative idea nurturing rather than a de-stressor as it was slated to be. Few pics which i had to take: These are a few namoonahs!!! Many more to come soon.

After the outbound came the diwali, could not go home due to lack of transportation since the so called Chennai metropolitan was flooded till neck and hence had to stay back. One best thing is that I got the time to write the blog and update the happenings, finally.

Don’t worry about my pics, since I tried to look my worst, did not even have a proper haircut since 4 weeks, so that is why I am looking so shabby and all that, so chuck it out and please consider the picture in the profile for further use.

I think this is enough and it is time to pen off, Will be back soon with loads of stuff, especially since my electives are starting in 2 weeks,

Till then All Hail the God (hmm…..sorry the Devil)

Gopal

P.S. i could not put my pics, due to the lack of clarity, so will decide and put a separate post for that ok :)

Operations Management Newsletter, Issue 4

2005-10-14T17:15:00.000+05:30

Rulz of the Game

2005-10-12T09:38:00.000+05:30

The "Rules" of the Game :-
1. The female always makes the rulz.
2. The Rulz r subject to change @ any time without prior notification
3. No man can possibly know all the rulz.
4. If she suspects that the male knows all the rulz,she must immediately change some of them .
5. She is never wrong.
6. If She is wrong , its bcoz of a fragrant misunderstanding which was a direct result of something the male did or said wrong.
7. If Rule 6 applies ,the male must apologise immediately.
8. The female can change her mind at any juncture.
9. The male must not change his mind without explicit written consent from her.
10. Female has every right to be angry or upset @ any time.
11. Male must remain calm @ all times , unless the female wants him to be angry or upset
12. Female must,under no circumstances , let the male know whether or not she wants him to be angry or upset.
13. Any attempt to document these rules might result in bodily harm ;)
14. if the female is hot , all rules r NULL and VOID.

If you don't think these are true, all the females can get back to me and the males..... u are already converted.
So don't bother to contact me.

Article in India Today

2005-10-03T19:54:00.000+05:30

Article in India Today - Starts with who......??

2005-10-02T20:07:00.000+05:30

B-SCHOOLS: OVERSEAS OPTIONS

Indian versus Foreign

Indian business schools offering international faculty are fast gaining popularity. But will they be able to match the brand value of the best foreign management schools?

(Article is here)

The article starts off with my qualifications, saying what all I did and what I did not do, i.e., basically not join a Top Notch American B- School. This actually set me off thinking, if this was the right choice that I made, specially with a US degree already and another Master also, on top of that with a 5 1/2 years experience working in government as well as other companies.

Finally after a small session of brain racking and rationalized thinking, I came to the conclusion that it is actually a good proposition and I made the right choice. Of course, the results will show out during the placement season when and if I make it to a TOP NOTCH COMPANY - INDIAN or MNC.

Let’s hope the article helps in getting me some limelight and gain my 15 mins of fame, in one form or the other. I have taken a big leap of faith and the trust is on none other than Uncle Bala, because of whom I am here and of course my qualifications.

I think I have boasted too much about myself and the article, but imagine it is a nice thing to happen to me.Lets hope this is not the first and the last that I will be in a magazine or a newspaper and there are many many more to come.............. Soon

cya soon,

Love

Gopal

Operations Management Group Newsletter - 3

2005-09-30T19:59:00.000+05:30

The 3rd issue of the Great Lakes Institute of Management's Operations Management Group (OMG) newsletter is out. The previous fortnight was very exciting with a sensational overwhelming participation for the MS Project software. Was a little tough to handle such a large group, but i think it was a great success. Just finished off today with the Optimization models final exam, had to struggle till 6:00 am in the morning and had just one hour sleep.

Mafoi counseling followed by classes and guest lectures have filled the day, so a little sleepy in filling up the blog, so will be back with a big bang soon.

adios,
Gvk

Operations At It's Best Time

2005-09-24T13:48:00.000+05:30

The last three weeks great for operations management majoring students as well as others as we had the best of professors from IIM's who saved us from the boredom and made creativity and thought process as worthwhile undertaking. The professors were no other than Dr. Ravi Chandran from the esteemed IIM-A and Dr. Mahadevan from IIM-B.

So coming to Dr. Ravi Chandran, anyone who knows him will appreciate him for the best thought process he brings to the class and he makes everyone sweat even with the best of AC facilities. Man.... he is awesome in a sense that dodging him does not pay at all and you have to face him, go through the process if you want to be anything in life. I fortunately has the chance of taking a couple of pics of him during the class.... knowingly.

As far as Dr. Mahadevan is concerned, he is the best in my opinion. The kind of explanatory skills, interest generation in a dry subject and the subtle jokes he makes always impressed me as well as the class. The inventory and forecasting game that he conducted was very creative and making us feel foolish and brilliant at the same time.

Operations Management Group Newsletter

2005-09-14T23:26:00.000+05:30

The new slogans and tag lines

2005-09-13T21:50:00.000+05:30

Dear Friends,

This week saw a flurry of quizzes everywhere, right from the college quiz at the Great Lakes Institute of Management (i was the winner last time, this time i wanted to give others a chance) to the quinkie slogan contest at yahoo groups. So i thought it is high time that i be the spoilsport and publish the answers.

these are all correct answers by the way, so trust me and keep learning.

Automobile Slogans:

1. FORD - Built for the road ahead
Ford. Designed for living. Engineered to last.
Have you driven a Ford lately?

2. GM - Pontiac Vehicles
Advertising slogan: We are driving excitement

Chevrolet. An American Revolution
See the USA in your Chevrolet
The Heartbeat of America
The road isn't built that can make it breathe hard!
Eye it - try it - buy it!

Oldsmobile car brand
Slogans: Start Something
This is not your father's Oldsmobile

Cadillac brand
Advertising slogans: Cadillac. Break Through
Creating a Higher Standard
Standard of the World
The Penalty of Leadership

Buick car brand
Advertising slogans: Dream Up
Buick. It's All Good
Isn't it time for a real car?
Buick. The spirit of American style

SAAB, Swedish car brand
Slogans: Welcome to the State of Independence (USA campaign)
Saab. Move your mind (European campaign)
Find Your Own Road

Hummer brand
Advertising slogan: Hummer. Like Nothing Else.

3. DAIMLER CHRYSLER - Smart. Open your mind

4. BMW - The Ultimate Driving Machine

5. AUDI - Keeping ahead through technology
Everyone dreams of an Audi

6. TOYOTA - Moving Forward
Get the Feeling. Toyota.
Drive Your Dreams.
The car in front is a Toyota
I love what you do for me - Toyota!
Your new experience of motoring

7. HYUNDAI - Hyundai. Drive your way
Always There for You
Driving is believing
Prepare to want one

8. NISSAN - Shift
You can with a Nissan.
Just wait you drive it.

9. HONDA - The Power of Dreams
It must be love
Honda. First man, then machine
Technology you can enjoy

10. SKODA - Skoda. Simply Clever
It's a Skoda. Honest.

11. VOLKSWAGEN - Drivers wanted. (US marketing campaign)
For the love of the car
Relieves gas pains.
Surprisingly ordinary prices

12. FIAT - Driven by passion. FIAT.

13. JAGUAR - Born to perform
Unleash a Jaguar
Don't dream it. Drive it!
Jaguar. The art of performance
Grace.... space... pace.

14. LEXUS - The Passionate Pursuit of Perfection
The Relentless Pursuit of Perfection

15. TATA MOTORS – innovative way of life; More car per car

1. Microsoft - Where Do You Want to Go Today; Your Potential Our Passion

2. Windows XP - Do More with Less

3. HP - Invent ; Everything is Possible

4. Computer Associates - The software that powers the E Business

5. CSC - Experience. Results.

6. Accenture - High Performance. Delivered

7. IBM - ON DEMAND

8. LENOVO - We are building a new technology company.

9. Apple Macintosh - Think Different.

10. TCS - Beyond the Obvious

11. Infosys - Powered by Intellect, Driven by Values;
Improve your odds with Infosys Predictability

12. WIPRO - Applying Thought

13. EMC - Where Information Lives.

14. Adobe - Simplicity at work. Better by adobe.

15. Macromedia - What the web can be.

Placement Time Approaches..........

2005-09-10T00:04:00.000+05:30

hmmmmmmmmm..........

An item during the regular pre-placement hangama, picture with all ... decked and dressed ready for market......
Wish i could have a better face atleast to make up for the lack of proper credentials in education or multi-b(m)illionaire ancestors.

HISTORY OF SIX SIGMA : PART II

2005-09-02T03:51:00.000+05:30

The roots of six sigma as a measurement standard can be traced back to Carl Frederick Gauss (1777-1855) who introduced the concept of the normal curve. Six sigma as a measurement standard in product variation can be traced back to the 1920's when Walter Shewhart showed that three sigma from the mean is the point where a process requires correction. Many measurement standards (Cpk, Zero Defects, and so on) later came on the scene but credit for coining the term "six sigma" goes to a Motorola engineer named Bill Smith (six sigma is a federally registered trademark of Motorola).
In the late 1970's, Dr. Mikel Harry, a senior staff engineer at Motorola's Government Electronics Group (GEG), began to experiment with problem solving through statistical analysis. Using his methodology, GEG began to show dramatic results – GEG's products were being designed and produced faster and more cheaply. Subsequently, Dr. Harry began to formulate a method for applying six sigma throughout Motorola. His work culminated in a paper titled "The Strategic Vision for Accelerating Six Sigma Within Motorola." He was later appointed head of the Motorola Six Sigma Research Institute and became the driving force behind six sigma.
Dr. Mikel Harry and Richard Schroeder, an ex-Motorola executive, were responsible for creating the unique combination of change management and data-driven methodologies that transformed six sigma from a simple quality measurement tool to the breakthrough business excellence philosophy it is today. They had the charisma and the ability to educate and engage business leaders such as Bob Galvin of Motorola, Larry Bossidy of AlliedSignal (now Honeywell), and Jack Welch of GE. Together, Harry and Schroeder elevated six sigma from the shop floor to the boardroom with their drive and innovative ideas regarding entitlement, breakthrough strategy, sigma levels, and the roles for deployment of Black Belts, Master Black Belts, and Champions. In effect, they created a business revolution that continues to challenge the thinking of executives, managers and employees alike. Their strategies and tools have been perfected through the years by Six Sigma Academy. In brief, the contribution was the unique combination of business leadership plus quality and process improvement tools and techniques which made it possible for leaders to recognize the value of six sigma, not just as a tool for operational efficiency, but as an enterprise wide business strategy with direct bottom line impact.

Next post: Six Sigma: Part III; Black Belts, Master Black Belts, and Champions

Six Sigma: Is it enough? Part -I

2005-09-01T10:45:00.000+05:30

Introduction

In the olden times there was the concept of "Zero Defect" but it was considered more as a hypothetical term rather than having a more practical aspect because though the companies propagated that their processes or services were of Zero Defect but very few customers relied on them because defects were always there. A "Defect" can be defined as any product or service that does not conform to the set standards or satisfaction of the customer. Now, Six Sigma is a concept that tries to achieve a near zero defect with 3.4 defects in a million events.

What is Six Sigma?

Six Sigma is a methodology used to improve any business process by constantly reviewing, updating and re-tuning the existing process. Six Sigma provides the tools to improve the capability of any business process. Six Sigma professionals evaluate a business process and determine ways to improve upon the existing process. Six Sigma incorporates the same principles and techniques used in Business, Statistics, and Engineering.

Six Sigma improves the process performance, decreases variation and maintains consistent quality of the process output. This leads to defect reduction and improvement in profits, employee morale, product quality and finally customer satisfaction.

Six Sigma Strives for perfection every time. It allows for only 3.4 defects per million opportunities for each product or service transaction.

Six Sigma relies heavily on statistical techniques to reduce defects and measure quality.

Evolution of Six Sigma

Japan has been credited with the evolvement of Quality Systems like TQM, Kanban, Kaizen, etc., but Six Sigma has been evolved by the Americans by a company called Motorola in early 1990's. Later in the mid- nineties, GE and Allied Signal adopted it. According to Jack Welch CEO of GE, "Six Sigma is the most challenging and potentially rewarding strategy that GE has ever undertaken". Now Japan has always been known for controlling wastages by having Just-in-time Inventory systems but this concept of Six Sigma, which relies heavily on statistical controls, encompasses all the systems and gives near perfect and measurable results, which in other systems cannot be done easily.

Six Sigma was originally centered around manufacturing improvements. The reason for this was knowledge of the statistical tools in the manufacturing functions and the ease with which we can quantify the benefits. However the customers did not readily see these improvements. The approach was therefore broadened to all business operations. The success of these companies with the six sigma approach caught the attention of the Wall Street making it a popular strategy that is being adopted by many organizations worldwide. Indian organizations such as Wipro, Tata Motors, Hero Motors, Godrej-GE have also adopted six sigma strategy to improve their businesses (Reference: Business Today, Sept 22, 1999).

Operations Management Group

2005-08-30T21:37:00.000+05:30

In this, i am gonna post the newsletter for the Operations and Management Group (OMG) that will be done by me every weekly or bi-weekly. This will cover all the activities undertaken which will include management, operations, technology, and other sections of operations and technology.

Every week we will cover the accomplishments, the future activities, a special article for reading and much more.

Chilling at Ellis Island, New York

2005-08-29T22:26:00.001+05:30

Chilling at Ellis Island (New York)

The building in the background is located on the Ellis Island, and is the first immigration center established in the United States of America. Once inside, it provides an insight into the first years of people moving from different parts of the world to the "Free World".

Academician at Graduation

2005-08-29T22:25:00.002+05:30

Graduation at Florida International University

The same arrogant guy with a Bachelor's, Double Master's Degrees. Too realistic to believe right!!!

The Devil himself !!!!

2005-08-29T22:25:00.001+05:30

I was an embodiment of brashness, arrogance, ego but yet the best at what i did. Perfectionism is my middle name.

The devil himself!!!!

World Traveller

2005-08-29T22:25:00.000+05:30

London Airport (Ferrari backing me)
The coolest airport i ever visited (I have flown more than 200,000 miles till now), the Heathrow at London.