DISILLUSIONED OR DEMENTED? TAKE YOUR CALL

I read this piece of news today which says: “Hindustan Motors Limited (HML), the makers of the good old Ambassador car in India, is focusing on SUVs and would be launching new SUVs in collaboration with Mitsubishi Motors.”

Well, I could not help but think what is wrong with Mitsubishi-HM after I read this news.

Is it that the low sales have disillusioned them and they are unable to think straight?

The two companies have an alliance for over two decades and are still lying at the bottom of the sales chart. And now they finally wake up, or so it seems, and make a silly announcement that they will bring in more SUV’s.

As there’s no point talking about the HM and Ambassador, I’ll jump to Mitsubishi.

A company which already has 4 SUVs in India – Pajero SFX, Pajero Sport, Montero and Outlander and only one sedan the Cedia (not considering the Evo as its a niche car) is talking about introducing more SUVs.

Of the five models that they sell here, 4 are SUV's and still they are at the bottom of the sales chart. So, how ill launching new SUV’s help them is beyond me.

And I have also read that they are planning to bring in cars like the Mirage and Colt.  

Though there is nothing wrong with new launches, but what’s the point if they are not going to meet the same fate as the Cedia or Outlander or Montero.

The company needs to look at the root cause of the problem. They need a major image makeover. Just because you are planning to launch new models does not mean that the Indian consumer’s interest in the brand will surge overnight.

Drastic steps and a major rejig are the need of the hour.

Mitsubishi immediately needs to break up with Hindustan Motors and pump in money to set up new dealerships and more important, much better after sales service.

Instead of focusing on SUVs, they need to focus on small cars and launch at least a three models—one to counter the Alto/Eon class, the second to compete with the likes of i10/Wagon R and maybe a premium hatch as well, but that can wait.

But the most important thing is to provide cheap spare parts and best after sales service and only then can they expect to enjoy the loyalty of the Indian customer.

DEAR SACHIN, PLEASE GET OUT OF THE TEAM

Seeing Sachin Tendulkar struggling against the English gives me a sense of Déjà vu. It reminds of the last days of former Indian captain Saurav Ganguly in the Indian cricket team. He too was fighting an Englishman by the name of Greg Chappel—the then coach of the Indian team.

The only difference being that Ganguly was fighting Chappel from outside the team as he had been literally kicked out by the coach while Tendulkar is still in the team. And this is all because of the image and the aura Tendulkar has.

No one has the guts to keep him out of the team when he is not in form. That is just way we Indians are. We believe in idol worshipping and for us cricket is a religion and Tendulkar is our god. But sadly, thanks to the last several outings of the ‘god’ spread over many years, I am happy to say that I have become an atheist.

The voices are growing across the cricket playing nations demanding Tendulkar’s’ retirement and I am with them. He is almost 40, does not have the stamina, confidence and focus that is required to play cricket today. It’s not the 80’s or 90’ anymore, with the advent of T 20, even test matches today have become result oriented and are exciting to watch.

Tendulkar averages 25 in the last nine test matches in 2012. Apart from a 76 in Kolkata in the last test match, he had not scored a 50 in the 10 innings prior to that.

All his peers have retired long back because of similar reason. But no, the ‘god’ won’t do it on his own and he knows that no one will ask him as well.

More important is the fact that youngsters who are warming the bench because of him are losing precious time to hone their skills. Talented youngsters like Ajinkya Rahane, Manish Tiwari have been reduced to water boys for the team.

Why can’t we Indian retire gracefully? Why do we have to be pushed out? There is a saying “quit while you are ahead’, its high time for Tendulkar to bid adieu to the game.

Surprisingly, Tendulkar was more than happy to retire from T 20 cricket when it came to the national team but not the IPL. Why? Simply because of money.

Tendulkar know that the day he leaves Team India, the endorsements are and multi-billion sponsorships are gone. So, to hell with the future of youngsters he will fill his coffers.

There was a time when for me too Tendulkar was god. The thought of an Indian team without him gave me the jitters. But I guess the Indian team today can easily play and win without him.

In a blog written many months ago on the crisis between Ganguly and Chappel, I had the same views that Ganguly should leave with his head held high as he had achieved a lot and had a glorious career.

Similarly, Tendulkar should quit. You have earned enough; name, fame and moolah and honestly you are doing more harm than good to the team.

P.S. Virat Kohli had said after the Indian team lifted the world cup that it was a tribute to Tendulkar for his years of service to the team. Well Tendulkar should have respected that sentiment and if not then should have retired after he hit his 100 hundreds in March this year gracefully. What more does he want?

WHY NOT MAKE REAR FOG LAMPS MANDATORY?

This is an issue that has been perturbing since a long time and sadly there have been no major developments that would calm my nerves in the past many years. It’s the issue of rear fog lamps.

With the winters setting in, I think rear fog lamps are perhaps one of the most needed equipment in any vehicle be it a car, truck, scooter etc.

Now my friends from south India may not share the same sentiment but at least in all of northern India like Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand etc., the dense fog, year after year, wreaks havoc especially on the motorists.

Be it early morning or night driving, fog is your worst enemy on the road in winters and every year several motorists, passengers and even pedestrians lose their lives because of this.

Now what irritates me is that why can’t the government formulate a stringent policy on cars having rear fog lamps at least, those sold in north India, the way it was made mandatory for four-wheeler drivers to wear seatbelts or helmets for two-wheeler drivers.

And why can’t car makers on their own do this? I know many cars have rear fog lamps but why can’t all of them have it?

Moreover, there is an idiotic trend that I have observed the top variant of a model will have a fog lamp but not its poorer base variant. For example: Maruti Suzuki Swift, Mahindra Xylo etc.

Now I wonder what the logic behind this is. Does a Swift Ldi/Lx has a Titanium boot covered with Kevlar??? Does it not deserve to be protected with a 100 rupees lamp because the owner won’t shell out that extra cash for some alloys or sunroof?

I personally drive an ANHC that was launched in 2009. In its tail lamp assembly there was an enclosure for a fog lamp but no bulb in it. Why? How much a pair of bulbs would cost you Honda? On top of it, the recent facelift has left the city without any rear fog lamps. Bravo Honda.

I am a Delhiite and I used to travel on the Delhi-Gurgaon and Delhi-Noida expressways often last year and trust me, driving in that thick fog was like hell.

On top of it several drivers would have their blinkers on—another idiotic trend which is a nuisance but people are comfortable with it. Surprisingly, even the Delhi Traffic Police in one of its advisories on facebook last winter had written: “Thick fog, drive with blinkers on.”

And so many people slammed them for their lack of knowledge and spreading wrong information. The advisory was removed from the site after a few hours.

Finally, I would end this post with another IDIOTIC TREND – that of car makers putting those silly LED daytime running lamps which frankly speaking are there only for cosmetic purposes.

DRL’s are required in Nordic countries where sometimes the afternoons are dark. But in an attempt to ape the west and just to look cool, these lights are becoming so popular that Philips has introduced DRL strips in the market.

I just read on Autocar India’s website that the i20’s top versions would be getting these LED daytime running lights. Common sense is so uncommon.

REMEMBERING THE CONNAUGHT PLACE FLOWER MARKET

Last week, I was driving down Baba Khadak Singh road early in the morning and as I passed the Hanuman Mandir I gazed upon the vacant space that was once home to a wholesale flower market in the heart of the city. Until, it was shifted to Ghazipur earlier this year.

So, I dug deep and retrieved this piece that I had written in 2010, remembering those good old days when every morning that half a kilometer stretch of tarmac was an ecstasy for the senses—with God on one side and colourful, fragrant flowers on the other—both complementing each other beautifully.

The fragrance of roses and rajnigandha fill the air as temple bells ring in the background. A trip to the flower market in Connaught Place is an overwhelming experience for the senses, with the pavement sellers doing business worth lakhs of rupees every month.

The Hanuman Temple flower market commences business at around 5 a.m. and closes at 9 a.m. It is India's biggest wholesale cut-flower market and has been around for 20 years, claim shopkeepers.

Sellers set up temporary stalls outside the Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation (DTTDC) coffee house, put up for sale of flowers (fake and fresh), ferns, decoration items, beautiful bouquet baskets et al.

According to the shopkeepers, there are over 200 varieties of flowers in the market.

Kiosks selling coloured sprays, ribbons, decorative tapes, fancy wrapping papers, scissors and other things complement the flowers.

The market exports flowers worth lakhs of rupees every month worldwide especially to countries like Russia, Holland, Japan, Bangladesh, Pakistan.

Apart from the wholesalers, the market was thronged by several Delhiites hunting for a bargain. A carnation which used to sell outside for Rs.15-20 could be bought there for a mere Rs.5 making the deal irresistible.

THE DEADLY CASE OF MISTAKEN IDENTITY!

I found the above picture doing the rounds on the internet. It symbolizes Sikh-Muslim unity in the wake of the a bloody tragedy that shook Sikhs in Oak Creek, Wisconsin when a redneck American entered a gurdwara and opened fire on the devotees killing six and gravely injuring three, including a police officer.

Wade Michael Page was wounded when a police officer shot him in the stomach but the FBI said he subsequently died from a self-inflicted gun shot wound to the head.

So, about this picture, I am all for Sikh-Muslim-Hindu-Christian-Jews-etc.-etc. unity but the fact remains that many Americans just do not know the difference between a Sikh or an Afghan. The beard and the 
turban is all that they see. For them the two are the same.

There are abundant cases post 9/11 where Sikhs were killed or racially abused by Americans because of mistaken identity. If they would have known the difference, I am sure many lives could have been saved.

The sad part is that even Hollywood or the American film industry is in a way adding fuel to the fire by not differentiating between the ethnic groups which are so different in their culture, language etc.

I can site two examples here. 

In the movie Iron Man 1 a Jehadi terrorist group kidnaps Tony Stark aka Robert Downey Jr. aka Iron Man and holds him captive in a cave in Afghanistan and surprisingly the Jehadi leader talks in Hindi or Urdu whatever. WTF??? No Afghan would ever talk in Hindi or Urdu. 

Secondly, in the popular TV show Scrubs I once saw an Indian Sikh portraying the character of a Turkish doctor. This ignorance is surely not bliss.

This clearly shows that they can't differentiate between an Irani, Iraqi, Afghan, Turkish or Indian.

However, to some extent they cannot be blamed completely because if you are walking down the road in downtown Pahar Ganj and you see a group of white backpackers, would you be able to tell, by just looking at them, who is a Britisher and who is a Russian? or for that matter a Chinese or Japanese. Absolutely Not!

But the fact is that the worst that can happen with a white here is that he may be fleeced by an auto-rickshaw driver or robbed—petty crimes-- but a Sikh who is understood to be an Irani or Afghani, from the land of Osama Bin Laden can have serious consequences.

And here lies the problem, instead of educating the west that Sikhs and Muslims are different, such pictures will further confuse them. But it has to be done in a way so that it doesn’t appear as if Sikhs are okay with Muslims being killed if in return their lives are spared.

Sikhs are brave, we all know and majority of Muslims are peace loving people. However, it does not justify someone getting killed because of a silly case of mistaken identity.

These pictures may look good on Facebook or the newspaper but will no way help the Sikhs.

However, on the flipside Page was no country side redneck chewing tobacco and playing the banjo. He was an army veteran and definitely knew that Sikhs are Indians.

He suffered from severe case of white supremacy, a neo-nazi he was. He played for a band called ‘End Apathy’ that in its songs warned the browns, blacks, Asians, Hispanics in short everyone who was not a white that “they all would have to pay for their sins.”
  

In a nutshell, he was a nutcase.

All said and done, there will be some who will argue that minorities should remain united and together but frankly, this is certainly not the way to go about it.

  

  

RAMZAN: FEASTING AFTER FASTING IN JAMA MASJID

Feasting after fasting from dawn to dusk, shopping for Eid or just catching up with friends, it’s that time of the year again when the old quarters of the city come to life during the holy month of Ramzan.

During the 30 day period that culminates in Eid, apart from the fasting, Muslims are required to pray and abstain from negative thoughts to purify the soul. The early morning meal before the fast is Sehri while iftar marks the end of the fast after sunset.

As important as it is to fast during Ramzan, it is equally important to have a nutritious and healthy diet before and after.

Specialties like Khajla, (round bread), Pheni, (spiral crusty cakes) and sheermaal (sweet buns, usually served with butter and jam) are prepared during Ramzan, providing the required energy without wreaking havoc on the digestive system.

Khajla and Pheni are made in desi ghee and soaked in hot milk overnight. At the time of consumption, sugar is added to it. Some also like to add dry fruits.

People usually go to bed after eating the sehri, so the meal should be light and digestable, therefore Khajla is a staple meal across several homes.

Apart from those fasting, there are several non-Muslims from across the city who throng the walled city every year during Ramzan for Khajla.

Markets around Jama Masjid, are all decked up and bustling with crowds. The excitement is palpable as you enter one of the many lanes leading to the 17th century historic mosque, decorated in yellow lights.

Post iftar, the markets and streets are abuzz with some out for shopping and dinner, while others to meet friends over a Banarasi paan.

Nearby popular eateries like Karim’s and Al-Jawahar restaurant do brisk business as families throng them for dinner while youngsters, especially those on a shoestring budget head to the several kiosks lined outside these restaurants, grilling all types of meats.

Mutton seekh kebabs, shammi kebabs, chicken tikkas, fried chicken etc. usually served with rumali rotis and with a generous amount of mint chutney, chopped onions and chaat masala, a meal for two at any of the dozen kiosks is just around Rs. 150.

For those having a sweet tooth, there are abundant shops and kiosks selling rabri faluda, kulfi, jalebi, phirni (kheer) or kesar, badam milk.

Apart from gorging on the succulent kebabs and spicy curries, shopping is another highlight during this period.

From Lucknowi Chikan suits to fancy sandals and imported cosmetics, women throng the several clothes, footwear and cosmetics shops in Chitli Kabar, Matia Mahal and Meena Bazaar.

 The men folk meanwhile, hunt for kurta pyjama/salwar kameez, skull caps and sandals, many of them preferring Ballimaran market.

THE DARK SIDE OF BODY BUILDING

Till a few months back, my 28-year-old neighbour was jubilant as his parents had finally gave him the nod for an inter-religious marriage. The wedding was in late 2012 and preparations were on full swing for the sagan which was scheduled to take place in July had to be postponed because the groom to be fell ill and had to hospitalized.

A week later while the doctors were still trying to diagnose the cause, he died… months away from his marriage.

The news left our neighbourhood shocked and the family traumatised. However, the only thing that overshadowed the young man’s death, was the cause—anabolic steroids used for body building.

Though, people spoke in hushed tones, it was clear that the deceased’s liver had been severely affected by the steroids taken over a period of six months as he wanted to impress his bride.

Sadly, according to experts, an ever-increasing number of physique-conscious boys and men are taking anabolic steroids to buff their bodies for several reasons like an aspiration to join showbiz or just to impress the other sex.

Having a toned body is a fad nowadays for youth and because of this, the number of youth taking supplements are on the rise, said a senior consultant at a prominent hospital in south Delhi.

Meanwhile, the premium as well as affordable gymnasiums around the city are leaving no stone unturned to promote these steroids due to the huge profits. The gyms are more than willing to provide the steroids if you have the money.

A popular gym in west Delhi suggested capsules, a box that would last around three weeks for Rs.5,000, which would "burn fat and turn them into muscles in a month's time."

Another gym in south Delhi suggested shakes that would increase stamina, resulting in longer workout sessions. Questions on side effects or withdrawal symptoms were simply ridiculed.

But are all people so dumb that they would risk their lives for some doley-sholey?

Well, in several cases especially involving teenagers, steroids are given by trainers in the garb of health supplements as they produce dramatic results. So, fake supplements mixed with steroids are promoted.

With good quality protein supplement priced anything between Rs.3,000 and 4,000 for a 2.5 kilo pack, the copy of that same product is available in the grey market for around Rs. 1,000. The huge margins of profit are more than even the gym fees.

The solution, experts feel, is to urgently spread awareness on the issue as not many who suffer due to steroid abuse come out in the open as it is embarrassing for many to admit that they wrecked their kidneys or liver with steroids because they wanted a muscular body.