Xtreme Zone!

Paint Ball & Choki Dhani Event

2008-04-29T10:14:00.007+05:30

The half day trip to Kapila Resort and Choki Dhani came as a welcome break and an opportunity for everyone to get together. The event took place on 4th April and saw a great turnout of more than 25. First we went to Kapila Resort where there was a unique event organized called “Paint Ball”. We were asked to create 4 teams of 5-6 players and then 4 teams competed with each other turn by turn. The game consists of eliminating opponents by hitting them with breakable, gelatin paintballs shot from a compressed gas-powered paintball marker. A team wins only after eliminating all of a team's opponents. All the games lasted hardly more than ten minutes but one of the most adventurous game we ever played together.

Then we headed towards Chokhi Dhani. Chokhi Dhani is an amazing place built on typical Rajasthani theme. It’s a huge place which is like a planned village. It has all the stuff from Rajasthan culture, cuisine, dance, traditions etc. Most of the people took camel ride and got a feel of bullock cart and Horse ride too. The folk dances and the music were quite amazing and different. The most entertaining and hilarious event was the magic show. Everyone could hardly resist themselves from laughing. Then we moved to a dinner place. It was a traditional Rajasthani food. We sat down to eat our food. We got served in leaf plates. The Food was amazing and tasty. The curries varied in taste.

All in all the project event was a big success considering that it achieved its purpose of bringing the Project members closer, interacting on a more personal. Finally, we all reached home packing all the good time spent together.

Happy Birthday 2007

2007-08-11T21:48:00.000+05:30

Yet another birthday bash and as usual this was too a different one compared to previous ones. Thanks to my dear and lovely friends who made this birthday different and distinct. As usual there was nothing to suprise that my friends would celebrate my birthday at midnight. But, before that they had some other plans.

Some of my close friends thought of preparing some snacks and sweets for the dinner at my place. Something different, which I ddin't expected but liked the idea very much. Divya who was the chef of the evening prepared all the snacks and sweets by herself and we just helped her in the intial stages of preparation. Snacks and sweets were delicious and tasty... yummmyyyyyy.....

I should learn something from her so that next time she does not take the whole credits. Dinner was soon over and we had plenty of time in hand. Rishi who met all of us after a long time, had many things and facts to describe it to us. Time was getting short but Rishi was not falling short of words.

Finally the time came, it was exactly 12 o'clock of the night and my friends brought the cake. The time had come to paint the face with full of cake. Actually not even face, neck, hands and my back was covered by cake. I don't know what did they get by this. But anyways, it was fun.

The most dangerous part was yet to come, bday bumps... I am still feeling those kicks, so you can imagine how hard they hit me. :) All in all, one more memorable birthday for me. Thank you my dear friends.

Bday Bash at Office

Amazing Dinner Party

2007-06-02T18:23:00.000+05:30

One Day, Myself and my friends decided to prepare food for dinner together. Wasn't it a cool idea? Everyone was very enthusiatic and managed to leave the workplace early inspite of their busy work schedule. We were in all 11 people. Everyone left the workplace according to their convinient time. Sagar and Ritika left the earliest and then I and Mamta left for my place. Myself and Mamta bought some vegetables, bread, etc. for the dinner preparations from the shop on the way to my place. Later Sagar and Ritika bought some Milk, Sevaiya, choclates, etc.

We four made initial preparations for the dinner, so that when everybody arrives we can serve them HOT food. After some time Divya, Digant and Rishi joined the party. Rishi became our DJ playing and shuffling the songs. Everyone was in a good mood. Suprisingly, after few minutes, Sahil joined us. Everyone was so suprise to see him that he left the workplace so early.Since, there were more people to come, we started cooking Daal. It took hardly any time for preparing Daal. Daal was prepared by myself and appereance of Daal was very nice and mouth watering.

After this Ritika, Divya and Myself started preparing Aloo Gobi for the main course and we prepared this in the pressure cooker. In the end, when Aloo Gobi was fully cooked, we garnished that with coriander leaves. Now, Varun and Digant's brother Jindal came to my place. And last but not the least, Pulkit was the last to join us, but he came at the right moment because we started with the preparation of starters Bread Pakodas and this was Mamta's part. Bread Pakodas were very delicious and tasty. Everyone could hardly resist them. So, as soon as one pakoda was ready, it got over in no time.

In the end, it was time to prepare some sweet dish and this was Ritika's job. Ritika was going to prepare Sevaiya Kheer and you won't believe, this was the most exotic dish in the menu. The sweet dish was garnished by almonds and it was looking amazing.

It took us around an hour and half so for preparing the whole dinner but hardly took time to finish that. Everybody enjoyed the dinner. Dinner was over and it was time for doing some time pass together. My living room is so big, we decided to play Box Type Cricket and there were no rules as such. So, we were playing Cricket but not actually Cricket. Then we played one round of cards but nobody enjoyed this game as much.

Now comes the most happening thing of that night. Some people came up with one game which was new for some people. It was called "Kitty Kitty One Coming". It's very difficult to explain what's this game is but you can guess by looking at the snap. But this was the most fun filled game we had that day. Girls could not stop thmeselves laughing seeing boys playing this game. The whole atmosphere was filled with fun and laughter. In other words "Ladkiyan hass hass ke lot pot ho rahe the". In Ritika's word it was "Kuch Toh Bhi" game.

In all, it was one of the memorable nights we spent together preparing food and playing some freaky games. Everyone enjoyed and had fun after a long time forgetting their usual busy and
frustrating work.

Karla Caves Trip

2007-02-20T19:30:00.000+05:30

After a very long time, myself and my some collage mates planned to have a trip to Karla Caves. It had been a long time that we people went together and had fun together. Though many people were supposed to join the trip but in the end very few people turned up. the trip was planned for 17th of February. We were in all 9 people in which their were four boys and five girls. Suprised, that more girls turned up then boys.

I was the only one coming from Pune to Lonavala, all my collage mates were coming from Mumbai. My friends started very early from Mumbai since they were coming by bus to Lonavala. I set off pretty late since it takes hardly one hour to reach Lonavala. We all were supposed to meet at Lonaval ST bus stand. It got pretty late for everyone to reach Lonavala bus station, I think we reached around noon.

There were two ways to reach the caves, one was through stone steps and other was proper road for the vechicles for those people who doesn't want to waste energy in climbing. We all decide to climb through stone steps.. It took us around 30 minutes to climb vis stone steps to the impressive Karla Cave. The scenary was awesome with beautiful mountain and wonderful caves. Karla Cave is the largest Early Buddhist chaitya ( temple ) in India. Completed in 80 BC, the chaitya is around 40m long and 15m high, carved by monks and artisans from the rock in imitation of more familiar wooden architecture.

At the entrance of the principal cave is the temple of Goddess Ekvira visited by thousands of devotees from the coastal region around Mumbai during the annual fair falling in April (chaitra) and also during Navratri. Ekvira temple is on the right side of the main cave while at the left side is a lofty column with three lions on its top.

The central structure is called the stupa - a dome shaped monument built over the remains of a Buddhist saint. This room was like silence embedded in stone. The wooden arches have survived the wear and tear of over 2000 years! The Buddhist carvings in stone and wood, the austere living/meditation quarters give visitors an almost real feel of what it must be like - to live like a Buddhist monk. Great windows light the interiors. There are well carved sculptures of both males and females, as well as animals, including lions and elephants.

We all started our journey back around 4pm in the evening. Lonavala is not only famous for its beauty but also for its Chikki. So, on the way back to Lonavala we all bought some chikki and other eating stuff for our family and friends. Later, we all took our convinient transport to our home from Lonavala Bus Stand. All in all the trip was very fun filled. Though very few people turned up but we enjoyed to our fullest.

Raigad and Harihareshwar Trip

2007-01-28T18:39:00.000+05:30

The 2-day trip to Raigad and Harihareshwar came as a welcome break and an opportunity for everyone to let their hair down. The event was scheduled for the 20th and 21st of January and saw a great turnout of 20. The journey to Raigad was the most entertaining part. Everybody indulged actively in singing songs with good spirited competition. At one point it seemed as everyone is giving audition for Indian Idol, Antakshari,etc. The elegant MTDC Resort was arranged for our accommodation. The first day was spent admiring the scenery and architecture of the Raigad Fort. The most amazing part was the experience of Ropeway. We saw the king's public Durbar which is the replica of the original throne that faces the main doorway called the Nagarkhana Darwaja. The interesting part about this enclosure is that it had been acoustically designed to aid hearing from the doorway to the throne.

Back in the hotel, a memorable evening was spent enjoying Dumb Charades games and some superb performances by one and all in singing section. The atmosphere was filled with fun and laughter.

The next morning we started early for Harihareshwar beach, a three hour drive by bus. Harihareshwar is a place of temples and beautiful seashore. The temple here is one of the major attractions. The temple consists of idols of Brahma - Vishnu - Mahesh and Devi Parvati.

The atmosphere here is very auspicious and creates pleasure. The seashore, beach and the temple are worth to visit. All in all the project event was a big success considering that it achieved its purpose of bringing the Project members closer, interacting on a more personal. The magical figure of 20 made this event successfull. Finally, on our way home everybody played games like Housie, Dumb Charades, etc... and reached home packing all the good time spent together.

Mission - Tikona Fort

2006-10-16T14:15:00.000+05:30

Our group Amdocs DVCI Trekkers organised a trek on 14th October to Tikona Fort. It is a pyramidal peak near Lonavala. The fort gets its name from its pyramidal shape, which is instantly recognizable at the end. It is also called as 'Vitangagad'. The fort is almost 3580 feet high. Tikona comes under the medium category as far as the trek difficulty level is concerned but for some of our trekkers, this was not an easy trek.

So, we started from Magarpatta City at 5:30am by bus for Lonavala and alighted at Kamshet. It took almost two hour to reach to Kamshet. And from there another half an hour to reach the base village. This village is also known as Tikona-Peth. We had a light breakfast at Tikona-Peth and then everybody was ready to take off to Tikona.

We started the actual trek at 10.00 am. It was a very bright and sunny day. We all started the trek with lots of enthusiasm. It was going pretty well until we understood in the middle that we have chosen the incorrect path and this happened twice with us. The whole trek was not that difficult except for some people who took a wrong shortcut and were almost on the verge of falling down. This was the most adventurous part of the trek and mostly for them. Thankfully, nothing happened. But then there was nothing to regret for; enjoyment was the main objective of the trek.

Thereafter, everything was back to normal and it was pretty straightforward. We went on, following the established route rather than inventing our own through the forests. There were plenty of bushes and dense grass, which we used to haul ourselves uphill. It took almost two and half hours to reach to the top of the fort, which would have taken only two hours or so by normal standards. We met another group of trekkers in the middle and they informed us that their trek had been very easy. Those trekkers were from DVCI only but they came on bikes. Of course, they probably had a less exciting trek as compared to ours!

At the top of the fort, one really feels like the King of the World. One can have a wonderful view of fort Tung, the twin of Tikona. There are a few lakes, the temple of 'Trimbakeshwar Mahadev'. The view of Pawna dam and other forts like Tung, Lohagad and Visapur is extremely beautiful. Now, members could hardly resist themselves from taking some snaps.

We started our journey back to the base village around 1300 hrs. Coming down the fort was a pretty easy task. In between, we had a nice lunch together too. We decided to come down from the other side of the fort to village ‘Javan’. But, the groups got splited and our group decided to descend to base village Tikona-Peth from where we started the trek. We reached there at around 1430hrs. The bus was waiting at Javan village and we were waiting there for nearly one hour for the bus.

The trek completed much sooner and we had enough time. So, we decided to visit Bedsa Caves which was half an hour away from Tikona-Peth. Bedsa caves are one of the most old in Maharashtra. These caves are 2000 years old. Huge pillars, lions and humans forms and a large Chaitya hall with resting rooms is a speciality of these caves. There are good carvings on the pillars. Infact, a very good place to visit.

All in all, it was one of the memorable treks. We made it more adventurous by choosing the wrong path! Everybody reached back being totally exhausted in the night packing all the good time spent together.

Mission - Raireshwar Trek

2006-09-10T16:20:00.000+05:30

Yet another trek and this time it was full of unexpected situations happening all over the trekking. This time we were going to Raireshwar a little further from Pune (2 hrs.) in Bhor region.

Raireshwar has a temple famous for its historical importance. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj took the oath of Hindavi Swarajya in this temple at the age of 16. The temple is very old and of stone structure. It is situated in between various hills and forts such as Kenjalgad. The temple is on a platue. We were about to start at 6 O'clock in the morning from Magapatta City and it was already raining heavily from midnight which we were not expecting although but it was good for the trek.
Everybody hoped that this rain continues at Raireshwar too. So, we started around 6 am and picked everyone on the way. The road was not that good also, so we reached the base village Korle around 10 am. We had our breakfast over there and then started the trek and unfortunately it was not raining over here.
It was a very bright and sunny day and because of this, trek was becoming a little difficult for everyone. The first hour was very tiring, everybody was exhausted soon then they expected. The steep road came to an end and there was a very high ladder to climb and after that the path was very easy. On the way, there were amazing varieties of wild flowers.

After the heat waves, sweat and nearly around three hours, we finally reached the top of the mountian which is a huge platue. At the top there is a temple called "Raireshwar Temple". Everybody visited the temple and then afterwards we had tea. There was a local person over there who told us that they can serve us food if we need. So, some of us ordered Chapatti, Jhunka and Rice for the lunch. Jhunka was really verty spicy.

Then after lunch, we played some games together and decided to trek down around 3.30pm. As soon as we started descending, it started raining heavily and as usual this was too not expected. But the fun of getting drenched in the rain is different, and more better at such a beautiful place. It rained for a while and then stopped. We kept walking on and on. Soon it started raining again and this time it was very heavy and it seemed that it will not stop. We reached the base village around 5.30 and most of us were completely wet.

We started off around 6.00 pm and on the way in a village some people stopped our bus and informed us that two people are left behind. Every body was shocked and most amazing thing was that the people left behind were organisers. We stopped at the next village where the left over people came by bike. We took a halt in between at Natraj Hotel where people took some snacks and tea. The entire journey back home was great, people sang some real melodious old numbers. We reached Magarpatta back around 10.30pm in the night packing all the unexpected and good time spent together.

Kashid - Murud Janjira

2006-08-21T19:31:00.000+05:30

My Birthday Blast!

2006-08-10T14:48:00.000+05:30

This was one of my most memorable birthday celebration made by my roommates and some of my friends from my company. Although, it was not a suprise for me that they were going to celebrate my birthday on 8th august midnight. But, the way they celebrated my birthday was very much unexpected by me.

Instead of singing Birthday song, they started singing songs having word "JANA" which almost shocked me. And after cutting cake, the most unexpected moment happened...

At last, the time came for me get some birthday bumps for the first time in my life, and it was also unforgettable. They kicked me so many times and so hard that I can still feel the pain.

After Bday Bumps

Mission - Lohagad Fort

2006-07-16T10:56:00.000+05:30

Lohagad Trek was one of the best and amazing trek I ever had in my life. Everyone use to say me that trekking in rainy season is awesome, so I thought why not try to taste this experience. And I can tell you that this trek was fantastic for me.

In 1670, Shivaji Maharaj won Lohgad fort and in the year 1751, Gaikwad and Dabhade family were incarcerated in this fort. Today, most of the forts are in dilapidated states, however Lohgad is still in much better condition. For trekker's Lohgad should be a real treat to visit giving a wonderful view from its top. Lohgad is situated about 5 Km. from Malavali station. We have to get down at Malavali station near to Lonavala. After crossing the Express-Highway & reaching Bhaje village we get straight route to Lohgad. 1½ hours walk from Bhaje will lead to Lohgadwadi. 15 min walk from Lohgadwadi will take you to the top. We can reach to the top of fort by stairs.

We started our journey by catching 6.30 Lonavala Local in the morning. After an hour we reached Malavali station. After reaching Bhaje village, we had some breakfast as poha and tea. Over here we came to learn something, which would help you also too. Take a look on this picture, it's too good...

Then around 9.00 am, we started the trek towards base village Lohgadwadi and then to the foot of the fort.

The entrance to this fort is impressive. We will come across four doors while reaching the top. The first one is called 'Ganesh Darwaaja', second one is called 'Narayan Darwaaja', third one is called 'Hanuman Darwaaja' & fourth one is called 'Maha Darwaaja'. Out of this Hanuman Darwaaja is the most ancient of all the doors.

Being a well preserved fort the entrance to the fort is in good condition. The fortification are also quiet good. There is a mosque old Dargah at the top. From Lohgad, Tung and Tikona hills are seen. Going ahead from the old Dargah towards right there is small a temple of Lord Shiva. Going ahead we come across a small lake besides which there are drinking water reservoirs. This is only place on fort where we can get drinking water. After walking 15 to 20 min we come to a bigger lake.

To the western side of the fort is 'Vinchu Kata'. It is 1500m long & 30m wide part of the mountain, separated from the main part. This is most fascinating spot on the top of the fort. Viewing from the fort this portion looks like scorpion’s sting and hence it is called 'Vinchu Kata'. This 'Vinchu Kata' was used for keeping a watch on the nearby area. We all spent a nice time over there having photography sessions, etc. There is also a flag post at the end of Vinchu Kata.

We started our journey back to Lohgadwadi village around 1.00 pm and reached the base village very quickly. We had a nice lunch over there. It was a typical maharashtrian sort of thali and it was a bit spicy too. But we enjoyed the lunch very much. Every body relaxed over there for a while and headed towards the waterfall which is nearer to Bhaje Caves. Some people enjoyed the bath under waterfalls while others went to Bhaje Caves to have an insight into the caves.

The trekking has finally come to an end. We took 6.20 pm Local train towards Pune. We all played Antakshari all the way to Pune and it was a great fun all around. Everybody was watching our group singing songs loudly. We finally reached Pune station around 7.30pm and that was the end of one of the most amazing trek we ever had in our life.

Native Place

2006-07-13T13:58:00.000+05:30

My Native Place - Kotbarh. Very rare name naa... I went there after one and half year. It was quite a different and interesting experience this time.Its a typical village as you have seen in Lagan movie. This village is 4 hours drive by bus from Kolkatta. Very remote area and the electricity lines have come therejust before 2 years only and still the land line telephones are very rare there. People over there now use cell phones for communication.The nature and environment over there can be well explained by the photos which I took.

My Relatives

My Uncle catching Fish

Vegetables growing Field

Rice grain Field

Preparing to catch Fishes

My Native House

Durshet Trip

2006-04-19T20:00:00.000+05:30

Our College gang decided to go for a one day picnic and everybody decided to go Durshet Forest Lodge which is on the Khopoli-Pali Highway. This resort is worth visiting in rainy season. There are many palces to be seen over here like Amba River where there are different activities like Botanical Expeditions Pond Dipping, River Gauging etc. There is an artificial waterfall also but only in monsoon season. Around 20 kms away from this place we can see Pali Ganpati (part of the Asthavinayak ) and Old Pali Fort. There is Hot Water Springs at Unhere which is around 27kms from this place.
Saturday, April 15, 2006. I woke up at 04:00 in the morning since I had to meet all the college gang at Thane station by 06:30 to catch Karjat Local Train. I thought, I would get late but, suprisingly, I reached Thane station at 05:55, thanks to fast express ST Bus. By 06.30, we were a team of 11 people (Myself, Jitesh, Mango, Padmu, Milind, Kunal, Monika, Shruthi, Mamta, Priya and Tanu) and we started our journey towards Durshet Forest Lodge. For many people it was the first time, they had heard about this place or gone there. We all had a nice time while travelling through local train. We took many snaps as if we have boarded local train for the first time in the life. We also played some games to make our journey feel shorter. On the way at Kalyan, Vandana joined our gang. After around an hour, we reached Karjat station and then took a connecting train to Khopoli. It was now time to have some light breakfast, so everybody had some Wada Pavs from the station. And Finally we reached Khopoli Station.

We now headed towards Khopoli Bus Depot. We first took Bus an then a Share Auto Rickshaw to reach the Forest Lodge. We booked a room and went inside and now members could hardly resist themselves from taking some snaps and the most astonishing thing happened this time which no body would ever forget. It can be seen from the snap...

After this astonishing incident, we all came out of the room quitely as if nothing happened, pretending everthing is alright. We went to have breakfast for which everyone was waiting eagerly. There was Bread Jam, Meesale Pav, Upma, Sweets and offcourse a nice hot Tea & Coffee without which breakfast is not complete... Breakfast was good and made everyone active.

After refreshing ourselves, we decided to go towards Amba river which was actually totally dried up in the summer season. So, we had no problems in crossing the river. We had to get down first from the resort and then cross the river. There was nothing much to explore.

It was some time for some adventures. Myself and Mangesh tried climbing a tree. It was a bit difficult but we succeeded in the end climbing the tree. But the real test was coming down from the tree and we managed that also some how, don't ask me how...

In all it was like a short trek. We all came back and everybody was exhausted totally. We were waiting for two more people to join the gang who started late from Thane and they reached at around 13:45 in the afternoon (Shridhar as usual ;) and Priya). We then sat together and listened their extraordinary journey by Bus upto here. There were also many Speechless and Innocent moments in between for which I don't have any words to express. We all sang some nice songs together. We then went for lunch. Lunch provided by the Lodge was pretty good especially the Buuttter Milk.
It was now time to have some fun in the swimming pool. So all the guys, actually only guyz jumped into the swimming pool and we had a great time.

That was the end of the day, It was time to leave. But in the mean while, one of our friend Mangesh had a severe sprain on his leg and he was not even able to put his leg on the ground. So, we all carried him all the way to the ST bus stop.

Thank God! We got the direct ST bus to Thane at 18:15 in the evening. In the end it was a nice and great camping which everybody would remember forever. The magical figure of 14 made this camping successful. There were 7 girls and 7 boys in all and I don't know why but this ratio seemed to be a magic number!

Complete Google Guide

2006-04-11T19:10:00.000+05:30

This site is a Complete Guide to everything you wanted to know about searching on Google and were afraid to ask. GoogleGuide starts with the basic stuff like how to search effectively and how the search engine interprets your queries. It then moves to advanced tutorials that teach you about search operators like 'define', 'book' and 'filetype'. They claim that if you spent the required 8 hours to read it you will be transformed intoa search expert.

Mission - Peb Fort

2006-03-12T10:18:00.000+05:30

Our group Amdocs DVCI Trekkers recently organised a trek to Peb Fort. Fort Peb (2100 ft) is situated on northeast side of Panvel, on Mumbai-Pune road, at a distance of 3-4 km on west side of Neral.This is the most beautiful one day trek. But there is a dense forest on the way to the fort Peb. The fort is also named as ‘VikatGad’. Fascination spots are cave on the fort is occupied by disciples of Swami Samarth, a great saint.

Saturday, March 11, 2006. I woke up at 03:30 in the morning. Suprisingly, I was the first one to arrive the boarding place and first time we started the journey in time. We started from MagarPatta City around 5.00 am in the morning. We picked up everybody on the way and continued the journey through Mumbai-Pune Expressway. In the end, we were a team of 16 members with one girl. The first halt was at Food Mall on the expressway. Everybody had tea there and got fresh up. The second halt was then at Karjat Chowk where we had a nice breakfast which had Wada Pav, Meesale Pav, Kanda Bhaji and off course a nice hot tea without which breakfast is not complete. We reached the base village around 10.00 am.

So at 1000Hrs we started walking towards our destination. First we crossed a river which was totally dried up. In the way there were two difficult rock patches to climb. But the team never gave up. In between the way our half of the team were confused from which way to go, since othe half team members had gone ahead. But we found the correct way and joined the group ahead. We crossed all the hurdles and reached the cave which is below the actual fort at aound 1300hrs. It was hard to hide the smiles.

There was a statue of Shivaji Maharaj inside the cave and the cave was basically occupied by disciples of Swami Samarth. We rested there for a while before we could start trekking towards te fort. At 1345hrs we started walking again. The first step was to climb up the fort wall. It was 10m high where large nails are stuck in and also there was a ladder to climb up. But our team had so much courage that insted of climbing from ladder they chose to climb the wall through nails stuck in the wall and this was the best moment during the trek. Now, when everybody climbed the wall successfully, members could hardly resist themselves from taking some snaps. But, the life was not still easy for the team since the path to fort was not that straight. We had to walk through narrow paths which was almost like aar ya paar.

After an hour we finally reached the top of the Peb fort. There is a flag post at the top which is quite long. There is a ladder attached to the flag post. Some of them went up with ladder and others took some snaps. We could also see the railway track on which the Neral-Matheran toy train runs.

We started our journey back to the cave around 1400hrs. On the way, we went to shiv mandir on fort. After reaching the cave, we had a nice lunch together and everybody took a short nap. We then started walking down the mountains at around 1545hrs. And this time it took us almost one and half hours to come down. At last, we compeleted the one more trek successfully and third one in my list. I had a great thrill and a very nice fort to visit also. Although there is not much to see there, but the trekking experience was very exciting.

Fear Factor

2006-02-27T17:56:00.000+05:30

Did you know that fear of dreams is called Oneirophobia. Well, did you? If you didn't and want to know all about the fears than visit PhobiaGuide. This website also features the alphabetical listof phobias and their names. You can even search the database for specific words which makes it easy to find out what your fear is called.
So, find out what is it that you FEAR!

Sparkling and Melodious Dinner

2006-02-23T09:41:00.000+05:30

Yesterday, our project team members went for a Dinner. We went to Chingari Restuarant which is in Koregaon Park. The group was not that big enough but then also we enjoyed a lot than we expected. The Ambience is very earthy. But one thing was disappointing that it does not serves alcohol.

Since, the fear of Bird Flu was going on; some people were confused whether we should have Chicken and eggs or not. But in the end we decided to go with Seafoods and Mutton. So, we started off with nice and mouth watering starters. Everything was going smooth and well. We ordered the main course also and were about to finish it off. But suddenly a topic of old and new songs came between the discussion; don't know how. Par isse kuch logon ke dil main Chingari bhadak uthi. I think this was due to the atmosphere of Chingari restuarant... just kidding.

The discussion was basically on whether the Old Songs are more melodies and better than the New Songs or viceversa. As the discussion was progressing, it became more interesting and hot. Some people were in the favour of Old Songs, some were in the favour New Songs and some were on both sides. Everybody were expressing their views but the tone of some people went so high that the people sitting around us started staring us, thinking what's going on.
Slowly slowly, the discussion was coming to an end with a funny conclusion that "Purane Zamane main Purane Gaane achhe lagte hain aur Naye Zamane main Naye Gaane achhe lagte hain" and one more "Purane Zamane main Naye Gaane nahi the varna naye gaane bhi achhe lagte".

Thus, we were finally able to order the delicious deserts. Also everybody of us sung some good and melodious songs (according to all members which I think) together like "Gore Gore"(old), "Tu Hi Ree"(New), "Mere Hamsafar"(New)...
Now, it was time to empty our pockets. There was something most astonishing and suprising thing waiting for us to happen. The bill was on the table and we were paying the huge bill with our Credit Card but the restuarant does not accept credit card. Everybody was stunned and were looking each other's face thinking what would be the consequences now. But we all some how managed to pay the huge bill by cash which made many of our's pocket really empty.

To conclude this what I think, is that all the songs are melodious and good from time to time. But some songs are Evergreen, can't live without listening them. There is no point getting into arguments, life is for learning and everyone has it's own thinking you cannot change another person's thinking.
So folks, what do you think, what's you opinion, whether old songs are more melodious and better than new ones or viceversa. Or both are awesome to be heard and sung till infinity.

Happy Valentines Day!

2006-02-14T20:33:00.000+05:30

Wishing you all a very Happy Valentines and a Lovely Day!

New Year Celebrations - 2006

2006-01-03T11:12:00.000+05:30

I remember New Year's celebrations of past years. My mother always insists of having the complete nuclear family at home when the new year begins. So, it has always been that way. But this time I celebrated my New Year with my friends. I spent the morning wishing my friends, colleagues and favourite bloggers a Happy New Year and thinking about 2005. And what would be more exciting and fascinating that we all were meeting after one and half years. Sounds something strange when everybody stays in the same city.
Everybody decided to gather at one place called Talao Pali in Thane. Since, we were meeting after a very long period it was quite interesting to see everybody's enthusiasm. We spend a nice time together and also had a long dinner together. It was suprising to know at the end that we all were in the Hotel for almost 2 hours. And now i will not bore you by saying the whole story.
Here are some pictures of our 31st December night Celebrations...

Happy New Year! Wish you get what you set yourself for this year! Have a great Year ahead!

Happy New Year

2005-12-30T15:25:00.000+05:30

I shall end 2005 blogging wishing everyone a better, healthier, and happier year ahead in 2006. Keep safe in the holidays and have a wonderful celebration. I shall leave you all with my final post in 2005.

H A P P Y N E W Y E A R

Mission - Tung Fort

2005-12-18T11:10:00.000+05:30

As the name suggests, we may assume that the trek of this fort is very difficult, but it’s very easy. The fort Tung(Kathingad) was built to protect the region of Pavan Maval.
This fort was built with an intention to keep watch on transport from Bor Ghat. From this fort we can easily locate Lohgad, Visapur & Pavan Maval.

Tung Fort

This fort was not as significant as others in the history. In 1657, it became a part of Swarajya with all other forts situated in Maval region. In 1660, Netaji Palkar was appointed to protect this region. In 1665, Jaysingh invaded this region. Dilerkhan and others destroyed the villages around Tung & Tikona, but were unable to conquer these forts. Then, according to Treaty of Purandar (signed on 12th June 1665), Kubadkhan with Halalkhan and others took over fort on 18th June.

As the top of the fort is very small, it takes only 1 hour to see it. Way towards the fort goes along the temple of Maruti. From here we can go further by steps. After few minutes we reach at Hanuman Mandir. Next to this is the main entrance to the fort. Through this we can go at the top. At right side we see Ganesh Mandir. At the backside, we see water trench. From here we head towards citadel.
Here we see temple of Tung Devi. Opposite to it is a cave in ground. Here two or three people can be accommodated. It is a one-day trek.

All ways to the fort go from the base village Tungvadi. After one or one and half hour we reach at the top. One hour is enough to see the fort.

We started from Magarpatta at 6:30 in the morning and we reahed the base village Tungvadi at 10:00 am. There were in all 60 people for these trek from Amdocs. After reaching the base village we took some breakfast and started our march towards the Tung Fort.

Trekking Group

The first route which we choosed to reach the top of Tung Fort took us almost 45 minutes. But when we reached the foo t of the fort, there was no way to reach the top of the fort and we were stuck.

The Place where we got Stuck

Then we came down back to base village and took another route which was the correct one and one hour we reached the first gate of the fort.

The Gate

After more half an hour we reached the top of the fort. Hurray! The top is small with a temple dedicated to Goddess Tungai. The temple is in a bad shape without a roof. There is also a flagpole on top with a Orange flag on top. Seems like a Shiv Sena Flag.

Goddess Tungai Temple

Everybody was exhausted after climbing the hill for two times. We rested for quite some time and then took a nice lunch together.

Top of the Fort

The view from the top is extremely beautiful. We can see the Pawna River towards the east.

we spent some time at the top and then started our route towards the base village back. Overall the trekking was pretty simple than we expected. We reached the base village at 16:00 pm and the we had a great time together at the base village playing some games. It was really a great fun. At last we started from there at 17:30 and reached Magarpatta at 21:00 pm in the night.
Thus we all completed the Tung Trek!

And that's it from my side about adventurous experience of Tung Fort Trekking...

Parvati Hill & Temple

2005-12-07T20:21:00.000+05:30

On 4th December, 2005, one of our college friend Nayana's marriage was there. She was the first one in our college to get married. Some of our college mates came from Mumbai to Pune to attend her marriage.
After the marriage we had some time before my friends could leave for Mumbai. So, we decide to visit Parvati hill and temples.
Parvati hill is located in Southern Pune which is visible from many parts of Pune. There are many temples at the top which is dedicated to Parvati, Vishnu, Ganesh, Kartikeya and Devadeshwar.
The climb comprising of a hundred odd steps to the top does turn to be very rewarding with a beautiful view of the Pune City. It is one of the most popular destinations for walkers and the health conscious (besides the devotees) who make their way as early as 5.00 am as they climb the 108 steps up the hill. It is said that at this spot the Peshwa ruler Balaji Baji Rao watched the British defeat at the Battle of Kirkee.
Located on this hill is a interesting museum that describes the Peshwa rule and a Ganesh temple.
Here are some of the snaps when we visited this place.

So, if you ever get a chance to visit this place then do visit because Parvati is worth seeing and unforgettable.

Get rid of bad Software

2005-11-17T09:59:00.000+05:30

This problem must have happened many times with you that some of the Internet software installs itself without telling you on your computer. Google has proposed some guidelines to help control such type of problems becuase it's important that you have control on your computer.

Backup Your Blog

2005-11-14T18:50:00.000+05:30

What could be worse if you login one day and find you blogger blog has been corrupted or deleted forever. All the efforts put upto date has gone in vain. Therefore, Back up is very important.

To avoid this situation, you can use the Bloggers Blogsend feature which allows each of your blog posts to be automatically sent to your specified email address as soon as you publish that post. In this way you can have a back up of all your posts interms of individual emails.

Blogger provides detailed Help Article to back up your entire blogger blog by creating a single file with all your posts which you may publish and then copy to your own computer for use as desired.

So, friends backup your blog right now and make yourself free from worries.

Gmail Hard Drive

2005-11-13T10:59:00.000+05:30

Google has new very interesting service Gmail Hard Drive. This site enables you to use your Gmail account as a 2GB Online Storage that you can access from everywhere. You could also upload files at a higher speed. So, change your HUGE ever increasing Gmail account into a virtual and portable harddrive.

Spell Out! It's Amazing

2005-11-12T19:50:00.000+05:30

Check out yours... Spell with flickr

Google Search : "Failure"

2005-11-11T19:00:00.000+05:30

Everybody must have encounterd this that if you type "Failure" in Google Search engine then by seeing the very First Match you are absolutely suprised or start laughing.

But now Google Blog had responded to this search mechanism by a post Googlebombing 'failure' on their blog.

Check out how they have explained the results of "Failure" search.

Google Services : All in One

2005-11-11T11:13:00.000+05:30

There exists an extensive collection of official Google Tools and Services like Google search, Google Images, Google Groups, Froogle, Google Print, Google Video and so on...

But there are other web services which also has combination of all Google Services in a single page.
Google Total & Xtra Google are two web services which enable you to interact and use a combination of Google Services on one page!
Check out these Amazing services -->

How NERDY are You?

2005-11-09T15:10:00.000+05:30

Find out how Nerdy you are?
My Score is 76 (a Mid-Level Nerd). What about you?

Adsense Promotion @ Google

2005-11-09T11:14:00.000+05:30

Google announced a new feature for their Adsense program called AdSense Referrals.
Now you can generate more earnings in this process.

Google AdSense referrals -- If you refer someone who joins the AdSense program, when they earn $100 you get a $100 referral bonus.

Google AdWords -- get $20 for each advertiser that you refer.

Firefox -- Get "up to $1" for each person who downloads Firefox with Google Toolbar.Currently, Firefox plus Google Toolbar referrals are only available for U.S. publishers.

Interesting and Amazing!!!

Comment Moderation @ Blogger

2005-11-08T15:35:00.000+05:30

Looks like blogger has recently introduced Comment Moderation. Now you can delete the spam before it posts to your blog, rather than after. The move was announced in Blogger Buzz, and the nuts & bolts are in a Help Article.

Still this does not mean that you have blocked spam-commenters by default, but an option that stops their stuff from being published in your blog and going public. A thumbs up for Blogger for this great stuff.

So, now atleast you can stop spam-commenters to publish their comments in your blog by just using the Comment Moderation tool.

Mission - Torna Fort

2005-10-23T11:41:00.000+05:30

Torna also known as Prachandgadh is the highest fort (1403 m/4604 ft) in Pune region commanding excellent views. Historically this fort is regarded as Shivaji Maharaj’s first conquest making it virtually the cradle of the Maratha Empire.

Torna Fort Map

Torna Fort

For me this was the first trek and I was very much excited. We started our journey to TORNA fort on 22nd October at 6.30am. We were group of almost 70 people and all were from Amdocs DVCI. Torna is around 65kms away from Pune. After a long journey of almost 2 hours by bus we reached a base village called Velhe. We had a great and fun filling time while travelling through bus towards Torna.

Breakfast at Torna Hotel

After reaching the base village, everyone had breakfast and then after a good introduction session we started the trek at around 10.00am. It was a bright, hot and sunny day. We all started the trek with lots of enthusiasm.

But frankly speaking, I was almost exhausted and tired in the first half an hour when we started to climb moutain. But I didn't stop and continued the trek taking regular rests in between the way. As we moved across the narrow ways, on the way up, it appeared more and more tiresome and difficult but our spirit to reach Torna fort kept us moving.

As we reached near the first Gate which was around after one and half hours, it was time to do something interesting i.e. climbing the steps which goes towards that Gate. It was not that difficult but since it was the first time for me I was little nervous while climbing the steps.

So, at last we reached one of the entrance of Torna Fort, what a great relief. But this was not the end. After another 30 mins, we reached top of the fort where Menghai Devi Temple was located and it was big enough to accommodate us all. Any group wishing to stay back on the fort can enquire at the local tea shop and collect the keys of Menghai devi temple from base village. Everybody were tired and hungry after a long trek. We rested for about an hour and took a nice lunch together also.

Menghai Devi Temple

Torna was the first fort conquered by Shivaji Maharaj. He put a garland (called Toran in Marathi) of his first victory on this fort and therefore the name – TORNA. Torna is also named as prachandgadh by Shivaji Maharaj because of its vastness (Prachand - big).

Zunjar Machi

Way to Zunjar Machi

Now, we started to move towards flag post and then Zunjar Machi and the approach towards Zunjar Machi was a bit difficult but mission impossible for me. This was the most adventrous part in the whole trek because we had to do sort of rock climbing and it was a bit risky too.

But everyone some how managed to reach the place safely. The place, Zunjar Machi was worth watching. The view from Zunjar MAchi was spectacular and awesome. The efforts which we took going to this place didn't go in vain. We spent some time together over there. Then we backed our way through a door whose exit goes straight to the valleys of the moutains.

Group at Zunjar Machi

We then went to Konkan Darwaza this was also one of the best attraction to be seen. By this time we didn't have time to go Budhala Machi. But I wish to go there whenever I come to Torna Fort next time and experience the places which was uncovered this time.

Trekking Group
We started our journey back to the base village around 4.00pm and this was not easy too. It took me around one and half hour to come down to the base village. On the way I lost for a while but was able to come back to right track and reached the final destination making this first trek mission as successful for me. At the end of day, I was really exausted and tired but this visit gave me some most valuable information which I couldn't have gained without going there.
So my friend, if you get a chance anytime to visit Torna Fort then don't miss the oppurtunity because this place is beautiful and spectacular to be seen.

See How Your System Behaves

2005-10-15T09:57:00.000+05:30

If you want to get a geeks-eye-view of a system, get the freewares from this site: http://www.sysinternals.com/
The Sysinternals web site provides you with advanced utilities, technical information, and source code related to Windows NT/2000/XP/2K3 and Windows 9x, Windows Me internals that you won't find anywhere else. All are really good.
Imagine you can see in real time all the files on your system that are currently open, how many read, write operations are taking place on them etc.
It’s really nice to know what an application is doing in the background.
All the tools on that site are monitoring tools of various sorts. Check them out -->

Got the message Alert?

2005-10-14T09:25:00.000+05:30

Great little tool which sends you alert message when your friend reads that email you sent.
Basically, its for tracking your mails and see if they have been recieved or read by the recipient without letting them know. So, you don't have to wonder what happened with your message which you sent and also the recipient doesn't comes to know because there are no popup boxes at the recipient end for read reciept.
Amazing!!!

But I don't have any idea how safe it is?

Click Here to know more about this amazing tool...

Dont.Click.It

2005-10-13T17:17:00.000+05:30

Today I came across a very interesting site in which you have to click only once in the begining when you enter the site. So, prepare your mind before entering this Strange Website.
Check It Out -->

Mobile Phones Security

2005-09-07T10:52:00.000+05:30

International Mobile Equipment Identifier (IMEI) is a 15-digit number (composed of four parts) that uniquely identifies an individual wireless phone or communicator. The IMEI appears on the label located on the back of the phone or on a label underneath the battery. The IMEI is automatically transmitted by the phone when the network asks for it. A network operator might request the IMEI to determine if a device is in disrepair, stolen or to gather statistics on fraud or faults.
A copy of each IMEI is stored in the EIR (Equipment Identity Register) which is a database containing all valid mobile phone equipment.

International Mobile Equipment Identity. A unique serial number used on digital mobile phones.

International Mobile Station Equipment Identification — a phone serial number.

International Mobile Equipment Identity - International equivalent of the ESN (Electronic Serial Number).

What is your IMEI number?
You can find your mobile phones IMEI number it by dialling the sequence *#06# into the phone. Or check on a label underneath the battery.

Why is it useful?
IMEI is used to identify a specific handset and is used in the recovery of stolen phones. If your mobile phone gets misplaced or lost, you can inform the the network provider who can then put the serial number (the IMEI number for the phone) on a shared database. This list stops this particular phone from registering on any network and will be useless for anyone even if the mobile phone's SIM card is changed.

This IMEI number is also useful to unlock mobile phones and get them working once they are found. So find and write down your IMEI number right now, with growing incidence of losing mobile phones, you never know when it might be useful!

And to get all the information right - try the IMEI Number Analysis - If you know the IMEI code of a mobile phone, you can now check all known information regarding manufacturer, model type, date and country of approval. Amazing!!!

Credit Card Security

2005-09-06T19:43:00.000+05:30

Credit cards are very useful for buying anything online. The transaction is fast and avoids hassles of cheques, mail, bounces and delayed product delivery. As these small plastic cards get more common, so rise the intentions of potential thieves to get hold of your credit cards details and misuse them.

Credit card transactions are very safe on the internet. But you need to take special precautions to ensure you don't end up paying a huge amount and legal hassles for something you did not buy.

So, here are a few Online safety tips:

Buy from reputable sites.

Check the lower left corner of your browser window for a padlock or key icon whenever you're on a screen that sends personal information or credit card numbers. If the padlock is closed or the key is intact, security technology will scramble your credit card number and personal information as it's being transmitted to the merchant.

Print out the screen that confirms your transaction and hang onto it as a receipt. If you don't have a printer, save the confirmation in your computer.

Carefully read privacy and security statements before you buy.

Never provide your credit card number via email.

If you suspect your card number has been mishandled, report it to your credit card issuer right away.

How do you know whether the site is a secure website or not?

There are two ways you can confirm this is a secure web site:

When you are on a secure page, there should be a small padlock symbol displayed on the bottom line of your browser.

When you are on a secure page, the URL address shown at the top will begin with an "https://" prefix rather than the standard "http://" prefix. The "s" means that the page is secure.

How does a credit card's CVN protect me?

The CVN, or Card Verification Number, is on the back of every card, usually on the strip where your signature appears. It's the number many online merchants ask for to complete a transaction over the Net.

Most credit card transactions --> at petrol pumps, shops, airline offices, hotels --> take place in front of us. So there is little oppurtunity for anyone to note down the card's CVN while swiping it, though, of course, they will have a record of the card's main number embossed above your name. But that doesn't help a theif since he cannot buy anything over the net without giving that card's CVN.

If your card is stolen, however, the theif will naturally know both its main number and CVN. So if that happens deactivate your card by immediately phoning up the card company.

Some general tips to be considered:

Never reveal your credit card details like number, CVC number, expiry date of your card to anyone in person, or over phone.
Never reveal your ATM pin number as it is required to withdraw cash from ATM machines and not for online purchases.
Keep a seperate low credit limit credit card for online purchases only. Gives you peace of mind.

Determination

2005-09-03T11:55:00.000+05:30

Did You Know - "CTRL+C"

2005-08-29T15:56:00.000+05:30

Did you ever thought what happens when you press CTRL+C for copying and then using that text for pasting some where else. I think most of us dont know. Here are some strange facts about this...

We copy various data by Ctrl+C for pasting elsewhere. This copied data is stored in clipboard and is accessible from the net by a combination of Javascripts and ASP.
Just try this:
1) Copy any text by Ctrl+C
2) Click the Link:
http://www.friendlycanadian.com/applications/clipboard.htm
3) You will see the text you copied on the Screen which was
accessed by this web page.
So, Do not keep sensitive data (like passwords, creditcard numbers, PIN etc.) in the clipboard while surfing the web. It is extremely easy to extract the text stored in the clipboard to steal your sensitive information.

To avoid this :
To avoid this, do the following:
1. Go to internet options->security

2. Press custom level

3. In the security settings, select disable under Allow paste operations via script.
Now the contents of your clipboard are safe.

There is one more and the best way to avoid this situations. The best way is to use FireFox and stop using Internet Explorer as this concept works with IE and Netscape only.

So, readers this might be one of the cases that your sensitive data is beign stolen while you are surfing web. But, following above steps you can prevent your sensitive data information being stolen and circulated around the web. Hope this strange fact would help you to certain extent.

S.H.I.T.

2005-08-25T08:53:00.000+05:30

In the 16th and 17th centuries, everything had to be transported by ship and it was also before commercial fertilizer's invention, so large shipments of manure were common.
It was shipped dry, because in dry form it weighed a lot less than when wet, but once water (at sea) hit it, it not only became heavier, but the process of fermentation began again, of which a by-product is methane gas.
As the stuff was stored below decks in bundles you can see what could (and did) happen. Methane began to build up below decks and the first time someone came below at night with a lantern, BOOOOM!
Several ships were destroyed in this manner before it was determined just what was happening. After that, the bundles of manure were always stamped with the term "Ship High In Transit" on them which meant for the sailors to stow it high enough off the lower decks so that any water that came into the hold would not touch this volatile cargo and start the production of methane.

Thus evolved the term "S.H.I.T," (Ship High In Transport) which has come down through the centuries and is in use to this very day. You probably did not know the true history of this word.

Neither did I.

National Anthem "Jana Gana Mana"

2005-08-23T10:45:00.000+05:30

Facts about "Jana Gana Mana" - Just a thought for the National Anthem!
How well do you know about it?

First of all what is Anthem? Do you know?
Well, the meaning of Anthem is:
1. A song of devotion or loyalty (as to a nation or school)
2. A song of praise (to God or to a saint or to a nation)

I have always wondered who is the "adhinayak" and "bharat bhagya vidhata", whose praise we are singing. I thought might be Motherland! Our current National Anthem "Jana Gana Mana" is sung throughout the country.

Did you know the following about our National Anthem, I didn't.

To begin with, India's National Anthem, Jana Gana Mana Adhinayaka, was originally composed by Rabindranath Tagore which was adopted in its Hindi version by Constituent Assembly as National Anthem of India on January 24, 1950. It was first sung on December 27, 1911 at the Calcutta session of the Indian National Congress.

"Jana Gana Mana" - "Thou Art the Ruler of all Minds"

The complete song consists of five stanzas.
Following is a translation of the five stanzas:

Thou are the ruler of the minds of all people, dispenser of India's destiny.

The name rouses the hearts of Punjab, Sind, Gujurat and Maratha. Of the Dravid and Orissa and Bengal.

It Echoes in the hills of Vindhyas and Himalayas, mingles in the music of Yamuna and Ganga and is chanted by the waves of the Indian Sea.

They pray for your blessing and sing thy praise. The salvation of all peaople is thy hand, thou dispenser of India's destiny. Victory, Victory, Victory to thee.

Controversy:
There is some controversy surrounding the appropriateness of this poem to be the National Anthem of independent India.This poem was first sung during a convening of the Indian National Congress in 1911. Rabindranath Tagore had submitted the poem as a paean of India's divine destiny, and it was sung on the first day of the convening. The day after, a welcome was given to King George V on his visit to India. It was assumed henceforth by many that it had been written for the King. However, Tagore is said to have written the poem in honour of God. In particular, given the great patriotism of Tagore, and his involvement in the freedom struggle, people are skeptical that the "protector" refers to the British monarch. Indeed, one of Tagore's greatest moments was his refusal of the British knighthood on grounds of the empire's immoral dealings in its rule of India, a title offered to him by none other than the king (George) about whom some feel Tagore was writing!

I Hope , after reading this article you now know something about our National Anthem and this would help other readers too know about our National Anthem.

Happy News!!!

2005-08-18T14:21:00.000+05:30

Today I just googled the expression "Happy News" and found 49,800,000 links for that search.

Then I googled "Bad News" and found 79,700,000 for bad news for that expression.

So, if my calculations are right we have a deficit of Good News of 29,900,000.

That's MILLIONS and MILLIONS of Good News that we must create to cover this deficit and make the world a happier place.

So, I am asking you, my readers ,to tell me about your Good News and spread joy all over the planet.

Let's share them with the world!
Let's make the world a HAPPIER place!!!

Project Event - Mahabaleshwar

2005-07-04T22:55:00.001+05:30

This picnic event was organised by our project team mates of Amdocs to Mahabaleshwar. It was two day trip on 2nd and 3rd of July. Actually, this was second project event but first one for me. It was an awesome experience because when we went there it was heavily raining throughout two days and exploring the place in this situation was too good.
Here are some snaps of Mahabaleshwar Trip:

Waterfall on the way to Mahabaleshwar

Millenium Park Hotel at Panchgani

Football Team

Outside Millenium Park Hotel

At the Gates of Millenium Park Hotel

Second Trip to Israel

2005-05-17T16:12:00.000+05:30

My second trip to Israel was on 13th March, 2005. This was too a Knowledge trasfer session trip because I was placed in another module of the same project in which I was working previously. The enthusiziasm this time was not that great because I had visited Israel just before 2 months. This time also the duration of the trip was 2 months. This time we went through Ethopian Airlines and the transit was in Adis Ababa which is in Ethopia but not too much. But we got an oppurtunity to see the Duty Free shop in Adis Ababa airport.

We reached Israel safely and there were no major issues in the airport except a minor checking of our lugguage.

My Office in Hod Hasharon Office

It was festival time in India, any guesses... Yes, you got it right, it was Holi festival in India. Since, we were in Israel, all the indians over here in Hotel Cinema celebrated Holi in a grand style.

Group in Hotel Cinema Enjoying Holi

This time we visited the chruch in Nazareth.

View from Hill side on the way to Nazareth

Inside Church at Nazareth

Golan Hieghts - Snow Mountain to the North of Israel
The first time in my life I visited a snow mountain and it was a great experience which is beyond my explanation.

Luna Park in Tel Aviv(Israel)
Luna Park in Israel is exactly simiar to Essel World in Mumbai (India) except some three - four rides which were awesome and trilling over there in Luna Park. We had a great time over there enjoying all the rides and also experiencing some new exiciting rides.

Boat Ride in Luna Park

360 Degree Fast Drive (No seat belts needed)

My First Foreign Trip @ Israel

2005-01-26T17:10:00.000+05:30

I never dreamed of going to Israel in my life but I got this suprise oppurtunity from my company AMDOCS on 11th Novemeber, 2005. This was my first trip outside India in my life and that too just after I completed my training. The purpose of this trip was basically Knowledge Transfer. I celebrated Diwali and did lots of shopping before leaving for Israel. I informed all of my friends and my exictement was beyond imagination. My parents and grand parents were happy but were some what worried too because of the complications which we used to listen in news about Israel. But I was very much excited of visiting Israel and the day came on 17th Novemeber, 2005. I with 15 other colleagues had to take off from Mumbai International Airport to Israel. We went through Royal Jordanian Airlines.

Group of Israel Trip

It was the first time I was travelling through plane and believe it was a great fun. When the plane took off and was at the top of the sky flying high, I was feeling like a bird flying high up in the air. That was an awesome experience.
We had a transit at Amman Airport which is in Jordan. The transit was of 10 hours, so the aiport authorities took us to trasit hotel. In this way we got the oppurtunity to see Jordan country also.

Outside Amman Transit Hotel

After a long journey, we finally reached Israel. And the journey of our Knowledge Transfer session and exploring the country Israel began.

Acco Old City View from Port

Bahai Garden in Haifa

Our Guide in Bahai Garden (Too Good...)

Group in Bahai Garden at Acco City

Magarpatta City Diary

2004-10-13T20:35:00.000+05:30

My life in Pune City started on 20th September, 2004. The reason was, I think you know if you have read my previous blog called "My First Job @ Amdocs". Anywayz, I came because I got a job in AMDOCS which is located in Pune City. To be more specific it's in MagarPatta City, Hadapsar which is little far from main Pune City and this place is now developing at a very fast pace. MagarPatta City is building up a huge IT complex and also residential complex too over an area of 400 acres.
Magarpatta City is a project of Magarpatta Township Development and Construction Company Limted.
And the most interesting thing is that I stay in MagarPatta City only just next to my office. The residential complex here is too good and just beyond imagination.

Magarpatta City - Residential Complex

They are also building up Cybercity Technology Park which consists of 10 towers with all IT MNC companies.

CyberCity - Technology Park

The compaies which already established a base over here are AMDOCS, AVAYA, EXL, PATNI, MELLON, EDS, AVIVA, SYBASE and many more yet to come...
I am staying here with my friends who are also working in AMDOCS. Earlier staying away from my sweet home and parents used to make me feel very lonely and sometimes homesick too. But, now life is changing and I am able to accept and adapt the new changes in my life. So, in other words enjoying my life over here in Pune.
Magarpatta has also builded up a huge Shopping complex known as Megacenter. This is one of the largest Commercial Complex in India.

Megacenter - One of India's largest Commercial Complex

This is the City where I live Today...

My First Job @ AMDOCS

2004-09-20T22:30:00.000+05:30

One of my Greatest Moments and Dream come true in my life was on 20th September, 2004 when I was appointed as a Software Engineer in a MNC Company called AMDOCS. The imagination of my happiness was beyond the limits because this was my first job and I didn't expected such a high profile job in the initial stage of my career.

Amdocs Development Centre in India

My training in Amdocs was for a duration of 6 weeks and believe me it was one of the greatest training I ever had.

Training Group in Amdocs DVCI

Jobhunting Experience

2004-08-10T14:05:00.000+05:30

It's easy for Jobhunters to get depressed during their Jobsearch.

The steady stream of rejection letters from prospective Employers leaves Jobhunters with the feeling that we are worthless. In economic terms, your net worth is your assets minus your liabilities. This tidy sum never reflects your intrinsic worth as a friend or human being.

The same thing happens during the process of selling yourself to Hiring Managers - it feels like you have no value because no one's buying at the moment. But you are more than a commodity in the Labour market, and it is necessary to focus on the many skills you have to offer Employers in addition to the hundreds of good qualities you have that make you a valuable person.

My experience with Jobhunting is not that great but I would like to share it with all of you out there.

The first company which I attended was NSE IT (National Stock Exchange IT) which is in Bandra Kurla Complex. This was an On-Campus placement from my college DMCOE. I was eligible to sit in the Aptitude test and myself with 2 other students from Computer branch were selected for next round which was Technical Interview. I was very confident of getting through the test because all the Aptitude questions were asked from a book called R. S. Agarwal and had prepared that book before appearing that test fortunately. Regarding technical test it was not that tough. Than came the most important phase, that is Interview. Firstly they asked about myself and about my ongoing final year project. I said everything which was relevant according to me. Then they asked me about some technical questions. Everything was going well unless I made a mess. I answered a question that "I knew the answer but I am not able to recollect it now.". The Interviewer was smart enough to question me next about the topic which was the answer of previous question which I messed. And this point was enough for them to discard me from the next round of interview which is basically HR interview.

From this I learnt that how important is Interview and also the preparation which should be done thoroughly. Jobs are won or lost at the gut level, during the Interview.
Its face to face contact that really matters to recuiters, hiring managers and employers. Employers won't be "wowed" by the mere fact that you found them on the web. What will impress them is your effort to gain knowledge about the industry they are in, their relative place in that industry and the position itself. So, half of your time Jobhunting should be devoted to researching and practising you face to face interview style.

Not getting interviewed is depressing, but even more depressing is getting rejected frequently at the interview stage. This is where lack of research really shows. And I came to know about this fact when I was not able to qualify the aptitude test itself for Cape and Gemini which was also an On-Campus placement. The reasons were lack of preparation and also we were having Preliminary exams at that time, so I didn't paid much attention to it.

The final year exams were finished and I was still doing Jobhunting. I applied in Amdocs which was new in India. I got the call for Aptitude and Technical tests. The test was for a long duration, but this time I had prepared myself from the day when my final year exams were finished which helped me a lot feeling better about myself. I got a call for clearing the tests and they gave me the dates of Interview too. This time I didn't missed the oppurtunity to research about the industry in which I am going to be interviewed.

My interview went for one long hour and initially they stressed on my final year project. They actually wanted to know whether I knew every aspect of my project or not. So, always prepare yourself thoroughly according to your project. They also asked many technical questions which were not that tough...basically on C, C++, SQL,... which is commonly asked in all industry. So, prepare well in these sections. Don't leave a single simple fact because you get only one chance. Then they asked about myself...in all the trick is in getting the Hiring Manager how your values will fit into their company in a way that is mutually beneficial.

The Interiew was over but I was not that confident that I would be selected. After a week I got a call that I have been selected. My joy was beyond imagination. Mean while in between Amdocs selection procedure I also got the oppurtunity to sit into the Aptitude test of MBT (Mahindra British Telecom). This was the first Aptitude test which were having negative marks. The best approach to this type of test is to attempt only those questions which you are sure that you know the answer. Don't ever try to answer those questions which you know 50-50. Let it be that you attempt less but those will be correct and your score will be higher than others definitely and you will qualify. Because in such tests most of the candidates do not qualify because of many attempts which goes wrong and in other case the time limit is also less so you won't be able to attempt full also. So, attempt only those whose answer you know accurately.

I was selected for the Interview stage for MBT though my score was less and you know why. By the time Interview date came I got selected in Amdocs. So, my enthusiasm for this company was lost because package of Amdocs was much better than MBT. So, I was not selected in MBT, though I went for the interview for an experience. But, MBT more emphasizes on personality, the way you talk, are you aware of current affairs, the way you dress, etc...So, prepare yourself accordingly.

In the end, I would like to recommend list of same basics:
1. Pratice Makes Perfect
Spend some time before your interview reviewing possible questions with a friend. You will be more confident of your answers.
2. Dress for Success
Be conservative. Dress for interview, not the job. Remember, you only get one chance to make a good first impression.
3. Prep
Be well rested and comfortable before you go to interview. Eat a good meal.
4. Be Confident
When the interviewer tells you about the position, relate your skills and experience to thier needs. Let them know that you can do this job.

That's all from my side. Hope this will help you to some extent.
Good Luck!!! The more you interview, the better you get.

Xtreme ROBO Experience

2004-08-01T16:46:00.000+05:30

Everybody has the will power to do something and he can succeed also if he is determined. But there should be a good start for that purpose and also a good initiator. Unfortunately I am not that good initiator which I am still trying to improve.
One my great experience in College Life was to take part in ROBOTICS Competition which was a competition between the Robot Cars of different participants from different colleges. It was really amazing and fun to participate in these types of competition. But the initiative was taken by one of my friend called Geetha otherwise it wouldn't had happened.
We were in all a team of four members:
1. Geetha Ramani
2. Mamta Dwivedi
3. Jitesh Gajbe
4. And off course ME.
We started this project when our college was organizing an Inter Technical Competition Festival. It took us one and half day to prepare a perfect and complete Robot Car and we named this Robot Car as "HOODIBABA". We practised five to six days to make our hands comfortable for driving the Robot Car. We also learned some tips and tricks to fasten the speed around the turnings which actually proved very much beneficial in the matches.
It was decided that I would run the Robot Car in the competition not because I was the best but my friends had faith and confidence in me. Geetha and Mamta were great moral booster for me without which I could not have done so well. Jitesh, a great guy who was always there to support me. If I was the one who drived the car to winning position then my friends were the one who always first sortted out opponents weakness and planned the strategy. And this is what I call a great Team Work.
The first competition in which we took part was in our college, so we had a great support behind us. The competition was also a very good start for us in this track. We took part in two Competition in our college and stood third in both the competition, so we were pretty happy with our performances.
In all we participated in five tounaments in College life. Out of five, we stood first in 3 Elimination rounds with an outstanding records. we stood third in three tournaments and stood first in one tournament in all. The tournament in which we stood first was in RAIT college and the name of the competition was ROBO GOLF (sort of playing Golf).
I don't have any picture of my Robot Car but I can surely say that it was one of the best Robot Car around different colleges and off course the best one in our College. It was a thrilling and amazing experience which we had together and shared. I still remember those moments when we won the First Prize at RAIT College organized by CSI (Computer Society of India).

H O O D I B A B A !