Honda City vs Maruti Suzuki Ciaz

The battle on Indian roads was never so intense between Maruti and Honda. But the face to face challenge in premium sedan segment has charged both the players so much that even the segment volume is elevated. Not only that the straight fight also cornered Hyundai Verna which used to be segment leaders till couple of years ago. 

Honda City has been one of the most admired car in India in its segment and the latest edition of Honda City has been a success story since its launch in January 2013. The sixth generation City is Honda's second model to incorporate the new "Exciting H" design which was first seen on the third generation Honda Jazz. The new City in its range topping trim features extensive premium equipments and kits, such as touch-panel auto climate control, rear AC vents, a 5-inch LCD display with navigation, Bluetooth audio, a reverse camera, eight speakers, and four power outlets. Based on Honda’s new “Exciting H-Design” philosophy, the sedan looks refreshing and more premium than its predecessor.

Maruti Suzuki Ciaz which has got 

Honda City vs Maruti Suzuki Ciaz

In Indian market Honda was able to maintain its leadership pole position for long time however the formidable challenge from Maruti Suzuki Ciaz pushed it to a corner. Since July'16 Ciaz has dethroned City from top position maintaining fair lead month on month. While Honda City Clocked double figure in Dec'15 (City 6366 units vs Ciaz 2841) over Ciaz, it got halved by November 2016 (City 2658  units vs Ciaz 5433).

On price front Ciaz is very tightly priced with its base variant starting at Rs 6.99 lakh while City’s initial variant comes at Rs 7.19 lacs. Moving towards the top end variant, ZDI (O) Ciaz is priced at Rs 9.80 lakh while on the other hand, City’s top end variant's price climbs to Rs 11.05 lakh, (all prices ex-showroom, New Delhi).

In terms of Size Ciaz takes a lead, with length, width and height  - 4490mm, 1730mm and 1485mm vs Honda City’s 4440mm, 1695mm and 1495mm respectively. This create extra apace to play around in Ciaz. Ciaz gets massive road presence and at some angles resembles premium Kizashi, a plus point which is good enough to boost the style quotient. The boot space in both is 490 litres.

Under the bonnet Ciaz, gets 1.4 litre petrol that makes a max 91bhp and spins out a torque of 130Nm, while on the diesel front, it gets 1.3 liter VGT engine that churns out 89bhp and 200Nm of peak torque. These figures can disappoint people looking for performance but then again you get a class leading mileage of 26.03kmpl from the diesel, the domain which was long ruled by the Japanese sedan.

Honda City on the other hand packs a 1.5 litre petrol motor that has enough punch to leave everybody awe-struck. The petrol variant puts out a staggering 117.3bhp of max power and a peak torque of 145Nm. Its highly popular 1.5 litre i-DTEC diesel engine is very frugal and gets power and torque figures of 98.8bhp and 200Nm respectively. Mileage slightly lags behind at 26kmpl.

Monday Motivation

What is so special about Monday or what is so frightening about Monday, the debate may go on. If the day (Monday or Friday) doesn't ignite you doesn't excite you, no second thought you are losing your creativity and innovation. However, irrespective of our love or hate to our job, we must remember we are paid for it and we are ought to just it. And if not, just pass it and move on to something which really excites the self within.

There are pretty good chances that one fails to recognise, what ignites and excites him/her. So wondering how to zero in - Live the day as if it were your last and then find out what you love to do. Steve Jobs said at Stanford University in 2005 ‘If you live every day like it’s your last, someday you’ll almost certainly be right. It takes lot of courage to say ‘Sorry, but I’m really not happy with this so I’m out of here. Most like to hang on there whether they like it or not, because it pays off, and I am no different. Learning is vital and learning process involves experiencing all the things first-hand as opposed to reading about them in books or third-hand from someone who had never lived outside of academia. Nothing can be better learning than the Listening. Listening not only to other, but also to your inner self.

Many people often ask how to be a good listener, puzzled I think if they will be patient enough to listen how to be a good listener. Errrrrr, jokes aside the best way to be a good listener is become an interviewer . Being an interviewer gives you good chance to listen to the other side after throwing questions at them. Listen to the success story and of course more importantly failure fiasco.

If you’re someone who believes in going your own way and having a lot of fun doing it, then you’re

already on the right track and there’s probably very little anyone can say to modify your course more

than a few degrees. I’d just urge you to do a lot more listening than talking, don’t be afraid to wear

your passion on your sleeve for all to see, and when in doubt trust your instincts. The shortest distance between two points is the straight line, any attempt to reach the desired point in zig zag is essentially a diversion which need to be eliminated.

If you google leadership lesson, you may get millions of replies within seconds. but the leadership is not something which comes only from google search or library search. It is about igniting the inner self with set goals and to tread on straight lines connecting those points. Look at it, Stare at it and Grab on it.

Monday Motivation should not start and finish on Monday, it will be certainly be more fruitful if it goes on till Friday or even Saturday and Sunday.

The story of App Cab in India

Cab services in just 5 minutes, was not not only unheard of but also beyond imagination in Indian cities. Eyes blinks and yes it is here, touch and feel it you are no more deprived.

Having started its operation from financial capital Mumbai in 2011, Ola Cabs has caught the imagination of urban India faster than expected. Taking India for a ride and also competing with bigger global competitor Uber was not an easy task for the young founder duo of Ola. Today, Ola and Uber are two prominent name which has changed the landscape of local city travelling.

Players and Games in the market
The app based Cab services is some four years old in market however unlike other startups, this field is relatively less crowded. Majorly Uber , Ola and Taxi4Sure (acquired by Ola) play in this market. Despite being relatively new market there have been lot of fireworks in the field which gave the industry more eye balls than it could have ever gained through advertising. In fact, many people knew about Ola and Uber only when their services were barred in Delhi NCR ,one of the important market for Taxi aggregator services.

State Govt of Delhi had straight face off with App based Taxi services going to the extent of banning it, some voice also murmured about involvement of established players in the market to disrupt the growth of app based services which was on killing spree for Taxi companies like Meru, Easy cabs etc. App based Taxi service provider maintained that they are not the transport agencies but just an app for Taxi search. Good that the nascent players successfully crossed this hurdle which posed serious challenge on them.


Changing Lives

Surprisingly , app based Taxi services have changed the lifestyle and travelling habits in Metro Cities quite rapidly. They have not only dented the business of established players but more than that created new market segment. Availability of low cost traveling options have given wings to the class which now travels even to the offices by cab, this was quire unheard of earlier. The surge in demand has been so phenomenon that the demand started to outstrip the supply pushing app based companies to hire more drivers.

Fortunately, the excitement on the other side has also been quite encouraging. More and more drivers are today getting on board to Ola, Uber and Taxi4Sure leaving their traditional jobs. I happen to ask some of drivers about their backgrounds on my several trips and found out they are from all walks of life. Couple of them even were driving heavy vehicles while some other were seasonal drivers during holiday seasons in India. I found most drivers happy by connecting with these App Based services.

How they make money

While customers are getting the fare which they never imagined and drivers are getting commission and incentive beyond their expectations. Both the associate wonder big time where from money comes. Actually, none of them are making profit now or anytime soon. For Uber or Ola, the current focus is to expand the horizons - acquiring more customers, acquiring more drivers and expanding into more cities are the prime focus of all of them. Ola acquired Taxi 4 Sure in cash and Stock deal for $ 200 Millions by consolidating the position as well as keeping any serious competitors at bay for the time being in the booming cab services market.


Future of the Industry

Though, many of the traditional analyst have doubt about longevity of the business model or profitability however the industry does not seem to be looking back. For a country like India where there is low vehicular penetration and difficult driving scenario, the market condition seems encouraging. The probable challenge which this industry might face is cost competency as India is cost sensitive market and users will be more cost driven. So the churning out profit keeping both drivers and customers will be an uphill challenge in mass segment. The absence of third player in the market will give enough playing room to Ola and Uber to maneuver the industry in ideal way.

End of Life - Death and the Path Beyond

The prediction of death is probably the most certain thing after the birth, time may vary but eventuality is certain, without any exception. Yet, humans normally fear to discuss the end of life and there is no end of longing to live forever. The loss of life can be in any age, it can be in friction seconds or it can reach after decades of suffering i.e. the way of attainment is different but end is same. 

Though death is something certain yet it undisputed fact, no one wants to die. It has been observed that after crossing 5 decades of life i.e. 50 years, the fear of life is more a reality hounding humans. It is a stage where people worry, knowing they have spent more years in life than they will in future. At this stage, people can be broadly divided into two category. One, who accept mortality as ultimate truth and attainment of life having lived their life, while the second start fearing death thinking they have still not lived the enough. And no surprise, we definitely have more people falling ins second category than the first. 

Why we fear death  

The fear of death is more natural than exception and the question arises why we fear death so greatly. What do we lose after death. Probably nothing or everything. The answer on loss of belonging can be truly derived only if we know what happens after the death. Is it a dead end or a new beginning. Death can be biologically explained as end of cells and tissues but psychologically it is end of an existence. For the person who dies, it is end of the road where everything ceases to exist in real life and is pushed in memories to be faded in due course. Death is repulsive to most because it is unknown. The sense of attachment is the prime reason why people are not receptive to the concept of death. Death is not experience, we can not experience our death, it just happens. Amongst the fear of death people often don't realise, they are not here to go through pleasure or pain of their own death. Then what causes the anxiety to die ?? There is a different aspect, though death is certain but everyone doesn't die in same way. There can be diseases, accidents or long sufferings, does this causes death a painful encounter ?? Probably not

What happens after we die

When fear of death crosses the mind, also does what happens after death. This thought process is largely (if not completely) controlled by the religion and belief attached the religion. Different religion gives different account of treatment on what happens after the death from nirvana to rebirth. This discussion can be endless. Going by different streams, we find different account, While biology says its permanent end of life cells The spirituality elevates the occurrence taking it as big as attainment or rebirth. Remarkably, biology only states the end of the life and not the things beyond it while spirituality takes the step forward from here.


A driver may lose control of car and hit another, killing a family. A mother may die of unnatural death leaving confused children and a grieving husband. A husband may die suddenly, leaving behind his mourning wife and kids. An infant boy succumbs to a fatal birth defect. A gentle, elderly lady dies quietly in her sleep. Not only this death may also come by choice i.e. suicide. All these lead to the situation of death, whatsoever be the cause the end result is death, end of a body. 

There can be numerous stories of death experience but the mystery still remains, what happens after the death !!! 

Talvar Movie Review : Releasing 2nd October

Talvar Movie Review

Movie : Talvar
Written By : Vishal Bhardwaj
Directed By : Meghna Gulzar
Produced By : Junglee Pictures  

Starring : Irrfan Khan, Konkona Sen Sharma, Tabu, Neeraj Kabi & Others
Rating - Outstanding 

With power packed names like actor Irrfan Khan, Konkona Sen Sharma and Tabu, Story Writer Vishal Bhardwaj and Director Meghna Gulzar the expectation from the, real life inspired , thriller "Talvar" gets elevated. Thankfully the movie not only lives upto the expectation but also raises the bar for alternate genre of sensible movies. Though the director and story writer had almost no scope of twists and turns, they succeed to keep audience unblinking throughout the movie. It is to the credit of the director Meghna Gulzar that she strongly holds the audience interest right till last moment and even beyond. Your nerves are certain to overwork in thought stirring moments when you step out after the movie.

"Talvar" based on double murder of a teenager and house servant draws clear inspiration from infamous Noida "Aarushi-Hemraj" murder case which hogged the limelight of nation for years. At times movie erupts the myriad emotions and hold backs the human conscience. Movie rotates around the powerful story line up  , which interestingly is known almost by everyone, on the one side and unflinching Irrfan Khan on the other side. Making a film on real life incidence is formidable job especially when it lacks the usual bollywood masala, here full marks goes to director and actors who infused life into it so lividly that makes it a thriller. Irrfan Khan acting as the lead investigating officer carries the movie on his shoulder with natural prowess. Unyielding Konkona Sen Sharma who has restricted presence in the movie adds value alongside stoic Neeraj Kabi. Director has smartly broken the monochrome by inserting the other side of Irrfan Khan's personal life with wife Tabu. It helps the movie to go light whenever thought start dominating the nerve system.

Movie takes heavy toll on first hand sloppy investigation by city police, in satirical as well as grievous way. Vishal Bhardwaj's story successfully exposes the blemish police investigation with rage as well as satire. Crafting the story line with impeccable perfection for such complicated case was no easy task for writer but he flows it not only in neutral path but also humorously tears apart the investigation carried by government agencies. Meghna Gulzar has done full justice with story by giving soul to the movie with her matured direction. Flip Flop investigation by local police and bizarre helplessness of agency probe is depicted in very neutral way. Movie is not judgmental but shows all the versions and angles with neutrality and leaves it to the audience to go with version which they may find more compelling. The devastated and feeble investigation process blows out the belief on established bureaucratic structure. Movie tilts from honour killing to mysterious murder angles and evokes anger and dispair. 

Irrfan Khan in lead role plays the different shades and keep the movie rolling in every direction, be it an avid investigating officer or disgruntled humorous husband. Konkona Sen Sharma playing the role of mother of teenager is as natural as she can be. Her role in the movie is pre-defined from the story line giving her less space for her versatile acting but even with restricted horizon she is central in the main plot. Neeraj Kabi playing as the father has even more silent dimension, he has also shown the natural flavour to play the character. Tabu ,playing wife of Irrfan Khan has more tickling appearance as she is detached from the main story plot.

Meghna Gulzar has done simply brilliant work for keeping the flow of the moving independent and rolling. It is definitely her best outcome as she seems to have gone in the skin of the infamous murder case pulling it one by one so finely. Her acute representation of even a smaller evidence makes one revisit the varied sequences as claimed by different parties. She deserves the pat on the back for depicting so complicated case in such natural flow. And Vishal Bhardwaj the man behind the scene, must have worked hard to live the sequences again and again before unraveling the story plot.

 

Watch "Insaaf" Song from Talvar Movie : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmCSvu03wSY

Watch "Patli Gali" Song from Talvar Movie : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycuep651IFw

 Watch "Zinda" Song  from Talvar Movie : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFvPh0nPnFI

Overall, this "who done it" movie is one of the must watch of 2015. It has ability to pull the audience to the core and keep them connected throughout. Once in cinema it is sure to keep you on edge of your seat from beginning till the end. Movie gets stronger with its songs especially the song "Insaaf Hoga" is just lovable. It's a must watch movie in cinemas and one of the most distinguished movie which will keep your meaningful time. Don't miss this thriller - "Talvar this friday"

Talvar Movie Review

Movie : Talvar
Written By : Vishal Bhardwaj
Directed By : Meghna Gulzar
Produced By : Junglee Pictures  

Starring : Irrfan Khan, Konkona Sen Sharma, Tabu, Neeraj Kabi & Others
Rating - Outstanding 

With power packed names like actor Irrfan Khan, Konkona Sen Sharma and Tabu, Story Writer Vishal Bhardwaj and Director Meghna Gulzar the expectation from the, real life inspired , thriller "Talvar" gets elevated. Thankfully the movie not only lives upto the expectation but also raises the bar for alternate genre of sensible movies. Though the director and story writer had almost no scope of twists and turns, they succeed to keep audience unblinking throughout the movie. It is to the credit of the director Meghna Gulzar that she strongly holds the audience interest right till last moment and even beyond. Your nerves are certain to overwork in thought stirring moments when you step out after the movie.

"Talvar" based on double murder of a teenager and house servant draws clear inspiration from infamous Noida "Aarushi-Hemraj" murder case which hogged the limelight of nation for years. At times movie erupts the myriad emotions and hold backs the human conscience. Movie rotates around the powerful story line up  , which interestingly is known almost by everyone, on the one side and unflinching Irrfan Khan on the other side. Making a film on real life incidence is formidable job especially when it lacks the usual bollywood masala, here full marks goes to director and actors who infused life into it so lividly that makes it a thriller. Irrfan Khan acting as the lead investigating officer carries the movie on his shoulder with natural prowess. Unyielding Konkona Sen Sharma who has restricted presence in the movie adds value alongside stoic Neeraj Kabi. Director has smartly broken the monochrome by inserting the other side of Irrfan Khan's personal life with wife Tabu. It helps the movie to go light whenever thought start dominating the nerve system.

Movie takes heavy toll on first hand sloppy investigation by city police, in satirical as well as grievous way. Vishal Bhardwaj's story successfully exposes the blemish police investigation with rage as well as satire. Crafting the story line with impeccable perfection for such complicated case was no easy task for writer but he flows it not only in neutral path but also humorously tears apart the investigation carried by government agencies. Meghna Gulzar has done full justice with story by giving soul to the movie with her matured direction. Flip Flop investigation by local police and bizarre helplessness of agency probe is depicted in very neutral way. Movie is not judgmental but shows all the versions and angles with neutrality and leaves it to the audience to go with version which they may find more compelling. The devastated and feeble investigation process blows out the belief on established bureaucratic structure. Movie tilts from honour killing to mysterious murder angles and evokes anger and dispair. 

Irrfan Khan in lead role plays the different shades and keep the movie rolling in every direction, be it an avid investigating officer or disgruntled humorous husband. Konkona Sen Sharma playing the role of mother of teenager is as natural as she can be. Her role in the movie is pre-defined from the story line giving her less space for her versatile acting but even with restricted horizon she is central in the main plot. Neeraj Kabi playing as the father has even more silent dimension, he has also shown the natural flavour to play the character. Tabu ,playing wife of Irrfan Khan has more tickling appearance as she is detached from the main story plot.

Meghna Gulzar has done simply brilliant work for keeping the flow of the moving independent and rolling. It is definitely her best outcome as she seems to have gone in the skin of the infamous murder case pulling it one by one so finely. Her acute representation of even a smaller evidence makes one revisit the varied sequences as claimed by different parties. She deserves the pat on the back for depicting so complicated case in such natural flow. And Vishal Bhardwaj the man behind the scene, must have worked hard to live the sequences again and again before unraveling the story plot.

 

Watch "Insaaf" Song from Talvar Movie : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmCSvu03wSY

Watch "Patli Gali" Song from Talvar Movie : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycuep651IFw

 Watch "Zinda" Song  from Talvar Movie : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFvPh0nPnFI

Overall, this "who done it" movie is one of the must watch of 2015. It has ability to pull the audience to the core and keep them connected throughout. Once in cinema it is sure to keep you on edge of your seat from beginning till the end. Movie gets stronger with its songs especially the song "Insaaf Hoga" is just lovable. It's a must watch movie in cinemas and one of the most distinguished movie which will keep your meaningful time. Don't miss this thriller - "Talvar this friday"

Kitchen Chimney : A Beginners's Guide

As the lifestyle of modern India shifts towards contemporary global lifestyle, Indian homes experiences lot of changes. The most vibrant part of a home is turning out to be the kitchen, which now beckons utility as well as style. Kitchen Chimney is one such utility which has caught the imagination of Indian Kitchens faster than any other appliances. Primarily these chimneys sucks out stale air, removes fumes and air-borne grease particles, it takes out what’s bad and leaves you with what’s good. 

Broadly Chimney can be sub divided in 2 types

Ducting or vented Chimney: 

Ducting Chimneys which ducts out smoke and fumes outside the house through PVC pipes and leaves the kitchen fresh. Most of the homes uses this kind of chimney

Ductless Chimney (Split) :   

Ductless chimney recycles the air in the kitchen and provides fresh air. It doesn’t pull out the air but releases it back into the kitchen. 

How Electric Chimney Work

Before buying an electric chimney it is advisable to understand how the electrical kitchen chimney works. An electrical chimney is placed just above the cooking stove, normally 3-4 ft of height from cooking pane. Chimney sucks in all the oil, grease, smoke, vapor, odor and other small particles that are popped out during cooking. The smoke which is sucked in by chimneys are normally thrown out while some appliances can also recycle and circulate it back in the kitchen. This is how a chimney works to keep the kitchen in good shape and free of stain and odor. 

Major Brands of Kitchen Chimneys : Faber, Glen, Kaff , IFB, Prestige, Bajaj, Sunflame, Pigeon, Hindware, Whirlpool 

Advantages

1) Your granite/marble/tiles/wooden furnishings will be protected from sticky fumes which comes out from pressure cooker and frying pans.

2) Your kitchen wall and roof is protected from the stains of cooking

3) Protection from steam/smoke when you are preparing

4) It will help prevent sneezing when chillies are fried

5) The kitchen is easy to maintain and clean.

6) It will improve the aesthetics of your already beautiful kitchen.

Points to be Checked

Size of the Chimney : It particularly depends on the size of the kitchen and size of the family. Normally, product is offered in size of 60 Cms and 90 Cms. Size of 60 Cms is good for a family cooking of 5-6 persons

Air Suction Capacity : Practically, for a small family air suction capacity of 400 m3 per hour is good enough, however traditionally most users go for air suction capacity upto 1000 m3 per hour. Higher suction capacity is particularly required in Indian kitchen due to varied cooking methods involving spices and tadka.

Number of Blower :  Blowers in the kitchen chimneys works for the effective exhaust of unwanted smells and oil vapours at different speeds, it gives better outputs and lower noises. Higher the numbers of blowers better it performs in ensuring more effective removal of unwanted smells, oil and grease.

Control : Chimney control can be slider, push or even touch sensors in high end chimneys.

Types of Filters
Chimney Filters can be classified into two types depending upon structure and materials i.e. Mesh and Baffle.

Mesh Filter

Normally Mesh Filter is made of Stainless steel or Aluminium, Stainless Steel is relatively costlier than Aluminum but Aluminum is light weight. Filter which has multiple layers of mesh retains grease and oil particles from smoke and throw out remaining smoke. On consistent use Mesh holes get blocked by grease and oil particles thus reduces suction capacity of the chimney and needs cleaning. Cleaning is easy in Steel mesh as compared to Aluminum . For Indian households, this type of filter is least recommended as it needs cleaning every week.

Baffle Filter

Baffle filter panel is made of multiple curves though which air sucked by chimney passes through , during this process panel retains oil, grease particles in it. As grease and oil particles are not obstacle to flow of air, so less chances of getting it blocked and it has higher duration of cleaning. Normally a baffle filter needs to  be cleaned once a 4 to 5 weeks. Most baffle filters are made from stainless steel panel. 

Conclusion : For a well done modern house Chimneys are integral part of the kitchen to have a hygienic and well look. The features and type depends on the budget as Chimneys are available in price range of Rs 5000 to Rs 100,000. It solely depends on the budget of the household to decide which kind of chimneys to go with. 

Recommendation is to use Air Suction capacity of 700 or more , made of baffle filter and should have 60 cms of size. Other features are related to outlook and operational ease which an individual can decide self.