"SAKHI"

Book Review: “Sakhi” - Marathi

Author: Va. Pu. Kale

Genre: Short stories

Pages: 183

Cost: 140 Rs.

Publisher: Mehta Publishing House.

First Published: Jan 1994

Va. Pu. Kale is one of the most popular authors in Marathi literature. He is one of those authors whose quotes or quotes of his books are noted down by many people. Most of his books can feature in best selling categories. His books can also be categorized as Travel companion books. I don’t mean he writes about his travel but you can use his book to pass time in boring long and lonely travels. So picking up this book “Sakhi” wasn’t hard for me, especially looking at his track record. Some of his books I read are “Karmachari”, “Mayabazar”, “Cheers”, “Bai, Baiko, Calendar”, “Kahi Khar Kahi Khot”, “Mi Manus Shodhatoy”, “Gulmohar”. Most of these books I enjoyed whole heartedly. Among this list I think “Karmachari” is his best work and it is a Must Read Book by anyone who loves reading.

So I was upbeat about reading Va. Pu. Kale’s next book. But I am little disappointed with this book after finished reading it. It isn’t like his usual work. May be most of his other books are light hearted and this one has little serious tone, and I wasn’t expecting it. In all his other books he always had funny side up in the end; but not in this book. “Sakhi” as name suggest this book is women-centric. “Sakhi” means a female friend.

This book is about females in modern India, who are educated and at par with males. It is about their emotions, their troubles coping up with the world. And how our men dominated society perceive the independent women. As per the book most of the men when see a single women, a widow or without any men’s company, they took her as available object and lust is first thing on their mind. Because of this how females have to sacrifice their innocence and be tuff or give in to people’s lust or find a protective man to survive in the world. Book talks about very sensitive issues in female’s lives. But thankfully it does not present all the men as insensitive animals. This may be because author is himself a male or the book could have gone otherwise.

I won’t say it is Va. Pu Kale’s best work but it is worth a read at least once. May be some of the women might identify with some of the issues. But it is certainly not the entertaining books Va. Pu. Kale is known for. If I have to rate this book I will give 5 out of 10.

www.switch2life.com

Funny Side Up: Contrast in India

Don't look right left , Just Do It : Trained by Dog

IBM and Apple together

Indian Railway: Making it even better everyday

I guess he won't mind payment through Credit card

It can happen to you also if you don't use Colgate.

One of the many ways to break the rules

Villages might be short of Water but No Problem you can buy Coca-Cola

Do you have complaints?

www.switch2life.com

SaReGaMaPa Marathi New Season

Zee “Sa Re Ga Ma Pa” Marathi – New Season

“Sa Re Ga Ma Pa” Marathi is back with its new season on Monday 30^th March 2009. As we all know “Sa Re Ga Ma Pa” Marathi is most popular and loved TV serial or reality show on Zee Marathi or rather any Marathi TV channel. I think after completing the 5 successful seasons, in which last season “Sa Re Ga Ma Pa – Little Champs” crossed all boundaries of success, magic of last season on people’s mind is still there. And Zee Marathi comes up with new season which has very new and interesting theme.

This season is called as “Maharashtracha Aajacha Aawaj”. It is a season in which 10 professional singers in Marathi industries are going to compete with each other. Some of them are very well known already, some of them working in the industry for long but not a regular household name as they had been working ‘parade ke pichhe’. Now it is their chance to establish their name and let people all over the world hear their voice from this most coveted platform.

It is brilliant thinking by the Zee Marathi to ask established singers to participate in this season, as in there is going to be big hang over of last season “Little Champs” hangover on public’s mind. If there were any ordinary wannabe singers participating then people would have compared them with “Little champs”. And it won’t have been easy for them to match the standards set by the “Little Champs”. Only professional singers could have done justice to this platform and people’s expectation now.

At the end of “Little Champs” when Pallavi Joshi declared that next season professional singers are going to compete, I was very curious to know the names of the participants. I wanted to know if Zee Marathi can make any big singer to participate. Now when I see the list of participants, I don’t see any big singer but they are all known singers. The List of the Participant is as follows,

1. Ajit Parab

2. Amol Bavadekar

3. Sanjivani Bhelande

4. Hrishikesh Ranade

5. Amruta Natu

6. Madhura Datar

7. Pushkar Lele

8. Yogita Godbole - Pathak

9. Udesh Umap

10. Vibhavari Apate - Joshi

Out of these biggest names are Ajit Parab and Sanjivani Bhelande or we should say more popular names as compared to others. Ajit Parab is a Music Composer also. He is a singer of one of my favorite songs from Amitabh Bachchan’s movie “Viruddh”. He also sung and composed songs in one of the most awaited coming up Marathi movie “Mi Shivajiraje Bhosale Bolatoy”. So I am very much looking forward to his performance. Sanjivani Bhelande is also renowned singer; she was actually a winner of Hindi Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Championship 1995.

Then more than participant’s name, I was curious to know who are going to judge these people. It could not have been Avadhoot Gupte and Vaishali Samant are they are also more of contemporary singers. Even Devaki Pandit won’t have been right choice although she is very much senior to all of the participants. The judges had to be veterans in music industry. And that’s absolutely what Zee Marathi managed by rope in Suresh Wadkar, And Pandit Hrudaynath Mangeshkar in Judges Seats.

So let us hope that this season will also be as good as past ones if not better. And let us wish all the very best to all the participants.

Wlcome the "TATA NANO"

Tata “Nano” is finally out. Tata publically launched the most awaited and anticipated car “Nano”. Now anyone interested can go on to book the car from 9^th of April. Why this car does received so much of limelight. Why was it so much hyped? What so great about it?

There are many reasons for that. To start with it was most anticipated car because Tata Motors tagged it as a “Worlds cheapest car”. And it was said to be Ratan Tata’s dream to make an affordable car for Indians for just Rupees 1 Lac. It was big challenge for Tata Motors. World was keen to see how they manage to make such a cheap car without compromising on quality. People used to joke that Tata motors will end up making a golf cart with doors, nothing more. But Tata motors come out winners. The car has celebrity status in India today.

It also received publicity due to the row in West Bengal over the acquisition of farmers land for the Nano’s manufacturing unit. It was big political mess, many thought that Nano won’t be out this year. But Tata motors still manage to produce the cars.

Tata “Nano” is going to capture the small car market big way. It is going to be next Indian car after the Maruti 800. It will not only eat out large chunk of small car market but also create its own market as it is affordable for almost everyone in India. And anyone who has a dream to own a car will go for it. As the Nano is priced from 1 Lac 20 Thousand to 1 Lac 90 Thousand as per the city and as per colors, accessories and models.

Now the interesting thing to watch will be, how rival companies counter the Tata Nano? What will be their answer to Tata’s Nano? If they also going to announce cheap cars like this. Then it will change the face of Auto industry. And as consumer it will be for our benefit only. So Tata Nano opened many doors of possibilities and hopes.

Check out what Tata Nano’s Official website has to say about the car:

Stylish, comfortable:

- Designed with a family in mind, the Nano has a roomy passenger compartment with generous leg space and head room.

- Can comfortably seat four persons. Four doors with high seating position make ingress and egress easy.

- With a length of 3.1 metres, width of 1.5 metres and height of 1.6 metres, with adequate ground clearance, it can effortlessly manoeuvre on busy roads in cities as well as in rural areas.

- Its mono-volume design, with wheels at the corners and the powertrain at the rear, enables it to uniquely combine both space and manoeuvrability, which will set a new benchmark among small cars.

Fuel-efficient engine:

- The Nano has a rear-wheel drive, all-aluminium, two-cylinder, 623 cc, 33 PS, multi point fuel injection petrol engine. This is the first time that a two-cylinder gasoline engine is being used in a car with single balancer shaft.

- The lean design strategy has helped minimise weight, which helps maximise performance per unit of energy consumed and delivers high fuel efficiency.

- Performance is controlled by a specially designed electronic engine management system.

Meets all safety requirements:

- The Nano's safety performance exceeds current regulatory requirements. With an all sheet-metal body, it has a strong passenger compartment, with safety features such as crumple zones, intrusion-resistant doors, seat belts, strong seats and anchorages, and the rear tailgate glass bonded to the body.

- Tubeless tyres further enhance safety.

Environment-friendly:

- The Nano's tailpipe emission performance exceeds regulatory requirements. In terms of overall pollutants, it has a lower pollution level than two-wheelers being manufactured in India today.

- The high fuel efficiency also ensures that the car has low carbon dioxide emissions, thereby providing the twin benefits of an affordable transportation solution with a low carbon footprint.

www.switch2life.com