Deccan Chronicle launched it's Bangalore edition on the 26th of May, a day after the
election results were out.One more newspaper in an already crowded market.
I don't what the big bosses at Deccan Chronicle are thinking.
The Deccan Chronicle ads are very crude and tasteless.
Of all products, Should a newspaper use such ads ?
Also as opposed to the usual low price entry strategy that they followed in Chennai,
Deccan Chronicle is available free of cost in Bangalore.
I am not sure if this makes sense.Since it is free and is distributed along with other papers It will give DC a good reach.Most of the people will not bother to read the paper.People will give a cursory glance in the first few days out of curiosity but if the content is not good enough , they will keep it aside to be sold for 5/kg or whatever the going rate is, at a later date.
The content in DC is very very bad to say the least.TOI's Bangalore edition(Not that it is different in other cities) caters to folks who just want to spend 5 minutes , go through the headlines and look at a few pictures.TOI does the job pretty well.
Lots of news on parties, a supplement that contains nothing but pics of actresses and beautiful women.Whenever a survey/Research report/whatever on sexual habits/preferences/anything remotely connected to sex gets published anywhere in the world TOI picks it up and gives a lot of space to the details of the findings.
There are many other articles on sundry topics that have absolutely no value that get published everyday.In such a scenario , Can DC be successful ?
IMHO, the chances are very remote.
Today's DC contained a review of Shobaa De's Superstar "India From Incredible to Unstoppable".The reviewer called Shobaa De daring, courageous among other things.I have never seen/read such praise for a Shobaa De work.Considering that a lot of people have already trashed the book, I fail to understand the motivation behind the review.
Bangalore has a good crowd and I believe there is scope for a serious newspaper in Bangalore.Good newsworthy articles and meticulous analysis sans "The Hindu's" biases will definitely attract enough readers.It is disheartening that no newspaper is ready to invest and try it out atleast on an experimental basis.
Free newspapers don't command the same respect as the other elements of the mainstream media and rightly so.There is no way we can arrive at a reasonable readership figure.No way to account for the value gained out of advertising in such a paper.Will advertisers pay high prices for ads in DC Bangalore ? Will it get the same price as the Hyberabad edition ?Deccan Chronicle followed a low price strategy in Chennai and is still losing money there.Will Bangalore edition also go the same way ?
Or will it be wiped out , much like the Deccan Chargers.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Murakami rocks........
I took 2 fiction titles from the library this time around.
The last 2 months have seen me reading only non-fiction and so
I thought I wanted a change.
Chose a book by Haruki Murakami and one by Kurt Vonnegut.
Currently reading " Hard-boiled wonderland and the end of the world" by
Murakami.
This particular book alternates between 2 different story lines.
The 2 narrations eventually merge together into a single story.The progress
of the 2 narratives and their eventual coming together is a treat to read.
I have read the first few pages of Kurt Vonnegut's Bluebeard.
I think that will also be wonderful. I just can't wait to finish
Murakami and take up bluebeard.
I know I am late to Murakami and Vonnegut but as the much abused saying goes
It's better late than never.
The last 2 months have seen me reading only non-fiction and so
I thought I wanted a change.
Chose a book by Haruki Murakami and one by Kurt Vonnegut.
Currently reading " Hard-boiled wonderland and the end of the world" by
Murakami.
This particular book alternates between 2 different story lines.
The 2 narrations eventually merge together into a single story.The progress
of the 2 narratives and their eventual coming together is a treat to read.
I have read the first few pages of Kurt Vonnegut's Bluebeard.
I think that will also be wonderful. I just can't wait to finish
Murakami and take up bluebeard.
I know I am late to Murakami and Vonnegut but as the much abused saying goes
It's better late than never.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
The Dante Club
I am reading "The Dante Club" now. I thought the book will bring back memories of The Da Vinci code.But I am reminded more of Shankar's Anniyan.
I think anniyan is inspired by this book.In "The Dante Club" the murders are defined by the punishments in "The Divine Comedy".In Anniyan the methods are defined by "GARUDA PURANA".
The Dante club has patrolman Rey .Anniyan had Prakash Raj.Rey picks up scraps of paper with Italian letters and tries to make sense.In the tamil movie Prakash Raj arrives at various possible combinations with sanskrit letters.Too many similarities.
The book is a page turner.Not in the league of "Snow" though .But good timepass.
I think anniyan is inspired by this book.In "The Dante Club" the murders are defined by the punishments in "The Divine Comedy".In Anniyan the methods are defined by "GARUDA PURANA".
The Dante club has patrolman Rey .Anniyan had Prakash Raj.Rey picks up scraps of paper with Italian letters and tries to make sense.In the tamil movie Prakash Raj arrives at various possible combinations with sanskrit letters.Too many similarities.
The book is a page turner.Not in the league of "Snow" though .But good timepass.
Monday, November 26, 2007
A weekend in Chennai
A Trip to Chennai after a longtime.
More than half the people I know from college are in Chennai.So found two days to be insufficient , especially considering the other plans I had apart from meeting people
Chennai weather was better this time.
Got down at the Central, crossed over to park station and boarded the suburban train to Guindy.Waited for Satish to come.
After a few hours of sleep we went to the Nanganallur Anjaneya temple.The temple was good.It was a saturday and I expected the temple to be crowded but crows management was pretty decent.
Then we decided to try the flying train service.The service was extended to Velachery just a few days back.We planned to goto the beach station, eat at The Saravanabhavan near DARE HOUSE.Buy some DVDs/VCDs and then return to Velachery.
The train had very few people.The trip to the beach station took only 30-35 minutes.
Most of the stations on the way , were located in inaccesible points, the triplicane station being a case in point.Also most of the stations along this line were located a few KMs away from the residential hubs.So you had to come by a two wheeler , park it in the station.Board the train and Chances you will have to travel a few kilometres to your destination , from the station where you get down.So you have to use another mode.It will be great if they integrate the 2 different train systems and then somehow bring the buses in , under a single MRTS System.There will be issues about revenue sharing between different central and state departments.But in the interest of the commuters , those issues have to be resolved.
We came at around 5.
Young kids were busy bursting crackers.Very few houses were decorated with diyas.In Madurai , most houses are adorned with diyas on the day of karthigai.
I miss madurai :(
Went out to meet a few people.
SUNDAY
Went to the IIFT exam.came back at two
Watched the match.Then arbit browsing.
Went to Ascendas IT Park
Ascendas has a very large Food court.Food courts in malls like Spencer's or Citi center or The forum in Bangalore can't come close to this planet yumm in seating capacity.
Ascendas is neat and well maintained.Right at the entrance , in Level 1 you have shops,Cafe coffee day and a good food court.So a lot of people , who have nothing to do with ascendas IT Park come in just to eat/shop.I am not sure if that happens in any other major IT park.
Some Observations:
Travelling in Chennai is much simpler.You have trains and buses. Roads are also better at least in comparison to Bangalore.
The last time I was in Velachery , the road along the IT corridor was in a pathetic state.I don't think the full stretch is complete yet.But at least the first half is over and had made travelling easy.
The flyover near the Kathipara junction , was just a project on paper some 20 months back.Today work is progressing at a very rapid pace.I am sure , it will be "dedicated" to the state of Tamil Nadu in a few months.
Similar construction activity in Bangalore will take atleast thrice as much time.I hope the construction of the Bangalore metro and the Devanahalli air port change that.
IT companies are spread all over Bangalore.Electronics city, ITPL , White field , the entire stretch of the outer ring road at least till Marathahalli , Airport road and many other areas have huge IT campuses.
In Chennai , most IT campuses are located along the IT expressway or else in far away places like the Mahindra city.IT Parks in other areas are just coming up.So traffic is not that bad in Chennai.
It is my belief that Chennai has always had better roads than Bangalore.
Got a lot more to say..But got work takes precedence...
More than half the people I know from college are in Chennai.So found two days to be insufficient , especially considering the other plans I had apart from meeting people
Chennai weather was better this time.
Got down at the Central, crossed over to park station and boarded the suburban train to Guindy.Waited for Satish to come.
After a few hours of sleep we went to the Nanganallur Anjaneya temple.The temple was good.It was a saturday and I expected the temple to be crowded but crows management was pretty decent.
Then we decided to try the flying train service.The service was extended to Velachery just a few days back.We planned to goto the beach station, eat at The Saravanabhavan near DARE HOUSE.Buy some DVDs/VCDs and then return to Velachery.
The train had very few people.The trip to the beach station took only 30-35 minutes.
Most of the stations on the way , were located in inaccesible points, the triplicane station being a case in point.Also most of the stations along this line were located a few KMs away from the residential hubs.So you had to come by a two wheeler , park it in the station.Board the train and Chances you will have to travel a few kilometres to your destination , from the station where you get down.So you have to use another mode.It will be great if they integrate the 2 different train systems and then somehow bring the buses in , under a single MRTS System.There will be issues about revenue sharing between different central and state departments.But in the interest of the commuters , those issues have to be resolved.
We came at around 5.
Young kids were busy bursting crackers.Very few houses were decorated with diyas.In Madurai , most houses are adorned with diyas on the day of karthigai.
I miss madurai :(
Went out to meet a few people.
SUNDAY
Went to the IIFT exam.came back at two
Watched the match.Then arbit browsing.
Went to Ascendas IT Park
Ascendas has a very large Food court.Food courts in malls like Spencer's or Citi center or The forum in Bangalore can't come close to this planet yumm in seating capacity.
Ascendas is neat and well maintained.Right at the entrance , in Level 1 you have shops,Cafe coffee day and a good food court.So a lot of people , who have nothing to do with ascendas IT Park come in just to eat/shop.I am not sure if that happens in any other major IT park.
Some Observations:
Travelling in Chennai is much simpler.You have trains and buses. Roads are also better at least in comparison to Bangalore.
The last time I was in Velachery , the road along the IT corridor was in a pathetic state.I don't think the full stretch is complete yet.But at least the first half is over and had made travelling easy.
The flyover near the Kathipara junction , was just a project on paper some 20 months back.Today work is progressing at a very rapid pace.I am sure , it will be "dedicated" to the state of Tamil Nadu in a few months.
Similar construction activity in Bangalore will take atleast thrice as much time.I hope the construction of the Bangalore metro and the Devanahalli air port change that.
IT companies are spread all over Bangalore.Electronics city, ITPL , White field , the entire stretch of the outer ring road at least till Marathahalli , Airport road and many other areas have huge IT campuses.
In Chennai , most IT campuses are located along the IT expressway or else in far away places like the Mahindra city.IT Parks in other areas are just coming up.So traffic is not that bad in Chennai.
It is my belief that Chennai has always had better roads than Bangalore.
Got a lot more to say..But got work takes precedence...
Monday, November 19, 2007
SNOW
One of the first things I wanted to do after shifting to Bangalore was to join a good library.After searching for a long time , I have joined the easylib in Koramangala.They have an online service and their collection was impressive.
On my first visit there I took "SNOW" by Orhan Pamuk and "The Dante Club" , Matthew Pearl's first novel.I had heard a lot about The Dante Club.So had no hesitation in picking it up when I realized it was available.I have started with SNOW.A lot has been said about Orhan Pamuk. The work that I wanted to start with was "My name is Red" , but unfortunately that was not available.So I decided to go for this.I am not a big fan contemporary english literature and I have always stayed a safe distance away from nobel laureates.My perception was that works by Nobel laureates are for those with a literary bent of mind and not for lesser mortals like me.
On an impulse , I decided to bridge the distance.I have read nearly 150 pages of SNOW.I realized how wrong I was , once I had read the first few pages.Orhan Pamuk has something for everybody.The language is simple yet elegant and the story is something that everybody can relate to. I am not sure if all of Orhan Pamuk's novels are like this .But I want to try a few more of his works as well. I am sure , a lot of people had stayed away from such masterpieces because misconceptions.I can only hope that someday they will realize their mistake and that day will be in the nearest future.
I read the plot of The Dante Club. It reminds me of Da Vinci Code in someways.
Hope it turns out to be a good read.
On my first visit there I took "SNOW" by Orhan Pamuk and "The Dante Club" , Matthew Pearl's first novel.I had heard a lot about The Dante Club.So had no hesitation in picking it up when I realized it was available.I have started with SNOW.A lot has been said about Orhan Pamuk. The work that I wanted to start with was "My name is Red" , but unfortunately that was not available.So I decided to go for this.I am not a big fan contemporary english literature and I have always stayed a safe distance away from nobel laureates.My perception was that works by Nobel laureates are for those with a literary bent of mind and not for lesser mortals like me.
On an impulse , I decided to bridge the distance.I have read nearly 150 pages of SNOW.I realized how wrong I was , once I had read the first few pages.Orhan Pamuk has something for everybody.The language is simple yet elegant and the story is something that everybody can relate to. I am not sure if all of Orhan Pamuk's novels are like this .But I want to try a few more of his works as well. I am sure , a lot of people had stayed away from such masterpieces because misconceptions.I can only hope that someday they will realize their mistake and that day will be in the nearest future.
I read the plot of The Dante Club. It reminds me of Da Vinci Code in someways.
Hope it turns out to be a good read.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Yippie!!!!! I made it before 6:30
I started from the office by the 5:15 PM Cab and reached home exactly at 6:28.
I wanted to run to the rooftop and shout at unassuming passersby.But sadly for me ,
the street was deserted.So I decided to do the next best thing,so am blogging about it.
You may wonder why this is such a BigDeal with a capital B and a capital D.For innocent folks who have no firsthand experience of Bangalore Traffic.A little background is in order.For any distance between 5-25 kilometres travel time will be 45 minutes to 3 hours depending on your rotten luck,time of day,who you are with,the purpose of the travel,the locality and mode of transport.(Kindly note Locality and Mode of transport come last in the pecking order).For distances less than 5 KM , you will be better off walking.
I stay in BTM Second Stage.My office is in Hebbal , which is in the middle of nowhere.Depending on the route you take , the distance is between 20 -27 KMs.(How and Why of the range being so wide is one of the many secrets of Bangalore , I am yet to discover).I usually come by the 5:15 cab and reach home between 7 and 8:30.
Most days I get down from the cab at about 7:10.When I boarded the cab today , I fully expected to be stranded somewhere near Marathalli at 6:30.Please get into my shoes and imagine how I felt a few minutes , when the cab driver came and woke me from my sleep and said this is the last stop.Please get down.I checked my watch , then thought I had boarded the wrong cab.I rubbed my eyes.Looked out of the window , familiar signs of BTM Life beckoned me.I walked home thinking that my watch needed a change of battery.After few minutes of checking and rechecking , I realized my watch was working fine and the driver had created a record of sorts.God bless him.
When you are part of the Bangalore IT industry , you learn to treasure these simple pleasures of life.How I love such pleasant surprises.I want more of these.But that's were my rotten luck comes into play.All I get are shocks like my manager standing right behind me , when I was gawking at Deepika Padukone ,ignoring my work.
Such is life.
I wanted to run to the rooftop and shout at unassuming passersby.But sadly for me ,
the street was deserted.So I decided to do the next best thing,so am blogging about it.
You may wonder why this is such a BigDeal with a capital B and a capital D.For innocent folks who have no firsthand experience of Bangalore Traffic.A little background is in order.For any distance between 5-25 kilometres travel time will be 45 minutes to 3 hours depending on your rotten luck,time of day,who you are with,the purpose of the travel,the locality and mode of transport.(Kindly note Locality and Mode of transport come last in the pecking order).For distances less than 5 KM , you will be better off walking.
I stay in BTM Second Stage.My office is in Hebbal , which is in the middle of nowhere.Depending on the route you take , the distance is between 20 -27 KMs.(How and Why of the range being so wide is one of the many secrets of Bangalore , I am yet to discover).I usually come by the 5:15 cab and reach home between 7 and 8:30.
Most days I get down from the cab at about 7:10.When I boarded the cab today , I fully expected to be stranded somewhere near Marathalli at 6:30.Please get into my shoes and imagine how I felt a few minutes , when the cab driver came and woke me from my sleep and said this is the last stop.Please get down.I checked my watch , then thought I had boarded the wrong cab.I rubbed my eyes.Looked out of the window , familiar signs of BTM Life beckoned me.I walked home thinking that my watch needed a change of battery.After few minutes of checking and rechecking , I realized my watch was working fine and the driver had created a record of sorts.God bless him.
When you are part of the Bangalore IT industry , you learn to treasure these simple pleasures of life.How I love such pleasant surprises.I want more of these.But that's were my rotten luck comes into play.All I get are shocks like my manager standing right behind me , when I was gawking at Deepika Padukone ,ignoring my work.
Such is life.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
MIC Testing .................
If you know me and if you are reading this,you must have raised an eyebrow/gasped in horror/been plain cold shocked.The logical question going through your minds must be "Why does this fool/idiot/moron/whatever else you choose to label me as
If there's any positive word , please post in the comments or mail me)need another blog ? "
I started my first blog blog some 4 years ago.Made a few posts.The first 2-3 posts were downright bad.I decided to discontinue that one.Then thought I will make amends and thus began my next blogging expedition.In course of these 4 years , this pattern has repeated many many times.I have been in and out of Blogger,spaces.msn,360.yahoo and a few other services.That ,Google searches resulted in numerous perfect results for my various blog avatars ( Yes ,I am a closet cupboard narcissist , who egosurfs when nobody is around)was the only consolation , from those many endeavors.I would like to provide a link to all my old blogs,but believe me I lost track of them , once I stopped counting them.
I have been irregular/inconsistent in the other blog that I maintain right now.
I have also done more than my fair share of experiments there.In a sense , I am a kid .I would like to erase all that is present in my slate and make a fresh start.Nitpickers will point out that I have had one fresh start too many.
In my defence I can only say that they were false starts best forgotten.
Most of the blogs , that I read have been around for a longtime and regularly announce landmarks like "500th post" "6th year" and so on.So on this day,
I solemnly resolve to stick to this blog , the way good old Neeraj stays with his bigger than brick cellphones.Neeraj and his mobile phones have been constant companions in my blogosphere journey and rest assured Neeraj will find his marquee here as well.Amen to him.
If there's any positive word , please post in the comments or mail me)need another blog ? "
I started my first blog blog some 4 years ago.Made a few posts.The first 2-3 posts were downright bad.I decided to discontinue that one.Then thought I will make amends and thus began my next blogging expedition.In course of these 4 years , this pattern has repeated many many times.I have been in and out of Blogger,spaces.msn,360.yahoo and a few other services.That ,Google searches resulted in numerous perfect results for my various blog avatars ( Yes ,I am a closet cupboard narcissist , who egosurfs when nobody is around)was the only consolation , from those many endeavors.I would like to provide a link to all my old blogs,but believe me I lost track of them , once I stopped counting them.
I have been irregular/inconsistent in the other blog that I maintain right now.
I have also done more than my fair share of experiments there.In a sense , I am a kid .I would like to erase all that is present in my slate and make a fresh start.Nitpickers will point out that I have had one fresh start too many.
In my defence I can only say that they were false starts best forgotten.
Most of the blogs , that I read have been around for a longtime and regularly announce landmarks like "500th post" "6th year" and so on.So on this day,
I solemnly resolve to stick to this blog , the way good old Neeraj stays with his bigger than brick cellphones.Neeraj and his mobile phones have been constant companions in my blogosphere journey and rest assured Neeraj will find his marquee here as well.Amen to him.
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