He asked if we can have dinner at mall & go for a movie there… I immediately agreed as I never let down a chance to watch a movie, I wanted to visit that Mall, I did nothing the whole day & I wanted to eat out….

Mall was less than 2 KM from my house and I asked if we can take a Walk?? But we had to take my bike as it was already 9.45 and we had to eat and go for the movie… We reached the place in less than 5 min & immediately we rushed to 4th floor and got ticket to the movie Source Code 10.20 PM show…

We had 20 min to have our dinner & immediately I finished my dinner in 5 min… But didn’t know my friend was a slow eater and I said I want to see the movie from the beginning and I went first into Screen 3… Yep Screen 3 & Source Code is my first movie experience at CinePolis…

The very beginning to ticketing experience gave me a feel good factor about Cinepolis… Then the smiley welcome in the entrance was something pleasant… Screen was wonderful with ample leg spacing, clean, sound was good and over all a nice experience as the movie was also good…

Immediately after returning home i wanted to Like Cinepolis & Royal Meenakshi Mall… After liking Cinepolis page I immediately made a post in the wall telling my experience and wished they be consistent & to my surprise I got a reply from their Social Media team… I didn’t know they took Social Media soo seriously… On the right is the screen shot of my wall post and their comment…

By this time I spent the whole of the day by sleeping and doing no work… But it was a unexpected & unplanned break which freed my mind… I was all alone in the calm, pleasant bangalore home and I could think of lots of my work with a free mind…

Also got much needed sleep & rest for my body… Now I’m feeling mentally & physically fresh… I must thank my friend for getting me this wonderful break…

• There is a Shell outlet & a theatre on the entrance, which we use it as Landmark…
• Both area connects outer ring road “Perungalathur – Maduravoyol” in Porur & “Hosur Road – Mysore” in Gottegere…
• Both places are 20 KM from its Central railway junction…

Bangalore: First i visited the city when i was 8 years old and that too for a day. I hardly remember much about that experience. But later I went to this city when i was 17 years old after completing my schooling. My father took me there for vacation. Right from the beginning i got excited;

• I saw a very clean & planned city.
• Saw pretty girls who were modernly dressed again unlike Chennai (then, now Chennai is much better than Bangalore ).
• Saw couples smooching on public places (Sadly this is controlled these days).
• Lots of pubs unlike Chennai.
• A enviable night life.
• A pleasant climate.
• Lot of hotels.

All the above were new for me then because Chennai was considered very conservative them. I even considered getting settled in Bangalore. But today Chennai has caught up with all the points i specified & Bangalore has fallen down. Also Bangalore has become a victim of mass urbanization and it has lost its charm. Anyways I consider Bangalore to be my second home town as I’ve a house there and Chennai – Bangalore being very proximate I don’t get the feel that it is a different city.

Madurai: There is nothing much to talk about this City. The day I entered the city it was dirty, unruly & zero entertainment. I felt very lonely for the first three months as I didn’t have any other place other than Cafe Coffee Day. I’ve never intended to stay there as that was not the place for me. But I owe a lot to this City as it helped me to come back from all the pains cause during 2008. Year 2010 has been more happening for this city and there are lots of joints and brands falling in this city & today it gives tough fight with Cities like Chennai or Bangalore. These days i enjoy visiting this city.

Coimbatore: My first visit to this city was 2 years back and I was really carried away. Like Bangalore i got a liking towards this city on first sight. Things excited me;

• Posh houses & cosmopolitan lifestyle.
• Pretty Girls but culture abiding.
• Less traffic.
• Good Climate.
• Nice Business environment.

I want to get settled here if this place doesn’t become another Bangalore.

1. They are lazy.
2. They never accountability.
3. They are irresponsible.
4. They are corrupt and crocked.
5. They won’t offer information on one go. Eg: Every time we make a visit they send us back telling one correction or other.

Over all for a work which should not have taken more than 3 days took 25 days to finish it. But the experience gained in phenomenal. I had two types on experience in Coimbatore & Bangalore.

• One place i was not allowed to deal from the top and i was totally not accessible with the concerned person in the top.
• Second place i was asked to deal with the Top directly.

In my experience both as challenging. In one case we can proceed with the work without having any one to deal with. In second case dealing from the Top expensive. So this is how i dealt with Case 1.

• I met the Professional Tax Officer on second day and he took the documents and he didn’t give me his phone number.
• Then again he was not approachable in office.
• Then i caught hold of the Peon who gave me all information and called the officer everything i visited their office or gave me updates on the progress when i called him from Chennai.

Over all job got over after 15 days because of Bureaucratic delays and after constant followups. Totally i spent Rs.80/- for the peon for his help. I cant consider this as Bribe because he helped me for a job which was not his responsibility and for picking calls and linking with the concerned officer. Here Bottom-up approach helped.

Then in Case 2.

• Officer was always available in Office.
• Was directly dealing with the Department Head.
• Bribe insisted was Huge.
• We denied to offer bribe and we paid the entire penalty.
• I was made to run everyday asking for more details / information / document.

Finally PTO said he can’t give me the certificate without giving him some Professional Fee (This is the term he uses for Bribe) and finally i had to bow down and make him some Professional Fee. I was deeply upset because PTO made me run to his office at least 11 times and i produced all nonsense information he requested and finally ending up paying him a bribe.

I behaved like a common man standing helpless and bow down to business pressure. Let me see when all this will change?

Also much awaited Bangalore is also done. Today I got the Professional Tax Number but the officer denied to handover the certificate to me as he wanted to meet the bank’s branch manager.

So my stay here goes prolonged for one more day. Now only Salem is pending and I don’t know how long it is going to take.

• In 2001 I boarded a bus called Sangeetha Travels by 10.30 to Chennai. Since I was tired I slept and woke up by 1 o clock only to fine the bus was still in the same spot I boarded. They were still filling the empty seats. Then reached by 10 AM.
• Second is also with the same operator & same year who dropped us in chitoor claiming they don’t have a permit to enter Tamil Nadu and left us in a normal bus. Again reached Chennai by 10 AM
• Then 6 months I boarded a bus to Madurai. This time operator name National Travels. I was told bus starts by 10 o clock and again when we crossed Chennai it was 2 o clocks. Until then they were filling the seats. Then they reached Trichy where most of them got down and again they halted for an hour to fill the empty seats. Then reached by 1 PM.

After these entire nightmares I stopped travelling using smalltime players. Yesterday I badly wanted to travel to Bangalore as today is the last day to pay Professional Tax. I must have booked tickets as I know I must travel to Bangalore. But that is me I love vagabond travel.

Again yesterday I was called by Sangitha Travels. The cost of the ticket was Rs.850/- which was double than what I normally pay. Then I was told I need to board 11.30 PM bus. Then couple of people was asked to board 11 o clock bus and when I asked it that was my bus they said mine was 11.30 bus. A Gurka employee of the travels said 11 o clock bus was last and by now I smelled again I’m into some trouble.

Not this is how the drama started; 

• All of a sudden asked for my boarding pass.
• He returned asked me to take my bag, run and follow him.
• He returned shouting at his other agents to call and stop the bus.
• Then he gave the boarding pass to Gurka and asked him to stop the bus and make me board the bus.
• He took me to some other agent.
• He shouted at me asking what time to come.
• It irked me I started giving back telling I was waiting inside his office for more than an hour. In fact this guy saw me sitting inside his office for long, but he pretended as if he doesn’t know me.
• Then he asked for another 100 bucks claiming he needed that to help me board another bus.
• By now I started shouting at him in local Chennai lingo and I said I can create a scene.
• Then he changed the topic telling I owe them Rs.100 bucks. Then I said if he is going to mess around with me he is into trouble. My ease speaking Chennai lingo helped.
• Then he said he is doing me a favor. He said without my knowledge he has sent someone in my bus and he took his boarding pass to me.
• He gave me the front seat where ask I was given the last seat in my ticket.
• I was adamant not to pay these people even a penny.
• Then I got into my seat and got settled.
• Then when I peeped out there were old people, young couples with kids who were put into trouble.

I was in no mood in give a helping hand to them and I was watching all the quarrels. Finally they started the bus by 12:15PM and reached Bangalore by 5:15 PM.

In short: 

• 20 VC / Investors will showcase their firms.
• 200 Startup CEOs & Aspiring CEOs meet and discuss with VC/Investors.
• Wide range of sessions.
• Social Lunch to network among the participants

 Date: 31st Oct 2009
Time: 9.00 AM to 6.00 PM
Venue: The Capitol Hotel,Rajbhavan Road, Bangalore.

Speakers: 

• Start-up founders will share their experiences of starting a venture, sustaining it and taking it to the next level.
• VC’s will share their focus areas and funding strategies.

 Audience: Start-up founders / entrepreneurs.

 Format:

• Event will be attended by VC/Investor, and Start-up founders / entrepreneurs.
• The event brings together Startup Founders to share experiences and interact with other start-ups in an informal manner.
• The other guests, like you, will typically be experienced entrepreneur / investor / a person from the start-up ecosystem

 What will you gain from the event? 

• Opportunity to interact with no. of investor/VC   Meet in Single Point.
• Opportunity to interact with others in the startup ecosystem.
• Share and learn from each others experiences in running businesses.
• Potential to meet a business partner, investor, employee, etc.
• Opportunity to build a strong startup community

Registration Fee: Startup/Entrepreneur => Rs.650/- (Per delegate)

Confirmed VCs : Accel, Ojas, Cleantech, Intel Capital, Sidbi, Mumbai Angel, TVS Capital, Acme Housing and Still continue..

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By 4 PM I realized that I can’t do anything with the Sales Tax work after 4 o clock. I thought I must do something to make the day productive and I broke my laziness and I went one to wash my cloths and it was 5 PM by then.

Then I sweeped the house, had a perfect shave and had a nice bath and it was 5.45 PM. Then again back watching T.V, browsing and thinking what to do next. Then I thought I can check tickets for Chennai and thought if I don’t get a ticket I can think of next choice.

I logged into KPN travels site and found 4 tickets were available for the last bus which was very expensive (cost of a ticket is Rs.706/-). Last bus was always my choice when it comes to travelling between Bangalore – Chennai. Then there was no second thinking. I booked tickets and found KPN has got a new facility to collect tickets on counter upon providing a PIN unlike before where in we had to carry a printout of e-ticket.

Then I travelled to my cousins house in BTM had dinner with him and he dropped me in Bhommanahalli and I boarded the bus by 11.45 PM. I was eager to know what is special with the bus as it costs so much. On boarding I found it was a big bus with 42 seats. I was surprised to see how come they charge so much for having more capacity. When volume is more cost has to come down that is the theory of economies of scale.

Anyways I didn’t bother as I was able to take a decision because of availability of ticket. Then after boarding the bus I made couple of calls until the bus reached Hosur by 12.20 AM and I slept by then. The bus reached Porur by 5 o clock sharp. I woke up exactly before Porur. Thanks to the driver for playing FM songs and switching on the lights. Normally nothing perturbs me on sleep but this time it was unusual and again I’m not going to complain as the result was good as I got down near my house, had good sleep and comfortable travel.

Overall it was very much unplanned and all ended up comfortably and now I’m in Chennai posting this blog.

Then from then on I had to head to Strum Board Building put up is Raseeldar Street in Sehsadripuram. The trail in Google map was long one. My father guided me thru a short route. It didn’t take more time to find places in Bangalore courtesy to my roaming in Bangalore in my college days. Now I realize noting goes as waste in life .

Again irony in Bureaucracy started immediately. The concerned officer was on leave and there was no alternative to handle the case. But one particular staff was good enough to look into the document and told me that we didn’t fill Form I & II. I was shocked seeing the form it was completely in Kannada. I requested the offer for a copy in English / Hindi. Unfortunately forms are only in Kannada. Returned for the day doing nothing

Next day had to goto client’s office again to get the form filled as I didn’t have any clue on the contents of the form. Then I reached the professional tax office and found soft spoken gentle men who were present today. He still found some missing elements and he gave me the numbers about the penalty to be paid and he asked me to meet the superior.

One entering the superior office that is of gazette officer rank asked me come after 2 hours. Then I had to wait outside the office playing games in my mobile and making calls as my house is 25 KM from this place.

I went back after 2 hours and the officer spoke to me for 30 min without any point. He asked for offer letter of 50 employees. Immediately I understood he is expecting a bribe. He asked for 4 more documents and he said he wanted tax till date to create a Professional Tax no. and I had to return back with only 50% of work getting done.

Now we have requested clients for more documents and sure it is going to take time from their end and I must return to Bangalore again sometime this month.

Over all it is a good experience and tomorrow I’m leaving to Salem to register and remit professional tax there and I going there without expectation…