Of souks, supermarkets and mandis

The past one year in Muscat has changed my shopping experience. Though we have malls and super markets such as Big Bazaar, Reliance and Nilgiris back home, I have never been so spoilt for choice. Of course that always lands one in a dilemma. Which brand to buy, which is cheaper, which gives you value for money and how much to buy.

The seasonal bargain offers too lands one in a quandary. At LuLu and Safeer I always have to argue with my wife and daughter about what to buy and how much. Back in India this was no big deal. There were seldom real bargain deals. And we had limited options too to choose from. If Big Bazaar stocked a certain brand then it would be missing in the shelves of Spencer’s Daily or Reliance or More never.

I am fell in love with bargaining for clothes and sundry at first in New Delhi’s Janpath Lane, just off Parliament Street and Connaught Circus (They have renamed it to Rajiv Chowk now. Erasing all traces of British Raj, I guess).

Back in the 1990s the shopkeepers in the lane used to call out: ‘Das ka Das ka, koyi bhi, le lo’ (Only 10 rupees, take anyone) in a sort of chant that I was mesmerised by it. Today they must be chanting in the range of 100s as in ‘Sau ka Sau ka, koyi bhi, le lo’.

Janpath remained my favourite place for bargain hunting be it a T-Shirt, a shirt or bags or for just hanging out and have soda from DePauls during my life in Delhi. Even the Chandini Chowk area in Old Delhi was a paradise for bargain hunters. Come Sunday I used to head out to Darya Ganj, also in Old Delhi to look for second hand books, which again could be had for a couple of tens. And books could be given away which saved me the trouble of carting it around

Today the favourite haunts of Delhiites are the numerous shopping malls that have sprung up all over the capital of India. The malls in Gurgaon are the favourite what with a couple of cinemas thrown in. Nowadays, shopping has become an all day experience where one shop, see a film and eat out too.

The art of haggling is slowly disappearing and my skills too have become rusted. True, with groceries coming at such bargain prices as in Muscat, there is seldom any need for bargaining. The shopping cart has become a de rigueur, into which we haul in stuff and then at the counter we pay with our debit card. No questions asked. And we find that we always end up buying more stuff even after taking a huge list when we go for our monthly shopping. The monthly shopping budget in Muscat is much lower than it ever was back home, my wife vouches.

As for me give me a local shop or market any day. I love haggling over the price for the sheer pleasure of it. The local mom and pop shop (or should I say the son and pop shop as is the case in India) gives me much more. We gather the local gossip and other important happenings in the locality we live. Alas they are slowly disappearing in my town too.

The local mandi or market  gives me much more in life that a super market or mall can never give in its airconditioned comforts. I love the bustle and hustle of a market even the smells which the sanitised atmosphere of a mall or super market can never beat.

India opens retail markets to Wal Mart, Carre Four

In a landmark decision on November 24, India open its $450 billion retail market to global supermarket giants,approving its biggest reform in years that may boost sorely needed investment in Asia's third-largest economy. 

The cabinet allowed global chains like Wal-Mart, Carrefour and 7-Eleven to bring up to 51 per cent foreign equity to open multi-brand retail stores despite opposition by some allies in the ruling coalition. It also allowed 100-per cent equity in single brand retailing.

The government feels the move will cut intermediaries between farmers and retailers and will help them get more money for their produce. It also hopes the move will help bring prices at retail level down and calm inflation.

How long will we have to wait for the results to show?

Will Dam999 reignite another war of words?

Dam999 being released today is already causing a lot of angst in Tamil Nadu. The movie, directed by Sohan Roy is about the Mullaiperiyar issue, which incidentally has been a bone of contention between two south Indian states.

An enraged group of Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam cadres – who insist the movie is partial to Kerala because the director is a Malayalee -- barged into Prasad Film Laboratories in Saligramam and damaged property.

Police arrested 23 of them, including the party’s state general secretary ‘Mallai’ Sathya. Sohan Roy meanwhile has issued a statement that the movie is based on the true story of the Banqiao dam collapse, which killed 2.5 lakh people in China in 1975 and has stated that Dam999 has nothing to do with any dam in India or in Tamil Nadu.

He says the Mullaperiyar issue had given him the idea to make a film on dam disasters and also added that he planned to hold a special preview for politicians.

The parties that have been riled up by the movie are the Pattali Makkal Katchi, MDMK and Puthiya Tamizhagam, who have all demanded that the state government stop the release of the film saying it would trigger law and order problems in Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

Thank you Steve Jobs

The man who forced all of us to become social animals on the move has logged out of life.

Thank you Steve.

iPhone4S launched

Apple Inc's newest iPhone left Wall Street and fans wishing for more than a faster version of last year's device, drawing a rare outburst of criticism and disappointment on the Internet. 

CEO Tim Cook ably helmed his first major product launch without former boss Steve Jobs, but failed to ignite the sort of excitement and buzz that the Apple co-founder once did. 

The new iPhone features a speedier processor, a built-in "personal assistant" that responds to voice commands and a more powerful camera as expected, but did little to lift the bar for smartphone capabilities.

Investors and fans, looking to be blown away by some amazing surprise, sent the shares down as much as 4 per cent. Expectations were high at this critical juncture when Android phones by Samsung Electronics and other rivals are closing in on Apple's lead. 

 Jobs did not show up as some expected. Cook, who took the reins from the Silicon Valley icon in August, and his executive team instead showed off a souped-up device that comes with voice recognition and and a better camera, but it looked identical to the last phone and did little to lift the bar for smartphones. 

 "It's been 16 months and all you've got is an A5 processor in the existing iPhone 4," said BGC Partners' analyst Colin Gillis. "It's a mild disappointment, but they're still going to be selling millions of units." 

 Some shareholders and analysts hoped for a cameo appearance by Jobs, now chairman. The pancreatic cancer survivor, who took his third medical leave in August, did not appear. 

 Apple launches are some of the hottest events on the tech calendar. Tuesday's "Let's talk iPhone" show marked Cook's unofficial debut since taking over from Jobs in August. 

 Analysts say it is more crucial than ever to sustain the popularity of its iPhone 4, which is more than a year old. Apple sold more than 20 million units in the third quarter ended June 25. 

 "It's kind of funny -- if they have gone and called it the 5, the stock would have been fine, but they're calling it the 4S, which is a disappointment to some," said WP Stewart portfolio manager Michael Walker. "It's a faster chip. The form factor is the same as the prior one, which might be a disappointment also to some people." 

The iPhone event took place at Apple Central -- the same venue where the iPod first was introduced years ago -- versus the larger, splashier venues of more recent choice such as downtown San Francisco's Moscone center.  

 The restricted attendance may have triggered a surge in online viewership, which slowed or crashed live blogs run by websites such as Engadget, Wired and Gizmodo. 

 Interest was high with Google emerging as a formidable competitor, but many fans came away disappointed. 

New to the blog world

Attention all Mallu blogreaders out there. Click and read this.
The birthpangs of a blogger

Congrats again, Sangeetha!

“Special Jury Mention Award” with a cash prize of Rs. 2 lakh awarded to “Charulata…A Sequel of the Life Untold,” by Sangeeta Padmanabhan at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI).
And when she won her first award