Tata Nano -- To Buy or Not To Buy

Henry Ford  has for long , been deified for making the car affordable and available to the people with the implementation of the modern assembly line.However , for a man who did not believe in accounting, I am sure the price Rs 1.2 Lakhs and a clientele of more than a lakh of 'common man' upon release did not figure even in his wildest entrepreneurial fantasies.Well, the period of Henry Ford is long gone , technology has improved so have the people behind it.No criticism is intended , HENRY FORD , will always go down in history as the automobile world's nonpareil entrepreneur.However, one other person , Mr.Ratan Tata is not too far behind.Rather , now ,  it is only a matter of time before he surpasses Henry Ford. The Nano will change the automobile sector in ways people could have only imagined.The Nano might just be the second revolution in making the car affordable , this time really to the common man and with the Nano , Ratan Tata's apotheosis to Henry Ford's league or perhaps one of even greater prominence is imminent.

The hullabaloo surrounding the Nano is coming up at a time when I am about to finish engineering and am thinking of buying a vehicle myself.A lot has been said about the Nano, even more, about the unfortunate controversies surrounding the car and about the peasant revolution in Singur that is probably a century late.Controversies apart, what is in it for me ?? .I come from a family of mechanical engineers, my grand-dad , my father , his brother , my brother and finally myself.At this point of time I am only 7/8 ths of an engineer though that hardly matters.To me the Nano is the beginning of a second revolution in making the car affordable , this time really to the common man and with the Nano , Ratan Tata's apotheosis to Henry Ford's league or perhaps one of even greater prominence is imminent. This is all the reason I need. To be a part of this revolution in automobile engineering.Since buying a Nano means starting my career as Baddi Magane (kannada slang) , a hasty decision is ill advised.Can not afford to get that tag for nothing.To get a feel of where the car stands , I shall compare it to its jealous cousin , the Maruti 800 , though my  decision or indecision is actually between a Nano and a Pulsar.The review that follows is from a completely biased and prejudiced view -- my view .

Let me break down the above figures into lay mans terms.Engine power is paramount.I wouldn't want to drive around a rickshaw masquerading as a car.

The nano engine churns out a maximum of 34 hp at 5500 rpm , which means it is relatively comfortable at such high rpm.The difference between the maximum power output of the two vehicles is relatively small ,maruti 800 having and advantage of 3 hp.The deciding factor however is not just the horsepower of the engine but the weight of the vehicle as well.A go -kart probably produces as much acceleration as maruti 800.

Nano weighs 580 kgs while Maruti 800 weighs 660 kgs. This is where the nano scores over maruti 800. Nano has a power to weight ratio of .058 while maruti 800 has a ratio of .056  .  So nano can be expected to accelerate roughly at same rate of a maruti 800.This means I should be able to  beat a guy driving a maruti 800 alongside at all signals and within the city .Yippie.

On the downside , Nano produces this amount of power with a smaller engine displacement (623 cc )  distributed over 2 cylinders while maruti 800 makes use of 796 cc distributed over 3 cylinders.The nano engine will find it tougher to extract roughly the same amount of power with a smaller displacement and the twin cylinder arrangement will result in a greater amount of unbalanced forces at high rpm's resulting in greater noise and vibration (This is where I get to show off my prowess with theory of machines but I have resisted that temptation).Test drive results show that the Nano gets uncomfortable and generates quite a bit of noise at speed of around 70kmph.

It may not be ideally suited for driving on highways. So what the hell ??? I am 21 , I have the rest of my life ahead of me.I will drive around highways at 70 kmph listening to blasting music .Noise ? what noise?  All I will hear is music !!!

Tata claims to have 20% more space in the nano when compared to 800.As for fuel efficiency , nano nano is the clear winner.As for the looks , Nano is the new cute hot chick in town-- outright winner there as well .

There may be some other minor glitches with the nano.Like for instance , seats that may not be optimally adjustable , gear shifts that may require a bit of effort and blah blah blah. Do I care -- HELL NO. I am 21. So to sum up the whole review , I think Nano beats maruti 800 lock stock and barrel.

There is still one fear though that remains unassuaged.New models come with bugs that are later rectified.Getting into the rat race very early may just backfire while not joining the race may result in no car at all.The very fact that I am writing this blog means I am a little apprehensive over making this decision -- Tata Nano - To Buy or Not to Buy.Views and opinions are welcome though I would probably care a rats ass about them (desperate imitation of Dr.Cox ) .However , your views, opinions and advise are all still welcome.

 

Guwahati Serial Bomb Blasts

Eleven serial bomb blasts rocked several districts of Assam in a meticulously planned attack executed with a precision that only highly trained persons can achieve.The death toll has risen to 75 with more than 300 injured still in hospitals, 170 of them tagged critical and battling for life.The spirit of humanity has taken a back seat.

The Song  Humanity by Scorpions comes to mind.

Humanity
Auf wiedersehen
It's time to say goodbye
The party's over
As the laughter dies
An angel cries

Humanity
It's au revoir to your insanity
You sold your soul to feed your vanity
Your fantasies and lies ................................................................................

ps: please spread the word , donate and do whatever you can to help the victims of this hideous crime.

Ghee Litti and Half Plate Anda Chowmein

Ghee Litti and 'HALF PLATE ' Anda Chowmein is to Ranchi what Idli and Dosa is to Chennai.Having had the opportunity,fortunately or unfortunately , to spend a significant fraction of my life in the city of Ranchi , I can not help but write a blog on these delicacies. 

Ranchi , a small and not so well known town of erstwhile Bihar, the present capital of Jharkhand and more importantly, home to our nations latest cricketing sensation -- M.S.Dhoni happens to have been my home for the past couple of years, thanks to the BIRLSA's.The friendly taxi driver fondly announced -" ee hamra Ranchi town ka Main Roadva hai " when we first reached probably the only road in Ranchi. Having come into unknown territory I began to draw analogies with my habitat ( city of chennai )  and hoped to conjecture on the state my life for the next four years. The MAIN ROAD with all its buildings sans compounds passed , at best , for some crowded lanes of Triplicane. I had my tryst with Litti and HALF PLATE Anda Chowmein that very day as we came towards the end of the main road lined with sellers churning out Litti and 'HALF PLATE' Anda Chowmein.

 

All great works of art are usually first dismissed and discredited , then attain dubitable acceptance before complete approbation. Litti and 'HALF PLATE' Anda Chowmein are no exceptions to this age old trend.Like french wine and swiss cheese , they are cultivated tastes that appeal to the taste buds of the refined connoisseur.The 'HALF PLATE' Anda Chowmein available on Main Road can put the best of Chinese chefs to shame and each piece of the ghee soaked Litti tantalizes the taste buds and leaves you craving for more.If only the Bombay Shiv Sagar people had done this bit of home work , they would not have had to close down their outlet on Ranchi Main Road. An epicure worth his salt would not forget to mention another delightful treat -- Jhalmudi . Three years in Ranchi and I am bowled over by the culinary expertise of the hawkers of Ranchi Main Road.Sanjeev Kapoor could probably take a few lessons from them. Hats off .

Since that fateful day , when I had my tryst with the Litti and 'HALF PLATE' Anda Chowmein , I have guzzled and gorged on numerous such half plates and each of them has been an experience and has been etched in my memory . Looking back at that first few hesitant day in Ranchi , I now heave a sigh of relief .

P.S- In case you have not written GRE,  or have failed to figure it out even after having written GRE  , the tone of the author is emphatically sarcastic. I , however , have had a great time writing this blog and over the last few years for which I have neither Ranchi nor Litti to thank for , only a group of  friends.My heartfelt thanks to my friend Badushah for having been the inspiration behind this article.Please feel free to share your views and comments .  

Sonia Gandhi - " I am ready to go to JAIL" , I would like to go to the zoo.

Italians horses traditionally have been considered a superior breed, or atleast so in India.Horses apart , metaphoriacally speaking; " I am ready to go to JAIL"- these were the golden words from the horse's mouth.I am just trying to learn a few metaphors here.Indians on the other hand are not fooled by elephants.We are supposed to be good at rearing elephants. Ask some random foreigner what he thinks of India - 'Land of elephant rides and snake charmers' comes the reply from most of them.And when elephants trumpet the whole world listens obsequiously -- theres not much choice there, we know the power of elephants , we worship Lord Ganesha.Anyway, elephants apart, honourable chief minister Mayawati smells an ulterior motive and cries -- TIGER .Now have'nt we heard that before. 

Now where did all this start, a failed coach factory attemt at Rae Bareli.A nice issue before the elections.Why are there problems in setting up the factory --  Land Acquisition.Havent we heard that one before.Farm land is the issue, that is land owned by farmers and land on which they are supposed to be cultivating.This brings us to another issue, now that all farm land in singur is going to be vacated , is cultivation possible there.Land prices will probably plummet.Good reasonfor the public to invest some surplus cash in singur and buy some 'AGRICULTURAL LAND' at dirt cheap prices.

Coming back to the issue at hand, if you are wondering what it is , you are not the only one.haha.

Sonia Gandhi tries her hand to gain some milage, and Mayawati counters it -- "Like Saifai was entire state for Samajwadi Party, Rae Bareli and Amethi are the entire state for Congress. There are already a number of factories in the district, Congress should think beyond Rae Bareli and avoid regional imbalance,".

Furthermore, stepping up her attack Mayawati alleges that Uttar Pradesh is receiving step-motherly treatment from the centre.

Looking at the whole picture, one finds strinking similarities with the singur issue.One plant being propsed, it faces land acquisition problems , two rivals parties trying to gain political milage out of the issue and sadly amidst all this , teh farmers are sadly left out.Sadly another singur.

The adage goes - History keeps repeating itself, but little did he know it repeats in spans of within a couple of weeks in indian politics.Rather it is more a case of monkeys immitating each other forming repetetive patterns. WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE.

VAT TAX

VAT TAX

 

The department of Mechanical Engineering at C--IT Arsem , has decided to levy Value added tummy taxes from members of its faculty in an effort to improve the quality of technical education being provided to the students.The management has decided to impose this tax after noticing falling levels of sincerity amongst members of the faculty with each academic year they spend at C--IT Arsem.The management believes this move  is in the best interest of both,students and faculty.Since the issue being addressed is of great importance and will help build, and establish a credible reputation to the Arsem group of institutions worldwide ,( by worldwide we mean India and the middle east)this new tax shall be made effective along with the clauses of the fifth pay commision.

 

Members of the faculty with approximate round cross-sections at their waist fall into the danger zone and are liable to be taxed.The accretion of flesh resulting from years of indolence has been identified as a positive pointer towards a slothful person.

Exemptions to this tax, however , shall be made to deserving candidates.People with serious ailments such as those suffering from terminal diseases are exempt from the VAT Tax.

 

With this new move, at least in part, the management hopes to achieve some of the following objectives.This measure is an effort to encourage portly members to put in that BIT of extra effort and produce better results.Hopefully, this should also bring about some changes at the source of the problem, the sluggard attitude resulting from job security and the overall sense of lethargy that results in their pedantic orations in class lectures.A reduction in the rotundity, an overall improvement in the health of the members of faculty and a slight increase in the quality of technical education imparted are expected concomitant results.

 

Similar traits are noticed across a wide range professions , especially those guaranteeing job security and a pay scale with no performance based benefits to entice them into pushing themselves that extra yard.The cliched delineation of a policeman in Indian cinema comes to mind when we think of portly professionals.An unfortunate entrant into this clique are students themselves who live in hostels living a rather sedentary lifestyle and glut themselves with the not –so- exquisite mess food.The solution prescribed here can actually be applied to all these situations with suitable modifications.

 

For those of you who have actually managed to sit through this entire article – HATS OFF.This is my first article on this blog and I hope to improve the quality of content as well as add more and hopefully interesting matter to this site.SO -- PLEASE DO COME BACK AND HOPE TO SEE YOU SOON.