Welcoming Summer '09

Come summers, and everything brightens up - landscapes, blue skies, our clothes, and even our food [those deep fried dishes suddenly disappear from our plates]. So how could my personal space on internet, my blog, not brighten up. Ever since it was born, my blog wore a gorgeous black attire and it was time I gifted my baby with something to go with the season. This new look & feel [L&F] you see is what i finally got together for my blog.

Call it co-incidence or my luck, only today morning I was planning to change the L&F of my blog, but didn't know which template to pick [as templates on Blogger, are way too common, and most won't go with the feel I wanted], when I came across this very unique template. The moment I saw the template, I knew I have to have it for my blog.

But like always, things aren't as straight forward as they appear. As soon as I uploaded this template, wooooshh....all my widgets were gone :( Even though this website laid out exact steps I should have followed while changing the template, I went with the steps outlined by the template's author; and ended up in a soup. Took quite a bit of head banging, editing template's HTML/CSS and adding all the widgets all over again, before I could get my blog up and ready.

Though I am not yet fully satisfied with the L&F rite now, and over the next few days will continue to change a few things here and there, would really appreciate inputs from you guys. Let me know how the new L&F is, whether all the widgets are correctly placed, should I be adding any more widgets, in fact let me know just about anything that you feel about this new L&F and my blog in general. And, ya, all those of you who voted on the poll, request you all to re-cast your votes, as I have lost all previous data [thanks to the mis-configuration of the template]. Looking forward to your comments!!

ClearTrip's Train Search Bot for Gtalk

Technology never ceases to amaze us! Cleartrip's Train Search Bot is yet another example of how processes evolve, and how technology plays a pivotal role in aligning these processes with our day-to-day activities. Gone are the days when we had to stand in serpentine queues to get a train ticket; online ticket booking changed it all - with few clicks and few details in the right fields, we got the tickets. But now, online ticket booking is transcending to the next level - Natural Language Search!

Using something as simple as a chat client, ClearTrip has come up with an innovative product to help search/book trains via its Train Search Bot for Gtalk [in fact all Jabber clients can use this bot]. The process is fairly simple. You just need to add cleartrip.train@gmail.com or cleartrip.trains@jabber.org to your Gtalk buddy list, and you are good to go! From there on, just type in what you are looking for - trains between a pair of stations, availability of tickets in a particular train, or do you wish to book a ticket - it is all possible.

The best part is, one really doesn't have to bother about the exact input to the bot. Type what you feel like, and if something is missing, the bot will ask for it. But that doesn't meant you can type all garbage in there. Few keywords have been defined for this bot, based on which the bot identifies the action you wish to perform.

Like if you wish to search for trains between Indore & New Delhi (3rd AC) on March 20, enter
'Indore to New Delhi on March 20 3AC'
[Natural Language search in action here], and you will have your result as
2919 - Malwa express Rs. 980, @ 12:25 [Available 68]
2415 - Nizamuddin exp Rs. 891, @ 16:20 [R.a.c. 7]

To search for the trains for return journey simply enter 'return' and the train listing will come.

If you want to check the availability of tickets in the train you just searched, enter
'avail 2415'
and you will have your result as
On 20 Mar Waitlist 19
On 21 Mar Waitlist 32
On 22 Mar Waitlist 37
On 23 Mar Waitlist 7
On 24 Mar Waitlist 14 On 25 Mar Waitlist 10
Notice the bot takes the date of journey as the date for which you want to check the availability.

It is also possible to book train tickets using this bot. Simply enter
'book 2415 march 21 2 adults 1 child'
and in response you will get the URL like this
https://www.cleartrip.com/trains/itinerary/1de893a0f5ac012baa5c001a4bdf3d6a/info
which takes you to the ClearTrip website where you give the travelers' details, your contact info and can make the payment for the ticket.

Since chat clients are ubiquitous and everyone is using them all the time, this is a nice attempt to reach out to the people and make the process of searching trains easier.The general format for all the actions that can be performed using this bot is given below:

1. Search trains between two stations
   <source city> <destination city> <date> <class>
   
   
2. Search trains for the return journey
   return
   
   
3. Check availability in a train
   avail <train number>
   
   
4. Book train tickets
   book <train number> <date> <passenger details>
   

Though in its initial stages, this utility serves as an excellent way to search for trains...and that too really FAST! Happy Searching :)

How To Use Naukri On Chat Through Gtalk

Just as I was about to publish my post about the amazing ClearTrip Train Search Bot for Gtalk, I came across this awesome bot from Naukri that lets you search and apply to jobs using Gtalk!!

Great utility for people who cannot access Naukri.com from their offices ;)

Check out this Presentation to know more:

Slide show courtesy: SlideShare

Roadies

Naah! This post isn't about the bitching that happens on MTV Roadies; rather is about an unlikely Sunday when I [along with three of my friends] decided to hit the road and bike all the way to Ujjain - a city famous for Temples [particularly the Mahakal Temple].

At 6:30am, Abhishek picked me up from my place and we caught up with Pankaj & his brother Montu, in front of our office. After a bit of photo-shoot we revved up the engines, and set out for a day long trip. Even though the summers started a lot earlier this year, we didn't realize how cold it is in the morning. After driving for about half an hour on the much famed MR-10, I could feel the numbness in my hands. My arms would not bend, and it took some effort to switch gears!!


But braving the chill, we reached Ujjain city in about an hour around 8:00pm; and without a doubt, our first destination was Mahakal Temple - the famous Lord Shiva Temple. This place draws huge crowds every Monday [considered to be Lord Shiva's worship day], and particularly on Mahashivraatri festival. Mahakaal or Mahakaleshwar as the locals call it, is one of the 12 Jyotirlinga manifestations of Lord Shiva. The main sactum or the Garbha Griha is located underground, and this is where the Holy Jyotirlinga is situated. A silver snake encircles the Linga, which is flanked by idols of Lord Ganesha on one side and of Goddess Parvati & Kartikeya on the other.

Unlike last time, when people were allowed to go to the sanctum directly, this time we had to pass through serpentine queues that were in place to manage the rush. Took us about half an hour to reach to the sanctum, and less than 5 mins to be pushed out - that is the kind of rush always there.

There is a temple complex right above the underground sanctum. The special thing though is that, from one of the granite stairs of this temple, one can see the Holy Linga beneath - no one could never establish how it is possible! After paying a visit to the numerous temples in the the Mahakal premise, and clicking some pics, we came out to have a ditto Malwa style breakfast of poha-jalebi. It was only after we stuffed ourselves to the core, that we decided to go further. Our next stop was: Chintaman Ganesh.

About 8kms from the Mahakal Temple is the very famous temple of Lord Ganesha - the Chintaman Ganesh Temple. The temple dates back to 11th-12th century, and yet has not lost if glory. The sanctum has the swayambhu [self-manifested] idol of Lord Ganesha, and has the idols of Riddhi & Siddhi [Lord's two wives] on either side. The temple is artistically decorated with flowers and fruits, and is thronged by large number of devotees. We stayed there for quite some time, clicked pics and even tried our hand on the coconut cracking machine there :)


From the Chintaman Ganesh Temple, we drove further ahead to the Kaal Bhairon Temple. Bhairon is known to be the fierce idolization of Lord Shiva, and belongs to the heretic sect - one dealing with tantra-mantra [black magic]. Liquor is the staple offering here, and there are number of shops outside the temple selling all kinds of liquor. The idol in the temple accepts the offering, as in, it even drinks liquor - something again lot of people are suspicious about. The Temple courtyard had a pretty huge multistory lamp, which served as a nice background for our pictures!!


Close to the Kaal Bhairon Temple is another tourist attraction - Bharthari Caves. However, here we were least bothered to know the history of the place, thanks to the scorching sun, so directly went into the caves. But that was not before we burnt our feet on the fiery hot floor that leads to the caves. There are 2 caves here, and each houses a ShivLing. Constant recitation of tantra-mantra goes on in these caves, and it gives the entire place a mystical feel. However, due to the poor ventilation inside these caves, one soon starts to feel giddy. Once we were out of the caves, we had some lime water to beat the heat, but to no use. The temperatures were rising and so was our hunger. But we still had a couple of places to cover before we could feast. So from the caves we set out to see the famous Sandipani Ashram.


The ashram is believed to be the place where Lord Krishna and his friend Sudama received their education, and is one of the oldest places in Ujjain. The atmosphere inside the ashram is just like that of any temple in Mathura or Vrindavan - group of ladies singing and dancing, completely lost in Lord Krishna's devotion. The ashram's water source in the yester years was Gomti Kund, which now for all practical purposes has completely dried, but is still a great place for clicking pictures.


By now we were literally starving, and had absolutely no energy left to fight the heat. But then it's not always that you come out for a bike ride to Ujjain, so we did decide to cover this one last place: Observatory (Vaidhshala), before calling it a day. How reluctant we were when we entered the place - resigned looks, weary shoulders - but nonetheless happy that we finally get to see the famed Sun Dial. Another day, and we would have studied every structure there - Sun Dial, Shanku Yantra, Bhitti Yantra, Dignash Yantra & Samrat yantra - but not today. Just took a stroll in the observatory, clicked some snaps...and off we were to satisfy our appetite.


Hotel Sambhava on Indore road was just the perfect place for us to lay back and enjoy our meal. Butter chicken, Cashew Curry, Veg Jal Frazy, Butter Milk, Naan, Rotis...we ate like mad, and luckily the food was good too...or we were just too hungry?

But now the big deal - getting back to indore! After stuffing ourselves so much, we could only think of our beds....how can someone drive 50kms to get back home? Can we not just stay here :(( ? Wish we could!! Took us about a hour and a half to get back to Impetus office where we finally bid adieu. THE END to an amazing trip!

But picture abhi baaki hai mere dost....his wasn't our last bike trip for sure. Many more to go...so keep watching!!!

I Support 'Tilak Holi'

Gone are the days when we would mix color in the overhead tanks, and enjoy watching people crib about the colored water flowing through the taps!
Gone are the days when we would use water canons and spoil the building facade, and then get [mildly] bashed for doing so!
Gone are the days when we would throw water balloons on every person that walked or drove by our house!

Today, it is the time when we pay hefty sums to get a water tanker, just to meet our daily water supplies!
Today, is the time when even the most lethargic of the governments are, at the least, talking about sourcing water from ponds and lakes in the near by villages!
Today, is the time when, for once, the entire city [probably the entire country] has awaken to the fact that - WE ARE RUNNING SHORT OF WATER!!

Do you think, in times like these you can go out and celebrate Holi just like the yester years?
Do you think, in times like these you can waste those precious gallons on first coloring your mates, and then on getting rid of it yourself?
Do you think, in times like these you can afford to waste water and yet not be termed as a CRIMINAL?

Friends, traditions change, cultures evolve, and even the most closed societies open up with time - then why can't we? For once, why can't we all stand together, and put a firm foot forward and oppose the wet Holi celebrations!! In times when our rivers are nothing but vast stretches of dry land, our lakes only muddy pits, our bore wells only deep holes - why can't you and I celebrate Holi in ways like never before!

I remember the water shortage last year. Quite a few of us understood the gravity of the situation and moved on to celebrate dry Holi - using only gulal. No doubt we saved a lot of water playing dry Holi; but what about the clothes we spoiled with colors; didn't we waste so much water trying to rinse them? It was like, doing all the hard work to get to the top, and then jumping off the very last step!

This time things are even worse - we can't even afford the dry Holi celebration. This time let us all celebrate Tilak Holi - let us all greet our family and friends with a colored Tilak! Let us act like responsible citizens and show the world that "we care". Let us join the Tilak Holi campaign started by Dainik Bhaskar group, as it is about time we finally show our concern for the planet.



Here are a few ideas how we can celebrate Holi this year:

1. On the night before Dhulendi, enjoy bon-fire with you family.
   
2. Greet you family and friends with a colored Tilak. Use eco-friendly colors made out of kesar, turmeric, flowers etc.
3. Indulge youself in some delicacies - gujias, puran-polis, kaanji, dahi-wada
4. Visit you friends and relatives, and spread the word about Tilak Holi

Wishing you a very Happy Tilak Holi!!