Little known facts about Mumbai :-)

• Mumbai singlehandedly handles about 25% of the domestic and 38% of the international air passenger traffic in the country.
• Mumbai's suburban rail systems carry a total of 2.2 billion passengers every year. Incidentally, the world's population is 6 billion.
• Mumbai's literacy rate is 85.6% (female: 82.7%, male: 90%) compared with India's overall literacy of 65.4%.
• Mumbai's per capita income is Rs 48,954. This is almost three times the national average!
• At the end of financial year 2002-03, Mumbai paid Rs 28,000 crore in taxes, 35% of India's collection of Rs 82,000 crore!
• The original Walkeshwar Temple was destroyed by the Portuguese, but was rebuilt by Rama Kamath in 1715.
• Bombay University was founded in 1857 at the Town Hall, and was shifted to the new complex near Oval Maidan in 1874.
• The Elphinstone College was originally built for the Government Central Press at a cost of Rs 7.5 lakh.
• The city's first church - the St Thomas Cathedral - was built at Horniman Circle in 1718.
• The first post office in Bombay was opened in 1832 at the residence of the junior magistrate of police at Byculla.
• The Stearns & Kittredge company was given permission in 1874 to start Bombay's first tram service with a fleet of 900 horses.
• The East India Company appointed Sir George Oxenden the first governor of Bombay in 1668.
• Until 1864, the city's highest ranking police officer was called Police Chief. Post 1864, the title was changed to Police Commissioner.
• The Hanging Gardens at Malabar Hill was built over three reservoirs which can store up to 300 lakh gallons of water.
• The first inter-city railway was built between Bombay and Surat, and was completed in 1864.
• The Great Indian Peninsular Railway laid the first rail tracks in India between Thane and Bombay.
• It took 60 years to merge the seven islands of Bombay into one landmass between 1784 and 1845.
• Bombay's highest population growth rate was between 1661 and 1675 when it rose six times from 10,000 to 60,000.
• The 2nd governor of Bombay, Gerald Aungier, was behind its development into a major centre of commerce.
• The name Bombay was derived from Bom Bahia (The Good Bay), a name given by Portuguese sailor Francis Almeida, in 1508.
• When a person travel towards Mumbai,one can see milestone stating Mumbai 35 Kms, but where is Mumbai Zero Kms, it is at Flora Fountain
• The railway tracks of the Churchgate Station originally extended beyond Azad Maidan in the direction of Afghan Church, which was later changed to a tar road.
• Former English cricket captain Douglas Jardine of Bodyline fame was born in Malabar Hill, Mumbai, in 1900.
• India’s first cricket club, Orient, was founded in Bombay in 1848.
• Mumbai orginally was a cluster of seven separate islands, and the southernmost island was called Old Woman’s Island.
• Nobel Laureate Rudyard Kipling who wrote Kim and The Jungle Book was born in Mumbai.
• There are 14 platforms inside the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, earlier called Victoria Terminus.
• Mumbai’s first ever meteorological observatory was built in Colaba in 1826.
• The wooden pole in the centre of the Banganga Tank in Mumbai signifies the centre of the earth. Legend has it that Lord Ram created the tank by piercing the earth with his arrow.
• The Lumiere brothers introduced Motion Pictures to India with six soundless short films at Bombay’s Watson’s Hotel in 1896.
• There is an original portrait of former US President Abraham Lincoln at the Prince of Wales Museum.
• Lord Elphinstone performed the opening ceremony after railway tracks were laid between Bombay and Thane in 1853.
• The railway line from Mumbai to Pune through Bhor Ghat was built by a woman named Alice Tredwell in 1863.
• The Quit India Movement was launched by Gandhiji in Mumbai in 1942 from Gowalia Tank. It is now called August Kranti Maidan.
• Mumbai industrialist Jamshetji Tata was the first Indian to own a car.

You got what u wanted. Its time to give what they NEED...

In this raw paced world, we run to earn & we earn to eat. Sometimes we may easily get what we want & sometimes we have to work hard to get what we want. In such a raw paced world, we keep on racing for what we want.. but we forget that there are people specially children who don't get what they NEED.. Yeah, m writing for a noble cause :) i want my readers to spread a word & race for the children for a days meal.

Akshaya Patra - an organization which looks after feeding such children needs people like me & you to donate & spread a word so that we together can make many childrens' future. Lets at least spend some time in a meaningful social activity. Lets help the organization in fulfilling their noble mission. 


If Not by way of donations... please at least spread a word about this. We never know.. we can make someone future. We have got what we wanted... Lets give what they Need. 


You can visit the website http://www.akshayapatra.org/ for more details. The organization has been doing a seriously gr8 job from past many years. By blogging this & spreading the word, the organization will feed 50 children :) M feeling good.. :) :)


Aisa kuch karke dekho... Acha lagta hai.. :) plz spread the word :)

12 things which prove that you are in love :-)

TWELVE:

When you're on the phone with them late at night and they hang up, you still miss them even when it was just two minutes ago.

ELEVEN:

You walk really slow when you're with them.

TEN:

You feel shy whenever they're around.

NINE:

You smile when you hear their voice.

EIGHT:

When you look at them, you can't see the other people around you, you just see him/her.

SIX:

They're all you think about.

FIVE:

You realize you're always smiling when you're looking at them.

FOUR:

You would do anything for them, just to see them.

THREE:

While reading this, there was one person on your mind this whole time.

TWO:

You were so busy thinking about that person, you didn't notice number seven was missing :P :P lol

ONE:

You just scrolled up to check & are now silently laughing at yourself..

Never miss Smiling... :) :) have a gr8 day readers.. :D

How to kill a Lion in Banking Style ;-)

How to kill a lion in Banking Style.......
  
Good comparative story....

HSBC Method : 

Hire a lion. Give him full rest & make him lazy, Pay him more than his expectation, Never tell him to do any work upto six months, and after six months tell him that now you have to fulfill your yearly target within six months otherwise u will be kicked out from jungle. Lion dies due to fear, that if he looses this lazy animal’s jungle where he will go. 

ICICI Method:

Hire a lion. Give him hell a lot of work and pay him lower salary than his politically astute peers. Restructure his job, position, boss, colleagues, designation, department, salary, and location every 6 months. Remove all lions above 40 from the organization by giving them VRS. If he kills 2 goats a day, give him target of killing 20 elephants a day, when there are just 10 elephants in the jungle. Lion dies of exhaustion, overkill and restructuring. 

HDFC Method:

Hire a lion and ask him to meow like a cat. Give him lots of ESOPs and grass to eat. He will die eventually of hope and starvation.   

CITIBANK Method:

Hire the lion, make him take 14 tests and tell him that if he doesn't score 90% he will lose the job. Ask him to extract 60 kg meat out of a 40kg goat.  Lion dies of the strain.   

ABN AMRO Method:

Hire the lion. Give him high impossible targets and expect a premature delivery of these targets. If the targets are delivered, clap for him in a town hall. But if did not deliver, humiliate him regularly. Lion either dies of excitement or starts behaving like Tom Hanks in Terminal. 

Standard Chartered method:

Hire a lion; motivate him to outshine other lions in the jungle. Load him with impractical targets and if he finds the prey, ensure jackals in the jungle snatch the prey and the lion dies in oblivion...... 

Kotak Method : 

Hire a lion, load him with targets to focus on value instead of volume. Every quarter change the style and make his life miserable. If he survives in the system reward him with a hefty bonus. 

RBI Method: 

Hire a lion and give him a 3000 page circular on how to kill a goat. Amend the circular atleast three times a day. Send him on inspection to the jungle, where he can threaten to cancel the hunting licence of any fox, wolf, bear, jackal etc who have violated any provision of the 3000 page circular. Lion dies of boredom. 

SBI Method: 

Recruit a lion, give him the power of a mouse. Lion dies of over expectation and no results............. 

IDBI Method:

Recruit a lion, Give him posting among cats. People call him manager but he is actually a clerk. Expect to work as an all rounder. Lion dies in frustration or escapes to another jungle.   




This is what really happens with employees in banking sector.. Sad but true.

100 things to do in Mumbai :-)

1. Get high on qawwali at Haji Ali.
2. Spot a celebrity at Juhu PVR.
3. Sit down on the steps of Asiatic Society library.
4. Crane your neck to see the Bombay Stock Exchange building.
5. Spot a leopard in IIT Bombay campus. If you can’t, then settle for an IITian girl.
6. Enjoy a play in Prithvi Theatre.
7. Enjoy the NCPA in a play or opera.
8. Find some calm around the Banganga tank.
9. Haggle for non-antiques in Chor Bazaar.
10. Face the high tide on Worli seaface.
11. Bet money on race horses at the Royal Western India Turf Club, Mahalaxmi.
12. Dangle your feet, lean back on your palms and enjoy the sea from the Marine Drive promenade.
13. Go for a heritage walk in the Naval Dockyard. (first Sunday every month, Indian nationals only)
14. Explore the Sanjay Gandhi national park. A national park in city limits? Oh yeah!
15. Soak in the Victoria Terminus.
16. Watch DDLJ at Maratha Mandir.
17. Party at Hard Rock Cafe and mourn for a minute the death of mills around Parel.
18. Jog on Juhu beach.
19. Sit on a tetropod at Nariman Point in midnight till police constables shoo you away.
20. Stand still on flyover bridger at Dadar station and watch the crowd whiz by you.
21. Find out who is grittier. You or Crawford market?
22. Find the Fort wall.
23. Ride the Victoria on Marine Drive. Yeah, cheesy, we know.
24. Discover the city’s Jewish connection at Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue.
25. Watch sunset over Aksa beach in Madh Island.
26. Discover the underbelly of Bombay in Dharavi.
27. Stay for a night at Taj Mahal Palace hotel. You definitely want to tick off this luxury address for the oh-I-stayed-there-for-a-while conversations, don’t you?
28. Catch the national madness of cricket in Oval Maidan.
29. Read a Bombay book (Suketu Mehta’s Maximum City?) in Azaad Maidan.
30. Cheer a football match at Cooperage ground.
31. Bury your nose in books for hours at Strand.
32. Stroll in Bombay University.
33. Climb the airport wall in Kurla to gain phenomenal views of Boeings.
34. Swoon at a concert in Bandra Kurla complex.
35. Gaze at the Queen’s Necklace from the Hanging Gardens at dusk.
36. Hunt for antique furniture (real or fake?) in Oshiwara.
37. Hike up the Mazgaon Hill.
38. Buy books from roadsides around Flora Fountain.
39. Envy the private palaces of Malabar Hill.
40. Party on a ferry in the Arabian Sea off Gateway of India.
41. Take a break from the city. Vasai offers the ramparts of Bassein fort, ruins of Portugese churches and East Indian food.
42. Trek in Sahayadris.
43. Say hello to the fauna at Byculla zoo.
44. Buy a camera from D N Road’s gray market.
45. Dare the red light district of Kamatipura.
46. Guess what RFID system they use to tag clothes at the Dhobi Ghat.
47. Take a power nap at David Sassoon Library.
48. Catch movies at art-deco cinemas: Regal (1933), Eros (1938), Metro (1938)
49. Bow your head before city’s famous deities: Mumbadevi, Mahalaxmi, Walkeshwar, Siddhivinayak, Iskcon.
50. Dine where Shahrukh Khans and Ness Wadias dine: Olive, Indigo.
51. Feel the sufi mysticism at dargahs of Haji Ali and Maqdoom Ali Mahimi.
52. Shop at the Bandra boutiques or if they are too expensive, give Hill Road or Fashion Street a shot.
53. Gape at famous residences: Shahrukh Khan’s Mannat, Amitabh Bachhan’s Jalsa.
54. Discover theatre scene in the city at venues other than Prithvi and NCPA: Sophia Bhabha Hall, Breach Candy; St Andrews, Bandra W; Rangsharda Auditorium, Bandra W; Ravindra Natya Mandir Hall, Prabhadevi; Gadkari Rangayatan, Thane W; Shivaji Mandir; Bhartiya Vidhya Bhavan, Chaupaati; Tejpal Hall, Grant Road.
55. Explore the Powai and Vihar lakes.
56. Visit the museums: Prince of Wales, Monetary, Modern Art, Mani Bhavan.
57. Admire the British era architecture in Fort: Churchgate station, Western Railway headquarters, High Court, General Post Office, Telegraph Office, Police Headquarters.
58. Learn about the rock-cut architecture: Elephanta, Kanheri, Mahakali and Karla caves.
59. Explore the churches: Gloria Church, Byculla, Portugese; Mt Mary Church, Bandra W, Portugese, 1640; St Michaels Church, Mahim, 1565, rebuilt 1973; St Thomas Cathedral, Flora Fountain, 1718; Wodehouse Church, Colaba, 20th century; Afghan Church, Navy Nagar, Colaba, 1858; Our Lady of Salvation Church, Dadar W, Portugese, 19th century; St John Baptist, Seepz, 1579; St Peter’s Church, Bandra, 1852, rebuilt 1938; St Andrew’s Church, Bandra, Portugese, 1575.
60. Check out an art exhibition: Jehangir Art Gallery, Fort; Tao Art Gallery, Worli; Piramal Art Gallery, Nariman Point.
61. Buy fish at Sassoon Docks, Cuffe Parade or Dockyard Road, Mazgaon.
62. Find the forts of Bombay: Bombay Castle, Fort; Castella de Aguada, Bandra; Madh Fort, Versova; Mahim Fort, Mahim; Sion Fort, Sion; Sewri Fort, Sewri; Worli Fort, Worli.
63. Buy a vintage bollywood poster in Mini Market or Lamington Road.
64. Getaway to the beaches around Bombay: Alibag, Kashid, Murud, Nagaon.
65. Travel to places overnight: Goa, Ajanta Ellora, Mahabaleshwar, Pune, Khandala and Lonavala.
66. Discover the charm of marble tabletops, bentwood chairs and irani chai at Parsi cafes.
67. Catch behind the scenes action at a Bollywood studio.
68. Loft the ball for a six in your neighborhood ‘galli’ cricket but make sure you don’t break any window panes.
69. Silently stare at the Towers of Silence and Agiaries.
70. Shadow the dabbawalas for one full day.
71. Walk through a koliwada.
72. Ride a vintage lift in a 100 year old building.
73. Travel in a local train. How about the Virar Fast?
74. Ride a double decker bus. Isn’t Bombay the only city where they still run them?
75. If you have made it to a penthouse in Bombay, you might as well enjoy the view.
76. Drink cutting chai, eat vada pav.
77. Gorge on late night sandwiches in Juhu.
78. Sip some wine at an expensive seaside restaurant: Vie Lounge, Juhu; Dome, Intercontinental, Marine Drive; Aurus, Juhu; Salt Water Grill, Girgaum Chaupaati; Bayview Bar, Nariman Point.
79. Figure what all the fuss is about having a beer in Mondegar or Leopold.
80. Jack you car bonnet using a cold-drink bottle and eat kebabs at Bade Miyan in Taj’s back alley.
81. Savour a fine authentic meal of East Indian cuisine at Anant Ashram in Kotichawadi.
82. Eat a Gujrati-Marwari thali at Friends Union Joshi club in Kalbadevi.
83. Smoke a hookah at roof-top restaurant Koyla in the Arab quarters of Colaba
84. Eat South Indian fare in Matunga.
85. Eat pav bhaji, pani puri, bhel puri, sev puri at Girgaum Chaupaati.
86. Chew a paan outside Shoppers Stop, Bandra W.
87. Indulge yourself with fruity flavors of Naturals ice cream. And if it’s summer, try a cup of alfonso mangoes with malai ice cream.
88. Learn out the art of ordering tea in a streetside cafe. “Ek paani kum dena.”
89. Drink Kingfisher, Cobra or Zingaro in your neighborhood look-alike bar of Nightlovers.
90. Try the green chilli ice cream at Bachelorrs.
91. Swing to some live music as you enjoy your continental meal at Not Just Jazz By The Bay. Do pay attention to the witty hoarding outside as you leave the place.
92. Run the Bombay Marathon. (Jan)
93. Enjoy the Kala Ghoda arts festival. (Feb)
94. Cheer ‘Mumbai Indians’ in an IPL cricket match at Wankhede statdium (May-Jun)
95. Get drenched to the bone while biking in the monsoons (Jul-Sep).
96. Sing “Govinda aala re aala” as 40 feet high human pyramids take the prized matka (Aug-Sep).
97. Get lost in the crowds of Ganesh Chaturthi (Sep).
98. Watch thousands of pink flamingos in the mangroves at Sewri (Nov-May).
99. Eat nihari, kebabs and sweetmeats around Masjid on the eve of Eid (Ramzan).
100. Run a ‘free hug’ campaign. This is Bombay, meri jaan!.

Mumbai............ No words are enough to express my luv for Mumbai :)


Extracted this from Mumbai Metblogs. :)