Luxury India hotel brands targeted by investor-30 August, 2010: "Luxury India hotel brands targeted by investor
India's largest private firm, Reliance Industries, has bought a 14 per cent stake worth US$217 million in one of the country's most luxurious hotel chains.
The giant conglomerate, headed by India's richest man Mukesh Ambani, said its unit Reliance Industries Investment and Holding had acquired the stake in East India Hotels, which owns the Oberoi and Trident brands.
In November 2008, The Oberoi and adjoining Trident hotels in Mumbai were both attacked by terrorists.
Thirty-five people died at The Oberoi and Trident. The Trident reopened within a month while the more badly damaged Oberoi began receiving visitors again in April.
AFP said East India Hotels and the Indian Hotels Company Ltd, a unit of the giant Tata Group that operates the luxury Taj Mahal Palace and Tower hotel, which was also attacked, both saw profits plunge after the high-profile assault
Monday, August 30, 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
India warns BlackBerry makers, messing service could be shut down
NEW DELHI — India warned the makers of the BlackBerry Thursday its messaging services could be shut down if it failed to give security agencies access "in readable format" as a compliance deadline loomed.
The warning came as local media reported a decline in sales of BlackBerry smartphones amid consumer uncertainty over whether the government would impose a ban on August 31 on messages carried on the handset.
"In case no solution is provided, those services which can not be intercepted and monitored in readable format may be banned by the government," junior minister of state for telecoms Sachin Pilot told parliament.
India's home ministry said earlier this month it would cut off the corporate email and messaging services unless BlackBerry's Canadian maker Research in Motion (RIM) gave security agencies access by August 31.
India, the world's fastest-growing cellular market, is a crucial marketing target for RIM as increasingly affluent Indians buy smartphones.
RIM said earlier this month it was "optimistic" it could avert a threatened shutdown by India of the core features of the smartphone over security worries, but it has made few public comments as the deadline approached.
Home Secretary G.K. Pillai was due to make a final decision on BlackBerry's fate at a meeting next Monday, the day before the August 31 deadline, an official at the home ministry said, declining to be identified.
"We hope for a satisfactory resolution," the official told AFP.
Home Ministry officials have been holding discussions with RIM technical representatives and cellular phone companies on ways to break the impasse.
India, battling insurgencies from Kashmir in the northwest to the far-flung northeast, has raised fears that BlackBerry services could be used by militants.
Islamist militants used mobile phones to coordinate the 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people.
India has already sent a notice to mobile operators ordering them to ensure security agencies can monitor BlackBerry messages by the end of the month.
The cellular operators are legally obliged to ensure security agencies have access to all services carried on their networks.
A shutdown would affect corporate users among BlackBerry's 1.1 million customers, whose communications have a higher level of encryption. India can already monitor so-called BlackBerry "consumer mails" that are less encrypted.
The Hindu : Front Page : Facebook No.1 social networking site in India
Facebook No.1 social networking site in India Sandeep Joshi
NEW DELHI: Facebook has dethroned Google-owned Orkut as No.1 social networking site in India. With over 2-crore visitors last month, Facebook has shown stupendous growth in the past few months, overtaking Orkut, said global research firm comScore, Inc.
“Facebook.com posted an especially strong month in July, growing 12 per cent versus June but 179 per cent up versus a year ago, to capture the top spot in the category with 2.09 crore visitors. Orkut ranked second with 1.99 crore visitors — up 16 per cent versus year ago,” it said. These two sites were followed by BharatStudent.com with 44-lakh visitors, up 3 per cent.
Interestingly, Twitter.com had the highest rate of growth among the top five social networking sites, increasing 239 percent to 33-lakh visitors, while Yahoo! owned two of the top 10 social networking sites — Yahoo! Pulse (35-lakh visitors) and Yahoo! Buzz (18-lakh) visitors, it added.
More than 3-crore Internet users aged 15 and older in India visited social networking sites in July, representing 84 per cent of the total Internet audience. India is the seventh largest market for social networking, after the U.S., China, Germany, Russian Federation, Brazil and the United Kingdom. The total Indian social networking audience grew 43 per cent in the past year, more than tripling the rate of growth of the total Internet audience in India.
“The social networking phenomenon continues to gain steam worldwide, and India represents one of the fastest growing markets at the moment,” said Will Hodgman, comScore executive vice-president for the Asia-Pacific region. “Though Facebook has tripled its audience in the past year to pace the growth for the category, several other social networking sites have posted their own sizeable gains,” he added.
Orkut has decided to provide its users more control over data-sharing by allowing them to define and customise group settings. “We've created this new functionality to give Orkut users more privacy and control over how they share content,” Google Product Director Victor Ribeiro said.
NEW DELHI: Facebook has dethroned Google-owned Orkut as No.1 social networking site in India. With over 2-crore visitors last month, Facebook has shown stupendous growth in the past few months, overtaking Orkut, said global research firm comScore, Inc.
“Facebook.com posted an especially strong month in July, growing 12 per cent versus June but 179 per cent up versus a year ago, to capture the top spot in the category with 2.09 crore visitors. Orkut ranked second with 1.99 crore visitors — up 16 per cent versus year ago,” it said. These two sites were followed by BharatStudent.com with 44-lakh visitors, up 3 per cent.
Interestingly, Twitter.com had the highest rate of growth among the top five social networking sites, increasing 239 percent to 33-lakh visitors, while Yahoo! owned two of the top 10 social networking sites — Yahoo! Pulse (35-lakh visitors) and Yahoo! Buzz (18-lakh) visitors, it added.
More than 3-crore Internet users aged 15 and older in India visited social networking sites in July, representing 84 per cent of the total Internet audience. India is the seventh largest market for social networking, after the U.S., China, Germany, Russian Federation, Brazil and the United Kingdom. The total Indian social networking audience grew 43 per cent in the past year, more than tripling the rate of growth of the total Internet audience in India.
“The social networking phenomenon continues to gain steam worldwide, and India represents one of the fastest growing markets at the moment,” said Will Hodgman, comScore executive vice-president for the Asia-Pacific region. “Though Facebook has tripled its audience in the past year to pace the growth for the category, several other social networking sites have posted their own sizeable gains,” he added.
Orkut has decided to provide its users more control over data-sharing by allowing them to define and customise group settings. “We've created this new functionality to give Orkut users more privacy and control over how they share content,” Google Product Director Victor Ribeiro said.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Accor: We’ll be No 1 in India-18 August, 2010
Accor: We’ll be No 1 in India-18 August, 2010: "Accor: We’ll be No 1 in India
Accor says it is on target to be the number one international operator of hotels in India by 2015 with 90 hotels across all segments of the market from low cost to luxury.
Since Accor entered India in partnership with InterGlobe in 2004, eight hotels representing 1,525 rooms have opened and a further 52 hotels with over 10,000 rooms are committed,
Between now and the end of the 2012, 21 hotels will open adding over 4.800 rooms to Accor’s Indian hotel network.
Pacifica, a joint venture between Host Hotels and Resorts and the real estate investment arm of the Government of Singapore Corporation (GIC) has recently taken a stake in Accor’s and InterGlobe’s expansion plans for India through the creation of a new joint investment fund.
This fund will initially have seven strategic assets which will all be managed by Accor.
Through the ibis hotel joint venture between Accor and InterGlobe, 19 ibis hotels have been committed.
During the first quarter of 2011, two additional Accor brands will debut in India with the opening of a Sofitel in Mumbai and Pullman in Gurgaon.
Accor’s low cost Formula 1 brand will also open its first hotel for India in the second half of 2011.
Accor will invest predominantly in the low cost to midscale segments and operate as a manager in the upscale and luxury segments of the market.
Accor says it is on target to be the number one international operator of hotels in India by 2015 with 90 hotels across all segments of the market from low cost to luxury.
Since Accor entered India in partnership with InterGlobe in 2004, eight hotels representing 1,525 rooms have opened and a further 52 hotels with over 10,000 rooms are committed,
Between now and the end of the 2012, 21 hotels will open adding over 4.800 rooms to Accor’s Indian hotel network.
Pacifica, a joint venture between Host Hotels and Resorts and the real estate investment arm of the Government of Singapore Corporation (GIC) has recently taken a stake in Accor’s and InterGlobe’s expansion plans for India through the creation of a new joint investment fund.
This fund will initially have seven strategic assets which will all be managed by Accor.
Through the ibis hotel joint venture between Accor and InterGlobe, 19 ibis hotels have been committed.
During the first quarter of 2011, two additional Accor brands will debut in India with the opening of a Sofitel in Mumbai and Pullman in Gurgaon.
Accor’s low cost Formula 1 brand will also open its first hotel for India in the second half of 2011.
Accor will invest predominantly in the low cost to midscale segments and operate as a manager in the upscale and luxury segments of the market.
New Delhi faces low CWG turn-out
New Delhi faces low CWG turn-out - News - PATA: "New Delhi faces low CWG turn-out
Posted: Wed 18 Aug, 2010 12:00 AM
New Delhi faces low CWG turn-out
New Delhi, which was gearing up for an anticipated 40,000 extra rooms for the Commonwealth Games in October, is seeing a dismal state of hotel bookings so close to the event.
A report in the Times of India quoted Rajindera Kumar, president, Federation of Hotels and Restaurants of India, as having said that if the worrying trend continued, it would lead to hotels adopting the distress strategy of slashing rates.
Poor marketing of the event and concerns about adequate security are believed to be the key reasons for why tourists and even some athletes, are shying away.
- Sent using Google Toolbar"
Posted: Wed 18 Aug, 2010 12:00 AM
New Delhi faces low CWG turn-out
New Delhi, which was gearing up for an anticipated 40,000 extra rooms for the Commonwealth Games in October, is seeing a dismal state of hotel bookings so close to the event.
A report in the Times of India quoted Rajindera Kumar, president, Federation of Hotels and Restaurants of India, as having said that if the worrying trend continued, it would lead to hotels adopting the distress strategy of slashing rates.
Poor marketing of the event and concerns about adequate security are believed to be the key reasons for why tourists and even some athletes, are shying away.
- Sent using Google Toolbar"
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Woman reportedly pregnant for nearly two years | Look At Vietnam - Vietnam news daily update
Woman reportedly pregnant for nearly two years | Look At Vietnam - Vietnam news daily update: "Woman reportedly pregnant for nearly two years
August 14, 2010 about News, Social
LookAtVietnam - Nguyen Thi Chien, 25, in Hiep Hoa district, the northern province of Bac Giang has reportedly been pregnant for nearly two years.
Chien’s husband, Duong Van Tuan, 35, claimed that his wife has been pregnant for 21 months. He explained that his wife saw doctors the first time when she was over three months pregnant.
Doctors examined her and made an ultrasound scan, saying the child was a boy and very healthy. They calculated that she would give birth in early September 2009.
The woman had no labor pain on the days that doctors anticipated. At a local hospital, doctors examined her again and told the family they must wait because Chien has not begun labor yet. The placenta clung to the womb, so they couldn’t perform an operation, which could cause hemorrhaging.
For two months afterwards, Chien still have no sign of labor pain though she still felt the child move. When she was 11 months pregnant, the couple went to the Central Obstetrics Hospital in Hanoi and doctors still said that they must wait.
“I have been waiting for my wife’s labor for nearly one year. But I can’t wait anymore because the fetus is 21 months old already. Doctors at the Central Obstetrics Hospital made an appointment for us on August 20 to decide on an operation, but I’m so anxious, I will bring my wife to the hospital tomorrow,” Tuan told VNExpress online newspaper on August 12.
Dr. Tran Danh Cuong, chief of the Central Obstetrics Hospital’s Obstetrics 1 Ward, said this is a very weird case. He stated that no child can live for over 45 weeks in the womb. “No doctor should let a woman be pregnant for 21 months,” Cuong confirmed.
VietNamNet will bring our readers updated information about this case.
- Sent using Google Toolbar"
August 14, 2010 about News, Social
LookAtVietnam - Nguyen Thi Chien, 25, in Hiep Hoa district, the northern province of Bac Giang has reportedly been pregnant for nearly two years.
Chien’s husband, Duong Van Tuan, 35, claimed that his wife has been pregnant for 21 months. He explained that his wife saw doctors the first time when she was over three months pregnant.
Doctors examined her and made an ultrasound scan, saying the child was a boy and very healthy. They calculated that she would give birth in early September 2009.
The woman had no labor pain on the days that doctors anticipated. At a local hospital, doctors examined her again and told the family they must wait because Chien has not begun labor yet. The placenta clung to the womb, so they couldn’t perform an operation, which could cause hemorrhaging.
For two months afterwards, Chien still have no sign of labor pain though she still felt the child move. When she was 11 months pregnant, the couple went to the Central Obstetrics Hospital in Hanoi and doctors still said that they must wait.
“I have been waiting for my wife’s labor for nearly one year. But I can’t wait anymore because the fetus is 21 months old already. Doctors at the Central Obstetrics Hospital made an appointment for us on August 20 to decide on an operation, but I’m so anxious, I will bring my wife to the hospital tomorrow,” Tuan told VNExpress online newspaper on August 12.
Dr. Tran Danh Cuong, chief of the Central Obstetrics Hospital’s Obstetrics 1 Ward, said this is a very weird case. He stated that no child can live for over 45 weeks in the womb. “No doctor should let a woman be pregnant for 21 months,” Cuong confirmed.
VietNamNet will bring our readers updated information about this case.
- Sent using Google Toolbar"
Friday, August 13, 2010
Mumbai Travel Facts
"The Basics
City Name: Mumbai
Where is it located?: Mumbai is in western India on Arabian Sea. It’s an island connected with bridge to the mainland.
Why do people go there?: Mumbai is the industrial city of India, exporting more goods than anywhere else in the country. With an English feel, it’s also home to Bollywood, India’s and the world’s biggest market of cinema.
How do travelers get there?: Mumbai has more domestic flights than anywhere else in India. There is a great train network to get you elsewhere in the country.
Currency: Rupee
City Code: 22
Population: 18 million
Languages: Hindi & English, there are 14 other official languages: Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Urdu, Gujarati, Malayalam, Kannada, Oriya, Punjabi, Assamese, Kashmiri, Sindhi, and Sanskrit; Hindustani is a popular variant of Hindi/Urdu
Travel Information
Neighborhoods: Breach Candy, Navy Nagar, Kamathpura
Attractions: Crawford Market, Colaba, Marine Drive
Accommodations: New Delhi Hostels
Tourist Office: India Tourism Office
Off-the-beaten-path: Elephanta Island
Health Issues: Cholera, Dengue Fever, Hepatitis, Malaria, Meningococcal Meningitis, Typhoid
Tips for Visiting
When to go: India is vast – with various mountain ranges, ecosystems and climate factors that make it impossible to say the best time to visit India. In one part of the country it will be cool, and in the other part it will be humid, hot and raining. Generally speaki
Common Phrases: Hello=Namaste/Namaskar; How are you?=Kaise hain?; I am fine=Main theek hoon; Can you please help me?=Kya aap meri madad karenge?; What is your name?=Apka naam Kya hai?; Yes=Haan; No=Nahi; Thank you=Shukriya/ Dhanyavaad
City Specific Events: Elephanta Festival: February. Ganesh Chaturthi: August/September
How to get around?: Local transport runs the gamet of the experience. It all depends upon how much money you want to pay an how much of the experience you want controlled, although it seems like nothing works in Inida.
Good to know: There are good cheap domestic flights from Mumbai to elsewhere in India.
Cheapest airport to fly into: The cheapest airport to fly into Mumbai is the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport.
Need more information?: Check out the Mumbai travel guide for more on what to see, where to stay, and how to get there.
- Sent using Google Toolbar"
City Name: Mumbai
Where is it located?: Mumbai is in western India on Arabian Sea. It’s an island connected with bridge to the mainland.
Why do people go there?: Mumbai is the industrial city of India, exporting more goods than anywhere else in the country. With an English feel, it’s also home to Bollywood, India’s and the world’s biggest market of cinema.
How do travelers get there?: Mumbai has more domestic flights than anywhere else in India. There is a great train network to get you elsewhere in the country.
Currency: Rupee
City Code: 22
Population: 18 million
Languages: Hindi & English, there are 14 other official languages: Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Urdu, Gujarati, Malayalam, Kannada, Oriya, Punjabi, Assamese, Kashmiri, Sindhi, and Sanskrit; Hindustani is a popular variant of Hindi/Urdu
Travel Information
Neighborhoods: Breach Candy, Navy Nagar, Kamathpura
Attractions: Crawford Market, Colaba, Marine Drive
Accommodations: New Delhi Hostels
Tourist Office: India Tourism Office
Off-the-beaten-path: Elephanta Island
Health Issues: Cholera, Dengue Fever, Hepatitis, Malaria, Meningococcal Meningitis, Typhoid
Tips for Visiting
When to go: India is vast – with various mountain ranges, ecosystems and climate factors that make it impossible to say the best time to visit India. In one part of the country it will be cool, and in the other part it will be humid, hot and raining. Generally speaki
Common Phrases: Hello=Namaste/Namaskar; How are you?=Kaise hain?; I am fine=Main theek hoon; Can you please help me?=Kya aap meri madad karenge?; What is your name?=Apka naam Kya hai?; Yes=Haan; No=Nahi; Thank you=Shukriya/ Dhanyavaad
City Specific Events: Elephanta Festival: February. Ganesh Chaturthi: August/September
How to get around?: Local transport runs the gamet of the experience. It all depends upon how much money you want to pay an how much of the experience you want controlled, although it seems like nothing works in Inida.
Good to know: There are good cheap domestic flights from Mumbai to elsewhere in India.
Cheapest airport to fly into: The cheapest airport to fly into Mumbai is the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport.
Need more information?: Check out the Mumbai travel guide for more on what to see, where to stay, and how to get there.
- Sent using Google Toolbar"
Agra Travel Facts
Where is it located?: Agra is in northern India very close to New Delhi.
Why do people go there?: Agra is the headquarters of the tourist circuit in northern India. It’s a home to one of the most extravagant building in the world, Taj Mahal.
How do travelers get there?: Travelers generally come from Delhi via bus or tour group.
Currency: Rupee
City Code: 562
Population: 1 million
Languages: Hindi & English, there are 14 other official languages: Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Urdu, Gujarati, Malayalam, Kannada, Oriya, Punjabi, Assamese, Kashmiri, Sindhi, and Sanskrit; Hindustani is a popular variant of Hindi/Urdu spoken widely throughout n
Travel Information
Attractions: Taj Mahal, Agra Fort
Accommodations: India Hostels
Tourist Office: India Tourism Office
Off-the-beaten-path: Lower Haramsara
Health Issues: Cholera, Dengue Fever, Hepatitis, Malaria, Meningococcal Meningitis, Typhoid
Tips for Visiting
When to go: India is vast – with various mountain ranges, ecosystems and climate factors that make it impossible to say the best time to visit India. In one part of the country it will be cool, and in the other part it will be humid, hot and raining.
City Specific Events: Taj Mahotsava: February
How to get around?: Local transport runs the gamut of the experience. It all depends upon how much money you want to pay and how much of the experience you want controlled, although it seems like nothing works in India.
Good to know: Trips to Agra can easily be done in a daytrip from Delhi.
Cheapest airport to fly into: Agra Airport also called as Kheria Airport is the major airport of travelers taking cheap flights to Agra
Need more information?: Check out the Agra travel guide for more on what to see, where to stay, and how to get the
The Basics-Agra
The Basics
City Name: AgraWhere is it located?: Agra is in northern India very close to New Delhi.
Why do people go there?: Agra is the headquarters of the tourist circuit in northern India. It’s a home to one of the most extravagant building in the world, Taj Mahal.
How do travelers get there?: Travelers generally come from Delhi via bus or tour group.
Currency: Rupee
City Code: 562
Population: 1 million
Languages: Hindi & English, there are 14 other official languages: Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Urdu, Gujarati, Malayalam, Kannada, Oriya, Punjabi, Assamese, Kashmiri, Sindhi, and Sanskrit; Hindustani is a popular variant of Hindi/Urdu spoken widely throughout n
Travel Information
Attractions: Taj Mahal, Agra FortAccommodations: India Hostels
Tourist Office: India Tourism Office
Health Issues: Cholera, Dengue Fever, Hepatitis, Malaria, Meningococcal Meningitis, Typhoid
Tips for Visiting
When to go: India is vast – with various mountain ranges, ecosystems and climate factors that make it impossible to say the best time to visit India. In one part of the country it will be cool, and in the other part it will be humid, hot and raining.City Specific Events: Taj Mahotsava: February
How to get around?: Local transport runs the gamut of the experience. It all depends upon how much money you want to pay and how much of the experience you want controlled, although it seems like nothing works in India.
Good to know: Trips to Agra can easily be done in a daytrip from Delhi.
Cheapest airport to fly into: Agra Airport also called as Kheria Airport is the major airport of travelers taking cheap flights to Agra
Need more information?: Check out the Agra travel guide for more on what to see, where to stay, and how to get there.
Finding Authenticity Amongst the Over-Rated
Finding Authenticity Amongst the Over-Rated | BootsnAll Travel Articles: "“Want to come to Sarnath tomorrow?,” my friend Evan asked, deep into his second Kingfisher of the evening. I was sitting in Varanasi’s German Bakery, hanging out with the clique of backpackers I’d befriended in my four days on the banks of the Ganges.
“Nah, I have a ticket to Agra.”
Like many other travelers jaded from the road and from too many flips through the Lonely Planet, Evan thought himself the authority on what not to do in India. To hear him tell it, Agra was the ultimate tourist trap. Everyone else at the table agreed. Dirty, smelly, dusty, hot, and infested with touts and petty criminals. Ripoff central. The last place in the world anyone in their right mind would want to go.
Early the next morning I was Agra-bound, sipping chai on the Patna Mathura Express. What I found when I got there surprised me. Rather than a gauntlet of scams and nuisances to be put up with, Agra was a highlight of my two months in India. Approaching it with openness and optimism, in many ways I found the “Real India” most travelers spend their whole trip searching for.
The journey from train station to guesthouse is the most vulnerable moment for a backpacker in India. A million things can go wrong. There are evil rickshaw drivers with designs on your pocketbook. Everyone you meet has an uncle who runs a hotel or a silk shop, not to mention the ability to obtain every mind-altering substances from whiskey to heroin and back. There are purse snatchers, bag slashers, and urchins who’ll throw shit on your shoes and demand a thousand rupees to clean them off again.
guybbikescooter
I found none of this in the deserted Agra train station. I hoisted my pack onto my back and stepped outside. A few autorickshaw drivers loitered outside, patiently waiting to be approached. It was like the twilight zone -– “What country am I in, again?” Later I realized that, by arriving in Agra from Varanasi in the middle of the day, rather than from Delhi on one of the early morning super-express trains, I’d missed the tourist rush and the Beatlemania-esque mob that accompanies it. This was the first of many lessons Agra would teach me.
The second lesson? Just as it’s easy to avoid the hassles of arrival by showing up at an unexpected time, it’s easy to avoid the touts and hawkers by simply ignoring them. Walk down the street, head high, looking as though you have serious business to attend to. If your body language tells them you’re not interested in hotel rooms or marble trinkets, they’ll eventually get the message and back off a little. Of course, you still have to keep your commitment to ignoring them, because this doesn’t mean they’re not going to approach you. It means they’re prepared to accept that you’re not interested.
All of that said, sometimes the difference between frustration and success is knowing when to open yourself up. I came to Agra to see the Taj Mahal, but I came to India in search of adventure. So when a voice called out, “You need rickshaw, madam?” I turned around and said, “How much to Metabh Bagh?” a local park across the Yamuna River which barely rates a mention in the guidebooks. We were off the main drag before I could get settled in the back seat.
On my tourist-centric map of Agra, Metabh Bagh looked nearby, just behind the Taj Mahal. Lalu the rickshaw driver seemed to be heading away from the Taj, however, deeper and deeper into some unknown part of the city. Backpacker bars and souvenir shops fell away as we coasted through the winding streets of the old city, past madrasas, bazaars, and crumbling havelis. Men lounged on charpoys, alternately spitting tobacco and sipping tea from terra cotta cups. Women drew water from street corner hand pumps to fill stainless steel jugs they carted home on their heads. Boys in white caps and pale kurta-pajama outfits interrupted their cricket game to move out of our way.
2_metabhbaghThe call to evening prayer came from a thousand directions — there are as many mosques in Agra as there are churches in rural Mississippi or caffes in an Italian town square. We passed a tractor. Then a bullock cart. Then a convoy of camels. I was along for the ride and loving it, so deeply part of the experience that I forgot to take out my camera.
We came to the bridge that was studded with potholes, some of them so severe that I could see the river below us. Visions of travel insurance danced through my head. After what seemed like the longest river crossing in history, we headed through the slums that line the flood plain of the Yamuna and approached the park through a scrub of trees. The sky was beginning to break out into shades of pink and deep violet. Lalu parked the rickshaw and wandered off in search of paan.
I was alone in a crowd of local kids who come to Metab Bagh to do what kids all over the world do in parks. The younger ones horsed around in the sandy dust of the riverbank while the older ones clustered in small groups to gossip about the events of the day. Shy couples held hands, occasionally making a break to hide among the trees. I remembered that I was a tourist with a camera, standing here in the middle of the middle of the north Indian heartland, watching the sun set in the backyard of the Taj Mahal. How long had I waited for this? How many times had I declared that I wanted to see “The Real India”?
The real India was still making its presence known through my guesthouse window when my alarm clock went off at 4:30 the next morning. In the first call to prayer of each morning, the muezzin cries, “Al-salatu khayru min an-nawm”: prayer is better than sleep. I staggered out of bed, ready for the India traveler’s equivalent. I’d watched the sun set over the Taj Mahal among the locals; now I would watch it rise shoulder to shoulder with my fellow tourists.
2_tajdawnAdventures off the beaten path are the experiences that entice us to travel, but sometimes paths are beaten for a reason. You really can’t visit Agra without a stop at the Taj Mahal, and the best way to do this is to arrive when the site opens, just before sunrise. The marble is cool against your bare feet, and the perfume of the rose gardens wafts in the morning air. Even off the postcards and big as life, the Taj Mahal can’t help being sort of a cliche. But it’s an endearing one, and even hardened cynics leave the Taj a little more innocent than we arrived.
Another well-tread path awaited me at outside the gates. The lane that connects the Taj Mahal’s main entrance with the supporting tourist infrastructure is a gauntlet of trinket shops and travel agencies, all with proprietors desperate to prey upon that newfound innocence. At the end of this gauntlet lies the best breakfast I ate in all of northern India.
Joney’s Place is the sort of restaurant that anyone who considers herself a traveler rather than a tourist instinctively knows to avoid. There are grimy photographs of nuclear-hued Full English Breakfasts on the wall above the counter. Laminated testimonials dripping with Aussie slang are displayed at each table: “Don’t worry, the food isn’t spicy at all. This is our second time eating here, and we haven’t got sick yet!” But it’s here. The chai is boiling, the chappatis are bubbling, and it’s completely free of touts.
At the counter, I asked the bent-over chef, “I’d like what you’d eat for breakfast. And please make it spicy!” Moments later, a platter appeared laden with masala chai, fresh yogurt, and an aloo parantha studded with chili. I sat with myself, my meal, and the Times Of India’s crossword page in one of the testimonial-covered booths, in mouth-burning culinary heaven. The chai was tooth- rottingly sweet, in the way that is only permissible here, and delicately spiced with cardamom and clove. The tart yogurt, a perfect foil for the exquisite torture of the parantha. I knew that, in asking for heat, I had set myself up for the chef to see exactly what kind of damage he could inflict. It’s a point of honor, a sacred compact between eater and cook.
My eyes watered over my crossword, and I thought of Evan back in Varanasi, who had rejected Agra without even seeing it. There and then, I vowed never to forget that authentic experiences can even be found in a hokey tourist restaurant in the center of the biggest hellhole in the most overrated city in India.
- Sent using Google Toolbar"
“Nah, I have a ticket to Agra.”
Like many other travelers jaded from the road and from too many flips through the Lonely Planet, Evan thought himself the authority on what not to do in India. To hear him tell it, Agra was the ultimate tourist trap. Everyone else at the table agreed. Dirty, smelly, dusty, hot, and infested with touts and petty criminals. Ripoff central. The last place in the world anyone in their right mind would want to go.
Early the next morning I was Agra-bound, sipping chai on the Patna Mathura Express. What I found when I got there surprised me. Rather than a gauntlet of scams and nuisances to be put up with, Agra was a highlight of my two months in India. Approaching it with openness and optimism, in many ways I found the “Real India” most travelers spend their whole trip searching for.
The journey from train station to guesthouse is the most vulnerable moment for a backpacker in India. A million things can go wrong. There are evil rickshaw drivers with designs on your pocketbook. Everyone you meet has an uncle who runs a hotel or a silk shop, not to mention the ability to obtain every mind-altering substances from whiskey to heroin and back. There are purse snatchers, bag slashers, and urchins who’ll throw shit on your shoes and demand a thousand rupees to clean them off again.
guybbikescooter
I found none of this in the deserted Agra train station. I hoisted my pack onto my back and stepped outside. A few autorickshaw drivers loitered outside, patiently waiting to be approached. It was like the twilight zone -– “What country am I in, again?” Later I realized that, by arriving in Agra from Varanasi in the middle of the day, rather than from Delhi on one of the early morning super-express trains, I’d missed the tourist rush and the Beatlemania-esque mob that accompanies it. This was the first of many lessons Agra would teach me.
The second lesson? Just as it’s easy to avoid the hassles of arrival by showing up at an unexpected time, it’s easy to avoid the touts and hawkers by simply ignoring them. Walk down the street, head high, looking as though you have serious business to attend to. If your body language tells them you’re not interested in hotel rooms or marble trinkets, they’ll eventually get the message and back off a little. Of course, you still have to keep your commitment to ignoring them, because this doesn’t mean they’re not going to approach you. It means they’re prepared to accept that you’re not interested.
All of that said, sometimes the difference between frustration and success is knowing when to open yourself up. I came to Agra to see the Taj Mahal, but I came to India in search of adventure. So when a voice called out, “You need rickshaw, madam?” I turned around and said, “How much to Metabh Bagh?” a local park across the Yamuna River which barely rates a mention in the guidebooks. We were off the main drag before I could get settled in the back seat.
On my tourist-centric map of Agra, Metabh Bagh looked nearby, just behind the Taj Mahal. Lalu the rickshaw driver seemed to be heading away from the Taj, however, deeper and deeper into some unknown part of the city. Backpacker bars and souvenir shops fell away as we coasted through the winding streets of the old city, past madrasas, bazaars, and crumbling havelis. Men lounged on charpoys, alternately spitting tobacco and sipping tea from terra cotta cups. Women drew water from street corner hand pumps to fill stainless steel jugs they carted home on their heads. Boys in white caps and pale kurta-pajama outfits interrupted their cricket game to move out of our way.
2_metabhbaghThe call to evening prayer came from a thousand directions — there are as many mosques in Agra as there are churches in rural Mississippi or caffes in an Italian town square. We passed a tractor. Then a bullock cart. Then a convoy of camels. I was along for the ride and loving it, so deeply part of the experience that I forgot to take out my camera.
We came to the bridge that was studded with potholes, some of them so severe that I could see the river below us. Visions of travel insurance danced through my head. After what seemed like the longest river crossing in history, we headed through the slums that line the flood plain of the Yamuna and approached the park through a scrub of trees. The sky was beginning to break out into shades of pink and deep violet. Lalu parked the rickshaw and wandered off in search of paan.
I was alone in a crowd of local kids who come to Metab Bagh to do what kids all over the world do in parks. The younger ones horsed around in the sandy dust of the riverbank while the older ones clustered in small groups to gossip about the events of the day. Shy couples held hands, occasionally making a break to hide among the trees. I remembered that I was a tourist with a camera, standing here in the middle of the middle of the north Indian heartland, watching the sun set in the backyard of the Taj Mahal. How long had I waited for this? How many times had I declared that I wanted to see “The Real India”?
The real India was still making its presence known through my guesthouse window when my alarm clock went off at 4:30 the next morning. In the first call to prayer of each morning, the muezzin cries, “Al-salatu khayru min an-nawm”: prayer is better than sleep. I staggered out of bed, ready for the India traveler’s equivalent. I’d watched the sun set over the Taj Mahal among the locals; now I would watch it rise shoulder to shoulder with my fellow tourists.
2_tajdawnAdventures off the beaten path are the experiences that entice us to travel, but sometimes paths are beaten for a reason. You really can’t visit Agra without a stop at the Taj Mahal, and the best way to do this is to arrive when the site opens, just before sunrise. The marble is cool against your bare feet, and the perfume of the rose gardens wafts in the morning air. Even off the postcards and big as life, the Taj Mahal can’t help being sort of a cliche. But it’s an endearing one, and even hardened cynics leave the Taj a little more innocent than we arrived.
Another well-tread path awaited me at outside the gates. The lane that connects the Taj Mahal’s main entrance with the supporting tourist infrastructure is a gauntlet of trinket shops and travel agencies, all with proprietors desperate to prey upon that newfound innocence. At the end of this gauntlet lies the best breakfast I ate in all of northern India.
Joney’s Place is the sort of restaurant that anyone who considers herself a traveler rather than a tourist instinctively knows to avoid. There are grimy photographs of nuclear-hued Full English Breakfasts on the wall above the counter. Laminated testimonials dripping with Aussie slang are displayed at each table: “Don’t worry, the food isn’t spicy at all. This is our second time eating here, and we haven’t got sick yet!” But it’s here. The chai is boiling, the chappatis are bubbling, and it’s completely free of touts.
At the counter, I asked the bent-over chef, “I’d like what you’d eat for breakfast. And please make it spicy!” Moments later, a platter appeared laden with masala chai, fresh yogurt, and an aloo parantha studded with chili. I sat with myself, my meal, and the Times Of India’s crossword page in one of the testimonial-covered booths, in mouth-burning culinary heaven. The chai was tooth- rottingly sweet, in the way that is only permissible here, and delicately spiced with cardamom and clove. The tart yogurt, a perfect foil for the exquisite torture of the parantha. I knew that, in asking for heat, I had set myself up for the chef to see exactly what kind of damage he could inflict. It’s a point of honor, a sacred compact between eater and cook.
My eyes watered over my crossword, and I thought of Evan back in Varanasi, who had rejected Agra without even seeing it. There and then, I vowed never to forget that authentic experiences can even be found in a hokey tourist restaurant in the center of the biggest hellhole in the most overrated city in India.
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Thursday, August 12, 2010
India to target Google, Skype messaging next - FT | Reuters
India to target Google, Skype messaging next - FT | Reuters: "Aug 13 (Reuters) - India may shut down Google (GOOG.O) and Skype Internet-based messaging services over security concerns, the Financial Times reported on Friday, as the government threatened a similar crackdown on BlackBerry services.
The Financial Times quoted from the minutes of a July 12 meeting between telecommunication ministry security officials and operator associations to look at possible solutions to 'intercept and monitor' encrypted communications.
'There was consensus that there [is] more than one type of service for which solutions are to be explored. Some of them are BlackBerry, Skype, Google etc,' according to the department's minutes. 'It was decided first to undertake the issue of BlackBerry and then the other services.'
On Thursday, the Indian government became the latest of several nations that have threatened to cut off Research In Motion's (RIM.TO) (RIMM.O) encrypted BlackBerry email and instant messaging services if the Canadian company does not address national security concerns. [nSGE67B09R]
India has set an Aug 31. deadline for RIM. It wants access in a readable format to encrypted BlackBerry communication, on grounds it could be used by militants. Pakistani-based militants used mobile and satellite phones in the 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people.
India's demands follow a deal with Saudi Arabia, where a source said Research In Motion agreed to give authorities codes for BlackBerry Messenger users. The United Arab Emirates, Lebanon and Algeria also seek access.
Officials say RIM had proposed tracking emails without sharing encryption details, but that was not enough.
The Financial Times report said representatives from two of the telecom operator associations present confirmed the details of the meeting earlier this month.
'At the last security meeting, the agencies were talking about BlackBerry. They were also coming out heavily on Skype and Google,' said Rajesh Chharia, president of the Internet Service Providers Association of India.
A shutdown would affect one million users in India out of the smartphone's 41 million users. India is one of RIM's fastest growing markets.
RIM, unlike rivals Nokia (NOK1V.HE) and Apple APPL.O, operates its own network through secure servers located in Canada and other countries, such as Britain.
RIM's shares ended more than 2 percent lower at C$56.44 in the Toronto market.
In a matter of a few weeks, the BlackBerry device -- long the darling of the world's CEOs and politicians, including U.S. President Barack Obama -- has become a target for its sealed email and messaging services with governments around the world. (Writing by Miral Fahmy, editing by Dhara Ranasinghe)
- Sent using Google Toolbar"
The Financial Times quoted from the minutes of a July 12 meeting between telecommunication ministry security officials and operator associations to look at possible solutions to 'intercept and monitor' encrypted communications.
'There was consensus that there [is] more than one type of service for which solutions are to be explored. Some of them are BlackBerry, Skype, Google etc,' according to the department's minutes. 'It was decided first to undertake the issue of BlackBerry and then the other services.'
On Thursday, the Indian government became the latest of several nations that have threatened to cut off Research In Motion's (RIM.TO) (RIMM.O) encrypted BlackBerry email and instant messaging services if the Canadian company does not address national security concerns. [nSGE67B09R]
India has set an Aug 31. deadline for RIM. It wants access in a readable format to encrypted BlackBerry communication, on grounds it could be used by militants. Pakistani-based militants used mobile and satellite phones in the 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people.
India's demands follow a deal with Saudi Arabia, where a source said Research In Motion agreed to give authorities codes for BlackBerry Messenger users. The United Arab Emirates, Lebanon and Algeria also seek access.
Officials say RIM had proposed tracking emails without sharing encryption details, but that was not enough.
The Financial Times report said representatives from two of the telecom operator associations present confirmed the details of the meeting earlier this month.
'At the last security meeting, the agencies were talking about BlackBerry. They were also coming out heavily on Skype and Google,' said Rajesh Chharia, president of the Internet Service Providers Association of India.
A shutdown would affect one million users in India out of the smartphone's 41 million users. India is one of RIM's fastest growing markets.
RIM, unlike rivals Nokia (NOK1V.HE) and Apple APPL.O, operates its own network through secure servers located in Canada and other countries, such as Britain.
RIM's shares ended more than 2 percent lower at C$56.44 in the Toronto market.
In a matter of a few weeks, the BlackBerry device -- long the darling of the world's CEOs and politicians, including U.S. President Barack Obama -- has become a target for its sealed email and messaging services with governments around the world. (Writing by Miral Fahmy, editing by Dhara Ranasinghe)
- Sent using Google Toolbar"
Saturday, August 7, 2010
India Radio Mirchi reports net profit
Radio Mirchi reports Rs 4 crore net profit in Q1
Submitted by Avneet Sidhu on Sat, 08/07/2010 - 16:37
Leading private FM radio operator Entertainment Network India or ENIL has announced its first quarter financial results for the fiscal year 2010-11. Leading private FM radio operator Entertainment Network India or ENIL is popularly known as Radio Mirchi.
According to the company, it has registered a significant Rs 4.3 crore of net profit for the first quarter of the continuing financial year.
Radio Mirchi has managed to produce an impressive show in net profit rise as compared to a sever loss in the same quarter last year.
The firm has suffered a net loss of Rs 1.4 crore for the June quarter of the previous fiscal. There has been a significant growth in the EBITDA as well.
The company has posted an EBITDA of Rs 14.5 crore which has been a mammoth 57% rise against last year.
The total revenue has gone up by 14.5% has touched to Rs 57.5 crore. ENIL's consolidated total income for April-June quarter is found out to be Rs 115 crore with a growth of 31.7%.
Monday, August 2, 2010
17,000 people in India hired by Capgemini
Capgemini, the Paris-headquartered information technology services and consultancy firm, plans to hire 17,000 people in India [ Images ] in 2010, said the company while announcing its second quarter results. Its headcount in India at present is 26,000."The first half of 2010 was a good period for Capgemini India, both for our domestic market operations and our global delivery work. The recovery, which started in the latter part of 2009, is now visible strongly. We added more than 40 clients in India over the last 18 months and are seeing significant momentum across industry verticals and the public sector," said Salil Parekh, executive chairman, Capgemini India.
From a global delivery standpoint, he said, the leverage of India within the Group had seen significant growth. India, for Capgemini, has evolved into an innovation hub.
The company has set up Global Centres of Excellence in Mumbai [ Images ], Delhi [ Images ], Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata [ Images ] and Pune, catering to global and domestic clients.
"Today, India is central to Capgemini's Rightshore delivery model, with 26,000 people and 27 per cent of global employee headcount. We will recruit 17,000 people in India in 2010 and will announce expansions of our facilities to accommodate this growth," added Parekh.
The company's second quarter and first-half results saw stabilisation of the main markets in which the Group operates.
The 2010 first-half revenues fell 3.8 per cent compared to the first half of 2009 but increased 5.4 per cent on the previous half-year. In the second quarter, revenues at Euro 2,159 million increased 5.2 per cent compared to the previous quarter.
Capgemini saw sequential revenue from France [ Images ] grow 1.1 per cent, UK & Ireland grew 3.8 per cent, Benelux grew 2.9 per cent and the Rest of Europe, Asia and Latin America grew 3.2 per cent. Revenue from North America was the strongest, at 16.7 per cent.
However, the first half of 2010 did witness pressure in Europe. Revenue from its main region, Francem was down 2.7 per cent compared to H1 of 2009. Similarly, UK & Ireland was down five per cent.
Paul Hermelin, CEO of the Capgemini group, said: "Strengthened by this above-expectations performance and the marked increase in bookings, the Group will enjoy a return to growth in the second half of the year. We have now relaunched a dynamic recruitment policy and will focus particularly on our five global service lines, in order to satisfy the new expectations of our clients."
The company expects revenue growth in India of three to five per cent for the second half of 2010.
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