My Stupid Heart!

Day 1

"When we were together, we were very happy. And I want this memory to stay with me the same way". 

His last words echo in my mind, constantly reminding me how easily he snapped all ties. How easy it is for him to call me a memory..a thing of past, which has now demised and over.. a thing of past that has got nothing to do with the present or the future! He may go ahead and start a new life with a new woman, a new job, a new place and his entire family by his side, but he leaves behind a trail of broken promises, innumerable memories that only bring pain to me and a heartache that is way too difficult to bear.

In the past one week, since the time the news was broken to me, I have only been trying to accept the reality.. he says that moving back to his hometown was always the case, but was it really the issue between us?? I don't think so.. I never really adamantly objected to it. I understand the need and would have been fully supportive of his decision, had he even once put his foot down and told me this. I only see this as a very good way to convince himself to get into a new relationship without the baggage or may be I am just angry!!

There is a gamut of emotions churning up inside me. Had I been living in a bubble that has burst after 3 years?? After all, what was it all about?? Breaking up and him coming back to me, not once or twice but innumerable number of times..was I suppose to say no to him while my heart longed for him?? How would I know? I followed my heart then and until now, which asked me to hang in there for a little longer and have faith in him... just why did I fool myself into believing that may be, may be I really am way too important for him to let go off me and more importantly US... I should have listened to my mind that yelled at me every time I greeted him with a smile. the warning bells that went off as soon as he held my hand or hugged me or kissed me...I wish I had.. may be then I would have been at a far better place than where I am now...I curse myself for being with him, at a time, when everyone around advised me against him... but then again, I listened to my stupid heart and what a mess have I landed up myself in...!!!

Staring into the blankness around me has become a routine...I don't remember smiling even once in the past one week, neither do I remember talking much. And even before I realise, tears run down my cheeks and breathlessness sets in.

Am I still not able to accept that it really has happened?? That I am part of his past now and shall never be able to see, talk or touch him, the way I was always did.. I am unable to figure out anything...unable to see things clearly..my head is jammed and my heart pains to an unimaginable extent.. but one thing I am crystal clear about-- He will move on in his life and I shall soon become a closed chapter.. Does it pain me?? yes, it does..And can I wish him well.. I really don't think any good wishes come for him, from within my heart.. it really doesn't! But as much I hate him for doing this... my love for him will never allow me to even use one bad word for him, let alone wish ill!!

AI express still has no training system

Air India Express, the subsidiary of Air India (AI) still does not have a proper training system in place even after being pulled up for various safety lapses by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on a regular basis.

"AI Express does not have a training set up the way it should actually have, which is a systemic flaw. It has entered into an agreement with AI wherein the national carrier will be providing manpower and other training facilities to it. However, the onus of maintaining the standards of flying operations is still with the CEO of the airline and not with Air India," said a senior official in AI requesting anonymity.

It should be noted that AI has allegedly spent Rs 80 cr on the stipends, hotel accommodations, conveyance and other such expenses of the 150 pilots belonging to AI Express as they were grounded due to lack of training between September 2010 and September 2011.

In the same year, AI constituted a training committee for the training of pilots particularly of its subsidiary Air India Express. In India training facilities were in bad semblance, so quotations were invited from world over. Following many vendors quotations, the training contract was awarded to Miami based PAN-AM Academy at $38,000. However, the contract was revoked soon by Arvind Jhadav, ex-CMD of AI, and given to a second vendor, Lufthansa Flight Center at almost double the cost at $67,000.

It is important to note that Air India is yet to implement carrier pattern after the merger. The training reportedly and allegedly is in such bad shape that AI has to suspend its general manager (Training) for irregularities in records and later the general manager (Operations) for negligence in arranging pilots.

Auto industry wants relaxation of taxes in Budget 2013-14

AVIATION

The ailing aviation industry wants infrastructure status so that it can get some relief in terms of taxes and access to finances. FICCI said in its pre-budget memorandum, "Ease RBI limits on sectoral funding thereby removing the current compulsion for airport developers to raise required funds or debt from multiple banks making the process time consuming and cumbersome."

The industry body has also suggested that the government should allow import of items required for development of airports at a concessional rate of basic custom duty of 5%. Some of the items required for airport development are airfield crash fire tenders and other fire fighting vehicles, runway marking and pavement testing machine, aerobridges etc. Also, the apex body wants exemption from customs duty for X-ray baggage inspection system and other airport security systems.

FICCI has also recommended that the finance ministry allow private airport operators to raise funds from the market and be allowed to issue long term non taxable infrastructure bonds.

AUTOMOBILE

The auto industry's primary expectation is the relaxation of taxes. The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers has suggested that the government should reduce the excise duty on cars to 20%, excluding small cars. The industry body has also pointed out that the duty on 10-13 seater vehicles should be 10%.

Industry experts are hoping that the government will take measures to reduce the widening gap between the cost of petrol and diesel cars.

Analysts have suggested that the government should increase diesel prices across the country in order to boost the sale of petrol cars.

HEALTHCARE

The Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) has recommended to the government to award infrastructure status to the healthcare sector. According to the CII, in 2011-12, Pranab Mukherjee, then finance minister, had announced that capital stock in hospitals will be treated as infrastructure sub-sectors and added that detailed guidelines to this effect would be announced by the government soon, the CII has said that the guidelines should be announced at the earliest. It has also recommended that the scope of the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) should be extended to include the entire BPL population.

Further, Sanjay Kumar, managing director of Zimmer India, which creates personalised joint replacement technologies said that the exemption limit under Section 80D of the Income Tax Act should be increased from Rs 30,000 to Rs 60,000 for payment of health insurance premium for self and dependent family members.

AGRICULTURE

The agriculture sector needs the government to enable policy framework with attractive fiscal incentives to attract private investment in the rural economy. According to FICCI, private investment in agriculture and allied activities can provide the necessary boost to the already committed government spends and can have a multiplier effect in the rural economy.

In its pre-budget memorandum, FICCI also suggests that the government should increase investment in agriculture and allied sectors. It has requested the government to increase the funding given to institutes like ICAR and state agriculture universities.

Special offers and discounts to boost V-day sales

Young couples shop for Valentine's Day; Source: WSJ blogs

Brands are giving special offers and discounts in the hope that shoppers will open their wallets as Valentine's Day approaches.

"Valentine's Day is a very important day for us. It validates our business model. We expect 15% to 20% of the total sales to be generated on this day," said Varun Vummudi, CEO, Giftology.com, a Bangalore based online gifting platform. For Valentine's Day, the website is offering vouchers to shoppers for Salsa India's live dance classes. The site has tied up with various merchants to expand the gifting options for customers.

Similarly, Jabong.com, a popular e-commerce website is offering 750 brands including perfumes and jewellery at discounted prices. Tradeus.in, another e-commerce website, has launched Valentine's Day special jewellery, fragrances, watches, lingerie, apparels, flowers and cakes. The website is offering up to 85% discount on these products.

Restaurants and café houses too are pepped about the day. "Valentine's Day is a very special day for us. Since it's a weekday this year, therefore the revenue will be four to five times more than what we would have typically generated on a regular weekday," said Sanjay Kapoor, marketing manager of Thank God It's Friday (TGIF).

The US-origin restaurant will offer a four-course meal for Rs 899, including appetizers and wine. Similarly, the Beer Café in Gurgaon will launch an exclusive Estrella Damm Inedit Beer in cooperation with the brew masters of Estrella Damm, a Catalan pilsner. The pub will also offer Valentine special platters to the diners.

Café Coffee Day, the biggest coffee chain in India, is celebrating a Valentine's week and is offering meals for Rs 199. "Our customers on Valentine's Day primarily consist of school and college students and therefore we offer them the best of schemes at the lowest prices," said a Café Coffee Day manager who did not wish to be named.

The Delhi based restaurant chain Cocoberry too has come up with six new flavours at a price of Rs 99 for people visiting their stores on 14 February.

In Chandigarh, however, no special offers are being given by gift stores, even though they have brought in new stock for Valentine's Day.

The manager of the only Hallmark store in Chandigarh says, "We have cards and gifts for Valentine's Day, but we are not offering any discounts. The market in Chandigarh is not big enough to make profits through discount offers."

The Archies stores have a range of new gift options for both men and women. A store owner said, "Not many people are now buying physical gifts. It is difficult to make profits if we provide special offers. Most people buy fancy stuff online, which is why online stores are offering various kinds of discounts." Other store managers also mentioned that the sale of cards has been decreasing and is at least 20% less than last yeast.

Chandigarh's retail chains may not be much excited, but the local shops have their stock ready. A gift shop in Sector 8 has been decorated for Valentine's Day and has its shelves full of heart-shaped goods, including soft toys, watches, phones, pen stands, photo frames and a range of other gifts. The DLF mall in Chandigarh has also been decorated in the Valentine theme of red and pink hearts.

Clothes and apparel stores are displaying red, white, pink and black as colours of the month. A Meena Bazar store manager said, "We are banking on the large number of parties that happen in Chandigarh to increase our sales. It is a good time to pamper your love with new clothes."

Chandigarh's youth have mixed feeling about the celebrations. While couples are ready to party, the single men are unhappy. "14 February used to be a good opportunity for us to propose to the girl we liked. However, with girls becoming very careful and the police proactive, we fear there will be consequences to a harmless proposal," says Kshitij, a student of Khalsa College. The girls of MCM DAV college say they will celebrate Valentine's Day with a "girls' day out, rather than with the boys who cannot be trusted with anything".

Virtual war breaks out on Facebook, Twitter

A virtual war broke out between young Kashmiris and the rest of India over the execution of Afzal Guru. The "cyberwar" peaked to such levels that Facebook users started removing their Kashmiri friends from their list and vice versa.

The Kashmiri youth flooded Facebook and Twitter condemning the execution of the key conspirator in the Parliament attack case, with posts accusing the Central government and the country in general of being biased.

"With regard to Kashmir, India continues to behave like a colonial state it is. Any doubts, surely vanished today," tweeted Mirza Waheed, a journalist and avid Twitter user.

Another users conveyed his "condolences to the bereaved family" and "May the departed soul rest in Peace and Jannah # Afzal Guru", the user tweeted.

Sanam Khan, a Srinagar based journalist posted on Facebook, "The killers of Rajiv Gandhi (PM of India) were not hanged...the killers of Beant Singh (former Chief Minister of Punjab) were not hanged...they did killing long before but Afzal Guru was hanged...don't understand this."

Most of them came under severe attack from people from different parts of the country, who branded such opinions as "inflammatory, and anti-national".

Jagadish Konduru, a Facebook user posted, "People are arrested when they post inflammatory comments against Rahul or Sonia or Chidamabaram or Manmohan. Can't you see the kind of inflammatory words they say against country?? India? Where is the government or law now?"

A Twitter user posted, "Anybody who protests against hanging of terrorist #AfzalGuru deserves to be beaten..."

Yogendra Verma, a Delhi based IT professional said, "A large crowd of idiots are of the view that by hanging Afzal Guru, India has burnt all its bridges to Kashmir. What are they smoking? Was Gujarat antagonized when butchers like Babu Bajrangi and Maya Kodnani were convicted?"

Senior journalist Abhijit Majumdar too tweeted, "Those calling India's justice system communal after Afzal Guru's hanging, remember: India's chief justice is a Muslim, IB chief is a Muslim."

Air India spent Rs 8 cr to train pilots it did not need

Air India, the cash strapped national carrier, has spent over Rs 8 cr to train 31 additional pilots above what it needed in 2012. And this in spite of the financial woes that have been hounding the carrier, which is trying to improve operational efficiency and is adopting various cost cutting strategies. "Out of the 31 pilots, 22 were trained for Boeing 777 and nine for Boeing 744," said a senior official on the condition of anonymity. Air India was facing a shortage of 99 pilots for Boeing 777 in 2012, however, it chose to train a total of 121 pilots for B-777.

Currently, Air India has 20 Boeing 777 aircraft, for which a total of 396 pilots including commanders and first officers are required. The current strength of pilots available for Boeing 777 is 297.

For the five Boeing 744s, the airline requires 34 pilots, while it actually has one surplus. Apart from the single extra pilot, the airline is also training 10 additional flying officers for the aircraft.

According to the official, the estimated cost for training a set of crew comprising two pilots is Rs 54,00,000. So for 31 pilots, the cost would be over Rs 8 cr 10 lakh. "The 31 pilots were clubbed into a crew of two. If the training is done domestically, the training fee is computed according to per hour rate," the official added.

"A pilot requires approximately 20 sessions to complete his training, with each session consisting of six hours. Each hour costs anywhere between Rs 21,600 and Rs 32,400," the official told The Sunday Guardian.

It is to be noted that aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation has not made it mandatory for any carrier to train additional pilots. Air India did not comment on the matter.

Sahara will have to sell off real estate to pay investors

Sahara Pariwar chief Subroto Roy at an event; Source: Pardaphaash.com

Subroto Roy's Sahara Group will have to sell off many of its real estate assets in order to pay investors of the two companies Sahara India Real Estate Corporation (SIRECL) and Sahara Housing Investment Corporation (SHIC) and comply with the Supreme Court order to pay its investors, with 15% interest.

"Sahara has many real estate projects in progress across the country. For the two companies to pay off the entire amount of Rs 24,000 cr, the group may have to put up many of the real estate assets on sale," said a real estate expert requesting anonymity.

Currently, Sahara owns the Amby Valley Limited, which owns the Amby Valley city near Mumbai, valued to be close to Rs 40,500 cr. The group also owns close to 95% stake in special purpose vehicles having 64 projects in 64 cities in the entire country. The total land available is believed to be 4,400 acres.

The company also has considerable land assets in Gurgaon with a project spread over 186 acres of prime land in Delhi and Haryana bordering Gurgaon. According to real estate experts, Sahara Group intends to develop the available land as commercial space and residential apartments, including group housing, branded villas, luxury apartments, club and hotels.

Sahara owns a 33% stake in the Versova project spread over 106 acres of land near Mumbai, a 40% stake in residential projects in four cities, on land worth Rs 888 cr. It also has a 50% stake in 15 city home ventures in as many towns, worth Rs 5,192 cr.

The conglomerate also has land banks in cities like Pune, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Gwalior and many others. According to the company, the total land bank of the group is 36,631 acres.

"A core committee meeting takes place in Mumbai at regular intervals to discuss the matter. However, there is not much clarity as to how are they arranging the funds," a senior company official told The Sunday Guardian on condition of anonymity.

Sebi has now frozen 100 bank accounts including Sahara chief Subroto Roy's account. The SC last week had pulled up Sebi for not freezing the bank accounts of SIRECL and SHIC.

The court also issued notices of contempt of court to the two Sahara companies for not furnishing the documents to Sebi and for not refunding the investors. Sahara's counsel has defended the two companies and said that they had to pay Rs 2,620 cr.

Sahara did not offer any comments at the time the story went to press.