Make My Trip - Services Management - An IIMB Casestudy

A case study prepared by us for a module under the guidance of IIMB Professor Mr. Ashok D. The subject was services marketing.

MakeMyTrip-IIMBCasestudy

Would love your comments and views.

m.m

Java in 16 days

Learn Java, Basics of J2EE, Open Source Frameworks etc in under 16 days. A free tutorial with links to good content from Sun Java and with to do exercise.

We (Nagarajan and me) prepared a curriculum for interns fresh from college, freshers and people taking up JAVA as a new programming language.

It is a 16 day learning exercise broken down into smaller chunks of contents to read and understand and a small to do exercise at the end of each learning content.

The link to access the document is here - Java learning Curriculum.

It is similar to a Java tutorial for freshers.

m.m

Java File Loading in Web Application

Different applications, different technologies, different designs, different packaging, different servers, different developers... Everything is different in web applications the loading of files becomes really difficult.

So how does one load files (with relative path / with absolute path) in the project structure in their java code within web applications.



1) Get the real path of the file from ServletContext or HttpServletRequest
ServletContext sc = (ServletContext)context;
sc.getRealPath("temp.txt");

or

HttpServletRequest hsrTemp = (HttpServletRequest)context;
hsrTemp.getRealPath("temp.txt");

2) Try with context path
HttpServletRequest hsrTemp = (HttpServletRequest)context;
File fileTemp = new File(hsrTemp.getContextPath()+"/resources/temp.txt");

3) Input stream - file in classes folder
InputStream inpStrTemp = this.getClass().getResourceAsStream("temp.txt");

4) resource url - file in classes folder
URL urlTemp = this.getClass().getResource("temp.txt");

5) Try this one.....................the magic one :) (all four above failed for me, this worked and yes I wrote it on my own ...)

URL currentClassFolder = TestClass.class.getResource(""); //this gives you the package reference of the test class
String pathFromUrl = currentClassFolder.getPath(); //this gives the actual path
String finalPath = pathFromUrl.substring(0,pathFromUrl.indexOf("WEB-INF/classes/com/test/web/")); //navigate to where ever you want to
finalPath = finalPath.replaceAll("% 20", " "); //command prompt doesn't like % 20'

Hope it helps, if it does - do leave a comment!

m.m

Hassled by Traffic & Their Guardians!

Every commuter yes the same citizen of India (Consumer is king???) has a daily dose of hassle commuting from East Bangalore - the silicon hub of Bangalore a.k.a Whitefield side to South Bangalore. Adding to the irritation is the honking noise, the dust pollution from the construction debris. If it is the English / British tradition to never let a conversation end without referring to the weather, we @ Bangalore never end a day without quoting the great trouble that we face in the form of traffic jams.

Trapped like a bee

Last two day's the traffic jam's have behaved decently but not their guardians, the nice trendy guys with their blackberries and ever itching fingers to print out a ticket for some violation or the other. These guardians wear the color of peace - white neat uniforms but are hellbent upon creating violence by booking each one they meet under some section or the other. Yes the world is competitive and they have their monthly targets as well!!

Case 1 - Friday
Every commuter knows Bellandur, Agara, SILKBOARD (minimum 15 - 30 minutes) have regular bottlenecks so what does one do?? drive at a decent speed where ever the road is free and where one can drive freely, basically this is common sense. I followed the same logic and was driving at a decent speed on the outer ring road near the More - Mega store, EMC2 office, suddenly I was flagged off the road by an army of traffic cops say about 6 - 8 cops, I went for about 300 metres (though I was so far away didn't have the smallest temptation of running away due to the respect for cops), stopped, parked my bike and got of. A nice young junior cop came and spoke to me in crisp English and asked me why I was cruising at a place where the speed limit was 50 KMs. I asked out of sheer surprise 50 KMs / hr in a 6 lane road with two service roads which makes it almost an 8 lane road. He said yes sir this is a BBMP blah blah blah, I went to the senior person and asked him boss this is unfair etc. etc.. but I am sensible enough to understand a 'stupid' rule has been broken and I cough up RS 300 and get the receipt.

Pros
1) Not once was corruption evident with the young police force.
2) Professional equipment to print the ticket and receipt system.

Cons + questions from few fellow commuters
1) Another commuter who was held up asked the cop "What are you doing in such vacant roads when we really need your clearly over sized team in places where we suffer everyday from traffic jams" - He got no reply - sad!
2) Another commuter asked - "What is your target for today, and what is your monthly target?" - The answer was a blank and fallen face - very sad!
3) My question is - "When you fine us for over speeding, CAN WE FINE YOU & YOUR DEPT FOR under-speeding caused every day in many long stretches? Our average speed would be a mere 0 - 10 kms/hr.
4) Need to have some limits.. one guy was 5 KM over the limit and was fined, anyone heard of something called common sense??


Case 2 - Saturday
Was happily house hunting in Whitefield. Near the hope farm circle (while coming from ITPL), wanted to take the 'U' turn. Apparently there is a board there says no 'U' turn allowed. I turned my indicator to turn and stood there, there were many cops there again beaming their blackberries proudly. [Lets remember that if I wanted to break a rule, I wouldn't dare to do it in front of cops, thats common sense] This junior cop, a slightly aged gentleman from the other side calls me to come, I was wondering why? At this point I was only standing in the intersection and had not violated any rule in the rule book, he calls me so I gently move to the other side and he says you have violated the U turn rule. I completely lost my cool and now lost all my respect for these cops. If he was genuine he would have told me there is no U turn - (i.e) when I was standing at the intersection wondering where I need to go. He called me to the other side, made me violate a rule and fined me. I got off my vehicle went to the senior cop and explained that I am from South Bangalore and not familiar with the routes in this part of town and that the other cop made me violate the rule by calling rather ordering me to cross the road. I spoke in what ever Kannada I knew and filled the gaps with Tamil, Hindi and English. I explained my issue, he was hellbent upon typing in his new blackberry, I started losing my cool, people around the place noticed how these guys were cheating me. I told them in a clear loud voice that they were cheating me and committing something very wrong. But I guess it was equivalent to the effect of rain falling on a fat buffalo. He printed a slip, I paid the fine, threw the sheet down in disgust and walked away clearly ashamed of the apathy that these guys exhibit. As I start my vehicle I can hear him speaking in the local language saying "The next time you meet policemen, talk less" YES RIGHT, next time I will fold my hands, greet you with a namastey, serve some snacks and juice and then stay bowed and speak to you, cause you have the so called "powers". The cop's name is "Rajanna" near Hope Farm Circle. If you haven't guessed I was fuming at the end of all this and made it very clear to the senior guy that I wasn't amused or happy by the whole experience.

Pros
1) NONE what so ever

Cons + questions from few fellow commuters
1) Stupidity
2) Lack of common sense
3) Misuse of power
4) Cheating
5) Can't speak or understand English
6) Not to help or educate the common man / citizen

Anyways at the end I do agree there are tons of awesome cops who make our life simply great, hats off to you guys and a big thank you.

m.m

Is there a correlation?

Don't know if this is the effect of reading "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything". It is a 2005 non-fiction book by University of Chicago economist Steven Levitt and New York Times journalist Stephen J. Dubner.

Case 1 - I have noticed this general scenario in India which includes me as well - Save more, Spend less - Save more for a happy future even if it means being Frugal now. The quote 'Save for a Rainy Day' is so commonly used in most of the households.

Case 2 - I have noticed many friends & other people (am guilty as well) - while eating a good meal we keep our favorite dish say fried chicken or a sweet dish for eating it at the end of the meal, we finish all the relatively ordinary dishes and then leisurely eat the relatively superior or tastier or favored dish.

Are case 1 & case 2 related? Do they have any vague correlation?

If I were to become the rogue economist and get into the shoes of Levitt or Dubner, I would say the following.

Analysis of Case 1 - yes the mindset in few countries are heavily biased over saving and not spending, it means you forgo certain pleasures of life at the peak of your health & early age and keep saving up for the future when you might not be able to utilize it to the maximum possible fun & happiness.

Analysis of Case 2 - yes the mindset in few countries are heavily biased over saving your best assets and not wasting / spending / using it rashly (or fast) [almost works on a principle of conservative rationing], it means you forgo tasting the best dish when you were really hungry (& could eat more) and keeping it for later times thinking you can enjoy it leisurely but the reality is by then your stomach is quite full and you end up just stuffing yourself and not relishing it.

Now do you get the correlation? There is a strong invisible mindset within most of us which influences most of our actions. Conclusion: The two cases have been proved to have a link.


"I always feel sorry for people who think more about a rainy day ahead than sunshine today." - Rae Foley

m.m

Attrition Management - An IIMB Casestudy

Attrition Management & Analysis

A case study prepared by us for a module under the guidance of IIMB Professor Mr. Narendra Agarwal. It also contains details of a live survey collected among a diverse audience across the IT sector.

Exciting Contents Inside the PPT
Abstract
Basic Definitions
Pictorial Definition
Case Study Definition
Introduction
Organization Chart
Scenario
Scenario Analysis
Summary of the ‘Live Industry Survey’
Snapshot of ‘Live Industry Survey’
Decipher data from the ‘Live Industry Survey’
Comments from the Participants of the Survey
Charts and Diagrams
Survey Result Analysis
Closing Note

The Link – PPT

http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B5tFapIDbb_gYTEwMzM3YjktZTUzYy00NzU5LWFjMzgtMGE3OGQ3ZTBlM2Jk&hl=en

Would love your comments and views.

m.m

My learning's on KM

My learning's from the Assignment Creating An Organizational Culture for Knowledge Management at IIMB are as follows,

1) Learn't from the article on how to create a culture and environment conducive for Knowledge Sharing.
2) Also learn't the importance & power of Knowledge Management where available knowledge is sieved and reused.
3) Understood the role of Knowledge Management in increasing productivity and the power of harnessing the implicit and explicit knowledge within the organization.
4) Before the assignment I didn't see Knowledge Management in a bigger picture, I was seeing it in bits and pieces and as mere applications.
5) After the assignment I am able to appreciate that the various modules / applications of Knowledge Management co exist and works harmoniously as the spokes of a wheel and that each are needed for smooth running of the Knowledge Management Initiative.
6) Apart from the 90, 270, 360, 720 feedback systems, the real need is to have open loop feedback systems and not closed loop feedback systems.
7) Also learnt that the Knowledge Management must evolve as fast as technology advances like having e-learning systems, wiki, discussion threads etc.
8) Also learnt good usable content management systems need to be in place for people to use them effectively.
9) Also learnt the difference between Proactive learning and Adaptive learning.
10) Understood Knowledge Management is the collection of processes that promotes the creation, dissemination, and utilization of knowledge. Learnt this from the article by Brian (Bo)Newman.


11) Understood creating a KM culture or environment means - creation of supportive organizational structures, facilitation of organizational members, putting IT-instruments with emphasis on teamwork and diffusion of knowledge (as e.g. groupware) into place. Learnt this from the article by Thomas Bertels.
12) Knowledge has started been treated as a resource by itself.
13) Learnt about the following sub modules Knowledge Analysis (KA), Knowledge Planning (KP), Knowledge Technology (KT), Computer Supported Work Systems (CSWS).
14) Knowledge management complements and enhances other organizational initiatives such as total quality management (TQM), business process re-engineering (BPR) and organizational learning, providing a new and urgent focus to sustain competitive position.
15) KM is used to serve customers well and to remain in business companies must: reduce their cycle times, operate with minimum fixed assets and overhead (people, inventory and facilities), shorten product development time, improve customer service, empower employees, innovate and deliver high quality products, enhance flexibility and adaption, capture information, create knowledge, share and learn. KM proves as a framework promoting all these initiatives.
16) KM implementation should not be blind, it should be - Develop and monitor the value proposition, Secure top management commitment, sponsorship, and leadership, Create business unit knowledge sharing performance measures, Develop an implementation and migration strategy, Define knowledge sharing processes, Define knowledge sharing roles and responsibilities, Define requirements for involvement, Create and implement a communication plan,Develop and deliver a training program, Address incentive issues, Develop proper user support, Model system design on work processes, Investigate traditional methods as well as emerging technologies, Establish a standardised knowledge management architecture, Define operations standards.
17) Knowledge Communities or COP - Communities of practice are very useful.
18) The barriers of KM are Mindset, Concepts breathing life, Operational issues, Incentive based issues.

m.m

Rock Agama - Part 2

My interest in this species started off a few months back when I was walking near a empty plot in JP Nagar 7th Phase, I spotted the colorful male and a few days later spotted the beautiful black and white female. This pair remained elusive for a couple of weeks and finally I could spot them and photograph them.

I usually commute to office via Kannakapura road and then through the Thurahalli range. Once while returning back home, I decided to take a deviation away from my usual route to do a bit of birding. In this route suddenly I saw a couple of lizards and rock agama’s basking in the sun.

For more read here - http://www.wow-wonderworks.blogspot.com/2010/05/rock-agama-part-2.html

A snapshot of pictures, the complete 2 - 3 weeks of tracking is in the above link.

m.m

React or Respond ?

I don't know if this is a reaction or a response to the forwarded email that I got today.

The email content screamed - "An intelligent person responds; a fool reacts." Now it was my turn to check if I was a fool, if I react or respond.

English Meaning
React: Show a response or a reaction to something;Act against or in opposition to
Respond: Show a response or a reaction to something;React verbally;Respond favorably or as hoped

When the meaning is so very similar in fact they are synonyms what is the main difference, the key lies right above in their meanings.

Do take note of the key words against & favorably - this is the key differentiator between the two words.

React means you are against something and you are giving out something not favorable to the other party. Well when I think of myself I can relate to myself reacting many a times and responding many a times. I react when I get offended, when I am upset, when I am hurt. I respond when I am normal, when I am happy, when things are going smooth. I would say it is human nature to align oneself towards this behavior. Can't term one as a fool or intelligent. But having said that am sure a more stable and mature individual will have a very high percentage of response rates rather than react back rates.

Anyways here is the forwarded mail, decent read, read and learn. [Click to look at the bigger, clear image]


I guess I choose to respond and not react.

Cheers,

m.m

A Wonderful Read

Managing without Managers by Ricardo Semler from HBR.

Wonderful read don't miss it, - http://www.schneede.se/assets/files/Ricardo_Semler.pdf

m.m

Types of Innovation & Org Structures

Some pointers from The Ambidextrous Organization by Charles A & Michael L T – HBR

Some examples discussed – Kodak, Boeing, USAToday.com, Ciba Vision.

Types of Innovation

1) Incremental Innovations – Small improvements in existing Products and Operations.

2) Architectural Innovations – Technological or Process advances to fundamentally change a component of element of the business.

3) Discontinuous Innovations – Radical advances / breakthroughs that my change / alter the basis for competition in an industry.

Team / Org Structures

1) Functional Designs – Integrate project teams into the existing org and mgt structure. Ex – mfg, sales and R&D reports to a GM.

2) Cross functional teams – Operate within the established org but outside the existing mgt structure. Ex – mfg, sales and R&D reports to a GM, but a separate unit called emerging business cuts across mfg and r&d report to the respective unit.

3) Unsupported teams – are setup outside the established org and mgt structure. Ex – mfg, sales and R&D reports to a GM, but a separate unit called emerging business also reports to the GM.

4) Ambidextrous Organizations – Establish project teams that are structurally independent units each having its own processes, structures, cultures but are integrated into the existing mgt structure. Ex – mfg, sales and R&D reports to a GM under the division existing business, but a separate unit called emerging business which also has mfg, sales and R&D reports to the GM.

The difference in many are the path that they choose,

1) Exploitative Business

2) Exploratory Business

Their difference would lie in the factors – Strategic intent, Critical tasks, Competencies, Structure, Controls, Rewards, Culture, Leadership roles.

m.m

Types of degree feedback

I have till date only heard of the 360 degree feedback.

The types of feedback are

1) 90 Degree Feedback – Collect data only from the leadership team of the division.

2) 360 Degree Feedback - Collect data not only from the leadership team of the division but also from multiple groups and multiple levels.

3) 720 Degree Feedback - Collect data not only from the leadership team of the division but also from multiple groups and multiple levels and the difference being data is collected from the external agency, customers etc.

m.m

Capitalizing On Capabilities - pointers

Capitalizing On Capabilities by Dave Ulrich & Norm Smallwood from the HBR spotlight.

The article speaks of the most admired companies like GE, Starbucks, Microsoft etc but a layman doesn’t know what transpires behind the screen, the number of leaders, their structure to success etc…

I will try listing some key points

* All specific organizational capabilities are called key intangible assets. They are difficult to measure. [That is why there is a clear difference in evaluation of startups in the same space, some might be generating more revenue but valued lower as the other has some great leaders and potential – Ex – Delta vs. JetBlue]

* In a unit these 4 are the main factors, Individuals Competence, Individuals Leadership, Organizations core competencies and Organizations capabilities (includes DNA, culture and personality).

The main 11 traits that are looked for are

1) Talent – Competent employees have the skills for today's and tomorrows business. The functions here are buy – acquire new talent, build – develop existing talent, borrow – get talent through networks and leaders, bounce – remove poor performers and bind – retain the best talent. The must is that good employees must get the best.

2) Speed – How fast can the company adapt to new opportunities and existing changes in the environment, ROTI – return on time invested index must be maintained and used.

3) Shared mindset and coherent brand identity – Get a consensus from your employees and customers on what they want to remember you as. Example – ask them what are the top three things they want to remember the company as? Good companies are in the range of 80 – 90 %

4) Accountability – Performance accountability needs to be firm and in place. Instead of giving an average of 3 – 4 % across the board ensure you give 0 – 12 % depending on the performance and the work done.

5) Collaboration – A organization needs to collaborate across projects, divisions, units etc.It also promotes huge savings.

6) Learning – Benchmarking, experimentation, competence acquisition, and continuous improvement are key factors. Also letting go of old practices and adopting new ones are important.

7) Leadership – The pride for a organization must come from the number of leaders / CEO’s they create and the number of back up leaders that they have. Example: Ex McKinsey employees take pride from the no of CEO’s they create from their alumni.19 former GE stars added a collective 24.5 $ billion to their organizations after joining.

8) Customer Connectivity – As usually one would like to have 20% of customer account for 80 % of profits, the ability to connect with the customer is valued very much.

9) Strategic unity – The three levels are Intellectual, Behavioral and Procedural.

10) Innovation – It excites employees, delights customers and gives confidence to investors.

11) Efficiency – It is the easiest capability to track.

Capabilities Audit – can be done by running through the 11 pointers in each unit, or the business as a whole. The PDF link provides detailed information on how to complete the audit.

Maximizing your capabilities

For the complete article go through the following link.

http://info.psu.edu.sa/psu/fnm/asalleh/Capabilities.pdf

m.m

Startup Saturday March 13 2010

Attended the startup Saturday in IIMB on March 13th 2010. Got to see a demo from Just Books and Ookull.

Also got to attend a presentation on "5 things that a seed / angel investor is looking for in your venture" by Indus from themorpheus.

The five points are

1) Team
2) Market size
3) Product and POC
4) Secret sauce (the wow factor)
5) Growth path and exit (from a VC / angel investor perspective)

http://www.slideshare.net/indus/5-things-a-seed-stage-investor-is-looking-for-in-your-venture

The applications are open for this year till March 25th 2010.

m.m

Compost your kitchen wastes at home and produce free manure

The title could have been “be a miser and make your own manure”.

I am one of those vague self proclaimed naturalists, green activist asking people at home and outside to switch lights and fans off when they are not needed even if it’s for a mini macro nano second. I ensure CFL’s are used instead of bulbs and tube lights, even at the cost of reading in dim light (kidding there are real bright cfl’s). I ensure I give the dirty stare to drivers of polluting vehicles at the cost of them looking back at me with the same look that they would give to a stray dog. That’s the risk of belonging to the rare pedigree of these self proclaimed saintly beings. Before I forget I also relocate many earthworms that get their gps bearings wrong and enter the concrete jungle called human civilization, I will soon try to break the no of centuries that Sachin has hit in his international career.

I see the kitchen wastes going to the bin every day and my ‘sleeping inner do good’ component wakes up and says I will make sure I am going to reduce global warming. My rationale behind that statement was not that I will stop cows worldwide from belching or f**ting, but that these vegetable wastes would end up in a landfill, decompose and release CH₄ (methane if CH₄ isn’t methane please scream at the educational system: watch 3 idiots movie) and increase the temperature. I go searching for a container for making compost and end up buying a bucket with a lid (thanks goodness for the lid). I come and ask the head of the kitchen a.k.a my wife to keep a separate bag and fill it with the cooking, vegetable and edible waste regularly and in return I get this look which in plain English means “oh no not again, you and your crazy antics when will you ever stop doing all this and bothering others”. Then slowly my bucket starts getting filled up but also with that complaints start flowing from my neighbors that the smell is too good and needs to be relocated immediately (so that others can get lucky and experience the heavenly smell). Strangely the dogs in my neighborhood have been avoiding roaming anywhere close to the vicinity and even if they have the guts to get close they have this curious look not knowing what’s wrong (guys didn’t I surprise you for all the peeing that you do on the gate post/pillar). Time for the James Bond secret arsenal - the lid, close it with such ferocity that the buckets vibrates exactly two times - odour under control operation back on track. Now I wait and wait for more than 4-5 weeks see that the waste is very slowly disintegrating into unrecognizable forms which is good but is giving out too much water, time for the internet and google “how to make compost at home” and the search returns 3,210,000 pages enough to last a life time’s of good read.

There are two types of aeration that is needed, one open and one closed, you will need closed ones for home waste due to the smell that is generated. The excess water that is generated can be absorbed by shredding newspaper into small bits and throwing them into the bucket. You can also add some excess soil, mud of sand to aid in the entire process. And if you have access to saw dust it is very good for absorbing water.

Did all of this and finally attended a green stall and bought something called compost accelerator (http://www.dailydump.org/ ) which accelerates the entire process.
Now I wait patiently for the waste to turn into a sludgy compost and then start using it in my garden and get some nice tasty organic pesticide free veggies.

Till then it is Monish signing off and planning for my next green project. Any tips and advice is not welcomed but free manure …YES!

Some useful links
What? http://www.dailydump.org/composting
Why? http://www.dailydump.org/why
How? http://www.dailydump.org/how

m.m

JAVA Writer

Feels nice to have a couple of my technical articles featured on JAVA Beat website.

http://www.javabeat.net/authors/Monish/

http://www.javabeat.net/tips/193-javalangoutofmemoryerror-permgen-space.html

http://www.javabeat.net/tips/192-javalangoutofmemoryerror-java-heap-space.html

Do add some feedback if you like the articles.

Update 8/2/10 - http://www.javabeat.net/tips/194-job-schedulers-unix.html

Update 5/3/10 - http://www.javabeat.net/tips/195-static-code-analysis-tool-firebugs.html (it is actually findbugs and not firebugs)

m.m

House boats in Gods Own Country

 

http://greatbackwaters.com/ The new Site by Kerala Tourism.

Kerala is better known as gods own country.

The search for a house boat is tough, add to it the several 100's of google search results the equation just got tougher, add to it the several different branding that each company promotes their offering with the equation seems to be getting out of hand, add to it the facilities provided by different companies, add to it the various reviews on the net and you would had gifted yourself a big problem that most of the super computers would find hard to crack.

Coming to the search of house boats, I am going to add my experiences booking a house boat and am yet to experience the final outcome. Infact my study has ticked off a few travel agencies in kerala and my cubicle mate even went to the extent of saying that I could take this up as a PHd Study.

Usual timing
Pick up 12 in the morning and drop 9 on the next day

Routes
I was looking at the Alleppy, Kumarakom routes.

What I learnt
People say Kumarakom - Kumarakom route has wide lakes( breadth) so you would be in the middle of the lake just seeing vast shorelines lined with coconut trees.
Kumarakom - Alleppey - You would see the vast shorelines in the day time and the narrow shores and canals by the night or by the morning.
Hence I decided to do the Alleppey - Kumarakom - see the narrow canals and pass through villages by the morning and then land up in Kumarakom next day morning. Am sure the sunrise would be cool in the vast shorelines.

Rating of boats by the Government
1) Platinum or green
2) Gold
3) Silver

Rating of boats by Boat companies
1) Premium / Super Deluxe / AC 24 hrs
2) Deluxe / AC Night time
3) Normal / Non AC

If you are going with a family category 2 from each group would be good, if you are friends and don't mind slightly lower luxury go for 3).

Common Facilities
1) 2-3 Men (cook, pilot and one maybe for security)
2) Attached toilets
3) Lunch - Non veg
4) Evening tiffin and Tea
5) Dinner - Non veg
6) Breakfast

Types and capacity of boats
1) 1 Bed room smallest
2) 1-5 bedroom range

Usual modus operandi
They pick you up at say Alleppey at 12 then lunch shortly and then they set sail, you can ask them to stop at places of interest and then around 5 - 5: 30 they set anchor and start to park their boat close to the shore (the government of Kerala doesn't allow tourist activity in the waters after 6 so that the tourist activity doesn't affect the fishermen). You can go around and then get back. Dinner is served...time to sleep....wake up for a beautiful sunrise...breakfast....travel and get off at Kumarakom.

Best Rates to Expect - (for a 1 bedroom house boat)
1) Premium / Super Deluxe / AC 24 hrs - 8000 - 15000 INR
2) Deluxe / AC Night time - 5500 - 8000 INR
3) Normal / Non AC - 4000 - 5000 INR

Few companies (disclaimer am not promoting any of these companies, please choose at your own risk)
Reference site
http://www.karmakerala.com/kerala-hotels/kerala-houseboats/houseboat-companies.html

http://www.pulickattil.com/packages.html
8500/- per night for Alleppey- Alleppey. ( A/c will be switch on 7pm to 6am only)
For Kumarrakom - alleppey charging extra Rs.500/- on the above rate.

http://www.riverandcountry.com/
one bedroom Dlx Ac houseboat for Kumarakom - Alleppey overnight cruise during February will be Rs.8,000.00

http://www.welcomecruise.com

http://www.peacockholidays.com
AC Gold Star Houseboat (01 Bed Room) : Rs.7000 /Couple (they use http://www.cheravallyhouseboats.com)

http://www.kumarakomhouseboat.com
15000

http://www.rainbowcruises.in
Rate : A/C Deluxe – Alleppey - Alleppey: Rs. 8000 + 2.58 % service tax = 8206/- nett
A/C Premium: Rs. 9500 + 2.58 % service tax = 9745/- nett
Non A/C Deluxe: Rs. 6500 + 2.58 % service tax = 6668/- nett

http://somahouseboats.com

http://www.cghearth.com/spice_coast_cruises/index.htm#
The per day rate will be Rs. 21650/- per night

http://www.evergreen-kerala.com
Rs.7, 000/- Net. It is a golden category House Boat conforming to the specifications of Tourism Department. It is a Deluxe AC, Golden Category one.

http://www.guardianhouseboat.com/index.html
Type of booking; 01Bed A/C House Boat House Boat Cost ; 6000/

http://www.lakelandscruise.com - 1
Super luxury(Equivalent to GOLD) Rs.12500/-
Luxury Rs.10500/-
Deluxe Rs.8500/- (two months early booking got me this for a rate of 6.5)

http://www.lakeslagoons.com

http://www.chrisoncruise.com
6000

http://www.marvelcruise.com/

http://www.keralahouseboatvoyages.com/index.html

http://www.atdcalleppey.com/index.html
One is a/c deluxe Houseboat The rate will be Rs.9000 + 15 % tax we can offer a special rate Rs.6500/-
Another one is Premium Category Houseboat The rate will be Rs 13,000 + 15 % tax We can offer a special rate Rs.10,000/-

http://www.cheravallyhouseboats.com
7000

Nanni Houseboats
A/c silver category houseboat: 9500 ( A/c works only during the night )
A/C gold category houseboat : 11500 ( A/C works full time )

Desiretours
5800 ac deluxe boat

Green Palace
Net rate : Rs. 9000.00

INDRAPRASTHAM CRUISE
Our best Reta one bed room A/c house boat Rs 6000/-with all meals deluxe boat.

My recommendations (based on my interactions by email and their official correspondences and websites and reviews from the net) (again disclaimer - pls check for yourself, am not responsible for anything)
1) http://www.lakelandscruise.com
2) http://www.kumarakomhouseboat.com
3) http://www.peacockholidays.com


Kerala is a lovely place to visit, here are some Wayanad Pictures.

PS: All this research for my visit to Kottayam during Naveen's Wedding, happy wedding mate and cheers for a great married life ahead.

m.m

My Dream Campaigns

I have had a few revolutionary campaigns brewing up in my mind rather I could say in my heart.

"Campaigns are successful even if they can get a few people read the entire idea" - mm

RR Campaign - RETURN the RUBBISH

How many of us have seen people from buses, car's, auto's throw trash or rubbish outside and just move on. And when you overtake them and look inside you will see that they are stylish, educated (yet moronic) (if you strain your nostrils you can smell their cheap perfume / deo)

This campaign aims to return the rubbish back to them, out comes a cup from the window, pick it up and hand it over to them...trust me you would have just reformed a habitual offender.

VV Campaign - VOICE to the VIOLATOR

How many of us have seen vehicle owners show utter disregard to the traffic rules, they look around to spot if there are cops and then vroom speed away with little regard to the traffic lights and people either crossing or vehicles coming dutifully obeying the rules. Again here there is a healthy competition between the literate and illiterate.

This campaign aims to honk your horn or raise your voice when ever you see someone trying to violate the rules... this treatment takes a time to treat the offender, but be the catalyst to start this chain reaction.

And yes there is a saying "Be the change that you want to see in others"

Hope we from the blogosphere can get these campaigns see the light of the day and make life peaceful for fellow human beings.

Be the guiding light / guiding force!

m.m

Art of Seeing - The Magical Light

HESARAGHATTA WORKSHOP

Art of Seeing - The Magical Light with Mahesh Bhat.

Wide barren grasslands, sun blazing away, huge birds of prey, 8 photographers pounding the 300 acre land. A result of the 2 day workshop with Mahesh Bhat at Hesaraghatta.

Please click on the picture or link below.

link

Would love to have your comment and critique.

m.m

Photographic Expedition

Recently had been on a 4 day wildlife workshop with Kalyan Varma, here is my meager collection. Though I wanted to write a minute by minute scale up of the entire expedition, I figured out that it was going to be a tough job recreating the fun, joy & excitement that we had during the 4 days hence I decided that the pictures were self explanatory.

http://www.wow-wonderworks.blogspot.com/2010/01/rainforest-expedition.html

http://www.flickr.com/photos/minmaxmim/collections/72157623089758457/


Comment and critique would be great.

m.m

List of sightings and calls as identified by Dr Muthu from our team.

My sightings and clear identification stood at a record number 70 (all put together)

Valparai Rain forest expedition 8 – 11 january 2010

Birds List

1. Thickbilled Flowerpecker

2. Chloropsis

3. Whitebrowed bulbul

4. Purple rumped Sunbird

5. Block Drongo

6. Whitebellied drongo

7. Greater Coucal

8. Brahminy Kite

9. Osprey

10. Common Flameback Woodpecker

11. Yellow browed Bulbul

12. Common Iora

13. White Cheeked Bulbul

14. Common tailorbird

15. Scarlet Minivet

16. RedWhiskered bulbul

17. Green Bee eater

18. Red rumped swallow

19. Pacific swallow

20. Jungle babbler

21. Oriental honey Buzzard

22. Grey Wagtail

23. Pied bushchat

24. Common Mynah

25. Ruby throated bulbul

26. Long tailed Shrike

27. Hill Mynah

28. Mountain Imperial pigeon

29. Black Bulbul

30. Great Hornbill

31. Jungle mynah

32. Spotted dove

33. Golden oriole

34. Magpie robin

35. Chestnut tailed starling

36. Black shouldered Kite

37. Indian Roller

38. Jungle crow

39. House sparrow

40. Common crow

41. Streak throated woodpecker male & female

42. Brown shrike

43. Shikra

44. Malabar parakeet

45. Rufous babbler

46. White bellied tree pie

47. Fairy blue bird

48. Pond heron

49. Little egret

50. Little cormorant

51. Asian Paradise flycatcher

52. Grey tit

53. Rufous tree pie

54. Small minivet

55. Brown cheeked fulvetta

56. House swift

57. Crested tree swift

58. Crested serpent eagle

59. Plain flower pecker

60. Plum headed parakeet.

61. White breasted waterhen

62. Red vented bulbul

63. Puff throated babbler (Call)

64. Pied kingfisher

65. Crimson fronted barbet

66. Grey breasted prinia

67. Palebilled flowerpecker

68. Black eagle

69. Malabar Trogon

70. Lesser fish eagle (? Grey headed fish eagle)

71. White breasted Kingfisher

72. Small blue kingfisher

73. Rufous woodpecker

74. Scimitar babbler

75. Cattle Egret

76. Kestrel

77. Scops Owl ( Call)

78. Jungle owlet ( Call)

79. Malabar Grey Hornbill

80. Racket tailed drongo

81. Clamorous reed warbler

82. Ashy Prinia

83. Blyth’s reed warbler

84. Booted warbler

85. Malabar whistling thrush

86. Grey Jungle fowl

87. Oriental white eye

88. Black and orange flycatcher

89. Falcon?

90. Nuthatch?

91. White bellied shortwing

92. Leaf warbler

93. Nilgiri Pipit

94. Blue rock thrush

95. Black lored tit

96. Red spur fowl ( Call )

97. Gray headed canary flycatcher

98. Wynad laughing thrush (call)

99. Gray breasted laughing thrush

100. Emerald dove

101. Indian pitta

102. Hoopoe

103. Blue bearded bee eater

104. Desert wheatear

105. Vernal hanging parrot

106. Dark fronted babbler

107. Purple sunbird

108. Speckled piculet

109. Crimson backed sunbird

Mammals List

1. Malabar giant squirrel

2. Jungle striped squirrel

3. Wild boar

4. Brown mongoose

5. Striped mongoose

6. Barking deer

7. Mouse deer

8. Brown palm civet

9. Large brown Flying squirrel

10. Asian Elephant

11. Common langur

12. Nilgiri Langur

13. Lion Tailed Macaque

14. Bonnet Macaque

15. Nilgiri tahr

16. Bat ( Species not idied)

17. Small Indian civet (camera trap)

18. Gaur

19. Porcupine ( camera trap)

20. Hare



Dragon flies and Damsel flies

1. Stream ruby

2. Stream glory

3. Clear winged Forest glory

4. Saffron faced blue dart

5. Black stream Glider

6. Crimson Marsh glider

7. Asian slim

8. Green marsh hawk

BUTTERFLIES

Only those that came to my mind

( List incomplete as not recorded )

1. Chestnut sailor

2. Malabar rose

3. Peacock

4. Greater orange tip

5. Red disc