City of lakes

Amdavadis will soon be able to stop cribbing about the lack of recreational places in the city. The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has come up with a Raam baan idea: More lakes. Not just one, two or 10 — 34 new lakes will dot the cityscape in a few years. And most of it will be modelled on the Kankaria lakefront.

The sight of Amdavadis thronging the Vastrapur and the Kankaria lakes encouraged the AMC to come up with this plan. It has already implemented the plan in Bapunagar, Asarwa and Baug-e-Firdaus. And, it has proposed to create lakes at Saijpur and Lambha. The remaining 29 lakes have been sanctioned under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).

Recreational spots

Standing committee chairman Asit Vora said, “The rush at Vastrapur and Kankaria lakes on holidays is unbelievable. We decided to plan a lake in every ward. This will increase the number of recreational spots, reduce the rush and help people enjoy themselves more. The five new lakes will have landscaped gardens, walkways, children’s park and snack parlours.”

He added, “The projects are part of AMC’s effort to create and preserve waterbodies in the city. The lakes will have inlets to recharge the groundwater table. As rainwater will flow into the lakes, it will solve the problem of waterlogging. Several trees will be planted here. This will green up the area and bring down the temperature. The city will become more beautiful.”


Developing environment

AMC chief I P Gautam said, “The lakes will help develop the micro environment. Trees planted at the lake will clean up the air in its one-kilometre radius. These spots will develop as a parallel eco-system. Most of the lakes had dried up. The lake beds were choked. Dregging the bottom will not only help groundwater to percolate easily, it will also increase the lake’s water-holding capacity. This helps in recharging the groundwater table successfully.”

Under construction

“The Lal Bahadur Shastri lake in Bapunagar is coming up on an area of 1.36 lakh sq metres. The 15-m deep lake will have water capacity of 83.2 crore litres. Currently, the bottom of the lake is being levelled. Just the earthwork will cost about Rs 4.25 crore,” said an AMC official.

Spread on an area of 68,000 sq m, the lake in Asarwa will be ready by December. It will cost the AMC Rs 11 crores. The AMC spent Rs 70 lakh on the lake in Baug-e-Firdaus. The construction will be over soon.

The lake in Lambha will be built for Rs 30 lakh. The Saijpur lake in the planning stage. It will be constructed on 41,700 sq metre and the estimated expenditure is Rs 12.12 crore.

Lakes under JNNURM

Meanwhile, the AMC and the Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (AUDA) will develop 29 lakes under JNNURM. They will build lakes in Gota, Ambli, Prahladnagar, Makarba, Motera, Chandkheda, Chharodi , Chenpur, Ognaj, Hebatpur, Shilaj, Mohmadpura, Okaf, Sarkhej, Tragad, Jagatpur, Nikol, Vastral, Ramol, Hanspur and TP no 63 61/2 . Two lakes will come up in Sola, Thaltej, Bodakdev and Khoraj.

Name	Area in sq m	Name	Area in sq m
Gota	50,771	Chenpur	24,083
Sola	41 11,187	Ognaj	56,262
Sola	43 69,375	Hebatpur	36,630
Thaltej	22,745	Shilaj	1,81,806
(Swastik School)
Thaltej	144/2 44,137	Mohmadpura	10,345
Bodakdev 26	9,479	Okaf	51,327
Bodakdev-FP- 202	20,906	Sarkhej	27,297
Ambli	20,835	Tragad	34,195
Prahladnagar	23,099	Khoraj (highway)	45,080
Makarba	1,04,099	Jagatpur	52,355
Motera	20,746	TP63 61/2	66,416
Chandkheda	45,055	Nikol-103	30,192
Khoraj village	69,051	Vastral	53,709
Chharodi	42,439	Ramol	99,897
Hanspur	11,619

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Woman forgives ex-colleague who defamed her on Orkut

24-year-old withdraws complaint against man who created her fake profile on Orkut and posted an obscene note along with her landline number

A 25-year-old man, who was arrested on Tuesday for defaming his former colleague by creating a fake profile of her on a social networking site, was released after the woman withdrew her complaint in court.

Vejalpur police had arrested Chinmay Dalal on Tuesday night after the 24-year-old woman filed an application of harassment against him with the Crime Branch.

Dalal was presented in the metropolitan court on Wednesday. As soon as the court convened, the woman filed a pursis (stating she doesn’t want to pursue the matter further). Following which, urgent Metropolitan Magistrate B A Dave gave bail to the accused.


Past comes to haunt

The woman, an M Com degree holder, in her application to the Crime Branch stated that in 2008-09, as a marketing executive with Planman Marketing Pvt Ltd in Satellite she was a frequent visitor to social networking sites such as Orkut and Facebook. She regularly kept in touch with friends through these sites and shared pictures. Life was hunky-dory.

However, things changed one fine morning of December 2009, when she started getting obscene calls on her landline. Troubled by the calls, she went into depression.

It was during this time, a friend, Viren, told her that somebody had put up her fake profile on both these sites, with her actual photo and landline number. The profile stated, “I’m not chilly, call me to taste on.”

The girl immediately checked the sites and was aghast. It was then that she remembered sharing her pictures with a former colleague, Chinmay Dalal.

She subsequently filed a complaint with the cyber cell of Crime Branch suspecting Dalal of misdemeanour.

Vejalpur police arrested him on Tuesday. Dalal’s interrogation revealed he had created the woman’s profile on June 11, 2009. When asked, why he did it, Dalal said, the woman had rebuffed his marriage proposal. This angered him and he decided to avenge it.

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‘Motif should outlive its founders’

too had a predictable action plan for his career: An MS, an MBA, a cushy job in a reputed firm and a six-figure salary. “Way back in 1988, an MBA was very important for an engineering grad. My father too had done the same after he completed his engineering from LD.”

Mehta got married to his sweetheart Parul, whom he had met at LD Engineering College, and the couple settled down happily in the US. Life was bright and sunny, just as they wanted it to be. It was only when his son grew up to go to school did the couple feel he should be educated the Indian way. Coming home was a decision “taken by the heart”.

ENTERPRISING IDEA
After spending 10 years working for Silicon Valley companies like Sun Microsystems, Intel, LSI Logic and Vadem, the couple decided to bid goodbye to US and came to Ahmedabad in 1997.

Mehta had a “job offer” worth dying for, from a Bangalore tech firm. “They were offering me a place to stay and a car besides a great salary. But then, I thought, working in Bangalore was like working in Boston. I would have to fly down to meet my family. That is the time Parul and I thought of setting up our own venture using the expertise and experience we had,” said Mehta.

And that is how they started a software company named Confluence. “My wife developed software and I sold it. For two-and-a-half years, we worked that way. In 2000, the internet got deregulated. Outsourcing was a fairly new concept and we found that to be challenging. A BPO could employ a large number of people and provide services to US firms. We had a clear-cut business plan in mind. But a 2Mbps bandwidth would cost us $50,000 (Rs 22.25lakh approx) a month. How to get people to fund us, was the big question,” he said.

CHALLENGES
In the summer of 2000, the Mehtas went back to US and met colleagues and consultants to get them interested in funding their dream. Here is where Mehta learnt the most important lesson of his life: People do not invest in a business plan, they invest in you. “They first look at how trustworthy you are. You have to live with highest sense of professionalism and integrity. Next, they want to know whether the macro condition is right enough for investment. For example, I can’t get someone to make typewriters for me today.”

“We were asked: Which one will we run — software company or the BPO? We then decided make the software company a division of the BPO.”

In August 2000, they started Motif, cocking a snook at naysayers who thought it was some esoteric idea. “We were not afraid of failures. Nothing is worse than losing a loved one. And in business you only lose money,” he said.

STARTING TROUBLE
His fundamental belief was that if Silicon Valley could be transformed from orange orchards into a global technological hotbed, why can’t a BPO run successfully in Ahmedabad? “You can deliver best quality from any place. And Ahmedabad is the seventh most populous city. We can easily hire people. Also, infrastructure is very cheap compared to Mumbai,” he said.

Convincing people — not just company’s employees, but even caterers and cab drivers — to work in a 24x7 environment was the most challenging part of running the BPO. “The father of our first female employee interviewed us to understand how interesting was the job and how safe was his daughter working odd hours,” said Mehta.

In these 10 years, Motif has seen many ups and downs. But that has never dampened the morale of the employees. “In the first year of Motif, our client’s company shut down. It came as a shock to us. But through motivational exercises, we kept everyone’s spirit up. It is adversity that tests a company’s true character,” he said.

VALUE CREATION
Today Motif is present in seven countries and offers customer support and fraud prevention services to its clients. From 25 employees, it has now grown to 1500 people, who own 22.5 pc of Motif. “Our vision is to create continuous value creation for customers, employees, investors and society. We want our employees to treat the company as their own. We want the company to outlive the founders. That is possible only through value creation. In these 10 years, Motif has not lost a single client,” he said.

THE THREE ‘I’s
Mehta makes sure his team follows the rule of 3 ‘I’ s: integrity (never to indulge in anything wrong), intensity (help colleagues and clients) and intellect (challenge the status quo).

“The agents (BPO executives) are our frontline touch points. They are encouraged to not just fulfil the client requirements, but also better their processes. Deadlines are sacrosanct for them. I always tell them to handle every customer interaction with the same support and care they would provide to their mother if she calls them,” he said, adding, “that way we earn the trust of the clients who give us other businesses as well.” The company also sponsors MBA programmes for the employees.

Today, Motif has Fortune 500 clients which include the world’s top three online travel companies, the top three payment processing firms and a popular online auction company. Professional managers who have served at companies like Infosys, McKinsey and KPMG are helping take Motif forward.

Giving to society
“Our company has the lowest attrition rate when you compare BPOs in the country. The employees have developed expertise in client business because of that. We have more than sufficient cash reserves, zero debt and are running a profitable business,” he said.

Now, Motif is looking at value creation for society. “The Motif Charity Walk is all about that. We want to raise health awareness among people and also do our bit to help the underprivileged,” said Mehta.

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iProf: iPad of personal education launched

IMA alumnus launches world’s first personal education tablet that will change the way students prepare for entrance tests.







Is it possible to cram piles of books, hours of lectures and thousands of test

papers in a small portable device? Well, here comes iProf, the world’s first personal education tablet that will revolutionise the way students prepare for entrance tests. Conceptualised by former IIM-A alumnus Sanjay Purohit, the device was launched by Principal Secretary (Science and Technology) Ravi Saxena in the city on Wednesday.

Purohit, founder of iProf Learning Solutions, India, designed it keeping in mind the study needs of Gen-Y.

With a 7-inch touchscreen tablet, iProf has built-in, high quality operating system Android (from Google) and a Learning Management System installed on it.
Bundled with content from premier educational institutes, it is priced at Rs 14,900. This excludes taxes.

iProf will initially cater to the test-preparation education segment, the market of which is estimated at about Rs 10,000 crore. iProf will start with IIT-JEE preparation and has tied-up with Brilliant Tutorials. iProf would foray into MBA test preparation by end of May, followed by PMT, CPT, CA among others.

iProf has 8 GB memory and comes with elaborate content like interactive video lectures, test papers and practice questions with solutions.



Chart your course
E-learning is highly effective, as proven by extensive research. It not only increases retention but also gives complete flexibility to students reading e-books, revising video lectures, animations, taking tests and setting their schedules on their own pace. iProf is positioned as a self-study tool, that would mitigate pressure on students, enabling them to perform much better.

It comes with an assessment facility where a user can test his/her speed, identify areas that need improvement and check your results instantly without waiting for weeks. Saxena said, “The device will enhance competency level of students in the state.”

iStudy zones
The company plans to set-up of a chain of e-learning centres called the iStudy Zones, across 30 cities including Delhi, Kota, Pune, Nagpur, Jaipur, Vadodara, Ahmedabad, Patiala, Nasik and Kolkata. These centres will enable e-learning delivery mechanism for its students.

““Technology has changed the way people communicate. But the educational delivery system has not changed,” said Purohit, who took 16 months to devise the gadget.

“We see a huge scope for growth in e-learning, especially in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities where quality education is in great demand but supply is an issue. There is an acute shortage of good quality professors. The iProf takes care of this problem,” He added, Through the iProf, Purohit aims to address three major problems that plague e-learning from spreading far and wide — low computer penetration, content piracy and broadband connectivity.

The company will have high performance servers deployed in iStudy zones with high-speed broadband and Wi-Fi capabilities, so that content can be downloaded on the iProf in a secure environment. The centres will also have video-conferencing capabilities for doubt-clearing sessions between faculty and students. The first Value-Add iStudy zone in the city will come up at Akshar Arcade near the Memnagar Fire Station.

The company is also expecting to mobilise investments of over Rs 100 crore via the iProf ecosystem and aims to spread its operations across 250 cities across India in the next 18 months.

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Stop Committing Suicide

Since last many days, I've been reading in news-papers about the students committing suicide because of examinations pressure. Moved by the ever increasing number of suicide cases, I have creating this group with the aiming to pass a message to the students about thinking beyond the education system/examinations.


Don't get frustrated if don’t fare good in any of your examinations. The life that your future holds, and the profession you choose that does not completely depend on what you're pursuing currently in your college/school syllabus. You don't have to completely rely on those results for your life ahead. Although it can be one of the foundation stones but not the end.

Everyone has the potential to do something really good in their life. So just try to find out that and stick to it until you get the real success. Often people opine that certain films inspiring students to commit suicide. But it' can not be entirely true.


It's always up to you what you pick for yourself from the innumerable instances and happenings presented in the movie. So just don't follow what you see on television/movies. Stop Committing Suicide and start thinking beyond examinations and results. This is my sincere request all in general but student community in particular that whatever you are, only you hold the key of your life and believe me life always deserves better.

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How city got its name

Englishman Philips Baldeus sketched this cityscape in 1672 AD

The earliest mention of the city as Ashavally, Ashapal or Ashaval finds mention in Muslim scholar Alberuni’s Qitab-ul-Hind. It was a town ruled by tribal King Asha Bhil. In 1074, King Karnadev I of the Solanki dynasty defeated Asha Bhil in battle and established the city of Karnavati.

Karnavati was strategic for Karnadev I for his army campaign in Lat Pradesh, today’s South Gujarat. Karnavati became his army base, from where he fought off attackers from South Gujarat and the Yadavs of Girnar.

Karnadev I had built three temples in Karnavati — of Jayanti Devi, Kochharba Devi and Karneshwar Mahadev. Present-day Kankaria was a water tank named Karnasagar after him. Siddharaj Jaysinh, also known as Gujarat no Naath, was crowned at Karneshwar temple, which was built by his father Karnadev I.

Karnavati enjoyed a pride of place during the Solanki rule, till the Solanki kingdom fell to Muslim Sultanate. The last of of the Solanki dynasty, Karnadev Vaghela, better known as Ra Karan Ghelo, was defeated by Allaudin Khilji, marking the beginning of Muslim rule in Gujarat.

Zafar Shah, viceroy of Delhi, was the one who founded Gujarat Sultanate. He assumed the title of Muzaffar Shah and became the emperor of Gujarat, making Patan its capital.

During this period, Karnavati went into oblivion. In 1411, Zafar Shah’s successor Ahmed Shah founded the city of Ahmedabad, where Karnavati was situated.

According to legend, when Ahmed Shah first came to the city, the sight of a rabbit taking on a hound remained etched in his memory and he decided to set up base here and named the city his capital.

Ahmedabad remained capital of Gujarat for around 162 years till the Gujarat Sultanate stopped being an independent sultanate. In 1572, Mughal emperor Akbar captured the city and ended the rule of the Sultanate.

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I am posting the list of Hotels in Ahmedabad. Hope it will be useful to all those who are planning to visit Ahmedabad.

Hotels in Ahmedabad :


Hotel Fortune Landmark
Usman Pura, Ashram Road, Ahmedabad, 380013‎
- Phone 079 39884444

Hotel Kama
Khanpur, Ahmedabad, 380001‎
Phone 079 25505165

Hotel Sunset in
Aiport Circle, Hansol, Ahmedabad, 382475
Phone -079 22850523

Hotel Pride
Judges Bangalow Road,Opposite N R I Tower, Bodakdev, Ahmedabad, 380054‎
Phone 079 30115555

Hotel Le meridien
Near Nehru Bridge, Khanpur Road, Ahmedabad, 380001‎ -079 25505501

Hotel Nest
37 Sardar PatelNagar B/H Telephone Exchange.Navrangpura, Ahmedabad, 380009
Phone 079 26426255

Hotel Nalanda
Mithakhali Six Road, Opp G G Road, Ellisbridge, Ahmedabad, 380006‎
Phone 079 26468899

Hotel Inder Residency
Ellisbridge , Opp Gujarat College, Ahmedabad, 380006‎
Phone 079 26425050

Hotel Crown
Near Choice, Swastik Char Rasta, C.G.Road, Ahmedabad, Gujarat 380009‎
Phone 079 26427799

Hotel Damjis
Opposite Auda Office Near Usmanpura Char Rasta, Ashram Road, Ahmedabad, 380013‎ Phone 079 27542961

Hotel Rock regency
Law Garden Road, Navrangpura, Ahmedabad, 380006‎
Phone 079 26562102

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