Auto Component Manufacturers-Flying into the aviation...

Every second day of my SIP goes into either making a new article or correcting the same. In this time of recession we see the automobile sector on a very low ebb.We are seeing low demand for the auto components from Europe and America. Therefore the auto components sector in india are spreading their wings into the defence and aviation sector. Some companies call it reducing risk by diversifying business and some others call it innovation. whatever it is it the component sector which is benefitted.

Introduction

A number of auto component manufacturers are foraying into the aviation sector. The main reason we see companies into the aviation sector is because of the uncertain nature of the automobile sector at present. They are diversifying their business to reduce the risk from being in just one sector. Why the uncertainty? We will see as we go further into sector. The shift to the other sectors according to ACMA (Automotive Component Manufacturers Association) is to utilize the idle facilities and increase its supply channels. Entry into the aviation sector seems to be a good idea because it a synergy exist between the aviation and the automobile sectors. There is a good mix of engineering and manufacturing expertise available with auto component makers and they have taken advantage of their existing capacity to cater to the needs of the aviation industry.


Factor for entry into Aviation

For Indian auto ancillary makers, getting into the aviation and defence space has many advantages as gross profit is much higher than the typical 10 to 12 per cent in the component business. ACMA also stated that manufacturers were facing the risk of rising input prices and idle facilities due to slowdown in the auto sector. Catering to aviation sector can double the profit margins on components that are supplied to the auto sector and there could be a jump of 5-7 per cent as the auto component manufacturers are catering to customized products with specialized usage. Component companies are trying to insulate themselves from the cyclical nature of the automobile industry and are tapping the high value aviation business.


Companies making entry into the Auto Sector

"We are looking at partnerships with various Indian companies for different aircraft components. So watch this space," --- Ian Thomas, president, Boeing India.

Companies that have made headway or are planning to enter the fray include JB Auto, Lumax Industries, Caparo Fasteners, Lakshmi Precision Tools, Bharat Forge, Lucas TVS, India Pistons, Helical Springs, Caparo Engineering and Shriram Pistons
Auto component manufacturers and tyre makers are making the first quiet moves into an uncharted area — components for aircraft manufacturers. Cashing in on the low cost of skilled labour, a clutch of companies like Maini Precision Products, MRF Tyres, Pune-based Minda NTS, and Sundram Fasteners are taking the first tentative steps to supply to the big world of aviation. Meanwhile, MRF, India's largest tyre manufacturer, has taken the first step by making tyres for helicopters used by the defence services. Pune-based auto component manufacturer Ashok Minda Group’s has tied up with Australia’s NTS Tooling to set up a venture. The company is unwilling to share details of the tie-up. But a spokesperson said, “The new facility, apart from providing services in design and manufacture of high-quality precision tooling for the automotive industry, will cater to the aerospace and defence sectors.” NTS has two decades of experience in these sectors.

JBM Group, one of the leading supplier to auto giants like Maruti Suzuki, Honda and Tata Motors, is gearing up to be a supplier for the aviation sector. It has been learnt that the company has already started building passenger trolleys for airports. Lumax Industries, an automotive lighting solutions company, is conducting a study on the high-precision aircraft lighting market. Tata Automobile Limited (TAL), a 100 per cent subsidiary of Tata Motors, has firmed up plans to build structural components for Boeing's 787 Dreamliner aircraft. One of the country's largest engine pistons manufacturers, Helical Springs, has received bagged orders to supply compression springs to the Indian defence forces.
Indian Machine Tools Manufacturers' Association has stated that it is developing and assembling machines for Hindustan Aeronautics and have huge orders from the aerospace industry to make customized machinery applications for making structural components
JBM Group, which is a major supplier to Maruti Suzuki, Honda and Tata Motors, is gradually moving to aviation and has also begun supplies to the white goods sector to keep its bottomline intact. This has been a depressing time in the automobile sector with some segments posting negative sales. Component makers are directly dependent on automobile companies as from its total Rs 65,000 crore market, around Rs 43,000 crore worth of procurement are directly done by OEMs (original equipment manufacturers). But the slowing economy has slammed the brakes on the industry’s growth, forcing component suppliers to rethink future plans.
This estimate excludes the nearly $2.4 billion in offsets that come to Indian firms from Boeing Co. and Airbus SAS for the passenger planes they sold to state-run National Aviation Co. of India Ltd, or NACIL, which runs Air India. Boeing has committed to sourcing $1 billion worth of goods in 10 years from HAL, besides planning a repair facility for Air India in Nagpur. Airbus has awarded HAL a Rs340 crore deal to buy around 1,000 doors for its A340 planes, besides committing to source more doors from the Indian plane manufacturer.


Reasons for global Slowdown

The big fall in sales of automobiles in the US and Europe has impacted Indian component suppliers. The economic slowdown there is compelling vehicle manufacturers to cut production and cut back on parts sourced from India. The Indian suppliers are experiencing a 20-30% drop in orders. The company has been experiencing the slowdown at its plants in Germany since August, says a top official from Sona Okegawa, part of the Sona Group. The company acquired German conglomerate Thyssenkrupp’s business unit in January this year to become the world’s largest precision forgings supplier. The Rs11 billion company Wheels India, which supplies to companies such as Volvo, Komatsu and Caterpillar, say that that decline in truck sales have lowered its overseas schedules by 20-30%. The decision of European and Asian carmakers such as General Motors, Ford, Daimler, Nissan, Toyota and others to cut down production in view of the global meltdown, is likely to affect the Indian auto component industry.

The auto component industry fears a winter of despair as ACMA, or Auto Component Manufacturers Association, has made recommendations to the government and wants a two-three year bridge policy to help them survive the global economic crisis. The body recommended that the customs duty on key raw materials should be reduced to zero. It also said there should be no disruption in ongoing and approved funding by banks for capex requirements. The government should take immediate steps to shore up liquidity and should evolve special loan schemes at concessional rates of interest.


Threat from China

Auto component manufacturers in India bet that they have an edge over others in manpower skill, but we see that passenger carmakers appear to be keen on investing in China. The US-based Delphi Corporation, for instance, has shifted more than half of its operations to China, despite sourcing some critical automotive components from India. Domestic auto component manufacturers contend that India would emerge a winner in the long run. But where exactly is the country lagging at this juncture? Is China a threat in this space? The strong rupee has made imports cheaper and a trend where imports are growing ten times faster”\ than exports is evident. But the industry is most fearful of China, from where most imports have been coming. The last two years have seen a growth of 87 per cent from China, which has crossed Rs 1,200 crore.
A cross-section of foundry industry sources concedes that China has an edge over India both infrastructure-wise and raw material-wise. "They can produce castings at 75 per cent of our cost. But, then, the industry enjoys Government subsidy. According to foundry industry sources, the Chinese bank on American and British technology, while the Indian advantage is skilled manpower, particularly on the castings side. Though they have no idea of the prevailing cost of power in China, they maintain that the electricity charges account for one-fifth of the production cost in the foundry segment.


A view from Bharat Forge-World largest forging company

With India buying large number of aircrafts, which includes wide-bodied aircrafts like the A380, Bharat Forge is very bullish on the new venture, which would include high-value, technology intensive products. This would be further boosted with many global manufacturers looking at off-site programmes from countries like India and China to source components. Though the off-site trend in the civil aviation industry has yet to catch up, they see it gain pace by the end of the current calendar year. While Boeing has already initiated it, others are likely to follow suit. The sector offers huge untapped potential, as there are very few players globally supplying forged and machined components.
Known as the auto-component hub of India, Pune has upped the ante and staked claim as the new backroom for aerospace engineering. The city-based Bharat Forge Ltd (BFL), already a global player in the auto-components sector, is setting up a Rs 350 crore Centre for Advanced Manufacturing at Baramati in Pune district. The plant will have forging capacity of 30,000 tonnes a year, manufactures 1 lakh machined crankshafts and engage 1,200 workers. With global aviation majors Boeing and Airbus looking to source components from India, Bharat Forge is all ready to board their vendor list. The plant, scheduled to start commercial production in April 2008, is targeting a turnover of Rs 350 crore in the first 18 months.
This is how China built its own civil aviation industry — BFL chairman Baba Kalyani. By using the offset programme and technology flows that come with it over 15 to 20 years. Bharat Forge will start with structured parts and landing gear while aerospace engine parts will come next.
The Baramati plant will have one of the world’s largest closed die manufacturing capacities with an 80-tonne hammer, which can produce pieces that weigh 2.5 tonnes each and are 4.5 meters long. “The best we make currently is 350 kg. So the new plant will make eight times bigger products.


Airbus on Growth prospects in India

Airbus also sees an opportunity to sell A380 and A350xwb aircraft in India. The feeling is that Indian carriers will also increase their share of international traffic to and from India from 35 per cent to at least 50 per cent. The fact is when you look at the global aviation market we see that India and China are going to play an increasingly important role. In fact, if Airbus is ramping up its production capacity, it's largely to meet anticipated demand from India and China. The A320 family, which is the aircraft of choice for many Indian carriers, has seen production boosted from 32 aircraft a month to 36 aircraft a month and Airbus are thinking of increasing capacity on the A330/340 line as well to meet demand. Aviation giants, especially Airbus from Europe and some big companies from the US are looking at sourcing components from India due to the low cost offered by component manufacturers in India.


EADS-in India

European aeronautics giant, EADS, had to obtain clearance from the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) to source goods and components from India. The multinational has been allowed to source components for its subsidiaries as well as other companies across the world. EADS India required FIPB approval as it would source components from small scale sector. These components, including those sourced from small scale units, are intended to be supplied in the international market as well as India. However EADS required specific clearances for investment in subsidiaries. The FIPB has also stipulated that the company should not undertake the manufacturing of arms and ammunition or any other defence sector activity. For any activity related to defence, space or civil aviation, the company should obtain sectoral approval.
France-based EADS has a major presence in the Indian market through Airbus and Eurocopter. Its subsidiary, EADS India, will be providing after-sales, maintenance and Upgradation services to Indian customers. In India companies like ISRO, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), Air-India, Indian and private airlines like Kingfisher and IndiGo, are its customers. The company's capabilities in India include Airbus; ATR, EADS EFW, EADS Socata; EADS Astrium; Eurocopter; Military Transport Aircraft; EADS Defence & Security Systems. EADS has offices in New Delhi and Bangalore.


Conclusion

The growth of automobile component sector manufacturing automobile components is in its nascent stage, there is a lot of scope for improvement. The automotive component manufacturing companies have taken a few small steps in the right direction. This takes, for instance, between two and three years of investment and certification of equipment and personnel before orders trickle in. You need to invest long term. Though currently we see a slump in various economies the world over, this is just a passing phase with growing population the demand is set to increase. The aircraft manufacturers like Boeing, Airbus are set to increase their production and planning big time into sourcing components from India. With better quality of products than China, India only have a big advantage.


References

http://www.indiacar.net/news/n59129.htm
www.wheelsunplugged.com/ViewNews.aspx?newsid=2764
www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1244889
http://avindia.blogspot.com/2009/04/auto-parts-firms-fly-into-aviation.html
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Auto/Auto_Components/Auto_spare_makers_eye_defence_aviation/articleshow/3382118.cms www.business-standard.com/india/storypage.php?autono=313972
http://www.india-today.com/btoday/20061231/current3.html
http://machinist.in/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=223&Itemid=2
http://www.screenindia.com/news/bharat-forge-to-set-up-aircraft-parts-plant/29803/
http://www.business-standard.com/india/storypage.php?autono=313972http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2008/01/01/stories/2008010150990400.htm

Tax and legal structure-A stumbling block for logistics in India

this is an article on the logistics sector in india submitted by me for the first evaluation with a hope of getting it published which i think will happen but not in my name..............sorry for the bad editing here not much time to make it perfect
hope it is nt bad to read

Synopsis

This article mainly deals with the legal and tax structure which is big hindrance to the logistics sector in India. These hindrances and procedural delays lead to an inefficient and ineffective warehousing system. This article will gives us an overview of the tax structure, legal procedure, the cascading effect due to tax and regulations and most important of all corruption the biggest problem plaguing the logistics industry.

Introduction

38% in raw materials purchasing and packaging, 16% in manufacturing, 7% in distribution, 30% in sales and marketing and 5% in net profit, so what are these percentages we are talking about? These are the amount of money a business process pays as taxes at each and every step of operations. Here we would like to concentrate on the first three processes majorly as they deal with logistics part. Here we see the multitude of taxes that a company got to pay for the same product from procurement till the sale of the product.

Logistics is an extension of the transportation system with emphasis to achieve a effective and efficient distribution system. There are various decisions that need to be made in an efficient logistics management say: product design, location, warehousing etc, but there are certain rules and regulation that govern these logistic service players in India. The objective of the article is to explain the implications of legal and tax procedures on logistics in India with special emphasis on transportation. The face of logistics sector in India is set for a sea change, when it comes to services India is already a world leader. When it comes manufacturing India is lagging far behind China but the scope of growth is very high. The number of third party logistics payers willing to enter India is very high but somehow the complicated procedures make life difficult for them in conducting their business process. As we move ahead we would look at the tax and legal aspect that govern the logistics process, the problems of corruption which plague the transportation sector, some new thought process put into place by the government which might prove beneficial for the service providers in the long run.

Tax structure in India

All these years a differentiated tax regime had been the bane of any business process in India. To explain each state had its own tax structure which made the process of setting up a business in one state different from setting up a business in another state. Taxes in India are of various kinds and various rates. The effect of applying so many taxes and with bureaucracy in India there are so many procedural delays that affect the working of the logistics service providers in India. There had long been calls for a national tax regime, now with the application of Value Added Tax the design of services that logistics companies in India provide would see a sea change because all intra state taxes would be neutralized and we would have one single common tax. The states too competed with one another by offering tax concessions for location of manufacturing or warehousing facilities. Therefore we need both the central and the state governments to work together on finding a solution to the problems. Having a differential sales tax structure brought in diseconomies of scale, though VAT had been implemented from 1st April 2005 failure to implement it throughout the state bought has seen that the problems related to tax exist even today. Other than this the logistics players have to face numerous other taxes, octrois, check posts, harassment by officials and due to this we have delays and high costs of operation. Value Added tax was introduced in India in the 1980s where every stage from manufacturing to consumption is taxed to the extent of value added in the stage. Before VAT was implied the taxes was collected at one single point and it was possible to evade taxes at a few places. It has taken 25 years for VAT to be completely implemented, the disadvantages of slow implementation has been companies have had to set up a large number of warehouses throughout the countries in order to escape the intra state taxes or the central state taxes. This has lead to an inefficient distribution system and not warehouses at strategic locations which would cut down cost and increase efficiency in the system as a whole. Despite implementation of VAT states find new ways of earning revenue. New ways of collecting money in the form of levy, rates, and cess are taken by the state governments. State sales tax for e.g. are levied in a state in diverse forms. When we go into much detail the state sales taxes are much more complicated than the wretched excise duty on manufactured products. There are so many plethora of other state taxes like Octroi in Maharashtra “as the saying goes why cut the hen that lays the golden egg” the Maharashtra government tends to ignore the call for abolishing the Octroi because for the Mumbai city alone it earns a whopping 4500 crores for the Birhanmumbai municipal corporation. Maharashtra is probably the only state where Octroi is applied to the whole state but different places in Maharashtra have different rates so it makes it even complex for the logistic service providers. Place Tax rates + processing charges for Octroi of .25% Mumbai 4.75%

Thane 4.25%

Pune 7.25%

Chinchwad 2.75%

Nasik city 4.25%

Adapted from http://www.frizair.com/

Then there are various taxes on the vehicles like tax on use of roads, ownership of vehicles, purchase of vehicles, usage of vehicles, entry tax into states and different motor vehicle tax structures in different states. This makes it even more complicated for operations in the country.

Cascading effect

Cascading effect is the main reason why the companies these many days asked for uniform tax structure. Let us take an example we have a finished products the company has to play the sales tax on sale of the finished goods, sales tax paid on raw materials, service tax paid on transportation and sales tax is levied on all taxes paid in the previous steps. The same thing happens with the logistics industry so they end up having about 20-50 distribution centers all over the country so as to avoid the cascading effect. This is actually a very high number when we compare it with the developed countries and China. This make up for an inefficient and ineffective system.

The Legal Regime

The legal regime is as complicated as the tax regime if not more. The plethora of laws that govern the system make it as much confusing. In India each state considers goods from other states as imports thus you have state government laws along with the laws enacted by the central government. The major sufferers in the logistics side are the truck operators as most of the laws are there to control them. The major areas where the truck operation are regulated are the quantity, quality, safety, price, labor, environment, regulation of brokers(they mainly arise due to corruption), regulation of axle load. This majorly related to the truck carriers and their operations. There are so many checkpoints and long queues at these checkpoints that make it tedious for the truck drivers, then there is the problem of corruption which I would touch upon in the next segment. The other regulation is the regulation of goods i.e. what kind of commodities is carried from one state to another. A commodity transferred may be a single commodity or a multiple commodity from a single from a single supplier to single receiver or multiple suppliers to multiple receivers. The problem here is a truck may contain a commodity which might be banned in one state but not in another thus the supply of other good is delayed. Most of the provisions in the regulatory regime for the consumer is unrealistic and difficult to follow. The trucking industry in India is also highly fragmented as they are completely unorganized the prices for the trucks are decided by a few players who form an unorganized cartel and the prices are decided. Logistics to third parties are soon becoming a solution with a large number of foreign players entering India but the legal structure for their entry is not really conducive. Types of permit for incoming and outgoing of goods in some states
states goods coming in Goods moving out Uttar Pradesh Form 31 Form 49 West Bengal Form 42 Form 48 Punjab Form 24A Orissa Form 32 Rajasthan Form 18A Form 18B (Data adaptedfromhttp://ashish.scm.googlepages.com/MicrosoftWordConceptPaperonGSTImple.pdf) Apart from these there are rules for good passing through the state like Form 51 in Rajasthan

Corruption in the trucking sector

According to a report by Transparency International India ranks 72nd in the list but with the trucking industry alone making upto 80,000crore it makes the index feel superficial. How many of us with motor vehicles or passenger vehicles have been caught by the cops and taken to the side and had some money frisked from us. It is no different to the truckers either for every kilometer they travel on a average they have to shell out 70 paise per kilometer. A rough estimate would to bring it to about an annual estimate of 80,000 crores. This is the extent of corruption in our country in the trucking services alone so when we get deeper we see corruption is one deep quagmire of problems for the logistics industry. The RTO and police authorites are the biggest sources of goodnesd trouble as they are the main enforcement agencies. The amount of forced stoppages that the truck drivers make takes upto 11 hrs of their time and this leads to delay in arrival of shipments. The amounts of harassments that the drivers have to face from the officials are one of the major irritants. Such attitude shown on the part of has seen the truckers engage the brokers for getting their work done from renewal, issuance of permits, truck permits, fitness certificates etc.

Conclusion

According to a world bank report released in 2007 India ranks 39th in global trade logistics, but for a major developing country don’t u all think it is pretty low. For a major so called developing nation 39th position is not a proper reflection that is to be given to the outside world. In India the average hours travelled in a month is around 250 hours whereas in Europe and America the average is around 800 hours, this leads to proper inventory management maintenance. The article was to bring forward the facts regarding legal and tax procedures in India which haunt the logistics players in India. The amount of procedures they have to go through to set up business and then follow the rules so tedious so as to dissuade any of the honest enforcers.. How application of VAT will help is an interesting point to see, hopefully the logistics players are definitely seeing light at the end of the tunnel. The confusing tax procedures atleast seem to end the legal procedure too should follow suit soon so as to make comfortable for a lot of players to enter the market and make it a more organized market.

References

Adaptations from www.frizair.com

A text book on logistics and supply chain management by G.Raghuram and N. Rangaraj

Private equity in shipping transportation & logistics in India, Vishal Sharma, Tuscan Ventures

Outbound logistics and local taxes, Janat shah & Balram Avittathur

http://ashish.scm.googlepages.com/MicrosoftWord-ConceptPaperonGSTImple.pdf

The Role of Transportation and Logistics in India: Emerging Issues and Prospects-Dr.S.Sriraman

JUST FIVE

i just thought about typing down few and very few memorable events of my life till now.....surprisingly i had a few despite the sick luck i take with me....here are just 5 memorable moments of ma lyf which i think i njoyed

1) the first one has to be my winning the quiz with Anand......walking down the aisle with with around 5K ppl watching you in one the biggest school fests in that i have witnessed in Chennai was a surreal feeling. just a lil disappointed that i cudnt team up with him for much longer


2)this is defintely my favorite moment ever .......i got to see someone i simply didnt think i would see in flesh and blood. one single man who answered to the name of Boris Becker had come to play in the Chennai open and the mad hysteria surrounding him was simply magnificent. the mad sporting buff that i am made me book a ticket for his match but unfortunately it happened to be the quarterfinal where he lost and i was simply awestruck just watching him live and i can assure you when he lost there wasnt a man in the stadium who wasnt disappointed and many even left the stadium with moist eyes including yours truly...............FOR ONE FULL WEEK "KING BORIS RULED CHENNAI" it was boom time.

3) Another favorite was during the engineering dayz when we organized a musical fest for charity in our college called "PRERANA" ....sole objective was to raise money for an old age home to put up a solar water heating unit at the home......we felt this is wat we could do to support them.......the amount of joy that one cud see on their faces wen we set it up was overwhelming........a beautiful moment.....hope the main protagonists JOB, CHARAN and SUMIT are doing pretty well....
4) again engineering and it happens to be my third and fourth year and with plenty of memorable and funny moments ....will neva 4get the shimoga trek (thanks for carrying me nachu) nor the prabha bashing thanx to hari ..........i just wish we could have been closer all the four years.........i miss u a lot guyzzz....hope we all get together one daythot will take all ya names.........yashu, chethan, reddy,swamy, dongre,shamanth, giri, vivek, hari, charan, nachu,sunil, nitesh and sorry if i have missed any i am growing old u see bad memory


5) this sounds vague but it is moment which i had, have and will be having in the future.......a visit to the sea...........the marina in chennai has alwayz been a spot which has been close to me either with friends or alone ..............sometimes when i stand in front of it i wonder how miniscule we are....... we ppl are nuthin compared to the sea but still we try to control it...the vastness simply overwhelms me everytime i visit the sea....dont wanna sound too philosophical

these are the few memorable moments of ma lyf......had some more and might have in the future also but these will forever be in my memory

LANCE IS BACK..........................

 for me the name lance armstrong alwayz gives me goosebumps.........not that he won the TOUR DE FRANCE seven times ...ya he did win the toughest race in the world a record seven times but for sheer determination in coming back from dead and sitting on the bicycle again is why he is a champion.

        

                A man who was destined to be a world champion was diagnosed with cancer in 1996 (testicular cancer.to be precise)    The survival chance being as low as 5% the disease by the time detected had spread to his brain abdomen and lungs but through sheer determination and will power he made it through. when doctors said he was dead he rose like a phoenix from the ashes.

 

               taking treatment for cancer is not easy, the treatment itself is very painful, but it showed the mans will power to go through pain. These features of the man would always showcase during the races when he would leave opponents for dead in the critical moments and that is where the man stood apart. The part of the race which would be tough for opponents would be a piece of cake for him.

 

  Some say he was superhuman, some say he did it on drugs which i am sorry to say was never proved and can never will be hopefully..but who cares just that he came back from dead and rode again probably is an inspiration for so many cancer people around the world. Not only for cancer people also for all of us because he showed what will power and determination can do.

 

                why did i think about writing about him............when everybody thought he had retired in 2005 for a peaceful life and taking forward his lance armstrong foundation which probably is doing one hell of a job, what do we hear............the MAN is back on the cycle again .............cant keep him off the seat i suppose .......he is back for the tour de france 2009..... will the worlds toughest and the most dangerous race take a toll on his body or he is still the same super human only time will tell.

   

                 Come july  whatever happens at the champs elysee, Paris ...whatever the final result is...... LANCE ARMSTRONG would go into the history books as one of the greatest ever which is for sure not just for cycling skills but also for something he gave to millions of people ...............      a magic 4 lettered word called ..................................................................................................................

 

HOPE

 

to visit the foundation

 http://www.livestrong.org/site/c.khLXK1PxHmF/b.2660611/k.BCED/Home.htm 

mickey rourke

the gentleman on the title happens to be an actor and in news recently for winning the best actor performance in both GOLDEN globes and the BAFTAs......and now is front runner for the oscars....i was pretty much surprised when he won the globes because i kept thinking brad pitt was gonna win it for " the curious case of benjamin button"...then happen to see "The Wrestler and then found that he defintely gave a good performance and why he is the frontrunner for the oscars .the best thing being a boxer himself probably helped him give a good performance..... the fight for the best actor is defintely between brad pitt and mickey rourke but stranger things have happened at the oscars in the past......dark horse is for sure frank langella for " frost-nixon" one of the top performances the past year.........may the best man win

FOOD STREET or THINDI BEEDHI

how many of you people have known about a street known as food street existing in bangalore, yes a small street say about 200m dedicated wholly to food. A visit to the street is a must for every enthusiastic foodie. i decided use my free time (i am alwayz free) for a visit to the place .took a bus from metro and stopped right on the doorsteps of the street at VV puram.
the entrance of the street has two shop one the famous V.B.bakery famous for its bun butter at rs 7 with a lot of important clientele from the city and vasavi condiments. most of the shops from here dont have a name and reason being escaping taxes.... then begin the number of dosa shops which sell different variety of dosas from the simple dosas to the length long paper dosas. the copious amount of ghee and butter that is put on the dosas would make a health freak tremble but who cares. i hear weekdays itself has lots of crowd weekends you got to elbow yourself through..
There are shops that sell the famous akki(rice) roti again large amounts of butter involved.....you have indianised version of chinese foods as usual like noodals(that was the spellin there) then i had memories of mumbai bought back to me when i saw shops making dhabeli a snack made with PAV and some masala which was my evening snack everyday in mumbai they also have vada pav, pav bhaji and other chaats items.
then a corn shop cart and a mechanism which i saw for fanning the charcoal which would have made doctor vishveshwaraiah proud ironically he was selling it right under Dr.Vishveshwaraiah's statue, but i just felt it was costly but for the taste i gave in.
A visit to food street would be incomplete without a visit to Shivanna Gulkand center probably the most photographed man in the street is the owner of this shop and his unique icecream mixed fruit butter gulkand i have heard they sell about 500 plates a day i.e is quite an amount for a street that opens only for 5 hours.....i think i just gave a view of the street visit to know about it .... mcdonalds or KFC may be cleaner but not tastier.....next time you decide on a visit outside for food give food street a thought but there are some warnings i would give
1) dont take a health freak with you
2) order limited if u wanna try everything
3) dont worry about cleanliness
4) go in groups so the end result would be cheaper
5) the groups should not include killjoys who give gyaan abt health concerns

defnly the place is worth a visit
happy eating

INDIA HAS A GRAND SLAM TENNIS SINGLES CHAMPION

so people is the title lookin weird an indian winning a grand slam tennis singles title so when did roger federer or rafa nadal become indian. nope not them but we did really have YUKI BHAMBRI winning the junior singles championship at the Australian open thereby becoming the first ever indian to win the australian open. Another beacon has been lit in indian tennis when the question rose after LEE& HESH who ? .........the class with which he toyed with his opponent in the final was worth watching. not seen any indian dominating his opponent in this manner in a long long time....hope he carries his tennis to greater heights and hope to see him holding the senior australian open some day

happy tidings
AK

WHAT IS WARDRIVING?

wardriving........any idea people what this is.....even the technology nut who writes poor comments in my blog will not know it ...am i right nut?

wardriving

Wardriving is the act of searching for Wi-Fi wireless networks by a person in a moving vehicle, using a portable computer or PDA.(source wiki)

this term has become famous because of the mumbai police drive to go around the metropolis looking for unsecured routers and poorly protected connections. the terrorist attacks in mumbai in november where partly blamed on the google maps. it has revealed that terrorists had hacked a tourist’s computer in order to send an email shortly before the attacks.

mumbai police calls it an awareness campaign, the police officials will educate people on the security stuff of Wi-Fi networks. and they will visit schools colleges homes to check out on the unsecured networks.

here good luck to mumbai police in their door 2 door policy but i personally think that they are deviating from what they actually need to do

also thanx to mr.krishnakanth for bringing this to light

EPL top ten

after 21 rounds of matches completeing this week i thought i take a stock of the situation in the EPL
going from top to bottom
1.LIVERPOOL
surprises of surprises they are heading the table at present but the draw at stoke did not help them.great teams are those which would steamroll their lesser opponents and fight against the top teams..hope it is year of the KOP.stevie gerrard has been great nice to have torres back too and they would expect goals galore again..the midfield has done well with xabi alonso and mascherano in good form
2.CHELSEA
with the team that they have at their disposal nothing but a 10 point lead should have been at the moment but the form ofchelsea has been very very inconsistent this season. their problems are they have been bad at home but outstanding away ..its at stamford bridge that they are usually at their best .....the match at trafford against man u might not have boosted their confidence any more but to win they would have to have a great last 17 matches
3.MAN UNITED
they are 5 points behind leaders chelsea with two games less played and it looks their season is back on track ......after a less than an inspiring start the engine has started to roll again and i think its time to see them back on top of the league...they have done without their so called superstar that idiot ronaldo not hitting top form of last season..... i love seeing berbatov score goals and hoping to see many more frm him
4.ASTON VILLA
this was suppose to be arsenal's place what are my personal favorites doin here .....yes ppl the villains are here and in line for a champions league place .....if they have one thing that other teams don't is pace ..not any pace but terrifying pace specially on the flanks with jaimie milner and ashley young...and not to count out gabriel agbonlahor..gareth barry in the midfield pulling the strings.....martin o neill has done a great job with this side ....they are winning with last minute goals but who cares they are winning right....go villains
5.ARSENAL
they are in trouble not being in champions league will be a disaster for arsene wenger...they are a young side but some good experienced players in jan wud not do them any harm....it is just that they shouldnt lose any more player....flamini and hleb were big losses last season.....fabregas out with injury is another huge setback.
6 EVERTON
another team which after a bad start has slowly recovred to be in top six a they look like they are going into UEFA cup again mikel arteta when on form is probably the best player in the EPL
7 WIGAN
after fighting off relegation last season they are in the top ten this season and proving to be a very tough team to beat. this shows the amount of work that steve bruce has put into side and goals amr zaki and maynor figueroa are helping their cause
8. HULL 9.FULHAM
who expected the newcomers to be in the top eight this season.....they started as if they were in a hurry to win the championship they have gone off the boil but a top ten finish would be a great result...fulham have exceeded themselves this season they have been brilliant away from craven cottage with a stunner against the gunners
10 WEST HAM
what can mr.chelsea zola do at west ham they have been hot and cold this season but they are still in the top ten and that i think is a good result


as for the rest here begins the survival scrap...the gap between 10 and 20 is jus 5 points with newcastle at 11 with 23 points and west brom at 20 with 18 ......top teams are in trouble tottenham are still in the bottom three.....big money players man city are struggling for form
blackburn are in trouble too sunderland look to hve overcome the loss of roy keane..newcastle blow and fall...boro are on a free fall bolton look tough.....portsmouth cant lose any more players stoke are pulling above their weight west brom look set to go down.................................................... cant wait for an exciting round of 17 matches to come in the next four months ..................who will take the top prize liverpool after a long hiatus or will sir alex rise again.....does chelsea have a title in them this season lookin forward to an exciting 17 weeks of EPL

NAISSANCE 09

naissance was the fest conducted by SDMIMD at dharwad conducted on the 8,9,10 of jan i happen to reach the venue only on the 9th with my partner for the business quiz .............the previous nite i heard frm my other teamates was a rocking one........the college with the scenic background of chamundi hills was a breathtaking site......the prelims of the quiz was in the evening and we sailed through it easily we were quite confident dat we were in the finals.....in the evening we had a brilliant cultural show culminating with a rock show from a band called chilli potato who were good...........
the final was conducted on the 10th it was tense affair for the 1st three rounds with IBS bangalore and TAPMI affair thou there were 6 teams in the final it was a two team affair ......it was jus dat they manged to get their noses in front ....and they took home the honours ahead of us .............but good news for IBS was they took the overall championship
a special mention has to be made for the organizing commitee at SDM for their brilliant organization.......hospitality floored us .....the effort that they put in was rewarded ....the support that they got from college was great too...........i hope IBS u take lessons from them in how to create a brand image ......u need not go for walks around bangalore to create a image with an offer of bloody 5 marks..............if i get an offer asking which coll is better for admission i would defintely go for SDMIMD...........
signing off
AK

this for some ppl who get irritated with my posts ...............i am sorry 2 those people i am not a creative genius and i dont intend to be one...... it is jus some interesting part of my daily life good or bad that i keep writing about......i cannot write in fantasy stories or poems..... probably a review of some interesting happenings thas it

OM blood sucker

mr jaydev have mercy on us we r humans do i look inhuman in any way......... a test on the bloody whole syllabus and a project on which we really dunno wat to do.......i have not touched the book and i don't think i am going to touch it again till the exams i am having a wonderful time doing wat i am doin right now(what am i doin?) .......

nilesh is askin me to call up mr.jaydev and ask him to cancel the test...... if anybody is interested then the number wud be posted ......is anybody interested in taking up the offer

FIVE POINT SOMEBODIES(can be read as some bodies if u like to make sense)for others(u wont find this word in any lexicon)

i dunno how people get inspiration to try out new things when the exams get nearer.....this is the story of 3 five point somebodies who happen to be roommates in a flat............everyday these five point somebodies decide that they have got to start studying but the start neva happens and i dont think it wil happen in the near future......... UNITED WE SLEEP UNITED WE FALL is their motto ........MORPHEUS has taken permanent residence in their eyes .....a*******(sorry for foul tongue)he hasn't paid the advance too and doesn't plan to leave too soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooon either........ if ever there was a competition of sleepin in a group u doubt who would win...... as i am writing one of them is sleepchatting(another word for the oxford) the second is reading, sleeping, talking, chatting on the net, singing,not 2 forget eating and wat not..........the third..................................obviously is typing ................hoping for a new dawn tom and a change in their daily lives with further episodes of the..........five point somebodies

END OF THE DAY

thou it is too early to call it the end of the day ..............but i dont think i had an interesting day as it was a holiday for me dats is y i decided to bring it to a close............early morning it was face of the house owner i had to see.............wat a start???????? after more than a bright start it was to the bank for makin a DD to pay up the advance to the owner........with my roomate ...the one who says that he knows me for one year now but still doesnt spell my name correctly .......and bcoz of dat i had to spend an xtra hour lookin at those lovely faces in the bank.............after that it has all been my way sleepin. sleepin and more sleepin......with some odd disturbances .................less than an interesting day
another day in the life of AK passes

A SOLEMN PROMISE

I PROMISE FOR THE UMPTEENTH TIME I WILL WRITE REGULARLY ON THE BLOG

.....jus sum1 if possible remind me that i wrote this sentence

BRAVE MAN

after some serious stuff i come into a news from cricket which ought to give some goosebumps to serious cricket lovers. Graeme smith ought to be the bravest man in south african cricket right now. to come out to bat as a last man with a broken hand to contend with and a chance to draw the match with 10 overs to go.... boy it must have been painful
the people at the SCG must have had a tingle down the spine when they saw mr smith walking down the stairs with a bat in hand and actually delayed the process(australian win) by another 27 balls had he managed to pull of a draw in the company of ntini then he would have been a hero.............but for trying he is a hero
WELL DONE GRAEME SMITH FOR THE BRAVE EFFORT and CONGRATULATIONS for winning the series against australia ......and also the man of the series

WAT A SHAME

I couldn't have made a return to blogging on a more appropriate date. 7th of jan 2009 will go down in the annals of indian business as one of the most shameful in its history with many thanks reservered for mr. ramalinga raju and SATYAM. All the respect that the IT industry has earned over the years went up in smoke. creating artificial cash balances and reserves served what purpose GOD knows. what happened with satyam was very painful and must serve as a warning for the all the major IT companies, not IT alone but all the major companies in INDIA
In 2004 mr.raju was seen as a villain by north americans but now we see him as as villain too. the governance of the company has been a total failure. now we don't know what chain reaction this is going to lead too and how many more skeletons are there in the cupboard.
a message to all the investors around the world this satyam case is just an isolated one satyam is not the IT industry.....there are good honestly managed comapnies...this just represents one company and one person.
iw ill end up here but hope the repurcussions are small and not mighty we are already loaded with problems we don't want anymore..........