Business Making Shared Autos at Hyderabad

The beautiful Hyderabad, every year, invites hundreds of out-station candidates, with its exceptional job opportunities and the lure of making a good career. An amazing, simple and highly developing city has a lot yet to be explored

The formation of Hitec City has given jobs not only to the enthusiastic youth from different parts of India but has also done immense good to the poor people especially the autowallas

There are varied opinions about the auto experience in this city. One has two options either to take a private auto or a shared auto. Both currently have analog meters with a starting price of minimum Rs 10. However the Government is on loggerheads to change these to digital Meters. Lets wait and watch when does this happen

In the interest of those who don’t know what is an auto. Here is my portrayal of it. A small vehicle which should be used as a three-seater with the same functioning as a normal scooter, except that instead of having one pillion seat, it has a capacity of three … instead of two wheels, it has three wheels, and instead of being started with a kick by the leg , it starts by a pull of a rod like element by the hand.


God forbid, if you take a private auto, and the auto driver is money minded guy, you will get to see the whole of Hyderabad, even if your destination was just opposite to the point where you started! For private auto from Cyber Towers to Venunburg IT Park, 5 kms far, it’s minimum Rs 30

The theoretical concept of sharing means supposing many people want to go the same destination, they can divide the cost of the meter by the number of people traveling. But it needs real patience to understand how it works at Hyderabad.

The first noticeable feature is they won’t have a meter at all! They have decided destination wise. If you are commuting anywhere from Cyber Towers to Venunburg IT Park, you will be charged Rs 5, but if your destination is within 1 km, they will be liberal to charge you Rs 4

The funny thing about shared autos is mostly you wont ever find autowallas is their uniform. They will take minimum five people in the auto, and without that they won’t even budge an inch. Don’t gasp! I will explain the how part of it. That means Rs 50 for back and forth journey to a destination of max 5 kms. Come on three people in backseat, is pretty normal guys.

Hyderabad Hitec City is very sweet to females. They want to see more and more females joining the IT industry to bring an equal male: female ratio. So the dear autowallas take three females in the backseat and make two males perched on either side. And the poor guys just hold the horizontal rod on the top of the auto, which was officially meant to hold the roof of the tiny auto and the other hand they put around the autowalla. And believe it or not there is perfect harmony between the three guys

We should really appreciate their faith in the driver, that come what puddles and jolts, they won’t fall. Also we should applaud their nasal buds. Most auto drivers are poor people and don’t take regular shower and God forbid if you have put on extra calories by eating your favorite sandwiches , pizzas and coke provided free of cost by the office ! You will be forced to squeeze yourself in else shell out the Rs 30 yourself

The beauty of human adjustment doesn’t end here. If the considerate autowallas see one more female waiting in the sun, they request the 3 people behind to squeeze in to create space. How can they see her skin getting tanned? After all they know how much she’s spending on cosmetics! Their considerate part ends there! There is no consideration in the auto ticket. All 6 pay Rs 5 each.

If you thought this is the end, you are absolutely wrong! Even males want consideration. We are a democratic country. If one skinnier male is standing in the sun, be assured that the Divine autowallas will offer you a seat. The two men can surely adjust!

End... Naah! There’s more. One more guy waiting. The autowallas will catch such targets with their eagle sharp sight and request the guy on the left to compromise as the guy on the right is! Its unfair right, that one side there are two guys and the other side has just one! So the autowalla will take a special angle just to be able to start the auto, and here you go! You now have 9 people in the auto each ready to pay Rs 5

9 is an odd number. It doesn’t sooth the eyes right? Perhaps we should have space just for one more. Indians have a big heart and a bigger heart for compromising guys. Chill! Don’t worry.

Comes another destination, and one skinnier guy standing Most would expect the auto, not to stop. But as usual you guessed it wrong. The wheels will halt even if you are gasping for breath in that overloaded vehicle .Needless to mention the touch of the creepy males who sit in these compact autos just to touch the females here or there, the air conditioned seat is still empty!

The guy also pulls his specs to see where is the space for him to squeeze in but the auto walla gives the same “guest is god” grin and makes the skinny guy hold on the horizontal rod which was designed by the auto inventor for base support to the vehicle . Yes you are right .this time; we are talking about the Air conditioned seat. After all you also have to reach your destination on time, right? Also the skinny guy didn’t get this body just like that. He is used to aerobics guys!

In total all these 9 people pay the guy Rs 45, which comes to Rs 90 to both ways for a total drive of just 10 kms in about 30 minutes. Now think what was your daily pay for working for 9 hours at that office? Say around Rs 500 daily and hourly around Rs 65 and Rs 33 half hourly

So think and break your heads who is earning more? Even with minimum five people, these guys make Rs 25 in 30 minutes and we make Rs 33 and with the overloaded autos in peak office hours they make Rs 90 in 30 minutes and we still make Rs 33!!!

Nevertheless the autowallas are doing a lot good to the commuters who want to travel frequesntly and economically

If you are suddenly thinking to buy an auto, don’t think you are the only one thinking on those lines! And don’t forget my commission for suggesting you ideas! After all apni India is ever forever compromising, for ever hospitable , for ever adjusting and for ever in a hurry to reach just a few minutes around the IST !

Godly Touch

Blessed are those who get the motherly love , the fatherly care , the sisterly respect , the brotherly support , relatives faith and the grandparents guidance . Only with the presence of all this around , we proceed with our lives with a peaceful mind Ask a child who had none .. Also ask a child who had all , but the warmth of each of the above was missing . With both parents working and all siblings living to meet the competitive standards of the world around and even more than the above , communication gap may be a reason for a lot many young girls and boys to faulter in adolescence Golden were the olden days when the families had a caring house mother , who would wait for the door bell to ring , and flung her arms open to hug the kids . This is the electronic and the IT age . Most couples are not available to enjoy that magical moment . Its either official or business commitments and all that welcomes a child is a House Lock , which he /she has to unlock him/herself Also the parents of the couple are either in different cities or the couple themselves choose to have their share of privacy and live in nuclear family . Here is a small but real story Tiya dreamt of conquering the world , wanted to gain immense fame but always wanted a living persona to confirm her actions , her thoughts ,her dreams and above all a patient listener who would approve and advice . Communication gap , Busy office hours and non availability of time for emotions , drew away the Career Oriented Parents , from the dream world living girl . Moreover , Physical expression of anger , unnecessary scoldings , avoidable beatings , frustration and mechanical live style , drifted the young girl to find solace in school friends . The mother daughter bonding never happened in growing formative years when it was needed most , there was no way that now Tiya could bank on the mothers shoulders in adolescence . Friend Circle grew day by day . School staff said , it was a "second home" , " a home away from home" .. the tiny mind of Tiya always rephrased it as "first home" , "the only home". Atleast the teachers and the friends saw a spark in the girl and encouraged to move to higher avenues in life For the external world , the worldly eyes saw a very normal family , but from inside things were rotting . Getting to rot to the core . It was soon time to leave school .. time to leave best confidants . Once again it was the birth of the next generation of young ladies and young males who had the fire to do something and make a living Youth phase came spedily in full bloom and College life awaited with several times more enthusiasm . An altogether new phase started . So far only thoughts and intelligence was admired at school but college saw a different admiration . The most awaited phase of a girls life , the appreciation of beauty by fellow male collegues , the never moving eyes of the spectators , the acclamation of the batch mates and the glued vision of even the unknown . The opposite pole attraction waves started moving steadily at the speed of lightenting . Thhe uncanny waves may be misleading , they may lead you to the safe harbour or may throw you at the defunct one Unfortunately the latter happened . The young naive boat took the route shown by any & every wave that seemed soothing and comforting in times of thunder , and Tiya gave that wave a full control . The shores were rough and were way too many . The boat was toyed and tainted so much that for her it became adventourous . The boat just wanted the feeling of being wanted and the loving caress of the beaming shores to rest in peace . She was like a free bird , none watching , none to create any boundaries and none to sit through the rights and the wrongs and above all still no peace ! Down home , all saw the bodily existence but the emotions were wrapped in stiff muslin cloth with several foldings . Had the mother ever stepped down from the professional duties to a motherly duty and had the father ever seen the world beyond just making a living , perhaps the young girl would have felt her limitations The faith in the institution of marriage is most often , lost in such kids , who have lived much more than they have actually seen . Marriage was a nothing more than a sheer mechanical phase of life
The young girl started running away from her parents to explore her dreams . She didnt want to be party, any more to the mechanical life where emotions were given least importance and life was totally undirectional .
Finally after years of rough phases , God decided to be flexible .The undirectional phase of life was about to end . God Himself decided to send His own harbinger to take care of His girl baby . The girl who had just given and given in the lure of getting back love
By luck and extreme destiny Tiya met God in the disguise of a mentor . The exploration of common interests and complimentary qualities , gelled the chemistry like an unbreakable bond . The impossible Godly touch was finally happening .But Tiya was scared that her doomed past and family relations would ruin the Godly Touch and drift the dream man away . The very thought sadded Tiya . Its aptly said truth speaks for itself and in hard times the person by our side , is the truest if friends
After the relevation of Truth , Lady Love started smiling and now there was no earthly bolster to spoil the relation . Its a true saying that when you want to achieve something from heart , the whole world around you unknowingly starts pooling in to help.
The Harbinger cared for the girl like a fairy and promised to be by her side whenever she faultered . The Godly touch made the girl feel so precious and made her gain a lot of the lost self confidence . All that he did was pure , genuine , selfless love .
The dreams got a direction , life got a reason and social boundaries got drawn .The harbinger was a package of all father , mother , family love , all bound in one human body . The only dream now , was not to let go off this Godly touch away even for a nanosecond . The fear of seclusion , isolation was gone and only happiness and a sense of security had filled every nook and corner of the heart and the body .
Only few are lucky to get such people around be it as life partners , parents , siblings, God Fathers , God Mothers or friends as true guides . The young girl found the dream man after facing a lot of self created or situational created miseries . The old retired parents are yet to find the daughter with whom they never built the emotional bonding !
Its a small but a very true message :

Hatred can only whine , Love is blind , But only true Love can bind ! Lets not get so involved in our jobs and build such a thick wall that even our lovables cant break those walls . Life is very small and very unpredicatable . The Godly touch may come to some but not to all .. Wouldnt it be a great idea if instead of waiting for the Magical Godly touch to happen , we ourselves start the touch for others around us and make this Earth as Gods own abode !

Raj Travels - Never Again !

I was travelling from Hyderabad to Chennai via Raj Travels AC VolvoBus just the day before Diwali . The normal hours of tarvel between the two cities is maximum 11-12 hours .

At the bus stand , I found a very eager crowd waiting . Most carrying sweets , gifts , new dresses etc . I was also equally excited as that would have been my Diwali at Chennai . Least did the other passengers and myself know that the Raj Travels had solely taken the responsility of making our Diwali Special !

Seeing most of the crowd to be from Hyderabad and Hindi speaking areas we all convinced the conductor to play Shah Rukh Khan's "Don". Usually in night bus journeys , most passengers hardly talk to each other & sleep as soon as it gets dark.The next morning around 6am , the passenger next to me was expecting to drop at Vijawada . From 6am , it became 7am , the bus didnt stop . Also the conductor and the driver assumed we are from a different planet and did not think even once of stopping the bus , so that we could make our gall bladders relax . 7:30 am was the expected time to reach Chennai .

Out of curiosity , around 8:30am , I went to the driver and asked him in broken language , as to when will Vijaywada come , so that I could tell my friend to pick me up at Chennai at the right time . Posing as if I committed a sin , by asking this , the driver gave me a stare and said 12 noon.

All ears were up by the very sound of noon . The news spread like wild fire and we all asked the driver to stop the bus . We saw the sign board and realised the Chennai was another 235 kms far !! Hell broke lose .The driver & the conductor were bombarded with questions . All wanted to reach home to light the Diwali Diyas . After intensive interrogation the driver told he had taken the Hyderabad - Tirumala - Tirupati - Chennai route as Raj Travels had taken money from 1 passenger for Hyd to Tirupati .

As expected the people wanted to come down to blows for wasting the time of some 20 odd passengers just because Raj Travels wanted to make some Rs 700 extra from that one passenger . All hot headed people asked the driver to freeze the bus at Tirumala . One of us , took away the keys from the driver and called up the local Police Station . We even approached the local Police Man at the bus stop , to interrogate Raj Travels , for hiding the route from us and promising each of us a safe arrival at Chennai at 7:30 am . Everyone wanted a refund . People having flights to catch were even ready with their flight tickets copies . To add to the confusion , little children in the bus were crying . Nothing worked out . The Police gave all show of the danda but zero action . I clicked pictures of the commotion and told my fellow passengers , that I would surely post this article on the web . The Raj Travels guy at the Chennai Desk easily kept blaming the Hyderabad RT guy .

The driver said he was doing what he was ordered and we need to catch hold of Raj Travels Authority . After having lunch / brunch , around 12 , we sat again in the bus with the hope of reaching Chennai by 4pm , but this time we were not silent passengers .

We all had interacted enough , even exchanged phone numbers and email ids . A lot leaders were born that day , who were ready to make a call for justice , but the implementers were mute and deaf .

We learnt a lesson , never to travel by Raj Travels again . That day Raj Travels gained infame for giving the least consideration to its customers . I suppose none of us ,will ever forget the selfish deed by the Raj Travels body . Even the driver did not open his mouth , unless he was grilled to speak up . But it is for Raj Travels to ponder , how much physical inconvenience they caused to the passengers and how much havoc they played with the time of the passengers by making a 12 hr journey to a 22 hr journey !

Undoubtedly we had a very memorable Diwali and never to forget the free of cost sight seeing of Tamil Nadu !

Greedy ICFAI Business School , Hyderabad

Greedy ICFAI Business School , Hyderabad

I read 26/12/2007's Times Of India newspaper and realized I have been facing the same ICFAI fees refund problem since March 2006 till date. I paid Rs 60000 to ICFAI Business Schools, Hyderabad for their "Full Year PG Diploma Programme" for June 2006-2008 and Rs 10,500 to CFA of ICFAI Business Schools, Hyderabad. However owing to some financial problems, I requested them in June 2006 to refund the fees. I had neither attended any class, nor even taken any knowledge from the institute

The institute told me they would not refund the fees, I can try whatever I want and spoke very rudely to my parents. However they were ready to convert me from Full Time to Part Time Student for their "360 Degree FLP Program". The Students Dean, Mr R. R Reddy, even insulted my parents for not being able to finance my studies. The ICFAI senior management staff should learn some etiquettes of talking to parents of students. It is none of their business to point fingers at parents, if the student himself / herself, declines to study in their college.

Further, I took a lawyer and gave ICFAI a legal notice also. Also I mailed the Hyderabad Consumer Court. I got an acknowledgement, that they will revert in 72 hours but I suppose Govt bodies have already way too many cases pending, I never got a call back .

Everything was just consuming a lot of money and time, so I had no option but to continue their Part Time Course "360 Degree FLP". I wrote Group A and B papers of the FLP .The total fees for the FLP , is Rs 80000, and legally ICFAI was having Rs 70, 500 from me , but the greedy ICFAI body , said that Rs 10, 500 to CFA is non refundable and I have to pay more Rs 1000 each for writing further exams . They have a total of 12 papers, which means I have to pay them Rs 12000 more to them. My point is why cant IBS, adjust the Rs 10, 500 ?

I never wanted to do a Part Time. I still have the desire for a Full Time .I did not even enrol for their class room program then for what reason is IBS , charging Rs 80000?

I will be grateful, if someone can guide me how to get a refund from IBS . Also it will be a great help, if someone has the right contact to the Consumer Court , Hyderabad .

The internet is full of student complaints againt ICFAI . Please visit
http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/icfai-mba-distance-learning-c40214.htmlI seriously feel that the whole purpose of education is defeated, with such a greedy management, running this so called Business Management Institution