Movie watching is now entertainment + experience

No more standing in queues... no more buying ticket in "black" ... no more paying exorbitant money to buy tickets... This is one of the biggest positive changes that I noticed in India, after my return from USA.

You can book your ticket online comfortably from your home and watch a new movie on the first day of the release. Thanks to the growing number of multiplexes in Chennai. The movie watching experience is now very pleasant when compared to what it used to be, a decade ago.

When I started my IT career, my friends & I used to go to movies almost every weekend. I still remember the days when we used to pay Rs.200 for a Rs.30 ticket - when we buy it in "black". The cost of a ticket in the "black" market becomes exorbitant when you want to watch a brand new movie. In fact, we were once cheated by a guy who was selling tickets in the black market - he sold the previous show's ticket to us. In a hurry, we missed to see the show timings and went inside the theater. We were shocked to see that our seats were already occupied. That is when we realized that we were cheated. More than the money that we lost, we were disappointed because we weren't able to watch that movie :)

Today, the maximum amount that you'll have to pay for a ticket is just Rs.120 in Chennai. If you are booking it online, there is a service tax of Rs.20. Of course, the multiplexes charge you an arm and a leg for Pepsi & Popcorn. I believe that is where they make the money. You can get all kinds of snacks today at the theater - nachos, burgers, cookies, icecream etc., in addition to the traditional Popcorn + soda. 

Any new movie is shown in almost all the theaters in the city and that too in multiple screens and multiple shows. If you go to a multiplex, you'll notice that the movie is run in at least 3 or 4 screens simultaneously during the opening week of the new movie. (Also read: PVR Cinemas in Skywalk - World Class)

Another interesting aspect of online booking is, you don't have to stand in queues. Those days, I hate to stand in long queues in many theaters - most of the times, the ticketing counters are just cages where they arrest people for long hours. The sultry environment, the smell from fellow queue mates... Oh! my God... our country has definitely changed for the good in the last several years. Many of the theatres have a ticket booking website of their own or they've partnered with services such as ticketnew.com. It allows you to book tickets online for mom & pop theatres also.  

We watch movies only in theaters these days because of the "experience". It is very hard for all of us to be at home continuously for 3 hours. We get interrupted by our household chores or by guests. Theaters provide an environment for us to relax, unwind and watch movies, peacefully. Moreover, my daughter enjoys eating popcorn and icecream during the break. In fact, she comes to theatre only to have snacks and not for watching movie :)

Talking on mobiles when driving (even with a handsfree) is illegal in India

Last Friday, I was driving to work in the morning. I was busy talking to a friend over the phone with my

hands free connected. I was stopped by a traffic police man near Thoraipakkam signal. He asked me to pull over and lower my window. He asked, "Are you talking to somebody?" I didn't want to lie and told him "Yes!... But, I'm talking with my hands free connected".

Also read: Self-adjusting traffic - a miracle on Indian Roads

The police man smiled and said "Sir! Talking over the phone when driving ... with or without hands free is banned in India. Don't you know that?". I was shocked. I said "Sir ! I didn't know this". He asked me to get down and give my driving license. He said Rs.1,100 will be the fine for talking when driving. "Oh! My God.. that is a hefty amount". I asked him, "Sir! Are you sure it is Rs.1,100?". He nodded "Yes!". I didn't want to beg him to lower the fine. The Gandhian in me was not interested to bribe him. I said, "OK! I'll pay the fine". I thought, "Anyways the money goes to the government. So, I'm OK". The policeman punched in the vehicle and license details in the hand-held device and gave me a receipt. I paid him the money, got into the car and started my vehicle. 

Also read: Driving on Indian roads - pleasure or pain?

Somehow, my mind became restless. In fact, I was more focused on the traffic when I was talking over the phone and driving. However, my thoughts were running all over because of the hefty fine amount that I paid. "Why me?!" was the question that was going on in my mind. I have seen a number of two wheeler riders talking when driving... that too without a hands free device. Why haven't they been caught? What if there is a co-passenger sitting beside me and he is talking with me constantly? Is that illegal too? What is the difference between talking with a hands-free and talking to a co-passenger in the car? In fact, the latter is more dangerous because you'll have to look at the co-passenger once in a while when talking.

I can completely understand the rationale behind asking people "not to talk on phones, when driving". However, having paid Rs.1,100 as the fine amount, I couldn't convince myself without finding answer for the questions that were popping in my mind. I reached office and got settled in my desk. The first thing that I did was to google to find out "how much is the fine for talking when driving in India". I confirmed that the policeman can charge up to Rs.1000 as fine for talking when driving. I also learned that "playing music in the car" is also illegal. The fine amount for that is Rs. 100 :)

Also read: Share shuttle/van services in India - Hard to find

If the traffic policeman start to enforce the rules strictly, Tamilnadu Government can make a lot of money from drivers than by selling alcohol in TASMAC bars. 

Shared shuttle/van services in Chennai - hard to find!

I recently moved to a new job and my office is in Thoraipakkam, now. For the last 2 weeks, I have been desperately looking at various commute options to work. Right now, I'm driving my own car and I end up spending approximately 2 hours on the road everyday. The following are some options that I'm exploring:

Also read: Self-adjusting traffic - a miracle on Indian Roads

1) Employing a driver - Costs approximately Rs.10,000 a month. However, the driver wouldn't have anything to do during the day time and he would just idle around in the car park. Moreover, I don't want him to sleep in my car or switch-on the A/C (i.e., engine) when the car is not in motion. I'm afraid of the problems that may come with the driver :)

2) Renting a driver - Renting a driver to and fro also costs approximately the same money. There are a number of "call a driver" services in Chennai. They charge approximately Rs.250 for 4 hours. However, I do not want different drivers to drive my car everyday. Moreover, I'm worried about 'how they would handle' my car and the safety aspects (Since, they are typically paid by the hour, I'm afraid that they may drive fast)

3) Using Call Taxi services - This option works out to be very expensive for now. I am thinking of considering this as a last resort.

Also read: Driving on Indian roads - pleasure or pain?

4) Bus Services - There are indeed a few Chennai MTC buses connecting my home with my office. However, getting a seat in the bus is not guaranteed and I can't imagine standing with my laptop and lunch bag for an hour :)

5) Shared shuttle services - A number of IT companies are running their own shuttle services for employees. They subsidize the transportation cost for their employees. I do see a number of private vans/vehicles carrying passengers on the road in the morning and in the evening. However, an Internet search doesn't reveal any of those services. I did get a couple of leads through my contacts, however they are not operating from Choolaimedu/Nelson Manickam Road to Thoraipakkam. I am still on the lookout for Shared Shuttle/Van/Cab Services. If you know of any, keep me informed :)

Gemini Circus, Chennai - Not worth it !

"Let us go to Gemini Circus, today". When I said this, my daughter got very excited. I took my family to Gemini Circus in Chennai, today. We were hoping to have a stellar experience. However, I was totally disappointed by the end of the show. In fact, after an hour into the show, my daughter asked "Dad ! When are we going back home?".

(Also read: Drive through McDonalds in Velachery)

Here is the list of things that I liked about Gemini Circus:

• The tickets for the show was available at various price ranges - Rs.50, Rs.100, Rs.150, and Rs.250 (affordable for everyone).
• Uniformed men were selling snacks throughout the show - popcorn, biscuits, chocolates, cool drinks, cotton candy etc., 
• The gymnastic performance was very good. I was quite impressed by circus crew's potential.
• Time management was perfect - the show began and ended on time (kudos to the folks who did the back stage management)
• The background music was great
• Car parking rate was just Rs.40

(Also read: Vandalur Zoo - Infrastructure is world class, but people are low class)

Here is the list of things that I hated about Gemini Circus:

• The floor was uneven and filled with rubble and debris
• They had plastic chairs for everyone, which were put on top of the rubbles (Imagine, how stable the chair would be)
• There was no proper ventilation. There were a few pedestal fans. However, it was not adequate for 2000+ people
• Nothing has changed in the last 20+ years. In fact, it has gone for the worse. I remember the days when we used to have wooden railings for people to sit. It was very convenient. I hated those plastic chairs.
• There was no proper parking space - we have to park the cars over the debris
• Crowd management was poor - after the show, it took about an hour for us to come out of the venue
• No lion/tigers/elephants/monkeys were involved during the show (Though I was happy that animals were not disturbed, my daughter was very disappointed :))
• No online booking (you've to stand in the line to get tickets). They do have a website.
• No proper signage near the venue. We had to stop in between several times to find the place.

"Will I go to Gemini Circus again in Chennai"? The answer is a STRONG NO. I would rather watch recorded circus programs in my TV.

Plastic Ban in India - Gaining momentum !

In the last few months, plastic ban in India is gaining momentum. Government has taken a number of measures to promote environment awareness and friendliness among people.

I visited Vandulur Zoo after nearly 3 years. I was pleasantly surprised when I noticed that the government was strictly enforcing Plastic Ban in Vandalur Zoo. The officials had setup a booth at the entrance of the park. All the visitor's bags are checked and their plastic covers/bags are taken out and trashed. Visitors were not allowed to carry plastic bags inside. You cannot even carry a unopened biscuit pack. They provide you with newspapers (free of cost) and cloth bags (for Rs.5 I guess!). You have to remove the wrappers of the biscuit pack and use newspapers to pack them. If you are carrying a plastic bag, you've to switch to a cloth bag. I'm sure this exercise will improve the awareness of plastic ban among our citizens. In addition, this exercise will also educate them about the harmful effects of using plastic in a zoo (including the death of rare/precious wild animals).

(Also read: Vandalur Zoo - Infrastructure is world class but people's behavior is still local class)

In addition, the government has setup a number of warning signs inside the Vandalur Zoo that educate the users about the plastic ban.

Despite all of the hard (& smart) work of our officials, I noticed some plastic covers/bottles inside the Vandalur Zoo. The restaurants set up inside the park sell snacks/cool drinks in plastic bags/containers, respectively. Our people just throw the plastic bags/containers on the road, after use - though there were a number of trash cans, dustbins available inside the park.

(Also read: 15 things that I liked about Vandalur Zoo)

Plastic ban is quite visible in our day to day life also.

• Chennai Metro is experimenting source segregation of wastes. You can separate plastics from other wastes and they'll be collected separately by the person who picks-up your trash.
• Shops are banned from using "low quality" plastic bags which cannot be recycled  Several premium shops have switched over to "cloth" bags. 
• Customers are encouraged to bring bags from their home. This will help in either re-using existing plastic bags/containers or in promoting the use of cloth bags. 
• Customers have to pay the shop to get a plastic bag. It is not free of cost anymore.

Personally, I have done my best to bring down the use of plastic in our home. In fact, we started doing all of these things several years ago ! I told my parents that the use of plastic will result in "Cancer". That is the easiest way for me to enforce plastic ban at home :)

(Also read: A ban on spitting in public places - who enforces it?)

We did the following simple things:

• Switched from plastic water containers to a stainless steel water storage dispenser
• Installed a water purifying system at home, instead of buying can water
• Stopped using plastic plates, cups and bowls. Switched to glass or stainless steel utensils
• Switched from plastic water bottles to aluminium / stainless steel water bottles
• To the extent possible, we try to re-use/recycle plastic bags. We carry cloth bags to shops

Minimizing the use of plastic will not only help in saving the environment, but also helps in keeping the city clean. Whenever you go outside of your house, you can see lots of plastic bags/containers floating in the air and in the streets. When you get rid of plastics, you can also maintain a clean environment.

(Also read: If I don't care, who'll care)

My BIG THUMBS UP for plastic ban !

Vandalur Zoo - Infrastructure is world class but people's behavior is still local class

I visited Vandalur Zoo last week with my family. Vandalur Zoo is one of the BEST and well maintained zoological parks that I've seen in the WORLD. Our Tamilnadu government has done a fantastic job of keeping the place clean. I had several interesting experiences and observations during my recent visit and I thought I would share it with others.

(Also read: 15 things that I liked about Vandalur Zoo) 

We spent the entire day going around the zoo and having fun. In the evening, we visited the children's park in Vandalur Zoo. There were a number of play structures for kids - including swings, monkey bars, sliding structures, horizontal merry-go-rounds, and climbing structures. Kids were having lots of fun. While kids living in USA get access to these kind of structures almost in every street, good public play areas for kids is still not a common thing in India. You can see them only in newly built private communities. Government has been trying best to improve the conditions of existing parks and some of the parks are maintained really well.

While I was admiring the well maintained play structures at Vandalur zoo  I was shocked to see certain things happening inside the park. I saw a number of adults / youngsters playing on the play structures that were meant for kid. when I see someone doing harm to government properties, my adrenalin gushes; my nerves bulge (people who have watched the Tamil movie Ratchagan can understand what I'm talking about).

I made an effort to tell the adults who were using the play structures, to stop using them. Almost everybody listened to me and nobody "protested". However, I did get some interesting responses/remarks from some of them:

• "I have seen a number of adults using these structures and nobody stopped them at that time. When I start to play on these structures, you are complaining"
• "If I stop playing on these structures, will the people who are going to come tomorrow won't do the same thing?"
• "Ask government to build some play structures for adults too"
• "No kid is using this swing right now and hence, I'm using it"

(Also read: Skywalks in train stations - what are they for?)

Thankfully enough, I didn't get the usual responses that I've gotten in other parks (where I've tried to do the same thing!). They are:

• "Who are you to ask?!"
• "I'm also paying tax like you. I have EQUAL RIGHTS"
• "There is no sign board that says - adults should not use these play structures"
• "Where is the sign board that says - only kids should use these play structures"

There were a group of youngsters (college students!) who are trying to use the swings. I told them the reasons why adults shouldn't be playing with the play structures:

• Government has spent lots of money in building this play area. However, they don't allocate enough funds to maintain them. Once broken, it will take a number of weeks and even months for government to fix them
• We keep complaining that "Government does not create good infrastructure" for us. However, when they do create good infrastructure for us, we don't use them wisely
• The play structures are meant for kids. They aren't sturdy enough for adults to use. If the swing lasts for a few 1000 swings if a kid uses it, it will last only for a few 100 swings if adults use it
• It is OUR responsibility to maintain the structures well. Government cannot supervise each and every thing.

(Also read: A ban on spitting in public places - who enforces it?)

In fact, I encouraged all of them to STOP other adults who may be using the structures. The guys nodded their heads and I thought they won't use it again.

A few minutes later, I left the kids play area. I noticed that the youngsters started using the swings immediately after I left.

The first thing that came to my mind was - "Oh! My God?! How am I going to persuade these youngsters". This time, my adrenalin gush brought me anger. I ran to the park and on seeing me coming, the guys got out of the swings. I asked, "Will you follow the instructions only when you are given a SLAP on your face. Didn't I patiently explain to you why we shouldn't be using the swings meant for kids. Can't you understand? I really don't know how I can explain this to you guys. Do let me know if there are better ways by which I can persuade you. See... I cannot police this 24x7. You guys are future citizens of India. You are the Government. If you guys are not taking care of this in a responsible way, who else will do it?". They said, "We are very sorry Sir! We won't do it again".

I'm not sure whether those guys kept the promise or not. But, one thing kept ringing in my ears for the whole evening "You cannot maintain a world class facility if people continue to behave like local class".

I think our government should consider placing "clear sign boards" that warn adults from using kids' play structures. I have seen in other countries, where they have a scale for kids to measure their height. Only if you are within the maximum height limits, you can use the play structures meant for kids. We should consider installing this in places like Vandalur zoo,  Anna Tower Park, and Semmozhi Poonga Park. I have noticed adults/youngsters using the play structures meant for kids in all these places and I have tried my best to stop them. In fact, I complained to the administrative officials in Semmozhi Poong Park and they said "they'll look into it". In the worst case, they should have a watchman there policing the adults who use kids' play structures.

It is so sad to see that our people are not good at maintaining public property well. It will be hard for Government to manage these facilities if citizens do not take ownership. How can you maintain a world class facility if your people continue to behave like local class?

(Also read: A ban on spitting in public places - who enforces it?)

15 things that I liked about Vandalur Zoo

I had taken my family to Vandalur zoo last week. Vandalur Zoo is one of the BEST and well maintained zoological parks that I've seen in the WORLD. Government has done a fantastic job of keeping the place clean.

(Also read: Vandalur Zoo - Infrastructure is world class but people's behavior is still local class)

My previous Visit to Vandalur Zoo was exactly 3 years ago. There were lots of construction activities going on at that time. Now, all those activities are complete. I had several interesting experiences and observations during my recent visit and I thought I would share it with others.

15 things that I liked about Vandalur Zoo are:

1. Covered structures all over the park, for people to sit 'n relax 
2. Good drinking water (water taps at several locations in the park)
3. Restroom facilities that are maintained reasonably well
4. Safe 'n Secure Lion safari that takes you pretty close to the king of the jungle
5. Battery cars that help you to take a tour of the 3Km stretch without straining your knees
6. Bikes (Cycles) for rental 
7. Clear sign-boards and directions/maps
8. Restaurants operated by Tamilnadu Tourism department (one near the entrance and the other in the middle of the zoo)
9. Use of plastics is strictly prohibited (visitors are scanned before letting inside the park)
10. Kids play area with a number of play structures
11. Good collection of wild animals (including Lion, Tiger, Giraffe, Zebra, Elephants, Chimpanzee and Deer)
12. Very spacious and you can have a good family/personal time, despite the thronging crowd
13. Neatly laid walkways for pedestrians
14. Well maintained / well preserved greenery
15. Very affordable costs (Adults: Rs.30 entrance fee, Rs.30 for Lion Safari (optional) and Rs.30 for Battery Car (optional) / Kids: Rs.10 each)

(Also read: Vandalur Zoo - Infrastructure is world class but people's behavior is still local class)

If you are in/around Chennai, I would definitely recommend you to visit Vandalur Zoo. I'm quite sure, you'll like it.