I recently received my Vodafone bill for the month and was shocked at looking the monthly charges which were higher than the usage charges. I recently converted myself to a Blackberry user and have a Blackberry plan from Vodafone. Previously I used to have Vodafone Mobile Connect wherein I used to pay Rs. 250 every month for the same. Now once I moved to Blackberry, the VMC plan became defunct and it was not automatically removed from my plan. It is common knowledge, which even Vodafone acknowledges, that VMC and Blackberry plans dont go hand in hand. However, for that month I was charged with VMC plan charge and Blackberry plan. I called up the customer care center and asked them to deactivate the VMC, which they promptly did and was assured that in this month’s bill the same would not be added. However, to my surprise the same was added in the bill. I immediately called up the Customer Service and asked them about this. The rep said the same cant be reversed as I have chosen to deactivate the plan after the cycle has started. On top it, the customer rep was raising his voice the entire time he was speaking with me. I remained calm and asked him to arrange a call back with his superiors as he was of no help to me. This is one way to rip customers off as most people dont care as to when they deactivate/ activate the plan. Ideally the same should be on a pro-rata basis, from the date on which they choose to activate/ deactivate the plan, but Vodafone chooses to make extra money by charging the amount for the entire month, which is like stealing in broad daylight. I am seriously thinking of filing a complain in the consumer court. I know the amount is trivial but it is more to do with the what is right.
Author: Akshay
I am Akshay Varma, a Project Manager who likes writing, taking pictures, and listening to music. I am mainly work with projects in transition and onboarding of new client projects and business transformation. I like writing about current affairs and how they effect me, my personal life and anything and everything which comes to my mind. I like landscape and bird photography. Humans as photographic subject don't attract me :). This is a personal blog and thoughts written here are my own and do not reflect/ represent those of the organization(s) that I am with in professional or personal capacity.
Trip to Pune
Yesterday I traveled to Pune to attend a couple of meetings and was seriously thinking of doing the bike trip. However, I was advised by a couple of colleagues, to avoid the road trip as it could rain and thus chances of the bike skidding on the highway were high. Therefore, I decided to drop the bike trip plan and booked myself a train ticket to Pune. I then called my friends, S and N, who stay in Pune and informed that I will be coming in the morning and if we can meet up for breakfast. The train journey was pretty much uneventful. I reached Pune at 915am and met S and N and then headed towards Pune Club. One thing I noticed about Pune was the weather, it was nice and cool in the morning compared to Mumbai. Also not many shops are open at 10 am.
We had breakfast, which consisted of Misal Pav and Tea and discussed from bikes to my purpose of my visit to Pune. It was really nice to meet them and also give me mangoes that they had got from Ratnagiri. After meeting them, I had to attend my official meeting. Sometimes meetings can be eye openers. I got to know a lot of work related issues that the customer was facing (w/o being involved in any of it) and was happy to help them with some solutions to reduce their pain. It was a very fruitful meeting and hopeful the one coming up by the end of this week should bear some results.
My next meeting was in Bavdhan, which is at the opposite end of the city. I boarded a rick and after 45 mins of sitting in the rick and going around the city was dropped in a place which was about a 1km away from where I had to be. This place is on Mumbai-Bangalore highway and this was the first time I was actually walking on the highway in a different city. I finally got another rick and made it to the place of my meeting. The first thought that hit me once I reached there was, how do I get to Mumbai from this place. The meeting lasted a bit longer than I expected it to last, however, was given a drop by the people whom I had just met. They dropped me at the bus stop from where I could get the bus to Mumbai. After waiting for 20 mins or so, I boarded a bus to Mumbai. In the bus, I watched my first ever Marathi movie. I didnt take down the name of the movie, but it was about a villager who takes advantage of 2 fighting politicians and gets a seat for his constituency. The movie is full of witty dialogues, though some of it I couldnt understand. It is a shame that even after living in this city for more than 20 years, I dont understand the local language, Marathi, properly.
It took me almost 4.5 hours to get home from Pune, out of which 2.5 hours were spent in Mumbai itself. This is probably one of the reasons why I prefer the maddening rush of the crowd in the trains as compared to the ride in polluted streets. The time saved while traveling in the train is precious and also results in a stress free journey. So I finally reached home at around 11:15pm in the evening, dead tired. It was an eventful journey and hopefully the meetings would result in a favorable response for my organization.
Light Food Please
Downloaded the wordpress app for Blackberry and now testing the same. The last couple of days, I have attended an engagement and a wedding and tonight I stuffed myself with a pizza. Need to take care of my diet as I have completely stopped going to the gym and don’t have much physical activity other than traveling 3 days in a local train.
I need some light food please…
Rising Fuel Costs
So the petrol prices have risen again, increasing the cost of living for everyone. The prices have risen Re 1 per month for the last 24 months. The impact for me personally has been restraint use of traveling on the bike. So when I am traveling on the Western Line, I am now commuting via the local train. Only when I have to travel to multiple locations, I prefer to use the bike. The fuel prices are further expected to rise by another Rs. 5 per liter in the next few weeks. Wish the government reduces the taxes it charges on the fuel prices. I wonder how the common man is going to survive with such rising costs.
Travel Updates
The last few days have been hectic in terms for workload. Well I have had a few days of vacation too in between, but overall I have been tied up with a lot of things professionally. We, the whole family, recently went out for vacation to Agra, Manali, Shimla, and Chandigarh for 10 days and really enjoyed a lot. While Agra and Chandigarh were hot, Manali and Shimla were equally cold. To be very honest, I didn’t expect Manali to be this cold in the month of April. What made matters even worst was we didnt carry proper winter clothes and it was raining in Manali, which made the weather even colder. We enjoyed skiing in the Solan Valley, but I really wanted to see the Rohtang pass which was closed to the tourists since it still 25-30 feet of snow. The pass would be opened only in the end of May and June. I was really hoping to go there.
From Manali, we went to Shimla. The roads in the North are pretty good except for a few stretches where driving gets a bit tricky. We had actually hired a SUV from Agra for the entire journey and all our luggage was tied up on the roof. Before entering Shimla, we encountered heavy hailstorm. For the 1st time, I felt good sitting in an SUV because for it’s All Wheel Drive, however, all our clothes got wet and Geeta lost a couple of her dresses due to mixing of light clothes with the darker ones. With the weather being cold, drying the clothes was a problem, however, the next day was sunny and it helped us dry out most of our clothes. In Shimla, we went to the Mall Road. It was just like going to an open air mall which has all the latest fashion stores and accessories. There are two markets there, Upper and Lower. On inquiring, we were told both of them cater to the local population. There were a couple of shops which we really liked, one of which was Emerge. The shop had some really cool t-shirts and accessories and is worth checking out. There are a couple of pastry shops which are also worth checking out. After Shimla, we left for Chandigarh.
On our way to Chandigarh, near Kalka, we went to Timber Trail resort and rode a cable car on the way up to the resort. The scenery from the cable car was really beautiful, however it would have been awesome if it would have been raining. In Chandigarh, the Rock Garden is worth checking out. The entire garden is made out of waste and it is really was really awesome. The local government and people also have supported the project a lot. After the Rock Garden, we visited the Pinjore Gardens. We didnt know that the gardens were under going renovation. They would really good once the renovation work is over. We did get to see the glimpses of what the garden would look like after the work is done. The next on the agenda was Sukhna Lake. Since we went there pretty late, we didn’t get to see much in the dark. However, it seems to be a very popular hangout for the local people.
The entire trip was really awesome. Looking forward for the next trip, which is going to be in the month of October/ November. I am planning a bike trip to Goa or a trip to Haridwar and Rishikesh. But the trip is definitely on.
The Champs are here!!!
Finally, the feeling of winning the world cup is sinking in. The way the team played cricket in the knock out stages was absolutely fantastic. First Australia, the team which had crushed the hopes of billion people in 2003 when Ricky Ponting just destroyed our bowling, was contained by our bowling and then the way Yuvraj batted was just phenomenal. There were so many moments in that game when I thought this is it. We are out in the quarter final stage. But Yuvraj and Raina had other plans and the grin on Ponting’s face was just worth watching. It was then I felt we are on to something special. The team has the mental strength to win the final.
Next, the battle against Pakistan was when whole of India stopped whatever they were doing and were following the team. Geeta, my wife, asked me what I felt after India had finished batting and I replied instinctively that we will win. There was no way that Pakistan would have won that evening. With the way, the Indian team was charged up there was no way they would have won. It was once again just amazing the way our bowlers went about their jobs in the most professional manner. Once Pakistan, which arguably was the biggest mental challenge, I was feeling much better about our chances in the finals.
On the day of the finals, my wife had decorated the entire house with Indian colors, was dressed in Indian colors and was very excited and nervous about the same. When Sri Lanka started scoring heavily and faster, I felt that we had lost the grip on the match. My fears further increased when we lost Sehwag and Sachin cheaply. But Gambhir and Kohli batted very well. Once Kohli got out to a superb catch by Dilshan, I knew captain cool, MSD, would come and play a Captain’s Innings. I immediately told my family members MSD will play a knock of his lifetime and what a knock it was. I have never seen Dhoni play better. It was probably his best innings under pressure. Initially he started slow, coming down the wicket and nudging for singles, converting ones to twos and then opened up when it was really needed. Never did he once allow pressure to get to him or to the billion people who were watching the game. As long as he was there, we were there. At the other end, Gambhir played an outstanding innings, though I felt he threw his hundred away. In the end it was left to the Man of the Tournament and MSD to finish the game and finish the game he did in fine style.
The joy which I expressed is something which cant be put in words. We, my brother, wife and myself, decided to take our bikes along with the flag of India and join the party which was going on in the streets. It seemed like everyone who had a car or a bike was out there partying. It would have been really difficult for the cops to patrol the streets but they did whatever best they could, however there were just too many people out honking, blaring loud music from their cars, waving the Indian flags, screaming Indiaaa!! India!!. I have never experienced such unbridled joy amongst so many people together. Everywhere the feeling was just the same — of pride. We all felt as if we were world champions and owned a piece of the world cup. Finally after 28 years, we are the World Champs once again. Lets hope we dont have to wait such a long time for the next one.
Mother of all matches
So tomorrow’s game between India and Pakistan is being billed as the final before the final. It is not really surprising to see the hype which has been created around tomorrow’s game. It is after almost 2 years India and Pakistan are playing each other and that too in the World Cup semi-final. A lot of offices have already declared a holiday or half day tomorrow so that the employees can go home/ out to watch and enjoy the game. However, the same is not the case in my office. I am however, hoping to leave early tomorrow and atleast catch one half of the game.
It is after a very long time that a game of cricket is taking larger than life stage in this country. We usually have news about the scams, corrupt politicos, crime etc. For once cricket has taken a center stage and it is good to see that. However, I feel too much advice/ analysis is being done by the cricket pundits which is getting to boredom. I feel they are in fact raising the hopes of billion people and giving them a false sense of security that their country is going to win no matter what. Just imagine all these expectations and then the game turns out to be completely different, all the hopes, expectations turn into anger and media turns heroes into villains in a day. Cricket is a simple game and should be kept in the same manner. Within my heart, I know that I want India to win but at the same time it is just a game and should be kept that way.
Bike updates
Lately, there has been some strange sound coming from the rear tire of the bike. I have to get the same checked and tested by the guys at Yamaha. Hopefully it is not a major problem. I think I am just fascinated with my bike. I know I have mentioned it earlier, but I simply just cant get over it. So far, I have traveled approx. 800-850kms on it over the last 10 days or so. Just letting it go on the empty highway gives me a high. I have already touched the speed of 97kmph, however the 100kmph mark still eludes me. The best part about the bike is its handling and braking. I have gone down from 95kmph to 0 kmph in less than 7 secs. It is also awesome riding through the traffic and cutting corners.
Even though I have traveled 800kms on it, I still think I am learning new things every day. I think driving in Mumbai traffic is the ultimate thing. Here the cars, ricks, buses, people and sometimes even animals can come out of nowhere in front of you and you have to brake really hard. Before, I used to wonder why do people in India honk so much. After riding for last 10-12 days, I know why. Here anything can happen any time. You think you are cruising and all of a sudden something comes out of nowhere and bam!! you have hit them. Just today, I was doing 90kmph on the highway and all of a sudden a rick comes all the way from the last lane to the first lane and still going left towards the shoulder and almost hitting me in the process. Somehow I averted the accident and continued on my way to work.
Nowadays, the random checking of the vehicles by the police has increased. Today was the first time I was asked to pull over on the side. I got down from the bike and the cop asked me for my driver and insurance papers along with the PUC. I gave him the same, he looked at it, verified it, noted my vehicle number. While he was checking my papers, another cop came along side me and asked me about my bike, its top speed and how much mileage did it give. He was impressed hearing that the bike can easily touch the speeds of 130kmph. Finally, after 10-15 mins I was on my way.
All my rides so far have been from home to office and back. Looking to go on a long distance trip.
Addicted to R15
Lately, I have been addicted to riding my bike (Yamaha R15) everywhere I go, be it to work or just outside even to do the most smallest of things. I never knew I would like riding my bike so much. Previously, I would shy away from riding the bike, was afraid that I would hit someone or crash the bike or something nasty would happen. But thanks to my brother, wife and my parents, the fear of riding the bikes on the streets of Mumbai is going away. However, there are still challenges when it comes to riding the bike on slopes. This is one area where I need to improve and improve quickly, if I am to take the bike for long distance rides. However, so far I am just enjoying the freedom it provides.. just getting away from any place, at any time I want and not being dependent on anyone else.
Flight to Mumbai
I was in Chennai for a system roll-out on Thursday and Friday along with RK. The system roll-out went well and everything was going smoothly until our time for departure from Chennai. Our flight to Mumbai was at 19:55pm and hence the cab was arranged for 17:30pm. We managed to finish our work by that time and the only thing left was taking out cash from the ATM. There are 3 ATM’s outside the office all in the proximity of 5 mins. We went to the first ATM and were informed that it was not functioning, so we went to the 2nd one and it turns out the same was also out-of-order. Finally we turned to the 3rd ATM and found ourselves waiting for 10 mins before we could finally withdraw cash. It was already around 18:00 pm when we finally started for the airport. We felt that we were running late since it took approx. 1 hr to get to Chennai airport and counters closed 45 mins before flight departure.
RK wanted to go AAVIN and get some milk products before leaving for Mumbai. We were in two minds: to go or not to go. We looked at the watch and decided let’s go for it. We still had 2 hours for the actual flight departure and decided to take our chance. So we went in the opp. direction to the airport and drive for about 10 mins until we reached the shop only to find out that they were out of stock. We gave up and decided it is best to head straight for the airport. Chennai traffic can get really bad especially with the Metro rail work going on in some parts of the city. There were a lot of intersections where we were just crawling through the traffic. At first, I was very hopeful that we will reach within time. However as time went on, my hopefulness was turning into despair. One eye was constantly on the watch observing the time very closely, counting every minute. Finally at around 19:15 we reached the airport. RK had already signed the receipt for the car driver and a few precious seconds were saved.
As soon as we got down from our cab, we started running towards the terminal. As anyone who is aware with the Chennai airport, there are two departure gates and terminal entry is right in between the two gates. So we saw were the Spice jet counters were and started running towards that direction. We entered the terminal, and headed straight for the counter. We were probably amongst the last few people to check-in. While the airline person was preparing the boarding pass, he informed me that the boarding for the flight had already started. This was probably the only time when I have been so late without actually missing the flight. After collecting our boarding passes we were extremely relieved as there was no way we were going to miss the flight.
Security checking at the Chennai airport is a very cumbersome process. The CISF personnel, who are in charge of airport security, are extremely slow. There was a very long line for security checking. While waiting for our turn to come, we heard the final boarding call for our flight to Mumbai. I nearly panicked, I was like when will this line move forward. Finally, I put my luggage in the scanning machine and went through the security check. Before that, I could see RK arguing with the security personnel and I was like “Oh no.. something has happened”. I went through the security check and found RK standing near departure gate. I asked him what had happened, and why he was arguing with the security personnel. It turns out, his baggage tag fell down somewhere in scanning machine and he was explaining to the security personnel that there was no way he was going back to get the tag and go through the security procedure again. Well the security personnel heard him out, took another tag, stamped it and asked him to proceed further. In the meanwhile our bus, which took us to the plane, arrived. We looked at each other and had a hearty laugh about the whole thing.
My thoughts...My story 