Consumer Notes
Save us from shock
The Consumer Education Research Centre (CERC) tested 21 brands of three-way plugs in March-April 2000. A year has passed and little action has been taken. Recently, CERC completed tests on 11 more brands of 6 amps rewirable three-pin plugs. It tested fiv
e samples of each brand against the specification of standards of Bureau of Indian Standards (IS 1293).
Corporate
Mind your language
`You said ..., I meant...' One of the most common causes of communication breakdowns between two people is the `You said/I meant' imbroglio. One person says something, the other reads a meaning into it, gets upset, accuses the first other of bad intent,
the accused gets defensive and hostilities break out.
Environment
Down-to-earth dreamers
Ronald Martins, a tourist operator in Goa, is working with the local community to establish responsible and eco-friendly tourism. For the last 13 years, he has been organising the local industry to form trade associations so that tourism revenues are fun
neled back to the local community, away from the grasp of the big players.
Hotels
A gourmet route to the South
When Holiday Inn, Pune, announced the launch of its South Indian cuisine speciality restaurant a couple of months ago, I must admit that I was a bit cynical about the whole thing. A South Indian cuisine restaurant called Kurry Kourt? Nah! My die-hard Sou
th Indian soul had rather unpleasant visions of pathetic idlis, dosas, uttappams and the runny, reddish-coloured, mostly wishy-washy liquid parading as sambar and of course, the ubiquitous appams that any number of restaurants are now making a killing ou
t of.
Miscellaneous
Chance to serve the country
Two decades ago, if you had asked a teenager about his career plans, civil services would have probably topped the list. Now, blame it on the changed political or the economic climate in the country, there has been a shift in job perceptions among the ne
w generation.
What it takes
``The problem with civil services is that you don't know on what basis you are selected for the posts,'' bemoaned a third-attempt student for the exam. While the successful ones feel it's their hard work that has got them the much-coveted post, the frust
rated ones lament `what selectors are looking for is not brilliance but the `average Indian' who can be moulded into the system'. Is this true?
The `cool' side...
As Chennai bore the brunt of its legendary summer, a team of four Hollywood stunt professionals showed the city the `cool' side of watersport. On the outskirts of the city, at Tambaram, lies Kishkinta, one of the largest theme parks in the country.
No to stereotyping
Stereotyping, it seems, is having a disabling effect on efforts aimed at employing students with disabilities. Despite the myriad options open to students in general, in a technology-driven age, students with disabilities are still being stereotyped with
options such as cane weaving and candle making.
Space and beyond
When Eugene Cernan was a young boy watching newsreels in the days of World War II, he had a dream. It was a dream that made him want to reach for the sky; the sort of dream that hundreds and thousands of people the world over feel when they are young and
the world is still a marvellous place. ``What I didn't know then,'' he said, ``was that the dream would allow me to reach for the stars''.
Travel & Places
Off to exotic locales
The exodus has already begun. To hill stations, beaches, foreign shores. There are queues at railway reservation counters, newspapers are crammed with alluring tour ads and travel agents are working overtime. All a traveller needs is to be infused by the
spirit of adventure. And then, a hint of summer, that's all it takes for the peripatetic Indian to fish out his tour guide and follow his nose to a destination which will remain his talking point for the rest of the year.
Colourful stopover
Kasauli, one of the hill stations in the Himalayas, features a large variety of beautiful, colourful flowers almost throughout the year. Springtime at this small town is a bloom of flowers offering a veritable feast to the tourist with a riot of colours.
Quaint and charming
As the narrow gauge toy train trundled up the desolate hills of Matheran, new vistas of enchanting dales, verdant slopes and thick forest cover unfolded. Enroute the 21 km scenic ascent, the train chugged through `one kiss tunnel' and halted at Jumma Pat
ti, Water Pipe and Aman lodge, three cute little stations before its final destination -- Matheran Station.
Ruins that speak volumes
When the visitor leaves the modern, pulsating city that's Colombo and sets off north to the ancient city of Anuradhapura, the inter-city, air-conditioned mini-bus is the first choice. The route that leads one to the city is in itself a unique experience
-- the numerous villages and the occasional towns enroute are pleasing, but in some cases the bus ride maybe far from pleasing. The drivers (as it happened in my case) are most often in such a tearing hurry to reach the destination, that the journey, whe
n it ends safely, reinforces one's faith in God!
