Month: October 2014

Categories
Event

Mantralaya, Raj Bhavan join ‘Swachch Bharat Abhiyaan’

Maharashtra Governor flags off national cleanliness drive in Maharashtra starting from two of its most prominent administrative buildings; more follow.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

The Governor of Maharashtra Ch Vidyasagar Rao yesterday launched a cleanliness drive at Mantralaya and Raj Bhavan as part of the Swachcha Bharat Abhiyaan. The Governor was accompanied by Advisor Anil Baijal, Chief Secretary Swadheen Kshatriya, Municipal Commissioner Sitaram Kunte and others, who cleaned a part of the Mantralaya to mark the formal beginning of the campaign. The Governor, accompanied by his wife Vinodha, launched a similar drive involving his staff at Raj Bhavan.

Speaking to journalists at Raj Bhavan, the Governor announced the appointment of nine eminent personalities as honorary ambassadors for the Swachch Bharat Abhiyaan in the State. They include renowned spiritual leader Shri Dattatreya Narayan aka Appasaheb Dharmadhikari, film actor Abhishek Bachchan, Nita Ambani, Rajashree Birla, singer Sunidhi Chauhan, popular Marathi actor Makrand Anaspure, ace shooter Anjali Bhagwat, Monika More (who lost both her arms in a train accident recently) and Tushar Gandhi.

The Governor said, “In his Independence Day Speech, the Hon’ble Prime Minister has laid considerable stress on making our cities, towns, villages, schools, temples and public places clean. He has also laid stress on sanitation and provision of separate toilets for girls in all schools.

“I do feel that a lot needs to be done, both in the city of Mumbai and in Maharashtra to emerge as the cleanest State in the country. Maharashtra has made pioneering efforts in the cleanliness campaign in the form of the Sant Gadge Baba Abhiyan. We have to give a major impetus to the campaign under the leadership of the Prime Minister. We have to focus on public places, beginning with Railway Stations, Hospitals, Offices, market places and so on. I am visiting the Sir JJ Hospital on October 18 as part of the campaign. Sensitising children is also a part of the campaign, and I have asked the Secretary of School Education to draw up a plan to create awareness among children about the Swachchata Abhiyaan.”

Categories
Tech

Lenovo launches two more tablets

Lenovo adds Yoga Tablet 2 and Yoga Tablet 2 Pro to its earlier launches in India. Here’s a spec check.
by Manik Kakra | @Manik_K on Twitter

Lenovo has launched as many as four tablets in the Indian market. Their tablet series Yoga has been upgraded and now includes Android as well as Windows variants. All these tablets feature Dolby Digital sound, and front-facing speakers. They are equipped with Bluetooth 4.0, WiFi b/g/n (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz), 3.5 mm headset jack, and can be attached with a supported keyboard that doubles up as their cover.

Lenovo Yoga-Tablet-2-10-inchLenovo’s 8-inch (1920 x 1080) model comes in Android 4.4. Under the hood, there is an Intel Z375 (1.8 GHz quad-core processor) chip along with 2 GB of RAM. On the back, there is an 8 MP camera; while the front has a 1.6 MP camera. Powered by a 6,400 mAh battery unit, this tablet has 16 GB of on-board storage, which can be expanded up to 64 GB. It comes in platinum colour, and will be available on Flipkart for Rs 20,990.

The 10-inch (1920 x 1200) model comes in both Android 4.4 and Windows 8.1 (32-bit) variants. It is powered by the same Intel chip and houses a 9,600 mAh battery unit that the company claims gives 18 hours of usage. The 10-inch tablet can be bought from Flipkart at Rs 28,990 for the Android model, and Rs 34,990 for the Windows model.

Lenovo also launched its Yoga Tablet 2 Pro, which is equipped with a 13.3-inch (2560 x 1440) screen, and has a Pico projector built-in that can throw 50 inches of image, plus, there is an 8-watt subwoofer at the back. It carries a 9,600 mAh battery cell, and 32 GB of internal storage, which can be expanded. This tablet will go on sale next month from Flipkart at Rs 47,990.

Categories
Uncategorized

A pop-up shop…for three months!

Le Box, a place where fashion designers will display their collections for three months, starts at Ave 29, Hughes Road.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

Mumbai loves pop-ups. The city flocks to pop-up shops offering food, clothes, jewellery and more, and can’t seem to get enough of them. Cashing in on this trend is Le Box, a fashion pop-up starting today, October 16, at Ave 29. Le Box will be on for three months, and is slated to showcase the works of designers Anoli Khandelwal, Sohni Patel, Vaani Anand, Yoshita Yadav, Sonam Parmar and Darshan Dhupia. The idea was conceptualised by Ave 29’s Atmika Didwania and Pia Shivdasani.

Kat & PiaThe duo (in pic on left) says, “The idea is to promote the pop up theme in Mumbai while maintaining the elegance and standards of the designers and their products. Le Box is not an exhibition or store, but an experience that offers something new and convenient to the designers as well as the customer. It gives the designers a luxurious and well-managed space to showcase their product without the hassle of investing in an independent store, so this is a ‘store in a store’ concept. Customers get the advantage of a well-located space that offers them new and difficult-to-find boutique designer products in one place.”

The store will provide designers the chance to to increase customer-product interaction over an extended period of time, without the need to invest in brick and mortar spaces to meet clients. They can also test new markets for their wares. Le Box is also hosting monthly events to engage bloggers, stylists and customers.

Head to Ave 29, Hughes Road. Located in the same building as Juice, B:Blunt and Surprise Lifestyle Store.

 (Picture courtesy www.ave29.com)

Categories
Do

Shoot against gender violence

This photography contest entreats you to stand up against gender violence with positive pictures of individuals, community or organisations effecting change.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

This is a photo contest aimed at gender violence awareness. And it asks you to not stand by, but stand up.

SPAN’s ‘Don’t Stand By! Combat Gender Violence’ photography contest is open to all Indians aged between 16 and 30 years. The contest invites positive images of people or institutions combating gender violence, through the efforts by an individual, community or an organisation to effect change and give dignity to women.

Up for grabs as prizes are iPad Air, iPad Mini, Nikon Coolpix L830, and SPAN hampers for entries with the most likes, the most creative quotient, the most faithful to the theme, and which scores the highest on originality. The contest closes on December 1, 2014.

For a list of rules, visit this page.

 

(Picture courtesy southasiainstitute.harvard.edu)

Categories
Places

Kuchh ‘Kaas’ hai…

A Mumbai boy went to Kaas Pathar and was thankful for the beauty and the clean air. And the flowers, of course.
by Salil Jayakar | @Salilicious on Twitter

I first heard about Kaas ‘Valley of flowers’ some months ago when I met @neetakolhatkar over lunch. She was off on one of her trips (yet again) and Kaas was where she was headed. I didn’t register much about the place except that it was near Satara in Maharashtra. Come August and a friend messaged to ask if I was keen on doing a day trip to the Kaas ‘Valley of flowers’… and I jumped at the opportunity.

kaas 14 - koyna lakeContrary to its popular nickname – Valley of flowers – Kaas is actually a plateau and is known as Kaas Pathar. Situated in Maharashtra’s Sahyadri Hills, about 25 km from Satara, the Kaas Plateau is fast becoming a must-visit place for nature lovers. In September, as the monsoon nears its end, the entire plateau is covered with a carpet of flowers in every possible hue – from red and purple, to blue, yellow, orange and white. Kaas Pathar is part of the Western Ghats and a UNESCO Biodiversity World Heritage Site.

Since Satara is a fairly long drive from Bombay, I decided to head to Pune on Saturday and spend the night there. The next morning, I joined a bunch of enthusiastic nature lovers and we were off to Kaas by bus. Pune to Kaas is almost five hours – so be prepared for a longish, uncomfortable bus ride over some not-so great roads once you hit Satara city.

As you approach Kaas you can’t but be taken in by the beauty of the Sahyadri Hills and Western Ghats. The September sky was clear with just a hint of grey and rain, the countryside was bursting with shades of green and the air was crisp and clear. A rare experience for the city-born-and-bred me. We stopped along the way to rest our legs and look at some pretty yellow flowers that had bloomed on both sides of the road. In the distance, the Koyna River gently meandered through the valley below.

The main Kaas plateau has been divided into two distinct zones – the tourist zone on the right and the protected reserve area on the left. A fence marks off both and you can see why this is needed – the tourist zone has several areas of barren land where any kind of growth is just not possible due to the constant footfalls. This habitat destruction has increased over the last couple of years and the local Forest Department is doing all it can to minimise the damage. Since we were there mid-September, all the flowers were not in bloom yet. So except for scattered patches there wasn’t a ‘carpet’ of flowers as such. A beautiful sight, nonetheless.

Once you’re on the plateau, follow the local guide along the marked out paths and try to keep up as they talk about the various flowers and plants. I’m ashamed to say that though I studied Botany kaas 13 - the tiny shield-tail snakeat Uni I couldn’t recognise more than a couple of flowers… *hangs head in shame*. By far the more exciting flowers are Sita’s Tear (I think), a type of fly-trap and the Utricularia – a lovely purple flower that dominated the landscape. I was more excited when a naturist spotted and caught a tiny Shield-tail snake! (in pic on right)

The guided tour over, you’re more or less free to walk around take pictures and watch the world go by. On the way back, if time permits, stop at the Thoseghar Waterfall, which can be seen from a viewing area nearby. Don’t forget the mandatory selfie with the Falls as a backdrop.

Heading back to Mumbai via Pune, I was glad I made the weekend trip to Kaas. After all, it’s not often I get a chance to head out of the city and breathe in some fresh country air.

Categories
Tech

This just in: Samsung Galaxy Note 4

The new Samsung Android smartphone launches in India at Rs 58,300, and will be available for sale later this week.
by Manik Kakra | @Manik_K on Twitter

Note 4_Samsung has launched its new Galaxy Note 4 in India. The series, popular for its bigger screens and stylus use, has been among the most popular crop of Android smartphones out there.

The Note 4 features a 5.7-inch (2560 x 1440) Super AMOLED making it the first Samsung smartphone with a Quad HD screen to be available in India. Equipped with the S-Pen, the phone, for the Indian market, is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 SoC (2.7 GHz quad-core Krait 450 Processor, Adreno 420 GPU) along with 3 GB of RAM. Running on Android 4.4.4 wth TouchWiz on top, the phone comes with 32 GB of on-board storage, which is expandable up to 128 GB via a microSD card. There is a 3,220 mAh battery unit that is user-replaceable.

On the back, there is a 16 MP (Fast AF) camera (with an LED flash) that can shoot ultra HD videos and OIS capabilities; while the front has a 3.7 MP camera that can take full HD videos. Connectivity-wise, this Note sports Bluetooth 4.0 (LE) with A2DP, Infrared port, 3G, 4G (LTE), NFC, WiFi a/b/g/n/ac, GPS, microUSB 2.0 (with MHL 3.0), and DLNA.

The phone comes in blossom pink, bronze gold, charcoal black, and frost white colour options, and has been priced at Rs 58,300, to be available starting later this week.

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