Sunday, January 31, 2016

Photogenic #OPPOF1

Indian Bloggers
My very first reaction after receiving this Rose-Gold invite from #OPPOF1 was "#OPPO ? ... Oh no... 1 more mobile?. I mean, almost every day, 1 more mobile is launched worldwide. We can not keep on replacing our mobiles with the latest models. Financially, economically it's not smart to buy latest technology needlessly. I am an Indian to the core, when it comes to spending money. I am closefisted with gadget-budget. My friends keep on boasting about their Apple-iPhones. I back fire with "Who needs pocket-heavy Apples and Oranges, just for calling and surfing?. I am smart, I make Smart choice". Bright  &  Beautiful, Selfie Expert OPPOF1

....And then I read further ... #SelfieExpert ( with Beautify 3.0 feature )  #OPPOF1. Well , this seems  interesting. May be I should r.s.v.p.?. Being a true-blue journalist, I wanted to do R and D about #OPPOF1 , before writing it off so I googled OPPO  ... Voila! The chic Rose Gold colored #Bright & Beautful camera-mobile  enticed me to go for it. I fixed my glossy-date, January 28th, with #OPPOF1 at the JW Marriott-Sahar. The grand lobby of JW Marriott was abuzz with Media and Tech-savvy bloggers to witness the launch of #SelfieExpert #OPPOF1. The walls were adorned with great quality 'Bright & Beautiful' photos captured by #OPPOF1. The DIY-selfie-wall was choc-a-block with fashionistas sporting #OPPOF1 attached selfie-sticks.


Please, don't believe me, just steal a glance at this luxurious Rose-Gold cutie #OPPOF1 with premium metal body. First impression of #OPPOF1 is sleek, glamorous fashion-accessory. Now, touch it leisurely. The Silky. satiny , velvety metallic finish of the #OPPOF1 will mesmerize you to buy it, to own that glorious fashion accessory.








I know, now the Master-Techies must be wondering. Is it all about looks? color? and glamour?. What about the special features?, why should WE replace our present camera-mobiles with #OPPOF1?. 


You are on right track. You deserve to know each and every detail about your very own 'Bright & Beautiful, Selfie Expert OPPOF1

Fantastic Features of #OPPOF1 :

Operating System :  Android 5.1 Lollipop with Color 2.1 OS
Display :                 5-inch HD ( 1280 * 720 )
                              Gorilla Glass 4 protection 
Processor :              Qualcomm Snapdragon 616
RAM :                     3 GB RAM
Internal Storage :    16 GB expandable up to 128 GB with micro SD
Rear Camera :         13 MP, f/2.2 aperture
Front Camera :         8 MP, f/2.0 aperture
Battery :                  2500 mAh


Please hold on. You must be wondering, whether all these grand, premium specs will cost a BOMB?. 

The #OPPOF1 will be available with a silk metal back in Golden and Rose Gold colors at Rs.15,990 ($235), starting next week. The high spec variant of the #OPPOF1 , the F1 Plus, will be available in April for Rs. 26,990 ($400).

#F1HotSale [ #OPPOF1 sales is going to start from 4th to 6th Feb, where 


8 – 9 celebrities will visit the stores ]


#OPPOF1, the first product of the newly announced F series, was unveiled in the presence of David Richardson, Chief Executive, International Cricket Council (ICC) and Ace Photographer Rohan Shrestha on 28th January, 2016.
The #SelfieExpert , #OPPOF1 features a standout 8 MP front-facing camera with a wide f/2.0 aperture lens and a 1/4-inch sensor, a sophisticated Pure Image 2.0+ photography platform offering OPPO’s Beautify 3.0 feature, OPPO’s patented Screen Flash to make snapping selfies in low-light conditions, and can shoot selfies using hand gestures and spoken commands, ensuring stunning selfies in all conditions. 
The #OPPOF1 also features a 13 MP rear camera with an ISOCELL sensor, the phase detection autofocus (PDAF) with a focus time of just 0.1s, and the anti-shake optimization feature which enables the camera to automatically select the clearest image from a huge buffer of image data the moment the shutter button is pressed. 
The #OPPOF1 is specially designed with powerful software and hardware to make capturing stunning selfies a breeze, with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 616 series Octa-core processor with 3GB RAM and 16GB ROM, all backed by OPPO’s spectacular build quality with a silk feeling metal panel. 
The #OPPOF1 comes in two colors of Golden and Rose Gold, and is 4G enabled at a price of Rs 15,990. 
The #OPPOF1 Plus, a high spec variant of the F1 with a 5.5” FHD Screen, a RAM as big as 4GB and even more sophisticated front camera photography performance, will be available in April at Rs 26,990.

Have it and flaunt it, 'Bright & Beautiful, Selfie Expert OPPOF1' .





OPPO will further expand its offline channels and is targeting 35,000 sales outlets and 180 official service centers to achieve radical development in India in 2016. The OPPO brand has been registered in 140 countries and is operating in over 20 markets worldwide. 
In 2015, OPPO has sold around 50 million smart phones globally, up 67% year on year, with over 3,000 researchers involved in developing innovative technologies as well as high quality and iconic products.
In 2008, when OPPO launched its first feature phone A103, it had the best photography performance in the segment. 
In 2012, OPPO integrated the first-ever beautify function into Ulike 2, followed by many brands later. To capture amazing selfies, OPPO invented world’s first rotating camera on its N series, namely the N1 and the N3. 
OPPO also created the first Ultra HD feature capable of shooting 50MP photos in 2014, and later the first Screen Flash feature in early OPPO scores were almost doubled in terms of preference for camera functions compared to other global brands.


OPPO has renewed its brand association with Bollywood superstars Hrithik Roshan and Sonam Kapoor earlier this month to further accelerate its marketing campaign in South Asia Region. 
OPPO has entered into a 3-year partnership with FC Barcelona and recently announced its Official Global Partnership with International Cricket Council (ICC) for the mobile phone category for four years.
David Richardson, Chief Executive of ICC, said, “Both cricket and OPPO connect people in an amazing way. I am delighted that the ICC is a part of the F1 launch. OPPO is known worldwide for innovation and we are looking forward to an exciting partnership in the years to come, an association that will, through ICC’s events, bring fans together from around the world, creating an unforgettable experience for all involved.” The company will also expand its offline sales outlets to 35,000 and target 180+ service centers across the country. 

OPPO has also announced a 30-day replacement period and 24- month warranty policy for every OPPO product sold across India. OPPO is a leading global technology brand dedicated to providing consumers across the Americas, 
Africa, Europe, Oceania, and Asia with pioneering products that never fail to inspire and excite. 
At OPPO they design, manufacture, and promote their own products, combining innovative technology with unique design, to ensure their customers always receive the best.
Founded in 2004, OPPO quickly proved itself in the market with its intense obsession to details. Each OPPO product encompasses a carefully selected array of attributes to specifically cater for users, combining impressive features with elegant designs. After entering the mobile phone market in 2008, OPPO quickly expanded into overseas markets a year later. 
OPPO camera phones are currently available in over 20 markets and offered for online purchase in over 50 additional countries, with the brand already registered in 140 countries as of late 2015. But OPPO doesn’t stop there. Using their passion for design and commitment to new technologies, OPPO has made a big impact in the audio-visual market by offering world-renowned, premium Blu-ray players in the United States and across Europe.  
For more information, please visit:

#OPPO Website

Twitter  : @oppomobileindia

 Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/oppomobileindia

Sunday, January 24, 2016

Peppy Pandav


Indian Bloggers



The gang of Five Girls ( Tina , Jelly , Nandu , Anu and I )  studying in 9th standard is bestowed the title of "PANDAV" in one of the strictest Mumbai - schools....

Want to know how Peppy the Pandav-group is ? Read on...

"I am bored to the death " - Tina the leader of Pandav group.

" Say something new. You are always bored to the death " - I .

" OK. The News is , I m "Monday - bored" . - Tina .

" I wanted to bring yesterday's leftover mutton-curry in lunch-box but Aai said - No. No eating mutton on Monday . Mutton in school never . Aai has kept the mutton-curry in the fridge , which is allowed to be eaten only on Wednesday " - Tina

" What non-sense rules we have . Non-veg only on Sundays , Wednesdays and Fridays , cause all other days are god's days . Does it mean that Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays are Demon's days ?" - Nandu .

Nandu is the only rational thinker among us , while other four of us blurt and act before we think.

" No use , discussing the rules. Let's bunk school and go to a movie " - Tina , the most Peppy prankster among us. 

"Where's the money for movie-tickets ?" - Anu.

" All of us have school-term fees , which is just enough for the tickets. Jelly will provide for the popcorn. We can not have samosas and ice-creams . But let's adjust." - Tina's Peppy plan perked us up promptly.

I glanced at Jelly for reaction .Jelly was smiling her 'Monalisa-smile' and was looking so adoringly at Tina that I felt the usual pang...

Jelly's real name is Dipti. On Sundays , all 4 of us have either Idlis , Dosas , Upmas , Pohas , Sheera at home for breakfast , but Dipti's mummy ( yes, she has mummy , we have Aaiees ) cooks only Jelly - Rex jelly, on all Sundays. No variations. We feel so sorry for her but still we can not resist calling her Jelly.

All four of us are besotted with Jelly for different reasons. Jelly prefers Tina above all . Jelly and Tina's relationship was sort of 'till-the-death-takes-us-away ' , till Rahul came in picture. That's the different story altogether , which I will tell at the end. ..

Jelly is the most popular girl in our school. Not just our group but the other students as well as the teachers like her tremendously.

Jelly is ss...ooo sweet , demure , pretty , intelligent - actually she is studious , not really intelligent. From morning to night , she keeps on reading study books. In between she goes to tuition and school with us. She never reads story books not even newspapers. She does not come at colony-ground to play with us .

Tina , Anu and I go on the playground almost every evening. Half the evening , We peep in Jelly's window , adjacent to the ground. We chat with her in sign-language , lest her Mummy hears us. Jelly reacts with big , popping eyes , scrunched nose , meaning " mummy is at home " and buries her nose in either History or Geography or Civic studies or.... . She always gets highest marks in Social sciences , 2nd highest in Physics , Chemistry , Biology , 3rd in Hindi-Sanskrit , 4th in Marathi , 5th in English and so on . So she studies... studies and studies to retain her popularity among the teachers and to keep her mummy cool whom she has nick-named " bhoot " i.e. ghost.


#TataZicaMarathon 


This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can  apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

Friday, January 22, 2016

Spiritual Impact

Indian Bloggers


"I can not travel by the boat. I will be very, very sick. Let's return", cried one of our friend. We were standing at the Gorai Jetty but she did not allow us to buy the boat-tickets. We returned satisfying ourselves, with just the glimpse of the majestic Global Vipassana Pagoda. The impact of that golden glimpse was so strong that I vowed to visit it at the earliest.

That was exactly an year ago, 1st January 2015. Since then, I was craving to visit that grand Golden Pagoda. We were at my sister's home in Borivali to celebrate the new year. My sister suggested, "Let's go to Ganpati Mandir and begin our new year auspiciously with God's blessings". I added, "Yes, let's go to Global Vipassana Pagoda and pray". My nephew finalized with "You both want God's blessings. I and Aditai want boat-ride, Mamma and Papa want all of us to be happy. So let's go to the Global Pagoda by boat". That's Indian Family's Single Kid-Impact , which finally decided our destination.

January 1st, 2016, We reached the Gorai jetty by car. Purchased the tickets and sat in a boat to reach the other shore, where the pagoda shines in it's golden glory. The Global Vipassana Pagoda is a Meditation Center near Borivli-Gorai in Mumbai. It was inaugurated by the President of India Pratibhatai Patil  in 2009. The pagoda serves as a monument of peace and harmony. The shape of the pagoda is a copy of the Shwedagon Pagoda ( Golden Pagoda ) in Yangon, Myanmar. It is built with combination of both ancient  and modern Indian technology to maintain it in mint condition.

The swaying coconut trees greeted us at the entrance of Global Vipassana Pagoda. At the shore, most of the picnickers took right turn( towards Essel World ), while our family turned to left on the High-way to spirituality, towards the serenity. The very first visual impact of Global Pagoda is spectacularly mind-blowing. All of us elders folded our hands, in reverence for the 'Namaskaar'. The children imitated us and rushed towards the Nagara-sqaure.


Global Vipassana Pagoda's center  comprises of the world's largest stone dome built without any supporting pillars. A very large meditation hall is located inside the pagoda. It has a capacity to accommodate over 8000 people  for the  Vipassana meditation. Here 10-day vipassana meditation courses are held free of charge at the meditation center situated at the Global Vipassana Pagoda complex.

The pagoda has in all three sub-domes. The first and largest dome is the world's largest structure containing relics of the Buddha. The Global Vipassana Pagoda complex has, Pagoda dome containing relics of Gautam Buddha, Vipassana meditation centre Dhamma Pattana ,Two smaller pagodas on the north and south side, Library, study rooms and Administration building. 
The south pagoda contains 108 meditation cells for use by Vipassana students taking a meditation course at the adjoining meditation center.
The lovely garden full of assorted trees adds to the scenic beauty of Global Pagoda. The spacious restaurant serves delicious snacks / meals at reasonable rates. Our new year began with peaceful meditation at the Global Vipassana Pagoda and the children were greatly impacted with our prosperous culture, tradition and spirituality.

#TataZicaMarathon 

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can  apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

Thursday, January 21, 2016

Social Media Impact

The year was 2009; the aam-junta was still busy scrapping on Orkut. I too had an Orkut account but I was more committed to my Blogger Account, ‘Spirit of Mumbai’. After receiving a prize for a blog post, ‘Amchi Mumbai’, I posted the photograph of my prized Chopper-ride on Facebook. And it turned me in to a celebrity overnight... Such is a strong and instant impact of Social Media.

Facebook was a novelty then. Most FaceBook_DPs boasted of fancy cars while my DP showed-off a ritzy Helicopter Raven in its full glory, ready to take off at Juhu's Pavan Hans Aerodrome. I was bombarded with Friends-requests and queries regarding the Chopper-ride. Suddenly I was having more than 1000 FB-friends, who were active in various extra-curricular activities.

The most fascinating and challenging extra-curricular activity, I loved on Facebook was the Contest. These online contests conducted by various prestigious organizations challenged the creativity, general knowledge, technical knowledge and artistic skills ( drawing / painting / handicraft etc.) of the participants. 

The 1st ever FaceBook-contest, I won was Valentine day contest (poetry writing). Next month I won 10 FB-contests, and then I promised myself, that I will win a contest every day. It was a hard task, as I had to keep track of the contests happening on various FaceBook pages. I maintained a special diary for the companies / organizations holding contests, the company’as contacts, recording my prize-winnings from FaceBook-pages, the prizes I won but have not received etc. Then I discovered that Twitter had also started the trend of contests. I joined the Twitter-contest-wagon within a jiffy and soon became famous in both Facebook’s as well as Twitter’s contest-circles.

I was so completely committed to winning the contests that I powered on my laptop early in the morning and remained online for 11 to 12 hours daily. Within a year I was a Contest-champ .I joined the secret group of Contest-winners. I received the golden opportunity to meet the legendary author Sir Jeffrey Archer and got an autographed copy of “Only Time Will Tell “. An organization interviewed me about my exemplary talent in winning online contests.

After a visit to my family doctor, I realized that I have started neglecting my diet and social commitments, while being 24*7 busy with social media. Now I have decreased my online time from 11 hours to 5 hours daily. It was hard initially to cope up with the withdrawal syndrome. My sister and mother encouraged me to remain off-line.

The most important lesson, I have learned from this episode is, it’s exhilarating to keep winning and still the health is more important than prizes and accolades.

#TataZicaMarathon 

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the#Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can  apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

Peppy Confession

"Tomorrow's breaking news will feature our friends' spicy bytes, family members' teary mugs and our dead bodies. I will be looking uber cool in BeBe sweatshirt, Calvin Klein jeans and Nike sneakers. But what about you, a fashion street junkie?. I hope they won't focus too much on your zits". : my girlfriend is loudmouthed plus pretty face. According to her I am Peppy but Zitsy-faced.


"Zits ? What's that ?" I asked . "pimples" she answered and continued "and what if they get hold of your antique wallet?. Will your wallet be an Exhibit A?. No credit card, not even an ATM card. What a shame it will be to be written off as your girlfriend on the front page of tomorrow's newspapers".

I had to hear all this and much more bakwaas when I asked my hep girlfriend "Tuze Aksa beach ghooma doo ... aa chalti kya ?". OK, fine. So I am this lower middle class boy from Khar. Did you ask "Where's that ?". Well Khar is between Bandra and Santacruz. My girlfriend stays in Bandra. Big Deal !. She says that she is not my girlfriend but just friend. I am 100% sure she is my girlfriend because she is the only girl, I'm friends with. Let her argue, whatever she wants to. Anyways she is good ... better.... best ...at that , arguing nonstop on any given topic, just to contradict me. She always takes potshots at my status or rather lack of it.

In "Jane tu ya jane na" , Jay is a middle class boy , compared to richi rich Aditi , still there's no strain in their friendship. So what's wrong with my girlfriend ? She liked the movie. She liked Imran Khan even more. It prompted me to ridicule Imran's bushy eyebrows. This must be the first time, I bitched about anyone or paid any attention to a guy's face. I mean there are so many girls around, why waste your time and eye-sight on boys?. On the platform, in the buses, at the malls, I offer my close-up smile to the girls. But these girls are so stingy, they never return anything, not even the smile. They either turn away their faces or stare at me as if I am an Anaconda dressed up as a boy.Forget the girls, just for a while of course. Why does my girlfriend give so much attention to my outward appearance?. why does not she look inwards. I don't mean "kya kool hai hum" sort of double meaning here. It's cool for Salman Khan to woo Priyanka with "Tuze Aksa beach ghooma doo , aa chalti kya".

It's super-duper hit for Imran Khan to dance "Pappu can not dance" with Genelia. Then why should I be denied the basic human ( boyfriend ) right to take my girlfriend at Aksa beach?. My girlfriend insists on Juhu beach. Now which half-wit goes to Juhu with girlfriend?. I mean everybody with his family and dog swarm Juhu. Where's the privacy?. On my birthday she gifted me a Pink shirt. I tried to reason with her. Who wears Peee.....nk shirt?. She blurted "Ranbir, Sainf, Shahid ..... ". Not in my league, I warn you. First she teases me about my Ajay Devganish complexion and now this Peeee...nk shirt. What the hell?. Can not she gift me the cash instead?. I could have bought 3 Louis Phillips ( White , White and off white ) from Churchgate subway. On her birthday, I gifted her Lakme's 9 to 5 lipstick. She snubbed "Have you ever heard about Channel, Max Factor, Neena Ricci ..... blah blah blah". Agreed, she has this Angelina Jolie lips, which she pouts twenty five hours a day, meaning pretty much all the time. So what?. If she is pretty, I am Peppy.

#TataZicaMarathon 



This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can  apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

IIHM hosted Masterclass with Chef Shaun


Curtain Raiser Event hosted by the International Institute of Hotel Management (IIHM)

Young Chef Olympiad 201627th January 2016 – 1st February 2016 The World’s Biggest Olympiad For Culinary Students, 67 countries, 67 top student chefs on India’s 67th Republic Day


 International Institute of Hotel Management (IIHM), India's largest hotel school chain hosted a Master Class with Chef Shaun Kenworthy, Chef Mentor and Director, IIHM in Mumbai today to showcase what’s in store for the 2nd edition of the Young Chef Olympiad (YCO), the world's biggest Olympiad for culinary students that will serve as a platform to connect culinary talent from across borders. 


 Chef Shaun Kenworthy cooked up gastronomic delights and fashioned a fusion of Indian and International creations. Titled, A Trifle Indian’, the delectable centerpiece of the session captured his journey from the UK to India.





Rupinder Khurana, Director IIHM Puneplayed the perfect host as he took the guests through the YCO concept and the immense impact it will have on the student chef community and the hospitality industry as a whole. The entire IIHM team was discernibly excited to be hosting the international chef mentors and student chef contestants from 67 countries later this month.



Mumbai will see the presence of 11 countries which will include Finland, Kenya, Srilanka, USA, Nigeria, Peru, Romania, Hong-Kong, Russia, Iran and Kuwait ; who will arrive with their best student chef along with their mentors on 28th January 2016


This was an introduction to the 6 day grand event. The second edition of YCO will play host to over 67 countries in India for the much awaited culinary competition that will be spread across 6 days and 4 cities as the participating culinary students contest for the grand title and a cash prize of $10,000. Starting with a grand opening ceremony on 27th Jan 2016 at Talkatora Indoor Stadium, New Delhi where the biggest culinary heats of the planets will take place; it will be followed by cook-off in all the four cities culminating into a Grand Finale to be held in Kolkata on 1st February, 2016. Each country will be sending in their best student chef along with their chef mentors to compete for the winning honor. This year the YCO will see the best of the culinary art students from England, France, Malaysia, China, Switzerland, Australia, USA, Spain, Sweden, Honk Kong, Canada and more.




This International event has been organized by the International Institute of Hotel Management (IIHM) who is a front runner in innovation and development of human resource in the Indian hospitality industry through various management and culinary degrees in the segment. This is yet another inimitable feather in their cap as they prepare for another successful round of culinary skill cook offs on an international level at an event that is a first for any institute in the country and the Indian hospitality industry as well.

To know more about the event please visit 


Peppy Tapori

Your attention please ! Peppy 'Tapori ' speaking . Majority of Mumbai's population is in the teenage bracket. It's natural to communicate with you in your ' boli ' , and your ' boli ' is ' Tapori '. Thanks to the generally exhilarating mood of youngsters, Tapori sounds Peppy.

Once upon a time . Queen's English was considered as classic . Time flies fast ; accordingly the language went through peppy, roller-coaster-ride. The newspapers so far considered the guardians of ' Lingua-Pura ' , don't shy away from publishing articles chock-a-block with kewl , wassup , yo , ya , whatever , hey , chill pill , uber cool , snobs , chicks , dude , fultoo , item , hifi , cutting etc.

Aamir Khan's ' Ghulam - song ' Ae kya bolti tu ' initiated the trend of ' Tapori ' in Hindi films and Munnabhai's ' bole to ' added momentum to the bandwagon.

Mumbai , the city of dreams and dreamers , welcomed ' dhaansu ' tapori with open mouths ( the pun intended ) . Till yesterday you were angry , now you give ' khunnas ' . The fave funda of ' avli ' youngsters is ' tension lene ka nahi , dene ka ' . Your problems , difficulties have become ' locha ' , ' jhol ' . If someone dupes you , you are ' popat ' without wings.

The new improved version of your ' Lingua Franca ' is remixed with ' vaat lag gayee ' , ' zakaas ' , ' aapun tapka ' , ' hawa aane de ' , ' kalti maar ' , ' bheja fry ' , ' lukkha ' , ' khajoor ' , ' dhakkan ' , ' raawas ' , ' zinga ' , ' takatak ' , ' khopchi ' , ' raada ' , ' bhidoo ' , ' dhinchaak ' and ' raapchik ' .


The simple compliments such as fine , nice and good have been replaced with peppy uber cool , ' sahee ' and wow. Beautiful girl is no more ' belle' but ' chhawi ' and handsome hunk is naturally ' chhawa ' .

You got bored with the word ' bore ' so ' pakaw ' is in. The old world romanticism of courting , wooing , flirting is flop and sporting encounters such as setting , fielding , batting are super-hit.

The golden days of ' nukkad ' are over . Cyber cafes are the places to chilax . Irani / Udipi hotels are boycotted in favor of 2K Starbucks , Baristas and McDonalds , where you indulge in CA = ' Complete Aaram or MBA = ' Mast Baithake Aaram '.

Not a very long ago the ' Tapori ' was strictly spoken by ' bhailog ' . Now in the times of PDA ( Public Display of Affection ) , ' Tapori ' has become a fashion statement in our Mumb(h)ai . Let the whole world have prudish English , we the Mumbaikars love our street-smart ' Peppy-Tapori '.


#TataZicaMarathon 


This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can  apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Positive Impact

"Be Positive" ... my mother keeps repeating n number of times. She has passed, with distinction so many life-threatening hurdles since her childhood. I wonder , how she still manages to " Be Positive ". Aai ( my Mother ) always pushes me to go ... give my Best and achieve Excellence. My Aai has the most positive Impact on my life.

Flashback  .... January 26, being Monday-holiday was an extension of lazy-Sunday. As usual I picked up my favorite, 'Hindustan Times' from the stack of 10 newspapers that my father has subscribed for. Thanks to my father, We have this luxury of reading 10 newspapers  daily. We have donated both our TV-sets to an orphanage in VikramGarh so we have more than enough interest and  time for reading. After browsing through the headlines, I extracted HT-Café ( HT's supplement ). ‘Super60’, whopper response to the ‘INDIA COOL CONTEST’ printed next to HT-Café’s masthead caught my eyeballs.

But of course, I had emailed an article(  contest-entry ) describing the sixty things and personalities, which make India cool. Now over to HT-Café’s Super60 list from A to Z. I started comparing my selection list with the published icons…

‘Abhinav Bindra, A R Rahman, Aravind Adiga, APJ Abdul Kalam, Ayurveda, Azim Premji, Backwaters of Kerala…. The list went on. I was like… oh yes! It’s all mine. I scanned the center spread. The Red-stripe at the end declared ‘FIVE WINNING ENTRIES’. Five? How’s that? On 21st January, Hindustan Times had advertised the ‘Super60’ contest as ‘Two lucky winners will be treated to a chopper-ride around the city and have their articles featured in HT-Café'.

Guess what? My name was there on that Red-stripe at the 3rd position. Naturally I was excited to be the one among five winners but the chopper-ride was promised only for two lucky winners.

Imagine, winning the contest but not getting ‘the prize’. I mean HT won’t be giving the chopper-ride to the 3rd winner, when they had already declared it for two winners. The chopper-ride around the city costs Rs. 20,000/- per person. Even though I was feeling on ‘Cloud 9’ already, I couldn’t break the news to my friends. What could I have told them? “Look! I have won the contest but I won’t be getting the prize”. How hyper is that?

That's when , my Aai , came in picture. She kept on repeating, " You have won it , you will get the prize-ride ". I spent the whole day checking emails. Next day, I received the congratulatory call from Hindustan Times about the chopper-ride. On Saturday, Captain Mody warmly welcomed the winners at Juhu - Pavan-Hans aerodrome.

Captain Mody acquainted us with the route, we would fly and the swanky helicopter named ‘Raven’. Raven was so ritzy that all of us went photo-frenzy. We clicked close-ups, blow-ups, and group-photos with Raven as the poster-stud in the background.

Finally at 10.30 am, Raven, the black beauty took off to give us ( the five winners of Hindustan Times' - India's Super60 contest ) the ‘Out of blue’ experience. The ride was Fantastico to say the least.  



#TataZicaMarathon 

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can  apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.