Pune ... A metro in the making

One of the cities I need to visit (thanks to my job) on a regular basis is Pune.

For the unaware, this city is is the the state of Maharashtra, in the Western part of the country. It is a growing town, attracting attention of Big Business Houses. Its proximity to Mumbai, India's so called Financial Capital, is a big plus for its future.

I find it a nice get-away from the Big Town that I live in (Delhi). One of the things not many know about me is that I enjoy eating ... no I am not a Hog (though some of my family members moight disagree) ... and no I am not a Foodie (I don't know what that means). I just like eating ... as simple as that. Another thing that people do not know about me is that I moody ... and if my mood is up to it, I roam around.

Keeping my brief background in mind, I'd like to share with you some of my discoveries of the city. The first being "Durvankur" ... a must for all interested in tasting the flavours of Pune. Its an"eat-all-you-can" outlet. It was introduced to me by a friend, and I have vowed to visit it everytime I go to Pune. I have been there twice of the three times I have been to Pune. If my recommendations are not equal to those from a connossieur or a foodie, then let the lines outside the dining hall stamp the Dining Hall's claim to fame. More details to the location of Durvankur, its contact details and my humble review about the Dining Hall are available on link below


Google Local: http://local.google.co.in/maps?f=l&view=text&q=durvankur&near=pune&ie=UTF8&hl=en&latlng=18507053,73851446,17846739346094815472&ei=GZxJR4zdHZyejQOs5vnfAQ&cd=1#

Sigfood.org: http://sigfood.org/Pune/Tilak_Road/Durvankur


The second place I recommend would have to be "German Bakery". German Bakery offers a different menu and ambience from the conventional "restaurant". Its a cross between a "health conscious eating joint", "a continental restaurant" amd a "dhaba". I have fallen in live with the soups (Potato & Leek and Spinach & Mushroom), the mashed potatoes, the strudels and tira Misu served there. Located in the identified locality for Expats (Koregaon Park), you are bound to run into foreigners there ... If you want a quiet place by yourself, here is one place where you can get it. Nope ... no private cublicles, but you are left alone to whatever you are upto. Its an invitaion to spend time with yourself.

The Cook's Cottage: http://thecookscottage.typepad.com/curry/2005/07/german_bakery.html

More to come: Agha Khan Palace, Vohuman, Mahesh Lunch Home and Zamus

Credit Card services - Love it or hate it

I was sucked into the plastic money world some time ago. Through the years I have had various experiences with the usage of these cards, but none like the one today. I hold a card where I wanted to make a payment, to avoid bad credit rating for delayed payment. I was surprised to know that I cannot pay the card dues in cash. I do not know how many card services exist, however, here is one of the world's large financial institutions offering services, refusing to accept payment in good old cash ... I was left wondering where this was leading us ... are we going to live in a virtual world from now on, where the real thing is not acceptable, but a virtual offering holds the sway. A bank saying no to cold hard cash ... Now tell me where have you heard that one before. All I was left screaming at them was ... I want to give you money ... tell me how I can get it across to you fast.

By the way ... online transactions are not "Instantaneous". So I got to know when I finally "electronically" transferred the cash. It takes anything between 2 - 4 days for the transfer to take effect. Would the check be faster???

Like I say to some of my friends ... there are these "Hmmm" moments where one is enlightened to the novel ways of the world.

Egg and Chicken

What is "Learning"? was a question thrown up at the conference that I attended.

Ofcourse, my learned colleagues had their contributions to make. And the commonplace, theoretical answers came up, including one which I often question ... that of increasing of KSA (Knowledge, Skill and Attitude). One would like to question, the reference made to KSA at various forums where training / learning is discussed. My limited exposure or ignorance (as you might like to address the situation) gets me to question the abuse of the acronym to establish that one knows a deal about Training ... corporate name-dropping is what comes to mind. What I am keen to know is the application of the knowledge and awareness.

Then there was the question that learning is change of behaviour. To this my curious mind throws the questio ... does change of behaviour happen as a result of learning, or is it a part of the learning process ... the chicken or the egg?

What do you think?

Au Revoir

The French language has exposed me to some niceties of human nature ... its not that I have lost faith in the English language on performing this simple yet elusive task ... but its just that this particular phrase has stuck with me for longer than I expected it to.

"Au revoir" simple transalated is the farewell greeting that the French exchange. A deeper understanding of the culture and the language gets one to see the sentiments in the words being used. "Voir" translates to the verb "to see". Hence "Au revoir" could be transalated to "Till we see each other again" or "Till we meet again". No good byes ... no so long ... no fare wells ... only a promise to meet again.

A del.icio.us bite

"Do you blog?" ... "Do you think I should?" ... "Yes. I do". That's why I started blogging.

For the last 3 days, I have been at this conference / workshop / seminar (I still do not know the difference) on LC and HPI. Like the other sessions I have been to, the workshop has enlightened me on a number of things. I would like to share one of these enlightening experiences with those of you who are are like minded.

Social Bookmarks: del.icio.us has been a revelation to me. I have been amazed by the phenomenal opportunities that this lovely tool offers. For those of you who would like to take a look at what I have managed in the last three days ... here's the link ... http://del.icio.us/cliffard1973. Let me know what you think of the efforts and the information you can get.