The Utterances of a Peculiar Mindset

I'm reading this book (Wise and Otherwise by Sudha Murty) at present. Not exactly this but its Marathi Edition translated by Leena Sohoni. Have started it today morning and have completed 50 pages by now. Few more remaining. Also two more books in pending list. Will let you know about the books once I complete those. Keep waiting :-)

One of Microsoft's finest technicians was drafted and sent to boot camp. At the rifle range, he was given some instruction, a rifle, and bullets. He fired several shots at the target. The report came from the target area that all attempts had completely missed the target.
The technician looked at his rifle, and then at the target. He looked at the rifle again, and then at the target again. He put his finger over the end of the rifle barrel and squeezed the trigger with his other hand. The end of his finger was blown off, whereupon he yelled toward the target area, "It's leaving here just fine, the trouble must be at your end!"

Feel hard to press CTRL+ALT+DEL to lock your machine? Try this and create the icon to lock the machine on your desktop.

1. Right click an empty spot on the desktop, point to New and click Shortcut.
2. In the Create Shortcut dialog box, copy the following into the 'Type the location' of the item text box:
rundll32 user32.dll,LockWorkStation

3. Click Next.
4. In "Type a name for this shortcut", type LOCK and Click Finish
5. Now just double click on that icon to lock your computer without pressing Alt+Ctrl+Del.

This is dedicated to the lady in my heart.. I know I'm not a good poet, specially with English. I do write poems in Marathi which I publish at my Marathi blog. Still, I hope you will bare with this.

"Just know that the love I have for you
Is not to be put in stack or queue

Like a Variable in an infinite loop
Be in my heart always and never stop

My heart is like a port, unread,
and the love I have has only one thread
You are in my heart's RAM and not in the cache
So if you won't respond, my heart will crash

Like an application that is stand alone,
I'm a programmer who earns a lot on my own
And my request is clear, without any encryption
And hope it is not void, that you return.

If Java can be linked with C
Or if e-mails can be sent for free
Why on earth can't you and me
For the rest of our life time together be"

Dear Lady in my Heart, I know you don't read my blog. But if sometimes, by any chance you scramble upon this blog, these are my true feelings for you. Though I could have put it up in more romantic way, you know how bad poet I am :-)

The world wide contest is underway to find new Seven Wonders of the World by a Swiss philanthropist Bernard Weber, a Swiss filmmaker and curator. Some television channels are campaigning heavily for Taj Mahal, even without mentioning that World’s largest and best-preserved Hindu Temple Ankor Wat is in this contest with third position as on date. We appeal to the all Hindus to vote for Angkorwat Temple in Cambodia.

This temple is one of the most awesome structures anyone can visit. It is very large, the enclosing rectangular wall measures 800 by 1025 metres. Around the wall is a moat some 200 metres wide. The terrain is so vast (some 208 hectares, 500 acres) that all the known wonders of the world including the St Peter cathedral of Rome and the Indonesian Borobudur could find a place on the grounds in front of the main temple, which central tower tops over 200 metres. The complex was built over a 30 to 40-year period at the start of the 12th century and is dedicated to Hindu god Vishnu.
Angkor Wat was built using sandstone which isn't found in the immediate area. Most of it was probably taken from the the small mount of Phnom Kulen, some 30 km. to the north. The wall surrounding the temple is carved from laterite, a reddish type of stone found everywhere in the country. Laterite is soft when left in the wet ground, it hardens when dried in the sun. It is volcanic and contains large amounts of air pockets. For this reason it was rarely used for whole structures because it cannot be finely carved.
The Angkor Wat temple is a classical example of the temple mountain of Mt. Meru, central in Hindu cosmology. The five towers symbolize the five mountain peaks, the grounds the world, the wall stands for the mountains at the edge of the world, the surrounding moat stand for the shore and the oceans.
You can spend days to wander all the halls and rooms of Angkor Wat. Take at least half a day to see the main parts and climb the central sanctuary and admire the view. On ground level of the main complex you will find galleries of bas-reliefs some 800 metres in length, 3 tiers high. The epic battles and events depicted here tell in great detail about the history of the various Khmer empires and their rulers. Large sections show scenes from the complex Hindu religion. Near the temples and in Siem Reap you can buy paper rubbings taken from these bas-reliefs.
Around the temple you will find many beautiful carvings of apsaras or celestial dancers. They are depicted a bit more frivolous then the ones found on most of the other temples. They are also sculpted in twos and threes. The apsara above on the left is from the Bayon temple, the pair on the right can be found on the eastern side of the sanctuary at Angkor Wat. The carvings here are of great quality and have withstood the ages very well, some appear to have been finished only yesterday.

The Angkor Wat temple is the symbol of present day Cambodia. It is depicted on the national flag and on the current 500 Riel banknote, whose value is about US$ 0.20


Please visit http://www.new7wonders.com & vote for Angkor Wat Temple.
Only Few More Days to VOte Do It Now ...

Strange title, isn't it? But its true. These days Gods have started a new duty. Of monitoring e-mails. I will explain you how..
Way back in 2000 when I started using internet, I had received a mail containing Snap of the idol from Tirupati temple. A note was attached to it as "This is very rare and blessed image. If you forward this to 10-15 people, you will have good luck for next 15 years." I wasn't having enough online friends that time so I didn't forward it to anyone. But I was just wondering who exactly monitors to check how many people you send it to? Probably Lord Venkatesha himself. Its getting overcrowded in Tirupati so probably the Lord wanted a new place to live and new work to do. So he decided to occupy some space in the virtual world and started monitoring the mails. Better than satisfying the requests from devotees (which range from "Oh God, please bless me with 1000 crore rupees" to "Lord Venkatesha, please send some hot babe as my wife").
Few days later, I received similar mail with Sai Baba's image. Ya.. Shirdi is getting equally crowded as Tirupati. Its obvious that Sai Baba also needs a new place.
But then, the flow started coming in. Sometimes Krishna, sometimes Rama, sometimes Durga and sometimes Ganesha. And it didn't stopped there. The mails like Tibetian Mantra by Dalai Lama, Blessed Flowers, Blessed photo of Jesus, the Blessed mantra from Kuran, and what not..!!!
And each of them has the same ending. Send this to minimum of 10 people else you will have bad luck for 10 years. And then there are few lame examples to prove that this is true. Foolish attempt you know..!!!

But finally there is one real of these chains. If you won't refer this blog to 10 people, your thumb will get injured while typing SMS...!!! And this is very serious. Don't take it lightly. Mr. Mruduaiyyar Peregullamma Athrvashekhara Chinmayananda Swamy from Madurai neglected this. Well, he didn't get his thumb injured. But his cat was hit badly by the street rat running through his house. Mr. Kartar Singh from Ludhiana laughed on this post when he read this. Well he too didn't got his thumb injured. But next day only, 5 of his hairs fell down while having bath. So you can see, though it doesn't achieve its desired effect, it surely does something.. So Be aware. Don't take risk..

If you refer this blog to 15 or more friends, do you expect some good luck in return? Forget it..! I'm not the God. All I can provide in return is some quality reading to those 15 friends you have referred.

I wanted to write about this for long. But just couldn't manage. Finally decided to give a try. Here is information about few personalities I adore the most in my life.

Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam

I don't need to introduce him. He is one of the most well-known and most adorable personalities among the Indians, specially the youngsters.
Heard of him first time when India had the nuclear tests at Pokhran way back in 1997. That time, Abdul Kalam's name was discussed as being the key scientist behind the success of the tests. Also later when he received the Barat Ratna, I got more familiar with his personality.
Born on 15th October 1931 at Rameswaram, in Tamil Nadu, Dr. Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam, specialized in Aero Engineering from Madras Institute of Technology.
He initially worked in DRDO in 1958 and then joined ISRO in 1963. Dr. Kalam has made significant contribution to Indian satellite and launch vehicles of ISRO and also in the missile programme of DRDO. As project Director, SLV-III, he contributed for the design, development and management of India’s first indigenous Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV-III) to inject Rohini satellite in the near earth orbit. He was responsible for the evolution of ISRO’s launch vehicles programme and configurations. He rejoined DRDO in 1982 and conceived the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP) for indigenous missiles.
He was Scientific Adviser to Defence Minister and Secretary, Department of Defence Research & Development from July 1992 to December 1999.
As Chairman, Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC), he generated the Technology Vision 2020 documents – a road map for transforming India from Developing India to Developed India. He provided overall guidance to a number of Homegrown Technology Projects and major technology missions such as Sugar, Advanced Composites and Fly Ash utilization.
Dr. Kalam has served as the Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India, in the rank of Cabinet Minister, from November 1999 to November 2001. He was primarily responsible for evolving policies, strategies and missions for generation of innovations and support systems for multiple applications. Also, generating science and technology task in strategic, economic and social sectors in partnership with Government departments, institutions and industry. Dr. Kalam was also the Chairman, Ex-officio, of the Scientific Advisory Committee to the Cabinet (SAC-C).
Dr. Kalam took up academic pursuit as Professor, Technology & Societal Transformation at Anna University, Chennai and involved in teaching and research tasks. Above all he is on his mission to ignite the young minds for national development by meeting high school students across the country.
Dr. Kalam was conferred with the Degree of Doctor of Science (D.Sc. Honoris Causa) by 30 universities/academic institutions. He is recipient of several awards including the Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration 1997.
Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam has been awarded Padma Bhushan in 1981, Padma Vibhushan in 1990 and BHARAT RATNA in 1997. Dr. Kalam became the 11th President of India on 25th July 2002. His focus is on transforming India into a developed nation by 2020. He is among the most popular personalities among the youngsters.


Mr. N. R. Narayan Murthy

Another very well known face among the youngsters. He is the ideal for many people. Heard of him for the first time when he was invited in "Jeena Isis ka Naam Hai" on Zee TV. Later kept hearing and reading about him through various business magazines and news channels.
Mr. Narayana Murthy is undoubtedly one of the most famous persons from the IT industry. He is known not just for building the biggest IT empire in India but also for his simplicity. Almost every important dignitary visits Infosys campus. The beauty about his family is that they believe in sharing their wealth with the needy.
Born into a Kannadiga Deshastha Brahmin family in Mysore, India on August 20, 1946, he graduated with a degree in electrical engineering from the National Institute of Engineering, University of Mysore in 1967 after attending government school, and received his master's degree from IIT Kanpur in 1969.
He first took up a job at IIM Ahmedabad as Chief Systems Programmer. He then joined Patni Computer Systems in Pune. Before moving to Mumbai, Murthy met his wife Sudha Murthy in Pune who at the time was an engineer working at Tata Engineering and Locomotive Co. Ltd. (Telco, now known as Tata Motors) in Pune. In 1981, he founded Infosys with six other software professionals. He served as president of the National Association of Software and Service Companies, India from 1992 to 1994.
He has proved that one can progress in life even without using the malways. All one needs is have self confidence and the passion.

Dr. Vishwanath D. Karad

Dr. Vishwanath D. Karad, an eminent educationist, thinker a devoted teacher and a dedicated social worker, is a man of great vision, who is totally committed to the development of technical education and the cause of raising the qualities of life of the Indian masses for the betterment of tomorrow.
He is the founder of MIT Pune, first private engineering college in Maharashtra and one of the best technical institues.
Dr. Karad is a man who is highly proud of time tested ethos and culture, having his own ideas of social development. He has his own convictions and capacity to judge each issue on its own merit and the grit to stand by his principles at any cost, uphold truth and morality.
Dr. Vishwanath D.Karad is a great humanitarian and a man of compassion. He has a deep sense of purpose, be it in the field of Education, Religion, Social Welfare or any pioneering movement, which he strongly feels would bring relief to the downtrodden and weaker sections of the society.
One unique feature of Dr. Vishwanath D. Karad is total absence of egotism and vanity. Therefore, he is always easily accessible, unassuming, open to new ideas and he makes a profound impact on any individual, group or mass of people who happen to come in contact with him.

Mr. Tulsi Tanti

Tulsi Tanti is the Chairman of Suzlon Energy Ltd, a company dealing in wind energy. He is one of those first time entrepreneurs who saw potential in an inchoate idea, ventured into it, and made it big. Today, he ranks among top 10 richest men of India.
I heard of him for the first time when the news of Suzlon making an attemp to buy REPowes and Areva hit the headlines on CNBC. Later I googled a bit about him and his firm "Suzlon". And I got a fan of him very soon.
A commerce graduate and a diploma holder in mechanical engineering, Tulsi Tanti originally hails from Gujarat and is presently based in Pune, Maharashtra. Tulsi Tanti was earlier into textiles. He started his textile business in Gujarat. But he found that the prospects stunted due to infrastructural bottlenecks. The biggest of them all was the cost and unavailability of power, which formed a high proportion of operating expenses of textile industry.
In 1990, Tulsi Tanti invested in two windmills and realized its huge potential. In 1995, he formed Suzlon and gradually quit textiles. Suzlon Energy is the sixth largest wind energy company in the world and the largest in Asia. It is presently building what will be among the world's largest wind parks of its kind at 1,000 MW capacity.
Suzlon is currently concentrating on global expansion drive. It recently acquired Hansen Transmissions, a Belgian maker of wind-turbine gearboxes. Suzlon is also building a rotor-blade factory in Minnesota and has invested $60m in a factory in Tianjin, China. Tulsi Tanti is poised to make India a wind-power export hub.
The company already ranks as the world's eighth-largest producer of wind energy in terms of installed capacity to date. Tanti is aiming high and wants to close the gap with Suzlon's biggest European competitors, Denmark's Vestas Wind Systems, Germany's Enercon and Spain's Gamesa. Suzlon's surging revenues are only one-fifth those of Vestas, but the Indian outfit has been consistently profitable for six years. Vestas made losses in the last two years.

Dr. Sam Pitroda

Heard of him for the first time when he was awarded "Lokmanya Tilak Puraskar" in 2003. I was totally unaware of him till then. Then I googled a little about him and find out what a personality he is.

Satyanarayan Gangaram Pitroda, better known as Dr Sam Pitroda, born in Titlagarh, Orissa, is an inventor, entrepreneur and policymaker. Currently chairman of India's National Knowledge Commission, he is also widely considered to have been responsible for India's communications revolution. He is the Chairman and CEO of World-Tel Limited, an International Telecommunication Union (ITU) initiative. He holds many key technology patents, has been involved in several startups, and lectures extensively around the world on the implications of communications and information technology.
The name, Sam Pitroda can better be explained by the yellow phone booths all across India. Yes, it was mainly because of the efforts of this inventor, technocrat, and social thinker that telecom revolution started in India. It is interesting to know that Sam Pitroda first used a telephone only after moving to the US! The biggest virtue of Sam Pitroda is that he has a definite vision to use technology for the benefit and betterment of society. Along with being a pioneer in telecom, Sam Pitroda has made strong case for food, clean water, and adequate shelter for the unprivileged section. Through his efforts, Sam Pitroda has brought telephones to some of the world's previously isolated regions. In the field of telecom, Sam's emphasis was on accessibility rather than density.
By providing public access to telephones, Mr. Sam Pitroda revolutionized the state of telecommunications in India. Currently, Mr. Pitroda is the Chairman and CEO of World-Tel Limited, an International Telecom Union (ITU) initiative. He is also the Chairman and Founder of Sevend high-technology. Sam Pitroda is also the founding Chairman of a non-profit Foundation for' Revitalization of Local Health Traditions in India. As a result of his pioneering works, Sam Pitroda holds more than 50 patents and has lectured extensively on Telecom, Technology and Development, in almost all parts of the world. Sam Pitroda has also featured in several newspapers, magazines, radio and TV programs.
He is also the founder and CEO of C-SAM, Inc, and serves as a director on the board of Jet Airways. C-SAM has developed an m-Commerce application by the name OneWallet. The company has offices in London, Tokyo, and offshore development centres in India in Mumbai and Vadodara. He has served as an advisor to the United Nations and in 1992, his biography was published, and became a bestseller.
In 1984, Mr. Pitroda was invited to return to India by the then Prime Minister Mrs. Gandhi; on his return he founded the Center for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) under the Indian government. In 1987, he became advisor to Mrs. Gandhi's successor, Rajiv Gandhi and was responsible for shaping India's foreign and domestic telecommunications policies. He is largely considered responsible for the telecommunications revolution in India and specifically, the ubiquitous, yellow-signed Public Call Offices (PCO) that quickly brought cheap and easy domestic and international public telephones all over the country.
For the subsequent decade, Pitroda continued his business interests in computer manufacturing and software. When the 2004 elections were declared, Rahul Gandhi asked for his help for a small committee that he was forming to advise him on policy issues.
When the United Progressive Alliance government came to power following the 2004 General Elections, the Dr. Manmohan Singh recruited him to head the National Knowledge Commission.

Mr. Babasaheb Purandare

Known affectionately as “Shivshahir” (loosely translated, “Bard of Shivaji”), Babasaheb Purandare has dedicated his life to Chhatrapati Shivaji. The fruit of his ceaseless struggle to find and display the history of Maharashtra's golden period is the biography written by him, “Raja Shivchhatrapati”. Of course, his fictional novels set in that period also show his love for history, and the firm grasp of historical facts as well as lyrical genius.
He is also an ideal for the trekkers and Sahyadri lovers. He has been into trekking the forts of sahyadri at the times when very few people were interested into knowing about Sahyadri forts. Babasaheb have also played important role in forming National Education Foundation, a group actively involved into the organising of Adventure race "Enduro3" and also in various adventure activities. Babasaheb is also playing the role of chief matron in "rajashivaji.com", a website dedicated to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (launching soon) which will also be the biggest website dedicated to a single person.

I'm looking forward to admission in some Management institute very soon. And Laptop is one of the most essential things for MBA.So I'm looking for a laptop. New one costs around 40+ k. So having a second hand one seems better option at the moment.
Are you willing to sell your laptop? Or do you know anyone who wants to sell? I want minimum 1.8 GHz, 512MB RAM, 80 GB HDD, DVD R/W, 4 USB ports, LAN adapter. Display size doesn't matter much. Inbuilt Wifi will be added feature..
Budget: Negotiable.. You tell the price and let's decide over it..
Please let me know if you know anyone who is willing to sell. You can mail me at laptop@dineshsoni.com or just drop a comment to this post.

Its universal truth that "Every child born on the earth is a chocolate lover". And when this child grows up to teenage, he becomes a source of earning for dentists.
Those who have been to dental clinics will agree if I say, this is one place where you don't want to go. The dentist tells you not to have chocolates and Ice creams cause these things are bad for teeth. And that's why every child (and grown ups too) hate dentists. Sometimes I wonder if a dentist's child ever gets to have a chocolate in his whole life.. :-)
Anyway, I'm no exception to the above said universal rule. My visit to Dental clinic started little late than others. But I couldn't skip it. My visits started from around 4 months back when I started a sudden tooth pain. There was an infection in one of my teeth. The infection was removed and cavity was filled up with Cement (actually its some material full of calcium and other material which fills up the cavity with so that you won't feel the cavity. I thought its over now. But the neighboring one got an infection and started paining. I had to again go to the clinic. This time, same process was repeated with the next tooth.
The dentist said me one sentence this time. "Once a dental patient will always be a dental patient" So true. Once your teeth invite problems, the problems won't leave your teeth unless either the teeth die or you die.
Now I've to again go to the place on Friday to remove the cement element and fill up the cavity with silver. May God give me strength to fight with these teeth problems. Amen!!!

Apne Project ke bojh tale daba jaa raha hai,
Wo dekho ek Software engineer ja raha hai,

zindagi se hara hua hai, par "Bugs" se haar nahi manata,
Apne application ki ek ek line ise rati hui hai,
par aaj kaun se rang ke moje pehne hain , ye nahi janata,
din par din ek excel file banata ja raha hai
Wo dekho ek Software Engineer ja raha hai,

das hazaar line ke code main error dhoond lete hain lekin,
majboor dost ki ankhon ki nami dikhayi nahi deti,
pc pe hazaar windows khuli hain,
par dil ki khidki pe koi dastak sunayi nahi deti,
satuday-sunday nahata nahi, week days ko naha raha hai,
Wo dekho ek Software engineer ja raha hai,

Coding karte karte pata hi nahi chala,
bugs ki priority kab maa-baap se high ho gayi,
kitabon main gulab rakhne wala ,
cigerette ke dhuyen main kho gaya,
dil ki zameen se armaanon ki vidayi ho gayi,
weekends pe daroo peke jo jashna mana raha hai,
Wo dekho ek Software engineer ja raha hai,

maze lena ho iske to pooch lo,
"Salary Increment" ki party kab dila rahe ho,
hansi udana ho to pooch lo,
"Onsite" kab ja rahe ho?
wo dekho onsite se laute team-mate ki chocolates kha raha hai,
Wo dekho ek Software engineer ja raha hai,

kharche badh rahe hain, baal kam ho rahe hain,
KPA ki date ati nahi, Income Tax ke sitam ho rahe hain,
lo phir se bus choot gayi, Auto se aa raha hai,
Wo dekho ek Software engineer ja raha hai,

Pizza gale se nahi utarta, to "Coke" ke sahare nigal liya jata hai,
office ki "Thali" dekh munh hai bigadta,
maa ke hath ka wo khana baar roz yaad ata hai,
"Sprout bhel" bani hai phir bhi,
free "Evening Snacks" kha raha hai,
Wo dekho ek Software engineer ja raha hai,

aapne ab tak li hongi bahut si chutkiya,
Software engg. ke jivan ka sach batati ye akhri kuch panktiyan,
hazaron ki tankhwah wala, company ki karodon ki jeb bharta hai,
software engg. wahi ban sakta hai, jo lohe ka jigar rakhta hai,
hum log jee jee ke marte hain , zindagi hai kuch aisi,
ek fauj ki naukri, doosri software engg. ki , dono ek jaisi,
is kavita ka har shabd dil ki gehrayi se aa raha hai,
Wo dekho ek Software engineer ja raha hai,

Mark your date 28th Jun to 1st Jul @ Pune - Ganesh Kala Krida Manch, Near Neharu stadium.
While Maharashtra celebrates 334th anniversary of coronation of their respected idol, King Shivaji on June 28 th, Rajashivaji.com will attempt to get into ‘Guinness World Records’ for the largest photo exhibition in the world on single theme ‘Forts of King Shivaji’, making billions of his admirers feel proud on the auspicious occasion of coronation anniversary.

“This would be the largest photo exhibition in the world on single theme ‘Forts of King Shivaji’, where 40000 (Forty Thousand) photographs of over 250 forts related to King Shivaji would be exhibited at an exhibition”.
“This is also an attempt to get worldwide recognition on an official platform, by virtue of which getting cognizance of world towards the charismatic persona of King Shivaji”.

RajaShivaji.com has a stock of over 1,50,000 digital photographs of various forts related to King Shivaji,out of which only 40,000 photographs will be displayed as per the norms of ‘Guinness World Records’.
The exhibition is being organized at Ganesh Kala Krida Manch, between June 28th & July 1st, which would be formally inaugurated on June 28 th at the hands of Shivshahir Babasahed Purandare and in the presence of MNS Chief Raj Thackarey.

The earlier record in this category was set by HP Company in UK in 2005, where over 33670 photographs of smiling individuals were displayed on the theme ‘Smiling Faces of UK’. While HP record raised from photo donation of people in UK. However, in our case a single & dedicated team of photographers working on the RajaShivaji.com project has clicked all the photos with superior in size of the photos and the no. of photo.

This exhibition would also act as a facilitator in creating awareness about the protection and conservation of these forts, which are the symbols of OUR national pride.

You all are requested to attend this function and make it most successful event.

Dont forget..Catch this event....pay tribute to Shivaji raje..

on 28th June, a big event related to trekking is gonna take place in Pune. The event will also make its way to Guinness book of world records. You have a chance to be a part of this magnificent event.. This is a request to all of you not to miss the event.. Its gonna be one memorable event of your life.. Also if anyone is interested for volunteering for the event, please contact me..

Btw, can't disclose the details of the event until official announcement is made. The official announcement will be done very soon.

14th June was world Blood Donor's Day. I missed scribbling about the occasion. But my friend Rushal did not miss out. In his post about blood donation, he answers the most common doubts related to blood donation.

When we discuss about blood donation, the name "Friends to support" clicks immediately. The creator of this site Sharif seems to have worked really hard on the venture. He has collected lot of useful information about Blood and Blood Donation. Now he has adopted a dynamic site that makes it easy to arrange the donor records with help of database. But with the earlier static version, he must have faced many problems. Like everyday, he had to manually enter the records in the webpage. Also he had to manually maintain a record of the donors. But in spite of these problems, he kept the flow going and he didn't just stop at creating a website or arranging a few blood donation camps. He also went ahead to establish a toll free Blood Donation Helpline to answer queries about blood donation. If you are in Anshra Pradesh, do dial in 1051 or 0863-2351725. Also you can check out the Friends to Support website.

Btw, here is some of the useful information he shares in Blood Donation facts.

There are four main blood types: A, B, AB and O.
The gift of blood is the gift of life. There is no substitute for human blood.
Every year our nation requires about 4 Crore units of blood, out of which only a meager 5 Lakh units of blood are available.
One blood donation can save as many as three lives. One unit of blood can be separated into several components, including red blood cells, plasma and platelets. Red blood cells carry oxygen to the body's organs and tissue. Plasma is a pale yellow mixture of water, salts and proteins, including solvable clotting factors; plasma is 90 percent water and constitutes 55 percent of blood volume. Platelets are small blood cells that initiate blood clotting, controlling bleeding.

Every three seconds, someone needs blood. Blood fights against infection and helps heal wounds, keeping you healthy. Anemic patients need blood transfusions to increase their iron levels. Cancer, transplant and trauma patients and patients undergoing open-heart surgery require platelet transfusions to survive. People who have been in car accidents and suffered massive blood loss can need transfusions of 50 units or more of red blood cells.

The average bone marrow transplant requires 120 units of platelets and about 20 units of red blood cells. Severe burn victims can need 20 units of platelets during their treatment. Children being treated for cancer, premature infants, and children having heart surgery need blood and platelets from donors of all types.

Apheresis (ay-fur-ee-sis) is a special kind of blood donation that allows a donor to give specific blood components, such as platelets. Platelets must be used within five days of collection, hence blood donations are especially needed around 3-day weekends. Red blood cells must be used within 42 days. Plasma can be frozen and used for up to a year.

Blood makes up about 7 percent of your body's weight, and the average adult has 10 pints of blood in his or her body. Since a pint is pound, you lose a pound every time you donate blood.

WHAT TYPE ARE YOU?

FREQUENCY OF BLOOD TYPES
O+ 1 person in 3
O- 1 person in 15
A+ 1 person in 3
A- 1 person in 16
B+ 1 person in 12
B- 1 person in 67
AB+ 1 person in 29
AB- 1 person in 167

* Those belonging to the O- blood group are called universal blood donors. The red blood cells of a universal blood donor may be transfused to anyone regardless of their blood type.
* The plasma of those belonging to the AB blood group may be transfused to anyone regardless of blood type.

EXAMPLES OF BLOOD USE
1. Automobile Accident	50 units of blood
2. Heart Surgery	6 units of blood / 6 units of platelets
3. Organ Transplant	40 units of blood / 30 units of platelets
4. 20 bags of cryoprecipitate	25 units of fresh frozen plasma
5. Bone Marrow Transplant	120 units of platelets/ 20 units of blood
6. Burn Victims	20 units of platelets

Today, when I opened up my blog, There was a surprise entry on my blog. It was surprise cause it appeared there without me putting up something. So saying in plain language, this was a spam put up on my blog. Firstly I thought this might be some announcement by blogger but then, why will they put up it on my blog? And after going through the text, it was clear that this clearly is a spam. First thing I did was to delete the spam post. The post read something like this.

But banning them is foolish and scary, very scary.
" So what prompted the change of mind? Same mentality , same mindset, just different religon. This is the fourth time Manning has topped the list in the seven years it's been done.
I hope his plight ends with the best possible resolution, as soon as possible.
Market research often begins by soliciting honest feedback on your idea from friends and family.
Why buy clothes meant to cover us decently only to end up wearing such clothes without using them for the purpose for which they are bought.
The rest of the work, including manufacturing and order-filling, is done by contractors in the Philadelphia area.
Dry Cleaning StationThrifty CleanVon Schrader Co.
Can anybody argue now?
We see it all the time. Martzall founded Lake Lite Inc.
He was a great man and should be remembered as a great man.
Barnett appeared for a charity softball event later Sunday, participating in a preliminary game involving Packers players and sponsors.
Tucker, Melvin Oliver, National Football League - CBS SportsLine. French President Nicolas Sarkozy's UMP party says it will press ahead with its wide-ranging reforms, after winning a majority in parliamentary elections.
The banning is a welcome development to the upholding of values that seems to be eluding the youth of today in the name of fashion.
Niche Biz: Marriage ProposalsSome Positions Hard to FillSome Couples Choose To Work At HomeFinding Your Small Town NicheFind a Niche And Fill ItShould You Start A Business With Your Spouse?
Oakland wrapped up a voluntary minicamp on Wednesday under Kiffin, a former assistant coach at Southern California.
Neither are Ravens coaches, who insist he's still playing at a high level.
Obviously, we can't thank them enough for all that they do for us each and every day, and I'm not just talking about the organization, but for everybody across the nation. The Redskins signed him last year as a backup tackle, and he started one game late in the season when right tackle Jon Jansen was injured.
Online trade magazines and trade groups can supply such information.
Martzall said several banks denied his request for loans because he did not own a house or have other collateral.
Herbert used basic experiments to teach scientific principles to his TV audience via an in-studio guest boy or girl who assisted in the experiments.

Blogger should take care of this and take precautions to avoid such spamming.

The monsoon is here. And what can be better way to enjoy the monsoon than trekking? There are lot of choices for a monsoon trek. Here I will be sharing few of them.
The start of monsoon season has to be with "Katraj to Sinhagad" trek. (30 July is Enduro. Don't miss it.) Tikona is a fantastic option for enjoying the magnificent view of Pavana lake and the mawal ranges after rains. (This is the area where Amitabh Bacchan and Aamir Khan are planning to build their farmhouses).
Rohida is one place which provides spectacular view of Bhatghar dam with the rains pouring in from all sides. Rajgad will be one wild choice for enjoying the best of the monsoon Flora and Fauna. (You have to be aware of capricorns though). Raigad had always been perfect choice of monsoon trek. You will also get to enjoy the "Konkan Rains" in this trek.
Harishchandragad is a choice if you wanna enjoy countless water falls of Sahyadri. A further bike ride to Kalyan via Malshej Ghat will be one experience you are gonna share with your generations to come..
Panhala to Vishalgad is one of the wild treks you will prefer for monsoon. The 3 day trek passing via dense forests full of thousands of colorful birds and few wild animals is gonna be one of your most memorable experience. However, this trek should not be tried by a group of leass than 10.
Bhimashankar is a good option if you are a group of 20+ people. The area is full of wild animals including striped tigers. And monsoon is normally mating season of these animals. So you have to take care cause animals are kinda violent this time.
Korigad near Lonawala is an easy but beautiful trek for monsoon. Kothligad near Karjat is one medium difficulty trek. But being at the natural caves at the top of fort is one thing you will remember for sure.
Sudhagad near Pali is one of the most beautiful spots in monsoons. However, snakes can be a caution in the area. Also the route is some places very risky in rains.
Ratangad near Bhandardara is like a jewel true to its name. The Amruteshwar temple and nearby Randha falls are worth a look and thousand memories.


Above all these options, there is one special trek which is considered as the true enjoyment of monsoon. The 7 day Lonawala to Bhimashankar trek passing through the dense forests, hundreds of waterfalls, tens of hills and water streams, ups and downs along the Sahyadri ranges is definitely the best one monsoon can provide.


For any more information, my phone number is 9890774748. Or you can drop me a mail at trek@dineshsoni.com

Happy Trekking.. :)

The post about "PFA Pune" was my 400th post. I wanted to make a big deal about my 400th post. But then I though there is no big deal in writing 400 posts for my blog. 500th post might be some deal.
I am putting up entries in this blog since November 2004. So my blog is around 2 and half year old. I have written posts on various topics (as can be seen in the sidebar) in this blog. When I started the blog, I did never thought that I will write 400 posts. I started a blog just because Hardik was continously bugging me to start a blog. But later as comments kept coming, I felt more enthusiasm in updating the blog. Hoping for the same support from all my well wishers..
On the occasion of completing 400 posts, I just thought to check which were my century posts.
My 50th post was about Broken Window Theory,
100th post was about Fort Clean Up Campaigns,
150th post was about Cleanup campaign at Tikona,
200th post was about Earthquake in Latur,
250 th post was about SMS: New headache,
300th post was about why gandhiji never got a nobel prize and
350th post was about What Indians expect from the Indian scenario today. Hope that the journey will proceed the same way and with the same pace. You good wishes are required for this.

Many of my well wishers provided me the feedback that thy enjoy reading my travel and outing related posts. They enjoy reading my Endeavors with Sahyadri. For all those who love traveling, trekking and reading about it; I have created a new blog called Touriz'ma. Here, I will archive my old posts related to trekking and also will put up new posts about my latest trekking and traveling experiences.
So keep checking the touriz'ma to keep updated about my traveling, to get information about various forts trekking spots in Sahyadri.

Pratibha Patil is all set to become India's first woman President. Congress chief Sonia Gandhi declared Patil as UPA's nominee for India's highest post on Thursday evening.
The Congress revealed this ace up its sleeve when Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh realised that big names were not finding acceptance across the board.
Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil had run into trouble because the Left said he lacked stature, Congress wasn't sure if BSP supremo Mayawati would approve of a Dalit leader like Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde and External Affairs Minister, Pranab Mukherjee, was indispensable to the party.
Pratibha Patil benefited from a process of elimination and this Governor of Rajasthan emerged the most acceptable political face for the top Constitutional post in the country. Suddenly everybody was smiling there were no complaints. Even heavyweight male contenders accepted her nomination gracefully.
So, India is set to get its first woman President, but the question that was being raised was: Is India ready for a woman President?

Though history may be about to be written, with India getting its first woman president, it seems as if Pratibha Patil was a backup choice, a second thought for the UPA.
Girija Vyas disagreed with this saying that though India has had to wait for a long time to get a woman President, the women of the country are happy that they are finally getting their place in the sun.
Neerja Choudhary says "It is like Dr Kalam's candidature which came at the last minute. Pratibha Patil is certainly a second choice, but something that all the allies of the Congress, including the Left, found difficult to go against."
CNN-IBN Editor-in-Chief, Rajdeep Sardesai said that there were three reasons why Pratibha Patil was being made the President of India: first that she is a woman, second being that she was from Maharashtra - which has never had a President, a Vice President or a Prime Minister, and thirdly because she is married to a Shekhawati, and would be now able to take on NDA's choice for the President's post, Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat.
He added that the entire argument being made by the Left parties who were opposed to Shivraj Patil and to Sushil Kumar Shinde was the fact that they did not have stature. "Does Pratibha Patil really have that stature? Is it enough to have just a woman candidate? Questions are now started to be raised on that count. She was certainly a politically correct choice, but is Pratibha Patil the kind of person who should be the President of India?" Rajdeep Sardesai wanted to know.
He wondered if she was simply being given the throne because she is a Congress loyalist.

Does Patil Have Political Stature?

Pratibha Patil was a member of the Lok Sabha till 1996, then she disappeared from the scene completely and reappeared after eight years, when she became the Governor of Rajasthan in 2004. She does have a strong background in social work, but that was all that she had to back her up.
The question was whether a strong background in social work was good enough to get her the post of the country's President?
To this Nikhil Wagle said, "I am happy that after 40 years, a woman is heading for the Rashtrapati Bhawan, but Pratibha Patil definitely does not have the stature that a President of a nation like India is required to have. Pratibha Patil does not represent the fight of women in India. She represents the traditional women of India. It's unfortunate that she does not inculcate the values of the modern, present-day woman."
Aswini K Ray agreed saying that there was a certain symbolic pride in the fact that a woman is becoming the President of India. "The President's post is intended to be less political. In this case one is not unhappy because it could have been much worse, one is also happy that she is a woman."
He, however, added that Patil did not have political stature because if she did, she would have had as many political opponents as a hig profile politician encounters. "It's almost been a qualification for her not to have a political stature for she comes to the fore by the process of elimination," he said.

Can Patil Live Upto Expectations?

Aswini K Ray said that he did not really think Pratibha Patil's being a woman had anything to do with her being made the President of India.
Rajdeep Sardesai added his two bits saying, "I think it's important to recognise who Pratibha Patil is succeeding. President APJ Abdul Kalam redefined the Indian presidency and reinvented it for the 21st Century Indian. He was a people's president and the question that should be asked here is, 'can Pratibha Patil step into his shoes'?"
He said that 65 per cent of India was under the age of 35 and their yearings are very different now. He wanted to know whether Pratibha Patil could really represent that part of India?
"Unfortunately, our politicians will not be able to answer these questions for they take politically correct and politically expedient choices," he added.
He said that there was an element of tokenism and symbolism, but the question was whether Pratibha Patil could be anything more than that or not.
"Unfortunately, Indian politics has always looked for a shortcut. Instead of genuinely empowering Indian women, we look for tokens and symbols. Perhaps Pratibha Patil will only end up as that. However, she has got a historic opportunity and she can use it over the next six years, much in the manner of how President Kalam did and she can actually work for women's empowerment. That's what she should do and then I will say that, 'yes, India is truly ready for a woman President'."
Nikhil Wagle said that Pratibha Patil had to mould herself to the Rashtrapati Bhawan. "She has to forget her past and work towards leading the nation," he said.
He also felt that Pratibha Patil could take on the male-dominated society of India. "I think that she can take the mantle from President Kalam and work towards inspiring all the women in the country."

SMS Poll by CNN
Is India ready for a woman President?

Yes: 49 per cent
No: 51 per cent

Did you notice any orkut album lately? Whenever you open up an image from orkut album, two new buttons get displayed exactly above the image. The buttons are for viewing previous image, and next image. So now browsing the whole album is a matter of fewer clicks. That definitely saves some bandwidth, few clicks and a lot pain in the neck. And morover, the new facility will provide more ease in browsing.
Those google guys always know what the people want. And they never fail to please us by introducing the feature we want. The features like reply button in scrapbook, facility to upload and display videos have turned out to be very useful and interactive.
Now they should soon introduce a link to download whole album at once. Any google coder around?

People for Animals - Pune, has changed the lives of hundreds of animals in Pune. Run by mere two core people and 3 other volunteers, it has conducted more than 30 animal rescue operations in 1 year. It has also conducted 5 major raids where more than hundred animals were rescued. PFA volunteers have also given more than a hundred presentations on vegetarianism and animal welfare in India, UK and USA.

How can you help.

* PFA urgently needs an animal ambulance and land for rescue center.
* You can join PFA as volunteer and save animals from torture and pain
* Can get PFA an opportunity for presentation in vyakhyans / lectures / club meetings / society meetings / vegetarianism for non jains and ahimsa for Jains.
* Provide information about animal cruelty or illegal confinement.


You can contact PFA at

People for Animals, Pune
1st Floor, Kesariya Apartment,
149, bhawani Peth,
Pune - 411042

Phone - 02066017797
Email - web@pfapune.com
ahinsa.w@dhirajjain.com
ahinsa.w@manojoswal.com

Animal Helpline Pune - 9890793853 / 9890044455

Lately, There had been a lot of dicussions regarding new coach of India. After Greg Chappel left, Dev Vatmore came up as most prominant candidate. But at the final moment, Graham Ford and John Emburey were the candidates. Finally Cricket Control Board of India (BCCI) decided to appoint Ford as the new coach.
The surprise boomed in when Mr. Ford rejected to be the coach of Indian Side. Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar were firm on having and Indian coach. BCCI wanted to have a dynamic coach to raise the morale of the team and Boost there performance.

So here I've an option who is Indian and highly dynamic. Most importantly all the players in Indian team loves this person. The person is MANDIRA BEDI
What say people?.

In the past, I had put up a list of 101 trekking spots in Sahyadri. In continuation of the same, here is a list of all 448 forts in Maharashtra. It includes hill forts, land forts and sea forts.

Aad
Abhasgad
Achala
Achalpur (Ellichpur)
Adas
Adgaum (Argaon)
Agashi
Ahmadnagar
Ahiwant (Sarp/Serpant)
Ajare
Akeri
Akhrani
Akluz
Akola (Asagad/Asadgad)
Alang
Alibag (Hirakot)
Amalner
Ambagadh
Ambi Khurd
Ambolgad
Amner (Jilpi)
Andhalgaum
Anjaneri
Anjanvel (Gopalgad)
Ankai
Antur
Arnala
Asava (Ashagad/Asavagad)
Asheri
Assaye
Aundh
Aundha (Avandha)
Ausa (Amarpur/Ambarapur)
Avachtigad (Medha)
Avandha (Aundha)
Avre
Badanera
Bagni
Bahadurwadi
Bahem
Bahiravgad (Bhai Ramgad/Bairamgad/Saramja)
Bahirgad
Bahula
Baitulawadi (Vetalwadi / Baitalwadi)
Balapur
Ballalgad
Ballalpur
Balwantgad
Bande
Bankot (Fort Victoria / Himmatgad)
Baramati
Basgad
Bavda (Gagangad)
Bavdhan
Belapur
Betavad
Bhagwantgad
Bhairavgad (Bhairamgad)
Bahiravgad (Bhairavgad)
Bhairavgad
Bhairavgad
Bhairavgad
Bhamer
Bhamragad
Bhana Hivra
Bhandara (Behnor)
Bhandargad
Bhandargad
Bharatgad
Bhaskargad (Basgad)
Bhavangad
Bhavangad
Bhimgad
Bhivagad (Gaurkamat)
Bhopalgad
Bhorgad
Bhudargad (Bhujbal)
Bhupalgad
Bhupatgad (Bhopatgad)
Bhushangad
Birwadi
Bitangad
Bodvad
Bombay
Borale
Borgaum
Bhorgiri
Chakan (Islamabad / Sangramgad / Vikramgad)
Chambhargad
Chandan
Chanderi
Chandgad
Chandgad
Chandpur
Chandragad
Chandrapur (Gonddurg / Chanderi / Chanda)
Chandvad (Chanderi / Chandor)
Chatale
Chaul (Agarkot / Palm Garden)
Chauler (Tilwan)
Chaugaum
Chavand (Jund / Prassanagad)
Chimur
Chinchgad
Chinchani
Chopda (Mustafabad)
Dabhol
Dahanu
Danda
Danda Rajpuri
Danda Rajapur
Dategad (Sudergad / Ghera Dategad)
Dativre
Daulatmangal (Bhuleshwar)
Dehra (Bhorgad/Rajdehr)
Deogiri (Daulatabad)
Deoli
Dermal
Devgad
Devgad
Devrukh
Dhadgaum
Dhak (Bahiri)
Dhamnya
Dhangad (Gahangad)
Dharavi (Kala Killa)
Dharni
Dharur (Fatahabad)
Dhodap
Dhule (Devpur)
Dindu
Dondwada
Dronagiri (Karanja)
Drug
Dudmal
Dusana
Ekadara
Elephanta (Gharapuri)
Fatehkheda
Fattegad
Gadahinglaj
Gagangad
Galna (Kelna)
Gambhirgad
Gandharvagad
Ganeshdurg
Gawilgad
Ghanora
Ghargad (Dhargad)
Ghodbandar
Ghosalgad (Ghosale)
Gorakhgad
Gorakhgad
Govagad
Gumtara
Gunwantgad (Morgiri)
Hadsar (Parvatgad)
Hanumangad (Manchigad/Bijarnigad)
Hanumangad
Hargad
Harihargad
Harishchandragad
Harshgad (Harishgad)
Hatgad
Helvak
Hindola
Hingana
Indragad
Indrai (Indragad)
Indori
Jaigad
Jalna
Jallalkheda
Jamba
Jamgaum
Jamner
Jangli Jaygad
Janjira (Mehar-ruba/Mehar-rusa)
Jawlya
Jivdhan
Jivdhan
Jintur
Junnar
Juna Panhala
Kachan
Kada
Kagal
Kailashgad
Kajagad (Lokhandi Killa)
Kaldurg
Kalam (Kalamb/Kolambi)
Kalanidhigad
Kalyan (Durgadi)
Kamalgad
Kamandurg
Kamsagad (Padamdurg)
Kamtekot
Kamtha
Kanchana
Kankrala (Kankadi)
Kanhergad (Kanhira)
Kanheri (Kanhera/Kanherigad)
Kankadri (Kantra/Kandas)
Kanakdurg
Kandhar
Kangori (aka Mangalgad)
Kanvai
Kanhera
Karad
Karanja
Karhe
Karmala
Karanala
Katol
Katragad
Kaula Killa
Kauthe
Kayar
Kelapur
Kelve
Kenjalgad (Kelanja)
Khanapur
Khandaragad
Khanderi
Kharda
Khare Patan
Khatgad
Khatoda
Khubladha (Thal)
Khatale (Pethkodhala)
Kittal
Kohaj (Komj/Konagad)
Kokan Diva
Koldher (Kolther)
Kole (Kale/Koldurg)
Koparli (Ranala)
Korlai
Kothilgad (Peth)
Kudal
Kulaba (Alibag)
Kulang (Chota Kulang)
Kumwarigad (Koraigad)
Kunjalgad
Kurdugad (Vitangad/Bishramgad)
Laling
Lasalgaum
Lasur
Lingana
Lohagad
Loni Bhapkar
Machal
Machindragad
Madangad
Madgad
Madha
Madhala Buruz
Mahadevgad
Mahim
Mahim
Mahimangad (Mahimandangad)
Mahimangad
Mahimangad (Maimangad/Mahimantgad)
Mahipalgad
Mahipatgad
Makarandgad
Mahuli
Mahur
Malkapur
Malanggad
Malavdi
Malegaum
Malhargad (Soneri)
Manaranjan (Rajamachi)
Manaranjan
Manasantoshgad
Manchur
Mandangad
Mangad (Mastiwade/Vinsai)
Mangalgad
Mangalvedha
Mangi
Manikgad (Gadchandur)
Manikgad
Manikpunj
Manohargad
Manor
Markandya (Mayurkhandi)
Masur
Mathane
Mathan (Malchan)
Mazgaum
Medad
Mesna
Miraj (Murtazabad)
Mohangad (Jasalodgad)
Mohol
Moragad
Moragad
Mulher (Auranggad/Hargad/Mayurgad/Morgad)
Murtazapur
Nagardhan
Naladurg
Naladurg (Miragad)
Nanded
Nandgiri (Kalyangad)
Nandos
Nandurbar
Narnala (Taliagad)
Narnala (Shahanur)
Narayangad
Narayangad
Narkher
Nashratpur
Nhavi Killa (Ratangad)
Nivati
Nimgiri
Pabar
Padar
Padargad
Padamgad (Padmagad/Padmadurg)
Pal
Palgad
Palshi
Pan Buruz
Pandavgad
Pargad
Parkot
Parinda
Parola
Parsik
Partabgad
Parwadi
Patheri
Patta (aka Vishramgad)
Pauni
Pavangad
Peb (Vikatgad)
Pedagaum (Bahadurgad)
Pemgiri (Shahagad)
Pedka
Phardapur
Phonda
Phutaka Buruz
Pimpalner
Pisol (Dighve)
Prabalgad
Prachitgad (Uchitgad)
Prachitgad
Pratapgad
Purandar
Purnagad
Raigad (Rairi/Islamabad/Islamgad/Shivtirth)
Raipur (Rajkot)
Rajapur
Rajangaum
Rajdehar
Rajdher
Rajgad (Shahanbigad)
Rajgoli
Rajkot
Rajura
Ramgad
Ramgad
Ramsej (Ramsejgad)
Ramtek
Rangana (Prassidhagad)
Randhiv
Rasalgad
Ratangad
Ratangad
Ratnagiri (Ramdurg)
Raver (Rasalpur)
Rawlya
Revdanda
Rohida (Vichitragad)
Rohilgad
Sadashivgad
Sagargad (Kheldurg/Khaladurg)
Saitonda (Sutanda)
Sajjangad (Navarastara/Parali)
Sakri
Salher (Salir/Saler)
Salota
Samangad
Samkshi (Badrud-din)
Sangli
Sanjan
Santoshgad (Thatvade/Thatoli)
Sarasgad (Aminabad/Pali)
Sarjekot
Satara (Azimtara/Ajinkyatara/Azamgarh)
Sathavli
Savda
Sawantwadi
Sawargaum
Sewri
Shahada
Shahagad (Bhimgad)
Shegwa
Shirgaum
Shirpur
Shirval (Subhamangalgad)
Shivgad
Shivaneri
Shrivardhan (Rajamachi)
Shrivardhan
Shrimangalgad (Haji Malang)
Sidhagad (Bakshidabaksh)
Sidgad
Sindhkhedraja
Sindhudurg
Sinhgad (Kondana/Bakshidabax)
Sindola
Sironcha
Sitabaldi
Solapur
Songad
Sonegaum
Songir
Songiri (Songir?)
Sumargad
Surgad (Ghera Surgad)
Surjagad
Suvarnadurg (Harnai)
Sudhagadh (Bhorap)
Takmak
Talegad
Taloda
Tambhurni
Tambolya
Tamkicha Buruz
Tandulwadi
Tankai
Tarapur
Tarkhed
Telbaila
Tembhurni
Thalner
Thane (Hirakot)
Tipagad
Tikona (Vitangad)
Toranmal
Torna (Prachandagad/Khutublai)
Trimbak (Brahmagad(giri)/Shrigad)
Tringalwadi
Tung (Khatingad)
Tungar
Tungi
Tungi
Udgir
Umbargaum
Umred
Underi (Jaidurg)
Usrani
Vaghera
Vairatgad
Vaishakhgad
Vandan
Varangaum
Vardhangad
Varugad
Vasai (Bassein/Bajipur)
Vasantgad (Khild-i-Fateh)
Vasota (Vajragad/Vyagrahgad)
Vazirgad
Vengurla
Versova
Vetalgad
Vijaydurg (Gheria)
Vijaygad
Vikhara
Vilashgad
Vinchur
Virthan
Visapur
Vishalgad (Satkarlana/Khelna)
Vishalgad (Jinkhed)
Wadgaum
Wadgaum Madhe
Wadgaum Nimbalkar
Wairagad
Wajragad (Rudramal)
Wathar
Worli
Yadwan
Yaval
Yeshwantgad
Yeshwantgad (Reddi)

Congrats Animal Welfare Officer Dhiraj Jain for this successful raid on Bombay Traders, Pune.
In case you are interested in participating in the PETA / PFA activities or Animal Rescue Work, please contact Mr. Dhiraj Jain at 9890793853 or pfa@dhirajjain.com. He also runs an Animal Helpline in Pune.
Animal Helpline Pune: 9890044455

UPDATE: People For Animal Pune Website

On the occasion of World Environment Day (I know it was 3 days back), I would like to revise a post I put up around 2 and half years back. We all need to go through it and think about it once again.

Our weakest point is that we tend to believe that as individuals we cannot make any difference and we are losing a battle. The battle is lost infact if we fall into this category of believers. We can do many things as an individual to save our world for coming tomorrow. Here are few of the things you can try out.

1. While travelling intercity, use mass transportation. Each PMT bus can take a minimum load of 55 sitting and 15 standees, that makes 70 people, just imagine the traffic situation if each of these people were to use an Autorickshaw from any of the surburban railway stations to get home. How many times I have seen buses going half full.....Because we all need our privacy.

2. Take a Bag along whenever you Shop, make it a habbit. Remember, each of the Plastic bags you take will not bio-degrade for at least 250 yrs! We will go down in history as a civilisation which has left behind loads of plastics. Even when going on picnics, avoid packed food in plastics, take fresh food or fruits. Many of the shopkeepers resent giving plastics, help them out. God knows how many hundreds of plastic bags I've avoided using and convinced my folks to refrain from using in the past few years.

3. Use Diyas for Diwali instead of burning crackers and fireworks, diyas last longer and they are a true salute to this festival of lights, they burn silently all night long without any noise and pollution,they look pretty as well. They cost a fraction, and help the cause of the villagers making them.

4. Use vegetable peels for your potted plants, they add to the value of the soil,prevent water loss and reduce the garbage. Use the waste water for the plants.

5. Keep the water taps shut when not needed during shaving or brushing in the mornings, statistics show that if each of us could do this it would save millions of litres or water monthly saving our money in return which is being spent on heavily subsidising clean water, which we take for granted.

6. I would strongly recommend using alternative sources of energy like Bio-gas and Solar/wind power but I still have to experiment with these. It takes a lot of convincing to do to start a project like this. People think you are crazy, but India leads the world with China in Bio-gas technology. In wind energy we are among the best in the world (check this link) but the technology is still expensive.

As you must have already noticed, I've a new template. The "downright v3.0" template has been set for my blog. I got this template from The Blogger WorkShop. This was referred to me by a friend. This template has a simple yet efficient interface. With no bulky background image, it loads faster on low end internet connection too. With the three columns, I can efficiently display my links and advertisements. Besides the ample space provided to the central column is one thing that makes my posts look better and more beautiful. The extra space remaining in the sidebars can now be utilized to add more buttons and display more links to my favorite sites..
One problem: The left and right sidebar load prior to the central main post column. So on text based browsers and wap browsers, the links appear prior to the posts. So that might be a little pain in the neck.However the problem can easily be rectified by editing the template in HTML mode and rearranging the element.
Overall, I can easily recommend you this template. It gives a professional look to your blog.

Today is 5th June, 2007 (05-06-07). Few people will find something special with the date like it makes the number 5-6-7. And I won't give a wtf look to them. Cause, though it doesn't amuse me much, I don't even find anything weired into it..
Few people make these *memorable* dates more memorable. Like this friend of mine who is going to marry on 7th July 2007 (7-7-7). He is going to take 7 pheras on 7th day of 7th month of 7th year of (unfortunately not 7th) 3rd century.
I've seen many new shops opening on 7th August 2006 (7-8-6). It might be religious statement for few, a numerology game for few. But for me its plane calender date. But if I will be told to really make use of one such unusual date, I will prefer to get married on 9th September, 2009 (9-9-9). Well, its still 2 years away so let's not say anything about it. Let's now just hope that I get into some good MBA college. :-)

Are you annoyed by the telemarketing calls you receive from various banks and clubs? Don't be annoyed. Instead enjoy these calls.
Here are two ways to enjoy the calls.

Way I:

Girl: Hi Sir, this is Pooja calling from ICICI Bank.
Me: Oh, Pooja, nice to hear your voice!
Girl: (amused by reaction) Sir, we are offering home loans for 12% interest.
Me: Oh, is that so? It’s good, but I have an offer from another bank which is giving home loan for only 2% interest!
Girl: Only 2% interest?
Me: Yeah, it’s only 2%, seriously.
Girl: Which bank, Sir? I do not think any bank is offering at this interest rate.

Me: (lowering my voice) I can’t tell you, you know it’s a private bank!
Girl: No Sir, it’s not possible. If that’s the case, then, I’m also interested.
Me: If you want to know the name of the bank, give your mobile number or e-mail ID as I cannot disclose this information over phone. I am bound not to disclose the details.

Girl: Okay.
She disconnects the call.

Way II:

Girl: Hello Sir, I am Pooja calling from …
Me: (interrupting her) Hang on for a moment ... (taking my time) ...Okay let’s play “Kaun Banega Crorepati”* with... sorry, I forgot your name?

Girl: Sorry …
Me: What’s your name, Madam? Am I speaking in an alien language?
Girl: Pooja
Me: Audience, we have Pooja on our hot seat. Let’s play “Kaun Banega Crorepati” with Pooja. (of course, mimicking Big B’s accent)

Here is the first question to Pooja for 1,000 rupees on your computer screen. (adding standard KBC music)
Which bank you are calling from? a) ICICI (b) HDFC (c) Deutsche (d) Others
Girl: Funny (light laugh)...Okay, I am calling from HDFC.
Me: Computer, please lock (b) HDFC …And yes (b) HDFC is the right answer. You have won 1,000 rupees!
Girl: Sir, are you interested in ... (again interruption by me)
Me: (my own voice) Aren’t you enjoying it? I think YES (switching back to Big B voice again) Ready for another question? And here goes the second question for 2,000 rupees on your computer screen. What is the reason behind your call to me?

(a) Credit/debit card (b) Home loan/personal loan (c) Mutual fund (d) Others
Girl: Okay, it’s enough. Are you interested in free Gold Credit Card offered by us?
Me: Oh no, wrong answer. Sorry Poojaji, I already have credit card from ICICI. I have been telling the participants that whenever you have doubt in mind, go for the life lines. And you have not used any of your life lines. What a pity!

She hangs up. (as expected)

This company has created waves of curiosity in my mind ever since i read about it taking over REpower and Areva (the windmill biggies in Europe) and about Tulasi Tanti (chairman of this firm) being 8th richest Indian. One thing that was surprising to me was a wind power business is so powerful in the world of Software boom. So just out of curiosity, I landed up to the website of Suzlon Energy Limited.
Here's what I got to read.

Suzlon Energy Limited traces its roots back to 1995, when the company took its first step on the renewable energy stage with its incorporation. Suzlon began its journey to the forefront of the wind energy industry with a small but significant project to supply wind turbine generators for a 3.34 MW windfarm project in Gujarat, India. In little over a decade, Suzlon has grown to rank as the world's 5th leading, and India's and Asia's leading manufacturer of wind turbines, with over 2,000 MW of wind turbine capacity supplied in India and across the world. The company registered revenues of USD 867 million, and a net worth of USD 617 million, CFS FY 2006, with a current order book exceeding USD 1.7 billion.

Suzlon is today a major force in the global wind industry, from humble beginnings in 1995, to ranking 5th worldwide, over 6% of the global market share in just over a decade. Already among the top five, Suzlon aims to rank amongst the top three wind power companies in the world by leveraging technological leadership and commercial acumen to exceed customer expectations. With its people strength, aggressive vertical integration strategy, strong R&D program, expanding manufacturing capability and a clear focus on global high growth markets, Suzlon is poised for continue its story of breathtaking growth the world over.

Well, I would love to work in a company like this after I complete my MBA. It will be one of the biggest growth opportunity for me. And besides it will be a chance for me to work in my topic of interest (non conventional energy).

Here is list of India's 10 richest persons, with their ages, company names and total worth.

1. Lakshmi Mittal, 55
Company: Mittal Steel
Net worth: $20bn

2. Azim Premji, 60
Company: Wipro Technologies
Net worth: $11bn

3. Mukesh Ambani, 48
Company: Reliance Industries
Net worth: $7bn

4. Anil Ambani, 46
Company: Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Enterprises
Net worth: $5.5bn

5. Kushal Pal Singh, 74
Company: Delhi Land & Finance
Net worth: $5bn

6. Sunil Mittal: Age 48
Company: Bharti Group
Net worth $4.9bn

7. Kumar Mangalam Birla, 38
Company: Aditya Birla Group
Net worth: $4.4bn

8. Tulsi Tanti, 47
Company: Suzlon Energy
Net worth: $3.7bn

9. Pallonji Mistry, 76
Company: multiple interests
Net worth: $3.3bn

10. Anurag Dikshit, 34
Company: PartyGaming
Net worth: $3.1bn

I was always curious about these various phobias. Why are these words always so difficult to remember and spell? Can't they have a simpler words? Probably I have a phobiophobia (Fear of phobias)..
Here are few phobias just for your knowledge..

Ailurophobia is fear of cats.
Acrophobia is fear of height.
Dromophobia is fear of crossing the road.
Anthophobia is fear of flowers.
Bacteriophobia is fear of bacteria.
Bibiliophobia is fear of books.
Cynophobia is fear of dogs.
Entomophobia is fear of insects.
Hematophobia is fear of blood.
Hydrophobia is fear of water.
Monophobia is fear of being alone.
Nyctophobia is fear of darkness.
Ombrophobia is fear of rain.
Phonophobia is fear of noise.
Pyrophobia is fear of fire.


Should we add a new term?
Blogophobia is fear of writing blogs. :-)

Few people might term these ways as spamming. But we have to accept that they work. And these ways provide us some traffic. So try out (at your risk)..

1) Use Orkut Marketing: Far beyond the confines of this post, but in a similar fashion to Squidoo, the idea is to capitalize on the HUGE amount of traffic Orkut gets. Create a profile, create relevant content and links back. Start adding friends. Comment on your friends spcrapbook. Join groups. Start enjoying the trickle back traffic.

2) Yahoo Answers! A similar idea; but this time, you’re answering questions that people are posting. Yahoo! is quite careful about spam, however, and including a “signature” is a dicey proposition at times. There is a fairly sophisticated registry and voting system that tries to prevent “gaming”, but given how much traffic yahoo! answers gets, AND its inclusion as a separate result area in Yahoo SERPS (Search Engine Results Pages) it might be something worth looking into.

3) Facebook: Its a social network that has opened its doors behind its college beginnings. Anyone can sign up. Start connecting with old friends and colleagues, like any other social network. But, unlike other social networks (as far as I know), you can import your own blog’s RSS feed, so that your connections can see what you’re blogging. Who knows where that might lead? Update: Myspace also allows this function, i believe.

4) Use MySpace Marketing: Far beyond the confines of this post, but in a similar fashion to Squidoo, the idea is to capitalize on the HUGE amount of traffic MySpace gets. Create a profile, create relevant content and links back. Start adding friends. Comment on your friends space. Join groups. Start enjoying the trickle back traffic.

5) Get Dugg / Netscaped / Reddited / Stumbled upon: Whole articles (and) are written about the intricacies of socially bookmarking. Here’s a tip: focus on creating great content, make friends on these sites if they allow you to, and submit your stories judiciously.

Just got it through a forward. And it seemed funny to me.. So sharing