Service Tax on Food and Beverages

Recently, there's been lot of talk around levy of Service tax on food and beverages with all sorts of interpretation doing rounds. One such wrong interpretation has been issued by Delhi High Court Bar Association - DHCBA, as per their notice dated 3rd November 2012 .. One is required to pay Service tax only on service charge portion and not on any other amount, which is incorrect.

The correct position is - One has to pay 4.94% of bill value (Excluding VAT) as Service Tax. Service Charges shall be liable to Service tax was clarified by Ministry of Finance - Tax Research Unit vide circular no. - 334/3/2011. Please refer below extract from notification number - 24/2012.

Determination of value of  service portion involved in supply of food or any other article of human consumption or any drink in a restaurant or as outdoor catering.- Subject to the provisions of section 67, the value of  service portion,  in an activity wherein goods   being  food or any other article of human consumption or any drink (whether or not intoxicating) is supplied in any manner as a part of the activity at a restaurant or as outdoor catering, shall be the specified percentage of the total amount charged for such supply, in terms of the following Table, namely:-

Table

Sl. No.	Description	Percentage of  the total amount
(1)	(2)	(3)
1.	Service portion in an activity wherein goods, being food or any other article of human consumption or any drink(whether or not intoxicating) is supplied in any manner as a part of the activity,  at a restaurant	40
2.	Service portion in outdoor catering wherein goods, being food or any other article of human consumption or any drink(whether or not intoxicating) is supplied in any manner as a part of such outdoor catering	60

Another important question is - Are all restaurants liable to charge Service Tax ? The answer is NO - Only those restaurants which are centrally AC / have AC and also possess license to serve liquor can are liable to charge Service tax. In other words, if a restaurant does not have AC or does not possess license to serve liquor, it can not charge Service Tax.

Many restaurants, who do not serve liquor or are not AC, charge Service Tax which is a wrong practice.

Refer to below example from Education Guide issued by Tax Research Unit, Ministry of Finance -

Question - I am running a hotel having the facility of central air-conditioning. There are number of restaurants in the hotel. Am I liable to pay service tax on to serving of food

or beverages in these restaurants?

 Answer - Serving of food or beverages in a centrally air-conditioned premise will be taxed if its restaurant has a license to serve alcoholic beverages. However, those restaurants which do not have license to serve alcoholic beverages will be exempt from service tax. Serving of food or beverages outside the restaurant, say near the swimming pool, will be taxed if service is from a restaurant having license to serve alcoholic beverages.

A piece of my writing

Uski bachkani hasin se jo mila
Na jane kitne raaz the us mein
Kabhi us se lada, kabhi hasa
Kya heer se andaaz hain uske

Kabhi woh kabhi yaadein
Har waqt karen baatein woh mujhse
Kabhi honth kabhi aankhen
Har waqt karen baatein woh mujhse

Pariyon se Nakhre bikhere.. baat baat pe tang kare
Ziddi sa dil uska.. apni zidd se mohabbat kare

Uske andaaz se ishq jo kia hai
Ladna, hasna .. Sath hi jiya hai
Uska Gusse se yun dekha
Roothna, Manana .. Sath hi jia hai 

Love, Friendship and You

Kehte hain ... Dosti mein mohabbat ka ehsaas haiKehte hain ... Mohabbat dosti ke baad haiHumne usne dosti jo ki hai, Mohabbat khud ba khud ho gayiAb woh kuch hamare dil ke, kuch hum unke dil ke paas hain
Mohabbat ki yaadon mein uski hi baat haiDosti ke kisson mein uski yaad kuch khaas haiAb woh sath rahe mere, main uske sath rahunAb woh kuch hamare dil ke, kuch hum unke dil ke paas hain

Why it is not tough to "Work Hard"

As i begin to write this blog on hard work .. first thing that strikes me is the cleashade line that everyone says in an interview, trying to create impression i.e - I don't believe in hard work, but smart work. I am amused, whenever i hear this line.. clear cut copy paste.

Coming back to the topic ..

I think, working hard is a passion. It is not something that some one can bestow on you. I see some people who are "ok" with everything they have in life and have no urge to be better in life than they are, then their are are some who want to be better but don't want to work hard. Very senseless for me.

For me, it is very simple - to be SRK, look at the hard work that has gone behind being SRK .. and unless you can't afford similar hard work .. please excuse...

I have tried to categorize in heads as to why working hard is as tough as it is said to be ..

Desire and Lifestyle

Having born and brought in a metro city, i have always seen people in a rush .. eyes open in morning with thought of a pending job that might screw things, continued by rushing to work for which we are always late and spending entire day to earn enough to feed our never ending desire .. and ending the day with multiple thoughts of how things are, what could have been done etc etc

By the time i grew up and joined this lifestyle, i was sure of the fact that their is no escape .. neither on the desires side nor on working hard for it unless you fall for wrong ways.

Desire is the only fuel that keeps the vehicle called "hard work" running forever.

Goals

Going for the right ways, your goals should be very very clear in life and one thing is for certain, one man in one life can not attain everything unless destined and even if destined... you will still have to work hard for it :)

Once you have set goals in life ... hard work becomes a cake walk because you know these goals are what you live for, work everyday and i am sure you wont like to betray your goals, they are your babies, you will have to hold their finger .. make them walk ... help them grow up and feel blessed once you achieve them.


Now, one thing that you might be thinking is ... Goals and Desires are virtually the same.. why did i distinguished between them. Answer is, for me they are very different things - Goals are something you work everyday for .. could be your career objective or whatever. Desires are those never ending wants of accessories in life .. a car like honda city, once u get it .. then a car like accord .. then audi ..and you end but list never ends.


Idols

Another thing that works for me are my idols in life .. My first and most inspirational idols - my parents and like mine your first idols will and should also be your parents, they leave no stone unturned in making us a capable, worthy and dedicated person in life.

I then draw my inspiration to work hard from Shah Rukh Khan (SRK) .. a man who had no godfather in his profession, his marriage was no supported by her parents, he had no parents and despite all odds stacked against him, he did everything he could and god rewarded him with everything he could.

He is perfect example of a man to defies my statement - one person can not achieve everything in one life. with millions of fans and thousands of critics ... he s done everything from movies to dancing on birthday parties .. to feed his desires. From owing a cycle to travelling by a chartered plane.. How can he not be an inspiration?

From Roger Federer i take the fact that how humble in life you can be despite being the god of tennis and when everybody had written him off .. he broke back everyone's words to be world numero uno once again. Having been at top for most number of weeks, the desire to still be at top is worth inculcating.

I have few more idols and can go on and on ...

Would like to conclude by saying, live for you dream and make every breath count. One life, make it count !

Android 4.1 Jelly Bean - Features

Google this time has borrowed a trick from Microsoft's pack of cards. Microsoft when release newer versions of windows, they polish their previous version fist calling it a new release and the next level windows comes in next release.

Jelly bean looks on the same lines, it doesn't give the feel or impression of something as big a transition as was from Android 2.3 to 4.0 ..but looks like a more polished version of ICS.

Or it can be said that Jelly Bean is building on foundation that was laid by ICS.

What it succeeds in is, bringing new features that will eventually help big-time in improving user experience. One very significant feature that comes along with this new OS is "Project Butter", for some time now Google had been burning mid night oils over it.

Project Butter is Google's answer to all the critics who thought, if any thing android lacks is smooth functioning or a real buttery smooth functioning. To get this to all new level, Google has made Jelly Bean run at 60 fps subject to hardware allow-ability.

It adds touch responsiveness, where in phone can anticipate and predict where your finger will be next on the screen and go on pre load animations that you might need. Fascinating stuff ! Check out the video ! 

Lets see some of the other features it brings to the table -

1. Much improved notification center with expandable and actionable items.

2. UI of gallery has been revamped to make it more easy to swap around and share.

3. Offline voice recognition and typing.

4. Updated widget responses and usability.

5. Google search interface is a whole new experience.

6. Google with jelly bean now adds automatic information feeds to device (traffic, sports etc)

7. High resolution contact photos are a much awaited and welcome change.

8. Bi-Directional text and added language support.

9. Lock screen goes for bit of makeover and brings in new styling to unlock device.

With incorporation of the above features in ICS i.e Jelly Beans , it is arguably the best OS till date. With Android capturing the major chunk of market across globe, jelly bean is set to be a huge success and strengthen Google's position in OS market.

If you have managed to use Jelly Beans, do share your thoughts via comments.

Whatsapp vs BBM

Since the era of mankind exists, there exists - "Battle of sexes" and it famously brought up line - men are from mars, women from venus and since the time smartphones have come into existence, it has made way for a new battle cutting across countries, generations and smartphones.


In the world of of instant messaging, which is no less than oxygen to smartphone users, it is famously called - Whatsapp vs BBM. The war has become intense than ever coutrsey BBM being introduced to Android and iOS (Read More - BBM moves to Android and iOS)

No matter where i go, whoever i talk to,  this debate doesnt seem to end, so i decided to find out which is better on broadly three counts - Reach, Cost and Features.

Before i reach down to technical aspects, will share with you few of the reactions that i got when i went down asking my friends the same question - Whatsapp or BBM? and this is what they had to say -

"Buying a BB is like getting your first job in MNC - the one's outside are eager to get in and the one's in feel helpless."

"Whatsapp is like a middle class app, BBM is like high class"

"Buying BB just for BBM is like marrying just for sex, that too paid"

"BBM is the worst thing that happened to us Indians, because our breed speaclizes in invading provacy !!! Random people start to ask for pin before number, thats when i started collecting funds for S3 and in India, BBM means .. teen sau rupay mein jitni marzi bakwass!!! "

and on .. and on ...  Now, lets get down some more so logical stuff -

Reach

Fellow blogger, Jasmeet Kukreja, author of - Emotestar, says - Do i even need to say who win this segment hands on, spreading cross almost every OS working globally - Whatsapp caters to every smartphone user where as BBM satisfies just the "we are the BB boys" (and girls) paid need.

Also, she adds - whatsapp came after BBM, hence to be fair to BBM it is very evident that whatsapp has tried to imitate BBM on counter platforms with advanced features.



Cost
Whatsapp comes with one year free usage and then it charges $1 (Rs 55-56) every year for the app thing, the better part is it runs on your normal data plans, no extra cost like BBM where u have to incurr additional cost to get BB services, i know there lies an option to choose just BBM plan but it still calls for a high additional cost.

Features
When i go about asking people who use BB - whats the difference between using BBM and Whatsapp and the most common answer i have contend with is "there's something about BBM thats not about whatsapp" and till date that "something" hasnt found a name :P. What i think is, its the feeling of paying extra bucks for something whose rival is for free :P

Also, Whatsapp scans your contacts using whatsapp automatically and you don't need to manually add again which saves the effort of adding your friends again but it has a flip side too, you can filter the people you want on BBM.

Where BBM scores over Whatsapp is - it is slightly faster than whatsapp anyday. Also, whatsapp might skip to send your text once in a blue moon, BBM is cent percent efficient and hard working. 

BBM is like wife, it runs with you until you don't turn off your BB whereas Whatsapp is like your space giving girlfriend, you can choose to stay away and stay close ;)

Before i conclude, one significant consideration that didnt't want to miss is, in country like India where smartphone users feel pride in changing phone every year, in case of a BB they will have to circulate their BBM Pin again and gather contacts again which is not the case with whatsapp. You change your handset more often than your number.


No matter what i conclude, this epic battle shall never die down. The BB boys will always believe BBM wins  come what may and more so greater smartphone audience including apple users would stay with whatsapp happy happy :)

A piece of my writing - Part 4

Aaj fir ek umeed si jagi hai ...
aaj fir ek muskan hi khili hai ...
koshish krne ko jee chahta hai
sochta hun .. umeed ko pankh laga dun
kyunki, marne se pehle jeene ko jee chahta hai


Tere intezaar mein kuch to khaas hai
Intezaar jo tera hai, shayad yahi khaas hai
tu meri ho ya na ho, tujh mein kuch to baat hai
yun hi nahi, teri pehli jhalak ab tak paas hai

Super Fun at Indiblogger Event

Indiblogger, arguably the no.1 site for bloggers in India which keeps the passion for blogging in people like me up and running took the initiative of hosting an event for bloggers from Delhi which was hosted by Rajiv Makhni, more popularly known as Gadget Guru.

Previously, I had never been on any such event, which made it more interesting once i was in The Park Hotel, venue for the event.

Without doubt, Rajiv was the only reason that I looked forward to attending the event. In fact I didn't even had invite for the event until I contacted Rajiv and he got my name on guest list. For once, I couldn't believe my luck :)

Every second spent at the event is a memory to cherish, be it the ' hurr ' moment (hurr hurr ... New slang I learnt to cheer) or Rajiv's superb humorous hosting or Karan Singh's magic show etc etc

One good part about the event was i had a chance to win mobile phone but that question made me realise the importance of being educated when I couldn't answer a not so simple question and one very good part about all this was ... while is was thinking (or rather hoping someone pops up the answer secretly) a pretty girl in front of me generously tried to whisper out the answer to me (true example of being human) and even then i didn't hear her (such an idiot) and hence i lost the chance to grab a mobile. They say, you must pay attention to your lady luck, i should have.

The Park's buffet dinner was super good and don't Punjabis love their food :)

Teenage of 90s vs 2012

With every new generation, the world advances but probably the generation post 2000 has advanced too big too soon and teenage doesnt mean the same as before by any stretch of imagination. The life's changed dramatically since 90s and arguably the life back then was far more simpler, enjoyble and worthy !

If i can go on to say, teenage has been redefined post 90s and the new goup of teens are enjoying a life that's giving them pretty much everything except typical teenage experience. From food habits to wardrobe stuff to the attitude, alls changed upside down. 2012 teenage is more of the thing where teens want to be doing what 20s are made up for, not sure if thats right but seems to be the mantra !

Mowgli, our most cherished character back then has been taken over by Harry Potter, who is far more critical than everything else on earth.

Life without mobiles, ipods and tabs was uncompliated, fun and probably gave us more time to interact with each other in person, thanks to social networking sites - we now have more online friends than "friends". Today's teenage can type faster than we could even write ;)

A teenager of 90s would fondly go for shopping and would smile all day if he/she managed to get his/her favourite color clothing, brands were never a temptation and now, the bottom line is "it must be branded".

We would spend afternoons doing homework post school and spend evenings playing games like hide n seek, "chain-chain", pithu ...etc which have gone extinct. I am not even sure, if the new generation has even heard of it. What fun were they !

Street food, now a "tacky" and "unhygienic" stuff, was and is cherished above all kinds of eatery options for a 90s teenager. Shaktimaan and Chacha Chaudhary were the best things that could have happened to us as far as entertainment was concerned and thank god, 90s was free of roadies and splitsvilla crap. Magazines meant pran comics, archies and champak as against today magazines mean just fashion stuff ! 

Contra and Mario were the games that kept us busy and now God of war has replaced the fun. Gaming was back then, now and forver shall exist to keep guys occupied. Girl's best friend was her barbie from whom she would make home, dress her up and give her a perfect life :)

At 13, back then, a boy and a girl at best would be innocent friends fighting it out in class for a scale, eraser or pencil and now, even going physical is "so what !"

Studies have taken a toll on every gen-next. Competition, peer pressure is all time high and god knows what next ! Tutions, Tutions and Tutitons, a guy/girl doesnt even learn to speak properly and sent to "tution" and the game of spoon-feeding begins which continues for the rest of their lives. Back in 90s , tutions were never so important, taking tutions meant you were below par student.

Trying to impress in 90s meant, being intelligent, best at sports, collections and not booze, sex and sheesha. Fake fashion, over the top life and attitude for nothing rule today's teenagers.

Each generation has its pluses and minuses and i forever would stand by that 80s and 90s were the best to live by!

Teenage Sexuality

Recently, legal age for sex in India was increased to 18 but is it a sufficient measure to confront changing sexual climate. The best option for uprooting any issue is to track back and understand the root cause of its existence.

The difference between public and private, sex and love has gone for a toss. A little more deeper insight and ... WTF

Why such sexual climate change?

Teenage is one such age where we go through rapid physical development and profound emotional changes causing high level of eagerness in us. In addition to this, the kind of exposure - images, text messages and thanks to media on display, ever increasing urge of having sex isn't very surprising. Attach all this with early puberty and we have a deadly situation on hand.

One thing that is major source to this is lack of fear among teenagers of the consequences of such things or probably lack of awareness. Debatable ! In adolescence, the mind is sky high and care- free / world can go to hell attitude what probably helps us dig into sexuality without concerning much about its consequences.

Recomended Read - What girls like about boys !
Lot has changed in adolescence of 1990 to adolescene of 2010 and it has been a dramatic change. Kids grow up faster than ever and already more into this stuff before you can imagine.

One big solution to this , as always put, has been educating teenagers but i bet, the educated ones are more into it ;) . Doctors have their theories and parents have theirs but none seems to be successful and the only thing winning is teenage attitude. Not an ideal situatuion, love is being abused.

Way forward is very unstable and unpredictable.

All about Samsung Galaxy S III

The much awaited Samsung Galaxy S III launches with a stunning event. Even more stunning is the phone itself, all you expected from this phone and more has been delivered by Samsung.

Looks like humungous success of Galaxy S and S2 will multiplicate when S3 is put to sale. S2 went on records to beat sales figures of iPhone 4 and 4S. The next level competition is now S3 vs (anticipated)iPhone 5.

Lets see what S3 brings to table for us -

4.8' HD Super Amoled display (the best screen till date), 8 MP Camera, 8.6 mm thick and weighs 133 gms.

CPU : Quad-Core 32nm ARM Cortex A9 1.4gHZ PROCESSOR
RAM : 1 GB
OS: Android 4.0.4 (ICS)
MEMORY : 16/32/64 GB models, MicroSD card slot
Battery : 2100mAh
1.9 MP front camera

It comes with face recognition, you click the pic and it will recognise the faces in it and send pictures to all people in it. NFC and WIFI merged into it, jus touch your phone to another and media file gets transferred. It also, comes with wireless charging .. just imagine !

Recommended Read - Best FREE Apss to control Data Usage

IT COMES WITH A SIRI LIKE VOICE RECOGNITION FEATURE AND IT RESPONDS TO WHATEVER YOU ASK IT.

This phone sees you, listens to you, understands you and can even predict what you want to do next with it.

All in all, the world's best smartphone (Till date) is out !

Also Read - Nokia Tattoo that vibrates when your phone rings

Best Apps To Track Your Data Usage

Data usage is one thing which when crosses its monthly limit can it hit your pockets really hard and it is so often that we don't keep a note of our data plans and thus end up paying expensive bills.

In today's era where life seems at a standstill without internet connection data connections are like blood and oxygen to our smartphone. Given the spread of high tech smartphones across globe, need of internet access is inevitable. Lot many apps run on an internet connection and thus keep the data counter running 24*7.

Most smartphones these days give data tracking option along with option to set monthly limit but not sure if they are competent enough given the features packed apps available for download for free. These apps are available across all platforms and may save you some money.

There are certain apps that help you track every bit of data usage and alarm you when you are nearing your monthly usage. Think of an app that is free to download and saves you money. Not Bad!

Here's a list of few such apps (arguably the best ones out in the market) -

ANDROID DEVICES

1. Onavo Count

This FREE app on android store allows you to feed in a data plan like data usage limit, price your are paying for it etc. It tracks your smartphones data usgae - apps wise and daily/weekly/mothly wise.

It also brings in the super feature of bringing to you attention about the apps that are data hogs.

2. Mobile Counter

This utility app allows you to track data usage type wise - 2G/3G or wifi. You can set widget on home screen and monitor daily / monthly data usage.

Recommended Read -Nokia Tattoo that vibrates when your phone rings

iOS DEVICES

1. Built In Data Counter

 iOS devices are very lucky ones, the in built data counter is a very handy tool to use to track very bit of data usage. Choose settings > General > Usage  ... Cellular Usage. Records and displays incoming and outgoing data usage.

2. Data Usage Monitor

This FREE app on iOS store comes with a very fancy UI (user interface). It does all the kinds and types of data tracking you can think of and not only this, it also tracks the location from which data usage took place. Very useful !

Also, adds appearing or pooping up in the apps lead to needless data usage which can surely be avoided. Just resort to ad free version of the app.

As general tip to keep a check on data usage, do not forget to keep Wifi / 2G / 3G connection off when not in use. This will also help you save lot of battery drain.

Nokia Tattoo that vibrates when your phone rings!

Every company talks about taking invention to new level. Apple and Samsung have been leaders in innovating technology like no other company on the planet. But the reports are Nokia has filed for a patent for world's first vibrating tattoo. Now that's taking imagination to a new level.

Recommended Read - Which Mobile should You Buy?

Courtesy: US Patent and Trademark office  

This new tech tattoo is based on "haptic technology" that will transmit "a perceivable impulse" via human skin when he/she gets a call/message.

The patent describes the material as attachable to skin, capable of detecting magnetic field. It will be a removable vibrating tattoo.


How the Phone and Tattoo will communicate?

The phone would communicate through transmission of magnetic waves that it would emit  and tattoo would act as receiver. When the waves hit tattoo, it would set off a tactile response in the user's skin.

It shall also include variety of vibration types and ringtone types giving user customization features. Some Creativity!

The one issue that is not being talked about and is critical is what about the health related issues that is would inherently bring along. Magnetic waves constantly making waves via skin could have serious implications.

All in all, one fantastic imagination being brought to life!

How can I use my Home PC from Work?

Of course, the official laptops are 'supposed' to be meant only for official use but how many of us actually keep it to such use. Almost everyone uses official laptops for surfing personal websites or accessing personal emails. But  have you ever had access to your personal PC/Laptop from office? If No, then i am sure you wouldn't wish to miss out on reading further.

To keep it simple and to the point, there are various websites who provide you with such services and two of the best ways/websites that i can suggest are - www.logmein.com and www.teamviewer.com. Both offer free and paid subscription. 

But their lies a fundamental difference between services provided by these two websites. While logmein allows you to remotely access your PC/Laptop without having someone to run the software on it, Teamviewer is designed to work provided there are parties at both ends to approve/grant access.

Also, logmein paid version allows you to carry out remote printing and file sharing. These two risk free options are great ways to establish connection with your home PC/Laptop while you are still at your workdesk. 

Chocolate Supplies to End by 2014

One of the world's most loved and cherished treat called chocolate is in danger of extinction. Yes! The drought of chocolate has been predicted.

In a the world where anything may disappoint you but chocolate doesn't, its no surprise to be a chocolate lover. The fact that chocolates supplies may run out by 2014 surely is a heart break for chocolate lovers.

The reason for this drought tracks back to the land, Ivory Coast, which is the largest producer of cocoa beans in the world. The cocoa beans land has been hit by political unrest and dangers to farmers causing many fair trade cocoa farmers and traders to flee the country and chocolate production has hit an all time low.

All we can do is hope that the government of Ivory Coast can come out with a effective solution that brings end to political unrest and ensures safety of farmers.

Life says ... Welcome

Little low … Little high

Some respite ... sigh!

Lil desire … but no way

A way … but no want

Life says ... Welcome

Expectation goes for a toss

The coin doesn’t land

Hopes prevail in abundance

Like Roughness in sand

Life says … Welcome

Green, Bright and Sunshine

Looking for things not mine

Make way or compromise

People come with expert disguise

Life says … Welcome

 Bring on is the call

 No matter how short or tall

 Let’s see what have u got

 I am game, I have the balls

 Dear Life ... I am in

Apple iPad2 or The "New iPad" - Buy/Replace?

So finally, the much speculated Apple's new ipad has been launched  with a higher resolution display and an updated version of the Apple TV box used to stream movies, TV shows and other content from the Internet to TV sets. Pricing for new iPad: $499 for 16GB, $599 for 32GB & $699 64GB versions. $129 more for 4G. Will be up for sale from March 16.

Whenever there is an Apple product launch in sight, the world media goes to work on one single agenda, thinks on the same and does everything in relation to it, i.e the Apple product to be launched.

This time the hype was around the new iPad, even its name was being rumored to be iPad3 or iPad HD. The new iPad's name still not out but thankfully its specifications are, so lets see what this new launch has in offerings distinct from its predecessor -

1. Boasts of 2048 x 1536-pixel “retina” display powered by an A5X quad-core graphics chip.

2. A higher resolution display than your standard 1080p HDTV and 44% greater saturation than the iPad 2.

3. The device can attain maximum download speeds of up to 72Mbps using 4G LTE and 21Mbps with HSPA+.

4. Comes with 9.4mm wide and weighs 1.5lbs (slightly heavier than iPad 2).

5. Supports voice dictation (primarily needed for Siri) for English, French, German and Japanese.

But the elephant in the room is why would a person who owns iPad2 go in for New iPad? 

The above features may be a great extension to iPad2 but not sure if they are compelling enough to convince you to change your existing iPad2. May be much more was expected from this new launch and more importantly, what was needed was, a reason to change existing iPad2.

iPad2 has already been allowed iOS 5.1 upgrade, the looks are pretty much the same and comes with Dual-core 1 GHz Cortex-A9 processor which is sufficient for the needs that iPad satisfy. 

At the end of the day, it gets down to personal choice of replacing your current iPad2 with new one or you are smart to wait a little longer for a much more upgraded one. 

But surely, if you were planning to buy one - suggestion lies heavily in favour of the new iPad.

Nonetheless, this piece on the table from Apple will, as expected, surely set the sales registers ringing.

Bulgam Bhai - Campaign to Improve Case Detection of TB

As part of Global Fund Round 9 (Project Axshya) funded by The International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases and implemented by Population Services Internationaland BBCWST has designed and produced a 360 degree communication campaign to improve case detections of TB, which means increased sputum testing at the nearest Designated Microscopy Centers (DMC); for people having persistent cough for 2 weeks or more.

BBCWST had launched this innovative campaign by organizing a press event on 15/2/12  to formally release the campaign outputs to the media and elicit  their support by creating surround sound for the campaign.

BulgumBhai Campaign

BulgamBhai is a sort of superhero character who lives in a den in an undisclosed location and has this unique (totally out dated signal receiving device) which detects any sound of cough anywhere. On hearing which our man using his superhero powers transports himself to the spot and in an intimidating, intrusive, comic, concerned manner asks the person who is coughing ‘Doo Haftey Ho Gaye Kya? (Are two weeks up). BulgamBhai does this in multiple situations across region, strata and age and at the closing makes a ‘call to action’.


As part of this campaign, taking a creative leap we turned the repulsiveness of sputum on its head and developed BulgamBhai (Sputum in Hindi is called Bulgam). With time and increased media exposure this property will gain currency of its own and become symbolic with a radar/alarm for sputum testing in case of persistent cough for two weeks. It’s going to be a 360 degree campaign reaching out through both mass media and on ground activation. The media outreach will include (T.V/Radio long & short format/outdoor publicity, street theatre, video on wheels Vans, a range of on ground activation support materials etc.)

The campaign will focus on increasing sputum testing at the nearest DMC (Designated Microscopy Centre). As per the grant, the campaign is to be done across six states, but during our discussions and presentations with the donor and the Ministry of Health (Central TB Division) the idea has made a powerful connect and already the stakeholders are talking about a national scale up.


Its time we raised voice over this issue, make your contribution, share this post with your friends and spread the awareness.


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As part of campaign, the above post has been authored by Akshat Gupta

It's Not Over Till I Win

You must have heard various motivational stories, some real life some fiction. I came across one such story and the very fact that i am writing on it spells how virtuous this motivational story is.

The story is about a guy who is finding a job of his interest but isn't getting an opportunity because he some reason or the other and then something like this happens -

One fine day, fed up of his unproductive unlimited attempts this guy knocks the door of Mayor of his State (Mr. White) and narrates him the journey so far and his interest in becoming a Radio Jockey.

Mr. white tells the guy, if you want to do anything worthwhile in life, You got to be HUNGRY! and advises him to keep working upon himself to which the guy replies - but i have no job sir !

Mr. White - It doesn't matter, its better to be prepared for an opportunity and not have one than have one and not be prepared. Thy guy started developing himself day and night.

In the meanwhile, he started applying for jobs afresh and reaches a very famous Radio company's office and meets the boss named Mr. Ball.

Guy - Hello Mr. Ball ! i would like to get the job of a radio jockey. Mr. Ball looks at him and asks "Do you have any experience?, Do you have any journalism background?". Guy - No sir!

Mr. Ball - Sorry, we don't have any openings right now.

This guy, sad and depressed (how it feels when one is depressed - In Deep Waters) returns to mayor and tells him what all had happened. Mayor tells the guy, you should not be worrying, some people in life are so negative that they would say 'no' 10 times before a 'yes', so back again.

The next day, this guy goes back again.

Guy - Hello, Mr. Ball. How are you?
Mr. Ball - What do you want?
Guy- I would like to know whether or not you have jobs of a radio jockey?
Mr. Ball - Didnt i just tell you yesterday, we have no jobs.
Guy - I know sir, i just came in to check if some was laid off or fired.
Mr. Ball - No one was laid off or fired. Now, would you leave.


Pumped by mayor's words the guy turns up again next morning at the company.


Guy - Hello, Mr. Ball. How are you?
Mr. Ball - What do you want now?
Guy- I would like to know whether or not you have jobs of a radio jockey?
Mr. Ball - Didnt i just tell you last two days, we have no jobs.
Guy - I know sir, i just came in to check if some was got sick or died.
Mr. Ball - No one got sick or died. Now, get out of here.


Following the principle of 'It's Not Over Till I Win', the guy goes back the next morning and meet the boss as if he was seeing him for the first time.


Guy - Hello, Mr. Ball. How are you?
Mr. Ball looked at him with rage and said - Go get me some coffee.
Guy - Yes Sir ! :D

After that he kept serving him lunch and coffee. As and when he could sneak in, the guy would into radio jockey's rooms and gain whatever he could without any help.

2 months later, a popular RJ fell sick during the show and could not complete his show. The Boss calls at office and tells this guy to contact other RJ s and arrange someone in shortest time possible.

The guy calls up his family and girlfriend and tells them he is about to be On Air in next 20 min. The guy then calls up boss and tells him none of the RJs are responding. Boss, as expected by the guy, asks him if he could take up the mic for this show. Guy says - Yes Sir! and he was HUNGRY!

The guy had waited all his life for this chance and finally he got one because all this while he was HUNGRY!

Is Cracking Your Knuckles Bad?

When you crack your joints you are pulling your bones, that are connected, apart from each other. This process relaxes your muscles and loosens your joints.

But all along growing up, we have heard from our parents that this is not a good habit to follow. So, why do they say so? What's wrong with it?

Though cracking of knuckles never leads to arthritis but knuckle cracking pulls your bones apart which stretches ligaments and too much stretching of ligaments can cause damage to fingers and can also result in reduced grip strength of your arm, fist.

What's the sound that comes from Knuckles Cracking?

The sound that you hear on knuckle cracking is of gas bubble bursting. Our joints are surrounded by a liquid fluid called synovial fluid. When ligaments stretch, a gas from this fluid comes up, forms a bubble and bursts. This is called "Cavitation". The gas takes 25-30 min to absorb back until then you wont be able to crack knuckles with sound effect :)

Love Facebook? - Take The Facebook Quiz

Facebook is the biggest social networking site on planet and has caught everyone's imagination to the core. People from all across the globe have been spending hell lot of time on this social giant, some of them considering them to be biggest FB addicts of the time and some using it for dating purposes, for them - What girls like about Boys?

Lets take a Quiz on How well you know Facebook? 5 simple questions, lets see how many you get right ..

Here we begin ..

1. Who founded Facebook?
a) Mark Zuckerberg       b) Barry Zuckerberg

simple?
.
.

2. How much did Facebook pay for its current domain?
a) $220000                  b) $200000

3.Which similar social networking site sued Facebook for stealing its source code?
a)Myspace                   b) ConnectU

4. Which MNC bought stake in Facebook?
a) Microsoft                 b) Yahoo

5. Which of the following is not the first party application on Facebook?
a) Chess                       b) Gifts


And the correct answers are .. oops! The fun would end if i put up the answers here. The deal is, the quiz is open for 10 days and on 10th day from posting date, answers would be revealed in the comments section. (it isn't like you would be waiting for it, you would instead google :P but then all the fun of FB quiz would die down)

Now, lets wait and watch .. who gets how many correct! :)

Amazing Place - Dry Park in Winters and a Lake in Summers

In Life, you must have heard of or even visited weirdest of place but have you ever heard of a place that is a dry park in Winters and turns into a 10m deep lake in Summers. Quite Astonishing !

Yes! Its no joke. There a place located at the foot of  Hochshwab Mountains in Austria which is a part time park and a part time lake. It's known as "The Green Lake"

In winters, park is as dry as any other and is good place to hang out. However in the summer months, it's a 10 meters deep lake. The reason behind this is -

In summers, the snow on and around mountains melts and park is flooded with water. It's a popular destination of divers who want to see how the park looks like underwater.

Vodafone vs Income Tax (India) - In Crux

Vodafone has been fighting this legal battle since late 2007, when it first received notice from Income Tax department demanding tax from the British company. In 2012, 4 and half years later, landmark judgement by Supreme court of India has closed matter in favor of Vodafone.

Now lets go back and look at the series of developments in short and simplest manner as to how the things shaped out -

The Transaction
May 2007 - Vodafone Plc announced to takeover 67% of Hutchison Essar from the Indian part of Hong Kong based Hutchison Whampoa for $11.1 Million.


Hutchison, the seller, controlled its Indian subsidiary via group of companies based in Cayman Islands.

The Issue
September 2007 - Indian Income Tax department issues notice to Vodafone requiring them to pay taxes on transaction they had entered into on the claim that the deal involved transfer of Indian asset and Vodafone should have deducted TDS while making payment for the deal.

The Case Moves to Court
October 2007 - Vodafone files writ petition in the Bombay High Court against the notice received by them from IT Department.

December 2008 - Bombay HC rejects the pleas saying IT Department had rights to investigate.

January 2009 - Vodafone files appeal in Supreme Court - Major point in plea was : Do indian authorities have the jurisdiction to tax a transaction that occured between parties that do not have presence in India?


SC asks the IT department to confirm their jurisdiction over the said transaction, to which in May 2010 IT department replies with a Yes !

June 2010 - Vodafone files writ petition in Bombay HC against IT department's reply.

September 2010 - After continued hearings, Bombay HC rules in favour of IT deaprtment.

The Final Stages

Vodafone once again knocks at the doors of SC challenging the quantification of tax amount i.e INR 11,218 crore and also citing that no tax was due on any event.

November 2011 - SC asks Vodafone to submit INR 2500 cr plus gurantee of INR 8,500 cr pending final judgement.


Apex Court Ruling
SC told the IT department, they do not have jurisdiction over an overseas transaction setting aside the judgement of Bombay HC.

Court also asked IT department to return INR 2500 cr along with 4% interest. Also, return INR 8,500 cr bank gurantee to the Telecom Giant.