Bengaluru

Bangalore or Bengaluru as it is now officially called. A beautiful city and home to some of the best IT business apart from wonderful people which make Bangalore [sorry, its difficult to call it Bengaluru] what it is, a truly cosmopolitan city filled with fun, verve and blessed with lovely climate.

But the same cannot be said about the traffic, Bangalore has been voted the 6th most congested city in the world, a distinction which one can do without. But how did this happen, purely due to lack of infrastructure planning from our city planners.

Some of the key roads are still the same width as they were in 1996 and certainly the traffic would have increase over 15 times in the years gone by. Another distinction that Bangalore has is Speed Breakers which should be now called car breakers, different size, gradient and shape exist every 100-250 meters and one can hardly shift into gears when you are faced with these monsters. The traffic moves at snarl pace, my question to the City Planning Guru's is why then have speed breakers. Most times badly constructed breakers cause more damage than curtailing them. All such speed breakers seldom have any reflectors so at night time due to poor illumination of the roads people meet with accidents as well as witnessed with two of my colleagues who were airborne thanks to such terrible speed breakers.

The traffic signals are yet another cause of huge pile up. Invariably there is a traffic cop who is handling this signal in manual mode and he feels that the `power' rests with him to decide the fate of people waiting for red to turn green. Most halts at signals are close to 2 minute long and that ensures that there's tons of traffic build-up at one end for sure. Is it so difficult to program the traffic lights to work in auto mode based on different timings during day as per traffic congestion? Can the traffic authorities not work out the `green belt' kind of concept which was worked out by the Maharashtra government decades ago, wherein if a driver were to maintain a certain minimum/maximum speed he would get most signals green. They had coordinated the timing.

The other major irritant is `No free left turn'. This is really funny, there is traffic moving from the other side where you're going to take the turn but you cannot take one due this signage and if you do surely there are 2-3 cops waiting to collect fine or whatever they do best in such cases just after the turn. If the same level of energy and efforts are utilized in analyzing the traffic and setting up the signal pattern well including a free left turn most cases there would be fewer pile-ups. Thanks to such pile-ups we are burning millions of dollars worth of fuel just waiting in a traffic jam.

I would love to share my thoughts and ideas if anyone wants to listen with an open mind to try and resolve such issues. So guys if you know of any forum wherein I can present my thoughts to the Bangalore Traffic Authorities, please do let me know.

Lok Pal Bill

A bit confused what is the LokPal bill all about, is it about corruption which was the main agenda, or is it about Anna Hazare and his bunch of people who want to have the power of controlling one billion people in India and that itself gives them the power rush to do such a thing.

The concept of reducing corruption is age old and never has anything got done, agree. But is this really the way to go about it? I mean tomorrow me and my friends don't agree with the Lok Pal bill, we too can form a group go on a fast and challenge it. Anna ofcourse has age on his side and that he is ex-army helps his image that bit.

It was shocking seeing Kiran Bedi go all theatrical today and trying to malign the entire Parliament system of India. I lost all respect for her as a human being and a fine police officer today.

Imagine what a banana republic we will further be, that any group can come together and challenge the parliament of the country and form their own `fasting group' and try and arm twist the government into agreeing to their demands or else!!! wow, hope that day never comes.

I was all for Anna and his cause, but over a period of time cannot say that I can align/identify with his ways and means.

Truly a sad moment in Indian History. If a true change needs to come about, its going to take time. But there are tons of supporters of Anna who feel that those who don't support are jerks and don't have a life. Was just chatting with a friend yesterday and he took great offence at my pointing out that I am not `entirely not corrupt' and I accept that, can he?

Saving Energy and going green

Recently a popular bollywood female actor was given an award for doing exemplary work in making the world green by a popular English News Channel.

Well ironic as it is, the very same people who get awards at times I wonder how much they actually do to save the planet.

They cannot do without 24x7 airconditioning, always use gas guzzler large SUVs, constantly take trips on private airplanes and keep adding to the carbon foot print.

It makes me wonder then why they get bestowed with awards?? If anyone has an answer do shoot.

We can all do our bit by actually practicing what we preach so effortlessly publicly.

LED lighting, lesser airconditioning, more fuel efficient cars, travel by common modes of transport and what else.....let's see one celeb or hot shot politician who speaks about saving the world do this first and you have me converted as a believer.

The government can do their bit by ensuring that LED lighting is made more tax/duty friendly so more and more people use this method of lighting. Consider this, a 11watt LED is brighter than a 36 watt CFL which right now is being considered technology's gift to mankind. Not only is the LED 3 times brighter but also lasts atleast 5 times longer than the CFL. Some math can be done to see the savings long term.

Mobile Phones

How many times we see people going about their lives, walking on the roads using mobiles. While the government is discouraging people to speak on their phones while driving people should realize that talking on the phone while walking is also equally dangerous, your attention is on the conversation and many a times one does not realize the traffic which is there or some speeding vehicle which is coming their way since their attention is diverted.

Talking, listening to music while walking maybe pleasurable but at the cause of serious damage to oneself since the attention is divided. It's best that if you do want to take a call, try and take it by halting on the side of the road.

Listening to music is fun, but why not listen to it when you're not walking on the road.

I know all this sounds preachy coming from a guy who likes to listen to music himself, but then have come to know of several cases off late where the attention was not on the surroundings either due to a call or listening to music on headphones and people have met with severe accidents.

So guys please, please be responsible for your own safety, don't walk around like zombies. Take care.

Where is India Headed!

All across India we have different kinds of unrest and chaos. Some are reeling under an indifferent state government, some are fighting to get cities re-named [god knows how it helps to confuse people world wide] some are wanting the state to be divided/realigned as per peoples sentiments.

Net result, many working days being lost, public property being damaged due to dharnas and what have you. At a time when the world is looking towards India, we as citizens of India and the government is doing all it can to ensure that world wide people become wary of investments and business coming here due to such events happening.

Andhra Pradesh and Telangana issue have seen so many companies moving out of Hyderabad and considering neighboring states for their fresh investments...AP's loss at the end of the day.

My Dream

Since I was in my late teens I have always had a dream of going around the world in a car. A trip which I want to do so desperately and have been constantly thinking of how and when would I be able to put my dream into reality.

I don't want to just breeze through places and set a record of sorts of circumventing the world in so many days, I want to go through each place see the country, meet the people and catalog the entire journey into a travelogue kind of show for television which could show different cultures, different terrains and different culinary experiences for the viewers to enjoy.

This trip is something which I have lived with for almost 25 years and as days go by I am getting disillusioned if I ever will be able to make this trip. Time wise it would mean taking a year off my job something in today's times very difficult to do.

Some more cars coming to India

Carmakers offer huge discounts on all vehicles The slowdown in the sales growth to a mere 1.6% in June 2011 has forced carmakers in India to reduce car prices and offer discounts and other benefits such as charging lower interest on car loans. Honda has reduced prices by a whooping amount of approximately Rs. 1,70,000 on its premium hatchback Jazz, while Maruti Suzuki is offering its largest selling cars, namely Alto, WagonR and Estilo, at a rebate of Rs. 50,000. In the discount war among the carmakers, Honda is now offering its highest selling City sedan at a discount of Rs. 50,000, apart from the price cut of Rs. 66,000 in the month of June 2011. Popular Hyundai cars such as the i10 and the Santro are also being offered at a discount of upto Rs. 45,000.

Seven cars to be launched by Skoda India by mid 2013 Skoda India is set on expanding its line of cars by mid 2013. Skoda Laura RS along with the Skoda Rapid Sedan, which is based on the Fabia small car, will be the first ones to be launched towards the end of year 2011. The beginning of year 2012 will see the launch of a stripped down and low cost version of Skoda Yeti SUV. It will be followed by the Skoda Fabia Scout, a compact crossover SUV which will compete with the existing SUVs such as Mahindra Scorpio, Mahindra Xylo and Tata Safari. The company will launch the next generation Skoda Octavia 2012 by the end of year 2012. Two small cars are also expected to be developed by the Czech car manufacturer.

Car sales in India witness a slowdown Car sales growth in India saw a new low in June 2011 and confined itself to 1.62% rise from 141,086 to just 143,370 cars. Hike in the fuel prices and rising loan rates are seen as the main cause of the decline in sales. The growth is the lowest since March 2009 when sales dropped to a 1.16% increase owing to the global economic slowdown. In March 2010, the Reserve Bank of India raised the lending rate by 2.75%. Further, the Rs. 5 hike in the petrol and diesel prices in May 2011 and June 2011 by the state-run oil retailers further discouraged the customers from new purchases. Another major factor for the decline in growth was the worker’s strike at one of Maruti Suzuki India’s factories resulting in a production loss of 12,600 vehicles. Thus, its sales fell 6% in the month of June 2011. Other automakers such as Tata Motors, General Motors, Ford India and Honda also saw a significant drop in their sales with the exception of Hyundai Motors whose sales grew by 11%.

Volkswagen to launch small car Up in India Volkswagen is set to showcase its small car ‘Up’ in August 2011 in its production guise ahead of its launch in India. The car priced between Rs. 3,00,000 - Rs. 5,00,000 will compete with market leaders like Maruti Suzuki WagonR and Hyundai Santro. It is being speculated that the powertrains used in the ‘Up’ will be the ones currently being used in the Polo and will be designed to provide a minimum fuel economy of 20 kmpl. On the other hand, Volkswagen might also source the 1.0 litre K-Series motor from Suzuki, its global partner. The global model of ‘Up’ is a two-door car, but for the Indian market, the company might transform it into a four-door vehicle.

Maruti offers upgrade to new generation Swift Maruti is offering its customers an option to upgrade to the new model of the Swift. The revamped model is expected to arrive in the Indian market by August 2011. As per their preference, the customers who have prior bookings for the current Swift can instead get delivery of the new model. The production for the old model has been put on hold to make way for the new one. It will feature various changes and upgradations in the exterior body design, the console and interiors. Owing to the enhanced length, the rear seats and boot in the new model are expected to be more spacious. It will also feature better fuel economy.

New manufacturing facility for Royal Enfield Eicher Motors announced on July 12, 2011 that a new manufacturing facility will be established by its two-wheeler division, Royal Enfield, at Oragadam, Chennai by March 2013. A statement by the Tamil Nadu government says that an amount of approximately Rs 350 crore will be invested over the next five years for the proposed 50-acre facility. The plant is expected to be functional by the first quarter of 2013, says Eicher Motors Managing Director and CEO, Siddhartha Lal. According to him, the enhanced capacity of 1,50,000 units per annum will help the company address the current waiting period for its bikes which ranges from 6-8 months. The current engine manufacturing capacity stands at 70,000 units and will be increased to 1,50,000 units per annum to support the new facility.

Upcoming Car Preview Volkswagen UP - Expected August 2011 After much success with the Polo and Vento, the German car maker is all set to enter the small car market just like every other car maker in India. The VW Up which has shown great success in Europe will come to India with an attractive price tag of Rs 3 lakh. The company is also planning to produce 250,000 units of the vehicle in India itself which has helped keep the price low. The engines have still yet to be decided but we predict a 1.2 litre power unit with 4 cylinders managing to create anywhere between 60 to 85bhp. The car will also be fitted with a 6-speed manual or 7-speed automatic version of VW’s DSG transmission. The USP of this vehicle however might be its fuel efficiency. Sources say that the Up will be able to consume just one litre of petrol for every 20-25km traveled. For the Indian consumer this is like a pot of gold. Expected Price: Rs. 3,50,000

Recent Car Launches Toyota Etios Liva G SP The G SP variant has 1.2-litre, 16V DOHC petrol engine with 80Ps of power output and 104Nm of maximum torque. It includes extra safety features like ABS, dual SRS airbags & seat belt warning system.