Well … and that’s how I feel …

Interesting Sights – Part 2: Amsterdam

2011-09-18T21:10:00.001+05:30

Here are some interesting sights I came across on my recent visit to Amsterdam. Do let me know which one you liked the most!

Enjoy…

Some fashionable legs & some not so fashionable,

and the latter have buried their heads in the sand ..oops, floor!

"Service(d)" like an Ace!

It's at the 'other' side, you idiot! Can't you read the board?

Okay ...this one needs no comment!!

The Doctor "feels" good! Yeah, right! Shouldn't it be the Patients who feel good?

The Original, Dr. Fish is going to do something fishy...

Just GO..it doesn’t matter where..even if it is, to hell!

Hehe...and these are the kind of people we were hanging out with!

Quickie ....BOOM! Yeah, man. Explosive stuff!!

Me? Who, me? Yes, you! Couldn't be!...

These chips are fried in ... Manneken's what? Ugh!

Just a few moments, so you gotta gulp it down!

And to think this is place where you are supposed to do "wine tasting"!

Yuck! We're gonna eat the Vanilla ice cream that's already IN his tummy!!

'World Famous' ... in Holland!

We're the SOCIETY shop, but we do PERSONAL tailoring..

SurPRICE! If you wait long enough you can "take it out in a special way..." Huh, what?

We are doing all 'telephone activities' - seriously, nothing phony!

Open 7 days a week, eh? 11-11. Then why is the shutter down? Shhh....!

Err...what's inside?

All ye who enter here are ...Sissy Boys!

Look at those people doing "small talk"...

Well, the count down is over ...

Enter the Jackpot and you can be a Top...!

They'll "polish" you off! No wait, these are Dutch!

WILD...WHAT??? An this is not even inside the infamous Red Light Area...!

Well, which ones did you like the most?

Stay tuned for more such “Interesting Sights” from around the world.

Interesting Sights – Part 1: Beijing

2011-09-01T14:15:00.000+05:30

I saw a few interesting ‘sights’ on my latest trip to China. I guess these qualify to go up on Engrish.com too!

Well, what do we have here…Beauty Hair Nails Massage and… Golf!

Didn’t know Dewar’s sold Scotch WHISK in China!

Hello! This, I presume, precedes the FOR(e)PLAY…!

Err…just what is it that people do on this street??

OK, THAT’S where we are .. above the Recycle Bin and before the Toilets!

TOILET? TO-LET? …TOO LATE!

Stay tuned for more such ‘Interesting Sights’…

I used MS WindowsLive Write to prepare this post and it was fun doing it. Just hope that it turns out right!

NEWS: Users oppose RInfra surcharge

2011-04-03T21:26:00.000+05:30

I made a detailed presentation at MERC's Public Hearing at Rangsharda Hall, Bandra, Mumbai yesterday (2nd April, 2011).

The following news item appeared in today's HT.

Users oppose Rinfra surcharge
Dharmendra Jore, Hindustan Times
Mumbai, April 03, 2011

City consumers have opposed Reliance Infrastructure’s demand that consumers who have moved to Tata Power Company (TPC) to avail of low-cost power pay the cross subsidy surcharge.

RInfra wants the surcharge to provide relief to its low-end consumers. The company has the highest number of domestic (below poverty line) consumers who are subsidised by high-end consumers. But, as one lakh high-end consumers have shifted to TPC, RInfra’s subsidy ratio has taken a big hit, which may result in low-end users paying more.

Consumer representatives, presenting their side at a hearing on Saturday on RInfra’s tariff revision petition, blamed RInfra for the crisis. They said consumers who shifted to Tata because of its low tariff should not be forced to pay more for RInfra’s fault.

“RInfra’s spiralling power purchase costs impacted suburban power bills. RInfra had not been prudent in securing long-term inexpensive power,” said MERC-authorised consumer representative Sandeep Ohri, at the hearing conducted by the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC).

Ohri said the company had not categorically shown how it would meet the requirement for its 28 lakh consumers from April, 1, 2011, because TPC has completely stopped supplying power.

The Mumbai airport complex that switched to TPC long ago, opposed the cross subsidy surcharge. “We have paid all charges to RInfra before migrating.” The airport is saving more than Rs 10 lakh per month by availing TPC power.

To this, RInfra representative said the company’s requirement had gone down because of the migration of one lakh consumers to TPC and hence it would not hike bills.

RInfra has not sought any hike for 2010-11. Tariff petitions for the current year are yet to be filed. But, the company demanded the cross subsidy surcharge.

Ohri, who made a detailed presentation, also questioned RInfra’s business model. “We have seen Rinfra doing all the wrong things.

Indiscriminate expenses, baseless growth rates, non-transparent functioning, inconsistent statements, unnecessary legal proceedings and a monopolistic attitude are to be blamed for the misery of consumers,” he said.

Some representatives spoke in favour of RInfra. They said the company should be allowed to recover cross subsidy surcharge to discharge its social obligation of providing cheap power to the poor.

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http://www.hindustantimes.com/Users-oppose-RInfra-surcharge/Article1-680707.aspx
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Hollywood Brothers!

2011-03-11T22:11:00.001+05:30

This post is a result of a Twitter post by Kamla (@Kamla) regarding the contribution of brothers in the progress of Hollywood. She had named a few sets of 'brothers' who had made their mark. I added a few and then curiosity got me into thinking whether we had covered them all - or were the a few more out there.

So I did some 'research' ... Ok, I 'googled' a lot ...and came up with many articles and news items, but none that had listed ALL of them. After knocking off the duplicate entries, here's a list that emerged.

Disclaimer: This is NOT a comprehensive list, by any stretch of imagination.

These are in no particular order of importance, familiarity or (personal) preference. Also, a few of them have played important roles - but, off screen. Do feel free to comment and add a few more.

The Wilson Brothers: Luke, Owen & Andrew
The Affleck Brothers: Ben & Casey
The Stallone Brothers: Sylvester & Frank
The Coen Brothers: Joel & Ethan
The Wahlberg Brothers: Donnie & Mark
The Wachowski Brothers: Larry & Andy
The Baldwin Brothers: Alec, Daniel, Billy & Stephen
The Marx Brothers: Groucho, Harpo, Chico, Zeppo & Gummo
The Farrelly Brothers: Bobby & Peter
The Dillon Brothers: Matt & Kevin
The Fiennes Brothers: Ralph & Joseph
The Penn Brothers: Sean & Chris
The Quaid Brothers: Denis & Randy
The Bateman Brothers: Jason & Justin
The Culkin Brothers: Macaulay, Kieran & Rory
The Phoenix Brothers: River & Joaquin
The Barrymore Brothers: Lionel & John

These guys had a famous Hollywood actor-father too!
The Estevez Brothers: Charlie (Carlos) Sheen & Emilio
The Bridges Brothers: Jeff & Beau

I was tempted to include the Brother-Sister combos, but left that for another day. Maybe one if you could do that!

More from Kamla here: http://www.kamlashow.com

Ok, Kamla, I kept my word :)

(Posted using BlogPress from my iPad)

Is Indian Politics no place for the well educated?

2010-12-26T10:43:00.001+05:30

“Why don't grads from our top notch edu instt get into Politics? Asks @ShashiTharoor in his article in The Week. Now there's a thought.”

This tweet of mine was re-tweeted by Shashi Tharoor and led to a huge response from about 30-40 people, in less than 10 hours!

The responses ran across the entire spectrum of thoughts. From expressing disgust at the framework and structure of Indian Politics, to the desire to participate in the process, but being unable to do so - albeit, because of the structure!

It seems there are a large number of educated youth out there who are genuinely interested in good Governance (Nation building, actually)!

They are intimidated by the fact that entering Politics means giving up their present (and, probably lucrative) career, being presented with an uncertain future, sucking up to the 'powers-that-be', dealing with hoodlums, thugs and goondas, being labelled (and themselves, becoming) corrupt and all the negativity surrounding Politicians today.

This makes it a complete No-No for 'aspiring' youngsters. As a result, we are losing out on benefiting from a wealth of ideas that can change the way we live!

This is unacceptable.

To change this, we must understand that the first step is to get rid of the 'chalta hai' attitude. We must be aware of this problem and acknowledge that the solutions are available, do-able, but would take time and a persistent approach.

First, grass-root level education is where we need to start. Ensuring that a solid, ethical foundation is built is getting a good headstart. We do not really need very highly educated post-graduates and double-graduates only, for this job.

Second, the political framework needs to be able to allow new people (read: people with no 'family' connections) to be given a reasonably level playing field to enter into the fray. A simple barometer to measure this is the success that such people have had - so if there are a few examples, this, should suffice!

Third, we should have a strong judiciary to ensure that if there are any transgressions, these are actioned upon quickly and firmly - impartially, at least to the extent possible. The judiciary needs to be strengthened at the grass-root level. The common man seeks justice at the Sessions Court level, he cannot wait for his matter to reach the Supreme Court and then be granted justice! He wouldn't survive that long!

Finally, while we go about doing this, we must make a start. We must ensure that the youth start getting involved. There HAS to be a sense of ownership and involvement - even if it is on a smaller scale. But the youth HAVE to be involved in Governance.

We seem to have forgotten what history teaches. Every country goes through a major change (revolution, would be a wrong word here) only when a majority of the youth have been involved. It is THEY who need the change, ask for it and go about getting it. Let me make one thing clear - when I say 'youth', I really mean those who are in their 20s and 30s!! Not like what some of our politicians would like us to believe - a 'young' politician according to them is below the age of 50!!!

I have noticed that it is the urban youth who are more disconnected than the rural youth. It is these boys and girls in the cities who believe that they can let the 'dirty work' be left to 'others'! Well, they should realize that if they do not take active part in governance, it will be sone other (probably, uneducated, sycophant) who will be making the Law that he/she will need to live by!!

The need of the hour is action - on the ground level. We have enough of arm-chair philosophers, activists, bloggers, tweeters and the like!

Let's go out and, if nothing else, just file at least ONE RTI or DO some good for Society. Let's make a start. I've made one, myself. You can do it too. A small one. At our level. Keeping it simple.

In time, with our persistence, we will see the change.

- Well ... and that's how I feel...
(Posted using BlogPress from my iPad)

Testing BlogPress for iPad

2010-12-19T23:31:00.001+05:30

I have typed this using BlogPress for iPad. Just wanted to see if it appears on Blogger and Wordpress at the same time!

- Well...and that's how I feel... (Posted using BlogPress from my iPad)

Conflicting Proverbs and Idioms

2010-12-17T19:36:00.000+05:30

As a child, in School, I was quite confused about quite a few things that we were taught! I guess that came with the territory. However, there is one part that bothers me even today and that is the part about conflicting Proverbs, Idioms and oft used phrases.

Since I really haven't been able to 'resolve' is, I thought I may as well pen this down (does anyone even use this phrase anymore?) for you all to see - and, if possible, help me to figure it out!

Here are a few of them that really have me confused!

1. We are often told to LOOK BEFORE YOU LEAP, but isn't it also true that PROCRASTINATION IS THE THIEF OF TIME?

2. Similarly, HASTE MAKES WASTE, but its only THE EARLY BIRD WHICH CATCHES THE WORM!

3. It is true that if we stay away from something for too long it is natural that ABSENCE MAKETH THE HEART GROW FONDER, yet it is known that FAMILIARITY BREEDS CONTEMPT.

4. While OPPOSITES ATTRACT, we are also taught that it is always BIRDS OF A FEATHER WHO FLOCK TOGETHER!

5. VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE, yet we are told that A BIRD IN HAND IS WORTH TWO IN THE BUSH!

6. TOO MANY COOKS SPOIL THE BROTH, but if at the same time, MANY HANDS MAKE LIGHT WORK!

7. WHAT'S GOOD FOR THE GOOSE IS GOOD FOR THE GANDER, but ONE MAN'S MEAT IS ANOTHER MAN'S POISON!

Well, these are the few that have me (still) confused - and If my School English teacher is reading this, she'd wonder how come I got 91% in the 10th!

If you think of any more such conflicting ones, please feel free to comment and write in - so while we can AGREE TO DISAGREE we can still BE ON THE SAME PAGE :)

Well ... and that's how I feel ...

Eulogy of Sangeeta Ohri, my mother

2010-10-05T21:12:00.000+05:30

This is the text of the Eulogy delivered at the Special Mass for our mother, on Fri, Oct 1 at Holy Cross Church, Kurla West, Mumbai. My elder brother, Sanjay, said this on behalf of the two of us...

Good Evening,

On behalf of our family, we would first like to thank everyone for taking the time out to attend this mass and pay your last respects to our mother and would just like to share a few words about her.

In addition to being a good mother, she was also our friend and guide with a very caring disposition and great courage. That one word "courage" was evident throughout her life because when she was born, her father had already passed away and when she was only 6 months old, her mother passed away. She was raised by her grandmother who had a positive influence on her life.

During her school years, she was active in dramatics, sports and dancing. For those who remember, in Thane, she was also known as the "Galyan Sakhli" girl. Courage again surfaced when she had a love marriage with my father but against all odds, she raised us with the best of education, upbringing and values.

She was a very caring person and her style of showing appreciation and care was unique. It was this care that enabled her to look after handicapped, preschool and underprivileged children for almost 40 years selflessly (all volunteer work) in the capacity of a being a principal, organizer, teacher and mentor. She often referred to the kids she worked with as "my children" and she was well-loved by their families as well.

She was very humble when she received many awards for her social service and community work, including a recognition in Who's Who in the World / America / American Women (for the last 10 years) and an Award for Women's Welfare. But being a grassroots worker, she preferred to involve herself in her work quietly than seek any merit or publicity.

If one were to list her accomplishments, we would be here a long while and some of it included training teachers, conducting global workshops, seminars, conferences, courses in education and rehabilitation of normal/handicapped children, as well as underprivileged persons.

Some of the organizations she was associated with (and was an active member) were S.E.C. (Society for the Education of the Crippled) Day School, I.A.P.E. (Indian Association for Pre-school Education), B.C.J. General Hospital (Santa Cruz), All India Balkan-ji-Bari, Bombay Vigilance Association, O.M.E.P., Soroptomist International, YWCA, Poona Women's Council and many more.

Having lived in India and the USA for many years, she was an excellent communicator (fluent in over 7 languages) and had a sense of great understanding of different cultures and always served as a role model for those who needed help in bridging the gap between East and West. She was a great cook as some of you know and it gave her great happiness to feed people. Needless to say, she was a very helpful person and if you ever needed help and turned to her, she would never refuse anyone.

She wore her heart on her sleeve and if she liked anything, she shared it with everyone and if she didn't like anything and she loved you, she felt it was better to tell you things that you need to know for your own good! But she never gave up her caring spirit till the end - which again surfaced when she was at Lourdes and she was so happy at being able to make this pilgrimage that she lit a candle for each of you that she knew and also prayed for all departed souls.

In the few days after she passed away, there were French, Italian and English masses offered in Lourdes at various churches by different international groups (including the Lourdes' hospitality organization that manages all the shrines at Lourdes). On October 17th, the Vatican has approved the canonization of Brother Andre to be a saint (he's the one who started the St. Joseph's Oratory in Montreal – it’s the largest cathedral in North America). On that day in Rome, during his canonization to be a Saint, the mass will be offered in memory of our mother.

It's probably these silver linings that we can force ourselves to accept the reason of her departure from this world and we believe that she is in eternal healing of Our Lady of Lourdes. Maybe, God, destiny and Mom herself would not have had it any other way.

May her soul rest in peace and God give us all the strength to handle this irreparable loss. Incidentally, Mom made it a point that people never went hungry when they came to meet her, so today in spirit she has ensured the same. Please join us for some light refreshments after mass.

Thank you once again for all your support and God bless.

CWG 2010 - The Mess

2010-08-20T09:38:00.004+05:30

There has been enough in the media, over the past few days, about the scams and the irregularities in the arrangements and preparations for the Games.

Relax. I am not going to enumerate any of those here, again. These are already being repeated, ad nauseam, in endless loops on select TV channels.

The point I would like to make is that this is not the first time that we have organised a major event. While I can understand that, as individuals, we are not consistent in learning from past experiences; it is shameful that as a NATION, we lack those skills!

The most important aspect of this situation is to DOCUMENT and LEARN from this entire experience.

These learnings must be made SHARED with the public, not from a perspective of sensationalising the scam, but from a perspective of ensuring that we have documented each mistake made, just so that we do not make it again.

Also, in order to ensure that we do not end up in such a situation again (or at least minimise such instances), we MUST PUNISH those who have found to have WILLFULLY committed such excesses.

Sending a strong message to all those who try to repeat this - that something like this will NOT be tolerated and will be dealt with severely.

Well, and that's how I feel....

Posted via email from Well... and that's how I feel...!!!

Simple Solutions for Kashmir

2010-08-02T08:54:00.002+05:30

While everyone has a variety of reasons for the situation in Kashmir - and will swear by those. There are very few offering practical solutions.

I'm sure they DO know what are the possible options, but the prospect of implementing them seems daunting.

Well, like most others, I also have a 'solution' to easing the situation in the beautiful valley (I haven't been there yet!)

1. Get all the Politicians out of there - actually this is true for most 'troubled' areas :)

2. Get the Special Forces only to protect/guard the Border (ok, L.O.C.)

3. Equip the local Police with state-of-the-art Technology & Tools to protect the common people.

4. Promote industry - with a vengeance.

5. Set up Educational institutions - Primary to University.

Do this for 5 years and I can guarantee you this situation will 'dissolve'.

Feedback?

Posted via email from Well... and that's how I feel...!!!

Non-English Number plates - allowed?

2010-08-01T20:59:00.000+05:30

I'm sure the RTO act does not permit License Number plates in any other language, other than in English. I recall reading a newspaper article where an RTO official had mentioned that they 'could not find' any such violation.

Well, here's one!

From heat wave to flash floods

2010-07-07T22:27:00.001+05:30

We seem to be having extreme weather across the country. First there was an extreme bout of heat wave - with temperatures reaching 51 degrees C!

And here we are, less than 2 weeks later and we have news of the same cities & their neighbourhood area being submerged by flood waters!

The worst part of the situation is that the people have NO CLUE of what the weather is going to be like! We're still a country that's so dependent on the monsoon and yet we cannot get our weather forecast right!

Posted via email from Well... and that's how I feel...!!!

India's T20 World Cup Team

2010-03-27T10:36:00.035+05:30

India's Twenty20 world Cup probables list has been announced. Check this list:

MS Dhoni - Jharkhand
Virender Sehwag - Delhi
Gautam Gambhir - Delhi
Suresh Raina - UP (?)
Praveen Kumar - UP
Ashish Nehra - UP
Piyush Chawla - UP
Harbhajan Singh - Punjab
Yuvraj Singh - Chandigarh
Yusf Pathan -Gujarat
Ravindra Jadeja - Gujarat
Zaheer Khan - Maharashtra
Rohit Sharma - Maharashtra
R Vinay Kumar - Karnataka
Dinesh Karthik - Tamil Nadu

Has anyone noticed how there are so many players from North India?
I don't want to take away any credit from those selected, even though some of them are 'injured' and their inclusion is really questionable. Not that I'm bigoted or racist, but I recall there used to be a time when players from West Zone and South Zone were almost dominating the India cricket scene.

If the logic for selection is recent performance, it can be inferred that teams from the North should have won all the Domestic cricket events - but is that so?

Check the winners of the past 12 months...
West Zone beat East Zone in Deodhar Trophy
TN beat Bengal in Ranji Trophy Final
Rest of India beat Mumbai in Irani Cup

But I guess these Selector chaps know more about cricket than I do - so I should just shut up and do my own thing, eh?

BTW, I've decided to make my posts shorter, so I can do this more often :)

Well ... and that's how I feel ...

Posted via email from Well ... and that's how I feel ...

Hindi Proverbs and their English Equivalents

2010-03-20T14:33:00.000+05:30

This effort is a result of a discussion, my family had on the breakfast table. My daughter kept swinging her leg, which kept banging into mine and then I turned around and said .. "Sau sonaar ki, ek lohaar ki."

This started off a discussion of what it meant and whether there was an equivalent of this, in English. Which led me into a hunt for more English equivalents of Hindi Proverbs. I've taken the liberty of spelling out all Hindi words in English. I hope you get it right the first time .. or at least, the second!

Disclaimer: I'm no expert on either Hindi or English, so if you notice errors, please go right ahead and point them out!

I searched the Internet to find lists of Hindi proverbs and English proverbs and then sat down and tried to correlate them. The following list is what I came up with. As I said, I'm no expert - but I'm happy with the effort. Hope you enjoy reading this.

Khatte angoor - Sour grapes (also, literally)
Bandar kya jaane adrak ka swad - Casting pearls before swine
Dal mein kaala - More to it than meets the eye
Naach na jaane, aagan tedha – A poor worker blames his tools
Jale par namak chidakna - Rubbing salt on one’s wound (almost, literal)
Door ke dhol suhavane lagte hain – The grass seems greener on the other side
Aage kuan peeche khaee – Between the devil and the deep sea
Garajne wale badal baraste nahin hain – Barking dogs seldom bite
Jitnee lambi chadar ho utna hee pair failana chahiye – Cut your dress according to your cloth
Ab pachatae kya jab chidiya chug gayi khet – No use crying over spilt milk
Anth bhala to sab bhala – All’s well that ends well (almost, literal)
Taali ek haath se nahin bajti – It takes two to quarrel
Jahan chaah wahaan raha – Where there’s a will, there’s a way (almost, literal)
Doodh ka jala chaas bhi phook-phook kar peeta hai – Once bitten twice shy
Jaisa desh, vaisa bhes – In Rome do as the Romans do
Ek myaan mein do talawaren nahi samaati – No man can serve two masters
Khotta chana baje ghana - Empty vessels make more noise

By the way, I never did find the equivalent of "Sau sonaar ki, ek lohaar ki"!!

Feedback? ...Bouquets? Brickbats? Well, bring 'em on :)

A Few Good Men (& Women)

2010-02-28T22:05:00.000+05:30

I've always been a great fan of Music of the 1980s - let me clarify - ENGLISH music of the 80s. However, I also do like some numbers from the 70s and 60s as well.

For some (unknown, to me) reason, the music of this era is called RETRO. Retro as in Retrospective or Retrograde, is something I still haven't figured out!

I'm definitely not an expert or an authority on music of that era. Neither was I really 'into' the music scene when in school.

It's just that as I passed through those "Wonder Years" (great serial, by the way), each song got 'associated' (like a hyperlink or metatag) with some incident of my life. Most of them, I cherish, but I do also have a lot of forgettable ones, too. Nevertheless, the hyperlinks were established and the songs brought back memories - good, or otherwise, with equal propensity.

In those days, we just had Audio Tapes (I see a lot of young readers going, "Dude, you're O.L.D.") - and we used to run those select few tapes back and forth so many times, that the sequence got cast in stone too!

Till date, if I hear "Don't Stop Till You Get Enough" by Michael Jackson, I expect the next song to be "Stomp" by The Brothers Johnson, followed by "And The Beat Goes On" by The Whispers!

Well, now we have CDs, DVDs, Pen Drives, iPoDs and a host of other equipment to hear songs from. All is not lost for us 'oldies' - as a lot of the old songs (Retro!) are finding their way back! I've managed to 'find' quite a few of my fav numbers on the Internet.

Life had done a full circle (or so I would like to believe). Then again, it has a way of being surprisingly and refreshingly topsy-turvy.

Just as I 'subjected' my kids to my choice of music - it's now their turn. They've grown up and have turned the tables on me. I am now exposed to a host of new music.

This post is about some of the current ones, doing the rounds - in my house at least - which I really like. My current 'playlist' (see, I'm beginning to get the lingo right too!) consists of:

Kelly Clarkson (Already Gone)
Jay Z feat. Alicia Keys (Empire State of Mind)
Lady Gaga (Poker Face, Just Dance, Paparazzi, Eh Eh Nothing Else I Can Do)
David Guetta (When Love Takes Over, Delirious)
Black Eyed Peas (Boom Boom Pow, I Gotta Feeling)
Akon (Right Now, Beautiful)
Ne Yo (Miss Independent)
Lady Antebellum (Need You Now)
Kate Perry (Hot n Cold)
Lilly Allen (F*ck You) *gasp*
Agnes (Release Me)
Flo rida (Sugar)

'Nuff said - as the rappers say. This kind of list is a far cry from the kind of music I was accustomed to!

However, now I have a whole new set of hyperlinks and metatags being created - with lovely memories being associated with these numbers (however, ridiculous they may sound after a few years). Whenever I'm traveling and I hear these numbers, my thoughts go back to these memories.

And so the circle of life starts all over again ... listening to these Few Good Men (& Women) ...

Well ... and that's how I feel ...

Karthik Calling Karthik - My View

2010-02-27T16:06:00.003+05:30

Just saw KCK today and I haven't even reached home, but here I am writing about it!

This is one of the few movies that I've seen so close to its release ..2nd day, 1st show! Quite surprised at my own eagerness to watch it. But that's how I am. I go by instinct, on such things.

For instance, I haven't yet seen 3 Idiots or Avatar - but didn't miss Luck By Chance & Love Aaj Kal (any coincidence they had Farhan & Deepika?)

Coming to KCK, I don't want to reveal the storyline (no spoilers, here!) - but its a nicely done movie. It has its fair share of laughs, thrills and meaningless (avoidable) moments.

My kudos to the Director, who actually got the audience to clap in the last shot - I was truly amazed!

The movie could have done away with about 10 minutes, making it crisper, but I don't know whose responsibility that is - the Editor's or the Director's.

I was really impressed with the acting.

Farhan is very, very believable in the role. His angst in certain scenes, esp when he breaks down and cries when on the phone, is truly classic.

Deepika - well, what can I say - this girl is growing on me. She caught my fancy in Love Aaj Kal and has done it again here. However, she's again cast as an independent minded woman - and is convincing. Her earnestness comes across genuinely.

I quite liked the music by Shankar Ehsan Loy. In particular, the music that plays while the opening titles appear, is particularly catchy. Incidentally, the titles are done quite innovatively, too!

Don't expect a love story (though it has its moments). Don't expect a laugh riot - its not a light movie, by any standards. Don't expect an outright thriller - even though there are more than a few times which will make you jump!

I don't think its worth a second watch, but I'd enjoy watching the DVD - and would definitely buy the Audio CD.

All in all, an enjoyable fare - as we say, 'paisa vasool'.

Twitter: sandeepohri
Email: sandeep.ohri@ymail.com
Blog: http://snohri.blogspot.com/
Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bijlee

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TEST from Mobile

2010-02-06T18:10:00.001+05:30

This is a test blogpost via Posterous :)
With warm regards,
Sandeep

Twitter: sandeepohri
Email: sandeep.ohri@ymail.com
Blog: http://snohri.blogspot.com
Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bijlee

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BIJLEE posts will now appear only on BIJLEEPOWER

2009-11-29T19:28:00.000+05:30

I've contemplated doing this for a long time - and its about time I find the time (and follow the discipline) of doing this.

All BIJLEE (electricity) related posts would appear on the BIJLEEPOWER blog (http://bijleepower.blogspot.com)

Wanted to keep this blog, more or less, of a personal one in nature.

Calculate savings of switchover to TATA

2009-10-26T19:16:00.000+05:30

After much work, anguish and deliberations, MERC had issued an Interim Order in the matter of switchover to TATA. I am happy to inform you that we have successfully had the first case of a switchover. An existing RINFRA consumer has been duly moved to TATA - using RINFRA's network and TATA's Meter!

Now, before everyone decides to do the same, first check whether it makes economic sense to switch to TATA. To help you, I have prepared a detailed Excel sheet for Single Phase, Residential consumers (LT-I) Tariff showing the exact calculations and savings of moving from RINFRA to TATA.

Here are some of the results of the calculations in the PRESENT scenario.

For 1,500 units per month:
Existing RINFRA Bill = Rs. 13,391    Switchover TATA Bill = Rs. 9,212
Monthly Savings = Rs. 4,179    Annual Savings = Rs. 50,147

For 1,000 units per month:
Existing RINFRA Bill = Rs. 8,309    Switchover TATA Bill = Rs. 5,828
Monthly Savings = Rs. 2,482    Annual Savings = Rs. 29,780

For 800 units per month:
Existing RINFRA Bill = Rs. 6,277    Switchover TATA Bill = Rs. 4,474
Monthly Savings = Rs. 1,803    Annual Savings = Rs. 21,634

For 500 units per month:
Existing RINFRA Bill = Rs. 3,172    Switchover TATA Bill = Rs. 2,387
Monthly Savings = Rs. 784   Annual Savings = Rs. 9,413

For 350 units per month:
Existing RINFRA Bill = Rs. 1,857   Switchover TATA Bill = Rs. 1,490
Monthly Savings = Rs. 368    Annual Savings = Rs. 4,412

For 200 units per month:
Existing RINFRA Bill = Rs. 879   Switchover TATA Bill = Rs. 760
Monthly Savings = Rs. 119    Annual Savings = Rs. 1,427

For 100 units per month:
Existing RINFRA Bill = Rs. 316    Switchover TATA Bill = Rs. 307
Monthly Savings = Rs. 9    Annual Savings = Rs. 108

It seems clear from the above, that only those consumers who have a higher monthly consumption would benefit more by switching to TATA from RINFRA.

However, the decision to DO-THE-SWITCH must be an informed, long-term decision and not a short-term knee jerk reaction. The attached file covers the PRESENT scenario as well a few other known possible scenarios that may happen in the next one year. For instance:

a) Due to approvals from earlier MERC and ATE Orders, RINFRA already has an 'uncovered gap' of Rs. 1,079 crores! Suppose they get an approval to charge this in next year's Tariff - what would be the impact?

b) MERC has stayed the RINFRA June 2009 Tariff Order, but suppose the stay order is lifted?

c) RINFRA has gone to High Court and asked for a stay on the limit of Fuel Adjustment Charge (FAC) of 67 paise. They are asking for 113 paise/unit. Suppose they succeed?

d) In this Interim Order, MERC has allowed RINFRA to collect Wheeling charges, despite our protests that we have already paid for these. In case, it is ruled that we do not have to pay RINFRA Wheeling charges, then the NEW switchover bills will be even more lower.

e) If the consumer uses a TATA meter instead of a RINFRA Meter, it is possible that consumption recording itself is lower!

The attached Excel file also shows how much would be the difference in case the above scenarios start playing out.

Do feel free to circulate this to all concerned and please send me feedback - especially if there are any errors (this is so complicated, even though I've tried my best, there may still be some mistakes!)

This Excel file is also available on the BIJLEE Group in the Files section here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bijlee/files/_RINFRA_SWITCHOVER/

I will request MERC to prepare such types of Calculators and host them on their websites.

Trust this has been of help to you :)

Rediff Article

2009-10-10T00:49:00.000+05:30

Sometimes you get lucky and people get to know about your struggle.

Rediff put this up

http://business.rediff.com/slide-show/2009/oct/09/slide-show-1-meet-the-man-who-took-on-reliance-energy.htm

Feedback is most welcome :)

More at the BIJLEE Yahoo Group Site here:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bijlee

Mumbai Power Tariff - a few facts

2009-09-02T00:50:00.003+05:30

There seems to be a lot of (mis) information being spread - about the Mumbai Power Tariff situation, which is leading to confusion in the minds of the people.

I thought of contributing my opinion to the on-goings. Please spare a few moments and go through this post.

1. State Govt can bring down tariff.
Well, not really .. NO. The power to determine tariff rates are SOLELY with MERC, as per the Electricity Act, 2003. NO STATE GOVT can set the rate. At best the State Govt can grant a SUBSIDY (meaning the rate to the consumer will be low, but the Govt will pay the supplier directly).

In such circumstances, the Govt ends up incurring a loss (and Maharashtra is already in a loss) and will eventually RAISE TAXES in some other form to compensate for this loss. So we consumers WILL end up paying for this anyway, in case the State Govt gives any supplier any kind of subsidy!

2. Uniform Tariff in Mumbai
Uniform Tariff is NOT permitted by the EA 2003!! IN fact the whole concept of 'competition' will become defunct is the tariff is the same for all suppliers. Like in PETROL.

Also, (again) the Govt will have to end up paying the supplier to HOLD prices at a particular (LOW) level. This is what the Delhi Govt had been doing for the past three years - and now that subsidy has also been withdrawn recently.

3. Lower rates are benefiting builders/malls.
Builders/Malls had a much higher rate - which is partly on account of something called "cross-subsidy". This means that if the avge cost of power is Rs. 4 (say), then some users are charged Rs. 2-3, and the others are charged Rs. 5-7 (to make up for the 'discount' to the lower users).

The EA 2003 and the National Tariff Policy have mandated that the level of cross-subsidy is too high and MUST be brought down. Hence the unusually high rates MUST come down and (consequently), the lower rates WILL go up.

There's NOTHING that the Mah State Govt can do in this - neither can the MERC be held responsible - they are just following the law.

4. Tata Power is 'responsible' for the power shortage (!)
At the risk of sounding like a Tata spokesperson ....Did you know that Tata Power kept supplying power to REL/RINFRA even though it was NOT paid for THREE years? Well, you try and NOT pay RINFRA for three months and what happens??

Tata Power set up an additional capacity of 250MW in the last 10 years - while BSES/REL/RINFRA did not set up a single MW. Tata Power was formally given permission by MERC to shut down its plant as there was no need for additional power (as claimed by BSES/REL) - immediately thereafter BSES/REL started making claims for higher charge (reliability charges, etc) to 'ensure' continued power to Mumbai.

RINFRA did not sign any deal with Tata - and now, from 31.3.2010, its also going to lose the 500MW that Tata was giving it.

5. Tata is selling Power outside Mumbai for a profit.
Yeah, sure, Tata is getting money for the power it supplies to MSEDCL. There is nothing in the EA 2003 that can force a Generating company to supply power to any particular area/distributor.

Even RINFRA is selling power generated by its own companies, outside the State - RINFRA's Samalkot plant generates 220MW, Goa does 48MW and Kochi has 165MW - but does ANY of this come to Mumbai?? WHY??

RINFRA has been desperately trying to get the environmental clearance waived for its Dahanu expansion plan (1200MW) citing Mumbai shortage as the reason. The Supreme Court has stayed this - as it does not want any more pollution near Mumbai. Rightly so!

FINALLY ...
I'm not in favour of Tata - neither am I against RINFRA - I'm in favour of the CONSUMER, his/her rights, and the deal he/she is getting from the suppliers.

If anyone feels differently - they are most welcome - but for now, the law is WITH us consumers - we have a choice and we should be given the right to switch suppliers and put our own meters, so till the law changes ... well, this is it!

You decide...

For more info, join the BIJLEE group on Yahoo by sending an email to bijlee-subscribe@yahoogroups.com - or just visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bijlee/ and read the messages.

Thanks, for your time - I value it :)

MERC appointed me as an Authorised Consumer Rep!!

2009-08-15T21:46:00.003+05:30

Guess what?? MERC (on their own) actually appointed me as an Authorised Consumer Representative, under section 94(3) of the Electricity Act 2003 - in a case filed by RINFRA.

I guess with a new Chairman at MERC, the consumers are finally beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel!

Already, we have a choice in Mumbai now... we can chose to move to Tata Power, from RINFRA, BEST or MSEDCL.

Soon this will pave the way for competition in the electricity sector, across India - and the consumer will be able to move freely between electricity providers - very much like telecom providers!

Happy Independence Day :)

MERC has been LYING to the public for SIX years!!

2009-07-12T18:36:00.004+05:30

What expectations can you have from an organization that has been LYING to the Public for the last 6 years.

As per the Electricity Act 2003, the Regulatory Commissions (MERC, here in Mah.) are supposed to appoint 'Consumer Representatives' so that these persons (or organisations) can 'represent' consumer interest, in various matters - especially in determining tariff.

Section 94(3) states, "(3) The Appropriate Commission may authorise any person, as it deems fit, to represent the interest of the consumers in the proceedings before it."

MERC has always led us (the public) to believe that the following four agencies have been "authorised by the Commission" under 94(3):
1. Mumbai Grahak Panchayat, Mumbai
2. Prayas Energy Group, Pune
3. Thane Belapur Industries Association, Navi Mumbai
4. Vidharba Industries Association, Nagpur

See MERC's RINFRA Tariff Order issued on 15-Jun-2009, where MERC is stating that hearings were conducted in the presence of 'consumer representatives' authorised under 94(3).

MERC has been allowing ONLY these four to attend and hear the initial, critical technical validation sessions for Tariff fixation - and in fact, for some of the hearings it only allows these four to attend - and does not allow the Public to participate.

On 19-Dec-2003, MERC issued an Order stating that they had appointed these four as Consumer Representatives. There was NO selection, NO invitations from the public, NO systematic methodology for such appointment, NO fixed term, NO responsibilities defined - NOTHING.

MERC just 'hand-picked' these guys ... (I wonder why?) ... and then gave them an 'open-ended' appointment!! There is NO TERMINATION date for these appointments.

I wanted to know more details and so I filed an RTI on 01-Jun-2009 (otherwise they are inclined not to respond) and to my surprise, they replied on 02-Jul-2009 that there has been NO appointment by them under Section 94(3) or under their own Regulation 18 !!

So why has MERC been 'misleading' us to believe that our (consumer) interest is being 'protected' by these 'representatives'!!

These guys could very well be the STOOGES of the electricity companies - and therefore are not really bothered about general consumer interest. No wonder tariff has been continuously rising since 2003 ...

I demand that ALL Tariff Orders issued by MERC, since 2003 be revoked, since due process of law has not been followed. Tariff to be rolled back to the pre-2003 levels.

Most of this happened during the tenure of the earlier Chairman, Dr. Pramod Deo - who is now the Chairman of CERC. The present Chairman, V.P.Raja is, unfortunately, facing all the flak...

Also, see the manner in which MERC has responded to my queries, I know for a fact that certain agencies HAVE applied - and MERC has been silent on this.

How long will you remain silent and continue to let such unscrupulous agencies get away with such blatant lies?

Send an email to MERC and let them know how you feel. Their email ID is mercindia@mercindia.org.in

Tell the present Chairman to reopen ALL the Tariff Orders passed by his predecessor.

THAT's the ONLY way you will get some respite from rising tariff - who knows - you may also get a REFUND!!

DO-THE-SWITCH

2009-06-23T00:30:00.004+05:30

Fed up with Reliance's BIJLEE Tariff?? Just "DO-THE-SWITCH" from Reliance Infra (or REL, whatever!) to Tata Power.

The Supreme Court has ruled that Tata CAN supply electricity to anyone in Mumbai, even a single individual!

When you switch between mobile (or land line) phone service providers e.g. from MTNL to Airtel or Vodafone - you don't care how many cables they have laid or how many towers they have - so why should you care whether Tata has the necessary infrastructure in your area.

It is your RIGHT ... and their DUTY.

You may want to inform your contacts about this as well - go ahead and forward this info to whoever would like to DO-THE-SWITCH.

Tata's standard application form is available on their website, or you can apply ONLINE here:
http://cp.tatapower.com/cip/cpnew/customer-support/new-connection.php
OR
call 1800-22-7575 (TOLL FREE) or 6668 8354/55/59/60

At the new Tariff rates today, for 100 units:
A Tata Consumer will pay Rs. 205
A BEST Consumer will pay Rs. 261
A RInfra Consumer will pay Rs. 391

...and for 300 units:
A Tata Consumer will pay Rs. 885
A BEST Consumer will pay Rs. 1,165
A RInfra Consumer will pay Rs. 1,712

RInfra's rate is approx 90% higher than Tata and approx 50% higher than BEST!

Also, see how much your RInfra bill has gone up over the years.

For 100 units, in R-Infra area:
In Sep 2006, you paid Rs. 205
In Jun 2008, you paid Rs. 290
Now we will pay, Rs. 391

UP 90% in 3 years and 35% in 1 year!!

You can decide for yourself, if you want to continue paying such rates to Reliance - or DO-THE-SWITCH to Tata.

Let's be practical here - taking out morchas to Reliance's office will NOT help. They will simply pass the onus on to MERC, who is responsible for approving these rates. We must hold MERC accountable, R-Infra is after all a private company out to make profits, so why should they not take advantage of the system.

"Awareness precedes choice", and when you are at the Choice Point you WILL make a choice - even between action and inaction.

Inform as many people in Mumbai, so that everyone knows that they can also .....DO-THE-SWITCH!

If you are having trouble, just send me an email. We will help you. Many Citizen's groups and NGOs are helping consumers to DO-THE-SWITCH.

With warm regards,
Sandeep

sandeep.ohri@ymail.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bijlee

My presentation at MERC's hearing

2009-05-04T07:25:00.003+05:30

Check this out...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9E-KdDQ7l0

Its the presentation I made at MERC's Public hearing on Rel Infra's Tariff petition.

Got a copy thru RTI.

Hope this encourages more people to make presentations.

More at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bijlee

Post 30 Apr - NEXT IS WHAT ??

2009-04-11T20:19:00.001+05:30

Ever since 26/11, we have seen a surge in the number of Groups. Online groups at Facebook, Yahoo, Orkut and Offline Groups, like JNM (incidentally, who are doing great work). 'Offline' .. strange, how we refer to the real world as 'offline,' as if our real lives are no longer ONLINE!

Anyway, the real issue is (as Samsung asks) NEXT IS WHAT??

We saw a huge surge in patriotism and candle-burning and midnight vigils and promises of meeting every 26th at Gateway ... and now??
It's been 4 months since 26/11.
> Have the Police reforms issue moved even one step forward?
> Has the security improved?
> Have the threats gone away?
> Has justice been done to the city?

For crying out loud, everyone seems to have forgotten the poor souls who lost their lives!

I see the same pattern here. I receive 40-50 emails everyday informing me about how important it is to vote, go vote, find out about your candidate, find about his/her assets, know his/her criminal record, vote for the best independent candidate, etc., etc. - ad infinitum .. ad nauseum...

There is a new found 'patriotism' and we have many more 'independent' candidates in the fray. People from all walks of life, ordinary people ('one of us'), rich people, educated people, first-timers, young people .. all have jumped in.

And you know what I fear? These candidates will 'divide' the already fragmented educated, internet-savvy, gen-next votes!! I would have really liked to see the main parties back THESE new candidates - THAT would have made all the difference!

On the other hand, now what's going to happen is that the new wave voters are going to vote for these (numerous) independents, and further divide the votes. The winners are STILL going to be from one of the MAIN frontline parties.

Let's not kid ourselves into thinking that Dr. Mona Shah or Indur Chuggani and their ilk, are really going to win. God Bless them for their efforts - it's not easy - and, personally, I will be voting for an educated independent candidate myself!

What we need to happen - is to get the main parties to support candidates like Dr. Shah and Mr. Chuggani. It is THEN that we will see the CHANGE. Getting Mr. Adolf D'Souza into the Corporation is one story and getting someone into the Parliament is another!

In any case, what happens AFTER our beloved, chosen, educated, independent and most-worthy, candidate .. LOSES .. and we get the same crappy bunch of jokers once again?? That is when our real resolve will be tested.

I'm speaking from my own experience of the fight on the BIJLEE (electricity) issue. There was a huge hue-and-cry and massive din in Sept/Oct 2006 .. and the public hearing took place and then the Order was passed and people resolve themselves to the fact that 'nothing can be done' and get back to their lives. But, the key is in pursuing the issue, even when public awareness has died down. For instance, there are still a handful of us who have kept going hammer-and-tongs at the MERC, since 2006... and that's making a difference, even though it's a small difference.

I suggest a three-prong, long term approach to this issue.

1. We MUST vote - there are no two ways about it. If we do not vote, we have no right to complain.

2. We must EDUCATE the masses - its their vote that actually decides who gets into the parliament and drafts the laws that govern our children's lives. It is THEY who are the gullible, misled ones who the Politicians divide on the basis of caste, creed, religion, economy and whatever else!

3. While we are doing the first 2, we must continue to keep the bureaucrats and administrators in check. These 'babus' in the government offices are there to smoothly run the administration services and not to 'rule' over us. RTI is an effective way of doing that. Having received a reply, we must ensure that there is a systematic way of disseminating that (incriminating) information amongst all. And when I say all I mean the masses as well.

There is a fourth one - regarding the FOURTH estate - but I am assuming that they will rise to the challenge and ensure fairness by giving all citizen's issues fair mileage.

Would love to hear from all of you ...

Public Response in Reliance Tariff hike

2009-03-15T10:09:00.002+05:30

The response that I will be submitting to Reliance is attached here and here

Go through it so that you may understand the issues we are dealing with. I am not a legal expert and the legal fraternity may excuse my attempt at this :)

Anyway, I have attempted to include all the issues that would affect Residential consumers.

The procedure is thus:

1. Fill in your name, postal address tel/mobile and email ID (before you take prints). Details need to be filled on Page 1, Page 2 and Page 19.

2. Before Thurs, March 19th, make sure one copy is delivered to
Mr. Ramesh Shenoy, Company Secretary
Reliance Infrastructure Limited
Reliance Energy Centre
Santa Cruz (E)
Mumbai 400055

You would need to show proof of service so make 2 copies and get one stamped / acknowledged by their office - or retain Fax/courier slip (in which case you may need to do it at least one day earlier). There is no email provided for Reliance - so that makes it a little more difficult for us! However, I tried sending it to ramesh.shenoy@relianceada.com.

3. Make 6 copies of the submission (actually make 7, you will need one for yourself!) and attach the fax/courier/stamped page on all 6 copies and then send it before Thurs Mar 19th, to
The Secretary
Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission
13th Floor, Centre No. 1, World Trade Centre
Cuffe Parade
Mumbai 400005
Fax: 2216 3976
email: mercindia@mercindia.org.in

To see what really happens, come for the Public Hearing on Thurs Mar 26th at Rangsharda Natya Mandir, Bandra Reclamation, Bandra (W). The hearing starts at 11am.

Let's try and ensure we get justice done !

- Sandeep.

Reliance's Proposed Tariff Hike

2009-03-14T00:00:00.003+05:30

I have been going through the Reliance Tariff petition and was trying to find out the increase in electricity charges, since Sep 2006 (the past 30 months). I was surprised with the results and decided to prepare a 'calculator' for Reliance customers to realize how much their tariff has gone up in the past 30 months.

I've uploaded the file here on the Bijlee YahooGroup site and you can sign in to access it (scroll down the list to reach the file "Revised_Reliance_Tariff_Calculator.xls).

All you need to do is input your consumption in the yellow box on the first sheet - and the data will appear as to how much you would have paid at various intervals during this time frame. The dates taken are based on the various tariff orders issued by MERC.

I have included the figure of what would happen, if Reliance's current proposal is approved.

Just to give you a few examples:
1. If your consumption is 100 units - in Sep 2006 you would have paid Rs. 205.29, and (if Reliance's proposal is approved) from Apr 2009, you would be paying Rs. 418.76 - a whopping 104% up in 30 months - and average of almost 42% per year (or 3.5% per month)

2. If your consumption is 400 units - in Sep 2006 you would have paid Rs. 1,577.15, and (if Reliance's proposal is approved) from Apr 2009, you would be paying Rs. 2,923.84 - an increase of 85% in 30 months - and average of approx 34% per year (or nearly 2.9% per month).

Just to put this in perspective, the official Inflation Index for India for FY 2006-07 was 519 and for FY 2008-09 it is 582, which means that as per the Govt. the actual inflation has been around 12% (582/519) for this period.

Also, from Sep 2006 till date, central excise duty has come down from 14% to 8% (down 43%), service tax has come down from 12.36% to 10.3% (down 17%), the price of oil (per barrel) has come down from US$ 63.75 to US$ 41.31 (down 35%) - and yet Reliance has petitioned MERC with an increase that will end up in us paying almost 30% MORE.

I wonder if our disposable incomes went up as much !!

The MERC Public Hearing on Reliance's Tariff Petition is scheduled for Thursday, March 26th at Rangsharda, Bandra Reclamation at 11am. I trust at least a few of you would file a public response opposing the hike (I will be filing one - and you would like to do that, please email me and I send you a copy of what I file).

For those who can't wait - send an email to mercindia@mercindia.org.in - not that they take cognizance of emails - but still 1,000 emails can make a BIG difference - considering that there are about 28 Lakh consumers of Reliance... and don't forget to mark me a copy!

Go ahead and try this - and do send me your feedback at sandeep.ohri@ymail.com (bouquets and brickbats - both will be accepted humbly).

- Sandeep

(Disclaimer: I have tried to make this calculator as accurate as possible - but please try and understand that this is really complex and hey.. who said everyone was perfect!)

Are we really M.A.D ?

2008-12-21T17:58:00.005+05:30

Yes, we ARE mad about what 'they' did to our city - and when I say 'they' I'm not referring to the Terrorists - I'm referring to those who allowed this to happen to us.

Still couldn't figure it out? Well, its us !!!

Yeah, right! WE allowed this to happen to us! (To know why I say, this read my earlier post).

Well, now that you (and I) are really MAD - are we really M.A.D - as in Making A Difference ??

Everyday, I receive at least 4-5 emails on how the NGOs are 'getting together' to 'make a difference'. Cool - everyone wants to do something about it and the only thing that seems to be happening is more emails, more meetings amongst fellow-activists (God, I HATE that word - I'd rather be called an alert citizen) and more public meetings being called for and more letters being written to the Administration.

It's almost becoming 'trendy' to be associated with some NGO Group, or the other. It seems like people have even lost faith in the existing NGOs (!) and so are creating new ones - with a combo of pretty much the same guys (say what?)

It's bad enough that the Administration has enough of problems to deal with - and everyday they get 'hit' by a few dozen well-drafted (for the Media) legalese letters asking them for explanations.

Chill guys - let these guys DO their work!! Isn't THIS what we are p!ssed about in the first place? Just think .. if we have each NGO/Activist (aargh!) write to the same 10 Admin guys - how many letters do you think these guys are going to reply to??

Everyday a new PIL seems to be filed, putting additional burden on the already burdened High Courts.

Everyday there is a new public meeting being called for (and the Police are expected to provide security).

Leave the guys alone ... STOP these letters .. STOP these meetings ... (I know I'm going to be VERY unpopular for suggesting all this!)

In the aftermath of 26/11, we seem to mixing up a great many issues here and we will end up confused and defocused.

Terrorism, Internal Security, Good Governance, Poor Administration, Corruption, Politician-Business nexus, etc. are being rolled into one big smelting pot. No wonder that we are angry and want to do 'something fast'...

I've said this before and I'm saying this again ... there is NO instant-coffee solution to this!

It's a long uphill task and needs constant, concerted and consistent efforts over an extended period of time. This is a Marathon .. not a 100m dash. Treat it with respect.

STEP 1:
If we are really MAD about what happened, let's use RTI for small things..
~Why is the road not repaired sensibly? Who was the contract awarded to?
~Why is there no complaint book in the booking office of the railway station?
~How many times are the Fire Brigade actually supposed to inspect buildings?
~How many times was a builder penalized for sub-standard material?

Ok .. these are just a few random (and maybe, poor) examples.

Forget the big questions about political-nexus and corruption - ask questions about things that affect YOU - your roads, your surroundings, your railway platform. If each one of the Gateway team sends out 1 RTI application to any one department just once in a month - you will have 12 lakh questions being asked - and asked about specific things - things that affect YOU.

YOU will feel EMPOWERED (Man, I love that word!)

Sure, you may not get all your answers - but someone somewhere in the Administration has started becoming alert - that he/she may be called upon to justify his/her actions - and that in itself will be enough to set the ball rolling for fixing things (I owe this theory to Shailesh Gandhi).

STEP 2:
Let's all start taking our voting rights seriously and ensure Voter Registration. The only way we CAN make a difference, is by getting sensible people elected in the chair and taking our democracy seriously.

Let's all volunteer to start a campaign of getting all the eligible people around us to register to vote. Let's facilitate this - circulate forms - post them on various Facebook/Yahoo/Google/Blog sites. Let us start with our own buildings and society complexes - to ensure that everyone around is registered. And when its time to vote, lets arrange for cars to get these guys to reach the polling booth. Let's make it like a party!

STEP 3:
Next time when elections are announced, let's give our electorate a choice of deserving candidates. Let's find the right people and make arrangements for funds for them to cover their costs of campaigning. Let's get detailed data on other candidates, compile that and circulate that across their constituency. (Using RTI for this may also work). Let everyone really KNOW these guys, who are standing for elections.

STEP 4:
Whoever is elected, let's ensure that they know WE can make a difference and have them thrown out for non-performance. We need to coordinate efforts and set up a 'elected-representative watch' (much like a neighbourhood watch?) and let these guys know that BIG BROTHER is really watching them closely.

Now .. all of this requires time - which not everyone has - but if we were to coordinate our activities sensibly, we can ensure that we have a platform in place - a support structure - so that even those who can commit one hour a week, can DO so .. and feel EMPOWERED and participate in this 'movement' for restoration of 'normalcy' in our lives and restoration of 'faith' in our own strength.

There are enough number of NGOs and Associations and Groups who are doing good work. Let's NOT keep creating more (this may dilute our efforts). Let us find a way of EMPOWERING each individual to Make A Difference.

The issue is not just about Terrorism and Good Governance - it is about participation in the democratic process (for which our fore-fathers fought and died) and about individual EMPOWERMENT.

Think about it!

Let's make a REAL difference...

Well ... and that's how I feel ...

New beginnings - why wait??

2008-12-12T12:39:00.005+05:30

The fires have been doused - at the Taj, the Oberoi and Nariman House .. and unfortunately, also at a few homes of those who lost their lives. The city seems to be back to its daily grind. The Police, Fire Brigade and ATS are taking a (temporary?) breather. Walking down the streets, it may appear that the city has (limped?) back to normalcy.

The non-stop media coverage is gone, the 'burning' issues have been raised and chewed by all senior journos, the politico-bashing has had its pound of flesh, bloggers have had their share too (present company included!), the masses have lit their candles and vent their spleens, 49-O of the 'Constitution' has been highlighted, facebook/yahoo/orkut have had new Groups sprung up in great fervour, media has started their own awareness 'groups', prayer meetings have been held...

But ... (as the Ad goes) ... 'Next is What'??

Why do I still get the feeling that we haven't even BEGUN to THINK (leave alone ACT) in the right direction?

While people have compiled a list of questions on the holes in the explanations given by the authorities - so many that it would put Swiss Cheese to shame - I feel that going forward, our approach needs to be different ... very, very different.

Tell me .. truly ... What good did the Gateway march really do? Okay, so now I'm going to be VERY unpopular for saying this! But, I request your indulgence for some time before you click on the 'x' to close this window.

Here's what I feel ...
1. We need to get down to EDUCATING the common masses.
2. We need to VOTE in someone, or vote OUT someone.
3. We need to use the RTI to keep the bureaucrats in check.

And here are my reasons for feeling like this.

1. No matter what we say, we (the 'educated' class) still comprise only a minority in India. The literacy rate hovers around 35%. I've even forgotten what is the official definition of 'literate' - which is probably far removed from being 'educated'.

We need to get people to understand that politicians (well, most of them) are nothing but servile, self-serving, opportunists. And this will continue till we do not have people (read: voting public) who do not bring in the right people (leaders?) to run the administration.

We will continuously be held ransom to the types of the goonda-raj, or the dynastic-raj or just Raj (sorry, couldn't help taking a dig at him here).

We will always be 'ruled' - what a sic word - by people who really put their own, and their groups', interests above good governance. And all of us 'good' people - will continue to stay away from politics, since it is such a 'dirty manipulating game'.

2. We MUST Vote - whether literate (educated?) or not - vote, we MUST. No matter that 100,000 people turned up at the Gateway - even if ALL of them go to vote - they would STILL not be able to vote IN (or vote OUT) a candidate of their choice. It is going to take much more than this. The Gateway march and the human-chain link (inspired by the Hands-Across-America of 1986) is just symbolic of public sentiment.

Such gestures at best provide a cathartic outlet for people - and gives them a sense of belonging and also of 'being-in-control' of the situation. God .. very therapeutic, in such troubled times. But to actually expect CHANGE to happen by just this much? ... sorry to burst your bubble - but it's going to take a lot more!

And we must vote for SOMEONE. I hear a lot going around on the 49-O (negative vote issue). And just for the record it is not 'Section 49-O of the Constitution' as is being made out in many blogs. It is "Rule 49 (O) of The Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961". This allows a legitimate registered voter to register his intention of NOT voting for any of the candidates appearing in the list. In fact, but having to 'register' your name itself is a violation of the 'secret ballot'.

There is NO legislation (or Court ruling) which states that a large (or majority) number of NO-votes would displace the winning candidate. We will not get better governance by continuously THROWING out the bad guys - we will get good governance by BRINGING IN the good guys. Think about it...

3. Having 'educated' the masses and ensuring that we vote in (or out) the right (or wrong) politicians, we must ensure that we keep the bureaucrats in check. RTI is a good tool, if used effectively and wisely, to ensure that none of these guys 'get away' with their wrong doings and their lethargy.

The common man does have this strong weapon to actually rein in the rot. Ok I admit that its implementation has not been as it should be and there are Info Commissioners who are reluctant to penalise the bureaucrats (since most of them belong to the same brotherhood!) But its there - available and we can start making those changes - one baby step at a time.

I'm not naive to know that the above is easier said than done - but we need to start thinking on these lines (IMHO) and change WILL happen.

How long do we keep playing into the hands of sectarian groups and keep blaming religious groups and 'foreign hands' for the mess we are in? What's happening in Orissa, in Bihar, in Assam and in Chandrapur - has got next to nothing to do with a 'foreign hand'. We must stop blaming Pakistan or any other country for our own failings to curtail inland disharmony, violence and criminal activity.

How many more times do we subject peaceful and pious muslims to also wear black bands on Eid to 'prove' their Indianness? How many more times do North Indians have to 'prove' that they are from Mumbai and 'feel' for Maharashtra?

What's next .. the Catholics and Christmas? ... when there were the series of blasts in Mumbai in 1993 - I don't remember any call for the Hindus to wear Black bands during the subsequent Holi?

Let us stop this nonsensical, misdirected effort and get down to doing the things we really need to do! I'm angry .. and upset ... and hurt ... yet, what am 'I' doing about it, besides ranting on my blog, and that too, in my SPARE time??

I have often asked myself, "Would I leave everything and join politics?" ... tough call ... and I have always been guilty of answering "NO!"

Because the system is such that it makes you CHOSE!

Why does one have to make a choice to enter politics?
Why can't he/she do it alongside whatever other responsibilities he/she has?
When will this system change?

In developed countries, ordinary working class citizens can also participate actively in the Political process - and become Senators (without being made to CHOSE between their vocations and politics). Sure, Obama can't dream of doing anything else once he's elected.. but the rest of the Senators can!

When we are able to do this we WILL have a new breed of people in politics. This is what will give rise to a new breed of thinking - which will have the wherewithal to CHANGE the system, to make it more 'people-friendly' - after all, we all DO want a better place to live in, for us and our children.

So while we must douse the external fires, we must keep the inner ones burning brightly, and use it to kindle awakening - and awakening that will empower us to build the foundation blocks for the next 100 years.

Why do we need to wait for a symbolic date or year - let the New Year begin TODAY and let us make a NEW YEAR's RESOLUTION right now!

Well ... and that's how I feel ...

Feedback humbly accepted at snohri2004@yahoo.co.in

Our weapon is stronger, but ...

2008-12-02T21:57:00.005+05:30

The past few days have seen a backlash against the authorities - their failings, their shortcomings, their opportunistic methods, their limitations, their greed ....

We seldom realize that all of this is OUR fault!!

One of the strongest weapons we have - is our VOTE - and we sadly use that the least! It is rightly said, 'We get the Government we deserve!" Again, sad .. but true.

When election time comes around - how many of us really go and vote? Those who do - get the rulers they want - who in turn protect the interests of the voters who voted them in. In turn, the rulers extract their proverbial 'pound of flesh.' It's really that simple - ironic .. but true.

A living example is what happened in the BMC (MCGM) election in the Juhu constituency (in Mumbai city). Adolf D'Souza was elected as an Independent - no political affiliations, no caste affiliations, no family links, no mafia links (!) - nothing, but sheer hardwork and dedication to his credit. Just imagine if that were to happen across the city - do you think that we would have such apathy towards the common man? I don't think so!

Another issue is the Z-category of security being provided to these elected representatives. Z or Y ... I say WHY??

When the average Senator in the US moves around with NO gunman - why does the Indian Minister (or political head-honcho) need these gunmen? .... and why does the Government (meaning.. you and me) pay for this?

These guys walk around with heavy security and never feel the lack of security felt by the common man on the street!

I say we remove all categories of security for all Ministers, etc. (barring just the President and the PM, if at all) and deploy those resources into protecting the common man. I believe we WILL see the difference!

Somehow, if this is done, these guys WILL find the wherewithal to tighten security across the country, terrorist incidents WILL come down, we WILL suddenly discover the much needed political will to do what is necessary.

Or so I believe .. and it can all start with our VOTE.

It's high time we take OURSELVES seriously - and first fulfill OUR responsibility, before pointing a finger at those opportunists.

Let's get our act together - let's ensure we all have ourselves registered to Vote - just as eagerly as we sign up for a Group on Facebook or Hi5 - and I believe we WILL see the change beginning to happen...

Our weapon IS stronger than theirs .. if only we would use it collectively...

Well ... and that's how I feel ...

The Terrorists did not differentiate...

2008-11-28T15:07:00.003+05:30

The tragedy that has struck the lives of the Mumbaikars (is this the official word now?) is saddening, to say the least.

It may seen as attacks on the 'uber rich' section of the city .. but if you check the victim/injured list .. it seems to consist of ordinary citizens!

This brings me to the issue of security of 'Mumbaikars.'

The terrorists did not separate out the Marathi Manoos from the North Indians - did they? They shot at everyone around - and many Maharashtrians were amongst those killed / injured.

Yet where were the so-called (self-appointed) protectors of the Marathi Manoos ?? .. these 'brave' Shiv Sainiks and the (even braver?) MNS guys - who took to the streets and beat up innocent shopkeepers and North Indians .. WHERE WERE THEY?? .... HIDING BEHIND THE NAV-WARIS??

Unlike the bomb-blasts - where the terrorists just planted them, blew it up and scooted - this time around - they were still there. Yet no signs of any comment, statement, or even (false?) bravado from these opportunistic groups - who take to the streets only for their own political mileage. SHAME ON THEM.

They did not even come forward to volunteer in the rescue ops. SHAME ON THEM.

When Raj Thackeray's arrest was announced and even subsequently - they showed their full 'strength' by taking to the streets and downing shutters and threatening the govt of 'consequences' (Ha - fat lot of strength they have). SHAME ON THEM.

The key lies in educating the poor - making sure they are not taken advantage of by ANY political group - so that th next time anyone calls for a 'bandh' .. they should 'bandh karo' (slam) their doors on the faces of these Self-serving, opportunistic, politicians. SHAME ON THEM.

The next they call for a 'rasta roko' ... people should throw them on to the streets. SHAME ON THEM.

I'm hurt, angry, sad, upset, shaken and yet so disgusted with the whole scenario - and have not cared a damn for being 'politically correct' in this.

Words of Wisdom - 4

2008-10-22T22:42:00.001+05:30

Just finished reading "Leadership Wisdom from the Monk who sold his Ferrari" by Robin Sharma. Actually finished reading it for the nth time! This book is about one can become a great Leader and provides practical, sensible Leadership sense.

Actually, I couldn't wait to finish it so that I could share the lines from the book, that moved me the most.

Besides his own wonderful fundas, he has also quoted various other people and I have mentioned some of those as well.

Here goes...

1. Immediately before a great victory, one will often experience some form of difficulty. The key is to maintain your focus and keep on believing.

2. 'To be what we are and to become what we are capable of becoming, is the only end of life.' - Robert Louis Stevenson

3. Leadership is not about managing things but about developing people.

4. The visionary leader is one who has learned how to focus on the summit while clearing the path.

5. Purpose is the most powerful motivator in the world.

6. Great leadership precedes great followership.

7. Too many vision statements hang on office walls rather than in live in human hearts.

8. Visionary leaders care more about doing what's right than appearing intelligent. Leadership is not about popularity, it's about integrity. It's not about power, it's about purpose.

9. People who feel superb about themselves generate superb results.

10. The Law of Diminishing Intent says that the longer you wait to implement a new idea or strategy, the less enthusiasm you will have for it.

11. 'Principles are to people, what roots are to trees. Without roots, trees fall when they are thrashed with the winds. Without principles, people fall when they are shaken by the gales of existence.' - Carlos Reyles, Spanish philosopher.

12. When a student is ready, the teacher appears.

13. 'It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that they are difficult.' - Seneca.

14. Every time you avoid doing right, you fuel the habit of doing wrong.

15. Stop listening with the intent to respond. Instead, listen with the intent to understand.

16. Let rewards and recognitions flow freely. Remember, you always get more of what you reward.

17. Nothing motivates and focuses the mind better than a clear purpose.

18. Have the wisdom to understand that failure is essential to success.

19. If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will avoid a hundred days of sorrow.

20. 'Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.' - Confucius

21. Doing the same things every day will not deliver new results. To change the results you are getting, you must change the things you are doing.

22. The arrow that hits the bull's eye is a result of one hundred misses.

23. Knowledge that remains unapplied is worthless. Lasting success comes only through acting on what you know, putting it into practice.

24. Your mind can be either your best friend or your worst enemy. Don't let the weeds take over. Manage your inner morale. Assume full responsibility for attitude control. As you sow, so shall you reap.

25. 'Nurture your minds with great thoughts for you will never go higher than you think.' - Disraeli

26. The quality of your leadership can be ultimately traced back to the quality of your choices.

27. 'There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently, that which should not be done at all.' - Peter Drucker

28. 'The man who chases two rabbits catches neither.' - Confucius

29. Visionary leaders have the wisdom to understand that if you don't lead your time, it will lead you.

30. 'A plan relieves you of the torment of choice.' - Saul Bellow

31. If you don't act on life, life will act on you.

32. If your priorities don't get put into your planner, other peoples' priorities will get put into your planner.

33. It's not what you know that matters. Success comes from acting on what you know.

34. The greatest battles we fight take place within ourselves.

35. The tougher you are on yourself, the easier life will be on you.

36. 'Perhaps the most valuable result of education is the ability to make yourself do the thing you have to do, when it ought to be done, whether you like it or not.' - Thomas Henry Huxley

37. Let time be your servant rather than your master.

38. There's nothing wrong in making a mistake. Mistakes allow us to mature and become wiser. But there IS something wrong in constantly making the same mistakes. It shows a complete lack of wisdom.

39. The truth of the matter is that success is an inside job. Excellence begins within. Market leadership begins with self leadership.

40. Failing to devote time to the discipline of self-renewal is like saying you are so busy driving that you don't have time to stop for gas.

41. Don't be so busy striving to make a living that you forget how to live a life.

42. Stop wishing for fewer problems and start searching for greater wisdom.

43. The type of leader and the kind of person you will be five years from now will result from two primary influences: the books you read and the people you associate with.

44. It's not what you get out of books that makes the difference - it's what books bring out of you.

45. The person who doesn't make time for exercise must eventually make time for illness.

46. Never settle for mediocrity when you can attain mastery.

47. The Purpose of Life Is a Life of Purpose.

48. What makes greatness is beginning something that does not end with you.

49. Be ashamed to die until you have scored a victory for mankind.

50. When you were born, the world rejoiced while you cried. Your mission must be to live your live in such a way that when you die, the world cries while you rejoice.

Well, I hope that a few of these gems have struck a chord with you, as they did with me. It’s worth going through the entire book (just 250 pages) to get the real feel of it.

Anyway, have a great life .. and become a 'visionary leader' in your own right.

snohri2004@yahoo.co.in

Wisecracks - Part 2

2008-10-02T17:39:00.008+05:30

I got very encouraging feedback to Part 1 .. so here is the sequel .. I hope it doesn't flop (like most sequels do!)

1. It is proven that children hold a marriage together, while tearing the house apart.

2. She serves him blended coffee - yesterday's and today's.

3. Girl to boy, "You remember our last date? Well ...that's what it was!"

4. My Doctor said I needed a complete change .. so I changed the Doctor.

5. I have read so much about the bad effects of drinking, that I gave up reading.

6. It takes a lot of experience ... for a girl to kiss like a beginner ;)

7. Some movies would be better if they ... shot less footage ...and more actors.

8. Today, the pianist is going to play like he never played before .. in tune!

9. One kid to another, "See I told you, tomatoes don't bounce."

10. Its funny how most girls wait until the kiss is over ... before they slap the man's face.

11. One friend to another, "I heard you applied for a government job. What are you doing now?" Reply, "Now? .. Nothing .. I got the job!"

12. Overheard at a bus stop..."I heard your sister got married. Who's the lucky man?" Pat came the reply, "My father!"

13. In the gym..."I heard your wife is on an onion diet. Did she LOSE anything?" Husband..."Yes, 5 kgs and 4 friends."

14. Girl to boy: "Do you believe in Hate at first sight?"

15. I heard you like to travel, so ... why don't you?

16. If you ever need me, please DO hesitate to call!

17. A Fine is a Tax for doing wrong. A Tax is Fine for doing well!

18. Before marriage .... a girl has to kiss her man to hold him; after marriage ... she has to hold him to kiss him.

19. I was trying to get a new car for my wife; but nobody had such an exchange offer.

20. She hates me so much, she made me a birthday cake and put the candles INSIDE it.

Let me know which ones you liked best :) .. and there may even be a Part 3 ...ok .. ok .. I'll stop ... I can already hear the groans ;)

snohri2004@yahoo.co.in

Teacher's Day - A Realization

2008-09-07T17:38:00.002+05:30

It's Teacher's Day today .. and a time to remember the ones who taught you.

That's the least one can do .. respect the one's who taught you how to handle this funny thing called life. Yes, my definition of 'teacher' transcends the obvious school/college teacher.

I believe that one can have 'teachers' at different stages of one's life - I know I've had many ... and who knows how many more to come!

Though in School, I was fortunate to have some really good teachers - but there were a few who had a lasting impression on me, some of them immediately, and some much later - whose real worth I have begun to realize only now, when I see my wife teach my kids...

Mind you, these are not the ones who were the best teachers for me, academically - in fact some of them never taught me a single subject ! Its just that they left a lasting impression on me - some for academics, some for other reasons.

I thank my Teachers, named below in no particular order:
Mrs. Lulu Fernandes
Mr. Rudy Fernandes
Mr. Rasik Shah
Mrs. Yvonne Pinto (nee Fernandes)
Mrs. Cleta Vallace (nee Correa)
Mrs. Lata Munjal
Mr. Ambani (not to be confused with any of the Reliance family!)

Teachers, here's a big thanks for everything, especially for teaching me lessons to equip me to deal with life - and I am continuously striving to do my best in whatever I do. Hope I have done some justice to your efforts.

I'm aware that naming a few, may 'upset' the others, but, hey, I've never always been 'politically correct' - and believe in standing up and speaking my mind.

There have been other teachers who were really good at their work - but somehow, when I look back, I find that my memories keep gravitating towards these.

Out of the education system, I have had many other teachers - my mother (in the ways of life), my father (in the ways of work), another close friend of mine, my wife, my kids, my watchman, my sweeper, my blog-commentors ... yeah, sure I learn from them everyday ..

And by the way .. sorry Teachers, but I know that there's no word like 'commentors' - at least not yet :)

Keep learning, and keep growing ... and here's to all my teachers - a big THANK YOU!

Well, and that's how I feel ...

Jai Ganesha - My obeisance !

2008-09-03T07:12:00.003+05:30

It's festival time here in Mumbai! Though I'm not very 'religious' in the strict sense of the term - I would rather consider myself as being 'spiritual'.. and there's a subtle difference there ;)

Anyway, here's my bit to pay obeisance to the most 'people-friendly' God.... Lord Ganesha.. a.k.a. Ganapati.

I guess, he's the most popular Indian God outside of India. From the many foreigners I've met, they seem fascinated at the concept of the 'Elephant God'.

Also, every time anyone would recite the famous Ganesh Mantra, I always wondered what that meant, so I went and found out - and here's the translation for those who are also curious.

"Vakratunda Mahaakaaya Suryakotee Sama Prabha Nirvighnam kuru mey Deva Sarva kaaryeshu Sarvadaa"

Translation...

"O Lord Ganesha of Large body, curved trunk, With the brilliance of a million suns, Please make all my work free of obstacles, always."

(OK - I know the Internet is public domain - but I would like to acknowledge that I got this from http://www.allelephants.com/allinfo/ganesh.php and that may not even be the official and actual translation - that was a disclaimer for those who feel I have committed blasphemy!)

The image is, by far, one of my favourite pics of Ganesha.

May Lord Ganesha give you all, the strength to face your obstacles better .. and if you think that He's gonna remove them you .. well think again .. He only helps those who help themselves, right?

So while you keep PRAYING, make sure you are also DOING the right things - that way you stand a BETTER chance of beating the odds against you..

Happy festivities ...

Well, and that's how I feel...

Wisecracks - Part 1

2008-08-31T12:11:00.002+05:30

I have often come across many wisecracks and one-liners at many blog posts and thought of contributing my tuppence worth also...

So here's Part 1 of my collection of Gags, Wisecracks and Witticisms. Hope you enjoy them, I sure did, putting it together.

1. He got a letter from his estranged wife.. "Hi Ed, I missed you yesterday. Come back home again, and let me have another shot. Love, Erma."

2. While out with the car one day, she ran across a few old friends...may they rest in peace!

3. Scotch is a wonderful drink. It not only makes you see double, it makes you feel single!

4. Signboard in a shop..."God help those who help themselves"

5. Mr. Smith finally had his wife crawling on her hands and knees last night. She kept shouting, "Come out from under that bed, you coward!"

6. She hated when he referred to her as his 'awfully wedded wife.'

7. She married a Sailor, because she wanted to have children and rear admirals.

8. The difference between a smart girl and a good-looking girl: one has to make up her mind, the other has to mind her make-up.

9. The theatre critc, while writing a review: "I can't remember the author's name, but his farce is familiar."

10. There's a new Directory being compiled in Hollywood, it's going to be named, "Who's Whose."

11. The first thing a pilot learns to control is ... the air hostess!

12. She always wears a faint perfume. One sniff - and you'll faint.

13. A fool and his money are soon parted .. but boy, what memories!

14. A diamond can cut through the hardest metal, and it's not too bad for softening women, either.

15. Liquor improves with age, the older you get the more you like it.

16. At breakfast the priest told the General's pretty wife, who was unwell, "I was praying for you last night." She batted he eyelids and replied, "You silly man...all you had to do was call!"

17. This country is full of willing people. Just a few willing to work .. and the rest willing to let them.

18. The best time to visit Paris is .. between your 18th and 25th birthday!

19. Joe and his fiancee are always together. They're what you call, insufferable.

20. Her brother said, "I remember when we were kids, my sister used to play with dolls and I used to play with soldiers. Now we're all grown up and things are reversed.."

More later...

Let me know which ones you liked best :)

My latest Fav Music Video

2008-08-25T09:29:00.008+05:30

Just saw 'I wanna be a Rockstar" by Nickelback.

Great video!

Enjoy, here's the link on Youtube!

... and well, if you like to singalong (like I do),
here are the lyrics!

I'm through with standing in line
to the clubs i'll never get in
It's like the bottom of the ninth
and I'm never gonna win
This life hasn't turned out
quite the way I want it to be

(tell me what you want)

I want a brand new house on an episode of Cribs
And a bathroom I can play baseball in
And a king size tub big enough for ten plus me

(yeah,so what you need)

I'll need a, a credit card that's got no limit
And a big black jet with a bedroom in it
Gonna join the mile high club
At thirty-seven thousand feet

(Been there done that)

I want a new tour bus full of old guitars
My own star on Hollywood Boulevard
Somewhere between cher and
James Dean is fine for me

(So how ya gonna do it?)

I'm gonna trade this life for fortune and fame
I'd even cut my hair and change my name

[CHORUS]
'Cause we all just wanna be big rockstars
Live in hilltop houses driving fifteen cars
The girls come easy and the drugs come cheap
We'll all stay skinny cause we just won't eat
And we'll hang out in the coolest bars
In the VIP with the movie stars
Every good gold digger's Gonna wind up there
Every Playboy bunny with her bleach blonde hair
and well..
Hey hey I wanna be a rockstar
Hey hey I wanna be a rockstar

I wanna be great like Elvis without the tassels
Hire eight body guards that love to beat up a**holes
Sign a couple autographs
So I can eat my meals for free

(I have a quesadilla... on the house)

I'm gonna dress my a**
with the latest fashion
Get a front door key to the Playboy mansion
Gonna date a centerfold that loves to
blow my money for me

(So how ya gonna do it?)

I'm gonna trade this life
For fortune and fame
I'd even cut my hair
And change my name

'Cause we all just wanna be big rockstars
Live in hilltop houses driving fifteen cars
The girls come easy and the drugs come cheap
We'll all stay skinny cause we just won't eat
And we'll hang out in the coolest bars
In the VIP with the movie stars
Every good gold digger's Gonna wind up there
Every Playboy bunny with her bleach blonde hair
And we'll hide out in the private rooms
With the latest dictionary in today's who's who
We'll get you anything with that evil smile
Everybody's got a drug dealer on speed dial
well..
Hey hey I wanna be a rockstar

I'm gonna sing those songs that offend the censors
Gonna pop my pills from a pez dispenser
Get washed-up singers writing all my songs
Lip sync 'em every night so I don't get 'em wrong

Well we all just wanna be big rockstars
Live in hilltop houses drivin 15 cars
The girls come easy and the drugs come cheap
We'll all stay skinny cause we just won't eat
And we'll hang out in the coolest bars
In the VIP with the movie stars
Every good gold digger's Gonna wind up there
Every Playboy bunny with her bleach blonde hair
And we'll hide out in the private rooms
With the latest dictionary in today's who's who
We'll get you anything with that evil smile
Everybody's got a drug dealer on speed dial
well..
Hey hey I wanna be a rockstar
Hey hey I wanna be a rockstar

62nd I-Day after 61 years, right?

2008-08-16T07:54:00.004+05:30

Every time there is a festival or an occasion and we have a barrage of emails/sms-es that we are 'spammed' with (by the way, should we still call it 'spam' - when we're bombarded with unwanted and unwarranted sms-es??)

In fact, this year, instead of being a mute spectator and at the the 'receiving end'; I decided to initiate a message and 'spam' everyone else.

Here's what I sent out...

"Have we really built the country that people died for 61 years back? If NOT what are YOU doing about it? Let's not stop at 'Good' and go for .. 'Great'! Don't just read this SMS & stop...DO
something!!.. & well, a Happy Independence Day, anyway! - Sandeep Ohri"

I was attending my kids' school function when this came to mind and it took me less than a minute to come up with this and send it out.

Within seconds I received a response (make that responses) I thought it may be a good idea to just document these - after all a blogpost will survive a lot more than the stored sms on my cell.

I have reproduced them here (in toto, typos and all) and since most of the co-spammers are my friends, their identities have been protected...

1. Dis is sumthng u hav written?

2. :) Bhes badla par des kab badlayenge. Happy Independence Day.

3.'Falak ki zid hai jaha bijliyan girane ke, hamein bhi zid hai waheen ashiyana baanane kee'. Fight against terrorism. HAPPY 61TH INDEPENDENCE DAY JAI HIND.

4. This day reminds of the liberty for all that still eludes. Let's keep doing our bit to assert our liberty. We shall overcome.

5. Freedom in the Mind. Faith in the words.. Pride in our Hearts and memories in our Souls..Let's salute the nation on 61st Independence Day! Vande Mataram.

6. Thank you and wish you happy indipendence day. Give me a call,will join you for a good cause. Regds.

7. No more words. :-):-) let our works speak. :-). You are absolutely right.

Go on .. feel free to add some more..I know you are dying to :)

And just for the record, its our 62nd Independence Day after completing 61 years of independence.. do the maths. Last night, Sagarika Ghosh on CNN-IBN very boldly stated it is the 61st independence Day .. while the scroll at the bottom of her screen said, 'nation celebrates 62nd Independence Day".

I began to wonder whether I had committed a faux pas in my morning sms, so I sat back and did the calculations. 15-8-1947 was our 1st I-Day, then on 15-8-1948 we had our 2nd I-Day after completing the 1st year ..and so on... Therefore, on 15-8-2008 we are celebrating our 62nd I-Day after completing 61 years...right?

Well, 61st or 62nd, the fact remains, what have we really achieved? Have we really done justice to the efforts of those who actually DIED for this?? Think, just think... what were they thinking of when they actually took a bullet for the country's freedom? ..what was the thought in their minds and in their heads, when they gasped their final breath?

I was in dual minds when I heard the children at the school make the (mandatory?) laudatory speeches in English, Hindi, Marathi & Sanskrit, extolling our nation's achievements (incl our latest poster boy, Abhinav Bindra).

I realised, I had done the same when I was in school - and actually believed that our country had been progressing at a fast pace. But as the age of innocence gave way to age of disillusion and then the age of reasoning and now the age of understanding, I really wonder whether we should 'fix' this or not.

Should those children have been corrected and told that we are a nation suffering far more ills than our achievements? Should their 'bubble' be burst? Should we take away their zeal and their
innocence? Should we tell them about the harsh realities that they are going to face as soon as they step out of their cocooned comfort zone? Should we tell them about the big-bad-world of politicians and underworld dons and how they muscle their way around?

Or should we let them hang onto their dreams of a resurgent India, the India that has produced the likes of ...Rabindranath Tagore, Sachin Tendulkar, Kalpana Chawla, Sunita Williams (?), Abhinav Bindra, Subhash Chandra Bose, Nehru, Sardar Patel (notice how the post-Independence ones are mostly non-political?)

Woke up at 6am and started typing... I am still in a dilemma .. and just can't stop thinking of it!

Electricity from Nuclear Power – A layman’s research!

2008-07-27T08:13:00.002+05:30

Ok .. so the government won the Trust Vote (amidst accusations, mayhem and a general mockery of the Indian democratic system) - but what does that mean to you and me and the rest of the (unsuspecting) masses?

According to me there are 3 main issues ..
1. Is the cost of electricity from a Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) really cheaper?
2. Is Nuclear Power better and ‘cleaner’?
3. Does India have to depend on the US (only) for Uranium?

Hey, I said, “according to ME” .. ok? This is MY blog…and I have the right to rant here :)
Anyway, I found no ready answers in our print & television media, as these guys are more obsessed with sensationalizing the shameful proceedings that went on.

So, I decided to spend some time Googling (is this now a valid word??) on another wet 26/7 in Mumbai, and here’s what I found.

Ok, here’s a caveat - I’m NOT an expert and there may be mistakes, but I have tried to summarize what I have understood from my readings across the Internet.

Here goes…

Question: Is electricity from Nuclear Power, cheaper?
My Answer: YES

From what I understand, when speaking of costs, there are two types: Internal and External. Internal costs are those which are incurred directly while generating energy, while External costs are those which are incurred in relation to health and the environment. External costs are quantifiable, but not built in directly into the cost of electricity.

In terms of Internal costs, Nuclear energy incurs about one-tenth of the costs of coal, so that makes it really cheap. And here’s the clincher, if you add up the (quantifiable) External costs, the cost from Coal increases by another 100% and that from Gas, increases by another 30%, making these two even more costly – and all of this is without adding the costs of global warming (since this is not quantifiable yet).

At first glance, the costs of setting up (and fuelling) a NPP seem much higher. However, when costs are declared for Nuclear energy, these always HAVE to include the entire cycle of costs (spent fuel management, plant decommissioning and final waste disposal), whereas, the costs for other technologies need not account for these directly.

So though, at first glance, such figures may seem higher, when you actually take into account carbon-dioxide emissions, waste disposal, etc., Nuclear energy is actually cheaper.I came across one official study done in Finland in August 2003 which compared all the costs (fixed, running and emission) of a Nuclear, Coal & Gas Plant. The final figures worked out to Nuclear 23.7 euro cents per MWh, Gas 39.2 cents and Coal 44.3 cents.

The study also analyzed the effect of the doubling of basic Fuel prices. If Fuel prices doubled, the cost of Nuclear energy would rise only 9%, but energy from Coal would rise 31% and that from Gas would rise 60% !! This is because the cost of Fuel in a NPP is relatively smaller percentage than the cost of Fuel in a Coal or a Gas power plant.

Next Question: Is Nuclear Power better and ‘cleaner’?
My Answer: YOU BET!

Coal-powered plants use 3,200 Million Tonnes of Coal each year to produce 38% of the world’s electricity. NPPs use only 61,000 Tonnes of Uranium for 16% of the world’s electricity.

Coal is generally used in the country where it is mined and sometimes has to be transported over a large distance to the Power plants, which further requires energy (in transportation) and causes greenhouse gas emissions (on the way).

In comparison, very little Uranium is required to do the same job. Consider the following facts:
1. A 1000 MWe NPP requiring 27 tonnes of fresh fuel per year is an average of about 74 kg per day.
2. A 1000 MWe Coal plant needs 8600 Tonnes of coal to be delivered every day.
3. Nuclear Plants have a Carbon Dioxide emission rate of 16 g/kWh, while Gas Plants emit 356g and Coal Plants emit a whopping 891g.
4. Every 22 Tonnes of Uranium used, we avoid an emission of 1,000,000 Tonnes of Carbon Dioxide, relative to Coal.
5. When the electricity comes from Coal, 1 kiloWatt hour (kWh) of it results in about 1 Kg of Carbon Dioxide being emitted.

Last Question: Does India have to depend on the US (only) for Uranium?
My Answer: NO !

Uranium is a slightly radioactive metal that occurs throughout the earth's crust. It is about 500 times more abundant than gold and about as common as tin. Over half of the world's production of uranium from mines is from Canada (23%), Australia (21%) and Kazakhstan (16%). USA does only 4% of the production.

In 2008, the world would require 64,615 Tonnes of Uranium only for NPPs generating electricity. The largest requirement is of the US 29%, followed by France 16%, Japan 12%, Germany 5%, Russia 5%, South Korea 5%.

India’s requirement right now is a miniscule 2% at 978 Tonnes if its 17 reactors operate at full capacity. Presently, on account of the lack of supply, many of these are operating below capacity, some at around 50%.

The combined installed capacity in India stands at 3779 MWe which generates about 16 billion kWh of electricity - a mere 2.5% of our total electricity generated presently.

India also has huge reserves of Uranium - about 56,000 Tonnes of it! But this is of poor quality of ore which cannot really be used for the NPPs and hence we need to buy this from other countries (Australia, Canada & Kazaksthan). Now these other countries will not supply it to us, unless we are part of a global agreement that agrees to not use this purchased Uranium for military purposes.

So, if we sign the agreement with the US, we can get to buy the Uranium from other countries, to fuel our NPPs and use it for civilian (non-military) purposes.

Well, as I see it, it seems to be a win-win situation! See, India produces about 430 Tonnes of good quality, usable Uranium per year. Most of this goes to the NPPs and maybe some part, towards our own military purpose.

In future, the situation will change as we have another 25 Nuclear reactors (planned and/or under construction) taking our capacity from 3779 MWe to 20,115 MWe. This is almost 5 times our present requirement. Now WHERE are we going to get the Uranium to Fuel this if we don’t sign the agreement!

Obviously, when we started off planning for these reactors, the government KNEW that we cannot produce this Uranium within the country and we would HAVE to purchase this from outside… so why create a hungama NOW when the time to sign the Agreement has come?

If we didn’t want to give up our so-called ‘nuclear-independence,’ why did the Government plan to construct so many Nuclear Reactors in the first place?? It’s pretty obvious we didn’t have the Uranium then, and we don’t have the Uranium now!!

Now, here’s an interesting bit of news. NPPs can also use a mineral called Thorium – of which India has a whopping 319,000 Tonnes of, which is almost one-fifth of the world’s reserves. Here’s the good news. All of this is usable for NPPs, after some amount of processing, which we already DO even now.

So here’s my take .. let’s sign the Agreement, buy the Uranium from outside for electricity generation purposes and lets process our own Thorium for generating Uranium for our military purposes ..

Hey, doesn’t that sound too simple ?? So why the hell didn’t someone just tell it to us like this??

Well ... and that's how I feel ...

Oct 2006-Jul 2008: It's been a long struggle...

2008-07-12T15:20:00.006+05:30

It was in October 2006, I used to run a small scale unit in Mumbai and I received my first escalated electricity bill from Reliance Energy.

(For those who came in late... my bill went from Rs. 210 for 11 units to Rs. 10,800 for 14 units!!)

It was then that I woke up and smelt the coffee .. oops .. the mud, about how Reliance Energy had been hoodwinking its consumers.

Ever since then and with the help and guidance of Mr. Rakshpal Abrol (President of the Bombay Small Scale Industries Association) I was made aware of the depths of this bottomless chasm. He warned me of the gravity of the situation, but I was determined to 'do something' - after all this was 'wrong'!!

Since then, I jumped in and ...

... started 'blogging' (this one here and mirrored on Rediff iland and then later also Bijleepower).
... formed (and still Moderate) the Bijlee Yahoo Group
... started an Online Petition for removal of monopoly in Mumbai's electricity supply
... sent out many emails (more in frustration and desperation) to demystify the electricity issue
... participated in public meetings on creating awareness
... became the Moderator of the Electricity section at Karmayog.org
... was hit by threatening Legal Notices by REL
... initially refused to pay their illegal bills (later relented in the interest of feeding my staff)
... initiated a legal battle with REL in the Consumer Court (after they chopped off my electricity)
... made presentations at MERC's public hearings
... was interviewed by TV & newspapers on the issue (some called me 'Power Activist', Ha!)
... made presentations at the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity at New Delhi
... got REL penalised for not turning up at the Tribunal hearing !
... was referred to in many of MERC's Orders. See here (pgs 12/24/25) and here (pgs 39/40)
... and even helped file a case against REL in the Supreme Court

There was a time when people have come up to me and told me, 'Don't take "panga" with the Ambanis.' Well, it was never personal and so I was never 'afraid' ... he is a businessman in his own right and I have my rights as a Consumer.

This journey has by no means ended (hey, life is a journey .. to sound cliched) and things will go on. I have moved on from my small scale unit into a challenging corporate environment. People have become more aware of the electricity situation ... and of their rights ...

And now in July 2008, the Supreme Court has given its verdict on the interpretation of Tata Power's Distribution License .. that Tata Power can also supply electricity to retail consumers in Mumbai.

Thus paving the way, once again, for competition in this sector and giving me a sense of accomplishment-of-sorts.

Sure, we have a long way to go, but I think we have set the ball rolling and now there are enough people who have been made aware of the situation.

Looking back, I have learnt a lot from this experience and the point of this entire blog is that if you feel deep down you are right about something, its worth pursuing (and pursue it like hell).

The results may seem elusive at first and even impossible - but if you are on the right track, the small spark that you carry can actually become a forest fire !

Do not underestimate your own capabilities. When this happened, I was a complete novice (I believe, 'newbie' is the right word ... or is it 'noob'?) in the ways of the Internet - but now I can get myself around.

Don't give up ... Believe in yourself ... Take on the world ... and whether you get the results you desired or not .. YOU will be a different person !!

Cheers !!

End note: It's Guru Purnima on July 18th .. I would like to pay my respects to my Guru, Mr. Rakshpal Abrol, who taught me the ropes in this entire struggle of mine. Sir, with folded hands I pay my humble respect to you. Thank you.

Sonia vs. EC vs. Constitution of India

2008-02-16T19:48:00.001+05:30

Just wanted to contribute my tuppence worth to the ongoing issue of Sonia Gandhi accepting the "Order of Leopold" Belgium's 2nd highest Civilian honour, in Nov 2006.

The news items appear here ... TOI, HT, CNN-IBN.

It seems this Belgian award has also been given to Marshall Tito, General Patton and President Eisenhower as well - and hence, its a big deal. Full list here at Wikipedia.

Now the issue was brought to light on a Petition made by someone (from Kerala? - not that it makes a difference which State - but Kerala DOES have the highest literacy rate in the country!).

The controversy arises on account of the fact (?) that the acceptance of the award implies "allegiance" to that country (in this case: Belgium) - and if that is true, then its a problem - as Sonia Gandhi is a Parliamentarian and a "Citizen" by marriage - as per the Constitution of India.

Well, we all know that the Constitution is SUPREME. No Court can interfere with what is written in the Constitution - they can only attempt to interpret - not modify, alter or add to the meanings of the Articles within the Constitution.

So what DOES the Constitution say ..

Here is Article 18:
"18. Abolition of titles - (1) No title, not being a military or academic distinction shall be conferred by the State.
(2) No citizen of India shall accept any title from any foreign State.
(3) No person who is not a citizen of India shall, while he holds any office of profit or trust under the State, accept without the consent of the President any title from any foreign State.
(4) No person holding any office of profit or trust under the State shall, without the consent of the President, accept any present, emolument, or office of any kind from or under any foreign State."

Here is Article 102:
"Disqualification for membership -(1) A person shall be disqualified for being chosen as, and for being, a member of either House of Parliament-
(a) If he holds any office of profit under the Government of India or the Government of any State other than an office declared by Parliament by law not to disqualify its holder;
(b) If he is of unsound mind and stands so declared by a competent court;
(c) If he is an undischarged insolvent;
(d) If he is not a citizen of India, or has voluntarily acquired the citizenship of a foreign State, or is under any acknowledgement of allegiance or adherence to a foreign State;
(e) If he is so disqualified by or under any law made by the Parliament."

Also, check these articles by S Gurumurthy, here and here.

Ok, so now tell me .. should the EC have issued a Notice, or not??

In my opinion, if the award entailed some kind of "allegiance" to Belgium, then I guess it is justified.

And if so, why should Sonia Gandhi be "above" the Constitution?

THINK ... THINK ... THINK ....

Patriotic Songs .. or Inspirational Songs ??

2008-01-27T18:36:00.000+05:30

Just an observation ..

Come Jan 26th (and also Aug 15th, for that matter) and we have schools holding Patriotic Song Contests.

I attended one such competition and was surprised that out of the 4 songs that were sung, only 2 could be classified as "Patriotic."

The others were just, pure "inspirational" and "motivating" - at best.

Guess who won ?

The teams that sang the really "Patriotic" ones - came 3rd and 4th !!

I guess its more the fault of the Teachers and Judges who didn't make it clear to the children as to which songs were really classifiable as Patriotic.

Which also got me thinking .. just how many Patriotic Songs do we really have? The only ones I know seem to be the ones I have seen in movies at some time or the other.

Coincidentally, the same day HT Cafe (Mumbai, Jan 26th) ran a cover story on Patriotic songs!!

Being the good samaritan that I am (Ha ! Modesty does seem to have taken a back-seat!) I thought of reproducig that list - and have added some others that I remembered.

Here goes ...
1. Aye mere pyare watan (Kabuliwalla)
2. Jahaan daal daal pe (Sikander-e-Azam)
3. Vande Mataram (Anand Math version)
4. Aye Watan, Aye Watan (Shaheed)
5. Sarfaroshi ki Tamanna (Shaheed)
6. Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Saathiyon (Haqueeqat)
7. Zindagi Maut Na Ban Jaye (Sarfarosh)
8. Bharat Humko Jaan Se Pyaara Hai (Roja)
9. Yeh jo des hai tera (Swades)
10. Rang de Basanti (Rang de Basanti)
11. Dil diya hai Jaan bhi denge (Karma)

Feel free to send in more suggestions .. so that come Aug 15th, schools can refer to this list !

Jai Hind !

Can we accuse MFs of "insider trading" ??

2008-01-25T08:50:00.000+05:30

Just read the article, “When MFs raise capital & a stink” (Economic Times, Mumbai, Pg 15) by Gaurav Pai & Muthukumar K.

Very interesting stuff ..

The mutual fund companies ofetn invest in their own Group companies - but of course, SEBI has a limit, which they do not cross ;)

Did you know...

1. Reliance Mutual Fund has invested Rs. 1,726 crores of YOUR money, in its own R-ADAG group companies like Adlabs, Rel Comm and Rel Energy?

2. ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund has invested Rs. 678 crores of your money in its own ICICI Bank?

3. SBI Mutual Fund has invested Rs. 459 crores of your money in its own SBI?

4. Birla Sun Life has invested Rs. 251 crores of your money in Hindalco, Grasim and Idea Cellular?

HDFC Mutual Fund seems to be the most prudent! It has invested only Rs. 74 crores of your money in HDFC and HDFC Bank. And the article state that Tata MF and Kotack AMC have a miniscule investment in thier own Group companies.

Kinda makes you think, right ?

Shouldn't there be some rule on "insider trading" ... because at the Top management level - these guys are the SAME !! Are you listening SEBI ??

Unless, you actually believe that the Head of Reliance Mutual Fund DOES NOT know what the rest of the Group companies are up to .. yeah, sure .. !

And we wonder why Reliance MF has become the No. 1 MF with the highest AUM (Assets Under Management) ...

Coincidentally, at the same time the R-ADAG group companies' market capitalisation has almost doubled in the last one year...

THINK .. THINK .. THINK ...

Sleepless Nights ...

2008-01-23T06:02:00.000+05:30

Check out the latest post at http://bijleepower.blogspot.com/ on the MERC hearings

Back after a long hiatus !!

2007-11-10T07:15:00.001+05:30

It's been a crazy three months .. travelled to Singapore, Beijing, Bangkok, Jakarta, Seoul and Kuala Lumpur .. and have now got some respite.

The far-east really has a rich cultural heritage. Much like our own. And from what I've seen and experienced, they are proud of it.

They are not "fanatical" about their religious heritage being "run aground" by western influence - and I wonder why is it that we here in India feel so "threatened" by western influences. The Thai, the Koreans and the Malaysians enjoy BOTH, without feeling any guilt - but here in India, we make (those who "adopt" western styles) guilty of "abandoning" their roots !! Why ??

Just thought I'd make this point here ....

By the way, on the "bijlee" front, we had some small successes - and I have only managed to keep updating the yahoo group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bijlee/ .. will also update the http://bijleepower.blogspot.com/ pages ..

Here's wishing all of you a very safe and peaceful Diwali and a successful and productive New Samvat Year !!

Independence Day .. 60th .. so what ?

2007-08-15T11:52:00.000+05:30

Greetings, to all proud Indians, on our National Independence Day.

The fact that it is our 60th is no big deal - I really dislike it that people (and some sections of the media) have created this hype - that since it is our 60th so it is "special" - this is not a total score of a test match - that we're waiting to get to a higher number !

Each year is equally important.

What we should really be measuring is how high we climb on the really relevant numbers:
- Like the decrease in number of hungry, under-fed and malnutritioned children and people.
- Like the decrease in the rate of infant mortality.
- Like the decrease in the number of pending cases in the Supreme Court and all other Courts.
- Like a decrease in the number of pending cases with the State Information Commission (under thr RTI Act).
- Like a decrease in the number of MPs, MLAs, MLCs and Corporators, who are "full-time" politicians. (Let them prove themselves in various fields and then be elected/nominated).
- Like the increase in the rate of overall literacy.
- Like the increase in the per capita income of each District, measured separately.
- Like the increase in the year-on-yeargrowth rate of number of school-going and college-going students.
- Like the increase in the rate of working women, which will show that women empowerment is really working.
- Like the increase in the overall Social/Human Development and other related Indices.

I would like to see THOSE numbers being made more important than just the fact that we have hit 60 .. so what ? In ten years, we'll hit 70 .. then 80 .. and so on .. it's never going to stop ! .. or is it ? .. and which is the reason why some people think its a "big deal" that we've hit 60.

Once a nation gets Independence, its just going to keep going !!

And while we're celebrating this, let us ...
... resolve to continue to work relentlessly towards the betterment of our country.
... gain independence from the disharmonius forces that have tied us tangled in knots.
... free ourselves of the notion that an individual person is helpless.

When each one of us does this, I feel we will REALLY have a reason to celebrate an Independence Day!

Jai Hind!

New post at bijleepower

2007-08-12T18:50:00.000+05:30

Those who keep checking here - don't miss the latest post on http://bijleepower.blogspot.com/.

You will be shocked to know that MERC is so casual about consumer representatives.. and you were wondering why is the electricity tariff rate just going on zooming !

Lara & Katrina on Koffee with Karan

2007-08-12T18:47:00.001+05:30

Just caught a glimpse of this program - couldn't understand what Lara kept finding so funny .. what an irritating prattle .. !

.. and the rapid fire took like ages to finish .. I didn't bother to find out who won .. like hell it matters ;)

.. and why am I even blogging about this ???

Its Raining .. and the light's have gone out !

2007-06-30T13:02:00.000+05:30

It's June 30th .. and its been raining since last night.

Finally, the lights went out in Kandivili (East) at around 12.45 in the afternoon.

I guess I don't have to pay Reliability Charges any more .. so much for Anil Ambani spending Rs. 100 crores of MY money on his so-called Disaster Management!!

And no one is answering REL's complaint number 3030 3030 .. so that's another couple of 100 crores down the drain in setting up the Call centre ...

... the only Disiaster we have .... is REL as our electricity supplier ;)

Words of Wisdom - 3

2007-06-27T11:11:00.001+05:30

I came across this beautiful capsule entitled "The Power of Attitude" by Mac Anderson.

I'm sure this must have done the rounds of the Internet, but I thought I'd put it down here as well, if nothing .. just for my own "Refresher Course" ... :)

The Power of ATTITUDE

1. DREAMS: A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step - Chinese Proverb.

2. PURPOSE: Your vision becomes clear when you look inside your heart.

3. PASSION: Belief fuels passion, and ... passion rarely fails - M. Anderson.

4. People are like sticks of dynamite. The power's on the inside ... but nothing happens until the fuse gets lit.

5. COURAGE: Courage does not always roar. Sometimes it is the quite voice at the end of the day, saying "I will try again tomorrow."

6. GOALS: Take a long view ... one day at a time.

7. STAY POSITIVE: You become what you think about - Earl Nightingale.

8. Attitudes truly are contagious. So ask yourself one question ... Is mine worth catching ?

9. SIMPLIFY: Things that matter most must never be at the mercy of things that matter least - Goethe.

10. LAUGHTER: Laughter is sunshine in any life- William Thackeray.

11. Laughter is your heart's way of telling your face to smile - D. Green.

12. EXPECT THE BEST: Its a funny thing about life; if you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it - W. Somerset Maugham.

13. KINDNESS: Its not the things you get, but the hearts you touch, that will determine your success in life.

14. SING YOUR SONG: A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song- Chinese proverb.

15. LOVE: Love doesn't make the world go round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile - Franklin P. Jones.

16. RENEWAL: The will to win ... the will to achieve ... goes dry and arid without continuous renewal - Vince Lombardi Jr.

And, finally ..

In many ways, we're alike;
However, one LITTLE difference
Makes a BIG difference
The little difference is ...
ATTITUDE

A wonderful movie with the above text and pleasing visuals is available here: www.powerofattitudemovie.com

Aamir & Amitabh are Farmers, or not ??

2007-06-06T08:38:00.001+05:30

Ok, so now Aamir Khan is also part of the controversy on who is a "Farmer". First it was Amitabh Bachchan....

By the way, just WHO is a "FARMER"???? Where is FARMER defined ??

Certainly NOT in the Constitution of India ... !!

Surprised? Yup, the word "farmer" is not defined by our Constitution. Article 366, which deals with "Definitions" defines "Agricultural Income" but "Farmer" is not defined.

Which means, this is now open to interpretation by all and sundry - unless the High Court and/or Supreme Court have laid down some definitions (I'm not a lawyer, so I wouldn't know..)

However, here's an interesting Case study ...

When we got Independence, there were a number of landlords (Zamindars) who owned Agricultural land. Most of these had hired help ... (bonded?) labourers ... to till the land for them. In one stroke, the Government abolished the Zamindari system and made the actual tillers, owners of the land - and compensated the Zamindars (with Bonds, I think).

Thereafter, one such labourer now became the owner and then in turn, also hired some additional help. Over time, the labourer-owner became old and his children (who were educated, as he could afford to educate them) didn't want to do farm-activities any more. They moved to the city and took up other career options.

Eventually the old man passes away bequeathing his (legally-owned) farm land, to his children.

Stop the press...

Questions:
- Are the children "Farmers" ?????
- Do they need a "Certificate" to prove that they are "Farmers" ?????
- Does Amitabh need a Certificate ? If yes, WHO is the Competent Authority to issue such a Certificate?
- Does Aamir need anything more than the fact that his father owns/owned Agricultural land???
- What is the status of our Politicians?

It seems the thumb rule being applied everywhere is that "if you owned farm land at any place in India.. you ARE a Farmer" ...

By this logic, we need to open the Pandora's Box and examine each and every Politician (and Administrative Officer) who has declared that they "own" farm land.

For those who were born much later (your's truly, included), India was a predominantly Agricultural country when we got Independence... so most of our fore-fathers, were "Farmers" anyway ...

I think this is political vendetta .. especially, in Amitabh's case. His obvious proximity to the (loud-mouth) Amar Singh and Jaya's obvious show of Respect (?) to Mulayam Singh (those who saw Koffee-with-Karan will know) has done him in.

Unfortunately, the politicians themselves and the IAS officers and other Babus involved have gotten away ... FIRs should be filed against these guys first, before anyone does that to Amitabh ... and the less said about Aamir's case, the better ...

Let all the Ministers who have made statements against these two, first prove that THEY are also "Farmers" - IF they own any "agricultural land" ... let them also "prove" how is it that they are being called Farmers ... when they themselves hardly ever till their land, nowadays ..

Well ... and that's how I feel ...

New Music Videos ...

2007-06-03T09:55:00.000+05:30

Last night I managed to catch a few of the new Music Videos on VH-1.

1. There was Sophie Ellis Bextor's "Catch You" from her "Trip The Light Fantastic" Album. The lady seemed to have a major Madonna-in-her-hey-days hang up.

The same bright red (vermillion?), frilly, latin american-style dress, hair, gelled (oiled?), pulled back in a bun, Venice, Gondola, sepia tone shots, etc.

The clincher was the shot where she is sitting on a three-seater sofa with arms outstreched on the headrest ... reminiscent of what the Cicconne babe had done for Playboy (or was it Penthouse .. but does that matter?) .. except that she did it in the buff ;)

Verdict: Ho-hum !

2. Then there was "Boss's Life" by Snoop Dogg Featuring Nate Dogg .. whatta crappy song .. with an equally crappy video to boot.

Snoop Dogg is a 6-foot, tuff, rugged-looking, broad-shouldered BOY, complete with the hood on his head, et al ... and, oh yes, he also wears pig-tails in the video !!

Ha! Talk of a confused child..!! And oh, yes, there was the token, skimpily clad black girl in stillettos (and nothing much else) in the vid ..

Verdict: Lousy !

3. Finally, there was a true Rock video .. "Home" from Chris Daughtry (remember this guy ? Looks like Vin Diesel.. bald pate ..) He was the fourth last to be eliminated from last season's American Idol . Great vid .. great song ... great lyrics.

Incidentally, this song was chosen by this years' American Idol season, as the "going-away" number (the number they play in the background when one of the contestants is eliminated). Last season's song was "I've Had a Bad Day"...

Verdict: Beautiful !

Didn't wait to see further .. just shut the box after Daughtry ...

I also, managed to catch Avril Lavigne's "Girlfriend" (my daughter's fav song ... "Ooh Dad, I just love this video...").

Typical, girlie-vid ... high-school babes trying to "eliminate" much-wanted boyfriend's present girlfriend ... Ha !

So now you know what to expect from the vid ... there are the token shots of the present GF falling in the pool and making a mess of herself ... predictable stuff ..

But you know the kids these days ... "Ooh Dad, she is just sooo cooooool ... !!!"

Verdict: Cooool (just because my daughter is sitting next to me ...)

"DTH customers may get adult content"

2007-06-02T08:44:00.001+05:30

Just read this news item on rediff.com (http://www.rediff.com/money/2007/jun/02dth.htm).

The news item does not clarify if CAS and/or IPTV media are also included.

A TRAI report puts the total number of cable & satellite viewers at 70 million and the article says that there are 3.2 million DTH subscribers - so only 4.5% of the viewers will be "entitled" .. (or should I say, "privileged") to watch adult content.

The Govt is going to "reward" this 4.5% for investing in DTH systems, by allowing them to view "adult" content ...

So, according to the Govt (or is it only TRAI?), 95.5% of the viewer population is NOT mature enough to handle adult content !

This smacks of a business deal, where the DTH players are going to use the excuse of a TRAI-approved plan for "promoting" their product.

They will make it look like the TRAI has done this only because access-control is easier through DTH .. but what about CAS and IPTV? These are also "controllable".

In any case, it is absolutely discriminatory to make such a move - any such decision should be inclusive.

I have written to TRAI asking for a clarification ... but who knows if they will reply!

Just thought that you all should know :)

The Rains are here !!

2007-05-31T22:01:00.000+05:30

Well, it just rained .. not a small gentle drizzle .. but a proper downpour ... with its fair share of thunder and lightning...

Oh well, call it the pre-monsoon showers or whatever .... as far as I'm concerned, just the aroma of wet mud is a real killer ... mmmmm ....

Anyway, the first rains had their first casualty.

The gusty winds just ripped off the print from a hoarding right outside my window !

I tried to capture the moment - just managed to grab a few seconds .. its uploaded here:
http://www.youtube.com/v/sotO2N-b0e4

PS. Please forgive the (very, very bad) amateurish video grab.... this is my first attempt!

Miss Universe 2007 ...

2007-05-30T09:27:00.000+05:30

Ok, so chinks are in (my apologies to those who are offended - but this is MY blog, so there !)

I couldn't believe it, when Miss Japan won.

I expected Miss USA to get into the Top Five on account of her splendid come"back" performance after falling ...

I also didn't expect Miss India in the Top Five - she looked like she was suffering from a major Shilpa Shetty hang-up .

I also expected Home Queen Miss Mexico in the Final Ten ....

But what's it with the chinks .. Miss Korea, Miss Thailand, Miss Japan ...

I'm surprised Miss Vietnam didn't get shortlisted (or is Uncle Sam still smarting ...)

Then I realised that a majority of the Judges were also of the same "genre" .. so no surprises there !

Well now the American Fashion companies will make a good amount of money in the Far East.

This is all BIG BUSINESS .. The Fashion companies (incl Cosmetics, Accessories, etc.) give an "ego-boost" to certain countries and have all of the country going crazy buying stuff .. and then they move to another country/region.

It first started with the Latinos - Brazil, Venezuela, etc. .. then it moved to India .. and now its the Far-East ... so no reason for us desis to feel lousy .. it just business ....!

Cheeni Kum - Movie Jyada !

2007-05-27T22:54:00.001+05:30

Saw Cheeni Kum last night (theatre, of course!) with my family.

Hat's off Mr. Balkrishnan! Incidentally, he's the creative director at Lowe..

Great movie, brilliantly written characters (wonderfully played by Amitabh, Tabu, Paresh Rawal and Zohra Sehgal .... and the little girl).

What I really liked about the movie (apart from zero songs) is that it is a love-story about two mature individuals sans all the pretensions of a hindi-movie typecast love struck romantic.

It is not just "infatuation" - but the "coming of age" of Amitabh as a man-in-love (when he says .. main ab jawan ho gaya hoon .. to Paresh Rawal) .

Tabu's role is underplayed .. she seems to have great depth .. and her tongue-in-cheek humour was done very well...

There were many high-points .. the "colgate" guy .. the british waiter's pronounciation trouble .. Zohra Sehgal's obsession with gym/hunks .. Paresh Rawal's cricket/Gandhi mania ...

Overall, it was a wonderfully enjoyable evening - I was a little apprehensive about seeing the movie with my kids .. but was surprised at the way they understood and enjoyed the film .. a mark of a great story-teller .. to tell the story in such a way that needs no further interpretation.

"Paisa vasool" .. to sound cliched !

PS. If I had to name just one part that I would've liked to change .. it would be Amitabh crying bitterly saying "I want sexxxyyy.." .. somehow I felt it didn't go well with the character... just for the use of the word "sexy" ..and what it connotes (spelling?) nowadays .. that's all .. for no other reason ..

When you lose .. blame someone else ;)

2007-05-25T07:26:00.001+05:30

That seems to be the motto of our politicos.

First Rahul Gandhi blamed the party (for the debacle in UP) and now Narayan Rane blames the leadership (for losing one seat in the Ramtek Lok Sabha by-polls).

I would be surprised if any of the politicians really figure out why they lost!

http://www.hindustantimes.com/storypage/storypage.aspx?id=663c4f04-3d3d-4420-8608-35cf9a546cb1&&Headline=Loss+due+to+sabotage+by+party+leaders%3a+Rane

Great article ...

2007-05-25T07:19:00.000+05:30

I read this fantastic piece written by Amit Verma in the MINT (great paper, too) entitled "God sends his resignation."

Great take on the situation prevailing across the world .. things done in the name of religion ..

I will NOT reproduce the article here but here's the link:
http://www.livemint.com/2007/05/23233352/God-sends-his-resignation.html

Loved God's sign off...

Thanks, Amit (wherever you are !)

Future Shock !

2007-05-23T00:02:00.001+05:30

Naah .. its got nothing to do with electricity !!

Am three-quarters of the way reading this book (by Alvin Toffler) ... and am wondering why I never read it in College.. Hmm ...

Anyway, suddenly there's a method to all the madness .. Ha !

I think this should be made compulsory reading in the final year of any kind of graduation.

There's still time guys .. go get a copy ... and proactively handle "Future Shock" ...

New blogspot for bijlee issues ..

2007-05-22T23:38:00.000+05:30

Yes, you read that right ..

There is a new blogspot for bijlee (electricity) issues here at http://bijleepower.blogspot.com

It was actually getting a bit much to have just the bijlee posts at my personal blog, so ...

The ranting will still continue .. but its just that it will be a lot more informal here .. than on the bijleepower site ;)

REL needs Power for its Metro Rail - that's the REAL Shortage !

2007-04-15T12:00:00.000+05:30

I guess after reading this headline you've figured out why there is a "shortage" !!

Consider this...
1. Tata generates 1777 MW
2. REL generates 500 MW.
3. REL/BEST get nearly all of their energy requirement from Tata/REL genration only. Total is 2,277 MW (1777 + 500).
4. Vitaran is supposedly supplying 150 MW to Mulund/Bhandup/etc.
5. Hence, Mumbai's total demand-supply is 2,427 MW (2277 + 150).
6. Last summer (April-June 2006) there was no "load shedding" in REL/BEST area.
7. REL serves 25 Lakh consumers in Mumbai.
8. BEST serves 10 Lakh consumers in Mumbai.
9. Tata serves 24,000 consumers in Mumbai.

Now, consider this also...
1. REL projects a 5% increase in energy consumption (in its own MYT petition).
2. BEST projects a less than 5% increase in energy consumption (in its own MYT petition).
3. MERC/REL says Mumbai's requirement has gone to 2,700 MW, an increase of 273 MW, or 11% !

Sounds illogical, right?

If the 2 major suppliers to the city are saying that their energy consumption is going up only 5%, then how come the GAP has grown to 11%??

Assuming that 5% (120 MW) is the normal growth year-on-year, where is the need for the extra 153 MW coming from??

No points for guessing...

This GAP is requirement of REL for constructing and operating its own Metro Rail project.

REL's Metro Rail gets under way this year, partial completion estimated in 2-3 years (i.e. near about 2009-2010).

We were right, since REL is NOT separating its accounts, we cannot figure out what's going on!!

Incidentally, REL's own MYT Petition (upto March 31, 2010) does not show any income from electricity charges receivable from Metro Rail project.

So they're going to be using electricity that YOU and I and the rest of Mumbai city will be paying for through our hard-earned money !!

That's the REAL shortage ... think about it ...anyone has another explanation ??

Well ... and that's how I feel ...

Can MERC approve electricity rates higher than what was Petitioned?

2007-04-14T11:43:00.000+05:30

See what MERC has done in BEST's case. BEST petitioned for rates (at the highest slab), ranging from Rs. 5.70 to Rs. 7.20 per unit. MERC has approved rates of Rs. 7.22 and Rs. 9.97 .. by adding another "Reliability Charge."

None of this was brought to the Public's notice. Nothing was discussed in the Public Hearings (I attended all 4 public hearings: Vitaran, TPC, REL, BEST).

Everyday we read in the newspapers, how these "poor, hapless" electricity companies may have to purchase electricity at much higher rates (Rs. 7, Rs. 8 per unit, etc.) in order to "save" Mumbai from Load shedding.

Please correct me if I'm wrong here ...

As I understand it, MERC can fix the tariff - and that too, ONLY after a Public hearing on the same - with 21 days' notice, etc. etc. You all know this by now.

Hence, even if TPC/REL now buy at rates that are higher than what was petitioned by them, how can MERC approve (the resultant) higher consumer rates WITHOUT calling for a public hearing first ??

According to me, MERC can only approve what was in the Petition, as that was what was discussed (Ha!) with the Public.

Got it??

I suspect this is the REAL reason for all this talk of higher purchase rates - just so that MERC can play Santa Claus and "force" these companies to supply only at MYT Petition rates .. and these "poor" disgruntled guys will "grudgingly agree." Exactly, what was done in BEST's case - the same will happen to Tata and REL consumers also!

They all really must take us for fools. But there was a famous saying about, "not being able to fool ALL the people ALL the time."

Think about it.

Feel like doing something about it? Send an email to MERC (see below for text matter).

Well ... and that's how I feel ...

Here's the DRAFT for the email to MERC - CUT AND PASTE IN your "New Mail" or "Compose" window. Please do not forget to add your name, address, email ID, at the end of the text.

Mail to: mercindia@mercindia.org.in
Copy to: snohri2004@yahoo.co.in, chiefminister@maharashtra.gov.in, sk.shinde@nic.in, razdana@ias.nic.in, chairman@cercind.org

===================
===================

14.4.2007

The Secretary,
Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission
Mumbai.

Sub: How can the Hon'ble MERC approve rates that were not discussed in the Public Hearings?

Dear Madam,

I have read in the newspapers that electricity companies are now going to charge rates that are higher than what was mentioned in their MYT Petitions.

I am concerned about the violation of the sanctity of the public hearing process and would like to bring to your attention that Tariff can be fixed only after discussing the proposed rates with the public. The rates approved for BEST have not been discussed in public.

The Hon'ble Commission has just concluded these MYT public hearings and I am opposed to any hike, as the rates have just been hiked only 6 months back, in October 2006.

I request the Hon'ble MERC to NOT approve the proposed rates, especially any new (undiscussed) rates.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

(TYPE NAME, ADDRESS, TEL NO. & EMAIL ID)

Copies to:
Shri Vilasrao Deshmukh, Chief Minister, Maharashtra
Shri Sushil Kumar Shinde, Union Minister of Power
Shri Anil Razdan, Secretary, Ministry of Power
Shri A.K. Basu, Chairman CERC
===================
===================

Advertisement by-lines - the whole truth !

2007-04-09T17:03:00.000+05:30

I've always wondered about how Ad agencies come up with by-lines for various companies and the products and services.

Maybe the ones that eventually see the light of day are only the half-truth (Ardh Satya!)

Here's my view on what would be the whole truth .. and nothing but the truth? .. I've been reading up on too many legal issues of late ;-)

So, here goes.. read this as ...

The Company/Product...
... followed by the official by-line ...
.. and then my version of the whole truth .. enjoy!

MRF
The tyres we race are the tyres you buy
… so don’t complain if they look worn out !

ICICI Prudential
We cover you at every step in life
... but once you die …

DSP ML Equity Fund
Discovering Value
…err, that is to say, we’re still looking, haven’t found it yet!

Domino’s Pizza
The Pizza delivery experts
..now only if we could be the “cooking” experts …

Naturals
The Ice-cream of Juhu
So please excuse the grains of sand!

Lakshya Advertising
Think. Aim. Achieve.
… now if only WE could that ourselves …

Manikchand’s Oxyrich
For those who never compromise
... from those who DO !

Barclays
First bank in the world to introduce ATMs
… and we still haven’t got it right !

SBI Banks
Pure banking. Nothing else.
What? …you expected more??

Ultratech Cement
The Engineer’s choice
but we actually need to be the Builder’s choice!

HDFC Standard Life Insurance
Sar Utha Ke Jiyo
Magar neeche “fine print” mat padho …

MTNL
MTNL hai to sahi hai
Boss, sahi hai ... sahi banaya …

BRU
Happiness begins with BRU
... and ends in acidity

BPL Mobile
Live wire free
We haven’t got too many strings attached either !

Compaq
Kal tumhara hai.
Aaj ki baat mat karo.

Vijay Sales
Where Mumbai shops.
Where? Don’t ask us? We don’t know!

Air Deccan
Simplyfly
Got it? Just fly – and don’t ask for more!

Singapore International School, Mumbai
Ready for the world. Ready for the Future.
Now, if only we could be ready for Mumbai…

Subhikhsha
Bachat Mera Adhikaar! Subhiksha Mera Abhimaan!
Lekin itna lambaa byline kisko rahega dhyaan ?

Colgate
No. 1 Brand recommended by Dentists
They may recommend it, but do they use it? Naah !

Raymond
The Complete Man.
If he’s already so complete, where do WE fit in??

HDFC Home Loans
With you. Right through.
All the way. Till you don’t pay up.

Dr. Batra’s Multispeciality Homeopathy
Where patients come first
.. and are taken in last, after all the VIPs!

Kohinoor Electronics Store
Your PriceLESS stores.
Your Price, Less stores. Our Price, More Stores.

India Post
Anytime. Anywhere.
That’s why your letters get lost!

Union Bank of India
Good people to bank with.
Tell us who they are, and we will also bank with them!

HDFC Bank
We understand your world.
But our own world is a maze!

Big Bazaar
Isse Sasta Aur Kahin Nahi.
Hum Price ki baat nahi kar rahe hai.. saste quality ki baat hai …

SONY MONY Electronics
Bada dil. Badi Jagah
Bada Ad. Badi Price.

Timesjobs.com
Because you are worth more.
.. to us, in expanding our database.

Bajaj Fans
Incredibly Fast
…in wearing out.

Club Mahindra Holidays
Fun. Family. Forever.
Forget. Facilities. Fast.

Bisleri
The sweet taste of purity
..is missing from our products

and, to conclude, with my pet peeve ...

Electricity Conservation Drive
I Will. Mumbai Will.
Paying their Bills, there’s nothing left to “Will”

Well ... and that's how I feel ...

Is there really a power shortage in Mumbai??

2007-03-10T14:09:00.000+05:30

The Electricity companies (and the Government?) are desperately trying to fool the Public on three issues:

1. Shortage in Mumbai – Real??

2. Costly purchase issue – Warranted??

3. Multi-Year Tariff (MYT) Petition Data – Sufficient??

1. Shortage in Mumbai - Real ??

Is the shortage real? Or is it hype created to divert attention from other issues? Are we barking up the wrong tree... forcing us to make certain wrong knee-jerk reactions?? Decide for yourself.

Background

Power to Mumbai city and suburbs is supplied by Tata, BEST, REL and MahaVitaran. The power supplied by these 4 suppliers, is generated by Tata (1777 MW) and REL (500 MW), while. MahaVitaran buys their power from MahaGenco and other central/state units. In case of any outage (shutdown) of Tata or REL, they draw “stand-by” power from MahaVitaran/MahaGenco.

Requirement

Now the what is the requirement of Power in Mumbai? There are various numbers being thrown about – 2200 MW, 2250MW, 2300 MW, 2350 MW. Your guess is as good as mine!

It seems Bhandup/Mulund areas alone consumes 150 MW (as per DNA 16.2.2007) but that is supplied by MahaVitaran, and hence only the rest is sourced from Tata & REL.

Taking various levels of requirements, here is whether there is a shortage (or surplus!) is Mumbai.

Total Mumbai	Maha Vitaran areas	Tata/REL BEST areas	Tata/REL generation	Surplus / (Shortage)
2200	150	2050	2277	227 surplus
2250	150	2100	2277	177 surplus
2300	150	2150	2277	127 surplus
2350	150	2200	2277	77 surplus

Is Mumbai really responsible for “tripping” the State Grid?

It was mentioned in some report that since one of Tata’s units (140 MW, if I’m not mistaken) was down, this has led Tata to “overdraw” from MahaVitaran (based on the “stand-by” arrangement).

Now, even if Tata did draw power for Mumbai, how could it “destabilize” the State network?

Someone’s got their arithmetic all wrong here (and it could even be me !!) .. but if I'm NOT, then the worrying issue is .. is this INTENTIONAL ??? .. and WHO are the real beneficiaries ??

2. Costly Purchase Issue

Which brings us to the shortage all across Maharashtra. Now even that may not really be so real!

Background
The MSEB network (MahaGenco-MahaTransco-MahaVitaran) is responsible for electricity supply all over Maharashtra, except Mumbai city (excl Mulund/Bhandup areas).

MahaGenco generates electricity, MahaTransco transmits it and MahaVitaran distributes it. MahaGenco sells ONLY to MahaVitaran,but MahaVitaran buys from other generators also (NTPC, etc). to cover up the shortfall.

The generation capacity of Maharashtra is as follows:

Tata … 1,777 MW

REL …… 500 MW

MahaGenco* … 9,592 MW (* after derating)

Total … 11,869 MW

Requirement

What is Maharashtra’s requirement? .. and what is the shortage? Does anyone know for sure??

These companies like to give figures in MW (Megawatts) and sometimes in MUs (Million Units), just to confuse the public. While Plant capacities are in MW, we are supplied electricity in units (and charged Rs. Per kWh).

The correlation is this:

If a generation company has a plant of say 500 MW. It means it can generate 500 MW in one hour. Meaning it can generate 500,000 kW (1 MW = 1000 kW) in 1 hour.

Therefore in a year (365 days) it can generate:

500,000 kW x 24 hours x 365 days = 4380,000,000 units (i.e. 4380 MUs).

Now, the plant has a downtime also and it suffers on account of less Load (Plant Load factor %). So, if the same plant, as above, has a Plant Load Factor of 98.70%, the actual generation is as follows:

4380MUs x 0.987 PLF = 4323 MUs Gross Generation.

The plant itself uses electricity, auxillary consumption (8-10%). This is also factored in to arrive at Net Generation. In our example, if Aux Cons. is 7.59%, then Net Generation is now:

4323 MUs x 0.9241 (i.e. 100-7.59) = 3995 MUs

It is this 3995 MUs that goes into the Distribution Network.

There is also a Loss in the Distribution Network, called Transmission & Distribution (T&D)Loss. This loss results in less electricity actually reaching the consumers (paying consumers, that is!).

Did you know that loss across the MSEB network is close to 40% … so even if the State buys costly power from outside at Rs. 6-7 per unit, to meet the shortfall of 15000 MUs (?) only 60% of this will actually reach the consumers !!!

Till we don’t plug the leaks, we will forever, be paying much MORE than what we should. It is better for the State Government to deploy these funds to reduce the T&D loss.

If the State is so magnanimous and has so much of money, it may as well advance the amount as a Subsidy, instead of asking US to pay at these higher rates.

Its all very simple to make grandiose statements of buying expensive power, with SOMEONE ELSE’s MONEY !!

3. Multi-Year Tariff (MYT) Petition Data – Sufficient??

Do you think that your participation in the current MERC Public Hearings is going to make a difference? Do you know enough to comment/objection/make suggestions??

Background

All electricity companies have filed their Multi-Year Year (MYT) Tariff Petitions, with MERC, based on the detailed Regulations laid out the MERC Tariff Regulations, 2005.

These companies were to file these petitions on/before 30.11.2006 (120 days before the implementation date of 1.4.2007). However all of them have filed these LATE – some as late as January 2007 – and yet MERC has graciously condoned their delay.

In fact, the MYT was to be implemented from 1.4.2006, but on a request from these companies, MERC moved the date one year ahead (to 1.4.2007) and still these companies were late in filing.

Public Hearings

MERC dutifully called for Public Hearings under section 64(3) of the Electricity Act, 2003, since tariff cannot be fixed without first taking the Public’s views.

Now there are no Regulations laid out for these Public Hearings and hence there is no stipulation on the amount of time to be given to the Public.

As a result, this month we have a spate of hearings, back to back. BEST, MahaGenco and MahaTransco are done and next up are MahaVitaran (March 16th), followed by Tata Power (March 20th) and Reliance Energy (March 21st). Please do attend these.

Voluminous Data

This late filing and hurried manner of presenting Petitions and conducting Public Hearings, has resulted in voluminous Petitions being made in record time.

We have to study over 3165 pages...

> MahaGenco 670 pages

> MahaTransco 415 pages

> MahaVitaran 430 pages

> BEST 600 pages

> Tata Power 650 pages

> Reliance Energy 400 pages

There’s also a CD with each set.

I think I must be one of the few people in Mumbai who has bought ALL of these. Yes, you have to BUY these. It cost me Rs. 950 (all are Rs. 150 each, except REL which is Rs. 200).

Now we, the Public, are expected to read these, understand these, analyse these, check for errors, make suggestions, send responses to these companies, make 5 copies of our responses and send them to MERC … all within 15-20 days!!!

Incorrect and Insufficient Data
There are ridiculous data gaps and inconsistencies. Here is one example:

BEST and REL both, buy power from Tata. See the following data items that appear on "Power Purchase for 2007-08".

As per BEST’s Petition (page 12, Table 3) it is 4,376 MU

As per Tata’s Petition (page E-20, Table 1-19) it is 5,003 MU

As per REL’s Petition (page 5, Table 3 & 4) it is 3,981 MU

As per Tata’s Petition (page E-20, Table 1-19) it is 3,127 MU

How are we supposed to comment (or object) to such inconsistencies? I guess the electricity companies never thought that someone would cross check the figures with the other companies' submissions!!

I had raised this point at the BEST Public Hearing on 27.2.2007, that it was a waste of public money, time and effort to decide on BEST’s petition without first deciding/hearing Tata’s petition first.

It makes sense to decide on the Generator's first and then the Distributor's ... but no one is listening!

Along with 35 other individuals and organisations, I had asked MERC to postpone these public hearings – and we are still hoping they will accede to the Public's request.

And as far as the electricity companies are concerned, there is a famous quotation about … not being able to fool ALL the people ALL the time …right ?

Well ... and that's how I feel ...

" A learning experience for both of us !! "

2007-02-23T19:23:00.000+05:30

I participated in the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (ATE) hearing on Feb 20-21 in New Delhi. It was a fantastic learning experience for me.

The entire atmosphere was charged with an air of supreme importance. I was a part of a team of 5, that represented the +25 lakh consumers of Reliance Energy Limited’s (REL) Mumbai consumers. What an honour !!

The Background
Some of you are aware that this was with regard to the appeal made by REL against the October 2006 Tariff Order passed by the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC).

As part of the annual truing up and tariff fixing exercise, MERC had disallowed certain expenses incurred by REL, which is what REL appealed for. This totaled well over Rs. 1,000 cr.

- Rs. 411 cr (towards expenses and income-tax)
- Rs. 226 cr (of allocated reserves)
- Rs. 350 cr (towards the old rebates/discounts of BSES)
- And some uncalculated amounts towards reduction in distribution losses and other generation parameters

It is important to know that REL’s October tariff was based on an approved total requirement of Rs. 2,902 cr – so if they DO get this additional Rs. 1,000 cr, it will mean that the existing tariff can go up by another 35% !!

The Players
REL had their hot-shot team of half-a-dozen legal experts, besides their own team from Mumbai. MERC was represented by 2 legal experts, Prayas (a leading Energy NGO from Pune) also appeared and the Bombay Small Scale Industries Association (BSSIA) lead the team of consumers.

The hearing was spread over two days, with REL taking up a greater part of the 1st day, followed by Prayas, while the BSSIA and MERC did the honours on the 2nd day.

The Discussions
REL gave elaborate reasons for wanting to claim the disallowed amounts. They claimed that the additional Employee costs were on account of implementing MERC’s Statutory Regulations (!) and consumer-friendly services like Call Centre and various language bills.

REL also felt that MERC had unfairly disallowed proportionate income tax, just because REL was doing other business (well, it admitted they were doing other business!). The experts from REL’s legal company, did an admirable job of presenting their case over a (painstaking 4 hours .. phew ..) I must mention the role of the leading lady – who managed to hold her own, in the midst of the utter confusion of the numbers!

Temporary Relief
On an earlier date, Prayas mentioned that the Rs. 350 cr issue was pending in the Supreme Court (Tata Power has challenged ATE’s order), and the Tribunal asked BSSIA whether it wanted REL to withdraw their appeal or continue to argue the matter. BSSIA said in any case tariff was to be fixed by MERC and not ATE, and therefore the public would have to be called in for a hearing before implementation.

However, when pushed further, BSSIA said that it was prudent to let REL withdraw the appeal for Rs. 350 cr and provide some temporary relief to Mumbai consumers. In any case, if the Supreme Court ruled in favour of REL, no one would have any choice.

Hence, REL filed an amendment the next day and withdrew the demand for 350 cr. Consumers will have temporary relief that the 97 paise per unit will now not be charged. For those who are aware, there's a line which keeps appearing in our bills "AEC not included in this bill" - well, it WON'T - unless and until the Supreme Court decides !

My presentation
I had the privilege of making the presentation on behalf of the BSSIA. We are given to understand that REL does not have the License in their own name and in fact they had made the present appeal also, only as a corporate entity.

This created quite a commotion and the Tribunal asked us as to how does the consumer benefit, if at all, from this fact. We then pointed out that if REL was to truly comply with the strict License conditions (and if MERC would have ensured compliance), the tariff structure would be a lot more different (read: lower).

MERC’s own Tariff regulations actually specify that a part of the profits of the “other business” would be reduced from the total amount of money to be collected from electricity consumers. With due respect, I was actually surprised at even being asked that question !!

We also pointed out that MERC did not ensure that it complied with Tariff procedure. MERC is supposed to call a public hearing before fixing tariff. However, as regards the Rs. 350 cr issue. MERC did not discuss this in the public hearing of June 2006, but went ahead and directly inserted this in the final October 2006 order. We stated that we would like MERC’s functioning to be a lot more transparent and consumer-friendly.

We also contended that if REL was unhappy with a part of the Order, they need not have implemented it at all and gone straight into appeal. Just like how BEST did when they were unhappy with MERC’s March 2006 Order, which was only implemented in October 2006.

The most important point we made is that Tariff fixing is the sole responsibility of the MERC and NO ONE else can do that – neither the ATE nor the Supreme Court. So even if anyone of these authorities awarded (or adjudicated) any amounts in favour of any supplier, MERC would HAVE to call the public for a discussion before fixing the tariff.

There were many other issues that we took up and I really appreciate the patience of the Tribunal bench in dealing with novices like me ! They are used to dealing only with Government, Corporates and members of the Legal fraternity – but our team really pushed them to their limits! Hat’s off to them ...

The Result ??
I don’t know what will come out in the final order, but we tried our best, for what its worth we’ll keep trying to do more of what we think is right – and I think justice WILL be done … eventually !

Well, I think it can be aptly summed up in the words of one of the Hon’ble bench member, who said, “This has been a learning experience … for both of us” Touché!

I’ve narrated this in good faith, for the public good, so that the people understand how things work. This is without prejudice. I trust no one will take offence.

Well … and that’s how I feel …

This is how much more BEST will charge from 1st April.

2007-02-16T16:24:00.000+05:30

BEST, Mumbai has filed its Multi-Year Tariff (MYT) petition, with MERC, which will come up for a Public Hearing on Feb 27th.

These new rates, if approved, will be applicable from 1st April, UNLESS .. you oppose it .. the choice is yours ..

Taking sample cases, here is a quick look of what may happen (the amounts incl. taxes and duty):

Residential Users (with Single phase supply)
100 units .. present .. Rs. 110 .. proposed .. Rs. 211 (91% up)
300 units .. present .. Rs. 707 .. proposed .. Rs. 1,226 (73% up)
400 units .. present .. Rs. 1,406 .. proposed .. Rs. 2,550 (81% up)

Residential Users (with Three-phase supply)
100 units .. present .. Rs. 206 .. proposed .. Rs. 285 (39% up)
300 units .. present .. Rs. 802 .. proposed .. Rs. 1,279 (59% up)
400 units .. present .. Rs. 1,459 .. proposed .. Rs. 2,603 (78% up)

Commercial users (LTC-1/LF-2)
300 units .. present .. Rs. 1,332 .. proposed .. Rs. 2,149 (61% up)
1000 units .. present .. Rs. 5,660 .. proposed .. Rs. 7,303 (29% up)
2000 units .. present .. Rs. 13,070 .. proposed .. Rs. 15,879 (21% up)

(This does not include variable charges for Commercial users above 3000 units per month).

I haven't presented the calculations for Industrial users, but that data is also available in 340-page document.

One of the main reasons for this is that BEST proposes to spend approx Rs. 800 crores in capital assets, over the next three years. Funny, since their average spending over the past 5 years is only in the range of 60-70 crores !!

Well .. as I said, the choice is yours .. keep quiet and pay up .. or stand up and oppose it.

The hearing is scheduled for Feb 27th and the last date for filing comments / objections with MERC is Feb 25th. Anyone else interested in filing a statement?

In case you are interested in what's happening on the electricity issue, please join the bijlee yahoo group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bijlee/ and keep yourself updated on the electricity issue - so you don't get rude SHOCKS !!

BTW. The numbers are driving me nuts .. in case I have made a calculation mistake, please bring it to my notice ! Thanks, in advance.

Well ... and that's how I feel ...

Private Firms covered under RTI - Great !!

2007-02-10T06:43:00.000+05:30

Here's some good news .. private companies who report to any "Regulatory Authority" are also covered under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

Which means that any company, whether public orprivate, if it is "reporting" to any Government or Regulatory authority, it is liable to give out information under RTI.

With this, the RTI list also includes:
- Private Banks (via RBI)
- Stock Exchange Listed companies (via SEBI)
- Telecom companies (via TRAI)
- Electricity companies (via CERC/MERC/State Commissions)
- Insurance companies (via IRDA)

Some more Regulatory Authorities are in the pipeline:
- Pre-examination Coaching Centres Regulatory Authority of India
- Airport Economic Regulatory Authority

There should be more transparency, now that Consumers can now hold all such companies "answerable" and "accountable."

This news item appeared in MINT, the business newspaper from Hindustan Times. MINT is a great new, refreshing way to read business news...

Here's the link:
http://www.livemint.com/2007/02/06134316/Right-to-information---Private.htx

I must mention that one needs to register at the site to read the article (however, it's free - and takes less than a minute).

But for those who haven't registered (or won't !), I have reproduced a few excerpts from the article below....

------------------------------
Companies, banks under purview of the govt have to honour RTI requests, clarifies information commission - K. P. Narayana Kumar

M.M. Ansari, information commissioner at the Central Information Commission that oversees the implementation of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005, told Mint that as long as these companies reported to a regulator or a government department, they were within the purview of the sunshine law.

According to the commission, companies will not have to appoint an information officer to deal with right-to-information demands the way government entities do. Applicants will route their requests through the relevant agency.

“Applicants have every right to seek information on a private company even though it is in the private sector, if it reports to a government body,” Ansari says, citing sections of the Act that made this possible.

Only applications that served public interest would be dealt with, not those that sought to erode a company’s competitive position, he adds.

The message: you can ask a cola company for details on how much water it used and where the water came from, but not the formula of its fizzy drink.

If there is any difference of opinion on what constitutes public interest and what doesn’t, the commission will intercede and decide.
---------------------------

Well, and that's how I feel ...

"YOU are the Government"

2007-01-28T18:41:00.000+05:30

"YOU are the Government" ... What an empowering statement … think about it ....

So stop complaining ... GET UP ... and RUN your country ... Run your State ... RUN your City !!

Say it aloud to yourself .. “I AM THE GOVERNMENT” … the rest of the people who sit in the Govt Offices ... and the Parliament ... are just our Representatives … “Govt Reps”. (I prefer to use the phrase “Govt Reps” ... as opposed to “Govt Servant” ... which I believe is very derogatory).

I was recently in New Delhi (for the REL hearing, as you know) and I met an enlightened soul who, in the middle of an intense discussion turned around and said ... but “YOU are the Government … if there are people in the Govt Offices who are not protecting your interests and rights ... change them … !!”

A simple, powerful, positive thought ... from a simply great soul ! Thank you, PSS ... and God bless you, for reminding me …

Thursday, February 1 is Voting day in Mumbai.

If YOU don’t take responsibility for electing YOUR own Rep ... those who DO go and VOTE ... will get the Rep of THEIR choice … and YOU can sit back and keep complaining … for the next five years …

And the next time a candidate comes to your house asking for your vote - if seeking re-election, first ask him/her what he/she has done during their tenure and how much of YOUR money have they spent ... and WHERE …

If seeking to be elected for the first time, ask for their agenda … and firm plan of action … for improving YOUR area … and note down all their contact numbers and addresses… to keep a check on them later …

Choose you OWN Rep ... keep them accountable … get them to make their functioning transparent ... be vigilant about their transgressions … at the same time, empower them to protect your interests … sure you can’t do that alone ... but then 10-20-50 people getting together can make all the difference !

See the Local Area Citizen’s Group Charter by Karmayog on http://www.karmayog.com/lacg/lacgindex.htm

See what’s being done by the Juhu Citizens Group at http://www.juhucitizen.org/aboutus.htm ... and by Loksatta, on http://www.votemumbai.org/aboutus.asp

PLEASE GO VOTE ... and take responsibility of running your own city ... or else STOP complaining about what's happening around you.

... if YOU abdicate YOUR responsibility ... you have NO right to complain ...!!

Well ... and that's how I feel ...

REL Penalised at ATE hearing !!!

2007-01-22T17:43:00.000+05:30

This is with reference to the REL appeal at the Appellate Tribunal of Electricity, New Delhi, to put an additional burden on us of over a 1000 crores...

Well, I attended that hearing.

Here are brief details of what happened ...

As per the Notice issued to us, 3 of us from the Bombay Small Scale Industries Association (BSSIA) and 2 independent consumers turned up on Jan 18th, to protest against REL's proposed hike.

At the hearing, NO other consumer organisation from Mumbai (or anywhere else) turned up.

Though we (and one representative from MERC) were present, the REL counsel, took an adjournment, without our consent, and left !!

However, when we brought this matter to the attention of the Hon'ble Bench, they were gracious and just, to list the matter on Board again the next day and issued orders to all concerned to be present.

On 19th, again, NO other consumer organisation from Mumbai turned up !!

Shameful !!

But, Prayas Energy, (a Pune NGO) showed up and made a representation against the hike (see DNA press report here http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1075497 ).

The BSSIA is of the opinion that since REL does not have a License, they have no right to make the appeal, at all.

The REL counsel was asked why no consent was sought from the BSSIA, especially since they themselves had sent a Notice to BSSIA and about 8 other persons to be present on Jan 18th.

REL had no reply to offer and again requested that the matter be adjourned with a short date of Feb 5th, which they had taken earlier.

We all were ready to have discussions (known as "arguing the matter") and so were the MERC counsel and the Prayas representative, but REL did not want to ... and kept insisting on an adjournment, just because some senior counsel of theirs was not available.

What a reason ! Especially when all the others were present to argue the matter. Such gross misuse of the system leads to a waste of time (of the people and the Courts) and public money - which eventually YOU and I will pay for - as part of our electricity bills !!

The Hon'ble Court then penalised REL for calling everyone to Delhi and then asking for another date - consequently, making everyone come again. Though the press report says that BSSIA asked for reimbursement, thats not true.

The Hon'ble Court then awarded all those present (Prayas, BSSIA and other individuals, but not MERC) an amount of Rs. 1 Lakh, as damages.

The Hon'ble Court was very eager to hear the consumers (Thank God .. & the Hon'ble Court !!) and asked for our confirmation for the next date. We requested for a date after Feb 17th and a date of Feb 20th, was agreed upon, by all present.

So, till Feb 20th - this matter is staved off - so we all can breathe a little easy, as the "AEC charges" may not be levied in our next set of bills also.

While we will continue to fight such irresponsible hikes, the important questions are:
- Where did the nominated Mumbai consumer organisation (Mumbai Grahak Panchayat) go ?
- Why didn't they attend ? Especially after being quoted in the Press as having a commitment to protest (see Hindustan Times, dated 14-1-2007)
- They could have submitted a written protest - but didn't - WHY ?
- Why is there no accountability ?
- How does MERC even authorise such entities ?
- What should consumers do when their (supposedly) own representatives do not perform ?

The last question is very important in the perspective that BMC elections are around the corner. (More on this later).

This experience just shows the machinations of large corporations and how they wield their power to manipulate the system.

Sign the online petition for removing this unholy exclusivity and let's pave the way for competition - so that we don't have to deal with this again...Ever ! Do that here: www.petitiononline.com/oct2006/petition.html

Well ... and that's how I feel ...

This information has been posted in good faith, in the interest of
public good, without prejudice.

Does REL have something to hide ??

2007-01-16T09:00:00.000+05:30

By now, you all know that Reliance Energy does quite a few businesses:
~ Electricity Generation, Transmission & Distribution
~ Electricity Trading
~ Mumbai Metro Rail
~ Reliance Bluemagic D-T-H
~ Highway Construction

You also know how they are not allowed to do any non-electricity business without permission.

You also know that REL does not have the License for Mumbai area.

And you also know how they are flouting all these rules, just because we consumers do not have any alternative.

Anyway, strangely, Metro Rail, DTH and Highway Construction do not find any mention on REL's website (www.rel.co.in) either in the "About us" or in the "Company Profile" or in the "Group companies" .. or anywhere else ...

Does REL want to HIDE these facts ????

Another thing ... while the Mumbai electricity business is being done under the name of "Reliance Energy", the New Delhi electricity business is in the name of "BSES" ...!!!!!!

The REL website of the Delhi business is named www.bsesdelhi.com !!

And the two subsidiaries are called "BSES Rajdhani Power Limited' and "BSES Yamuna Power Limited."

Ha ! .. A Mumbai company changes its name in Mumbai ... but retains the "Bombay" part when doing business in New Delhi !

Oh, and there's more .. REL has gone the extra mile and has displayed prominently the electricity License of these two companies, here ..

http://www.bsesdelhi.com/ENG/PublicAwareness/License.asp

Open the pdf file of the License, check Point No. 5.2 (d) which says that a License cannot be sold transfered, assigned, etc ... without permission. (This is standard for all electricity Licenses).

Well, REL .. now how about displaying the Mumbai Suburban License as well .. or do you have something to hide ?????

We consumers do not have time for such shenanigans – let's sign in and end this monopoly, so we don’t have to play policeman all the time.

Please sign the online petition at
http://petitiononline.com/oct2006/petition.html
and lets remove this monopoly once and for all.

Well ... and that's how I feel ...

REL wants you to pay another Rs. 1660 crores !!

2007-01-07T08:49:00.000+05:30

Yes, you read that right…!!

If you thought that REL was going to rollback any of the hike levied in October ... think again ..

REL has gone and appealed against MERC, to the Appellate Tribunal of Electricity (ATE) in New Delhi. The hearing is slated for Jan 18th.

Here are the details:

A) In addition to the charges that REL wants us to pay currently, REL has appealed to ATE to “approve” the following additional expenses:

697 cr for Employee Costs
309 cr for Administration & General Exps
175 cr for Income Tax
127 cr for Repairs & Maintenance

Total Rs. 1308 cr

B) If you recall BSES had also given rebates and discounts to a few industrial and commercial users like L&T, TOI, M&M, etc .. well REL wants that Rs. 350 cr back as well.

C) MERC had asked REL to cut down its Transmission & Distribution losses by 0.5% .. from 12.1% to 11.6% .. REL refuses to agree to this also, so you can safely add a few more crores.

So we’re looking down the barrel of the gun…. for at least Rs. 1658 cr (1308+350).

Divide this by the number of consumers (25 lakh) and we get an additional bill of approx Rs. 6,600 per year, in ADDITION to the ridiculously high Oct-Nov-Dec type bills.

MERC had disallowed these amounts and had recorded various reasons for doing this. For instance, MERC did not allow the full income tax amount claimed by REL, as REL is doing other business and they were not able to figure out how much profit was to be ascribed to these other businesses and hence the total Income Tax was not allowed.

Now here are my issues (you knew I had them, didn’t you ?) …

1. The Electricity Act, 2003 states that an appeal can be made within 45 days only, unless there are valid reasons. REL has filed its appeal against the 1-7-2004 Order, on 30-10-2006, nearly two years later ! Why did ATE even admit the matter ?

2. The Electricity Tariff Policy 2006 released by the Government of India on 6-1-2006 states that past losses are not allowed to be carried through, unless they are on account of “uncontrollable factors.” Also, it states that suppliers can charge less than approved rates, as long as they do not claim those discounts/rebates again in their Revenue statements. By this logic, REL cannot charge back this 350 cr – as it was a voluntary discount given by them. There were no “uncontrollable factors” and neither was there any compulsion to offer these discounts.

3. In any case, if 350 cr of “wrong” discounts were given – they should go back to those persons/companies and claim that back only from them – why penalize EVERYONE ?

4. With so much of capital investment planned and done, REL cannot even accept a small reduction in transmission & distribution loss ?? Then why undertake so much of modernization and upgradation ??

REL is flouting all rules and yet is attempting to claim all benefits under the Electricity Act - and it still doesn't have a Licence in its own name - as admitted by MERC again on 19-12-2006 !!

Now, if REL wins this case, you can just about forget trying to “reverse” any of the existing hikes, they will be back with a vengeance to claim higher bills from you and me and the rest of us ...

On behalf of 25 lakh consumers, we are fighting a lone battle against this Goliath .... and are running short of resources ... severely short ...

Can anyone help ??

Well ... and that's how I feel ...

BEST's Electricity Rate hike postponed !!

2007-01-01T23:17:00.000+05:30

It was a victory, of sorts, of heightened consumer awareness and consumer participation.

At the Public Hearing held by the MERC on 29-12-2006, the BEST's Aggregate Revenue Requirement (ARR) and Tariff hike for the island-city area, presented by their GM, was withdrawn and POSTPONED to Feb 2007 !

In fact this proposal was not even approved by BEST's own Committee, before presentation to MERC/public for discussion.

In addition Rakshpal Abrol, President, Bombay Small Scale Industries Association (BSSIA), also pointed out that as per section 62 (4) of The Electricity Act, 2003 that governs determination of Tariff, "No Tariff or part of any tariff may ordinarily be amended, more frequently than once in any financial year, except in respect of any changes expressly permitted under the terms of any fuel surcharge formula as may be specified."

And since MERC had already passed a BEST Tariff Order on 9-3-2006, which had been implemented from 1-10-2006, therefore MERC is now not empowered to change the Tariff, within one financial year.

MERC agreed and postponed the ARR & Tariff proposal for 2006-07 and the matter will now only be heard in Feb 2007 where the Tariff will be finalised for a three-year period under the new Multi-Year Tariff principle.

During the hearing 3 of the 4 nominated consumer-oriented organisations were absent and the only other designated Objectors who spoke were Rakshpal Abrol, Kirit Somaiya, Sandeep N. Ohri and Navin M. Shetty.

Incidentally, BEST was incorrectly proposing the Tariff under sections of a repealed Act, which was also pointed out by the BSSIA.

As a result, over 10 lakh consumers in the BEST supply area will now have NO tariff hike.

This is the kind of result that alert consumerism can bring about.

Here's wishing you a safe, peaceful and more AWARE 2007 !!

Well ... and that's how I feel ...

The REL saga continues ...

2006-12-26T21:36:00.000+05:30

This is like a bottomless pit !!
It just keeps getting deeper and deeper ... read on ...

1. Reliance's DTH business, BlueMagic, is a subsidiary of REL
By now you all know that the Electricity company needs permission to do other businesses – I wonder if MERC has granted them permission for this.

Here are the weblinks:

http://www.efytimes.com/efytimes/fullnews.asp?edid=5020&magid=

http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k6/sep/sep101.htm

2. REL is also into construction of Highways in Tamil Nadu
Again, permission taken from MERC ?

Here is the weblink:

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/CompaniesA-Z/R_Companies_/Reliance_Energy/Reliance_Energy_hits_the_highway_with_2_TN_projects/articleshow/1899084.cms

3. REL has TWO Certificates of Incorporation !

When the name was changed from “Bombay Suburban Electric Supply Limited” to “BSES Limited” on Dec 23, 1992, no separate Certificate of Incorporation was sought from the Registrar of Companies.

But when name was changed from “BSES Limited” to “Reliance Energy Limited” on Feb 24, 2004, a fresh Certificate of Incorporation was sought for - and granted/received.

Why does REL need TWO concurrent Certificates of Incorporation ? Is it allowed by law ?

This information about having two certificates, appears in the Notice of the Court Convened AGM of April 26, 2006 for the Scheme of Amalgamation of REL and Reliance Energy Ventures Ltd.

The pdf file is available here:

http://www.rel.co.in/investorrelations/pdf/CCM_260406_Notice.pdf

So, probably, when it suits them, they say they are incorporated in 1929, and at other times they can say they were incorporated in 2004 - something seems to be really fishy here !

4. Interest Cost on Borrowings is 10% or 0% ?

In the Revenue statement (ARR) submitted by REL, MERC has approved an interest rate of 10% as cost of funds, for funding capital expenditure.

Interestingly, in Nov 2006, REL has completed a ZERO-rate FCCB (Foreign Currency Convertible Bonds) arrangement of US$ 150 million (Rs 750 cr). An FCCB is a Bond (something like a term borrowing) which can be converted into equity after a specified period. ABN AMRO arranged for this and it was placed with 8 US-based financial institutions.

So tell me ... should the interest rate be taken as 10% or 0% ?? If cost of funds is zero, then the ARR submitted to MERC should be revised and the interest should be written back.

In which case, the revenue gap will be lower and REL should charge lower rates for electricity. On one hand, REL is claiming a higher 10% cost of funds and getting electricity rates approved - and on the other, the actual borrowing is at lower rates. Now, I could be wrong here - but then again, think for yourself ...

REL's announcement of this appears on the BSE website here:

http://www.bseindia.com/qresann/news.asp?newsid={0F35078E-6954-494C-BA81-C48C2373AA70}

MERC is still not confirming that REL has a Licence !
We have asked MERC (on Nov 30, 2006) to confirm whether REL had a Licence in their own name - either a fresh one - or the old "Bombay Suburban.." one duly assigned ..

In their reply dated Dec 19, 2006, MERC is silent on both counts .... WHY ?? If REL indeed HAS a Licence, why is MERC not saying so clearly - and putting all speculation to rest ??

REL Group's Double Standards
Interestingly, this same Reliance group is opposing exclusivity in City Gas distribution, yet it is enjoying the benefits of exclusivity in the City Electricity business !!

See that news item here:

http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1070380

What to do ??
Well, I think this has gone too far .. and its high time we, consumers, became aware of such transgressions.

My suggestions still remain the same .. let's NOT pay the Bills, which I hope will make all concerned, sit up and rectify these issues.

In any case, since REL does not have the Licence for Mumbai in their own name, they are not empowered by law to disconnect the electricity supply.

I know of one consumer who has NOT paid the REL electricity bill on these very grounds ... for 2 1/2 years .. and REL has not disconnected the supply!!

However, in the long run, its best if this monopoly goes once and for all ..

Please endorse the online petition to remove exclusivity at:

http://petitiononline.com/oct2006/petition.html

In which case, even REL will get an opportunity to do more business in Mumbai - they can sell into Tata, BEST and MSEDCL areas (and vice versa) .. so this is all in the spirit of fair enterprise!

Does anyone have any other ideas on what we should do about this ?? Sign up at NEMESIS-Forum and lets keep this discussion going, till we arrive at something sensible. Send an email to NEMESIS-FORUM-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Don't become a victim of this injustice !

Well ... and that's how I feel ...

Words of Wisdom - 2

2006-12-19T23:07:00.000+05:30

It has often been said that the way we feel is reflected in the words we use .. and vice versa.

By the same logic, can we actually change the way we feel, merely by changing the words we use ? Did I hear someone say, "impossible" ?? ...or is it just "difficult" ?? .. or "worth-a-shot" ??

Anthony Robbins in "Awaken The Giant Within" has this theory of breaking one's pattern of negative thinking by using different words constantly. By using a less strong word for a negative emotion/expression, we can actually lessen the degree of negativity.

For instance change "I’m feeling ANGRY" .. to "I'm feeling DISENCHANTED" .. and the negativity is instantly lowered.

Here, go ahead and try some more of these word substitutions ….

Negative Emotion
/Expression..............Transforms into

angry.............to......disenchanted
afraid............to.......uncomfortable
anxious........to........a little concerned
anxious........to.......expectant
confused......to........curious
depressed... to...... not on top of it
depressed......to......on the road to a turn-around
destroyed.......to.......set back
that stinks......to.......that’s a little aromatic
pissed off........to .......ticked off
disappointed..... to......underwhelmed
disgusted..........to........surprised
dread..............to..........challenge
exhausted.......to........ stimulated
failure...........to...........stumble
failure..........to..........learning
failure..........to..........getting educated
frustrated......to.......fascinated
humiliated.......to.......uncomfortable
humiliated.......to........surprised
hurt ...........to........bothered
I hate...........to ........I prefer
impatient........to........anticipating
insecure..........to .......questioning
insulted.......to.......misunderstood
irritated........to........ruffled
jealous.........to .......over-loving
lonely..........to........available
lost............to .........searching
nervous.......to........energised
overloaded........to.......stretching
overwhelmed.......to........ some imbalance
overwhelmed .......to.......challenged
painful.................to...........uncomfortable
petrified...........to.......challenged
rejected ........ to .......overlooked
rejected ..........to........ underappreciated
sad ................ to.......... sorting my thoughts
scared ..........to.............excited
oh, shit ......... to....... oh, no
sick................to.........cleansing
stressed........to........busy
stressed.........to.......energised
stupid.......... to.........unresourceful
terrible........to........ different

As an exercise, you must come up with three of the (negative and disempowering) words that you use in your daily vocabulary - and replace them with lower degree negative words .. or different positive and empowering words.

----------------------------------------

Try this for a few days and see .. it WILL make a difference - not only to how you feel but also to how you make others feel !

Incidentally, all copyrights belong to Mr. Anthony Robbins .. and he deserves it !

Well … and that's how I feel …

Please let me know which words did you switch … and we could compile our own list right here at blogspot .. ok, so who's first ?

The "AEC" part ...

2006-12-14T19:41:00.000+05:30

You & I are going to pay for the discounts given to TOI, L&T, M&M ...

Shocked ?? .. you would be ... Angry ?? .. you should be !!

You must have all heard of the “Additional Energy Charge” (AEC) of Rs. 350 crore that REL wants to charge its consumers, over a period of 6 months, (Oct 06 - Mar 07).

These were for the “incorrect discounts/rebates” that were given by BSES, to “certain categories” of consumers.

Initially, MERC had allowed this, as per their Oct 2006 Tariff Order - but the public outcry forced MERC to ask REL to defer implementation of this AEC and to spread it over 18 months.

Go ahead, check your bill, it says “AEC not included in this bill.”

Incidentally, REL has gone to the Appellate Tribunal to appeal AGAINST MERC, so that it can “recover” this sooner !

Now here’s the fun part (there always is, isn’t there ?) …

It seems these discounts/rebates, were not given to ALL consumers - they were given only to a few consumers – I’ll bet everyone is dying to know WHO were the beneficiaries of BSES’s largesse, well here’s the truth….

1) It seems that from 1992 to Feb 1998, BSES had been selling electricity to the “Western Grid” (areas out of Mumbai) for a lesser rate than their cost of production (at Dahanu). WHY ?? No one knows – in fact, as per terms of Licence to supply, I don’t think they were even supposed to supply electricity outside the Mumbai area.

2) Also, from Feb 1998 to Jun 2004, it seems discounts have been given to many industrial users like Times of India, Larsen & Toubro, Mahindra & Mahindra, ICICI Bank, etc. – just to compete with Tata Power and to gain that additional business.

Consequently, BSES ran up a loss of Rs. 350 crores – which REL wants to recover from you and me and the rest of Mumbai’s unsuspecting, gullible, citizens !!

Sounds pretty unfair, doesn’t it ?? Give discounts to industrial houses - and then recover that from individual users …Ha ! ... "Robbing Paul to pay Peter" ... !!!

If you don't wake up ... very soon you (and I) WILL be paying REL for those discounts ...

Let’s put an END to this injustice …sign the online petition for Removal of Exclusivity in the Supply of Electricity to Mumbai.

Visit http://www.petitiononline.com/oct2006/petition.html ...

No exclusivity …No injustice … na rahega baans, na bajegi baansuri !!

Well … and that’s how I feel …

Inter(net)working Rocks !!

2006-12-08T13:03:00.000+05:30

Well, that's the power of the Internet for you ... less than 10 days and 400 "signatures" for the online petition to remove exclusivity in the supply of electricity to Mumbai !!

For those who still want to sign in, here's the URL: http://www.petitiononline.com/oct2006/petition.html

Read the comments, people really seem to be disgusted with REL and the injustice.

As Osho says, if there is no AWARENESS, its like you are "sleep-walking" through life !

The awareness process has begun .. a small step has been taken .. more action will eventually follow ... "karam kar, fal ke na soch"...

Well ... and that's how I feel ..

Finally .. The TRUTH !!

2006-11-29T20:41:00.000+05:30

Tamasoma jyotir gamaya (from darkness unto light).

Pretty ironic, since the issue is about light itself ! After struggling for 2 weeks .. here's the truth .. REL does not have the Licence to distribute electricity in Mumbai, in their own name !!

So technically, they are NOT the "Licencee" as per the law. I think they need to be SUED ..

Read on ..it's lengthy, but I have tried to keep it simple..

The LAW:
1. Amongst other things, the distribution of electricity is governed by the Electricity Act 2003, which superceded the earlier Acts of 1910 and 1948.

2. This Licence cannot be transferred, sold, assigned, mortgaged, leased or otherwise given to any other company without express, prior, written permission of the authorities.

3. This Licence is always granted for a period of 25 years and then needs to be renewed, by formally applying to the authorities.

4. The electricity company CANNOT make a profit of more than 14% in the distribution of electricity.

5. The electricity company CANNOT enter OTHER BUSINESSES without PRIOR WRITTEN approval of the authorities.

6. The electricity company can only enter other businesses ONLY to leverage EXISTING assets.

7. Only a LICENCEE can disconnect supply to the user, after giving 15-days' notice in writing (VERY IMPORTANT, as you will see later).

8. In case of a dispute, Licencee will have to wait for 24-months before disconnecting supply to the consumer.

9. A change of name in a company generally implies that all rights automatically flow to the new company, as per the Companies Act.

10. The Companies Act also specifies that if there is any inconsistency with any other "Special" Acts, the sections of the "Special" Acts will prevail.

11. The Companies Act lists out Banking, Insurance and Electricity, being governed by "Special" Acts. Hence, provisions of Electricity Act prevail over Companies Act. Meaning, a mere change of user name cannot facilitate automatic transfer of Licence (MOST IMPORTANT).

The FACTS:
12. The Electricity Act 1910 had granted the Mumbai distribution Licence to Killick Nixon for distributing electricity to Mumbai.

13. Later, the Licence was transferred by Killick Nixon, after due approval, in the name of The Bombay Suburban Electric Supply Limited.

14. The Bombay Suburban Electric Supply Limited last renewed their Licence on 15-8-1986 and this Licence is due to expire in 25 years, on 15-8-2011 (also admitted by REL, and which also means the Licence was in the name of Bombay Suburban Electric Supply Ltd, as neither BSES Ltd, nor REL were in existence in 1986).

15. The Bombay Suburban Electric Supply Limited officially changes its name to BSES Ltd in 1990s.

16. The BSES Ltd DOES NOT apply to either the Maharashtra Government or the MERC for change of user name of the Licence. (Yes, I have copies of the official letters !). Implying that the new company, BSES Ltd, does not own the Licence, as per Law.

17. The new company, BSES Ltd, is sold to REL in 2004.

18. REL does not apply for transfer of Licence. In any case they can't because even BSES Ltd is, technically, not the owner of the Licence.

19. The original Licence has been LOST (Ha!). REL failed to produce this in the Appellate Tribunal hearings in 2004. (I challenge REL to display it on its website).

20. REL's profits are more than 14% from electricity business (check its financials).

21. REL is into other businesses, without prior permission from the authorities (?).

22. REL has been BUYING fresh assets for its Mumbai Metro Rail projects, which it is legally not supposed to, if it has a Licence for distributing electricity - but since it doesn't, it is eating with both hands !

23. REL cannot disconnect supply as it is NOT the Licencee, in Law. (The earlier Bombay Suburban Electric Supply Ltd could disconnect the supply, as Licence existed in its OWN name, but not REL).

24. REL has unfair practices. Discount given for Prompt Payment is 1% only on ENERGY Consumed, while Delayed Payment Charges is on almost the WHOLE Bill. Look at your own bill and figure out what would be discount and what would be penal interest. Unilaterally, categories have been changed (50HP threshold has been brought down to 15HP). Arbitrarily, 300 units per month has been fixed as "higher consumption" users.

25. MERC and REL claim that rates for electricity is not more than Rs. 4-5 per unit. Bogus claim. Please check your own electricity bills and see the rate per unit (including all charges) for Sept 06 and for Oct 06 and divide by the number of units consumed in each month. That's the average rate per unit. Also, in subsequent bills, you will also be charged "Additional Energy Charge" (ALL users) and/or any "Time Of Day" charges (commercial/industrial users) !

Proposed Action:
# If we STOP paying our bills, REL cannot disconnect supply. Out of the lakhs of REL consumers, if even 5% people stop paying the bills, the Government will have to take cognizance of this injustice.

# If we write to MERC, enclosing copies of Sept 06 and Oct 06 bills (with average rate calculation), they will be forced to review the Tariff Order.

# PIL, anyone ?

# Today it is REL, tomorrow it will be someone else. Let's get the Government to remove this exclusivity/monopoly in the supply of electricity. Let's garner support for this by signing the online petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/oct2006/petition.html

# Forward this information to as many, to create awareness.

Vidya param balam (knowledge is strength supreme) ... was my school's motto ...

Well ... and that's how I feel ...

More SHOCKing - Online Petition created

2006-11-25T12:45:00.000+05:30

(The update is at the end of this post)

While the heated discussion on MERC/REL’s unjustified tariff hike in Mumbai, continues .. here’s more food for thought.

Technically, REL may not even be the owner of the "licence" for distributing electricity to Mumbai !!

If this is true, Boy, … what a FRAUD !

Here’s how, read on …

Point 2.5 (Page 24) of the MERC Tariff Order dated 3-10-2006 mentions this issue of actual validity of REL’s "ownership" of the licence.

It seems that the original licencee was the "Bombay Suburban Electric Supply Ltd" This later changed its name to "BSES Ltd" as it probably entered into some broadband / telephony business also.

Now there is a small, but important, technicality here – the old company (Bombay Suburban Electric Supply Ltd) needs to formally apply to the Government for transfer of licence to the new entity (BSES Ltd) – which apparently, DID NOT happen.

REL, please correct me here, if I’m wrong !

Meanwhile, the Reliance group bought over the new entity, BSES Ltd and changed its name to REL – and thereby has claimed that the licence of Mumbai distribution is now automatically with them !

Interestingly, an objection had been raised even in 2004 on this issue, which was dismissed by at that time, as REL had submitted that a "…mere change in name in terms of the provisions of the Companies Act, 1956 has no other legal implication and that, the entity remaining otherwise the same, no fresh issue of the licensee by the Commission is required."

However, this was NOT verified or ratified by MERC.

Now, there are three main points in REL's stand:
1. Mere change in name
2. Provision of the Companies Act
3. Entity otherwise remaining the same

However, a detailed reading of the provisions of the Companies Act, 1956 will tell you that the Act applies to all companies EXCEPT Electricity, Insurance and Banking Companies. Section 616 (c) mentions that in case of any inconsistencies, the provisions of the Electricity Act will prevail.

The Electricity Act has clearly laid down that licence once granted cannot be transferred or sold, without permission.

Also, maybe in 2004, what REL stated may have well been true as it was probably not involved in other businesses.

Today, however, the scenario is very different. REL is admittedly, not a mere distributor of electricity in Mumbai. It has several other interests also, extending to beyond supply of electricity – Mumbai Metro rail, etc.

In view of this the MERC should probably review the situation in a new light and again deliberate whether REL’s status as licencee is really valid or not !!

The reason I am raising this issue is just simple – since REL is trying to show all of us the rule book, someone needs to slam the same book into their face.

After all they are a public entity supplying a basic utility and cannot be expected to be above the purview of the law.

Let us Mumbai consumers benefit from fair competition by ending REL's MONOPOLY.

UPDATE:
I have created an online petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/oct2006/petition.html

This (I hope) will help us address the much larger issue of removal of exclusivity for supply of electricity to Mumbai.

Today it is REL, tomorrow it may be someone else, the issue remains that if EXCLUSIVITY continues, consumers WILL be arm-twisted, so the long term solution lies in removing the exclusivity !

Trust you will agree and sign the petition.

Well ... and that's how I feel !