Dev D is the latest incarnation of the epic Devdas by Saratchandra Chattopadhyay. The idea of the movie might be from the book but the implementation is anything but.
My first thought on Dev D – What a weird name for a movie ! What an eccentric song (emotional attyachaar) ! What a bizarre promo ! And finally what a strange but totally entertaining movie !
Dev (Abhay Deol) is the son of a rich industrialist from Punjab who is packed off to London for higher studies. Paro (Mahi) is the daughter …
It’s that time of the year again when reminders from the finance & Hr dept are filling up our mail box. ‘Investment Declaration’, ‘Tax’, ‘Exemption’, ‘HRA’, ‘Flexi’ are the only thing one hears about. I hate this time as much as I hate paying tax, but some things can’t be avoided. I’m listing some basic fundas I know about Income Tax India. If you know of something different or better, let me know!
What is the Tax slab for 2009-10?
What is Taxable Income?
Gross Salary Income + Income from any other source (Interest, …
Confession – I’m an obsessed Delhiite and I’ll love Delhi no matter how crazy it becomes.
Although, this was not always the case; there was a time when I thought Delhi sucked.
This was way back when I found traveling in Delhi inconvenient and the pollution levels unbearable. Things have changed for the better, with the metro and the CNG autos and buses. Traveling has become easy and pollution comparatively less. Agreed, the traffic jams and road rage is still a problem, but I can handle Delhi hormones :)
I’m planning do a …
Our drive to Goa was anything but NON-Entertaining, driving 14-15 hrs on a road that went on and on forever. We drove thru a windmill farm, a one lane National highway, then a six lane express way, a jungle, train crossing, a ghat with no street lights and finally we drove parallel to moon lit beaches. Good Fun!
It was the shortest route possible, or so said the Yahoo maps! Guess Yahoo is still learning about the good & the bad roads of India. But like I said, it was exciting. …
Picture this ….Beach-Beer-Book on a Sunny Sunday Afternoon. Isn’t that what a relaxing holiday is all about!
Our recent trip to Goa is just what we needed, not that we are over worked or exhausted, but who doesn’t love a little pampering & relaxation.
Most believe Goa to be a place for huge groups of friends, open-top Gypsies, Loud music, Water sports & late nights at Titos. They are right & we have done that a on our previous visits and sure it was fun … but there is another side to …
Shopping, packing & Changi were on the menu for day 3. Unfortunately as soon as we left the hotel it started pouring, I thought all my plans were ruined. To my utter surprise most of the shopping areas Little India, Mustafa, Bugis Street are all covered and street shopping is possible in the rain.
Bugis Junction, located above Bugis MRT Station, has a couple of great food courts where we tried our hand at Japanese Octupus Balls, Crepes and Thai food.
We walked across to Bugis Street Flea Market situated along a walkway …
Day two was blocked for the Jurong Bird Park. Even if you aren’t a bird lover, this place is a treat to visit. There are more than 9000 birds here (of over 600 species), in a variety of themed exhibits.
Highlights include a special climate-controlled home for five species of penguins; the world’s first underwater viewing station where visitors can see the watery activities of all seven species of pelicans; the world’s largest walk-in aviary with man-made waterfall and 1500 free-flying African and South American birds; 500 parrots from 110 species; …
Uniquely Singapore has some seriously exceptional stuff. Actually, it’s unique because one doesn’t expect such things in such a small area. One has to bear in mind that Singapore is an island country half the size of Delhi. The law & order is amazing, so-much-so that you’ll find T-Shirts mocking it by saying ‘Singapore is a FINE city’.
Here is a list of what I think you might not have known about Singapore … in no particular order…
It’s a multi-racial country with the main races consisting of 77% Chinese, 14% Malays …
The first part is getting there:
Tickets: We went by Tiger airways (nothing to write home about, absolutely no leg room), you can get the cheapest fares here, no doubt. Singapore Airlines is another option & I believe, you can call there call-centers & enquire about special rates. Also, if you book 90 days in advance you may get the cheaper fares. So try your luck!! There are other options – Indian Airlines, Jet and so on.
Visa: TT services in Bangalore is where we got are visa done, it’s reasonable, fast, …
Traveling is fun & 2008 has been a lot of fun for us!! After Srinagar, Goa, Pune, Delhi, Bangkok – Singapore was Unique. Well! I’m not saying the other places were bad, trust me, I had a blast at each & every place. The difference was that this was spur-of-the-moment plan. No research, No itinerary & also No Shopping (will tell you about this one later). But I’d heard somewhere that ‘Half the fun of the travel is the aesthetic of lostness’, Now I can tell you…its true!
The weekend & …