CARING ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT: VIENNA'S GREEN HOTELS

Meals prepared from locally sourced organic ingredients, hybrid cabs for guests, solar panels that produce electricity and water drawn from a well are some unique features on offer by the 'green hotels' of Vienna as they cash in on the global concept of eco-friendly hotels catering to the growing number of tourists conscious of their carbon footprint.

Over the last few years, the historic capital of Austria has seen a sudden spurt of green hotels and their numbers are increasing every year owing to a similar surge in the number of aware travellers from around the world who make it a point to stay in such places, officials said.

The many hoteliers of the city - one of the country's nine federal states with a population of around 1.8 million and known for its captivating architecture, rich culture and diverse cuisine - are leaving no stone unturned to earn the bragging rights for going green.

And the tariffs are just around 5-10 percent more compared to a conventional hotel.

Some of the innovative techniques used include water pipes running through ceilings and floors of the hotel rooms so that when hot water passes through, the room automatically becomes warm and there is no need for electric heaters.

Some hotels also provide electronic scooters and bikes to guests to explore the city and thereby reduce their dependence on petrol guzzling cabs.

The Best Western Premier was completely renovated in 2013 and thus made it the first among the few hotels in the city to fulfill the European Centre for Allergy Research Foundation (ECARF)-standards for allergy friendly hotels.

The original edifice built in 1989 now focusses specially on serving organic food. The hotel has also received the Austrian eco-label for its eco-friendly and sustainable concept.

And taking the preference for organic products to the next level is Hotel Daniel Vienna which not only has a vineyard but also a bee keeping facility inside the hotel complex in the heart of the city.

Apples, tomatoes, cucumbers, pumpkins and herbs of every kind which are used to make home-made herbal oil are grown in the front lawn of the hotel while the hotel's roof is used for bee-keeping.

So, if you are headed abroad for a vacation this summer, be sure to include Vienna in your itinerary and contribute your bit towards the environment.

MODI: THE ROCKSTAR OF INDIAN POLITICS!

Now that the verdict's out and Narendra Modi has created history by leading a party that has won a clear mandate in the general elections after 30 long years, here is a look at one of the many aspects that has helped Modi to connect with the masses.

I closely observed his first public address to the people Vadodara today, a seat that he won by a margin of 5.70 lakh votes. Modi is one of the few politicians who has the gift of connecting with masses, banter with them and also speak on serious topics like the country's economy and defence.

It comes natural to him unlike his so called competitors like former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress Vice-President and his closest rival Rahul Gandhi and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal.

In a country of diverse cultures, languages and traditions, you have limited resources to woo the masses from different regions. If you are a good orator, half of that job is done and Modi, I believe has a god gift talent os speaking well.

Here is his Vadodara address:

The sounds of hooting, clapping, whistling and sloganeering resonated in the air as Narendra Modi, all set to become India's 14th prime minister, met with rockstar adulation here as he delivered his first speech following BJP's impressive victory in the Lok Sabha poll.

As soon as Modi, who is also the chief minister of the state, made an appearance on the dais, the massive crowd began chanting 'Modi, Modi' and continued for at least a couple of minutes before Modi urged them to settle down with folded hands.

All through his speech that lasted for over half an hour, Modi thanked the voters, talked about the hard work that his party workers had put in, discussed plans to bring about change at the national level and in his trademark style, joked and bantered with the audience much to their amusement.

Ten minutes into his speech, Modi turned to his right and asked some of the people, standing in the corner to move a bit so that those standing behind them could see him speaking.

"Those who are standing there in the corner move a bit so that the other can see me properly," he said as the crowd cheered loudly.

"Wherever I am, I know what bothers you," he added as the cheers turned into applause and whistling followed again by a round of slogans praising Modi.

On at least a dozen occasions all through his address, Modi was interrupted by the charged crowd. And despite his repeated requests even with folded hands to keep calm and allow him to continue, the crowd rarely paid heed.

Finally, at one point Modi asked the crowd with a smile on his face: "Shall I speak, do I have your permission?"

As the cheering supporters settled down, Modi thanked them and carried on, only to be interrupted again a few minutes later.

But obviously Modi wasn't complaining as the repeated interruptions adulating him only brought a smile on his face.

The BJP is poised to win all the 26 seats from Gujarat with Modi returning with the highest ever parliament victory margin of over 570,000 votes. 

TIMELESS VIENNA!

Sitting in one of the many street cafes, sipping hot espresso in between bites of a sacher torte (Viennese chocolate cake) while listening to a violin being played in the background is perhaps the perfect way to spend an evening in surreal Vienna, which takes pride in its laid-back culture.

The historically-rich capital of Austria is one of the country's nine federal states and is home to around 1.8 million people and boasts of palaces, monuments, cathedrals, parks and vineyards. It's a city where Gothic, Neo-Gothic and Baroque-styled churches and houses stand tall besides contemporary glass-tinted shops and buildings.

Every corner provides a photo opportunity.




Vienna also boasts of world-renowned museums and art collections, one of them being the Kunsthistorisches Museum that houses the world's largest collection of paintings by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, a Flemish Renaissance painter and printmaker known for his landscapes.The other renowned museums are the Belvedere and the Leopold in the MuseumsQuartier.




A stroll around the city is akin to journey back in time to the city's imperial past.

The highlight, of course, is the Ringtrasse, a circular boulevard of over five kilometres that was constructed in place of the old city walls that were razed for expansion by emperor Franz Joseph in 1857.

The ring has grand buildings and manicured gardens on either side. A leisure walk is a must once you've treated yourself to one of the cafes or built an appetite.




Also known as the 'City of Music' Vienna has 50 theatres, including four opera houses, and once hosted renowned composers such as Wolfgang Amadeue Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven, to name just two.

The influence of such legendary musicians is evident from the fact that the city has a vibrant culture of street musicians. It's common to see them playing instruments like the violin and guitar in the market squares every evening.

The posh first district in the old city is the most sought after address and is thronged by tourists and locals alike. It is a shopper's paradise with boutiques of all major international brands while the winding cobble stoned streets add to the romance of a long-lost empire.

But there's no mad rush of shoppers or club hoppers at night and instead, a sense of calm prevails in the popular market places, where the shops usually down shutters by 7 p.m.

Among the popular markets of the city are Naschmarkt, the city's largest and which offers a mix of Viennese and international specialties.

A flea market blossoms every Saturday, while for groceries, spices and cheeses from across the globe, the Rochusmarkt is the place to head to.

From glitzy fashion brands to second-hand goods at a flea market, the choices are spoilt for shoppers.The many cafes and restaurants that remain open till late keep the atmosphere alive and a major contribution comes from the street musicians.

Many cafes have the traditional exquisite window displays like a prancing horse or a replica of a monument - all made of sugar.

The hot apple strudel served with either whipped cream or vanilla sauce and the sacher torte are a delight for those with a sweet tooth.








The amalgamation of history, music and good food that Vienna offers is, indeed, a feast for the senses.

REVOLUTIONISING INDIAN FARMING WITH ISRAELI TECHNOLOGY

Vertical farming, drip irrigation, soil solarisation etc. were terms that mystified 40-year-old farmer Deepak Khatker till a few years ago.

But thanks to the Indo-Israel Centre of Excellence for Vegetables in Gharaunda, Karnal, Khatker today uses the once unheard methods and skills to earn a hefty profit for his crop by a manifold increase in the production of his yield.

Situated 145 km from the state capital Chandigarh in Gharaunda, the centre opened in Jan, 2011 and is spread across six hectares of land, built at a cost of Rs. 6 crore by the Indian government. It was set up following the signing of the Agriculture Cooperation Agreement between India and Israel in 2008.

Experts from Israel visit the centre regularly and organize free training sessions for farmers, teaching them ‘protective agriculture’ and expand their crop yields while using fertilisers and water optimally. The experts also visit the farms personally if needed.

In addition, corporates and professionals are also taught ways to produce quality vegetable seedlings at a nominal fee.

I got a chance to visit the centre on Feb 28. Initially, I was a bit skeptic about the whole “goodwill of Israel” and “Indo-Israel friendship” statements by the officials that were repeatedly being thrown at my face.

But once I interacted with the locals and saw the technology and its benefits in person, I returned a happy man for my country’s farmers will see happier days ahead if this project is successfully implemented all over the country.

Khatker, a resident of village Sheikhpura Khalsa, a few kms away from the centre had traditionally grown wheat and barley in his fields but the techniques he learnt at the centre convinced him to give vegetables a try.

Of the over seven hectares of land that Khatker owns, around three hectares is currently being cultivated for vegetables like cherry tomatoes, seedless cucumbers, brinjals, coloured capsicums etc. using Israeli techniques.

The production is four to five times when compared with other farmers not using these technologies, said Khatker.

At present there are 10 Centres of Excellence for vegetables and fruits with a special focus on mangoes, pomegranates and citrus fruits. By 2015, the number of centres will increase to 28 and deal with flowers, bee keeping, dairy as well.

S.K. Yadav, project manager of the Gharaunda centre said that over 60 farmers, not only from Haryana but from states like Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and even Tamil Nadu visit the centre daily and last year over 16,000 farmers received training at the centre.

For 50-year-old Bijender Phor, another farmer from Khatker’s village who has been gradually making a shift from growing grains to vegetables, the centre is playing an important role in transforming the lives of farmers.

Methods like vertical farming help saves space on the ground by growing the crops vertically while drip irrigation save almost 90 percent of water. These methods are revolutionary, he said.

Though the concept of ‘protective agriculture’ is expensive as it requires setting up of green-houses and poly-houses for protective farming, drip lines, machines etc., government subsidies have ensured that interested farmers are not hesitant to take the plunge.

The government gives 90 percent subsidy in installing drip irrigation as well as automatic irrigation system for the crops, while for poly-houses there is 65 percent rebate.

Bhor and many others like him are now selling their produce directly to chains like Mother Dairy, courtesy the Centre of Excellence which provides the retail chains with the list that contains the name of farmers, their contact details and the crop they are growing so that the chains can contact them directly without leaving any room for intermediaries.

The centre is also improving the quality of seedlings by providing valuable feedback to seed companies.

It tests the samples of seedlings by growing it and then displaying it to the farmers. The feedback along with steps to improve the seedlings is then sent back to the companies.

GET YOUR CLEANED AND POLISHED WHILE AT THE MALL!

It was a lazy Sunday afternoon when a couple of friends landed at my place unexpectedly. Their demand? Drive us to DLF Promenade Mall (in south Delhi's Vasant Kunj) and feed us Nando's peri-peri chicken.

I happily agreed because I had never been to Nando's and always wanted to try their chicken but not before ensuring that they would pay the bill in return of chauffeuring them to the place.

Forty minutes later we entered the underground parking and as soon as we got out of the car a man with a booklet approached me offering "waterless car cleaning and polishing."

I wasn't interested at first but after he provided the details and the price, I decided to give it a try.

The service included:

** Interior panels dusting and cleaning with a wet wipe followed by a polish.

** Seats and mats cleaned with a wet wipe but no polish applied.

** Exterior body cleaned with a soapy spray followed by polish, all small scratches removed with a special spray.

** Tyres and alloys cleaned with soap and polished.

All this for just Rs. 200/-

Front tyre before

After

Now I know that not everybody has the time for this because you go to a mall to eat, shop and have fun not to get your car cleaned.

But I stayed back for just ten minutes till the guys were doing the interiors. As soon as they were done, I locked my car and left. (My friends had in the meantime managed to get a table in the restaurant which was bursting at seams as it was a Sunday afternoon)

And if you are thinking that what if I don't like the job once I return?

Well, you get a receipt of payment which carried the number of the company. If you are not satisfied, call them up and just give them the pillar number near which your car is parked and they will return with their sprays and polishes to make you happy.

I actually tried it, just to check and they did come within 5 minutes.

Overall, I was thoroughly impressed with the work they did. It was money well spent.

I have never come across a similar service at any other mall in Delhi.

Honestly, I would be heading to Promenade more often now as it saves my time of spending hours at a service station because first you need to visit the place, then wait for your turn and then to get the job done.

P.S. The peri-peri chicken was scrumptious and so was the Portugese lemonade. 

LIFE WITHOUT SOCIAL NETWORKING!

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In the last over 20 days, I have had no access to Whatsapp or BBM or Facebook or Twitter or E-Mail on my mobile phone thanks to Arvind Kejriwal’s Janata Darbar, held earlier this month where a pickpocket  stole my precious BlackBerry Bold 9900—one of the few phones that I really loved.

As my hunt continues for a new phone (Iphone 5 being the top choice) the last three weeks, I have survived on a five-year-old Nokia C5, lying in my drawer unused.

Though it supports internet and Facebook,

I am sure it’s not meant for surfing the net or posting pictures etc. on FB.

With access to just phone calls and SMS, the first few days were chaotic. Sun-consciously, I would pick up the phone to check for BBM updates or a Whatsapp message but only to realize that I no longer had the “privileges.”

I felt helpless. No group chats on Whatsapp, no awesome games, no daily dose of news from Twitter and to top it all no check-ins on FB when out with friends.

Suddenly, the life had become boring. I felt like I was not connected to the world.

But as they say, there’s a flipside to everything, this situation, that was forced upon me by the blessings of Baba Kajriwal and the Aam Aadmi read thief, there were some upsides as well.

I had developed a habit of checking my phone at regular intervals for any updates. Borderline fidgety I would say. That gradually faded away. I was calmer than before.

No e-mails meant that when I left office, work was the last thing on my mind until I went back the next day. 

Because, official mails kept pouring in all day long and even at nights—as I work for a 24-hour newswire.

The best part though was the battery life. I am charging it ONCE and I repeat ONCE EVERY TWO OR THREE DAYS. Can you believe it?

Since the advent of smartphone, we’ve simply forgotten how the earlier phones would continue to run on and on without needing a recharge. My BlackBerry needed to be charged twice everyday and from what I’ve heard, the Iphone needs it even more.

But at the end of it all, after these three weeks, I’ve had enough of this serenity and calm. I guess we all are dependent of social networking and vice-versa. We are hooked to it like a drug.

And, just like a vacation to Mussoorie is a welcome break, in the end you do have to return to your home, your office, your routine life.

A SULKING GOEL: BJP's BANE AHEAD OF DELHI POLLS

President of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) state unit, Vijay Goel has changed post Oct 23 when the party elected former state health minister Harsh Vardhan as Delhi’s chief ministerial candidate instead of him.

Although nothing was official, but everybody had assumed that Goel would be the CM candidate including him. He had started campaigning actively and was visiting even the smallest districts of the city.

But the announcement left him shocked and upset.

A miffed Goel then threatened to resign from his post if Harsh Vardhan was selected as the chief minister but had to comply with the decision following orders from the party high command.

Days later, BJP leader Rajnath Singh said that Goel had “accepted Harsh Vardhan's candidature” and that all was well in the state unit of the party.

But that was not to be.

The once feisty Goel hardly smiled and seemed disinterested. The situation was made worse by reporters who were now more interested in getting a quote or a byte from Harsh Vardhan instead of Goel.

Meanwhile, as the countdown began for Dec 4, instead of intensifying his campaigning as party president, Goel restricted himself to just holding press conferences in the party office and issuing press releases.

The party then directed Nitin Gadkari to take over and do Goel’s job.

In fact, in one of the rooms at the party headquarters, where press conferences are held regularly, there is a hoarding of Goel in the background and some party workers had asked senior leaders to replace it with a new one showing Harsh Vardhan and Goel together.

But the party turned down the proposal as they knew that would aggravate the matter.

Similarly, in the party’s manifesto, Harsh Vardhan and BJP’s the prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi were shown prominently while other national and local leaders including Goel got little space.

Days later, Goel’s close aide—Ashok Goel contesting from Model Town came out with a manifesto for his constituency which had prominent pictures of Malhotra along with Goel, Rajnath Singh and Modi.

This time Harsh Vardhan was in the background along with other leaders.

It is evident that Goel is not quite comfortable in the presence of Harsh Vardhan and that is why he is seldom seen alongside the chief ministerial candidate leave alone talking or discussing issues with him.

In the wake of the party announcing names of its 62 of the 70 candidates Nov 6, supporters of some leaders who did not get a ticket protested at the party's state headquarters.

The workers of one such candidate-- Sarita Choudhary, mayor of the South Delhi Municipal Corporation, stormed the conference room in the party office and broke a couple of chairs as they raised slogans and climbed atop tables.

Instead of tackling the situation together, Goel along with party leaders Vijender Gupta and V.K. Malhotra fled the scene while Harsh Vardhan, left alone to fend for himself was heckled by the crowd.

The only saving grace for the BJP, according to party members is that Harsh Vardhan is a non-confrontational leader.

Meanwhile, there is also a belief amongst many, that Goel is largely responsible for the situation he is in at present as he wanted to set up a parallel structure in the party with his own people and this did not go down well the high command.

Assuming that he would be the CM candidate when there was no official declaration was just one of the many slip-ups and his wings had to be clipped.

Now it would be a matter of great interest to see if this infighting will hurt the party in Dec 4 assembly polls, the results of which will be announced Dec 8.