Month: October 2013

Categories
Kharcha paani

Less shopping for Mumbai this year?

Survey says that the economic slowdown, job uncertainties and high interest rates are likely to dampen festive shopping this year.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

This Diwali, there is every chance of shopping malls in the city doing really thanda business. Shopping malls, which are already suffering from relatively less footfalls, are expected to see a sharp decline of 35 to 40 per cent in footfalls in the ongoing festive season as the economic slowdown, high interest and job uncertainties have dampened the shopping spirit this year. This was revealed by an ASSOCHAM (Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry) survey.

The survey, titled ‘Shopping malls fail to draw footfalls this festive season’ indicated that economic slowdown, galloping inflation and interest rates have upset the festival shopping plans of all the consumers this festive season. The ASSOCHAM team interacted with about 650 leasing managers, representatives of malls’ management, strategists, marketers and supervisors in Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Ahemdabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore, Chandigarh and Dehradun. However, Mumbai’s shopping spirit was found to be better than that of Delhiites (33 per cent), Ahmedabad (31), Chennai (30), and Hyderabad (27).

less diwali shopping this year?Commenting on the trend, DS Rawat, Secretary General, ASSOCHAM said, “The trend is on expected lines as the economic recovery is rather slow and consumer confidence is low.”

As per the ASSOCHAM estimates, roughly 250 to 300 malls came up in the country over the last two years but 70 to 80 per cent of the spaces in these malls lie vacant. The economic slowdown has landed especially heavily on the shopping malls. The survey further reveals that the slowdown, job cuts and devaluation of the rupee against the dollar is also making imported raw material and finished goods costlier. It will also impact consumer spending in a significant way. The currency fluctuation is a major challenge for the consumer electronics industry because imported consignments come at a higher cost. The dinnerware and cookware companies have already started offering attractive offers and discounts to boost sales, adds the survey.

More than 47 per cent of the total mall space in nine cities is vacant, the survey found.  Delhi-NCR tops the list with 55 per cent of malls being vacant, followed by Mumbai at 52 per cent, Ahmedabad at 51 per cent and Chennai at 50 per cent. In order to lure retailers, many developers started giving rent-free period for up to six months for big brands.

While some malls are operating at 60 per cent occupancy, others are struggling with less than 20 per cent. “Vacancy levels are due to poor location, poor design and poor parking facilities while some are operating at 60 per cent occupancy,” the survey said. The industry is also facing problems like multiple taxes, lack of clarity in policies and shortage of experts in areas such as supply chain and store management.

Both retailers and consultants seem convinced that the mall magic seems to have disappeared in a puff of smoke on the back of the economic slowdown, poor revenue models, low footfalls-to-sales conversion and lack of special purpose malls, adds the survey.

(Pictures courtesy www.thehindubusinessline.com, news.in.msn.com)

Categories
Learn

Campa Cola residents form human chain to protest

Faced with demolition of their homes, residents are thinking up new ways to get the Government’s attention to their plight.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

In an attempt to save their homes from demolition and to protest the demolition orders, Campa Cola residents and their supporters yesterday came out in large numbers and formed a human chain at Worli Sea Face, starting from Flora Signal to Bandra-Worli Sea Link.

“We do not want our families to become homeless with no roof over their heads. We will continue to protest in whatever way possible to save our homes,” said a Campa Cola resident.

Nandini Mehta, another resident said, Campa Cola said “Today the residents are faced with a situation that they have to demolish not only the homes that are beyond the permissible limit but 46 per cent of what has been asked to demolish is within the FSI limit, which as per the laws of the State, can be regularised with a penalty. The residents are therefore requesting the Chief Minister through this demonstration that he exercises his discretionary powers as the head of the legislative machinery and pass an ordinance to save the homes that are within the permissible FSI.”

Human chain at Worli sea faceThe residents of Campa Cola have found support from various political parties and people across religious faith supporting their cause.

What’s happening at Campa Cola? 

The Campa Cola apartments were constructed on land leased to Pure Drinks Ltd in 1955, which was permitted by the BMC in 1980 to develop it for residential purposes. Without getting the plans approved, Pure Drinks along with builders Yusuf Patel, BK Gupta and PSB Construction Co. erected seven buildings, two of which were highrises of 17 and 20 stories. During the construction period, the authorities issued notices to the builders to stop the work. The builders were fined and they paid the penalty and resumed work. After the construction was completed, nobody prevented the buyers from occupying their apartments or the buildings from forming co-operative housing societies.

Claiming ignorance of these violations, the current residents bought apartments in the building believing that they would get the occupation certificates in due course, as was the norm 25 years ago. Since 2005, the residents have been in litigation with the BMC, trying to defend their homes and save their families from being thrown to the streets.

What do you think of the Campa Cola demolition issue? Tell us in the comments section below.

Categories
Kharcha paani

Getting a job in a grim economy

What to do when you need to change your current job or start looking for one in an unfriendly economy.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

Ashish Desai* (36), was doing very well in his job of three years with a Mumbai-based newspaper. Till two months ago, he was confident that despite a worrying economy and job cuts across industries, he could not be affected. Then he received a major jolt: his contract was prematurely terminated with immediate effect, citing budget cuts. “I am now looking for a new job. But so far, nothing has worked out,” he says.

apply for a jobAshish is not alone. Over the past few months, several people have either been transferred within departments as part of their companies’ budget cuts and re-organising of personnel, or simply dismissed from service. “Companies are tightening their budgets,” says Avinash Motta, an HR professional who works with an MNC IT firm. “There is less hiring and more firing – this happens every time there is an economic recession.”

The most job cuts happened in 2008, the first wave of the economic recession to hit our country. However, every time a new recessionary wave hits our shores, we have to pad up for some smart moves in order to save our jobs or move to others. Here’s how:

– If you’re fired, understand why: Understand that it is not personal. However, even if it is personal, and if you are working on a contractual basis (where your company reserves the right to terminate the contract with sufficient notice) there is very little you can do if you are handed the pink slip.

Get smart: Find out why you were fired. Ask for the exact reasons – was it simply a decision to save company money, or was it because of some lacunae on your part? If it is the latter, find out which areas you were seen to lack in.

– Do your research: Is this the time to angle for that job you always wanted? If you’re looking for a job anyway, why not strike out for the big players? However, do your research about each organisation well. Meet up with people currently working in the companies you have applied in, find out the work culture, management-employee relations, etc. Do not apply for a job before doing your research.

Get smart: Find out if companies are currently recruiting, if vacancies exist in the department of your choice, what the pay scale for your position is, and so on. If possible, find out the profile of recent recruits to get a better idea of the kind of employee they are looking for.

– Update your resume: This seems like a very obvious thing to do, but astonishingly, most people only add their last jobs to their existing resumes and think they are done. Instead,research read your resume once again. Delete the elements that are not required, and add relevant details which potential employees will be interested in.

Get smart: Make multiple copies of your resume, one each for the company you will be sending it to. Each company looks for something different from a potential employee. If you don’t know how to make your resume attractive, enlist the help of professional resume makers for the job.

–List yourself with job portals: Job portals will inundate you with opportunities across sectors and regions. The job search becomes easier and all you have to do is apply.

Get smart: Be careful while sifting through information – some of the results may be outdated or you may be given searches that are irrelevant to you. Read the client’s requirements carefully before applying.

– Look for a ‘hook’ to get you in: These days, it is rare for people to get an interview call simply because they sent a resume. You will have to be creative not just with your resume, but with your overall approach.

Get smart: Ask a friend or acquaintance in the company you have applied in to ‘put in a word’ about you to the recruiting authority. That way, you will know at once if they are looking to hire somebody with your skills. If they are interested, your contact at the company must be aware of your current pay package, work experience and job skills.

– Follow up: If you’ve applied, don’t just sit back and wait for a call. Follow up diligently till you feel sure that either you will be called for an interview or that your application has been rejected.

Get smart: However, don’t stalk the HR or the manager constantly. Send respectful reminders via email. If they have given you a contact number, phone them up to ask the status of your application. Don’t be pushy, but be urgent enough for them to realise that the job is important to you.

interview– Make a good impression: The interview meeting is the most crucial phase of the process. Dress well, be sharp and attentive, and answer questions in a way that shows you have done your research for the interview. But don’t seem like a know-it-all: give out information only when relevant.

Get smart: Be honest. Don’t lie or hedge around the real reason why you have applied to them. However, don’t plead to be recruited, and do not badmouth the company you were last working with. Let the recruiters understand that hiring you would be beneficial to them.

– Negotiate well: Since you are applying, there is little chance of the company offering a chance for lengthy salary negotiations. Don’t underquote just to secure the job, but don’t overquote either.

Get smart: Ensure that they pay you more than your last company did, and that your tax structure is not adversely affected. Sit with the HR to understand your take-home component and your investment declaration.

– Don’t sit idle: If you don’t secure a job right away, don’t fall prey to depression. Keep yourself busy and don’t be disheartened by rejection. You may have to wait a while, but you will find something in the end.

Get smart: Take up freelancing jobs to pay the bills and to keep busy. If you have enough time and money, go on a break to recharge your batteries – travel, learn a craft, meet up with family and friends, invest time in your hobbies.

 (Pictures courtesy www.mediabistro.com, www.glassdoor.com, talentegg.ca, www.yorksj.ac.uk)

Categories
Tech

Review: The LG G2

Our tech writer has the goods on LG’s newest smartphone offering, and what’s good and not so great about it.
by Manik Kakra

There is a smartphone race going in the market today, which mainly involves a race for specifications and who’s the first to catch the bus. This has been going on awhile. LG has been in the front seat for a bit, but the race is now getting more or less about who capitalises better on their top spot, and whether they provide updates, decent prices, have any standout usable feature or not. LG’s G2 is the company’s flagship device and is an interesting addition to the Android space. This is our review of the phone.

LG G2 (2)Hardware: The LG G2 is quite a beast when it comes to hardware. Under the hood, there is a 2.3 Ghz quad-core (Krait 400) Snapragon 800 chip that has got Adreno 330 GPU, along with 2 GB of RAM. The back has got a 13 MP camera, plus, the phone’s volume rockers as well as Power/Lock button. The front has got a 2.1 MP camera that can do HD videos, and no other buttons on the front side.

Software and Performance: LG’s G2 runs on Android 4.2 out of the box, with LG’s own Optimus UI on top. The whole software from LG hasn’t changed too much. We pretty much get too see the same icons, UI elements, animations, etc. What was new was lock screen customisation – you can now access camera and a widget of your choice by swiping left and right from the lock screen. By default, there are three home screens (as usual all are customisable), make folders, rename them, different icons, widgets and all such known stuff.

You get QuickMemo where you can write down on the screen using your finger, and save them to your notes. Swiping down to get the notification centre, you also get access to all the QSlide apps. These are the apps that support running simultaneously on screen. For instance, you could have calculator running on the screen’s upper half, and the stock Web browser on the lower. Pretty handy at times, and it works smoothly.

The phone is smooth, really smooth. I didn’t notice any stutters, serious lags or unusual app crashes. The phone feels responsive in day-to-day usage, and doesn’t disappoint.

As far as the battery life goes, I was satisfied with what I got from its 3,000 mAh pack. The phone lasted just over a day for me, usually, on a single full charge. The whole chipset and OS combination seems to be doing pretty good to the battery, and it shows in the battery life you get – definitely a plus point for the device.

Design: LG hasn’t done anything radical in design. There’s the same slab design with plastic in use. On the front, you get a 5.2-inch 1080p screen, and very thin bezel, really nicely Designdone by LG. In fact, bezels may well be the first thing you notice as soon as you hold this device. The cheap plastic feel is very much evident once you hold the phone on its back.

There is a diagonal line pattern for looks’ on the back; there isn’t much LG has tried to achieve with the materials used here. To put it bluntly, I’m not at all impressed with the material selection here, while the bezel part is a top-notch approach for a phone this size. On the right side, the SIM tray sits, and there’s no other port here. The bottom gets the microUSB port as well as the 3.5 mm headset jack and loudspeakers. Touch buttons are on-screen, and there is only the usual LG logo under the screen. Just above the screen, other than the front-facing camera, you have the sensor, speakers.

G2 cameraCamera: The G2 comes with a 13 MP camera that can shoot 1080p videos at 60 FPS. The camera has different shooting modes, as usual, and here’re a few images (https://app.box.com/s/1u8w9h78llhepy8tspe7) clicked with it. One more thing, I didn’t face any focus problems that have been the case with previous LG phone cameras. It’s good to see that LG has fixed it. Also, there are options to choose manual focus for a better control over your camera settings.

The camera is pretty good. More or less, you won’t be disappointed by its performance, but it could have done a better job with low light condition and without too much sharpness.

Audio: Coming to audio performance, the G2 is a serious phone in this department. It does 24-bit audio recording and playback, and its audio output is very good. You should ideally not be using the bundled earphones. Plug in your own headset par, and you will realise how well the phone drives them. The only downside is on the loudspeakers side. They are loud and clear, but their placement, at the bottom, might well be a problem for those who play a lot of games. Playing in portrait mode means on of your hands covering the loudspeakers and all the sound getting muffled. There were no issues with the phone’s call quality, and I didn’t notice any network reception problems either.

What’s different: Usually your phone has volume buttons on one side and Power/Lock button on the top or on either side, but, here it is different. All those are around the camera sensor. You have to click there to adjust volume (can also be used for the camera), Power and lock screen. LG has also added ‘double tap to wake and lock’ feature, which was previously seen on Nokia’s N9, when on a home screen, you just had to tap the screen twice to lock it and double-tap it again to unlock it. This works for 7 out of 10 items, and is indeed a very handy feature. You might just start doing it once you get another phone, and miss this feature on it. At least I did, and I certainly liked the double-tap feature. But not so much the buttons placements, I hardly ever pressed the right button on the back accurately, and found it cumbersome when the phone was actually placed somewhere and you can’t adjust the volume from either sides.

The best part: Let’s take a look at the full HD IPS (423 ppi) used here. In my opinion, this is the best part about this LG phone. And that isn’t very surprising considering LG has been consistently coming out with great screens for the last year or so. The screen is very bright, colours seem rich and it has got decent viewing angles. Watching a full HD video on it, on the go, is a treat. It is coated with Gorilla Glass 32, which is a bit noticeable once you closely look at the sides of the screen – it appears pretty nice, though.

What could be better: While LG’s skin is lightweight, it is far from stock Android designs, and you have to really dig to see if they have left any part of the OS untouched. A few additions to the whole stock Android experience are definitely needed – camera, QSlide apps – many changes could be avoided, but then that’s what custom Uis bring to the table.

All in all, LG has done a really good job with the G2. It is good to see more and more manufacturers realising that battery life, camera optics, software enhancements are important. The screen, battery life and audio are its best part, the only things the G2 falls short are its material choices and it could probably do with a little less customisation on the Optimus UI side.

Categories
Overdose

Let’s talk about arranged marriages

Why are our ideas of ‘progress’ prompting us to think that a love marriage is superior to an arranged one?
Jatin Sharmaby Jatin Sharma

An arranged marriage is not a taboo.

It is said that it is a mark of a free society when individuals have the right to take their own decisions and make their own choices. Yes, very much. And after seeing the headline of this column, if you’re thinking that I’m going to run down the entire concept of ‘arranged marriage’, you are wrong. I personally don’t think entering into an arranged marriage is that much of a crime.

I am 27. I am at an age where most people are either already married, or are asking me when I will marry. If you are unmarried at this age and what’s worse, single, you may even have to field questions such as, “Are you straight?”. But nothing beats the ultimate discussion when people get to know that I am okay with an arranged marriage. Even more stunning for them is when I tell them that I have registered myself on an online matrimonial site and I am looking for suitable girls for an arranged match.

My experience with most of these types is that they just can’t believe I would opt for something like an arrange marriage. I’m sure most people think I’m some kind of loser; “Arre! How can you want an arranged marriage?”, “An arranged marriage for a Mumbaikar? Don’t you know love marriage is a trend here?” are two questions racing through their heads, if they haven’t had the courtesy of actually refraining from asking me the same outright.

arranged marriageI am okay with the idea of looking to find marital bliss and love with a stranger. If you don’t agree with me, that’s too bad. I feel that arranged marriages and love marriages are two sides of the same coin. Finally, it doesn’t matter which one is being chosen. Of course, there are people who find amazing partners who go on to become their life partners, but then there are some who don’t mind arranging a marriage, too.

Being on an online matrimonial site is a good tool to mock people. But why? If you can use online sites to date people and flirt with them, why can’t you use them to get married? Of course, I’ve had my fair share of people on these site who are interested in their ‘carriers’ and who go for satsangs every day, but that doesn’t make them any less desirable. There is every chance of finding a suitable person online possibly spending the rest of your lives with them.

In today’s day and age, arranged marriages are considered regressive, and most times, the perception is that the two people coming together in an arranged marriage have had no say in the matter. Most of us look down upon it because we equate it to ‘marrying a stranger’. But the truth is that there are couples that become strangers after being together for years. After all, didn’t all of us fall in love at least once in our lives with people who used to be strangers? A marriage is an institution which needs two understanding people, and to hell with whether those people came together through a love or an arranged marriage.

So let’s not make a big deal out of this arranged marriage thing, okay? If we are progressive enough in everything else, let’s be progressive enough to accept that others’ ideas of marriage may be different to ours – even if that idea involves marrying a stranger. It’s fine to scout for a marriage partner. It is not mandated that you shall love each other for 10 years before getting married. I think a year of courtship is pretty cool, too.

Jatin Sharma is a media professional who doesn’t want to grow up, because if he grows up, he will be like everybody else. ‘Overdose’ is his weekly take on Mumbai’s quirks and quibbles.

(Pictures courtesy www.bubblews.com, confrontinglove.com. Images are used for representational purpose only)

Categories
Hum log

Senior Scouts turn 60

Internationally, the adult scout movement is 60 years old. Indian Scouts want their work to reach more people in society.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

The Scout – Guide Movement is one that instantly reminds one of school and camping trips over the vacations. Once school is over, however, it has been ‘Goodbye, scouting’ for most of us.

Satish KhannaBut for some, scouting becomes a way of life, and it is distressing to let go of something that has fulfilled them so much at the school level. This feeling prompted a few young men, among them Khar resident Satish Khanna (78), to ponder over starting a past scouts outfit. “In 1954, a group of friends and I, all of us scouts, organised a get-together of past scouts in Mumbai. Coincidentally, the International Fellowship of Former Scouts and Guides had been established just a year ago in Switzerland to adopt the fundamentals of Scout and Guide movement and serve the society and scouting in particular,” says Satish (in pic on left).

He recalls how there were just about 15 members in the first year of the Body’s working, but today, there are over 3,000 members all over the country. “As per rules, you can be a scout till 22 years of age. But after that, for the true Scout, there is a definite vacuum in his life. So this organisation, where you can join post-25 years of age, comes at a good time in the Scout’s life,” Satish says.

Old beginnings

The national body of the Fellowship was established in New Delhi in 1959 and got affiliated with the International Body. “However, in the initial years, the body did not take up any active projects. Today, however, we are present in 23 States in India,” explains Satish, who is the current President of National Scouts Guides Association (a post he has held for the past six years), and who has served as its Vice President for 35 years. “Our foremost objective is to support the Scout & Guide Movement.

M Hidayatulla, Chief Justice of India, and Lakshmi Mazumdar, National Commissioner of Bharat Scouts and Guides, formed the National Scouts help those in distressBody of the Fellowship in Delhi in 1959. On Saturday, October 26, 2013, the Indian Scout and Guides Fellowship celebrated 60 years of International Scout Guide Fellowship.

What they do

“We have a number of ongoing projects as part of our activities – free book bank scheme, under which we provide textbooks to school and college students every year, adoption of several villages in the country, introducing scouting to boys lodged at a reform school in Matunga, book donation for night schools, holding medical camps. Our endeavour is to try and generate a social awareness and help those in need,” he explains.

In Mumbai, these Scouts also work with a girls’ blind school in Dadar and a women’s development centre in Bandra, where they have donated sewing machines.

8Their most notable contribution in recent times, however, came during the recent havoc in Uttarakhand, when they travelled to the affected areas themselves and distributed materials for survival. “We adopted 500 families and put together a kit for each family. Each kit contained 32 essential items. The situation was extremely grim but we still ploughed on,” remembers SK Agarwal, Senior Vice President, Indian Scout and Guide Fellowship.

“We had even gone to Orissa, Bhuj and the South of India when the tsunami struck. It is in our blood to reach a place of disaster and offer assistance to the affected,” Satish says.

Today, they say, even young persons who have never been Scouts at the school level want to be associated with their activities. “We are open to people joining us, even if they did not have the opportunity to be Scouts of Guides but who believe in their ideals. The idea is to ultimately serve society while keeping the spirit of scouting alive in the country and across the world,” Satish says.

 (Pictures courtesy ISG)

Exit mobile version