Can you recall the number of Airlines that were in operation during the '80s and the '90s? The answer would be most probably ummm 2 or 3.. but if I ask you how many airlines are operating now? The answer will come in a flash ' 9. The number has almost gone up by 3 times and so is the competition. Gone are the days when the "Maharaja'' of Air India was reigning high in the sky. With the private operators like Jet, Kingfisher, Spice, Indigo, Go Air, Air Deccan, Paramount the "Maharaja" is on the verge of losing his territory in the blue canopy above our head. These private operators have not only captured the sky by providing luxury but also by means of aggressive marketing. Air Deccan is perhaps the first private operator to spark the "Low Air-fare" revolution by offering tickets at a cost of Re.1! Then followed in Go Air, Spice, Indigo. Their main target was to tap the people travelling by A.C. coach of the Indian Railways & they succeeded. "Air Deccan's low fare has left the low cost operating airlines bleeding "- this was the statement made by Vijay Mallya recently. True, though the aviation sector has witnessed a growth in the last 5 years and the projected growth is 20% within the next 4 years still most of the airlines report an annual loss. This loss is reported mainly because of per passenger yield due to low fares & high fuel price. On the other hands elite operators like Kingfisher, Jet etc attracts passengers by providing luxury at 35.000 feet. Whatever may be the reason it is clear that the Indian sky is in a boom.


Despite of so many success stories being scripted at 35,000 feet above the ground still there are some major concerns which are being overlooked. The first one is obviously the space up there. I read it a year back in a newspaper that the way in which number of flights is being introduced there may be a day when we will be facing traffic congestion in the sky. Perhaps that prediction was not too wrong. I on the way back to home from hostel during the Christmas break. My flight was scheduled at 2.30p.m. but I got to board the aircraft at 5p.m! There were two reasons- first, the flight originated from Delhi where it got delayed due to fog n second, it came to Mumbai at 3.30p.m but could make a landing only at 4p.m as there were no space to land so it hovered around the airport for half an hour!!! Perhaps this is why inspite of having 4 runways the Mumbai Airport authority is thinking of operating some domestic flights from Andheri (right Nik?) Even Kolkata is also going to have a second airport within the next 5-7years to handle the pressure.


Next comes in, perhaps the biggest threat, the OZONE layer is in danger!! That's what some of the scientist say. Their study shows that due to increase in flights the ozone layer is being affected by the smoke emitted by the aircrafts. Damage in that layer means more UV rays.


Another threat is collision at 35,000 feet. In the last year it was reported that there were 27cases of nearly misses. The first one was between an Air Deccan & IAF aircraft. The second one was reported between Jet & Sahara aircraft respectively & the list goes on. Though in these 27 cases collision was averted, thanks to the pilots but I doubt how long it can be averted with so many aircrafts speeding up there? Human beings do fail n so does machines!


Not all the operators are using brand new aircrafts some are as old as 15 years. They are also not in a position to order new ones. So these aged aircrafts do pose a threat with low maintenance level.


So with all these problems and threats what is your take on the aviation industry? Can you suggest some remedies or add to these?

Internet has grown rapidly in our country in the last few years. When it came to our country, I remember it was a sort of luxury to common people as Internet then meant running up a huge telephone bill (as internet was provided through telephone then) at month's end. When I got the net connection our phone bill would often range between anywhere from Rs.4000-Rs.6000 per month! But things have changed now with so many service providers & private players in the market. Now you pay Rs.500 a month & enjoy unlimited surfing & downloading. Thanks to the broadband concept. People are now more net savvy & also dependant on the internet be it a Lilliput task or a Goliath task. Whatever you need is just a mouse click away.
Wow life has become a Mouse click! Socializing is done over the net through various community based websites like Orkut, Hi 5, Gazzag, Bebo etc plus chat rooms are available with video conferencing. Post office will perhaps become an extinct word from the dictionary to the next generation as E-mail is taking over fast. With websites like Secondlife & Stardoll people can choose avatars they like, dress them up the way they like & that too with branded apparels & go on a world tour virtually! Matrimonial sites are already there to find Mr. Perfect or Miss Adorable so I guess that day is not far away when marriage rituals will be performed over the internet through video conferencing to save time & money. You don't have time to buy gift for your loved one's? No problem choose gifts & place an order online in websites like Rediff, Archies, Ferns & Petals etc. they will get it delivered at your loved one's doorstep. Pay your Phone bills, Electric bills, taxes online with a click of the mouse. You need to transfer fund from one bank to another? Go to your personal bank's website & click on e-banking, done! Share trading is done online today again with a mouse click. Even you can hover around the world like a care-free bird with a mouse click, thank you Google Earth. I never thought a dirty, little mouse like Jerry would become so important in our life one day. Today all we need is a mouse & the world is at our fingertips!
Have we thought of the other side of the Mouse-clicked life? Aren't people becoming too much virtual these days? Ok I agree that in today's world where every one is running after money so that they & their offspring can survive in a if not lavish at least in a decent manner , time is a great constraint & hence internet & mouse clicks are the way out. But again there is a huge difference when socializing is done over the internet & man to man. The level of interaction is much higher in the second case. Secondlife & Stardoll are make believe world and are making the youth more brand conscious and behave in a lavish manner which is sometime getting out of the way for the parents. As far as gifts are concerned I think instead of getting them delivered, your personal presence on your loved one's birthday/anniversary is touchier.
So people do pen down your view points & your take on the MOUSE!

One week is over out of my 8weeks Summer Internship! I joined this organization with lots of enthusiasm and excitement as because this was supposed to be my first true corporate exposure & learning field. Indeed I have learned a lot of things in this little span of time. My enthusiasm is still there and excitement has got converted into eagerness (thanks to my boss, who’s very friendly & is always ready to help me in increasing my knowledge).
Now let me take you to a tour of the workplace or the corporate scenario. Firstly I would like to tell you about the similarity between my office n my institute. We know that in our batch people often get close to the higher authorities by brown-nosing them. Believe me boss, the same thing is applicable here. There are two kinds of people here. One who r progressing in their career through there quality of work n the other who r not much efficient in their work but efficient in brown-nosing n r also get a good career progress. So my boss told me “Abhiroop either impress your boss through your work n capabilities or learn how to be a brown-noser.” She also warned me by saying that the later group cannot last long in the organizational structure.
Secondly, there is a group of people who are more interested in assessing the amount of cooling done by the A.C., quality of the tea provided from the office, space of their work-stations, mobile allowance given blah blah blah….CRIBBERS! Provide them with ”n” number of facilities still they find problems cropping up for them.
Another group of people is there who are silent observer as well as performers too. U will find them indulged in their work all the day n delivering on time. This group consist of mostly the young workforce, either MBAs or C.As.
The most amazing kind of people I have seen here are those who are “actively dis-engaged” ! Whenever u see them, they are very busy. But busy with what? God only knows!
Probably it is because of the third group that the organization is so well known today n is counted as one of the biggest business conglomerate of the country. Provide them with proper air-conditioning or not they dont care, even if all of them are not provided with a laptop, it does not bother them, whether they are to stay back late n come early the next morning, does not make a difference in the work quality. Their sole mantra is WORK n WORK HARDER to accomplish your goal.
Well in this write up I have taken up only the human aspect of the organization as my specialisation is HR, so I have paid attention towards the people of the organization.
Waiting for Nuanse, Mojo-jojo, Daredevil’s feedback n their experience….

Are you hungry but you don't have enough time to go to a proper restaurant? Want to grab a quick parcel and carry on? Want the food to be filling yet not too heavy? Mc. Donald's or KFC ' the perfect place and solutions to all the above questions, isn't it? They will serve you yummy, hot and fresh burgers, fries, wrap-ons, cold-drinks and all these in just few minutes. Pay the cash, get the food and carry on or sit there. Who doesn't like the juicy, tender chicken stuffed in soft burger bread on a bed of cheese .ummmm even my mouth is watering! Moreover these places are pocket friendly. A burger will cost you Rs. 55 and Rs. 25 for a glass of cold-drink, i.e. spend Rs. 80 and you can have a filling lunch or snack. Wow! Less than Rs. 100 and my hunger is gone without wasting much time .great!

But have we ever tried to understand whether we are consuming Fast Food or Fast Fat? There is a little data which I would like to share. The French fries served by these fast food giants contain 42grams of fat for every 2 ounce (57grams) of fries they serve!! Still it's yummy! Almost the same is applied for the Crispy Chicken of KFC. Any idea from where do they get this fat in which your chicken, French fries are fried? The fats they use are also known as tallow fat which is a hard fat obtained from body parts of sheep, horses, cows and used for making candles, foodstuffs, soaps, lubricants and leather dressing. Apart from tallow fat another fat used by these fast food chains is known as Trans-fat (liquid vegetable oil chemically hydrogenated)- the most dangerous kind of fat for the heart. Mc. D announced in 2002 that it will reduce the Trans fat content in its food from February 2003 but it failed to do so and a lawsuit was filed against it. The US court came out with the verdict that it should reduce the amount of Trans fat content in its food. Still nobody is sure whether they have done so or not. What about KFC or Burger King? Problem is the same but no solution. People are barging in these joints more and more. Recently in the Economic Times an article was published which said American people are becoming health conscious and trying hard to keep away from these fast food giants. The American Government is also giving it a thought whether to ban these joints or not? A market research in America showed that the high obesity rate is with those people who are loyal customers of Mc. D, KFC, Burger King, Wendy's. These fast food chains are feeling the heat already over there and have got the hint that their future may be bleak out there so what is the solution on there part? Dump their food products in the 3rd World Countries like India, Pakistan, Malaysia, China and others.
So what do you people think of this? So Nuanse, Mo-Jo Jo-Jo, Daredevil- you people still want to bite these Fast Fats oh! I mean Fast foods?

I have completed one year of my PGDM and also one year in Mumbai. Its now time for our summer internship. I have been lucky enough to get it in my home-town, Kolkata. In this last one year this is the first time that I am travelling by train. Its now 7.30 in the evening and I started my journey at 7 in the morning. Just now the train left Nagpur. It took 12 hours to reach Nagpur from Mumbai!! Whereas by flight it takes only one and half hours!! So can u imagine the difference? Ok fine I agree that an aircraft travels at a speed of 500 kmph to 700 kmph whereas a train runs at around 110-120 kmph. So whom do we blame for this? The railway authority perhaps because they are not paying much attention to the infrastructure. Think of the Bullet Train in Japan, it runs at a speed of 350-400 kmph!! How's that possible? That has been possible because of one main reason and that is they give value to TIME, time is money for them. So they were in much need of a fast commuting vehicle which gave birth to the legendary Bullet Train. Here we are not bothered about time. All the passengers around me are happily dozing off or playing cards or hogging on food or else busy on their cell phones. Who wants to get down from the train early? I spoke to one of my co-passenger and asked him don't you think that travelling by the train is a waste of time as it takes 30 hours to reach Kolkata whereas by plane it takes just two and half hours? His reply was, "arey yaar jaldi pohchunga toh kal hi office mein report karna hoga. Main toh chahata hoon ki train todha late kare ta ki kal office report karna na pade". So you can well imagine the mentality of the common people.
If you don't know the value of time how can you think of managing it? When time management comes into question only then one can think of ways to save time or manage it properly (like the bullet train or an aircraft). Indian Railways is thus chugging through the decades in this same snail speed without anyone making any complain.
Now comes the question why there hasn't been any improvement though technology has advanced so much? We have seen new German coaches being introduced, Government thinking of providing the passengers with on board communication system like telephone and maybe internet in the near future. Number of trains plying between different cities has also gone up but what about the speed and time? In the last 10 years though trains have increased what about the tracks? They are the same and hence speed cannot increase because on the same track there are at least three trains running one after another, obviously with a big distance between them. So when they come closer to each other there is no option but to stop the second and the third train until the first one gains the required distance between itself and the second one and so on.
So, what is the Indian Government thinking of this? Or they also have plenty of time at their disposal?

Sixty-five-year-old Ranubala laughed like a child when she stepped on to the terrace of her new house. Her daughter Chhaya Ghati, 30, could not control her tears. 'I can't believe we have a brick house with a terrace,' she said, tears of joy rolling down her cheeks.
Since birth, a rickety mud hut had been her home. Her father ran a tiny shop selling biscuits and toffees. Mother Ranubala toiled all day to dehusk rice and sell it to feed four daughters and a son. The Ghatis were one of those below-povertyline families of Bangalpur at Bagnan, Howrah.
All that is history. The penniless graduate is now manager at a bank run by Bagnan (I) Mahila Bikash Cooperative Credit Society. Chhaya joined a self-help group (SHG) and now earns Rs 3,517 a month. She helped her father repair his run-down shop with a bank loan. And, she built the pucca house with a terrace. Her sister Maya, too, works at the Society's marketing outlet.
Microcredit is the new buzz word after Muhammad Yunus of Bangladesh and his Grameen Bank were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2006. Away from the spotlight, in Bagnan Block 1, too, microcredit has helped unshackle the women in 55 villages. Chhaya is one of hundreds of women in Bagnan Block 1, around 65 km from Kolkata, who have thus transformed their lives.
The Bagnan (I) Mahila Bikash Cooperative Credit Society is modelled on Prof Yunus' vision. 'But, with a difference. Grameen Bank follows a
largely financial approach while here the stress is on empowerment of women,' said Tarun Debnath, project manager of Credit and Savings for Household Enterprises (CASHE) launched in West Bengal by CARE-India in 2000.
According to state principal secretary (panchayat & rural development) M N Roy, 'We have chosen the Bagnan (I) society as a model. We will replicate it in 15 blocks in seven districts.' Spearheading this quiet revolution is 50-something Madhuri, helped by husband Gopal Ghosh. With help from the state government and NGO CARE-West Bengal, the Society now boasts of 12,262 members.
Since May 2001, CARE-West Bengal has helped in capacity building programmes for field workers and banking personnel. Through formation of SHGs and offering micro-credit, even to those below the poverty line, the society is boosting income and empowering faceless village women.
The green sari SHG members wear inspires respect, claimed field supervisor Tripti Ghati. 'Nobody disturbs us. The men do not oppose us even if they don't come out in support,' she said.
A case in point is Begum Baharan of Adra village in Bagnan Block 1. This mother of one daughter and three sons struggled to live before she joined Madhuri in 1997. She also had to deal with husband Sohrab Ali, who was a philanderer and beat her regularly. A tailor, Ali disappeared for four years leaving Begum to raise the children.
In 1995, the Development of Women and Child in Rural Areas (DWCRA) scheme was launched and Madhuri went to villages looking for women to form groups. Egged on by other village girls, Begum joined DWCRA Samanwaya Samity, the first social organisation that pooled their savings and undertook collective activities.
'Madhuridi took me to Ghoraghata where I learnt zari work and also how to make papad and bori. Post-training, Didi urged me to begin working. I had never stepped out of my village. I was scared,' recounted Begum.
One day, her sister-in-law saw her zari work and wanted to buy it. After Begum sold her work, she found confidence. Gradually, work increased and she created a small corpus. Then, she ventured to borrow from the society's bank. 'I took Rs 1,000 for raw materials the first time,' she said. In 2004, she borrowed Rs 10,000. Now, she earns around Rs 5,000 a month and repays loan on time. A proud Begum said, 'I have 20 girls working with me. Each of them earns Rs 700-800.' At home, too, she has scripted a success story.
One day, a few SHG members led by Namita Dolui went to Begum's house and cornered her husband. When explaining did not work, Begum launched an offensive. 'It took me five years to cure him,' she said. Now, Begum earns while Ali cooks and carries raw material for her.
Such fight-to-win stories abound among members. The organisation has pooled savings of Rs 30,143,847 entirely from women in 55 villages in 10 gram panchayats.
MUMBAI MIRROR DEMYSTIFYING MICROFINANCE
Microfinance is one of the most effective and flexible strategies in the fight against poverty. It comprises extending small loans to individuals, usually women, to establish or expand a small, self-sustaining business
For example, a woman may borrow to buy chickens so she can sell eggs. As the chickens multiply, she will have more eggs to sell. Soon she can sell the chicks. Each expansion pulls her further away from poverty
Usually, there are multiple support systems in the chain. Microfinance institutions offer business advice and counselling. Clients provide peer support to each other through solidarity circles. If a client falls ill, her circle helps with her business until she is well. If a client gets discouraged, the support group pulls her through. This contributes to the extremely high repayment rate of loans of microfinance entrepreneurs
An equally important aspect is recycling of funds. As loans are repaid in six months to a year, they are reloaned. This continual reinvestment multiplies the impact of each rupee loaned
Microfinance has a positive impact far beyond the individual client. Most loans go to women because studies show they are more likely to reinvest the earnings in the business and in their families
As families cross the poverty line and micro-businesses expand, their communities benefit. Jobs are created, knowledge is shared, civic participation increases, and women recognised as as members of their families