How to apply for Passport

In the past you would have experienced hassles in applying passport.All those are stories with the launch of Passport Seva Kendras (PSK).
There are PSKs all around India.

Steps to Register

1. Login to http://passportindia.gov.in/
2. You can choose to fll the PDF form and upload or fill the details online.
3. Verify all the details and submit
4. You need to Click on Manage Appointment and Schedule an appointment
5. The slot will open depending on which PSK you are applying
6. The slot gets filled quickly and we need to be smart to click and fix appointment wthin minutes.

Once you get the slot reach PSK with all the documnets and fees in cash.You can sharply reach at the reporting time.

Fee Calculator – http://passportindia.gov.in/AppOnlineProject/fee/feeInput

Document Advisor – https://portal2.passportindia.gov.in/AppOnlineProject/docAdvisorSecure/attachmentAdvisorInp

Please carry additional documents for Address proof

I have been to Tambaram- Chennai PSK.The experience was superb.

Counters A–>B–>C

Counter A – After first level of verification token number is assigned.We reach Counter A based on token.This particular activity is outsourced to TCS.So you can see young officials greeting you,verifying document,scanning them,collecting fees,scanning your finger prints.Then you verify the details and move on to Counter B.Get fees acknowledgemnet here.

Counter B – Here the government passport officials cross check details and verify originals

Counter C – Here they do final verification and confirm whether your passport request is accepted or not

Exit – Fill the feedback and get your acknowledgement stamped.

Come out happily.If you want passport for minor or reissue passport you can walk in any day before 1 PM.

Toll Free – 1800-258-1800

Alien In Their Homes

For the last 14 years, the Norwegian Refugee Council’s Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre has monitored internal displacement resulting from conflict and violence across the world. In 2011, the number of people internally displaced by these causes stood at 26.4 million.

If we are listening to the world news we can confirm the above data.The world in 2011 was an unsafe place for millions of people.

From criminal violence,drug cartels,armed clashescaused hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes. Many risked their lives as they sought refuge in unfamiliar environments while facing a constant struggle to meet their basic needs.

The issue might be a short term one but the diplacement makes them refugees for longer term.In Afghanistan, displacement was becoming increasingly protracted by 2011. As 60 per cent of the internally displaced population in Afghanistan are children, the prospects for this next generation are particularly bleak.

Africa was still the region with the largest number of IDPs in 2011.

Government needs to act more effectively on improving the long-term prospects of internally displaced people, and allow them to make their own decisions concerning their future.

In South and South-East Asia around 4.3 million people were internally displaced due to armed conflict, violence or human rights violations, compared to 4.6 million a year earlier. The decline was mainly attributable to Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

In other countries including Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, the Philippines and Timor-Leste, displacement was caused by violence between groups mobilised according to ethnic, religious or clan affiliations competing for land, resources and political power.

Some 643,000 people were newly displaced during the year and only an estimated 340,000 people were reported as having returned home during 2011.The largest reported displacements took place in Pakistan, of 190,000 people, and in Afghanistan, where over 186,000 people fled their homes, 80 per cent more than in 2010.

IDMC’s August 8 alert reports 4 lakh people displaced in Assam, which was triggered by the recent riots. Adding these numbers to the December figures takes India’s IDP population to 9.06 lakh.

With 4.79 lakh IDPs, India’s northeast has witnessed the biggest exodus of people who were forced to leave their homes.Media,Centre and State should have played sensibly and avoided this situation risen due to SMS rumour.

Social Network and Media has brought
Kashmiri Pandit diaspora –  2.5 lakh people
Naxal violence – 1.5 lakh people
communal violence in Gujarat and Orissa –  29,000 people

http://www.internal-displacement.org/publications/global-overview-quick-facts-2011.pdf

Madras Nalla Madras

Madras – Namma Chennai celebrates 373rd anniversary.

The founding day of Madras is considered to be August 22, 1639.Are you wondering like me how can there be a founding day for a city.

It was on that day, in that year, that a sliver of land, where Fort. St. George stands today, was transacted by the East India Company.

The deal was struck by Francis Day, his ‘dubash’ Beri Thimmappa, and their superior, Andrew Cogan, with the local Nayak rulers.Out of the fort, grew settlements. Then the villages around it were brought together.
And then, the old and new towns linked up. And then we had the city.

The history behind name sof places are really interesting.

Company’s agents were eager to induce spinners and weavers to settle in Madras.Governor Collet established a number of imported weavers in the northern suburb of Tiruvattur, in a village that was given the name ‘Collet Petta’ in the Governor’s honour–a name that degenerated into ‘Kalati Pettah’.

A large vacant tract was marked out as a ‘Weavers’ Town,’ under the name of Chindadre Pettah–the modern Chintadripet.Grown men spinning in the streets with primitive gear and in primitive fashion has been going on in Chintadripet for nearly two centuries.

The famous Mount Road got its name because it connected the Fort to St. Thomas Mount. Its northern end had the official residence of the Governor, called Government House. In 2009, it was decided that the new Assembly and Secretariat would be built here.

All the posh retail establishments of the city had their home here. P Orr & Sons with its heritage building is one such. Another was Spencer’s, founded in 1863 was the largest departmental store chains in Asia, This historic showroom was gutted in a fire and later demolished. In its place came Spencer’s Plaza, the city’s first mall.

If Madras is today known as the Detroit of India with Ford,NIssan,Hyundai and What not, Mount Road saw the beginnings. The pioneer was Simpson, founded in 1840 as a coach-builder still runs its factory on Mount Road, assembling diesel engines. Addisons and Speed-A-Way, both like Simpson, now a part of Amalgamations. Even Ashok Leyland began on Mount Road, assembling Austin cars in workshops to the rear of Reliance Motors.

On the opposite side are the workshops of rival TVS who began as bus operators in Madurai.MAS was founded by A.K. Ramachandra Iyer, who first brought Coca Cola and Parker pens to India. Ramachandra Iyer had a leopard for a pet, which terrified passersby. Can you imagine Leopard on Mount Road.

Mount Road continues to remain home to other historic clubs – The Cosmopolitan and the Suguna Vilasa Sabha (1891), catering to theatre lovers.

The Connemara catered to the upper-class. For the middle-class were the Udipi hotels later came the Woodlands chain.The non-vegetarians had Buhari’s, Bilal and Coronation Durbar. The former was known for its Chicken 65, so named because it was the 65th item on the menu!

India’s oldest book seller – Higginbotham’s, is also on Mount Road.Handicrafts have their presence too on this road. Poompuhar, Government of Tamil Nadu’s outlet is located in handsome Indo-Saracenic premises.

Now new assembly has been left unused by Jaya.LIC and Porr & Sons are having threats due to Metro Rail constructions.

Today, Chennai stands tall for a variety of reasons. Education, healthcare, IT, history, tourism, auto industries, movies, etc.

Always Madras was considered to be anti Hindi or anti North India beacuse of language barrier.But slowly it is getting converted to pro Hindi now a days.We see employees from Bihar,U.p and Noth east.

One special thing about Chennai is we are not prone to communal or ethnic clashes.I feel chennai a peaceful city by gods grace.

Madras Day celebrates the city and I finish hoping atleast next year Govt will declare Chennai Foundation Day as a Holiday.

Earth Day

The Earth Day 2012 campaign is designed to provide people with the opportunity to unite their voices in a call for a sustainable future and direct them towards quantifiable outcomes.

This year it is 42nd Anniversary of Earth Day and people are becoming frustrated with the failure of governments to take any steps towards protecting and preserving the environment. People also need to be equally blamed for not contributing to the cause.

For Earth Day 2012 the aim is to mobilize the planet simply to say one thing: the Earth won’t wait. It seems that environmental issues have been put on the back burner as we are in the midst of a global recession. It is time for us to Mobilize the Earth and speak with one voice, one message.We see that budget allocation is more to defence and marginally less to environment.

A Billion Acts of Green is already the world’s largest environmental service campaign. With over 800 million environmental actions registered on the Earth Day Network website the global support behind the movement has been tremendous. But the work is not finished yet.

Earth Day is to advocate for a sustainable future through the Renewable Energy for All campaign. The campaign will promote renewable energy initiatives and build support for comprehensive action at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development.

Government can provide subsidy for renewable and energy efficient products.People alos need to show more interest in using them.

http://www.earthday.org/footprint-calculator

In a rapidly growing city like Chennai, ‘sustainable’ is sometimes ignored at the cost of development. Waste is disposed of thoughtlessly, food is thrown away without care, and energy/electricity is used with no regard for environmental consequences.

Recycle Away

‘Recycle, Reuse and Reduce’ has been a campaign around for more than a decade. It’s time to pay attention to these wise words and stop being a careless consumer.

Take a reusable bag to your local grocery store.

Tear out unused sheets from your notebooks at the end of the school year, and bind them into a new workbook.

Buy rechargeable batteries, instead of disposable ones.

Stop buying plastic disposable water bottles. Instead, opt for a insulated steel one that will keep your beverages cool/hot.

Conserve, Don’t Consume

A huge problem today is over-consumption, but a few changes to your weekly routine will cut your consumption of water, energy and other precious resources.

Take your bicycle when visiting friends nearby or going to the grocery store.

Unplug your chargers when not in use. Also, don’t overcharge your laptop and other electronics.

Close the tap when you brush your teeth, and pay attention to the amount of water you’re using for a shower… bet you could do with a little less.

Reduce Waste Production

Not only do we consume excessively, but we also throw away more than necessary every single day. Start paying attention to what can be saved, and what is really trash.

Plastic bags are NOT trash. They can be used for a multitude of purposes from handy bags and carriers to rain-protectors for your shoes.

Collect vegetable peel and fruit seeds each week, and plant them in a nearby soil-filled garden. This will contribute to an increase in soil fertility.

Have extra food from the last time you went out? Bring it home! Not in the mood for leftovers? Donate to a nearby pet shelter.

We may not be able to contribute at a national level, but we can do little things like not burning garbage and re-using whatever we can. It’s only a question of habit; once the habit sets in for each of us, we can do our bit to save the environment.

We can carry cloth bags to the supermarket so that I don’t have to take plastic bags. We can segregate waste and the organic waste goes into a compost pit.

We can use one-side paper for printing and also use them as scratch paper every day. Also we can conserve energy by using fluorescent bulbs as they save a lot of energy in the long run and by checking that switches are off and wires unplugged when not in use.

Tremors in Chennai

Sitting in Office we felt very slight Earthquake tremors.There was a panic situation and people tried to get down.

It was very minimal, so people were having fun than taking things seriously.

At that point every body was concerned about 5 PM Tsunami Alert.But it was already 5 and I am ALive. 🙂

We were feeling aftershocks and this was something new to chennaites.

Government machinery was intact.Police evacuated people from beaches.Tsunami alert was issues and finally withdrawn after 6 PM.

Traffic Chaos was there after 4 PM as offices and schools were evacuated.

Mobile network was busy as people were reaching across country to ensure safety of their near and dear.

An earthquake is called as intra-plate when it occurs within the plate and not at the edges of two plates. Since it is an intra-plate earthquake, no subduction takes place, and the movement is along the fault where one edge of the plate grinds past the other horizontally causing a strike-slip fault.

The April 11 earthquake was about 100 km west of the subduction zone.

Timelines:-

2:15 PM – First Tremors felt
2:20 PM – People in high rises evacuated

2:30 PM – Police evacuate beaches
2:35 PM – Mobile network Choke

3:30 PM – Companies ask employees to leave

4 – 5 PM – MRTS services suspended

4 – 5 PM – Traffic Choas everywhere

4:13 PM – Fresh Tremors felt

4:48 PM – Tsunami Alert Sounded

6:30 PM – Tsunami alert withdrawn

 

Jeevan Roshni Visit

We visited the home on Saturday, April 7th. Me and Lavanya started with Cold drinks and Samosa.

My mom and wife had helped me out by ordering groceries and snack the previous day.

We  collected the Snacks, bought few balloons and reached the home.

Few of our office colleagues also reached there. We played for an hour..We tried out different games with balloons.

The children were excited and enjoyed a lot. We offered them samosa and after games we gave them cold drinks.

Before we bid farewell to them, Roslyn Madam who was managing the home requested us to arrange for a Kids Outing.

Jeevan Roshni Visit

Water & Food Security

Drought caused more deaths during the last century than any other natural disaster, and Asia and Africa rank first among continents in the number of people directly affected.

There are over 7 billion people to feed on the planet today and another 2 billion are expected to join by 2050. This means that 70% more food will be needed, up to 100% in developing countries.

It takes about 1500 liters of water to produce 1 kg of wheat, but it takes 10 times more to produce 1kg of beef.

A 50% reduction of food losses & waste at the global level would save 1,350 km3 of water

Water scarcity already affects every continent and more than 40 percent of the people on our planet. By 2025, 1.8 billion people will be living in countries or regions with absolute water scarcity, and two-thirds of the world’s population could be living under water stressed conditions.

These datas shows the importance of Water and need to preserve it.

Still many of the villages do not have access to water.They have to walk miles to get water.Others who have access do not have access to clean drinking water.That is very risky leading to water borne diseases.

Kerala could be a good example for bad water.It is water and greenary everywhere.But the greenery is deceptive. And the large bodies that dot the State no guarantee for the availability of potable water. Monsoon or summer, potable water is a precious commodity for the people of Kerala where well water is reddish yellow.

Food security exists when all people at all times have both physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs for an active and healthy life.People who have better access to water tend to have lower levels of undernourishment. The lack of water can be a major cause of famine and undernourishment.

Food producing sector is dependent on water.Erratic rainfall and seasonal differences in water availability can cause temporary food shortages.All the food from crop and livestock production, inland fisheries or aquaculture, forest products compete for water.More the meat consumption more the crop production will be used as feed for livestock production.

Increased competition for water often translates into loss of access to water for the poor and other vulnerable groups.Water pollution is a main cause of reduced water availability and can have serious impacts on the environment and on human health.

The water footprint is a way of measuring our direct and indirect water use. The water footprint is the total volume of freshwater that is used to produce the goods and services consumed by an individual or a community or produced by a given business.

Calculate Water content in your food —> http://www.onedrop.org/calcul/en/

http://www.onedrop.org/calcul/en/

Lets Celebrate Our Daughters

March 8th is the International women’s day but brands have already started wooing them by offering discounts and gifts.

Women have now wended their way into white collared jobs like space research and corporate ladder.We have their presence felt even in blue collared jobs as factory workers,driving autos and issuing tickets for buses and trains.

Since Indra Nooyi,Kiran Mazumdar or Chanda Kochar have attained great heights can we conclude women are treated well in the society.

We are still living in a world where country’s ambassdor tortures his wife.We feel proud of a women president, women ruling party Chairman and a women chief minister.

As per 2011 Census, there are 914 females (927 in 2011) against 1,000 males – the lowest since Independence.

Sex ratio

At birth: 1.12 male(s)/female
Under 10 years: 1.14 male(s)/female
15–24 years: 1.09 male(s)/female
24–64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.908 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.08 male(s)/female

In many cases mothers have killed their daughters.Some were fed dry, unhulled rice that punctured their windpipes, or were made to swallow poisonous powdered fertilizer.Lakshmi one such mother killed girl baby refusing to nurse her.Female neighbors buried her in a small hole near Lakshmi’s square thatched hut of sunbaked mud.

This act is justified by them that If she is not killed at birth she will be eventually killed after growing up.

In Jaipur, capital of the western state of Rajasthan, prenatal sex determination tests result in an estimated 3,500 abortions of female fetuses annually.Research carried out at a Mumbai hospital revealed in 1995 that for every aborted male, there were 1,000 aborted females.

In many states it is usual for girls and women to eat less than men and boys and to have their meal after the men and boys had finished eating.

Daughters are considered economic burdens because of the high cost of weddings and dowries, while sons provide income, and are seen as type of insurance by their parents.Government is encouraging female child but Men should also stop accepting Dowri so women will not be a burden.

Education should help them to treat them equally avoid eveteasing,raping and murder of females.It has to be a collective growth.From school days children need to be taught that both are equal and there is no discrimination.

We need to go a long way from the current state where peopel say “Being a  girl how can you talk like this / do this!!!!!”

I could not express our happiness when we were blessed with a baby girl.

We can be proud of our female achievers and need to look out for diversity in every field increasing female population or else there will be huge unmarried male population.

There would be no need for a Womens Day.Every Day is for both men and women.

Tourism & Trade Fair 2012

I am always exuberant to visit a Tourism and Trade fair in Island Grounds,Chennai as I was 10 years ago.Now even though we have a 6 months baby, I cherish eating Cotton candy,Delhi appalam and Ice cream at the Fair.

We visited the 38th Tourism and Trade Fair at Island Grounds.This time it started on Jan 3 and may be closing after Mar 17th.

We were more careful this time that we are visiting less crowded stalls.Our daughter Kritiarunya wants to be in an airy location.The place was very near to Beach and was breezy enough.But inside the stalls we were suffocating.

We did some purchase and after munching the big appalam we went in train for Kriti’s excitement.We are not sure whether she is realising things at this age.

We visited Reserve Bank,CMDA,Port stalls.People were standing in queue to replace old currencies with new ones.CMDA stall was interesting with models of Flyover & subway near skywalk.Station,Metro and Flyover at Vadapalani.

There were also pictures of old madras.TNEB stall was very good showing comparison between fluroscent bulb and a normal bulb giving importance to power saving.

Police Department gave a demo about their sniffer dogs detecting bombs.Before we could further roam around Kriti was totally impatient and we had to rush back to our Car.

The mixture of fun,food and knowledge is what I most like about this fair.All this for 15 Rs.It’s a Paisa vassol getaway.

Android Market