Food, shelter, clothing...games, space can come later

India is one of the fastest growing economies in the world and has been since the last few years. With a growth rate hovering around the 8%+ mark over the last 3-4 years India has been a bright spot in all the global gloom and doom. All major investors are pouring money in our economy in search of higher returns.

The congress led coalition has come into power yet again on the platform of the "aam aadmi". The common man in Indian doesn't see and feel what global investors see. They don't see the bright spot that the world see from the outside. They simply go through their lives with the hope that things will change....one day things will change.

With all the money coming in and the kind of money apparently being spent by our government on development a walk on the streets of most places in our country makes you feel where is all the money going. The basic necessities of a human being are food, shelter and clothing. For all its hype, India is where 25% of the world's hungry poor live. 43% of children in India are mal-nourished. These are government figures.

When we are incapable to even feed our own how can we go on a spending spree on space programs and even events like the common wealth games. We simply cannot afford to. We must realize these obvious facts and set our priorities right. All we need first is food, shelter and clothing for all.....games and space can come later !

It happens only in India....

Govinda danced to one catchy dance number a few years back titled "It happens only in India". There are so many things, apart from what he thought happens, that actually happens only in India. One such grand event is playing out presently.

The common wealth games has turned into a HUGE scam with the media tearing up the behind of Suresh Kalmadi and company. Its wonderful to see the constant attention to this by the media. I've been following Times Now and absolutely love the wonderful journalism of Arnab Goswami http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=42194368307#!/group.php?gid=42194368307&v=info

Its such a shame that the government that came into power on the platform of the "aam aadmi" isn't resorting to any drastic step in investigating the scam and making heads roll. 

The kind of money being spent in is mind boggling, running into thousands of crores. Can India afford to spend such sums on an event which has absolutely no significance. Why host such an event when we are totally not ready to and need to go on a spending spree in order to be a host ? The motives now seem to becoming clear. Its obviously nothing got to do with the supposed pride to being a host of such an irrelevant sporting event and more to do with making "common wealth" into "personal wealth" !! 

The pain in the arse

There are people and then there are people ! Every company has its share of stars and then its share of people who are nothing but a pain in the arse. The sad part of it all is that while the stars know it the pain is never aware of their "status".  I find that strange coz such people should find it to be obvious. Its god damn written on their freakin face - "I AM THE PAIN THE THE ARSE GUY !"

Many of you know might not know but I screwed my career by not doing an MBA and opting for a role of a marketing executive in a small time granite company in Chennai (out of all places) for a paltry sum. There was no "marketing" though. It was basically a clerical job. The company that hired me could never have got such a talent for such a job at such a price. Hats off to their "marketing" abilities. Anyway, since the very beginning of my working career, spanning more than a decade now, (Phew....makes me sound old) there have always been that pain in every company. The pain's work is to spoil other's work and worse he/she gets away doing so.

In my current company as well there is this person who is getting on my nerves and deserves to be "stoned" to death, literally ! The person feels he is the natural "heir" to the throne and throws his weight around. His sheer attitude, language and mannerisms makes me want to rip him to pieces. This guy is the silent trouble-maker who is going to bring this company down, if left un-checked. I have heard from a few others as well about his attitude and have heard him talk bad behind the backs of many of things that are even un-related to the business.

If only the people at the wheel realize and throw out this pain in the arse. IF....the BIG IF !

Its people that make the decisive difference !

I've been working with this company since almost a decade. I've seen it through some glorious years as well as the tough last few. As we come out of the lull and head into a phase of strong growth our company is poised very well to get into the next league.

In our corporate presentation we have a film that states after all the info about quality, machines, etc etc. that "in the final analysis, its people that make the decisive difference". This was just another talk in thin air until very recently when the management finally decided that we actually need the "people" to make the decisive difference ! We struggled but eventually did hire several highly motivated people over the last several months.

With ever increasing workload its been very challenging for me and my team to take on the task on hand and come out tops. I am happy to see the spark in many. Its a pleasure to be a part of a hard working intelligent team. I am pleased to see our company on the right track gearing up for the growth that lies ahead.

Marketing guys have no hours

Work's never been as busy. Working hours have gone berserk.

I was never a person that complained that there was too much work. I have always been one to drill it in the head of my fellow colleagues that the work MUST be completed by the end of the day no matter how late it is. I do agree that being in marketing there is a lot more responsibilities riding on one's shoulders and therefore one has to put in a lot more time and efficiency. I enjoy being busy and get mentally and physically sick when there is nothing to do. I enjoy working late. Leaving the office late in the evening when almost everything is closed gives me a kick. A kick out of life and well.....a kick literally at home from my wife ;)

I realized a funny thing last week which I wanted to share. For a very long time I used to come back home from work at around 7 or 7-30 in the evening. My wife always kept telling me to come early. From the past few weeks I started coming back around 8 or 8-30. My wife was very angry and told me to come at least by 7 or 7-30. The whole of last week I came back at around 11 or 11-30. My wife was furious and told me that I should come early by 9 at least ! The definition of early went from coming before 7 to coming by 9 ! I know though that I cannot take this theory any further as I would surely be thrown out of the house !

Hire but wait before you fire

You're Fired. Donald Trump loved to say it and made a fortune saying it. However, these are two most feared words for an employee. I have fortunately never had to face such a situation but was unfortunate to be in Trump's shoes and putting across the same thought to a few employees, although much more mildly. 

I work in a mid sized company and love my work. I have been associated with this company since 8 years now. I have seen the business cycle thru the peaks and troughs. I have seen our company go thru uncertain times when all of a sudden the top management left as a bunch. I have seen our company come out un-scracthed thru that as well and come out blazing. I have seen the old horses make way for young blood. I have been associated in the hiring process all thru in my area of operation. I am very passionate about my work and expect my colleagues to be so as well. I push my team mates to achieve more and get on their nerves many a time. However, I share a great rapport with each one of them. They know I am more of a friend than a boss.

I sometimes disagree with the people we hire but accept that opinions do differ and we've got to make the most of the people we have. I put in a lot of efforts and time to try to make an individual an asset to our company. I feel very dissappointed when one isn't able to perfom on expected lines and is asked to leave. I urge our management to excercise restraint and give everyone a longer period to try and change. There are people wo have shown dramatic change after a year at work. Unfortunately, a few have also improved by leaps and bounds and then quit for greener pastures. That truly pisses me off. However, thats another fact that we have to accept. Off late we have been on a hiring spree. However, I dont see the kind of spark in the new guys. I hope for the sake of our company that they do pull up their socks and make amends. I am excited at the prospects of our organisation going forward and in turn the future of the new guys as well.

I hate to have to say the two dreaded words yet again. 

SRK is back....and how !

His name is Khan and he is certainly not a terrorist....he just happens to be the BIGGEST SUPERSTAR OF INDIAN CINEMA. He is the BADSHAH of Bollywood. He is Shahrukh Khan.

No review can ever do justice to the magic called My Name Is Khan. It is 180 minutes of superb wholesome entertainment. From the first frame till the last, the movie captivates the audience. The beautiful romance between the magical on-screen pair of SRK and Kajol is wonderfully captured and presented. The strong emotional moments have been brilliantly portrayed. The story effortlessly flows through various phases in the life of Rizwan Khan. Several scenes leave a smile on one's face and yet several leave a choke in the throat. Through all these little and big moments is Shahrukh Khan. He comes out tops with his portrayal of Rizwan Khan. He makes the audience smile, he makes them cry, he makes them believe in love, he makes them believe in the good. This is a career defining performance....a league of its own. Giving him company with yet another stellar performance is Kajol. Impaccable direction by Karan Johar makes this movie India's best shot till date at the ultimate award in cinema in the globe - the Oscar.

The beautiful theme of the movie about religious tolerance is a wonderful lesson that needs to be learned the world over. People are defined not by their religion but only by whether they are good or bad. In the Indian context it is very very sad that some Mumbaikars have chosen to disrupt screening of this masterpiece. This movie is ironically meant for such elements. If only they would go and watch the movie they would come out and repent at their intolerant behaviour. Things need to change in the world, in India. We all need to find ways to spread peace, find ways to live and let live. Go watch this movie TODAY. Go out there and relish every moment of the journey of Khan.


Goes without saying this one more than deserves 10/10 !!

Running and Spinning again.....and loving it !

Come 01st.of January and resolutions is what comes to my mind. For the last two years the resolutions have been to go for regular work outs at the gym. While I don't expect to convert the family pack to a six pack, I certainly expect to look at my feet without any obstacle !

Sadly, after a very successful two month work out last year I had to quit gymming on the advise of the physiotherapist. Why physio, you might ask. Even if you don't u've got to read it anyways. I developed a bad ache on my lower back and the left leg due to my travel and had to undergo physiotherapy. After the course I was asked to avoid gymming for a while. That break resulted in total discontinuity until the end of the year.

However, I'm back at the gym with a vengeance breaking all my previous records at the treadmill and the spinner. The sheer joy of sweat pouring out after a good workout is terrific. Using a very 'un-healthy' brand's tag for a very healthy cause - I'm loving it !

Go to the farm....in Hyderabad !!

On a lazy Sunday afternoon we were contemplating how to kill time and a small little leaflet caught our attention. It was a leaflet that was handed out at my daughter's kindergarten school a few days back. It was a place called Hobby Hub. It boasted of pets, plants, etc...not exactly a very exciting prospect for us. Nevertheless, we thought we'd take a nice little drive and spend 15-20 mins at the place showing our children a few animals that might excite them.

The leaflet had a well laid out direction to get to their place. It made it very easy to get to the venue in Nacharam, just outside the main city area in Hyderabad. We took about 20 mins to drive there. The entrance to the place was very small, almost like a hut. It gave the impression of being a very small place. We entered to the sight of a few children hanging around....some around a small little rabbit, some around a plant, some playing on a swing. We were welcomed by the owner, a simple smiling gentleman. He asked one of his helpers to lead us and show us the place.

We started off seeing the different kinds of

aquariums with the unique fish. We then were introduced to the different species of birds and rabbits and then entered the world of plants. This sight left us spellbound. We were introduced to a plant expert who walked us thru the various types of plants and trees they had grown in the vast area. With childlike enthusiasm we kept exclaiming at the wonderful plants. Seeing an green pepper plant in front of us was quite something. We saw banana plants, brocolli plants, papaya plants, tomato plants, coriander, brinjal, lettuce, red pepper. We also saw various varieties of plants with medicinal value. It was a terrific experience.

We also spent a good amount of time getting our hands dirty while taking a shot at the art or pottery....and did end up making 5 small pots for ourselves. This is a MUST DO at Hobby Hub. What started out as a 15-20 min plan ended up in an enriching 3 hour experience ! In the midst of all the pollution around the city this is a surely a hidden treasure.

2010 !!

I'm happy to be back on this page. Its been a while. To the millions of my wonderful fans I would like to apologize for this (unintentional) break.

What a year 2009 was ! Actually, that goes for every year. Every year comes n goes n yet we exclaim 'What a year' ! There were several highs in the year in different fields. It was a year when India gave a decisive mandate to 'Good Governance'. A year when the equity markets gave investors one of the best returns ever aggregating about 80%. A year when India became # 1 in the 'Real' (Test) cricket. Indian television scored over the box office. Reality TV trumped everything. IPL2 was a super hit, especially since the Deccan Charger delivered a class act from # 8 in the first season to # 1. Unfortunately, with highs come some lows as well. Andhra Pradesh lost a great leader in YSR. The state is bitterly split and on the verge of a collapse. Sex scandals involving high ranking police officials and even old time politicians came out in the open and shamed the entire nation.

For me it was a year of change though. A year when I was able to convince my bosses that I couldn't live out of a suitcase anymore. A year where my weight was directly proportionate to the sensex - went down the first few months and then no sign of reversal of the upmove !! The year ended on a high (literally). I realized what a great dancer I was....or was it the Vodka ;) I contemplated participating in Dance India Dance show but later backed out as the organizers refused consumption of alcohol on the show !

Twenty 10 - hope the year is as spunky as the way its pronounced !

A trip to rural India

As part of my job I get to travel all over the world which sometimes includes very small villages in India as well. Just the other day I visited the surrounding villages of Rajahmundry in Andhra Pradesh. The purpose of the visit was to have a look at some granite blocks at a few quarries.

Rajahmundry has a small airport as well which is very helpful in saving time to visit the nearby quarries. I then travelled almost 250 kms through the day before reaching Vizag airport for my flight back to Hyderabad. Through the day I came across a lot of people...interacted with a few and saw many. There is almost no infrastructure in the remote villages, no cars, no buildings just open fields, trees and fresh air. Unpolluted nature at its best. While I enjoyed the natural beauty I couldn't help but notice the plight of the people living there. Very poor roads made it a daunting task for people to commute from one place to the other. Areas where the population lived was extremely dirty with open drains and garbage everywhere. Small kids were roaming naked on streets. It always hurts to see small kids, especially, in such a circumstance. I kept wondering what sort of future is in store for them. What kind of life is this ? Why can't anything be done to make things right for those kids ?

I am constantly reminded at a beautiful one liner that I once read somewhere 'He complained about his shoes until he saw a person without legs.' We often take our luxuries for granted and never stop asking for more. We are never satisfied with what we have and always crib about what we don't. I hope and pray for a good life for everyone and hope a day comes when I travel across India to the remotest villages and see happy people in good living conditions.

Diwali makes me nostalgic !

The festive season is here. Diwali is that time of the year in India as Christmas is in the western world. People love to shower gifts on their loved ones; meet and spend time with family and friends; eat drink and have a great time.

To me the best times were when we were smaller. We had a firm called Jagat Pictures. It was involved in distributing Hindi movies in and around Hyderabad. The office was managed by my father, his brother, his cousins, his uncles, etc. In short almost everyone from the family was a part of the firm. Every Diwali there was a Puja at the office which was attended by every member of the family. Everyone came dressed in their best clothes. I remember playing with my cousins and running around before Motta kaka (my uncle) shouted at us to make us sit down for the Puja. It lasted for 10-15 mins. This was the time to listen quietly to the prayers to the Goddess of wealth to shower the firm with good luck and wealth for the next year. Once done with the prayers, everyone would stand in line and Mahendra kaka (my father's uncle), a towering personality, would co-ordinate with serving snacks to everyone. The menu remained unchanged for years, which was great coz it included Idli, Wada, Jalebi gathiya and upma with chutney, sambar, and kharam puri !

I loved listening to my uncles and father talk with each other. They made us all laugh. When all of them talked, people from nearby offices would think there is a fight going on. We are a very loud family.

Times have changed though. The size of the family diminished with my cousins heading out to different places due to their marriage, studies, work, etc. The movie business diminished due to extreme risks. Gradually all the partners went their own ways into different fields. Although there are still the Diwali get together, it never is the same. The people are less, the snacks are done away with. Interaction between everyone has become insignificant. Relationships continue to survive, love hasn't.

(Don't) Horn Please !

A while back an American customer visited our company. It was his first visit to India. Needless to say, he was quite take aback with the traffic and all the horning. He was amazed that there were no accidents. I called it 'organized chaos'. Horning in India is so common that trucks insist we horn past them.

Last week I came across a news item on TV which showed a person from Delhi who didn't horn from years. This habit of his rubbed off on his near and dear. He commented that not horning made him more patient and calm. He said people reach the same place at almost the same time whether they horned or not. Then why get yourself all worked up. Relax ! Initially, I thought it is impossible not to horn while driving in Hyderabad. The traffic is so unruly. People almost take pride in breaking rules. Driving is quite a task in today's Hyderabad. It is a traumatic experience.

However, that two minute news piece keeps ringing in my head all the time when I drive these days. I am making a conscious effort to avoid horning each time I would have otherwise. My effort has been an instant success. I managed not to horn a single time yesterday. Definitely, the first time for me that a day went by without hitting the horn. I feel very calm and composed when I do not horn and get hypered up with all the chaos around. I feel much less stressed coz of this. I don't think India will become horn free in the foreseeable future but hope the volume gets lower and lower as time goes by.

Indian vs US Air Travel

The airline industry world wide is going thru hell. Rising fuel costs, lesser number of travellers and what have you. However, what amazes me is the glaring difference between the United States' based airline companies and the ones back home.

The horror of travelling in the US begins at the check-in counter itself. The reps have some sort of an air as if they were doing us a favour checking us in. These days there are more number of auto check in kiosks than there are people checking in customers. At least the kiosks are more polite !!

Well...once your checked in you basically head into the long lines at security and are subjected to "a random search" by the airport security most of the time. I don't know how the "random" selection is done. However, I learnt, by personal experience that you basically get selected for the special treatment if you are from the sub-continent or surrounding countries. However, after years of travelling the security finally accepts that you are not a threat to the country and are not selected for a random selection any more.

You then head to the departure gate and board the plane to an artificially welcoming host / hostess who are called 'cabin crew'. Then begins the on board experience. Wow !! On flights that are even as long as 5 hours all that the airline serves are food boxes that could be bought ! They serve it with some soft drink / juice (which is thankfully free). For flights of a lesser duration forget about any food at all. They simply throw a minuscule packet of pretzel or peanut with a drink and thats it. A far away cry from the "Kingfisher Experience" !!

Cheers to the Indian Airline Industry for top notch service and providing us with a truly world class experience.

'O dear....O'Hare' !!

The monitor on Chicago's O'Hare International airport for my flight to Toronto read 'Delayed'. The time of the delay was a good 2 hours. To me this is just one of the hundreds of instances when flights into and out one of the United States' busiest airports, were delayed. I always assume that there would be a delay on my flight departing from Chicago. This assumption is based on years of flying out of this airport. I remember only ONE instance when the flight departed 'On-Time'. I'm quite sure that that was a mistake as well. Honestly !! The rest of the times flights were always delayed.

I just don't get it. How can an airport function like this? I love the city Chicago and love to come here. But I hate to transit this airport coz of these delays. I get to the final destination late, exhausted and frustrated with the experience. One more aspect of this airport is the baggage handling. You can be assured your bags would be misplaced on a connecting flight IF the connection is close (less than 45 mins apart). I have been unfortunate to have this happen to me a couple of times.

I have no complaints against the 'windy city' and actually love it. It is amongst my favourite cities in the world. Only, there must be someone who could do something about this issue at O'Hare.

The dreaded flight !

I have been fortunate to travel a bit around the world. However, as most frequent travellers, especially the coach travellers would know travelling in today's times is a punishment rather than fun.

I have been subject to the punishment over and over again in the last several years. The seats have become smaller, the leg space reduced, the meals lesser, the hostesses less friendly. I always try to get on a "Star Alliance" network airline which gives me special treatment due to the amount of business I have given them. However, on the current trip to the United States I was booked on Emirates. One of the sectors was a 16 1/2 hour flight from Dubai to Houston non-stop. This scared the heck out of me. To add to it I wasn't even assigned an isle seat (which I normally do with the travel agent to ensure some freedom in movement). At the airport check in, inspite of pleading with the check in rep I was informed that there are no isles available and that he would put in a request so the reps in Dubai would try and assign an isle when I reach Dubai.

I proceeded to the transfer desk at Dubai and came to terms with the thought of a cramped up middle seat and a screwed up flight. The agent all of a sudden took my boarding card and replaced it with a different looking new one. I thought it was another seat assignment and looked. After repeatedly looking to make sure I was ecstatic as I was assigned a Business Class seat. Yes !! A Business Class seat for a 16 freaking hour flight. All thru until the cabin doors were closed and the plane moved I was hoping that there was no mistake and no other person came up and took my seat. I was reminded of an instance of the same nature that happened a while back. However, nothing of that happened this time around and I enjoyed the flight in great comfort.

Bow down to MAGADHEERA !!

My brother, the great blogger, Kamal - http://www.kamaldshah.com/ had seen Magadheera within the first week of its release. This is by no means a small feat. To get a ticket of this super hyped up movie running to packed houses was an achievement. The next day on asking him about how the movie was, he remarked "Super duper colossal hit". Now, coming from an 'almost' Ram Charan Tej fan club member it was an obvious remark.

Anyways, considering that it might be a movie worth watching, even if not a super duper colossal hit, I opted to give it a shot. The venue this time was Prasads. The first scene shows the death of the great warrior 'Kaal Bhairava' and his love interest. Fast forward 400 years and you are in the present. Enter young and stylish RAM CHARAN TEJ. The movie breezily moves on with some light moments between the protagonist and the actress Kajal Agarwal. While this portion is very good what blows your mind away is the track 400 years behind where it is an out and out RAM CHARAN show. The entire scale of the movie is grand and does full justice to the 70mm screen. Full credit to the director to take a good movie and make it what it is.

This movie is truly a 'super duper colossal hit' and what makes it one is the mind blowing depiction of Kaal Bhairava by the fantastic Ram Charan Tej. He proves beyond doubt that he is the son of the MEGASTAR. Speaking of which, Magadheera springs up a surprise special appearance by the Megastar himself. This is another highlight of the movie. The one negative that comes across in this movie is the crudity of a few scenes. This certainly is an Adult movie strictly not for children.

There's no stopping this warrior from winning the hearts of its audiences. 8.5/10 for this epic !

Would u like it with ice cream ?

I have been a big fan of the Cafe Frappe at the popular Cafe Coffee Day since years now. The wonderful taste of this drink at this joint hasn't changed over the years. I used to be so regular at one point when I would simply call n ask them to keep a frappe ready while I would go n just pick it up without having to wait.

In recent times however I have cut down my intake of the frappe and rarely visit Coffee Day. There is one innovative sales idea that some empty head at Coffee Day has come up with. I placed the order of the usual Cafe Frappe and was asked -"Do you want it with ice cream?" As I had not been frequenting it often I assumed that there were some changes in the manner it is made. The usual frappe was made with two scoops of Vanilla ice cream, a little milk, a small portion of coffee and two sachets of sugar. As I surely wanted it to have the same taste I answered in the affirmative. When the waiter brought my frappe, I was surprised to see an extra scoop of ice cream on the top of my frappe. I didn't complain. However, I understood the ploy when the check arrived. Those scoundrels had charged 25 bucks for that scoop of ice cream over n above the cost of the frappe.

Once bitten twice shy! On each of my subsequent visits to Coffee Day I have been faced with the same question by the waiter. Now, however, I make it a point to tell them that I want THE USUAL WAY IT'S MADE. I do not want to tell them NO and end up receiving the frappe WITHOUT any ice cream at all.

Kambakht critics...

I just love it when the critics thrash down a movie left right and centre. This makes the expectation level rock bottom. This is what happened with Kambakht Ishq as well. As usual, this Akshay flick was hyped up tremendously. For the first time an Indian movie was show casing Stallone in a special appearance and then there was Denise Richards (no matter if 99.9999% of India didn't know who the heck she was in the first place). I, for one didn't have much expectations from this movie and expected it to flop miserably. My expectations seemed spot on with the kind of reviews the movie got.

One evening, my brother and I were just in a frame of mind to go for 'any' movie and ended up blocking seats for Kambakht Ishq at Inox. I was in two minds while leaving home as well thinking why are we going for a miserable flop. Anyways, the urge to see a movie was too great to change the plans. Firstly, I have to mention that I was very impressed with Inox, Hyderabad. The auditorium had a very rich feel to it, very unlike any other. The first frame set the tone for the movie with a spat between Akshay and Kareena. The entire (almost) movie has this as the central theme, unlike all movies when the central characters are falling for each other. There is an abundant dose of comedy throughout the movie. Some scenes are simply hillarious. Special mention for the best scene where Akshay keeps hearing the mantra in the background. It is outrageously funny. Of the 2 hours and 15 mins humour takes up about 1 hour and 45 mins. I don't care for the other 30 mins as I've already had more than my money's worth.

Tragically the makers were too obsessed in trying to get Stallone and Denise to have a part in the movie, which was totally unnecessary. This part of the movie turns out to be the negative (so much for the hype). The other negative is the music, which badly dissappoints. While all the central actors play there part, the crown should go to the script writer for the comedy which makes this movie a winner. I enjoyed myself thoroughly and wouldn't mind it a second time as well ! 7.5/10 for this one. Go for it.

The Hyderabad Auto Show

The first edition of the Hyderabad Auto Show was conducted in the Hyderabad International Convention Centre from the 17th.thru the 19th.of July. It was a perfect time for me as I am on the lookout to buy my car. Accompanied by my wife I went to attend the auto show on Saturday early evening to avoid the traffic later in the day.

We had a very poor first impression of the organisational abilities of the organisers. The cars were initially diverted out of the main gate suggesting that the parking inside the venue was full. I then parked my car about 1/2 a kilometre away. We then walked up to the gate and saw that cars were being allowed inside ! This started the irritation. I then walked back to the car and drove into the venue. We were then asked to park in a ground a little away from the actual hall and waited for a shuttle to take us in. There were no signs and everything was haywire. The shuttle drove thru a couple of narrow lanes with cars parked on the sides. We were asked to get off a little away from the gate and walk up. We then joined in a line to get in. It was so chaotic that people just got in the 'line' from just about anywhere. There were then no proper signs as to where to buy the entry ticket.

Inside the hall, the ambiance was much better, although crowded. What can one do....India has a population of 1.2 billion people. We strolled around and went thru the details of a couple of cars that we were interested in. People were seen taking pics with almost all posh cars. One of the big stars was the 'nano' which was thankfully (for the dealers) kept at a podium so as to not allow anyone inside, otherwise by the end of the show it would have been in pieces with the number of people trying to get a peek. The clear two competitors were Maruti and Hyundai with the biggest displays. After an hour in the hall we were done and headed out. The shuttle made us wait for a very long time and then took us back to the car park.

The lack of proper infrastructure to organise a big convention or show in Hyderabad is obvious. We need to have world class facilities to conduct a show in a manner which is thoroughly professional and acclaimed by the exhibitors and visitors.