Author: anandnataraj

Entrepreneur, Blogger, Traveller, Pet Lover, Networker, Social Drinker, Party Animal, Movie Addict, Startup Enthusiast, Organic Gardner, Avid Reader....

Carol Celebrations @ CCS


I’d like to start everything after thanking Partick & Sonia for their wonderful initiative… Yep they were the people behind the idea of Celebrating Christmas Carol in office… This celebration was helpful;

  • for new cogzians to gel well with others and this was a wonderful ice-breaker…
  • for people working from home to get bonded with rest of the stack…
  • as it was wonderful stress breaker…

Didn’t know the extra curricular talents of Patrick & Sonia… Patrick rocked playing guitar, keyboard & parallel singing… Sonia was the lead singer and she had wonderful voice…

It was around 3.30PM for everyone to get gathered at office… We started the event after Cutting the X’mas cake and the honors were done by our CFO… Then immediately were were given copies of songs to be sung and for next half an hour it was full of songs;

  • Starting with my favorite “Mary’s boy child Jesus Christ was born on Christmas day” from Boney M.
  • Then a devotional tamil folk song.
  • Then Jingle Bells.
  • Then 2 more tamil devotional songs.
  • And finally it was my turn to join the chorus

I wish you a merry christmas
I wish you a merry christmas
I wish you a merry christmas
from the bottom of my heart

Then it was time for playing some games where we were asked to rotate a multiply wrapped cover and every layer will have a mock task to be performed or a gift… Only three were lucky Bala (CFO) got a Dairy Milk, Bhuvaneshwari got a Kit-Kat & the biggest lucky person is Suganthi who got a Fiema De Wills soap and Shampoo…

Then it was time for team games and there were three teams… I was lucky to be in Suganthi’s team and she lead from the front and we won the game comprehensively…

Overall it was a wonderful evening and a day to remember for every… These are some of the moments of the day;

  • Vimala’s prank was always to target Bala CFO…
  • Ramanan’s excitement to help the opponent to gain points…
  • Dhanalakshmi singing Surangani…
  • Suganthi involvement & passion… She went to the extreme of threatening others…

Let me leave you with some exciting pictures;

Difference in making Men & Women Happy


How to keep a woman happy…. Priceless!

It’s not difficult to make a woman happy. A man only needs to be:

1. A friend
2. A companion
3. A lover
4. A brother
5. A father
6. A master
7. A chef
8. An electrician
9. A carpenter
10. A plumber
11. A mechanic
12. A decorator
13. A stylist
14. A sexologist
15. A gynaecologist
16. A psychologist
17. A pest exterminator
18. A psychiatrist
19. A healer
20. A good listener
21. An organizer
22. A good father
23. Very clean
24. Sympathetic
25. Athletic
26. Warm
27. Attentive
28. Gallant
29. Intelligent
30. Funny
31. Creative
32. Tender
33. Strong
34. Understanding
35. Tolerant
36. Prudent
37. Ambitious
38. Capable
39. Courageous
40. Determined
41. True
42. Dependable
43. Passionate
44. Compassionate

WITHOUT FORGETTING TO:

45. Give her compliments regularly
46. Love shopping
47. Be honest
48. Be very rich
49. Not stress her out
50. Not look at other girls

AND AT THE SAME TIME, YOU MUST ALSO:

51. Give her lots of attention, but expect little yourself
52. Give her lots of time, especially time for herself
53. Give clots of space, never worrying about where she goes

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT:

54. Never to forget:

  • birthdays
  • anniversaries
  • arrangements she makes

HOW TO MAKE A MAN HAPPY

1. Leave him alone

Burnt Biscuits


When I was a kid, my mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner every now and then. And I remember one night in particular when she had made breakfast after a long, hard day at work. On that evening so long ago, my mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage and extremely burned biscuits in front of my dad. I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed! Yet all my dad did was reach for his biscuit, smile at my mom and ask me how my day was at school.

I don’t remember what I told him that night, but I do remember watching him smear butter and jelly on that biscuit and eat every bite!

When I got up from the table that evening, I remember hearing my mom apologize to my dad for burning the biscuits. And I’ll never forget what he said: “Honey, I love burned biscuits.”

Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him if he really liked his biscuits burned. He wrapped me in his arms and said, “Your Momma put in a hard day at work today and she’s real tired. And besides – a little burnt biscuit never hurt anyone!”

You know, life is full of imperfect things… and imperfect people. I’m not the best at hardly anything, and I forget birthdays and anniversaries just like everyone else.  What I’ve learned over the years is that learning to accept each others faults – and choosing to celebrate each others differences – is one of the most important keys to creating a healthy,growing, and lasting relationship.

That’s my wish for you today. That you will learn to take the good, the bad, and the difficult parts of your life and enjoy them all. Because in the end, you are the only One who will be able to ensure that a burned biscuit isn’t a deal-breaker! This could extended to any relationship. In fact, understanding is the base of any relationship, be it a husband-wife or parent-child or friendship!

“Don’t put the key to your happiness in someone else’s pocket – keep it in your own.”So. please pass me a biscuit, and yes, the burned one will do just fine!

And feel free to pass this along to folks who have enriched your life… I just did. Life is too short to wake up with regrets. Love the people who treat you right and forget about the ones who don’t !

2G Spectrum Scam


Q. What is the 2G Spectrum Scam?

In 2008, the union government awarded pan India licenses and second generation telecom spectrum to 9 companies in 122 circles for offering mobile telephony services. These licenses were awarded in an arbitrary and non-transparent manner for a paltry sum of ` 1658 crores, which was the price discovered in 2001, when the teledensity was very low.

Q. Who are allegedly involved in the scam?

  • Telecom Minister A.Raja
  • Corporate Houses
  • Government Officials
  • Corporate Lobbyists
  • Media Houses

Q. What is the amount of scam involved?

Based on the subsequent auction of airwaves for third generation (3G) services, which fetched nearly Rs. 63,000 crores, and that for broadband access, which fetched over Rs. 35,700 crores, the notional loss to the exchequer due to under pricing of 2G spectrum was estimated by the CAG to be a whopping Rs. 1,76,000 crores !!

Q. What does Rs 1.76 lakh crore mean to our nation?

  • 4 Times the money used to build the golden quadrilateral connecting delhi, mumbai, chennai, kolkata – to improve our road connectivity and trigger economic growth.
  • 30 lakh RTC buses – Could be a big boost for our defunct public transport.
  • 11 crore buffaloes – Could improve our dairy sector
  • 1868 Nagarjunsagar dams – Could vastly improve irrigation sector (No more need for loan waivers)
  • 23 Shamshabad airports – Could improve the aviation sector big time.
  • 25 Lakh Nursing homes – Could be a big boost of our disastrous health sector (India remains home to one-third of the world’s undernourished children)
  • 30 Lakhs Schools – Can go a long way in improving our literacy rate – 65%
  • 35 Crore Computers – Could establish India as the IT capital of the world
  • 504 Fighter Jets – Could strengthen our defense system in a big way.

Q. Can this money be recovered?

Yes. Under Section 23 and 24 of the Indian Contracts Act 1872, a contract becomes void if it is tainted with corruption. The government can cancel the current licenses and recover the lost money by fresh allocation of 2G spectrum through international competitive bidding after laying down transparent eligibility criteria in consultation with TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India).

Q. Did we ever recover such scam money previously?

Yes. In 2007, the Indian Army did not hesitate to scrap a $600 million-worth deal for 197 helicopters with Eurocopter, the world’s largest maker of civil and military helicopters (and a subsidiary of EADS, the European defence and aerospace group), following the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC)’s criticism of the bidding process and illegal use of middlemen, violative of the existing policy of prohibiting middlemen in military deals. The Army subsequently went in for a fresh and open bidding process.

Q. Do we have enough evidence to prove the scam?

There were many events leading to the day when the licenses were given…

  • TRAI had recommended auctioning of spectrum at market rates.
  • Raja ignored advice of TRAI, Law Ministry, Finance Ministry and even the PMO.
  • Licenses issued on a first-come-first-served basis
  • Cut-off date for applications advanced by a week
  • Rules changed after the game had begun.
  • One more clinching evidence is that the bidders were asked to give a bank guarantee of 1600 cr, and the time given to satisfy the clause – 45 mins. Its impossible for even the biggest of the corporate houses to arrange for such a huge money in just 45 mins. But, the successful bidders were able to provide the bank guarantee. If they did not had prior knowledge about the clause, how can they arrange for it? This proves clear favoritism.

Q. What should the government do?

As we discussed before, the immediate steps should be to recover the scam money by canceling the licenses and issue new licenses international competitive bidding. But there should be some long term measures to eradicate the menace of corruption from our country. A JPC or PAC as demanded by the opposition will not do any good .

  • Enact a comprehensive anti-corruption law and create an Independent Anti-Corruption Commission (IACC). IACC set up in Hong Kong in 1974 reduced corruption within a few years. When it was first set up, wags referred to the ICAC as “I can accept cash”. However, the ICAC has worked, precisely because it is independent.
  • Enact a Windfall Profits Tax law (on the lines of the UK law 1997), which will provide for stiff taxation of windfall profits earned by corporates in the exploitation of natural resources either because of monopoly or a change in the global economic environment. The companies that cornered the 2G spectrum licenses through questionable means and sold them within weeks for astronomical sums should be subjected to the proposed windfall profits tax. Such a law will also help tax the abnormal profits made in the mining and other sectors.
  • Enact a False Claims Act (on the lines of the U.S. law). If the exchequer incurs any loss because of fraud or misrepresentation or violation of the due process as determined by an independent, competent authority, the guilty will have to pay a civil penalty equivalent to three to five times the loss sustained. The U.S. Government has collected over $24 billion from corporates under this Act.

Q. How can you help to stop this scam?

There are many ways you can help in recovering this scam..

  • Sign online petition to Prime Minister of India (You took the pain to read this mail, spare 30 more secs and this is the least you can do for the future of our country)
  • Email to Prime Minister of India ( manmohan@sansad.nic.in This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; pmosb@nic.in This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )
  • Post a card to Prime Minister of India (The Prime Minister of India,
    PMO Building, South Block,
    Raisina Hill, New Delhi – 110101)
  • Send one rupee money order to Prime Minister of India. The Money Order will cost Rs.2.25 (Re.1 + Re.1 as MO fee and Rs.0.25 for the MO form), and has the added advantage of someone in PMO having to acknowledge it.
  • Join & Spread awareness about ‘Cancel 2G Spectrum Licenses’ Campaign on Facebook, Twitter and Orkut communities.
  • Get involved in the various anti-corruption campaigns by any of the NGO within your reach.

Review of my 2010 New Year Resolutions


We are approaching the end of 2010 I wanted to review how far I was successful in full-filling all my new year resolutions. Sadly none of the resolutions were accomplished…

  • Make my first Abroad Travel this year.
  • Start my Book on “Hardships of First Generation Actors” and publish it this year itself.
  • Workout & Have a good physique.
  • Getting a Pretty wife or a Girl Friend ;) .
  • Start Collecting Expensive Gadgets & Buying expensive merchandise.
  • Become a Golfer.
  • Become a Good Photographer.
  • Mentoring Budding Entrepreneurs.
  • Starting 2 more entities under Cogzidel Group.
  • Creating a residual income other than my mainstream income.
  • Learn swimming.
  • Start Open Terrace Networking to help startups & SME to network with professional and fellow entrepreneurs.
  • Join Chennai Tracking Club & go for more tracking.
  • Long drives to Pondy, Madurai, Bangalore, Mysore & GOA.

Exaggeration + Drag + Cinemaism = Easan


Went out to watch Tron : Legacy (3D) but we changed our mind to Easan because of the hype that it is a Sashi Kumar movie… Everything he touched were gold be it his directional debut, as hero & as producer. But I’m not sure if he has taken success for granted or he has lost his stuff in one movie.

Movie starts with a girl attending a party and getting back home with her two wheeler (Taken from Stepphane episode which happened 5 years back. Then most of the movie happens in Pubs, Rave parties and how the Kin of city’s rich & influential are spoiling their life. Being a party animal myself I’ve seen people moving with Dignity and I feel such things were exaggerated a lot.

The there is a comparison about the lifestyle in Village and City where people come in harmony and help each other but in Chennai when a migrated family knocks the door of a neighbor in their apartment and introducing them were humiliated by closing the door and not responding to them.

Having stayed in Madurai and itz surrounding I’ve see lot of prejudice in Village and in a city like Chennai… In cities there is no cast factor, people are broad minded unlike… Again City – Village differentiation is misleading and exaggerated.

These are some other flaws in the movie;

  • Too much of characterization & they are not properly tied which leads to lot of confusion…
  • Dragging screenplay…
  • James Vasanthan has miserable failed with his music.
  • Sammudrakani’s body language to be like a cop is very cinematic.
  • As usual rich & powerful were shown in bad light.
  • Folk songs were added just for the heck of it without having any link with the story… This is not agreeable from a director like SashiKumar.

Overall VijayKanth’s ViruthaGiri is much better than Easan…

Table Tennis at Cogzidel Technologies


For a long time we have been planning to add more indoor games at office… Even I’ve tweeted about it and got some ideas… After Carrom & Chess we have added Table Tennis… It was nice playing TT after a while and expecting more activities from recreation committee…

Here are some moments;

Step towards professional Photography


This is my first try towards Professional Photography… Result is because of natural lighting and no touchup word is done… There are some of the scenic pictured taken at dawn at Thondi…

Thank you Mr.Anonymous Wi-Fi


I stayed in my friends house the previous night & returned home by 8.30 AM in the morning only to know from my Admin manager that there is a total power shutdown in office. That is a pathetic situation on Madurai and we have to have a seperate blog discussing about it.

I was worried as I can’t stay without internet for a whole day & I called back my friend to check if I can use his internet. He said he will be back by 11.30 AM after finishing his cases. So, I thought it was best time to wash my cloths and goto his house by 11.30 AM.

Just after washing my cloths I though I need to charge my mobile as I didn’t bring my charger and had to charge using USB charger. I took my macbook and kept my mobile for charge. Then went took batch and started packing to visit my friend.

While shutting down there was an alert asking if I’ve to connect to a Wi-Fi connection named ITI. I thought i’ve to give it a try and it clicked immediately.

I just checked my mails, opened my Facebook & now posting this blog. I’ve been a victim in the past by giving open access to my Wi-Fi and for 3 months our internet bills were above Rs.10,000/- two years. Some one has used my unsecured  Wi-Fi & downloaded heavily.

Also we are hearing a lots of news including the recent Varanasi Blast. Where terrorist used unsecured Wi-Fi for sending emails. I’d request every one to be careful for letting your Wi-Fi open.

But today it is a real moment of help for me & I know it is bad on my part to exploit it. But I’m exploiting the situation for my laziness. But Mr.Anonymous don’t worry I wont use this open access for downloads or for sending prank emails.

Position or Performance?


A Priest dies & is awaiting his turn in line at the Heaven’s Gates. Ahead of him is a guy, nattily dressed, in dark sun glasses, a loud shirt, leatherjacket & jeans.

God asks him: Please tell me who are you, so that I may know whether toadmit you into the kingdom of Heaven or not?

The guy replies: I am Pandi, Auto driver from Chennai !

God consults his ledger, smiles & says to Pandi: Please take this silkenrobe & gold scarf & enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

Now it is the priest’s turn. He stands erect and speaks out in a boomingvoice: I am Pope’s Assistant so & so, Head Priest of the so & so Church forthe last 40 years.

God consults his ledger & says to the Priest: Please take this cotton robe & enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

‘Just a minute,’ says the agonized Priest. ‘How is it that a foul mouthed, rash driving Auto Driver is given a Silken robe & a Golden scarf and me, a Priest, who’s spent his whole life preaching your Name & goodness has tomake do with a Cotton robe?

”Results my friend, results,’ shrugs God.’While you preached, people SLEPT; but when he drove his Auto, people PRAYED’.

Moral of the story;

It’s PERFORMANCE & not POSITION that ultimatelycounts.