Musings

Monday, July 25, 2016

AliBaba and the 40 days

25^th July, 2016

With great freedom come great challenges. Recently, my wife started working again after her maternity break. The only difference being, she is now working from home, with a 2PM - 11PM shift. Blame Murphy’s Law, but this arrangement, which should have actually left me with oodles of uninterrupted, free time at hand with my high speed home Wi-Fi at my disposal, wasn’t working out since our personal laptop was invariably being used for my wife’s office work and my 3-year old had already smashed open a couple of my older devices.

I felt the need for a state-of-the-art, portable, powerful, sleek, bang-for-the-buck Wi-Fi device ~ and hence zeroed in on the Xiaomi Mi Pad 2 - the only hitch being, it isn’t sold in India yet! As someone who considers himself a veteran online shopper, I promptly went to AliExpress (the B2C avatar of AliBaba, AliExpress lets you buy even a single unit) and bought this Powerful Tablet at an unbelievable steal-of-a-deal of INR 10,800 (and kept smiling all evening). After all, I had bought Mobile and Tablet accessories from AliExpress before! Whatever could go wrong this time?

This was on the evening of 19^th June. On the 20^th, I was informed my Tablet was ready to ship, and that it would be coming in to India from Singapore, and not from Beijing or Shanghai (Sure, everything is made in China but we Indians are smart enough to take Chinese quality standards with a pinch of salt). By 27^th June, it had reached Mumbai already. Great news indeed! Alas, there ended the joy and began L’affaire Indian Customs & Postal Department!

The ordeal that started post this message, to quote Lewis Carrol, grew curiouser and curiouser! Once at Mumbai, neither would the tracking status ever change, nor were there updates from any corner. After two weeks of consuming AliExpress and Customs department horror stories on the internet, on 8^th July I learnt my packet was detained for inspection by the Customs Commissioner. Great, as if I’m importing illegal WMD from PyongYang (oh wait, they themselves import from Terroristan).

Frustrated, I started making calls. Many calls, but all to the Google sourced Mumbai Foreign Post Office (MFPO) landline numbers. After 10 days of non-stop efforts (for which one deserves at least a Nobel Prize for Patience), on 19^th July a kind soul picked up the MFPO Number +91 (22) 2261 1791. I was so relieved I practically spoke to him in the softest way humanely possible - and he obliged, saying, his workload is too high, but my packet is in line for checking by 20^th July. Please call back in 3 days, he said! Realizing they’re blessed with only a 5-day work week, and in 3 days it would be 23^rd (Saturday), I called back on 22^nd itself, only to be informed that I need to pay a duty of INR 4179 on the tablet!

Suddenly, the Bang for my buck had gone much inaudible :)

ITEM No. RB071988826SG		*http://ipsweb.ptcmysore.gov.in/ipswebtracking/IPSWeb_item_events.asp?itemid=RB071988826SG&Submit=Submit*
Local Date and Time	Country	Location	Event Type	Mail Category	Next Office	Extra Information
6/23/2016 19:48	Singapore	SINGAPORE S05	Insert item into bag (Otb)	Air	MUMBAI AIRPORT SORTING OFFICE
6/24/2016 10:45	Singapore	SINGAPORE S05	Send item abroad (EDI-received)	Air	MUMBAI AIRPORT SORTING OFFICE
6/27/2016 12:08	India	MUMBAI AIR	Receive item at office of exchange (Inb)	Air	MUMBAI AIRPORT SORTING OFFICE
6/27/2016 15:32	India	MUMBAI AIR	Send item to customs (Inb)	Air	MUMBAI FOREIGN POST OFFICE
7/8/2016 16:24	India	MUMBAI FOREIGN POST OFFICE	Record item customs information (Inb)	Air	MUMBAI FOREIGN POST OFFICE	Retention reason : Awaiting presentation to customs commissioner
7/22/2016 13:41	India	MUMBAI FOREIGN POST OFFICE	Record item customs information (Inb)	Air	MUMBAI AIRPORT SORTING OFFICE	Retention reason : Articles importation subject to restrictions import- license
7/23/2016 11:52	India	MUMBAI FOREIGN POST OFFICE	Send item to domestic location (Inb)	Air	CRC PUNE RMS
7/24/2016 09:30	India	PUNE RMS	Receive item at sorting centre (Inb)	Air	MUMBAI AIRPORT SORTING OFFICE

Today, on 25^th July 2016 – it has been a good 37 days - I still await delivery of the tablet. Going by Google sourced intelligence, I expect to receive the packet within the next 3 days to finally end my 40-day ordeal with AliExpress. Indeed, I expect this to be my last dealing with them for a long, long time – maybe until I migrate to China or AliBaba formally enters India!

Moral of the story:

Avoid buying major items from AliExpress / AliBaba if you are in India unless you have more guts than brains. Sure the prices make you smile but the import duties will make you cry equally bad!
If you must buy, go only for verified sellers who have worked for a number of years with AliBaba. Be prepared for an overall 2-month delivery period.
Avoid “free shipping” items. Go for professional shippers like DHL etc. or shipping by Registered Post (Less chances of your packet getting stuck that way).
If your items are reaching Mumbai, contact them at 022-22611791. The other number on Google, 022-22613780, is never attended. Be prepared to keep calling off-and-on for > 1 week, keep your tracking number handy
If you are at Pune, the packet will be sent to CRC Pune RMS (Contact Number 020-26123790). Relax, they too rarely receive your phone calls.
Typically you should get the packet within 3 days of it reaching CRC Pune RMS.
Amazon Zindabad! Viva La Flipkart! Snapdeal ki jai! Henceforth I would rather choose a 3-day delivery from a local e-tailer (backed by discounts, coupons and cash backs of course) anytime over such a 40-day ordeal. The Indian e-commerce websites have spoiled us silly, and in an age when even the Great AliBaba is investing in some of them, we’d be crazy to ignore the convenience and peace of mind they offer us already.

x - o - x

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Step by step guide - Paying the One Time Tax for an Out of state Vehicle in Pune

Strange as it may sound, I am inclined to believe there still is hope for this country in spite of our bureaucratic processes.

Yes, the system sometimes actually works!

I am writing this post to highlight how I managed to pay the OTT (One Time Tax) at Pune RTO, Maharashtra (Address: 38, Dr. Ambedkar Road, Near Sangam Bridge, Pune 411001) for my Gurgaon Registered Car. I hope this process helps out other urban workhorses like me who just don’t know where to begin!

Main points to note:
1. No, I did not involve any agent or tout
2. No, I did not end up paying a bribe
3. No, I do not have an NOC from Gurgaon
4. Yes, I had to take a day off from work; and
5. Yes, the job was a one-day affair only (because I had done my homework).

My car is just over 3 years old (Mar 2012), and registered in Gurgaon, Haryana (HR-26). I took a transfer from Gurgaon to Chennai in February 2014, and then again to Pune in March 2015.

Since my experience with the Chennai RTO was rather forgettable, let me elaborate on Pune RTO and how I managed to Nail it in one go.

Aim: To pay the One Time Tax for my Car, without changing the HR-26 Registration Number.
Logic: If I retain the HR26 Number, I can ply my car across bother Maharashtra & NCR roads.
Assumption: I’ll never get back my original Road Tax from Haryana RTO anyway. But I need to pay the OTT at Pune too – can’t remain on the wrong side of the law!

Basic Requirements:
1.Form AT (Download it from http://www.rtopune.info/downloadrtoforms.htm) – Fill it up & take the Car VIN Number / Chassis Number imprint on the same (on Top Right of each page)
2.Form FT (Download it from http://www.rtopune.info/downloadrtoforms.htm) – Fill it up & take the Car VIN Number / Chassis Number imprint on the same (on Top Right of each page) - Note that Form FT is not mandatory if you are not changing the Registration Number.
3.The car Registration Certificate photocopy (original not necessary though I was carrying)
4.The vehicle Insurance photocopy (currently valid)
5.The vehicle Pollution Under Control certificate photopy
6.The vehicle original invoice photocopy
7.The NCRB report stating the vehicle is not stolen (Can be instantaneously generated online for free at http://164.100.44.112/vahansamanvay/Internetquery.aspx)
8.Your present address proof (I took a printout of my Aadhar card)
9.Proof of entry of the Car into Maharashtra State (I took a photocopy of my Packers & Movers bill)
10.Good luck! (Hoping that the officials report to their desks on time)

Note:
1.The RTO office officially opens only at 11AM (lucky guys!). I’d reached at 9.30 AM and had to kill time. They reported by 11.20 AM.
2.Taking the car to the RTO is not mandatory. If you do, try to park next to the RTO building on the right. That is free parking, you will save 10 bucks.

Procedure:
1.Enter the building. All the action happens on the ground floor itself. There are a lot of windows. Take the first right upon entering (narrow alley). The Assistant RTO Rajendra Sawant’s cabin is on the right. Continue straight to Hit dead end and take left. Enter the 3rd cabin behind the green almirah. There is a helpful lady there who will quickly verify your papers, jot down your particulars in a register and write down your “Register serial number” on top of your Form AT.
2.Go back through alley the way you entered and enter Assistant RTO Rajendra Sawant’s cabin. He will sign the Form AT after a quick glance through the papers.
3.Return to the helpful lady. She will calculate the Tax payable with depreciations etc. and mention it (with all the calculations) on the Form AT itself. For Petrol Vehicles, 9% tax (of car invoice basic value + VAT) less depreciation, is payable.
4.Remember, if the amount is over Rs. 50,000 the Tax can be paid only by Demand Draft (favoring “RTO Pune”). For regular 2-wheelers cash is also okay, else Cheque can be used.
5.In my case the amount was Rs. 70,352 (I own a 2012 Linea) – so I had to take out my car, hunt out an ICICI bank branch, return and park again. Getting a DD made was just a 15 minute job but don’t take the pains to drive – the area is too congested so better take an Auto - Much easier.
6.Take the Demand Draft / Cheque / Cash as applicable and head straight to Counter No. 23 or 24. The lady there will issue you an ugly looking, manually filled A5 sized form, stamped and signed. She will tear the form in the worst way possible, but how do you care, your job is done!
7.Go to a website like Team-BHP or your blog and boast your heart out how the system works. And Congrats on not paying a bribe!

Here’s hoping again this post will help out at least some of my fellow Indian petrosexuals. I still do not understand the need of such complications within the same country, but then let’s leave that debate for another time.

Keep revvin’!

Saturday, July 6, 2013

Hair today, gone tomorrow!

"The best conversations are the ones you have with your inner self."

~ Old proverb from someplace, somewhere

The Prelude: The date is September 17^th, 2011 A.D.

The Premise: My wife wants a haircut at her preferred salon. And she’s asked me to accompany her!

The Problem: I’m scared even before we enter the place. I dread how I’ll spend the next 2 hours.

The following is the transcript of my twitter rant that evening:

So THIS it where it all ends. A L'Oreal salon at Gurgaon where I wait as the wifey gets a hairdo. Occupational hazard of a husband?!

On the brighter side, they've seated me well, served some water and even offered coffee (which I have gladly accepted). And I'm not even the customer!!

Confucious Say: It's good business to treat the husband well if the wife is your customer. The less he complains, more the business you get.

Despite being an Engineer, I never knew ladies' Haircuts could sound this technical. If only I could replay the conversation they just had!!

And compare this to me going to my barber and saying, “Trim it”! That's it. Next 15 mins at his mercy but I always emerge unscathed!

Must admit, some good looking gals here. A pity they all think their hair, face etc. still need a makeover. To me, gals have always looked good!

Gals look good no matter what they do - dress, walk, move. The list is endless. Yet God has ensured they'll rarely feel good about themselves!

My wife looks like a Japanese Ninja with front hair cut, and rear hair flowing. Plus a black robe on, too. Where's the sword to go with it?

The girl sitting nearest to me feels one of her eyebrows have gone thinner than the other during threading. He He He!!!

And now that girl is getting her moustaches done... Threaded, I mean. Girls!! I tell you!!!

Meanwhile thankfully wifey’s haircut is through, finally we can move now :)

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Life is a Beach!

The letter B can potentially play a very significant part in human lives. Have you ever considered the possibilities? B stands for Beaches, Beer, Babes, Bikes, Beauty, Brains, Babies, Bangkok, Bali... the list is long!

I thought of picking one of my favorite B-words today: Beach!

Yes, I am a Beach person. Surely, if Paradise exists on Earth, it must be by a Beach. Not a Desert, Not Mountains, just by a Beach.

Now in the 4th decade of my life, I have seen a few beaches during my time- and tonight I feel like sharing some of them... here goes nothing!

Gazing into the Arabian Ocean: Priceless. For everything else, there is Mastercard.

Goa!

What beach-loving person would write about the Sun & Sand and dare to ignore the magnificent place they call Goa?

Baga Beach, Goa during Sunset, October 2009

The beautiful Baga Beach can get many a heart beat a lot faster, and it is doubly nice when you are accompanied by Friends and family. The adjoining photo as well as the one above were clicked at the Baga Beach: A place that represents Goa for just what it can throw at you - Beach fun at it's best! I know a couple who loved the place so much, they spent practically their entire honeymoon at The Baga!

Although The Baga is a pleasant change from the much (in)famous Anjuna Beach (below), both places rock in their own right!

Anjuna Beach at it's rocky best, Goa, Oct 2010

Mauritius!

The Ambre Beach, Belle Mare (Mauritius), Feb 2011

A stunning island country which may force you to contemplate immigration for good. Pristine, unadulterated beauty and the calmest of seas all around, often even up to 2 Km away from land! The country was born out of a volcano and igneous rocks on beaches. A truly mesmerizing experience which needs to be seen before believing.

The pros of this place are some of the best beaches, a honeymooning haven, brilliant country side, and the creole cuisine. Agreed, you may not get to eat a Zebra or Wildebeest readily, but Octopus and squids can work your palate equally well, thank you!

Not too many cons, but yes, be prepared to Buy drinking water even in restaurants - a concept alien to the country I come from. But don't worry too much, the place is worth it!

Belle Mare Beach (Mauritius), Feb 2011

Ile-Aux -Cerfs (Mauritius), March 2011

The title of my favorite beach in Mauritius must go to the Ile-Aux-Cerfs. Truly heaven on Earth. One of those rare spectacles of the planet where the beach offers natural shade, and a waterfall too! Added advantages are multi-cuisine restaurants, water sport activities, and tour operators offering best exchange rates in the country :) :) :)

Thailand!

Sunset at Patong Beach, Phuket (Thailand), Dec 2008

Phuket invariably brings back fond memories to my mind. Being my first trip abroad, the thrill it gave me to explore a new world always managed to egg me on. A complete tourist hot-spot, the entire country is practically painted in Pink, Purple & Yellow. Currency exchange kiosks are scattered like ATMs. Christmas evenings and the nightlife near Patong beach in general, is something straight out of dreamland.

The Andamans

The most untouched, raw, untamed, wild sea beaches anywhere around The Indian Ocean and The Bay of Bengal. The Andamans beaches have consistently been voted among Asia's cleanest and best beaches across travel Magazines. Still developing as a tourist destination compared to other places, the 2-hour Snorkeling experience near North Bay left me and my family for the first time appreciate nature in its wildest glory. Life will never be the same. I realized how we humans are just a small and insignificant part of some higher being's grander design - the organized chaos we call the Universe!

Ferar Beach, Ross Island, Andaman Islands (India), Aug 2009

Red Skin Island 01, Andaman Islands (India), Aug 2009

Red Skin Island 02, Andaman Islands (India), Aug 2009

Mom n' Dad enjoy a splash at Vijaynagar Beach, Dolphin Resort, Havelock Island, The Andamans (India), Aug '09

Bali!

While we easily lost count of the millions in local currency I spent at this tourist hub during our stay, the only thing I remember for sure is wanting to stay back a few days more. The sunset at Jimbaran Beach, the ethnic Indonesian style lunch sitting by the ash spewing Mount Batur, Shopping at downtown Kuta, the woodwork and arts n' craft displays, the fantastic life size statues and sculptures across road intersections, the tasty food, Bintan Beer, The amazing Spa experience and roof-less bathrooms with lighted wooden flooring with a waterfall shower - Bali is as close to divinity as it gets.

Tuban Beach, Denpasar, Bali (Indonesia), Feb 2012

Thus, as a great man of our times wrote at the start of this post, Life indeed is a Beach! Here's wishing to self and to everyone around that there are happier times to come, yet!

Sunday, May 5, 2013

Benefits of finishing your food first

So how does one share one of the world's worst kept secrets?

Okay, here goes: I am a Foodie. In fact, I'm so good at it, I believe this fact deserves to be put on my CV.

Being a foodie has taught me a lot. They say, you are what you eat. could that actually be true?!

I love my vegetables, and lest I myself turn into one someday, I must jot down some pointers for ready reference for the D-Day.

Let me list out one of Life's Lessons for you:

#Foodiespeak101:

Eight benefits of finishing your food before others:

1. The food never goes too warm or too cold, it's just right!
2. You never have to share from your plate!
3. You can always ask the others to share some of their stuff (especially desserts, oh yeah)!
4. If it's someone else's treat you stand a great chance of sneaking in a second helping before others finish!
5. You can start concentrating on what you want to eat next :)

6. You don't need to stop eating when the Chief guest at a party has finished his meal!

7. First to Finish the food = First to get the Dessert! (So, no melted ice-creams!)

8. Work out as you eat! Strengthen your Jaws with all the chewing! Theoretically, it's all the taste minus the calories!

Moral of the story: When eating in a group, always finish first. And then go for seconds!

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Reflection

/riˈflekSHən/ Noun: A calm, lengthy, intent consideration

2320 hrs

As I go to bed tonight, for some reason I feel pretty good. Good enough to reproduce from my 1998 diary something I penned down in Hindi as an 18-year old.

21 May 1998

10.25 PM

शाम ढलती है सुबह होने के लिये
दिये जलते हैं रोशनी देने के लिये
साँसे चलती हैं ज़िन्दगी के लिये,
पर क्या दोस्त
बिछड़ते हैं फिर मिलने के लिये?

उस दिन मेरे मन में ख्याल आया,

इतने दिन तड़पकर मैंने क्या पाया?

ढका है मुझपर उम्मीद का साया

कृत्रिम-सी लगती है अब मेरी काया...

तभी चीखकर मेरे हृदय ने गाया,
नहीं चाहिए मुझे यह मोह-माया
मुझको मन की शांति दो
हृदय की एक क्रांति दो
रुह को मेरे सुकून मिले
कुछ कर सकूँ, वो जूनून दो

अन्यथा जीवन निरर्थक है, जीव का अपमान है

जिसमे हो क्षमता मरने की

कुछ करने की, ना डरने की

सिर्फ वही महान है

बाकी सब अज्ञान हैं,

बाकी सब नादान हैं।

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Conviction

\kən-ˈvik-shən\ Noun: A strong persuasion or belief; The state of being convinced

Allow me to recite a small incident from the days of yore. This one is straight out of my 1998 Diary:

x - o - x - o

It happened during our Std 8^th half yearly exams. It was the Mathematics paper. I and my best girl (I'll just call her J), had been allotted the same room and J was sitting diagonally across me in the adjacent column.

Now as you can see we were sitting quite close. I finished my paper (comparatively) pretty early. I was revising the sheets when J signalled she needs some help. I never cheated in exams... and now I was in a dilemma... because if I liked someone it was her. But I wanted her to do it all by herself.
I didn't help her!

Ultimately, she went and submitted the paper before time, even before me. I'll remember her dejected, sad expression for ever. But my act made me realize one thing: I cared for J in 1992. I might've hurt her, and I didn't feel too great on my act, but now I realize how much it means... I'm glad I cared for her. That's why I didn't help her. But that helped both of us become better persons!