Travel Blog » Travel Blog India

Business Travelers not Changing Their Plans Due to Terrorist Attacks

admin — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 01:44:28 +0000

Although some business travelers are taking some precautions such as staying in lower-profile hotels and avoiding large gatherings, most have not missed a beat in the wake of recent terrorist scares.

Most business travelers cite statistics that indicate that in spite of heavily-publicized terror events, the risk of coming to physical harm because of terrorist activity in most cities is very low. Also, since terror attacks or threats have occurred in many large cities around the world, there is no concentrated area to avoid.

Paula Williams, the host of Ravenwerks, asked the question of her blog subscribers and received very upbeat but practical answers from veteran business travelers.

Subhas Biswas, a trainer, consultant and auditor, indicates that he is planning extra time for security; and keeping entry and exit points in perspective.

Some travelers expressed that the color-based security alert system is not specific enough to be helpful. Edward Branley points out that an “high alert” status has been in effect for seven years now and has become the status quo.

Finally, Adrienne Sasson, a travel expert, says “If people begin to run scared of a perceived attack, then they win! My ego will not permit it.”

“Which city will you give up?” She adds: “New York, Paris, LA, Madrid, London, Dublin, Jerusalem, Cairo, Mumbai, Amman, Buenos Aires, what have I forgotten?”

Williams asked the question after being frightened for the safety of a friend in Mumbai.

“In fact, she persuaded me to drink coconut water (an excellent cure for “traveler’s tummy”) in the Sea Lounge in the Taj Mahal hotel, across from the Gateway to India monument on the Mumbai waterfront last March.

Our friend works at the Times of India and was in the neighborhood of the recent attacks in Mumbai. In fact, the Times of India building was fired upon. We had not heard from her for several days and did not know what to think, but I’m relieved to report she’s unhurt. She just didn’t have access to email for a few days. She watched the Taj and the Oberoi go up in flames.

My husband and I were discussing the events in Mumbai over the weekend, while sitting in a restaurant in Salt Lake City. Ironically, while we were sitting there, we saw lights through the window and heard sirens outside. There had been a very bad car crash outside the restaurant.

This put these events in perspective for us. We are concerned for the safety and happiness of our friends and family, wherever they are, and we take what precautions we think are prudent when we travel, but the fact remains that the statistical likelihood of being harmed in a terrorist attack is so low it is almost negligible compared to everyday risks like driving a car or crossing the street in our own neighborhood.

Would I return to Mumbai tomorrow? Absolutely. Would I stay in the Taj or the Oberoi? Absolutely, if they’re open. They are beautiful, historic, wonderful hotels and will be so again.” said Williams.

Web Designing India

admin — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 01:10:07 +0000

The contemporary web world scene can be described as a cluster of millions of websites struggling to get past each other. Website designing India is therefore the most sought after service for all those who want to create their own web presence. The more appealing the website looks, more popular it gets.

The most modern way of globalizing any business is through the web. Internet has paved way to take any business world-wide. Just by creating an impressive web presence any one can drive customers to his business. Consequently striking a gold with practically negligible efforts as compared to the traditional way of running a business. If pondered over, website designing covers almost 40% of the entire project pie. Now it must be quite clear, how important is the role of website design in any flourishing or just-seeded business.

Designing a website has many aspects to it. Website designing is accomplished keeping in mind those aspects.

A well designed website should be appealing to the eyes.

Quite well said, ‘first impression is the last impression’. To cast the spell of that ‘first impression’ it is indispensable to have a website designed in such a way that it catches the eyes. Graphic designing and flash animations can boost up your site’s appeal. The color scheme should be taken care of according to the needs and nature of the customers you are dealing with. For e.g. a B2B project should have a professional touch in its look and feel. So, one should try to get his website made in a pleasing manner.

Website designs should have an easy-to-navigate interface

Like every customer in your shop or showroom is precious and worth taking care of his experience similarly every new visitor in your website must have a pleasing user –experience. That comes through easy to navigate interfaces. Customer wouldn’t care to search for a link or wait for a page to load. He has as many choices as stars in the sky. It is you who need to treasure every customer who lands up in your website. Making him wait for minutes together before he gets what he wants is a sure way to drive him away from your site. A pleasing web experience for any user is the ease with which he travels through the site. Too many links and sublinks may confuse and irritate him. A site should be so well planned that the customer gets what he wants in maximum two clicks.

Proper choice of language in which the coding is to be done.

While writing the code of a website, one must keep in mind the programming language. It is always advisable to choose a programming language that facilitates speedy loading of pages.

These days website designing companies have expanding their role to website development and maintenance. This means merely creating a website doesn’t end their task. They take up the charge of maintaining your rank on Google and other search engines through their SEO skills, revamping the website by updating the outdated stuff and publicizing the website through blogging, press releases, promotional articles so on and so forth.

Therefore, it won’t be wrong to say that website designing is the backbone of any online business.

Debate – Swine Flu in India – Is it all over?

admin — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 09:16:30 +0000

It was not even a month back when the first swine flu death happened in India of a 14 year old girl in Pune. Soon after, within another 10 days the swine flu toll in India rose to around 25.

If you are thinking that this post is about discussing the reasons of the spread of swine flu or the measures being taken in India and worldwide to curb the spread of it, well then you are wrong. Surely, I would be discussing few measures or rather few measures not been taken by the Indian Government, but would also be discussing something very peculiar and strange about how the Indian Media is reacting in the last couple of days/weeks.

Less than 10 days back, I travelled to New Delhi from Dubai, and was expecting to be checked thoroughly by the health officials at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, and thought it would take a good 2 hours before I could leave the airport premises. It took me flat 20 minutes to be out of the Airport after I unboarded the aircraft! Even though, my family and I were pleasantly surprised to be out of the airport so soon, which was faster than even the usual when no such flu scare etc is on, the thought of not been checked at all for swine flu, and signing just a declaration that I have no flu like symptoms made my mind boggle. Making my irritation grow further was the fact that the Health Officials were not even wearing the special N-95 masks which are the best for curbing the flu, but were just wearing the usual face mask.

I asked at the airport around, if the thermal machines which were supposed be installed were already done or what? The answer from the aiport officials ranged from a ‘not yet’ to ‘no idea’ to ‘ask health ministry’! I thought ‘WOW’, our country where each government boast about ‘India Shining’ and slogans alike year after year, just can’t take proper measures to curb a flu from spreading, forget actually curbing it! The Health Minister, for the spread of Swine Flu, was busy accusing the dead child and her family for switching hospitals in Pune, and helping the flu spread!! Mr. Ghulam Nabi Azad should resign from his post simply for the sake of Humanity. Before making his statement, he forgot that the small girl who died did not develop the flu herself, but she also got it from someone else, and that the spread would’nt have stopped by her not shifting hospitals.

With the speed at which the flu is spreading in India, and the measures being taken which are astonishingly yet not surprisingly pathetic, the number of cases and the seriousness of this entire pendemic in India shall affect majorly even the Commonwealth Games Delhi 2010. The government other than facing the huge infrastructure/construction problem for the games, would also have to deal with the health scenario. The way things are going, it seems it shall only lead to shame.

Now coming to the peculiar and strange part regarding how the Indian Media is acting in the last couple of days/weeks.

I am sure not many of you know what is the death toll due to swine flu in India currently. Make a guess – 30? 45? 60? 80?. The current death toll due to swine flu in India is 105 (September 02, 2009). Yes, in two weeks time from 25, we have gone up to 105, and the print & TV media has almost done a blackout on news related to Swine Flu. When the death toll rose from 1 to 25 in a week, The Times of India, during that week, on its website had a countdown meter showing the number of deaths rising each hour, and each day, almost as if how ‘cricket runs being scored’ are shown on News Channels and News Websites. Go watch any news channel, and you would feel as if there is nothing in this world called Swine Flu!

What do you think? Does any reason come to your mind why such a drastic change in the way the media is reacting in the last few days? Surely, it is the government which has gone up to every media house in the country to make them agree on resisting from showing news regarding Swine Flu. Obviously, I am speculating here that the Government and the Media together have taken few steps, but surely, it seems to be a joint effort, otherwise our media which likes to sensationalise every ‘Tom, Dick and Harry’ issue would have never tone down their stand, specially for a real issue such as this!

You do not have to be a rocket scientist or an intelligent political analyst to guess why these steps has been taken. Obviously to stop the spread of the scare/panic amongst people in the country, as higher the scare, higher the chances of public opinion going against the ruling government. Few people might counter by saying that less the scare, less the chances of spreading the flu, and leading a normal life, etc. Bullshit and non justifiable nonsense if you think like that!

I think it is the most pathetic and foolish step to be taken by the government/media both, if they have. In our country, people wear masks only when there is a real scare in the public. It is not Japan, where people wear masks even if they have just a mild fever. For god sake, the government should realise that they are governing India, where 90% of the people are proven affected from the ‘Chalta Hai‘ syndrome. By reducing the scare and the panic amongst the people, the number of deaths shall only rise, as the lesser number of people would then take precautions. Case in point – Since the last two weeks of blackout of news of swine flu, the number of cases and deaths have multiplied manifold. We have close to 4200 cases tested positive for H1N1, out of which 675 alone are in New Delhi, leave aside the epicentre of the flu in India, Pune (cases as on 2nd september 2009).

For once, I really hope, that India TV & Rajat Sharma and the likes of them sensationalize this issue and let the scare and panic grow in the public, as only then, the rate at which the deaths are happening would reduce, because the government as usual is only speaking and not taking the required actions.

As always,comments welcome. (This was originally posted on my blog FULL START. )