Completed 100 Posts

These days I'm not really obsessed with my blog stats as i once was this made me miss one of the major mile stone .I recently published 100Th post(link) and this post is officially 107Th  .I was also not keen on celebrating milestones , the only post i wrote about milestones was when my blog got 5000 visitors now the visitors have grown considerably with the official count nearing 40000 visitors i felt its time for one more celebration to keep going. So here i am celebrating 100 posts on my blog.A special thanks to all the regular visitors.Keep Coming back for more and this new year we are going to make some changes to the blog with more focus on bikes and more.

Chinese-make phones without IMEI number may be banned in India

The Department Of Telecom of India might ban China mobiles in India .According to a government source, the Intelligence Bureau (IB), which is investigating the recent terrorist attacks that took place in India, fake IMEI numbers make it almost impossible for the law enforcement agencies and investigators to track down suspicious calls.

"An IMEI number consists of 15-17 digits. Genuine branded phones carry valid IMEI numbers. When the SIM card in a mobile phone gets activated, the IMEI number gets automatically registered with the GSM service provider and it becomes possible to trace a call and find out the caller's identity and the location from where the call was made," the official said.

These Chinese made mobiles either use fake or no IMEI numbers.In Delhi, these 'Made in China' mobile phones are sold in Palika Bazaar in Connaught Place and Gaffar Market in Karol Bagh and in Hyderabad at Jagadish bazar and there is a big market for these mobiles as they come cheap . The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and the Centre have gone on record on the proposal to ban the Chinese sets.

So Soon all these Chinese made mobiles may be banned .

 

Sources:

http://in.ibtimes.com/articles/20080928/cheap-chinese-mobile-phones-threat-india-imei_1.htm

http://www.hindu.com/2008/12/21/stories/2008122158570200.htm

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Cheap_China_mobiles_or_new_tools_of_terror/rssarticleshow/3524090.cms

http://www.hindu.com/2008/12/21/stories/2008122157440600.htm

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSBOM339447

From India To Major League Baseball

Before talking about the title story .I just want to recall a incident few months back when my friend Naveen told me about a reality show where we need to throw a baseball the as hard as we could and the fastest pitcher would win some million dollars and will also be selected for playing baseball in USA .When I first heard about this contest it sounded real weird because you don't normally have talent hunts for baseball players in India but Naveen was desperate to participate though he couldn't as result of lack of information.

And months later I read this story .It was a pleasant surprise , the contest was true and the winners Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel, two 19-year-olds from small villages in India, have been signed up by the Pittsburgh Pirates.They became the first athletes from India to sign professional baseball contracts, agreeing to deals with the Pittsburgh Pirates.Rinku,the winner who hails from Uttar Pradesh and whose father is a truck driver, won a cash prize of USD 1,00,000.

The two youngsters will receive 12 months' intensive training under the supervision of prominent international trainers and scouts in San Francisco.

If all goes well during their year-long stint at the University of South California, they may get into a Major Baseball team for the 2009 season.

 

 

And before I forget the contest is called The Million Dollar Arm.All the people with strong arm get ready as the second season is round the corner .

 

You also catch the blog written by the two selected players here .

Bajaj Motorcycles Sales Down

Bajaj auto India's second largest two-wheeler maker reported a drop in its sales for the second consecutive month .The sales for the October month stood at 1,63,850 units, against 2,48,307 units in the same month last year a 34.01 per cent fall.Bajaj reported a 37 per cent decline in motorcycle sales during November at 131,681 units against 209,876 units last year.This drop in sales is a result of the economic slow down.

Bajaj as a step to counter the slowdown is all set release 6 new models from January 2009 . A new model will be launched every month. And also the finance wing of Bajaj ,Bajaj Auto Finance has introduced a retail finance scheme with low interest rates of 7.99 per cent across almost 300 Bajaj dealers all over the country to revive sales in the short term.

source:

http://www.utvi.com/industry-news/other-industry-news/14671/bajaj-auto-bike-sales-drop-37--in-nov.html

http://www.mydigitalfc.com/industry/bajaj-motorcycle-sales-down-34-october

How Munjal Built Hero Honda

This story in rediff gives a comprehensive history of the Munjals and the Hero Honda. It covers the full story of evolution of the hero group right from the transition from the ancestral vegetable trading to bicycles and how they went on to become World's largest two-wheeler manufacturer.In the early eighties, personal transportation for the middle class Indian was defined by the scooter. Bajaj and Lambretta were the two brands that dominated the Indian roads. To acquire a good scooter often entailed a wait of six to 10 years after the booking and if one wanted it earlier, one had to pay large premiums over and above the showroom price.

Motorcycle brands like Escorts, Rajdoot, Yezdi from Java and Bullet from Royal Enfield had a small but niche presence, this was the time when Hero group the largest manufacturer of bicycles in the world collaborated with Honda- the then largest motorcycle manufacturer of motorcycles to take over the throne later .

Here is a link to the page with major milestones of hero group from their official web site.