Roaming

Recently I traveled to South India and carried a phone which is having National Roaming facility of a big operator in India who claims they are having network in every nook and corner.

I traveled about 250 KM south of Chennai and the network started going off very frequently and I could not make or receive calls as well could not use data service.  I tried to latch myself with some other operator’s network but was not allowed !!

When I got signal, I called Customer Care of that operator and tried to lodge a complaint.  To my first surprise, the CC executive asked a question, how I speak to him if I face a network issue? A though provoking question.  It took 5 min for me to make him understand the issue I am facing frequently.  A ticket was opened and I was informed it will take 72 hours to resolve my issue… 2 days passed with the same network issue and I returned back to Chennai without any solution.

As promised by CC, I received a call from the technical team of the operator after 72 hours without fail. He asked me about the issue and again I explained him the same. To my second surprise, the technical EXPERT asked me to switch off and switch on the mobile to check the availability of signal !!! Also he suggested checking whether I turned on the mobile data on Roaming or not. (I can’t understand if it is OFF how I will get data service and it will go off frequently and come again on its own)

When I informed that I came back to Chennai, to my third surprise, he asked me to go back to the location where I had the problem for him to check !!! What an EXPERT people are employed ? I told him that I was about 250 KM away and it will take about 6 to 7 hours for me to reach that place, he coolly asked me to go and book a compliant again if there is issue so that he will call me back after 72 hours!!!!

When I informed it is not possible for me to go there again, he told that my complaint cannot be attended and going to close it.

Along with booking the complaint with CC, I sent a mail also to that CC centre and as a response I got a mail after 6 days.  To my next surprise, the reply was not related to my compliant but a reply to a billing compliant of some other customer.

When I pointed out this in reply mail, quickly next day I got a reply that EVERY thing is OK from their side and network issue is only because of my faulty handset !!!

As not able to digest more and more surprises and EXPERT analysis, I stopped communicating with them. They made me not to talk to them again.

Vishaka Hari Program

Last Week, 2 days spent time in Vishaka Hari’s Katha Kalashebam – Tyagaraja Ramayanam.  As usual it was a wonderful program and those missed it should feel for it.

After attending it I felt how much ignorant I am by not knowing many important things in the world, caliber people are having/had.  It is very true “கற்றது கை மண் அளவு”

It was amazing to see the knowledge she is having on subject, music, way of expression, capacity to keep everyone intact throughout the program, sense of humor etc etc…

Understand how saint Tygaraja written so many songs on Lord Rama and how he composed all such songs by placing such vocabulary usage, how composed songs in different ragas according to situations, how he impose his view in the composition etc etc.  So far (and still) I am a ஞான சூன்யம் about Ragas and its meaning but now got some idea about His songs.

One thing made me to think again and again is what she said. “Now-a-days we everyone always talks to other either what we know or what other person do not know”.  We never discuss on what we don’t know and to get information from others what they know.  If the situation changes, I think entire world will change towards now horizon.

Normally children listen to stories of Rama, Krishna and that refines them to be good. In old age again we start reading/listening Ramayanam, Gita etc and they soften them to be good. In between, the middle age become mad calling themselves as intelligent & claiming it as part of Rational thinking, loosing valuable time and knowledge. If we understand this, our society will become more powerful in all aspect.

CGHS Card

At the time of getting my VRS from government services, I was opted to receive Rs. 100 for medical facility and not opted to have CGHS card. There was a column available in the application form to exercise my option and was duly approved by all COMPETENT authorities and I was paid Rs. 100 every month for medical facility along with my pension.

Subsequently on 4^th July 2012, I changed my mind and approached my pension disbursing office AO to revise my option to avail CGHS facility and to stop the monitory payment.

I was not aware that this is going to be a marathon process to get CGHS card.

After continuous persuation for about 5 months, I got a reply from my AO office that my file containing all documents gone missing and I have to get copies of papers to make my file re-created. I tried from every office where I worked to complete the process and after that they fixed my revise pay commission fixation also.

Then there was a long silence and no response for my any communication. Without leaving, I continued to mark copies upto ministry compliant cell and atlast I was informed that there was a mistake done by department in paying Rs 100 to me since my retirement (since 2002) as I am not eligible to get monitory payment as I am living in CGHS area & all the paid amount has to be repaid.

Again my representation started and subsequently in Sep 2013, an order was issue to Bank to stop payment of Rs. 100/- and I can approach CGHS department to get card. It was very interesting that this instruction was issued in Sep 2013 with dated Nov 2012 !!

My approach to Health department started and I am surprised how people of this caliber are working that too dealing with public who are retired persons. No one listen to the requirement and before I ask they “guided” and asked me to go here and there. After long struggle, I could manage to discuss with a person who is said to be a supervisor.  The way he behaved irritated me not only for my case but also the way he dealt with another old man who is in his 70+ years came for some help related to CGHS. Such people are thinking that they will continue to work in that seat forever and there is no retirement for them.  That senior fellow without seeing anything just asked my PPO number and asked me to get covering PPO from Central Pension Accounting Office, (Actually this CPAO cell deals with govt employees other than Defense, Railways and Telecom). I asked him that I am a retired person from Telecom and is it necessary to go to CPAO office, I was simply told, it is necessary.

Telephonic contacts to CPAO were not succeeded and I visited that office personally.  There was one office who dealt me and informed that they are not dealing Telecom and the person from CGHS mis-guided me to this office.  Further he was kind enough to tell me that part of CGHS office is shifted to new place (on my way back to home) and asked me to check there.

Without any hope, I went to RK Puram and asked for pension cell of CGHS. People were sitting in the middle of files and papers and they were in the process of arranging everything.  The dealing assistant asked me what I need and I informed him about my requirement of CGHS card.  He just gone through the copies and asked me to make a DD and deposit it.  It took only 5 minutes for him to check my papers and to calculate my eligibility and cost. I was surprised to see such people also works in the same department.

Leaving Saturday & Sunday, I deposited DD on Monday and I was asked to collect my card by evening but I went to that office after couple of days to collect it.

It was so simple process in CGHS but I don’t know why there are people in the same department who are not able to help or close it within their limits.

Anyhow now I am having CGHS card and it took 2 years for to complete this process

Last Ride

Vikaspuri to Dwarka with Self, Raji and Varshini at 1645 hrs… 25^th Apr 2014… 9 KM drive…..

You came to our family on 17^th July 2002 and we were very happy to spend time with you. You accompanied us wherever we go and I know you travelled 160000 kms with us.  You never felt tired and was ready to come with us whether it was day/ night or hot / cold or normal day / rainy day whatsoever. We were safe in your hand all these time and you never let us down on the way and totally protected us. You never asked us for your requirement and were happy with what we fed you. You keep yourself fresh and shine all these years.

It was a great binding we all had with you and our heart is so heavy in one way when I see the place where you usually stand and wait for us and you are not there now.

I am not able to express the binding, with a non-living thing, but really you matters a lot to us.

Is it right to exchange you as you became old? Anyhow we did it and no hesitation from you. Very sorry… We are human and we used to do it…

Thanks a lot Wagan-R ---- DL-9C-E-3929. You will be in our memory always.

நெல்லிக்காய் அல்வா

Today Sruthi had some time in the morning and went into kitchen to TRY something. Two days back we purchased 1 kg நெல்லிக்காய் for making pickle but she tried to make அல்வா out of it and very nice.  Anyone can try and enjoy this

Requirements

நெல்லிகாய்       1 kg

Sugar             250 Gms

Procedure

Ø  Wash நெல்லிகாய் in good water and keep it in Microwave-Oven for 4 minutes.

Ø  Take out and remove the seeds

Ø  மிக்சியில் நன்றாக அரைக்கவும்

Ø  ஒரு வாணலியில் சர்க்கரையை போட்டு சிறிது தண்ணீர் விட்டு கம்பி பாகு வரும் வரை கொதிக்க விடவும்

Ø  பின்னர் அரைத்த நெல்லிக்காய் விழுதை சேர்த்து கிளரவும்.

Ø  கெட்டியானதும் இறக்கி வேறு பாத்திரத்தில் போட்டு வைத்துக்கொள்ளவும்.

Ø  சாப்பிட மிகவும் சுவையாக இருக்கும்.

(மீதி இருந்தால் வைத்திருந்தும் சாப்பிடலாம்)

Commercialisation

Used to watch Zee Tamil TV channel at 0810 hours (தெய்வத்தின் குரல்).Monday to Friday for the past almost 4 months.  This is a program about Maha Periyava and was going very nice.

As the program gained popularity, it fall into the net of Commercial and now according to me lost its glory. 

I think, P Swaminathan, narrator of this program, is forced to make this program like this. 

It brings old memory of my school days, 4^th or 5^th class, where we were asked to expand the hints to a meaningful story / paragraph.  Depending upon the size of the paragraph, marks will be awarded.  For example hint will be given as “Mother asked – shop – buy – vegetable”.  Our expansion will go like this:  One day morning when my mother was engaged in cooking food for myself, my brothers and for my sisters noted she was in need of some vegetable.  Immediately she called me by my name and said that she is in need of some vegetable to complete cooking food for all of us and asked me to go to shop immediately and bring it. I politely agreed and took money from my mother to buy the vegetable she wanted.  I searched for a bag which we usually use to bring such vegetable from market. After finding that bag, I folded that bag and kept in my hand to go to vegetable shop…… The story will continue in the same way and I could make even a page on these 4 or 5 word tips.

Shri P Swaminathan is doing the same now in this program.  So many repetitions, so many unwanted adjectives which makes me boring to see it now.

அன்று கேட்ட குரல்

““ MS அம்மா நிறைய பாட்டுக்கள் பாடியுள்ளார், நிறைய. மைதிலி மன்னியும் அவருடைய பாட்டுக்களை கற்றுக்கொண்டு பாடியுள்ளார். அதில் எனக்குப் பிடித்த ஒன்று -- நின்னு விநா --- இதோ ஓரிரண்டு நிமிஷங்களுக்கு முன்பு ”நின்னுவிநா” வை என்னுடைய PC யில் கேட்டேன். மன்னியின் ஞாபகம்தான் எனக்கும், விஜயாவிற்கும்.
இன்று மன்னியின் திதி.””

மேலே உள்ளது இராஜா சித்தப்பா 19th July 2013 அன்று FB ல் எழுதியது.  அதை தொடர்ந்து மனதில் ஒரு உறுத்தல். மன்னி பாடிய பாடல்கள், அவரது குரல் எங்கே ? கடைசியாக எப்போது கேட்டேன்?

பல வருடங்களுக்கு முன் Tape Recorder ல் பதிவு செய்த ஏதாவது பாடல் இருக்கிறதா என தேடினேன். ஒரு Casettee கிடைத்தது. அதை play செய்யலாம் என்று பார்த்தால் player வேலை செய்யவில்லை. தேடி பிடித்ததில் உஷா ஆத்து player வேலை செய்வது தெரிந்தது. வாங்கி வந்து play செய்து பாட்டை computerல் Mic மூலம் direct ஆக record செய்தேன். ஓரளவுக்கு நன்றாக வந்தது. 1997 ல் பாடிய பாடல் அது ( தனது 64 வது வயதில் பாடியது). அதனுடன் ராஜி, ஜெயஸ்ரீ, ஸ்ருதி, விபா பாடிய பாடல்களையும் computer ல் மறுபதிவு செய்தேன்.  

நேற்று ரவி ஆத்திலிருந்து மற்றுமொரு cassette கிடைத்தது. என்ன ஒரு ஆனந்தம்.. இந்த cassetteல் சித்தப்பா குறிப்பிட்ட மன்னி பாடிய நின்னு விநா கிடைத்தது!!!. அதனுடன் விஜயா சித்தி பாட்டு, கோபி அத்திம்பேர் பஜனை கிடைத்தது. அதிலும் மேலாக பாட்டியின் குரல் கிடைத்தது. What a great treasure. It was recorded on 18th Dec 1977 (35 years back…)

Now we can preserve their voices for years to come as Tape Recorders gone out of date and we are not in a position to play any cassettes. It’s all happen because of Raja Chittappa’s trigger in FB on 19th July. Full credit goes to him and to Kailasam uncle for his comment related to this.

After this there is a little sadness in heart that I could not get the voice of Anna and Thaatha.  Why we failed to preserve their voice ? Can we get that also in the coming days ? 

https://soundcloud.com/ramachandran-srinivasan/patti-slogam-18dec1977

https://soundcloud.com/ramachandran-srinivasan/amma-meenakshi-3aug1997

https://soundcloud.com/ramachandran-srinivasan/amma-srilalithambigai-3aug1997

https://soundcloud.com/ramachandran-srinivasan/amma-ninuvina-18dec1977

https://soundcloud.com/ramachandran-srinivasan/amma-saragunapanin-18dec1977

https://soundcloud.com/ramachandran-srinivasan/vijayachithi-panchachara

https://soundcloud.com/ramachandran-srinivasan/rvg-bajanai-18dec1977

Below link is not related to above and just for fun only !!!!

https://soundcloud.com/ramachandran-srinivasan/san-vasu-welcome-18dec1977