Personal # 1 : It hails and the car gets dents... update

Sorry folks. Been keeping busy. Will definitely post the pics of the dents on my car in next 48 hours.

Personal # 1 : It hails and the car gets dents...

It was bright and sunny in the afternoon, only to turn the evening into a violent stormy one. The sky was overcast within matter of minutes and after a couple minutes of heavy winds, there was rain.

No need to fast forward; only a few seconds later the sound from the car-shed (shown in the video below) sounded too loud to be pounded by rains. And it was ice cubes jumping down from the sky.

It was like God was preparing a Summer Drink and pouring some ice into it and stirring the mix (yes !! it was that windy).

And without much ado, here's the video.

Next, I'll post the dents the my 8 months old car got. Keep an eye on this space.

Amazing # 2: Least populated jurisdiction

Many of you would have read the book Mutiny on board HMS Bounty by Willaim Bligh. This book has more reality than fiction and the island location featuring in the story will amaze you even more.

Pitcairn Islands - the island that appears in the story. It is a group of four small islands in the center of the Pacific Ocean - Southern Hemisphere, however, the only inhabited island of those called Pitcairn is only under 5 sq kms in area and have had around 50 people since over century.

The island has been lived upon since 15th century and the first inhabitants of the place were Ploynesians, but the current inhabitants, some 50 of them belong to 4 families of initial settlers who were mutineers from HMS Bounty that included Britishers and Tahitians. The wreck of the ship Bounty can be still seen under the shallow waters of the Bounty bay.

In 1838 Pitcairn Islands became a British Colony. In 1856 the island was empty once again as all the 193 inhabitants felt the island was conjested for them and set sails for Norfolk island, also in Pacific Ocean. However, over 45 of those returned back over period of next 5 years and have continued to be there since then.

What's more amazing about the place?

• They use New Zealand Dollars as currency. NZ is the closest independent country to the island, though it is almost equidistant from the South American Continent.

• They are still under British rule; this least populous jurisdiction (it has its independent laws) is so small that it may possibly not survive on is own, though they do have their own flag.

• After the main British land, this was the among first "territories" of British kingdom, that allowed women to vote. The island has a rugged terrain; rendering the island unsuitable for an airstrip or even a proper ship harbor. Only way to leave the island is on a small boat that can take oneself to the ship parked in deeper waters (of weather permits).

• It will potentially out-survive the city of Male (Maldives) in case of rise in Ocean levels.

Yet I wouldn't want to be stuck on this island. Would you?

p.s. Click on links for more information on this place.

(G)Air India # 4 : The downfall that still continues...

As the airlines grew, it eventually became its own enemy. Following were some major reasons of its downfall:

• Over a period of time, it became lesser friendly (no longer a humble maharaja)
• The unions of the ground staff /airmen virtually became bosses taking passengers for granted
• The caretaker of the airlines - the Government - started treating it as its own mistress; even in situation of financial crisis, the outgoing fat paycheck overloads of the company were not let off.
• While the recessions hit the number of passengers traveling, it did not hit the employees of the company ever, draining the airlines to the bottom of their coffers.
• As the aviation industry grew in India, the private airlines provided competent rates to passengers, further reducing the passenger traffic of the airlines.
• Such bad was its state at one point of time that it sold off three airplanes to pay its employees.
• So bad became the services that even the government employees prefer traveling by other airlines than the state owned airlines.

Though the fatality rate of the airlines at 6.82 per million flights is quite close to being qualified for a Six Sigma Standard, the great scares that airlines has given possibly only added to its downfall. Following are some of the airlines accidents/incidents:

• In 1955 the airlines was first targeted by terrorist; it was bombed midair.
• Flight 814 was hijacked in 1999 with one casualty and over 170 hours in captivity
• Flight 101 that crashed in France in 1966 killing the renowned scientist Homi Bhabha and everyone else. This was second Air India flight to crash on same spot, previous one a decade ago.
• In 1978 Flight 855 crashed into the Arabian Sea immediately after take off killing everyone on board.
• Flight 182 was a terror target that was blown up over Atlantic Sea killing everyone on the flight.

Though the air travel has increased leaps and bounds in last decade, the airlines has only seen downfall. It registered loss of INR 7.7 Billion (nearly USD 154 Million at that time) and it continues to eat up taxpayer's money with support from the Govt.

Can it ever again the Maharaja that it was at one time? Only time will tell.

Nature photos of 2011

See some nature photos captured by me in Spring 2011

From Nature in 2011

(G)Air India # 3: After Independence

As India got independence, Air India was bought over by the Government. The Airlines continued to expand under the new control. (Even the then Governments were worthy enough). International flights around the World were introduced and over a period of time, Air India was bisected into Indian Airlines (for domestic routes) and Air India International (international).

The earlier Governments with due diligence ensured the growth of the Airlines. The jet age of the Airlines began at par with that of developed countries. Boeing built its first commercial jet airliner 707 in 1958 and it was inducted in Indian Airlines in 1960.

First Boeing 747-400 was rolled out in 1988 and was inducted in Indian Airlines in 1993 allowing the Airlines to take its first non stop flight between New Delhi and New York.

Over a period of time, the Airlines had international hubs and presence in all major international Airport hubs of the World.

So what caused the great Airlines, once the Maharaja of the sky, the Flying Palace, to fall down the pits so badly that it still finds it difficult to stand on its feet again.

(G)Air India # 2: Before Independence

In 1932, JRD Tata himself flew a single engine Puss Moth aircraft from Karachi to Bombay. This was first flight of the Tata Airlines from Karachi to Madras halting at Ahmedabad, Bombay, Bellary in the way. It carried posts and mail as part of contract with Imperial Mail Services (the postage services under British Rule).

With very passangers willing and capable to travel by air at that time, the airlines mainly relied on freight transportation and the weekly airmail services contract with Government of India (before independence) for its revenues.

By year 1946, the Airlines provided services to cities of Bombay, Karachi, Delhi, Calcutta, Ahmedabad, Nagpur, Hyederbad, Bangalore, Cochin, Madras and Colombo and its fares (in 1946) ranged from Rs50 (Bombay to Ahmedabad) to Rs335 (Karachi to Colombo).

The Airlines was named Air India in 29 July 1946 as it became a public limited company.

With change in the control of country from British rule to Independent rule, there was a change in control of the airlines too. Read further in next blog.

(G)Air India # 1

I am talking about Air India; the airlines and the national carrier that has been treated as a Gair (an unknown person), like a stranger by the Government. The airlines that was once a humble Maharaja, fittingly as its mascot depicts it to be; had a glorious past fit enough for a Maharaja. The Gair treatment has left it in shambles and Maharaja is now just for namesake.

Considering that the Wright brothers took their first flight in 1905 and the first airplane to fly across Atlantic did so in 1919, onset of commercial aviation in India in 1932 can be considered a great achievement. An achievement that should have been treasured, instead its into shambles and such a state that its relying on other carriers to fulfill its existing obligations and emptying its already shallow coffers.

I shall write more about the history of Air India in subsequent blogs...

p.s. Let me know h

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World Cup Incidents: Incident # 7: He didn't bat or bowl . . .

. . . in his first ODI match. And didn't even take a catch while fielding.

There have been many such players, but most famous of them and the first to achieve this distinction was Viv Richards; when Sri Lankans faced Windies in the first World Cup in 1975.

This was the first match for the great batsmen. Windies themselves had only played two official ODIs until then. Sri Lanka, batting first were rolled up for a meager 86 runs (expected against mighty Windies then) in about 37 overs and Windies achieved the target for loss of 1 wicket in 20 overs. Viv Richards didn't get to bat or bowl in this match; neither did he get to take any catch/cause a run-out.

It was only matter of time when he would get to prove his mettle in the game.