Monday, April 09, 2007

One year later

Last weekend I went yet another time to Bangalore and this time due to time constraints I took a Volvo bus. If you have not travelled by one please try these out. They are stretched buses with 2 wide comfortable seats on each side and a narrow aisle. The seats lean back almost horizontal and in the private operators there may even be leg support. Overhead rack for smaller luggage is available inside with a storage space for larger luggage underneath.

On the return journey we took the bus from Majestic. The trip itself was uneventful but the less said about Majestic the better. Never mind, I will say more. Banglore bus terminal is a mini version of their airport; messy, disorganized, chaotic. No one seemed to be in charge. The stand itself has long ago outgrown its capacity.

In contrast my eyes lit up when I saw the Chennai bus-stand. You have to take a look at this terminal Koyambedu. This terminal is almost futuristic and infact better than most airports in India!! Very huge with both local stand next to the intra-state/ inter-state stand. The only thing that would make this more useful is an auto stand that is also integrated into this stand.

Sundry comments

There was an usual sign on the side of a bus "Dehradoon education, available now in Bangalore". I tried to translate this to US English "Boston education, available now in DC". Did not make any sense.

I saw a Bar & Restaurant in Bangalore near a place called Minerva called "Coastarica". The question is do you trust his food and beverages if you do not trust his spelling!!

Thursday, April 05, 2007

Gah-Rham Restaurant

This translation was forwarded to me by Jannavi

Gah-Rham Restaurant

5027 Garrett Avenue, Beltsville and Maryland 20705
Phone: 301-595-4122

As for Korean restaurant there is a large quantity, but price, taste and service etc synthesizing, you think that here reputation is best. When it is from the campus, when Route 1 it goes north, Powder Mill Road (Route 212) exceeds and goes a little (MVA compared to forward), is Seven Eleven in the left hand, is Gah-Rham on the reverse side. Because there is Korean restaurant classified by another in the same site, will try not to make a mistake.

Most the fact that it has popularity Buffet which is done in the lunch is the eating at will. Also the sushi comes out in addition to various cooking. But as expected the first-rate sushi shop it is not compared, to grasp, because you can eat building, if of price is thought, you think that it can be completely satisfied. If it is the dinner, the burning meat and meal served in hot pot etc are popularity.

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Roads in India and Software Development

Having traveled too many times to India, I am now jaded. I am no longer excited either by international travel for purposes of work or about the prospects of being in India. I no longer notice anything interesting at all. I suppose if a person lives 4 months in a year in a certain place it grows on you. It reached a point when I heard my mother complain bitterly about the beginning of summer heat whereas I found myself defending the heat; in fact I find that it is quite pleasant. Don’t get me wrong, it is warm and definitely humid, but nothing like late April or even middle of May when only (as the saying goes) “mad dogs and Englishmen roam the countryside”!!

As I drive through the roads of here in India, the one thing I noticed over the past two years is there is a lot of construction going on our roads all over India. On an idle whim, I began seeing if there were any parallel between the two processes, road building, and software development. If we could this is what I feel would the position of various cities.

Work with me here, OK!!

Bangalore would be in a state of perpetual requirements gathering. They will do one of the following
1) They will check of the roads are by any chance going through a rich neighborhood and if so raise so raise pro-socialist slogans and accuse the government of selling out to multi-nationals.
2) They will check if this somehow benefits Tamilnadu and raise the bogey of Kannada being belittled and tie the construction of the road to release of Cavery waters

Chennai would be in state of perpetual alpha with various major roads seemingly always under construction. One particular road called RK Mutt Road connecting Mandaveli and Mylapore probably has never been completed since the time it was laid. Construction and commute seems to have decided to co-exist peacefully!! Anyway the only topics that the government here cares are
1) 69% of all employees must be from minority communities. Woe betides the contract that is based strictly on merit.
2) Is the contract written in Tamil in triplicate? It does not matter that the officials cannot read it since their parents while touting the fact that Tamil is a classical language (someone please enlighten me what it means) gave them a convent education.
3) If either of these criteria is not met, both leaders will accuse the other of having treated the Tamils unfairly and call a bandh (it may sound interesting, but a sitting government not opposition calls a bandh; you are in power, how can you call a bandh against yourself?)

Roads in Bombay (oops I mean Mumbai) will be in beta state, mostly functioning wide roads, well laid befitting the financial capital of India. Only thing the roads will be built to handle capacity from 30 years ago!! When people complain about this is what would happen
1) The government would complain that Mumbai is for Maharastrians and the rest of them should leave especially those Tamil, Muslims, Biharis, UPites, people who have ruined "Amchi Mumbai"
2) Provide an impractical solution such as building a bridge that runs past (say) Lata Mangeshkars house. The resulting commotion will probably kill the initiative.

In Delhi, no one will gather requirements. The central government will decide arbitrarily that all 2 lane roads will be 4, 4 to 6, 6 to… you get the picture. Delhi will be as close to production quality as possible in India. Even roads 50 kilometers from city center will be built that are 6 lanes wide in each side built to international standards. One road will contain no less than 20 flyovers and as we all know since that is not adequate they are in the process of building 5 more. No one dare question the government’s rationale since we all know Delhi is the capital and it must be ready for Common wealth games in about 3 years.