Kent purifier replacement with local brand

After the existing KENT purifier drove me nuts for 3 long years, I finally threw the product out of my house. Yes, the most frustrating product ever I had with literally no service from company. There were many reasons to replace this junk which eventually led to tossing it out of my house. Chucking out this crap was quite easy as it was heavy on my pocket due to its frequent maintenance. The apartment being dependent on borewell water, needs decent purifier to render the water potable. In North Bangalore, the purifier is must. I do not trust bottle cans now. Public water dispenser is yet another choice but frequent visits to fill the water was out of scope. Hence water purifier was mandatory in my case.

The first choice and one of the worst choice I made was to buy KENT. Below are the non exhaustive list of agonies which finally led me to pay homage to this crap.

Poor service:

This is worst part. Whenever I called the person, he never responded on time. Only after pestering him frequently, he used to step inside the house to check. Every time, the bill was minimum Rs.500/-. One day I was so much furious that I asked him to take away the morbid box. He later assured of timely assistance in case of issues.

Unfortunately, he did not even provide the first year free service. Even I was not attentive on this.

Frequent repairs:

Some other way, this guy was falling sick often. I guess in total, I have spent more than price of the equipment for repair.

First water leakage:

Post 3 months of installation, the internal pipelines started leaking affecting the electrical circuitry and sensors. It was only after 3-4 working days, the part was repaired.

Frequent sensor malfunctioning

The sensor is vital part in triggering automatic motor shutdown. Most of the times these sensors were malfunctioning which overwhelmed the buffer container. Fortunately, we noticed this early and manually cut off power lines. The sensors were also not triggering when the water in container dipped below the mark

Recently 5k spent on overhaul but no use

Recently I spent on membrane replacement and full filter replacement. 3 months later, the purifier back to older sick state.

Pathetic motor:

The motor becomes sick often and lose potential to quickly fill up after. Sometimes we had wait for 2 hrs to completely fill the tank.

Expensive parts:

The part costs are inflated being branded company.

Switching to local brand

The aforesaid miseries led me to choose a cheaper local brand which was costing half the price as KENT. My sister had local brand which was functioning smoothly from long time and dispensing potable water better than KENT. The kent costs 16k while the brand I was about install was costing 8.5k. It is named as NOVA. The equipment comes with similar casing as KENT and has RO+UV chambers.

The installer claimed that all parts are branded. The only difference is, the parts are assembled and marketed by local guys. He promised 3 free services and quick on demand repair assistance (Has shared number and reachable over WhatsApp as well). The equipment has 12 litres of tank capacity as compared to 8 litres in KENT

Not everything is good!

No flush outlet at the bottom of tank:

I feel this was must. But I did not notice initially. Mosses develop in tank when not in use. But the installer assured that the tank will be cleaned during every service

No LED power indicator:

This is not a big disadvantage

We need to call him up when the free service is due:

This was quite annoying. But OK for the product price.

So far good but can't comment on goodness at least for an year. The hardness also within the potable range (around 40 ppm). It is difficult to vouch for such category of product within a year. May be I will write down the experience once it reaches 6 months of usage.

Eventually, the KENT was deported without any exchange price. It was an overall loss to me. The dealer said he will use it for display purpose.

NOTE:

My hatred is only towards KENT due to aforementioned problems. I have heard from colleagues and relatives that Aquaguard fares better than KENT in terms of service and maintenance. The service personnel arrives within a day whenever problem arises. Also company calls up whenever the free service is due. However, I cannot affirm the quality of Aquaguard product

Clouds unabated

Clouds unabated, Beauty unabated! Yes the upper air cyclonic circulation is drawing pre-monsoon rains into the interior Karnataka spreading greenery all around. The other joyous part is none other than evening clouds. Yesterday, I wrote about the huge cloud formation. Today we had similar clouds but not monolithic. The closely woven clouds facilitated sneaking Sun to fan out in multiple paths resulting in crepuscular rays. Unlike yesterday, there was no sign of rain. Consequently, I rode bike towards Rachenahalli lake to immerse in tropospheric festival. But the moments of such rays are ephemeral. By the time I reached lake (which is just 2 kms away), the drama concluded. I was disappointed for not embarking from office a tad early. I was well aware by my heuristics that the rays won't last longer. Fortunately, I had captured couple of scenes prior to journey towards the lakefront. The actual visuals were extremely elegant than portrayed here. That is limitation of mobile camera and my capturing ability :-). Hope you enjoy the pictures.

By the time I reached the lake, the entire sky was masked with clouds with clear indication of drama closure for the day. Hopefully my intuition will wake me early tomorrow evening towards lakefront with a wish to revisit those scenes.

A large monolithic cumulonimbus cloud

That's why I yearn for summer season when evening sky is abuzz with cloud activity. There are everyday wonders to cherish and capture. Today also when I was returning from office, this large cumulonimbus cloud pouring at a distant region caught my landscape eyes. The only gear I had was mobile camera and whatever I could capture turned out palatable. Actually, it was way broader and lengthier than in picture. The area extended a bit more. However, the mobile camera capacity is limited. I have never seen such a colossal monolithic cloud till date. The scene from lakefront would have been mouth watering to grab. The fear of looming storm did not let me to execute that plan. I was eventually contended to capture the available scene and run towards home. Hope the distant citizens are enjoying cool weather due to downpour. I hope the cloud poured to its capacity, can't vouch for that though. Enjoy the pictures for now, tomorrow's met office reports will confirm the rain-gauge readings.

How to register a complaint for failed SBI debit card transaction

Recently I had couple of failed transaction at a nearby store. Unfortunately, the message arrived late almost 30 mins later than time of debit. I was baffled seeing the debit record since the transaction had failed at the merchant end. These incidents are normal but the money does not get credited without a complaint. After scouring the internet, I did not find a satisfactory answer. This prompted to directly head to SBI online website where one could see customer care button which redirected me to CMS website of SBI. Unfortunately, I was still skeptical since the secure site of CMS was not signed by trusted authority. The browser was complaining about this. Don't be worried about the SSL error since the site is redirected from onlinesbi.

The first time I raised complaint was under merchant transaction category. However, this ticket was closed within two days without proper resolution. The reason for abrupt closure was also not stated in CMS page. I was frustrated and wanted to take matter with merchant. Before resorting to knee-jerk action, I decided to give SBI customer care a try. It was then I realized mistake. The customer care was courteous and raised a ticket on my behalf. The ticket needs to be raised under debit card category even though the failure was during merchant transaction. I guess merchant transaction failures belong to online transaction for ex: money getting debited from Netbanking while transacting with online store.

The resolution time was tentatively 45 days but the money was credited within a week. Unfortunately, without a complaint the money will not be credited back. It is almost 15 days and money got credited only after a ticket. Today on March 19th, I received resolution SMS from SBI stating the rollback of debit entry and credit to the savings account. Finally, a quite big relief. I was elated when SMS received as below

Your complaint <complaint_num> has been attended to and closed after resolution as:CUSTOMER A/C CREDITED ON 19/03/2019

Below is screenshot of categories to be chosen when debit card transaction fails.

Whenever you transact with SBI debit card, an email is also sent to registered email id. Hope you have done the same. If not, I do not know to fetch some of the details required by CMS page. Hopefully netbanking statement or SMS will have these details.

Most of the fields are well known except for few below which feels enigmatic.

Txn id: You can refer email as above
terminal ID: I guess is the POS number as present in email

Txn Amount: <Is the amount you requested>
Dispensed amount: <The amount actually dispensed>

The above two are same in case of debit card merchant transaction. May be the Txn Amount differs from Dispensed amount in case of ATM withdrawals.

For ex: You requested for 5000 whereas ATM only dispensed 3000 (due to cash crunch or server error) but 5000 was debited from your account.

Hope this article helps!

ಚುನಾವಣೆ ತಪಾಸಣೆ, ಹಳೆ ಶಿರಾಡಿ ಪ್ರಕಟಣೆ, ಕೊನೆಗೆ ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಬವಣೆ

ವಿಶಾಲವಾದ ರಸ್ತೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಅಬ್ಬಬ್ಬಾ ಏನಿದು ಟ್ರಾಫಿಕ್ ಜಾಮ್. ಅಪಘಾತ ಆಯಿತೆ, ಬ್ಯಾರಿಕೇಡ್ ಸಣ್ಣದಾಯಿತೆ ಹೀಗೆ ಹಲವು ಯೋಚನೆಗಳು ತಲೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಹಾರತೊಡಗಿದವು. ಅದ್ಯಾವುದೂ ಅಲ್ಲ ಮಾರಾಯ್ರೆ ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಚುನಾವಣೆ ಚೆಕಪ್. ಇನ್ನೇನು ಹಿರಿಸಾವೆ ಬಂತೆಂದು ಹಿರಿಹಿರಿ ಹಿಗ್ಗುವಷ್ಟರಲ್ಲಿ, ಟ್ರಾಫಿಕ್ ಜಾಮ್ ಮಧ್ಯೆ ಸಿಕ್ಕಿಹಾಕಿಕೊಂಡೆವು. ನೆಲಮಂಗಲದಿಂದ ಇಲ್ಲಿಯತನಕ ವಿಮಾನದಂತೆ ಹಾರಿಬಂದ ಕಾರು, ಒಮ್ಮೆಲೇ ಎತ್ತಿನಗಾಡಿಯಾಯಿತು. ಪ್ರತಿಯೊಂದು ಗಾಡಿಗೂ ತಪಾಸಣೆ. ಅದರಲ್ಲೂ SUV, omini, truck, tempo-traveller, auto ವಾಹನಗಳ ಮೇಲೆ ವಿಶೇಷ ನಿಗಾ ವಹಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದರು. ಮೂಲೆ ಮೂಲೆಯಲ್ಲೂ ಚೆಕಪ್. ಊರಿಗೆ ವೋಟ್ ಹಾಕಲು ಕರೆದುಕೊಂಡು ಹೋಗುತ್ತಿದ್ದ ನಮ್ಮ ವಾಹನಕ್ಕೂ ತಪಾಸಣೆ ಬಿಸಿ. ಮೊದಲೇ ಸಿಕ್ಕಾಪಟ್ಟೆ ಸೆಖೆ ಅದರ ಜೊತೆ ಚೆಕಪ್ ಬಿಸಿ. ಡಿಕ್ಕಿಯಲ್ಲಿದ್ದ ಎರಡು ಗಜಗಾತ್ರದ ಡೈಪರ್ ಕಟ್ಟನ್ನು ಕಂಡು  ಹೆಚ್ಚೇನು ಪರಿಶೀಲಿಸದೆ  ನಮ್ಮನ್ನು ಸಾಗಹಾಕಿದರು.

ಅಷ್ಟೊತ್ತಿಗಾಗಲೇ ೨೦ ನಿಮಿಷ ಖೋತಾ ಆಗಿತ್ತು. ಏರುವ ದಾರಿ ಬೇರೆ, ಟ್ರಕ್ಕುಗಳು ಉಸಿರುಗಟ್ಟಿ, ದುರ್ನಾತದ ಕಾರ್ಮೋಡ ಬೀರುತ್ತಾ, ಫಿಟ್ಸ್ ರೋಗ ಬಂದಂತೆ ತೆವಳಿಕೊಂಡು ಮೇಲೇರುತ್ತಿದ್ದವು. ಇಂತಹ ವಿಶಾಲವಾದ, ಅಚ್ಚುಕಟ್ಟಿನ, ಸ್ವಚ್ಛಂದವಾದ ರಸ್ತೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಟ್ರಕ್ಕುಗಳ ಒದ್ದಾಟ ನೋಡಿದರೆ,  ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಇದ್ದು ಭೂರಿ ಭೋಜನವನ್ನು ಉಣ್ಣಲಾಗದೆ ಅನಿವಾರ್ಯವಾಗಿ ಮುದ್ದೆ ಜೊತೆಗೆ ಸೊಪ್ಪು ಸಾರನ್ನು ಮಾತ್ರ ತಿನ್ನಬಹುದಾದ  ಸಿರಿವಂತನಂತಿತ್ತು! ಅವುಗಳ ಹಿಂದಿರುವ ವಾಹನದವರು  ಜೀವ ಹೋದಂತೆ ಹಾರ್ನ್ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದರು. ಅವರಿಗೆ ಇನ್ನು ೨೦ ನಿಮಿಷ ವ್ಯರ್ಥವಾಗಿರಬೇಕು. ಅವುಗಳ ಮಧ್ಯೆ ನುಸುಳುವುದೇ ಮಹಾಸಾಹಸ ಎಂದರೆ ತಪ್ಪಾಗದು. ಇಷ್ಟೆಲ್ಲಾ ತಪಾಸಣೆ ಮಾಡಿದರೂ ಹಣ, ಹೆಂಡಕ್ಕೇನೂ ಕಡಿಮೆಯೇ. ಸುಮ್ಮನೆ ಜನ ಸಾಮಾನ್ಯರ ಸಮಯ ವ್ಯರ್ಥ. ಚುನಾವಣೆ ಡೀಲ್ ಎಷ್ಟು ತಿಂಗಳ ಮುಂಚೆಯೇ ಆಗಿರುತ್ತೋ ಯಾರಿಗೆ ತಿಳಿದಿದೆ. ತಪಾಸಣೆ ಮಾಡುವವರು ಯಾವ ಪಾರ್ಟಿಯೊಂದಿಗೂ ಗುರುತಿಸಿಕೊಂಡಿಲ್ಲವೆನ್ನುವುದಕ್ಕೆ ಏನು ಆಧಾರವಿದೆ. ಮೊನ್ನೆ ವರದಿ ಪ್ರಕಾರ ತಮಿಳುನಾಡಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಹೆಂಡದ ಹೊಳೆಗೆ ಸೇರಿದ ವೋಟುಗಳು ಲೆಕ್ಕವೇ ಇಲ್ಲ. ಇಷ್ಟಲ್ಲದೆ ಸಾಲು ಸಾಲು ರಜೆ ಬೇರೆ. ನನ್ನ ಪ್ರಕಾರ ಅಕ್ರಮ ಮಾಡುವವರ ಜೊತೆಗೆ ಹಕ್ಕು ಚಲಾಯಿಸದೆ ರಜಾ ಮಜಾ ಮಾಡುವವರನ್ನೂ ಜಪ್ತಿ ಮಾಡಿ ಕೇಸ್ ದಾಖಲಿಸಬೇಕು. ಅವರು ವೋಟ್ ಹಾಕಿದ ಬಳಿಕವೇ ಕೇಸ್ ವಾಪಾಸ್ ಪಡೆಯಬೇಕು.

ಹಾಸನದಲ್ಲೂ ಇದೆ ಗೋಳು. ಹೆಚ್ಛೆನು ವ್ಯರ್ಥವಾಗಲಿಲ್ಲ ಪುಣ್ಯಕ್ಕೆ. ಆದರೆ ಈ ಸೂಚನಾ ಫಲಕ ಕಣ್ಣಿಗೆ ಕುಕ್ಕಿತು. ಶಿರಾಡಿ ರಸ್ತೆ ಸಿದ್ಧವಾಗಿ ವರುಷ ಕಳೆದರೂ ಇದನ್ನು ತೆಗೆದಿಲ್ಲ. ಜೊತೆಗೆ ರಾಹೆ ಸಂಖ್ಯೆ ೪೮ ಹಾಗೆ ಇದೆ. ಈ ಸಂಖ್ಯೆ  ೭೫ ಕ್ಕೆ ಮರು ನಾಮಕರಣವಾದರೂ ಲೋಕೋಪಯೋಗಿ ಇಲಾಖೆ ಇನ್ನು ೪೮ರ ಗುಂಗಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಇದೆ ಅನ್ನಿಸುತ್ತೆ! ಗೂಗಲ್ ಮ್ಯಾಪ್ ಕೂಡಾ ೪೮ ಅಂತಾ ತೋರಿಸ್ತಾ ಇದೆ ಆದರೆ ವಿಕಿಪೀಡಿಯಾದಲ್ಲಿ ಸರಿಯಾದ ಮಾಹಿತಿ ಇದೆ. ಪೂರ್ವ-ಪಶ್ಚಿಮ ರಾಹೆ ಮಾರ್ಗಗಳಿಗೆ ಬೆಸ ಸಂಖ್ಯೆಯನ್ನು ಮತ್ತು ಉತ್ತರ-ದಕ್ಷಿಣ ಮಾರ್ಗಗಳಿಗೆ ಸಮ ಸಂಖ್ಯೆಯನ್ನು ಬಳಸುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಇರಲಿ ವಿಷಯಕ್ಕೆ ಬರೋಣ. ಪ್ರತಿ ವರ್ಷ ಘಾಟಿ ರಸ್ತೆ ಹಾಳಾಗುವುದು ಮಾಮೂಲಾಗಿದೆ. ಅದಕ್ಕೆ ಹೆದ್ದಾರಿ ಇಲಾಖೆಯವರು ಶಾಶ್ವತ ಬೋರ್ಡ್ ಹಾಕಿರಬೇಕು. ಅವರಿಗೂ ತಿಳಿದಿದೆ ಮುಂದಿನ ವರ್ಷವೂ ಇದೆ ಗೋಳು ಅಂತಾ. ಅದಕ್ಕೆ ಅದರಲ್ಲಿ ದಿನಾಂಕವನ್ನು ನಮೂದಿಸಿಲ್ಲ ನೋಡಿ. ಅಥವಾ ಬೋರ್ಡ್ ತೆಗೆಯಲು ಟೆಂಡರ್ ಕರೆಯಬೇಕೋ? ದೇವರೇ ಬಲ್ಲ. ಸಮಾಧಾನದ ವಿಷಯವೆಂದರೆ ಈ ಬಾರಿ ತಡವಾಗಿ ತಲುಪಲು ಘಾಟಿ ರಸ್ತೆ ಕಾರಣವಲ್ಲ. ಸಧ್ಯಕ್ಕೆ ೪೦ಕಿ.ಮೀ ಘಾಟಿ ರಸ್ತೆಯನ್ನು ಸರಾಗವಾಗಿ ಒಂದು ಘಂಟೆಯ ಒಳಗೆ ಕ್ರಮಿಸಬಹುದು. ಮೊದಲೆಲ್ಲಾ ೨:೩೦ ಘಂಟೆ ತೆಗೆದುಕೊಂಡದ್ದು ಉಂಟು. ಇನ್ನು ಮಳೆಗಾಲ ಮತ್ತು ತದನಂತರದ ಗೋಳೇನಿದೆಯೋ ಆ ದೇವರೇ ಬಲ್ಲ! ಅಂದಹಾಗೆ ತಪಾಸಣೆಯು ೩೦ ನಿಮಿಷ ನುಂಗಿಹಾಕಿದ್ದು ಸುಳ್ಳಲ್ಲ.

ಇವರಿಗೆ ತಪಾಸಣೆ ನಮಗೆ ಬವಣೆ. ಸುಮಾರು ಅರ್ಧ ತಾಸು ಹಾಳಾಗಿರಬೇಕು. ಉಡುಪಿ ತನಕ ಹೋಗಬೇಕು ಆದಷ್ಟು ಬೇಗ ತಲುಪಬೇಕೆನ್ನುವ ತವಕ ಕೂಡ ಯಾಕಂದ್ರೆ ಸುಡು ಬಿಸಿಲು ಜೊತೆಗೆ ಬೆವರಿನ ಹರಿವು. ಏನು ಮಾಡೋದು. ಅವರದ್ದು ಕರ್ತವ್ಯ ನಮ್ಮದು ಸಮಯ ವ್ಯಯ. ಪಾಪ ಬಿಸಿಲಲ್ಲಿ ಕೆಲಸ ಮಾಡೋದು ಸುಲಭನಾ! ಅವರದ್ದು ಬೇರೆಯೇ ಬವಣೆ.

ಯಾಕೋ ದಿನವೇ ಸರಿ ಇಲ್ಲ ಅನ್ನಿಸುತ್ತಿತ್ತು. ಎಡಿಯೂರು ಪಕ್ಕ ಸ್ವಾತಿ ಹೋಟೆಲ್ ನಲ್ಲಿ ಅರೆಬೆಂದ ಇಡ್ಲಿ ವಡೆ, ರುಚಿಯಿಲ್ಲದ ದೋಸೆ ಪಲ್ಯ ತಿಂದು ನಮ್ಮ ಪರ್ಸ್ ಸುಟ್ಟುಕೊಂಡೆವು. ಒಂದು ಪ್ಲೇಟ್ ಮಸಾಲೆ ದೋಸೆ ಅಥವಾ ಒಂದು ಪ್ಲೇಟ್ ಇಡ್ಲಿ-ವಡೆಗೆ (೨ಇಡ್ಲಿ-೧ವಡೆ) ಬರೋಬ್ಬರಿ ೮೦ ರೂಪಾಯಿ ಮಾರಾಯ್ರೆ. ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿನ ಎಂಟಿಆರ್ ಕೂಡಾ ಇದಕ್ಕಿಂತ ಅಗ್ಗ ಜೊತೆಗೆ ಅತ್ಯುತ್ತಮ ಗುಣಮಟ್ಟ. ಸಾಲದಕ್ಕೆ ಇಲ್ಲಿನ ಜ್ಯೂಸ್ ಕೂಡಾ ಅಷ್ಟಕ್ಕಷ್ಟೇ. ಕಲ್ಲಂಗಡಿ ರಸಕ್ಕೆ ಅದೇನು ೮೦ ರೂಪಾಯಿನೋ ನಾ ತಿಳಿಯೇ. ಸುಮ್ಮನೆ ಚನ್ನರಾಯಪಟ್ಟಣ ಬೈಪಾಸಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಒಂದು ಲೋಟ ಕಬ್ಬಿನಹಾಲು ಇಲ್ಲವೇ ಒಂದು ಎಳನೀರು ಕುಡಿಯುವುದೇ ಲೇಸು. ಹೆಚ್ಚೆಂದರೆ ೩೫ ರುಪಾಯಿ ಖರ್ಚು ಅಷ್ಟೇ! ನೀವು ಈ ರಸ್ತೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಸಂಚರಿಸುವುದಾದರೆ ಅಲ್ಲೇ ಪಕ್ಕ ಇರುವ ಮಯೂರ ಹೋಟೆಲಿಗೂ ಭೇಟಿ ನೀಡಿ. ಸ್ವಾತಿಗಿಂತ ಎಷ್ಟೊ ಬೆಟರ್. ದುಡ್ಡು ಕೂಡಾ ಕಡಿಮೆ. ಏನಂದರೆ ಎಡಿಯೂರು ಪೇಟೆ ಸುತ್ತು ಹಾಕಿ ಬರಬೇಕು ಅಷ್ಟೇ! ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಸ್ವಾತಿ ಹೋಟೆಲಿನ ಬಿಲ್ಲು ನೋಡಿ ನಿಮಗೆ ತಿಳಿಯುತ್ತೆ! ಮಧ್ಯಾಹ್ನ ಊಟಕ್ಕೆ ಉಪ್ಪಿನಂಗಡಿಯ ಆದಿತ್ಯ ಹೋಟೆಲನ್ನು ಆಯ್ಕೆ ಮಾಡಿಕೊಂಡೆವು. ಮಧ್ಯಾಹ್ನ ಊಟ ಆದರೂ ಸರಿ ಇರಬಹುದೆಂಬ ಆಸೆ ಕೂಡಾ ನಿರಾಸೆಯಾಯಿತು. ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಕೂಡಾ ತಂದೂರಿ ರೋಟಿ ಹುಳಿಯಾಗಿತ್ತು. ಕರಾವಳಿಯ ಸೆಖೆಗೆ ಇರಬೇಕು ಅಥವಾ ನಿನ್ನೆಯದ್ದೇ? ಅವರಿಗೇ ಗೊತ್ತು. ಸೈಡ್ ಡಿಶ್ ಕೂಡಾ ಸರಿ ಇರಲಿಲ್ಲ ಜೊತೆಗೆ ರೋಟಿಗೆ ಇದ್ದಿಲು ಅಂಟಿಕೊಂಡಿತ್ತು. ದುಡ್ಡಿಗೆ ಬೆಲೆಯೇ ಇಲ್ಲದಂತಾಗಿದೆ ಈಗಿನ ಕಾಲದಲ್ಲಿ :(. ಸಂತಸದ ವಿಷಯವೆಂದರೆ ಮೊಸರನ್ನ ಬಹಳ ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿತ್ತು. ಮೊಸರನ್ನ ರೋಟಿಯ ಬೇಸರವನ್ನು ಮಾಸಿದ್ದು ಸುಳ್ಳಲ್ಲ.

ದುಡ್ಡು ಸುಟ್ಟಿಕೊಂಡಿದಕ್ಕೆ ಮತ್ತೊಂದು ಕಾರಣ ಹೆದ್ದಾರಿ ಶುಲ್ಕ. ಟೋಲ್ ಶುಲ್ಕ ಜಾಸ್ತಿ ಮಾಡಿದ್ದಾರೆ ಆದರೆ ನಿರ್ವಹಣೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಎಂತದ್ದೂ ಬದಲಾಗಿಲ್ಲ. ಎಕ್ಸ್-ಪ್ರೆಸ್ಸ್ ರಸ್ತೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಅದೇ ವೇಗ ನಿಯಂತ್ರಿಸುವ ಬ್ಯಾರಿಕೇಡ್, ಒಂದಿಷ್ಟು ಹಂಪುಗಳು ಮತ್ತು ತಪ್ಪು ದಿಕ್ಕಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಚಲಿಸುವ ವಾಹನಗಳು.

ಮತ್ತೆ ಎಲೆಕ್ಷನ್ ಬೊಗಳೆ!

ಕುಟುಂಬ ರಾಜಕಾರಣ ಮಾಡುವವರು ನಮ್ಮ ಊರಿನ ಜನರ ತಿಳುವಳಿಕೆ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಮಾತನಾಡುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ ಸಿಎಂ ಆದ ನಂತರ ಹಳೆ ಮೈಸೂರು ಪ್ರಾಂತ್ಯದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಮಾತ್ರ ಕಾಳಜಿ ತೋರಿಸುವವರು ಎಷ್ಟು ತಿಳುವಳಿಕೆಯುಳ್ಳವರು? ಕುಟುಂಬ ಉದ್ಧಾರ ಮಾಡುವವರು ಆಡಳಿತ ಚುಕ್ಕಾಣಿ ಹಿಡಿದರೆ ಸಾಮಾನ್ಯ ಜನರ ಕಷ್ಟಗಳನ್ನು ಹೇಗೆ ಜತನದಿಂದ ಆಲಿಸುವರು? ಅಷ್ಟೇ ಅಲ್ಲದೇ ಕುಟುಂಬ ರಾಜಕಾರಣವನ್ನು ಸಾರ್ವಜನಿಕವಾಗಿ ಸಮರ್ಥಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಇಂತಹವರನ್ನು ಅಧಿಕಾರಕ್ಕೇರಿಸಿದ ನಾವು ನೀವು ಜನಸಾಮಾನ್ಯರೇ ತಿಳುವಳಿಕೆ ಇಲ್ಲದವರು!

ಅಂದಹಾಗೆ ಕರಾವಳಿಯ ಜನತೆಗೆ ಸಿಎಂನ ಮುಂದಿನ ತಿಳುವಳಿಕೆ ಪಾಠ ಹೀಗಿರಬಹುದು!

ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಬೆವರು ಜಾಸ್ತಿ ಅದಕ್ಕೆ ಇಲ್ಲಿನ ವಾತಾವರಣಕ್ಕೂ ತಿಳುವಳಿಕೆಯಿಲ್ಲ. ಮಳೆಗಂತೂ ಸ್ವಲ್ಪವೂ ತಿಳುವಳಿಕೆ ಇಲ್ಲ. ಬಯಲು ಸೀಮೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಕಡಿಮೆ ಮಳೆ ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಪ್ರವಾಹ ಬಂದು ಸಮುದ್ರಕ್ಕೆ ಪೋಲಾಗುವಷ್ಟು ಮಳೆಯ ರೌದ್ರನರ್ತನ. ಈ ಮಳೆಗೆ ಬಯಲು ಸೀಮೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಸುರಿಯಬೇಕು ಅನ್ನುವಷ್ಟೂ ತಿಳುವಳಿಕೆಯಿಲ್ಲವೇ! ಕಡಲಿಗಂತೂ ಸ್ವಲ್ಪವೂ ತಿಳುವಳಿಕೆಯಿಲ್ಲ ಅನ್ನಿಸುತ್ತೆ. ಮಳೆಗಾಲ ಶುರುವಾಯಿತೆಂದರೆ ಅದ್ಯಾಕೆ ಅದರ ಜಾಗ ಬಿಟ್ಟು ಭೂಮಿಯನ್ನು ಆಕ್ರಮಿಸುತ್ತೋ! ನಾವು ಕುಟುಂಬದವರಿಗೆ ಆಸ್ತಿ, ರಾಜಕೀಯ ಪಟ್ಟ ಕೊಟ್ಟರೆ ಜನ ಆಡ್ಕೋತಾರೆ. ಈ ಸಮುದ್ರದ ಆಕ್ರಮಣ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಯಾಕೆ ಯಾರು ಮಾತು ಎತ್ತಲ್ಲ ಎಂಬ ಪ್ರಬಲವಾದ ವಾದ ಎಬ್ಬಿಸಬಹುದು ನಮ್ಮ ತಿಳುವಳಿಕೆಯುಳ್ಳ ಸಿಎಂ.

ಒಟ್ಟಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಕರಾವಳಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಎಲ್ಲವೂ ತಿಳುವಳಿಕೆಯಿಲ್ಲದವು ಎನ್ನುವ ಬಲವಾದ ಸಮರ್ಥನೆ ಸಿಎಂ ಅವರಿಂದ ಕೇಳಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವ ಗ್ರಹಚಾರ ಮುಂದಿನ ದಿನಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ನಮಗೆ ಒಕ್ಕರಿಸಬಹುದು.

ನಮ್ಮ ಹಳ್ಳಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ವೋಟ್ ಹಾಕಲು ಎಲ್ಲಿಲ್ಲದ ಉತ್ಸಾಹ. ಬೆವರಿನ ಹರಿವನ್ನು ಲೆಕ್ಕಿಸದೆ ಕರಾವಳಿಯವರು ಬೆಳಗ್ಗಿನ ಜಾವದಿಂದಲೇ ಮತ ಚಲಾಯಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಸಾಲದೆಂಬಂತೆ ವೀಕ್ಷಕರು ಬಂದು ಪದೇ ಪದೇ ವೋಟ್ ಹಾಕಿದಿರ ಎಂದು ವಿಚಾರಿಸಿ  ಶ್ರಮಪಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಶೇಕಡಾ ೭೮ ಜನ ಮತ ಚಲಾಯಿಸಿದ್ದು ಕರಾವಳಿ ಜನರು ಹೆಮ್ಮೆ ಪಡುವ ವಿಷಯ. ನೀವು ಕೂಡಾ ನಿಮ್ಮ ಹಕ್ಕನ್ನು ಪ್ರತಿಬಾರಿ ತಪ್ಪದೆ ಚಲಾಯಿಸಿ ಕೃತಾರ್ಥರಾಗಿ. ಮತ ಹಾಕದೆ ಮುಂದೆ ಪಶ್ಚಾತ್ತಾಪ ಪಡಬೇಡಿ. ಸರಣಿ ರಜೆ ಇದೆ ಎಂದು ಮಜಾ ಮಾಡಲು ಹೋಗಿ ಮುಂದಿನ ದಿನದಲ್ಲಿ ಭಾರತವನ್ನು ಹರಾಜಿಗೆ ಇಡುವಂತಹ ರಾಜಕಾರಣಿಗಳಿಗೆ ಅಧಿಕಾರ ನೀಡಬೇಡಿ.

ಬೊಗಳೆ ಮಾತ್ರ ಅಲ್ಲಾ ಮಾರಾಯ್ರೆ ನನ್ನ ಮತ ಕೂಡಾ ಚಲಾಯಿಸಿ ಬಂದೆ ನಾನು ಕಲಿತ ಶಾಲೆಯಲ್ಲಿ!

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ವೋಟರ್ ಟರ್ನ್ ಔಟ್ 50 ದಾಟಿಲ್ಲವಲ್ಲಪ್ಪ!

ಸುಂದರವಾದ ಕಡಲಿನ ತೆರೆಗಳ ಮಧ್ಯೆ ಜಳಕ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಾ, ಸಂಜೆಯ ತಿಳಿ ಬಿಸಿಲಿನ ಮುಗ್ಧತೆಯನ್ನು ಆನಂದಿಸುತ್ತಾ, ಸೆಲ್ಫಿ ತೆಗೆದುಕೊಂಡು ಜಾಲತಾಣಕ್ಕೆ ಮೇಲೇರಿಸುತ್ತಾ, ಸಿಂಪ್ಲಿ ಎಂಜಾಯ್ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದೇವೆ ಕಣ್ರೀ!

ವೋಟ್ ನಂತರ ಸಂಜೆ ಕಾಪು ಸಮುದ್ರ ತೀರಕ್ಕೆ ಹೋಗಿದ್ದೆವು. ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು ಮೈಸೂರು ಕಾರುಗಳದ್ದೇ ಕಾರುಬಾರು. ಊರಿನವರೆ ಇರಬಹುದೆಂದು ಅಂದುಕೊಂಡರೆ ಜೂಮ್ ಕಾರ್, ಡ್ರೈವ್ ಜೀ ಯದ್ದೇ ಕಾರುಬಾರು. ಎಲ್ಲಾ ತಿರುಗಲು ಹೋಗಿದ್ದಾರೆ ಅನ್ಸುತ್ತೆ. ಇಂತಹ ಜನಗಳೇ ದೇಶದ ಅವಸ್ಥಯೇ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಸದಾ ಸೋಷಿಯಲ್ ನೆಟ್-ವರ್ಕ್ ನಲ್ಲಿ ಬೊಗಳೆ ಬಿಡುವುದು.

ಬವಣೆಯಿಂದಾಚೆಗೆ, ಕಾಪು ಸಮುದ್ರ ತೀರದ ಸೂರ್ಯಾಸ್ತದ ಸೊಬಗು ಎಂತಹವರನ್ನೂ ಮೋಡಿ ಮಾಡುವುದು.

ಕೊನೆಯ ಮಾತು:

ಭವ್ಯ ಭಾರತದ ಕನಸು ನನಸಾಗಿಸಿ
ಕುಟುಂಬ ರಾಜಕಾರಣ ತೊಲಗಿಸಿ
ನ್ಯಾಯ ಯೋಜನೆಯನ್ನು 'ಕೈ'ಕೆಳಗಿಳಿಸಿ

How to replace damaged Airtel SIM 2019

April 12, 2019

Today, my airtel sim abruptly turned unresponsive. I was baffled when I observed the dead sim which inhibited me from making further communication. Fortunately, office wifi was active and I immediately informed wife about the defective sim and asked her to further communicate in WhatsApp if anything urgent pops up (call/message). This communication was vital since both of my toddlers were severely sick. Further, I restarted sim, restarted phone, but the SIM did not recuperate. I thought if some kind of mobile jammers within office were hindering the SIM's smooth operation. Nope, my colleague's SIM was healthy & operational. By this time, I had 50% confirmation that SIM has escaped to other world.

I ran few more diagnostics/tests when I reached home. I inserted the SIM into the second slot and also into both slots of wife's mobile. In all cases, the SIM did not breathe. To be sure that my SIM slot was functional, I inserted my wife SIM into my mobile and hurray! the SIM was on AIR. As a final test, I ran diagnostics with Airtel App and it could not detect SIM. Eventually, I declared SIM was dead! It was time to replace the faulty chip.

The Airtel App could not detect the SIM

I went to airtel store in an hour with ID and address proof to nearest Airtel Store and got my SIM replaced. Below is the procedure

1. ID proof - Preferably Aadhar since Mobile number is linked to aadhar.
2. 1 Passport size photograph - In case required. Nowadays, the store people capture your photograph in house. Just for safety, keep it handy.
3. The OTP for SIM replacement will be sent to the alternate mobile number registered. Make sure that SIM member present in person. If alternate number is your second SIM, then no hassles. I had only one SIM. The alternate number registered was wife's number but she was not present in person. The OTP was sent to her mobile and the airtel crew member was gracious enough to help me call wife and note down OTP. Once submitted successfully, the new SIM is handed over. The old SIM is not required to submit but I suggest to carry it.

The Replaced SIM

Once done, the store representative informed me that it would need 4 hrs to activate the SIM and 24 hrs to enable SMS service. As I plugged my SIM after 20 minutes, it was readily activated. Once you insert SIM, an SMS is sent by Airtel about SIM readiness. I assumed SMS services were also activated but that was not the case. After welcome message, it looks like airtel deactivates SMS service or only the native operator can send SMS. Not sure which is right assumption. I confirmed the communication part by calling my wife. Even 4G was active instantly. However as stated earlier, the SMS service was not. I checked after 12hrs, SMS is still not activated. So any transactions/operations involving SMS OTP needs to wait at least for 24hrs.

That's all from my side. Hope the write up was useful.

How to diagnose using Airtel App

Manage A/C->Help and Support->Data & Network -> I am unable to make or receive calls.

In the MENU choose your problem and Submit. The app will diagnose

Update 1:

Even after 24hrs post activation, I am still not able to send/receive SMS. The phone was reset, but still no relief. The andorid App throws following error

"Can't send message with airtel - error 10"

Unfortunately, Airtel app does not have option to diagnose faulty SMS. I am eagerly waiting for the SMS to restore.

Update 2:

I am aggrieved by inactiveness of SMS having crossed 36 hrs of SIM activation. The OTP dependent services like online banking/online store are severely hit. The help and support page has only predefined options to choose from. It lacks generic complaint page where user can feed manual complaints and ask for assistance. Perhaps, company assumes only such defined problems can arise (based on feedback from machine learning algos) or automation has taken over the manual labour. Even the dial options for connecting to human assistance is hard to spot in airtel helpline number.

Update 3:

You know importance of something when it is unavailable. If you think in the era of WhatsApp, SMS is dead then try experiencing the absence of legacy messaging service. I am not able to perform any online purchase/transaction. Unless redundant OTP mechanism (like email OTP) is implemented by banking apps, SMS is here to stay. Moreover, due to the new sim insertion, payment apps need revalidation via SMS send/receive which is downright failing due to non functioning of the service. Needless to mention, SMS is yet to breathe and my patience level is dipping.  I am frustrated to the peek of mount Everest and the difficulty in reaching customer care representative adding fuel to forest fire.

Update 4:

I sent an email to Airtel customer care and the reply was humorous.

"This email ID is not registered against Airtel number XXXXXXXXXX. Click Here to authenticate your account and help us process your request."

This link redirected to Airtel web page which sent OTP to my mobile number for validation. That was the funniest part. We have a deadlock. My SIM is not activated for SMS but Airtel wants to validate email-ID via SMS OTP. The process to restore SMS looks more horrendous and futile. The only option is to visit relationship centre tomorrow since today is Sunday.

The final update!

Here is the news on the new year as per solar calendar! At last, the SMS is enabled after a gap of 48hrs. I don't know if this was a consequence of my sarcastic mail or it was enabled by Airtel after the official gap. Now I am elated by the service enablement and the drama has eventually ended.

Final tip: Do not throw away old sim until SMS is restored in the new one. The payments app re-authenticate for new sim through SMS which will create the problem for newer transactions. If you have the old sim, apps like BHIM can still work since they don't require OTP for transaction. The rigmaroles of payment apps need to be redone to restore the payment services once new SIM is inserted. Below is screenshot of GPay.

Spring blossoms

The following spring moments were captured at Rachenahalli Lake, Bangalore during our jaunt along promenade. The trees are fresh with green, the sun is blistering and the flowers are lush with colors. This is the flourishing part pf Rachenahalli lake away from the crowd.

The butterflies too enjoying fresh nectar

Even cloud activity also blossoms with the onset of summer.

The activity is incomplete without the dazzling sunset pictures

When jinx Manifested

April 8, 2019

Yes the road jinx manifested over the skies of Bangalore. A brief spell of rains drenched the newly constructed road and loosening the surface. A miniscule traffic on this surface is enough to crack the newly constructed road within few days. Oh god! It always rains when roads are recast :D.  Fortunately, these roads are 2 days old but the neighboring roads were freshly baked today.  Interestingly 3 days after, there is not a single sign of rains. Not sure when these roads begin dilapidating. Not sure if the road can bear the burden the weight of  roller which constructed the road!

Even the rain gods understood the shrewdness of authorities and wanted to spoil their expedient act (not to be taken serious)

Apart from the rant, I also enjoyed fragrance of petrichor. For a while, i was drenched in first rains unfortunately and I can sense the decline of health in form of cold.

Ending note, the same urge once again.

Don't vote for note,
Don't sell your rights for money,
Help India grow,
Don't forget to Vote, exercise your right!

The picture was taken near the park and echoes similar message.

Election love

April 5, 2019

A month back, I wrote a post on unattended potholes near my area which was lying from long time. Today, workers have gathered to fill those potholes not because of my complaint for sure :-). This is definitely election gimmick. The road which was obliterated a year ago is now being recast/repaired in an election hurry. The politicians think that people have mentality akin to Nehru's regime. People are not fools nowadays, if they in any case fooled by these activities, then those citizens are virtually illiterate. As of now, the oblivion road machines have shown their divine presence to heal the pot holes. And for sure, the roads will soon see their destruction post election! Apparently this looks well planned work for election sympathy. The incumbent rulers have constructed new road to woo the voters. If voters bow to their shrewd act then there are literate illiterates in India. Even our security personnel having basic education cleanly guessed that this is election gimmick.

When I asked "Kya bhayya road theek kar rahe hain" (Brother, they are repairing road)
He replied "Haa saab. Election hai naa. sab chalta hai ab" (Yes sir. Its election time, anything/everything works!)

If the educated one don't, then that is biggest irony of our country.

It started with spraying of tar over the barren road

This midday hot tarmac activity under bristling sun quivered the apartment building and encumbered the deep slumber of my toddlers. Morning would have been ideal time which would give enough buffer till evening for properly drying up the asphalt layer. On the way to home, I saw slew of roads freshly baked with radiating tarmac. Probably this was the reason behind the midday activity in our area. It took time.

By evening, the new road was ready but yet to meld with ground. The vehicle movement over the unset road has already formed depression on the road.

Men at work and the machineries too

The tarmac is directly spread and rolled without sturdy base. Ergo, the road will last only for few months which is sufficient to impress/digress the citizens during the election period. Anyways men with pickaxe, spade & hoe will soon take over post elections :D. There is jinx associated with roadwork in our area. It rains few days after the work is executed. Hopefully, that is not the case on this occasion.

We are just two weeks away from voting and this activity is no surprise. Invariably during election, roadwork, 24x7 electricity, unabated water supply isn't peculiar sight. Does election code of conduct not apply? It does for new project but not for approved ones. Such activities are time driven. They know elections are on card. Even though the repair work would have been approved long back, the execution is well planned during elections.

On ending note, do not forget to Vote for India not for Note!

Here is short video of the today's roadwork.

Ravishing sunset

16 Feb 2019

The synergy of patchy clouds, crepuscular rays, golden sun resulting in orange lit horizon, the reflection on the still water was perfect to frame landscape composition. The absence of breeze assisted in maintaining ripple free lake. The still water reflected the blushing sky with creamy clouds quite amazingly. Such was the  splendorous display of beauty at Rachenahalli lake.

Except for blemishing cityscape everything was spot on. I am happy that these structures blacked out as silhouette.

I was missing DSLR which is currently parked in native village. With that the only option was mobile camera. The geometry never turns out right in mobile camera. These setups need manual intervention which can only be accomplished with DSLRs. Without further moaning here are those pictures. I have some more exciting pieces to share which I will do in spare time.

With few minutes for twilight to break out, it was worth hustling towards lakefront that culminated in beholding sublime scenes. It was soul refreshing when I stepped inside the lake gate watching the glowing star mirroring on the still water. These clouds increase the heat but shower splendid beauty during golden hours.

The soul always yearns for more. This time, I wished the backdrop was replaced by sweeping vistas of countryside with grazing cattle nearby lake.