Thursday, March 20, 2008

Rules of Carrom

Normally we will be playing caroms. Different people will be telling different rules. we have to adjust to the majority if the said rule is wrong also. To avoid this confusion i am ave collected some standard rules of the carom.

These rules are provided by Masters Traditional Games, an Internet shop selling quality traditional games, pub games and unusual games. We publish free game rules in order to promote game playing around the world. To find out more, visit the website www.mastersgames.com or email custserv@mastersgames.com.

You are welcome to print, copy or pass these rules on but only in their original form including the copyright and the information about Masters Traditional Games. The disclaimer on the Masters Traditional Games website applies.

Carrom is a game that has long been played throughout India and South East Asia but the game has become increasingly popular throughout much of the rest of the world during the last century. There are a huge number of variations in the rules even though an international regulatory body and several major national bodies exist - even these have rule variations depending upon the situation. Masters Games has based the following rules on those from the UK Carrom Club, tailoring them for simplicity where possible. These rules are comprehensive instructions for friendly play. They are not a complete set of standard regulations encompassing all situations that might be encountered. If in doubt, players should always abide by locally-played or house rules. Note: 1 inch = 2.54cm.

Equipment

The following dimensions vary considerably and are given only as an example of a tournament board. A Carrom board is a square smooth flat wooden board that can be 72cm or 74cm square and which should be positioned 60 - 70cm above the ground. In each corner is a circular hole that can be 51mm in diameter and underneath each hole is a net to catch the pieces in a similar way to a snooker table. Two lines are drawn on the table along the diagonals. These are the "foul lines". In the centre are two concentric circles - the centre circle is the size of a piece, the main circle having a diameter about six times larger. Outside the circles and a short way in from each side of the board are two straight lines parallel with the edge of the board. They should be about 3.8cm apart and the long thin area between them is terminated just before the diagonal foul lines at either end by a red circle of 3.8cm diameter. This thin rectangle with circles at either end is called the "baseline" and the baseline nearest to a player is the area that the player's striker must be played from.

There are nine dark or black pieces and nine light or white pieces plus a red piece called the "Queen". The smooth wooden pieces are slightly smaller than the the striker which is between 3.8cm and 4.4cm in diameter. People often own their own strikers which can also be made of bone or ivory and which are normally somewhat heavier than the pieces although can vary in weight from half as heavy to four times as heavy as a piece. On some boards, potato starch, chalk dust or other lubricant is used to make the pieces slide more easily over the surface of the board - the most popular lubricant is boric acid.

Preparation

The game is played by two opponents sitting opposite each other. To decide who goes first, one player should hold a piece concealed in one hand. If the opponent guesses correctly which hand, the opponent chooses who goes first, otherwise the player concealing the piece chooses. The person who plays first aims to pocket the white pieces.

To begin, the Queen is placed in the centre of the board. Six pieces are put around the Queen directly in a circle, each touching the Queen and their neighbours. The remaining twelve pieces are positioned around the inner circle of six pieces, so that each outer piece touches the inner circle. Both circles should have the pieces alternating in colour. The two circles are oriented so that the Queen, a white piece from the inner circle and a white piece from the outer circle lie in a straight line pointing towards the centre of the side of the board where the player who will play first is sitting.

Objective

Players take turns to play. A turn consists of one or more strikes. A player wins by pocketing all of the pieces of their chosen colour first. However, neither player can win until one or other player has "covered the Queen". To cover the Queen, a player must pocket one of her own pieces immediately after pocketing the Queen. If the Queen is pocketed but not covered, the Queen is returned to the board. Both players normally try to cover the Queen in addition to trying to win the game because a player who wins and also covers the Queen receives bonus points.

Striking

  • For each strike, the player must position the striker within the baseline OR on one of the two circles at either end of the baseline.
  • A striker within the baseline must touch both the front line and the rear line.
  • The striker may not "cut the moon" - be placed partially within the baseline and partially within the circle.
  • The player must flick the striker with one finger so that it crosses the front baseline - it is not permitted to flick backwards or horizontally.
  • A piece that is on or behind the front baseline must not be struck by the striker until the striker has crossed the front baseline.
  • In striking, the player's hand or arm must not cross the diagonal foul lines at either end of the baseline.

Basic rules

  • For the very first turn, the player is allowed three attempts to "break" i.e. disturb the central group of counters.
  • It doesn't matter which piece the striker hits first and it doesn't matter if the striker hits no pieces.
  • If a the striker pockets the Queen and/or one or more pieces of her own colour, the player retrieves the striker and takes another strike.
  • If the player pockets no pieces or commits a foul, the turn finishes.

Covering the Queen

  • A player may pocket and cover the Queen if that player has already pocketed at least one piece of that player's colour.
  • Should a player pocket the Queen before being permitted to cover it, the turn continues but the Queen is returned to the centre at the end of the turn.
  • If a player pockets the Queen and one of her own pieces in the same turn, this counts and that player has covered the Queen. Such a player must have already pocketed at least one piece in order to cover the Queen as per normal.
  • When a player pockets the Queen but does not cover it, the Queen is returned as near as possible to the centre circle by the opponent.

Other Rules

  • Pieces returned to the centre can be placed on top of other pieces within the main circle.
  • If pieces come to rest standing on their edge or overlapping another piece, they are left as they are until moved again in the normal course of play.
  • If the striker comes to rest under another piece, the striker should be removed with as little disturbance to the covering piece as possible.

Fouls

When a player commits a foul, the turn comes to an end immediately and a penalty is incurred. The penalty is that one pocketed piece is returned to the board by the opponent anywhere within the main circle. Any other pieces requiring to be returned to the board are also placed within the main circle by the opponent. It is normal for pieces to be positioned in order to confer an advantage for the opponent.

A foul is recorded in the following situations:

  • The striker is pocketed.
  • The striker or any other piece leaves the board.
  • A player pockets an opponent's piece. If the Queen was also pocketed, it is returned to the centre by the opponent together with the penalty piece. Any other pieces pocketed in the same strike remain pocketed.
  • A player pockets the final opponent's piece. Regardless of whether the Queen has been covered, the opponent's piece is returned to the centre in addition to the penalty piece.
  • A player pockets the final piece before the Queen has been covered. In this case both the pocketed piece and a penalty piece are returned to the centre.
  • A player contravenes the rules for striking.
  • A player touches any piece in play, other than the striker.
  • The first player to strike fails to break the counters in three attempts.

Where a penalty is incurred but no pocketed pieces exist to return, the penalty is "owed" until a piece becomes available. If a penalty is owed, when a piece becomes available due to being pocketed, the piece is returned to the centre by the opponent at the end of the turn. Should the opponent forget to do this before the start of the next turn, any owed penalties are lost.

Scoring

At the end of the game the winner scores 1 point for each opponent's piece left on the board.
If the winner has less than 24 points and the winner also covered the Queen, a bonus 5 points are scored.
If the winner has 24 or more points, then no points are scored for covering the Queen.

The maximum score for one game is therefore 14 points. A match is played to 29 points.

Doubles

Carrom is played by four people just as often as by two. For the doubles game, partners sit opposite one another and turns proceed in a clockwise order. Other than that, play is exactly the same as for the singles game. The game has a different character, though, because pieces behind the baseline can be safely left for the partner to deal with unlike in the singles game where pieces behind the baseline can only be moved by the opponent or by rebounding of the board edges.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Beware of Phishings. HDFC bank false mail

Dear All,

FYI...

Today, I received an email to my FRIENDS personal id indicating that HIS online services of my bank account has been suspended.
This email has landed in the Inbox and not in the Bulk mail.

Below is the screenshot.


Once I click on the above 'Click Here to Start' link, it opened the following web page.

This is a good example of a Phishing Attack. If you notice the URL address, you can clearly identify that it's not from the bank.

Please do not enter any details in the above link.

If incase you have done it before, call up the customer care and have your PIN's reset immediately.
If you are lucky enough, you may still find your money.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Feelings of a Arranged marriage girl - Excellent story

The woods were lovely dark and deep. Walking slowly beside her, in the damp mud road, was her husband whom she barely knew. He was very relaxed, happily watching a group of kids playing at a distance. Her "mehandi" was still dark and smelling fresh, reminding of the excitements and tension 2 days back. "It cant work this way mom...please stop this", she kept telling her mother till the last
moment, who wouldnt listen but carry on with beautifying her. She had been crying all night and her make-up had to be patched up twice or thrice to hide her awkwardly swollen face.

It was too late now. She had to get married "NOW" to the guy...The guy whom she had seen once and talked thrice. The guy about whom she knew nothing at all but for his name and work. Everything happened in a hurry and everthing was over before she could breathe again... here was she with this guy, all alone in this hill station... how can anybody send their daughter such a long distance with a stranger???

"Hey look at that....!!!" he shouted in excitement... she shrugged and looked where his finger pointed...

Bright colored balloons dotted the sky. Children were jumping in joy and he seemed to be completely absorbed into it...colors are always exciting...but not now. She was not with her friends, not with her team mates, not even with her parents. This was not a 3 day tour or team building trip. This was her life and she has been forced to start off with this person.

Loneliness and discomfort with this stranger was sickening...She looked at him in wonder... does he even realize that he has married me? Does he understand that he has to love me, protect me, care for me, a new girl, a stranger, all his life?

The marriage morning started like a daylight nightmare for her. The first time in life she felt she should have fallen in love and then married somebody. some man who she would have felt more comfortable
with, someone whom she could call by name and introduce to friends, someone whom she could trust. But marriage morning was obviously not the time to think all these.

Her parents would never have said "no" if she had declared that she was in love. But she was not emotionally attached to anybody she met, especially guys. She was very friendly, playing, teasing, but never
had second thought for any man around her. That brought the entire responsibility of looking for a groom on her parents' shoulders. Her parents had had a very bad time with this entire process. They started
their groom search with unending "&" operation. The concatenation of "Horoscope matching" & "Decent family" & "Good looking" & "Good pay" & "same cast" & so on... that always gave 0 output. Now after all that 8 months hunt, they were not ready to hear her "ifs" and "buts" for this 'good guy'.

She had explained to her father. She does not feel anything for this person. He is nothing more to me than any other software professional. Like list of names she sees in the chat rooms. Distant and usual...Her father asked her to talk to him and even meet him and discuss their likes and dislikes. That meeting started like the induction programme self introduction and ended like a 3 hour seminar.She was waiting to get away from that place. "So did you talk with him?". "yes". "was he polite and decent". "yes". "Oh he got that special flavoured tri-color icecream...!!!".OK. All her family and relatives discussed...She was given the chance to "understand her life partner" and that they have understood each other "well" and she is ready for the marriage now.

All arrangements geared up and it was 24 days after her first meeting that she was getting married to her man... perfect match as everybody else described. Marriage hall was full with excited people, kids got the chance to play, ladies got the chance to wear the silk saree. The smell of rose and jasmine filled the hall. Different poses for thephotographer and artificial smiles for the videos. The moment he had
tied the sacred thread was unexplainable vaccum in the head. It was over.She was his wife. Accepted by the society and law. Her proud parents were relaxed. This was their duty they had been planning to
fulfill since she was born. All this crowd will fade away, leaving her to explore her new world...

He pulled her hand gently to sit on the stone bench. The bench was wet and the chillness was indeed enjoyable. "So what are you thinking about?"... that was an unexpected ball. should she reply? should she be silent? She remembered the two hour presentation she had taken last month. Bold and confident, she kept answering all the queries with a broad smile. Now she remained silent. "Do you know honey... I was not for this marriage too..." Oh my God... what did i hear??? did HE tell that or did i think aloud? what does he mean? didnt he like me? was he forced into this? He must have noticed the quizzical look on my face...with a gentle smile he continued..."I wanted to look for a girl myself, buy her everything, care for her, argue with her, laugh and crywith her, then get married to her... Anything otherwise would be a drama. Traditional drama and i was not for it anytime. But my love for my work and also my stress would not give me time and mind to search that girl...When your parents talked to me 2 weeks before our marriage, about your fear of getting married, to a stranger, i could completely understand your mind. I could see myself in you and that was the moment i decided i will marry you. There was no time to prove myself to you, make you trust me, everything happened in a hurry.

But there was the entire life before me, to please you, to love you, to make you trust me. This is no less than what i had dreamt, the girl i was waiting for, is you. Now tell me... will you love me???" Tears came down her cheek. Her parents had done more than their duty. They had found her the perfect guy. Thank you Mom!!! Thank you Dad!!! His question remained unanswered yet both knew the answer....

A small touching story mainly for professionals

A man came home from work late, tired and irritated, to find his 5-year old son waiting for him at the door

SON: "Daddy, may I ask you a question?"
DAD: "Yeah sure, what is it?" replied the man.
SON: "Daddy, how much do you make an hour?"
DAD: "That's none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?"
the man said angrily.
SON: "I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an
hour?"
DAD: "If you must know, I make Rs.100 an hour."
SON: "Oh," the little boy replied, with his head down.

SON: "Daddy, may I please borrow Rs.50?"

The father was furious, "If the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you are being so selfish. I work hard everyday for such this childish behavior."

The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door. The man sat down and started to get even angrier about the little boy's questions. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money?

After about an hour or so, the man had calmed down, and started to think: Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that Rs.50 and he really didn't ask for money very often. The man went to the door of the little boy's room and opened the door.

"Are you asleep, son?" He asked.

"No daddy, I'm awake," replied the boy.

"I've been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier" said the man.

"It's been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you.. Here's the Rs.50 you asked for."

The little boy sat straight up, smiling. "Oh, thank you daddy!" He yelled.

Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled out some crumpled up bills.
The man saw that the boy already had money, started to get angry again. The little boy slowly counted out his money, and then looked up at his father.

"Why do you want more money if you already have some?" the father
grumbled.

"Because I didn't have enough, but now I do," the little boy replied.

"Daddy, I have Rs.100 now. Can I buy an hour of your time?

Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you."

The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little son, and he begged for his forgiveness.

It's just a short reminder to all of you working so hard in life. We should not let time slip through our fingers without having spent some time with those who really matter to us, those close to our hearts.

Do remember to share that Rs.100 worth of your time with someone you love.

If we die tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of days.

But the family & friends we leave behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives. And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more into work than to our family.

Want to book 'Bus tickets online'?? Here is the information

Direct Links to the travels:

1. Rathimeena Travels


http://www.rathimeena.co.in/
South Tamil Nadu (KK Dist, Nellai, Madurai), East Coast Region of TN, Trivandrum, Vizag, Nellore, Vijayawada

2. KPN Travels

www.kpntravels.in/
most parts of Tamil Nadu, part of Kerala and Karnataka

3. Parveen Travels

www.parveentravels.com/E-ticketing/index.php
most parts of Tamil Nadu, part of Kerala, Karnataka, and Hyderabad (via Nellore)

4. ABT Travels

http://www.abtxtravels.com/
South Tamil Nadu (KK Dist, Nellai, Madurai, Trivandrum), East Coast Region, Vizag, Nellore, Vijayawada

5. Kallada Travels

www.kalladatravels.com/
Connecting Bangalore with some of important destinations in Kerala

6. Karnataka State Road Transport Corp. (Use after nine O clock)

www.ksrtc.in/AWATAROnline/
All parts of Karnataka, and parts of Kerala, TN, AP, and Maharashtra

7. Raj National Express

http://www.rajnationalexpress.in/
Across India

8. The Luxury Buses

http://www.theluxurybuses.com/
Delhi-Manali, - Jammu, -Katra

9. Kesineni

http://www.kesinenitravels.com/
Across AP, Connecting Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai & Pune with most parts of AP

10. Sri Kalleshwari Travels

www1.travellink.in/b2cwl/kaleswari?action1=HOME
Connecting Bangalore, Chennai, and Vizag with most part of AP

11. VRL

http://www.vrllogistics.in/otb/index.aspx
Connecting all main cities in South India and very vast network in Karnataka


Links to Third-Party Service Providers' Websites



1. Pilani Soft Labs Pvt. Ltd.

http://www.redbus.in/
South India

2. CustomerNeedz.com

http://www.customerneedz.com/
South India (Presently Covers the BGL - HYD Sector)

3. Prasanna Tours P Limited

http://www.prasannatours.com/
Pune, Mumbai, Nagpur, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Baroda

4. Abhi Bus

http://www.abhibus.com/
Buses Originating to and from Hyderabad

5. Real India

http://www.realindia.in/
South Tamil Nadu (KK Dist, Nellai, Madurai), East Coast Region of TN, Trivandrum, Vizag, Nellore, Vijayawada

6. Travis Internet Pvt. Ltd.

http://www.ticketvala.com/
Connecting Ahmedabad with major cities of Maharashtra (Mumbai, Pune, &
Nagpur)

7. checkouttrip.com

http://www.checkouttrip.com/
For all the major cities and towns of India

8. easybustickets.com

http://www.easybustickets.com/
For buses originating from Hyderabad to all parts of AP, and to Bangalore and Chennai


9. TemporaryLinks for booking with offers

viasbicard.com get 15% discount on booking

10. Real India

http://www.realindia.in/newreal/real.jsp
mainly busses from chennai to other places

Monday, March 17, 2008

'Hampi' : General information about 'hampi, Karnataka'


Hampi and Vijayanagar

" If dreams were made out of stone, it would be Hampi"

Saint Vidyaranya established the seat of Vijayanagara empire in 1336 A.D, with the help of his devotee disciples Hakka and Bukka. The empire later became famous for its support towards renovation/reconstruction of temples through out India. It also became renowned for re-establishment of Indian culture, its support for music, art and literature. With the prime purpose of caring for the people and their welfare, this empire stretched physically covering Karnataka, Andhra and Maharashtra and became a by-word for golden rule.

HAMPI, the seat of the famed VIJAYANAGARA empire was the capital of the largest empire in post-mogul India, covering several states. The empire reigned supreme under Krishnadevaraya, the Emperor. The Vijayanagara empire stretched over at least three states - Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh. The destruction of Vijayanagar by marauding Moghul invaders was sudden, shocking and absolute. They reduced the city to ruins amid scenes of savage massacre and horrors beggaring description.

Although in ruins today, this capital city once boasted riches known far beyond the shores of India. The ruins of Hampi of the 14th Century lies scattered in about 26 sq. km area, amidst giant boulders and vegetation. Protected by the tempestuous river Tungabhadra in the north and rocky granite ridges on the other three sides, the ruins silently narrate the story of grandeur splendor and fabulous wealth. The splendid remains of palaces and gateways of the broken city tells a tale of men infinite talent and power of creativity together with his capacity for senseless destruction.


Strewn over a large area (about nine square miles) the ruins at Hampi offers to the tourist a remainder of the greatest land in the whole world. Every rock, every path and every monument at Hampi speak the same language; a language of glory and beauty.

In March 2002, the Government of India has announced that Hampi would be developed as an international destination centre. The State Govt will constitute a Hampi World Heritage Area Management Authority for integrated development and conservation of Hampi.

Hampi is a World Heritage Centre

Hospet is the main town providing the getaway for Hampi. In April 2002, Karnataka officially set up the Hampi World Heritage Area Management Authority with wide-ranging powers, as well as a State Level Advisory Committee.

Local Sights

Most of the ruins are along the road leading from Kamalapura to Hampi.Three kms down the road, on a commanding site, stands the temple of Malyavanta Raghunathaswamy.It is built in the Dravidian style. Strange-looking fishes and marine monsters carved along its outer walls are worth noticing.

The Hampi Bazaar, 35 yards wide and nearly 800 yards long was known to be a "very beautiful street with very beautiful houses".

The Virupaksha Temple rises majestically at the western end of the famous Hampi Bazaar. The temple has a 120 feet tall tower on its eastern entrance. The temple contains the shrines of Shiva, Pampa and Bhuvaneswari.Parts of this temple are older than the Vijayanagar kingdom itself. The work of this style dates back to the 11th or 12th century.

Nearby is the 6.7m tall monolith of Ugra Narasimha. An inscription nearby states that it was hewn from a single boulder in 1528 during the reign of Krishnadeva Raya.

Vithala Temple Complex
The most splendid monument of Hampi is undoubtedly the Vithala Temple Complex with its 56 musical pillars.


To the east of the hall is the famous Stone Chariot with stone wheels that actually revolve. In front of the shrine stands the great mantapa. Resting on a richly sculpted basement, its roof is supported by huge pillars of granite, about 15 feet in height, each consisting of a central pillar surrounded by detached shafts, all cut from one single block of stone. Several of the carved pillars were attacked with such fury that they are hardly more than shapeless blocks of stones and a large portion of the central part has been destroyed utterly.

Nearby is the 'Purandra Dasara Mantapa' which has been also declared a protected monument.

House of Victory.
It was built when Krishnadeva Raya came back from his victorious expedition against the King of Orissa. The spaces between the rows of the plinth-mouldings here are most elaborately and elegantly carved. The kings of Vijayanagar used to sit on a grand throne in the House of Victory and witness the nine-day Dasara festival.

Westwards from the House of Victory, leading through two ruined gates, the path leads to the Hazara Ramaswami temple. This temple is believed to have been the private place of worship of the royal family. The chief attraction of the temple is the series of scenes from the Ramayana carved on two of the inside walls of the mantapa. The genesis of the place known today as Hampi dates back to the age of the Hindu epic Ramayana when it was the site of Kishkinda, a monkey kingdom.



King's Balance
Hampi is also full of surprises: like the King's Balance where kings were weighed against grain, gold or money which was then distributed to the poor, the Queen's Bath, a swimming pool, 50 ft.long and 6 ft.deep, with its arched corridors, projecting balconies and lotus-shaped fountains that once sprouted perfumed water, the two-storeyed

  • Lotus Mahal: shaped like a lotus flower from top, this two-story structure has beautiful arc ways set in geometric regularity. It was an air-cooled summer palace of the queen.
  • Elephant Stables: This huge stable, a beautiful example of Hindu-Muslim style of architecture, housed about 11 elephants in separate compartments.
  • Pushkarini Tank
  • Mahanavami Dibba: The foundation of a lion story wooden structure from which the royalty viewed Hampi with pomp, colour and revelry during the Mahanadu festival. This platform has beautiful carvings.
  • Mustard Ganesh: This is a 9 feet tall single stone statue which is also known as Sasivikalu Ganesha.
  • Noblemens Palace: This place was recently discovered and they suspect this was for aristocrats and high-ranking officials.
Daroji Bear Sanctuary is very near Hampi. Though the sanctuary is relatively new, which began in 1994 in the eastern plains of Karnataka, it has proved to be a suitable habitat for the Indian Sloth Bears in a span of few years.

Local Festivals: The Vijayanagar Festival organized by the Government of Karnataka in December recreates the grandeur of the bygone era.

Essentials

How to get there

  • Air
    1. The nearest airstrip at Tornagallu in Sandur Taluk which is 32 kms. from Hospet. Bangalore based air-charter operator, Taneja Aerospace and Aviation Ltd (TAAL), has launched sightseeing charter flights to Hampi and Mysore in Oct 2002. Contact Anjan Rao at 98440-27699 for further details.
    2. The second nearest airport is Bellary(74 kms)
    3. Other convenient airports are at Belgaum (190 kms) and Bangalore(353 kms).
  • Rail: Hospet is the nearest rail head (13 kms). Hospet is linked by rail to Bangalore, Bijapur,Hubli and Guntakal.
  • Road: Hampi is 350 kms from Bangalore. KSRTC Buses ply regularly from Hospet.

Best time to visit: October to March

Where to Stay
You could use Hospet as your base to visit Hampi.

  • Hotel Mayura Vijayanagar, Thungabadhra Dam Hospet
  • Hotel Priyadarshini, Station Road, Hospet
  • Hotel Malligi, Hospet-Bellary Road.
    Hotel Mayura Bhuvaneswri, Kamalapur, Hampi.
    KSTDC Cottages.

For more photos of Hampi: http://picasaweb.google.com/ajayshenoy.j/Hampi check this link

Chemical tea: Train passengers sip slow poison - Aurangabad Railway station

Chemical tea: Train passengers sip slow poison

Prabhakar Kumar / CNN-IBN


Patna:
People often complain the tea vendors sell at the Aurangabad railway station tastes funny. Their suspicion is correct—the tea is not made of milk but a chemical called Fevicry.

Surendra Kumar, a vendor at the Aurangabad railway station, readily admits that the tea he sells to train passengers contains Fevicryl. "I can make 20 litres of milk out of the chemical I buy for Rs 15. The milk lasts for at least six days," he says.

The economics is simple: Surendra sells tea worth Rs 200 a day and if he uses chemical instead of milk he can make a cool profit of up to Rs 150. Kumar justifies this dangerous fraud.

"We have no choice but to use chemicals. It costs Rs 100 to buy 5 litres of milk. Then we have to bribe the railway police and other authorities. If we end up spending Rs 200 every day on these expenses how will we support our families," says Kumar.

Hundreds of people drink tea at the Aurangabad railway station every day but perhaps they don't know what they are sipping is really a concoction of chemicals. "It doesn't really taste like tea but it looks like tea, so I am drinking it," said one passenger.

http://www.ibnlive.com/news/chemical-tea-train-passengers-sip-slow-poison/60231-3.html

Funny Abrevations...... School- AtomBomb

School: A place where Papa pays and Son plays.

Life Insurance: A contract that keeps you poor all your life so that you can die Rich.

Nurse: A person who wakes u up to give you sleeping pills.

Marriage: It's an agreement in which a man loses his bachelor degree and a woman gains her masters.

Tears: The hydraulic force by which masculine willpower is defeated by feminine waterpower.

Lecture: An art of transferring information from the notes of the Lecturer to the notes of the students without passing through "the minds of either"

Conference: The confusion of one man multiplied by the number present.

Compromise: The art of dividing a cake in such a way that everybody believes he got the biggest piece.

Dictionary: A place where success comes before work.

Conference Room: A place where everybody talks, nobody listens and everybody disagrees later on.

Father: A banker provided by nature.

Boss: Someone who is early when you are late and late when you are early.

Politician: One who shakes your hand before elections and your Confidence after.

Doctor: A person who kills your ills by pills, and kills you by bills.

Classic: Books, which people praise, but do not read.

Smile: A curve that can set a lot of things straight.

Office: A place where you can relax after your strenuous home life.

Yawn: The only time some married men ever get to open their mouth.

Etc.: A sign to make others believe that you know more than you actually do.

Committee: Individuals who can do nothing individually and sit to decide that nothing can be done together.

Experience: The name men give to their mistakes.

Atom Bomb: An invention to end all inventions.

Philosopher: A fool who torments himself during life, to be wise after death

Change of "Tamil New Year" Day

Bill tabled to change Tamil New Year Day

Chennai: A bill to declare the first day of Tamil month "Thai" as Tamil New Year Day was introduced in the Tamil Nadu Assembly by Chief Minister M Karunanidhi.

Amid thumping of desks by DMK members, Karunanidhi moved 'The Tamil Nadu Tamil New Year (Declaration) Bill, 2008,' which he hailed as "historically significant".

Governor S S Barnala, in his customary address to the House on January 23, announced that the first of 'Thai' would be celebrated as Tamil New Year Day in view of consensus amongst all Tamil scholars. The Tamil New Year was hitherto celebrated on the first day of Tamil month 'Chithirai' falling in mid-April.

Scientific atlanta chennai trekking club


A group of people working in a private company in chennai will be travelling around south india at the weekends to avoid city life for weekends.
i am also a member of the community.
for more information please refer
http://sachennaitrekking.blogspot.com/

already we have completed around 10-15 treks including vellarimala. i feel it will be helpful for all to view this page once