In December 2009, my geography was tested, when my boss asked me to visit a client in Satna. Satna is a town located in the state of Madhya Pradesh. It is approximately 772 km from Delhi (rail distance). Satna is renowned for its Dolomite and Limestone mines. Hence, its main economy is cement manufacturing. The district is home to a number of cement factories namely Birla, Prism and Bhilai Jaypee. Satna is also home to one of the leading cables manufacturer of India, Universal Cables Limited.
Delhi-Satna Route
During the trip I was accompanied by 2 other bankers and a company executive. We left for Satna on Friday evening by Mahakoshal Express (Delhi-Jabalpur). The train departs from Delhi at 1610 hrs and reaches Satna next morning at 0630 hrs. Our journey didn’t begin on a good note as the train was delayed by almost 4.30 hrs.
During the journey, the train was delayed further and we reached Satna by around 12 the next day (delay of almost 6 hrs). Due to the unforeseen delay our onward travel schedule was hampered. To reach Delhi as per schedule we decide to cancel our return train tickets and return by air via Khajuraho.
On reaching the station, we left immediately for the plant, situated approximately 30 kms from the town. Satna as any other Tier 2 town has a pathetic infrastructure. As our schedule was very tight (made even more thanks to Indian Railways) we didn’t get much time to explore the city. But to be frank, seeing the condition of the town I didn’t feel like exploring it.
A Busy Market Road
The only place worth visiting is Maihar, a small city approximately 40 km from Satna. Maihar is famous for a temple of goddess Sharda, built in 9th or 10th century AD. The temple is situated on a hillock and is known for its 1063 steps. The temple is also connected via a ropeway. We visited the temple on Saturday evening.
Maihar Temple on Hill Top
Temple Entrance on Hill Top
Maa Sharda Deity
The temple is associated with 3 legends (as told by the localites):
Distressed on the death of his wife "Sati", Lord Shiva was furious, and was wandering with her dead body. Fearing that the earth might get destroyed Lord Vishnu decimated Sati in 52 pieces. Her necklace fell at this location and hence the name "Mai" (mother) "har" (necklace).
Two warriors "Alha" and "Udal" were ardent followers of Sharda Devi. They are believed to be the first to visit the temple. They used to practice at the akhara located at the base of the temple. Alha penaced for 12 years before getting blessings from the goddess. Alha used to call the goddess as Maa Sharda and henceforth the temple was called by the same name.
Adiguru Shankaracharya worshipped here.
View from Hill Top
"Alha" Pond and Akhara
Sunday morning we left for Khajuraho via road. The distance from Satna is about 60 kms and takes slightly more than an hour. On way, the driver briefed us about the various temples of Khajuraho and their origin (he reminded me of my history teacher). Since school days, I had heard that the Khajuraho temples are the best in the world. On reaching the place I realized I was wrong, the magnificent temples are not only the best but “out of this world!”
It’s been quite a time since I last blogged. The delay can be attributed to two reasons. Firstly, I shifted my location to the political capital of our country. As evident, I imbibed partial legacy of our politicians comprising of laziness and procrastination (as evident from CWG preparation). Secondly, I resumed my passion for travelling and leisure driving.
My first Blog under the section on travelling is on Kodaikanal, a hill station located in Southern India. Popularly known as “Kodai”, the hill station is situated at an altitude of about 2,133 meters on Palani hills. It is situated at a distance of approx 530 km from Chennai. The following route map will give an idea as to where the hill station is located.
A-Chennai; B-Kodaikanal
Kodai is unarguably the most serene hill station of Southern India. Due to its relatively large distance from major metros (Chennai and Bangalore), tourist inflow during off season is exceptionally less. This ensures that the region stays relatively clean and retains its natural beauty. Another important outcome is that it is not as commercialized as other popular hill stations.
In January, 2010 I visited Kodaikanal for the fifth time. Four of those trips have been self-driven on rotational basis with my dad and elder brother. The last one was entirely driven by me. We started from Chennai (Adyar) at around 5.00 a.m. and reached Dindigul by around 12.30 p.m. with few small stoppages, that’s about 440 km in 450 m. Post Dindigul, we stopped at a number of places for taking snaps. Average time for the entire trip with nominal stoppages is around 9.30 hrs. The high average speed (by Indian standards) is majorly possible, as NH45 which starts from Guindy and ends in Theni is an absolute beauty. The only major blockage is near Trichy where road widening is under construction (about 1 hour for covering 20 km).
Our car which has made 3 trips to Kodai
The diversion from Dindigul leads to Batlagundu, post which hilly area begins. The entire state highway is well laid and one rarely encounters traffic. The road to Kodai has multiple scenic spots where one can stop and enjoy natural beauty. One famous spot on way is the Silver Cascade (Water Falls). The water fall is generally crowded with lots of locals and tourist’s esp. scantily dressed men, seeing whom one gets an impression that they have never taken a bath in their entire life. During summer, the falls is nothing more than a Delhi water tap.
Siver Cascade Waterfalls in the background
Accommodation like any other hill station is not a problem. A number of budget hotels are present near the Kodai Lake. In all our previous 4 visits we stayed at MRF guest house, which according to me is no less than a 5 star resort.
Entrance to the Guest House, Cottage 1 visible in background
Cottage 2
Other nearby places of interest are Kodaikanal Lake, Bryant Park (adjacent to Lake), Coakers Walk, Green Valley View (Suicide Point), Pillar Rocks and Kurinji Temple. The temple is famous for the Kurinji flower which blossoms once every 12 years.The best of the lot undoubtedly is the Kodai Lake. The Lake is star shaped and roughly covers an area of 60 acres. The periphery of the lake is approx 5 km. Unlike other hill stations the lake is clean and not very crowded. The walk way around the lake is well built and ideal for cycling and walking.
Aerial view of Kodai Lake
Walkway around Kodai Lake
Pillar Rocks
On route to Chennai there is a deviation for a place called Palani. It is around 80 kms from Kodai. Palani is famous for Murugan Temple and sees more than 7 million devotees each year. There is rope way which leads to the top of the hill on which the temple is situated.
Ropeway to Palani Temple
Candidly speaking Kodai has nothing special to offer in terms of scenic beauty. The reason why I rate it highly is due to its serene ambience. Serenity in a tourist place in India is a luxury which one can only dream. Currently, Kodai is the only hill station in South India which has the right combination of scenic beauty and peacefulness. It is the perfect place for a traveler who wants a break from his monotonous city life.
When I bought my first cell phone, I hardly imagined that it would also go onto replace my camera, alarm clock and walkman. A solitary product offering from Nokia eliminated the need to purchase other renowned brands such as Casio, Canon and Sony. Any new innovation presents immense opportunities for innovators and threats for laggards.
Social media allows each and every organization to define its brand; it opens up an immense landscape of opportunities for businesses. Primary among them is the capability to act as a platform for promotional or marketing innovations such as encouraging the employees and customers of the organization to host company logo on their twitter, orkut, facebook accounts and even blogs. This creates immense brand penetration. Not only can organizations use social media to build brand, they can also use it to interact with customers and show them that they care, which, in turn, breeds loyalty. Social media can also boost an organizations reputation and help in building relationships. On the internet potential for reeling in new leads is unlimited.
It is highly unlikely to spot a trader in Mumbai reading the Wall Street Journal or a trader inNew Yorkreading the Economic Times. However, it is very likely to find them viewing one another’s profiles on LinkedIn and commenting on each other’s blogs. The internet, which forms the backbone of the social media, redefines the globe by erasing boundaries. A comprehensive company profile on LinkedIn complemented by employee profiles across management levels constitutes a sales booklet in itself for prospective customers across the globe.
Using social media an organization can reach customers that traditional marketing misses. The organization can learn how to improve its products and services. By encouraging open communication through public comments, the organization can learn how to make its products, services and pitch more palatable.
An important aspect of social media is that it is cost-efficient in comparison with other marketing methods, even if the organization has to hire a dedicated team or outsource its social media content needs.
The primary threat of social media is best demonstrated by recent tweets of Mr. Lalit Modi and Mr. Shashi Tharoor. The communicator often underestimates the magnitude and diversity of the recipient audience leading to unexpected reactions. Organizations face similar threat where an advertising site or employee’s opinion on a business or controversial subject may be implicitly interpreted as the company’s position on it, leading to negative publicity. This necessitates caution while choosing brand promoters and preferably defining rules, regulations or guidelines for expressing opinions.
Social media places high demands on talent and time. It can be difficult to constantly come up with innovative exciting content that interests a variety of readers. Content must be created, edited and published; comments must be responded to and sites and pages must be maintained. The efforts are not likely to earn immense popularity overnight and hence have a high gestation period.
Unfortunately, there are no globally accepted guidelines or empowered regulators. This caveat has resulted in individual companies coming up with their own guidelines whose monitoring and enforcement may require setting up of a social media department, as already done by Intel. This option, though redundant and an overhead is the solitary and hence mandatory requisite for companies looking to tap the social media wave.
