अब बस..

बस तेरे बदलने की कसर रह गई थी,
बाकी तो ज़िंदगी ने सता ही रखा था।
उम्मीद नहीं थी कि तू भी दुख देगा,
... क्योंकि तुझे तो हर दुख बता रखा था। 

चारु

Remnants

There used to be a home here
hidden inside the woods
the corners were sparkling
the cups were always warm.
 

Lighted after dusk
the walls stood like rock
A burst of laughter occasionally
muft beats strewn across.
 

Too beautiful to hold its grace,
cruelty of admiration touched upon
what seemed robust yesterday
today stands here a torn.
 

The world slept unaware
not knowing what could have gone so wrong
when did the winter strike so hard
how all the songs were gone?
 

The unfinished conversations are still hanging
Smiling portraits are covered in dust
The hush is louder than the memories
Unrequited prayers scattered in rust
 

The birds don’t chirp.
The days don’t rush.
The clouds have left.
The sun has set.
 

I stood there in silence
when the last leaf had swayed.
I witnessed the sight in despair
when the last goodbyes were said.
 
  
Charu

Oh Bengal !!

Bengal has had its share of atrocities starting with the Communist party (CPI-M) rule from June 1977. The otherwise rich Bengal was drowned in the hands of the Communist Ideology of the Left. Industries relocated, businesses were muffled and wealth became scarce. Bengal was losing its glamour – slowly but surely. For 34 long years of suffering, a young, dynamic lady – metaphoric to be Maa Durga – came to Bengal’s rescue.

She battled relentlessly against the Left Mafia and carved a niche in the hearts of the million Bengalis. Farmers who lost their lands in to the communists now saw hope in her. Come May 2011, West Bengal alighted the trauma. She had fought. She had won. Bengal was happy and hopeful.

The All India Trinamool Congress (AITMC) had promised populism, secularism and regionalism to the innocent Bengalis who trusted her with their love, support and “Land” – their sole livelihood. 15 years went by.

What Bengal saw in these fifteen years was none less than a sense of cultural displacement. She was a Bengali but favoured “other communities” a bit too far. While the Communist Party made the state poorer, she bought Bengal to its knees.

She started off as a hope and ended up being a tyrant, making Bengal an open playground for her political vendetta. From blocking National Welfare Schemes to scams, from Illegal Immigrant filtration to gut wrenching crimes against women – she throttled the trust in every which way.

For the last fifteen years, the state has had enough – its wealth looted, its culture disgraced, its women disrobed. What started as a change promised, soon changed hands with greed.  

The results of 2026 Bengal Assembly elections has yet again promised respite to the Bengal residents, especially its women. A fresh recourse is seen coming its way with an unconditional promise to undo the hurt, to protect its women and return the looted glory.

As a resident of Bengal for over 40 decades who has witnessed the trailing regime of the Left and tyranny of the so called ideologist, all I can hope is for this promise to be their last!

 

Disclaimer - This article is not about commending or denouncing any political party or ideology. It is the observational summary of a politically awakened Bengali – albeit not born a Bengali.

 

 Charu Agarwal

 

 

Set Free

 
I slept peacefully when my world
was guarded by your thoughts.
The lashes are heavier than the nights these days.
 

What has changed that my thoughts 

are now the incoherent echo as the wee hours pass?
maybe you have slept too long
maybe you were gone too long.
 
It’s my fault that the storm soaked me through the night,
I left the windows open after all
but the air is fresh now
I can finally breathe now..
 
I can see the angels waive their bands at me
dressed in whites, dressed in pearls - 
an invitation to join, to celebrate, to let go. 
What remains behind was heavier than I could carry - 
I am now, set free!
 
 
Charu

Silence

The pauses between our words
grew long enough to claim the warmth
I tried to read the calm in your eyes
distance, doubt or a breaking storm


My hopes were met with silence
and questions I dared not ask
for peace was all that’s between us
and small talks that did not last


I struggled to be in your thoughts
despite the efforts doubling yours
I continued to keep you in my prayers
while you were gone too long


Reminiscing the shreds of laughter
That we once shared aloud
Where care was in abundance
And tears were not allowed


Now one half of me totters
should I continue to stay
will I be missed for the good times
or that honor too would sway?


I pick to rebuild myself
brick by brick, shack by shack
my thoughts have chipped enough times
its time to claim the thunder back


So let me hide you in my heart
Fonder and forever
where we don’t meet in borrowed time
your presence profuse in every corner



Charu

Trust isn’t built during happy times—it’s built when it’s hardest to keep..

Charu

Queen of your heart...

 

वैराग्यवत् माधव

जीवन-मरण से परे नारायण
कारागार में जन्मे थे
न योजना केवल लीला थी
वे नव-निर्माण के संकल्प में दर्शे थे ।

निज जीविका-क्रम से जता दिया
ना प्रेम का मतलब पाना है —
वैराग्य ही चित्त का शिखर स्वरूप है
यही मुक्ति-पथ की आराधना है।

मथुरा, द्वारका या कुरुक्षेत्र —
योध्या वहीं जिसने मन को सशक्त किया
दिया गीता-ज्ञान विश्व को समझाने
संत वही जिसने भाव-शून्य अपना लिया।

कभी बाँसुरी, कभी सुदर्शन —
कभी मंद-मंद मुस्कुराए थे
मौन में उनके सभी उत्तर थे
जो शब्द न कभी कह पाए थे।

जिसने मन में कृष्ण रमाया
उनका सुझाया मार्ग लिया —
जपा राम नाम या शिव-शक्ति का
मोक्ष-पथ को भाँप लिया।

 

चारु – सर्वदा विष्णोर्भक्ता

Untitled

 

What are we, if not a dream,
Close enough, yet not a team.
Perfect as friends, but not quite right
Where thoughts are guarded and care sits quiet.


We talk, we laugh, then pause to step away
Hold back the words yet so much to say.
Hearts that want but hands won’t hold,
Isn’t ours is a story untold?

So, 

let me find you again
a little sooner this time
when our hearts are young
our souls unscarred-
in a realm where we are not pulled apart

 
Beyond right and wrong
meet me in a world afar
for in every life, every turn
I’ll search for you – yet again!

 

Charu

Unbreakable

The winds could not slow her pace
She rose each time with silent grace
The world smirked showing the mountains high
She took a leap, she chose to fly

She cried desolate and let her storm pass
the dimness in her couldn’t last
for she is meant to splash the colours of love
for she is meant to shine like stars above

Unshaken, unfazed, she writes her name
she shines in hues, her heart aflame.
Not made of steel, but something more
A quiet storm ebbing ashore


Charu

When Life Reminds Us of Its Fragility...

They went for a vacation and were gunned down, they went to celebrate IPL win and were crushed under feet, they boarded a flight and could not make to their homes.. Such is the fragility of life..!

Yes, we all have our struggles, our failures to fight, questions to avoid but kab tak..?

Lets take ownership of our lives, put up a fight and solve the scariest of puzzles.. 

Above all lets open the doors of our hearts and let love run down our veins. The world needs more of smiles than these cries..

Lets do something stupid today ..something we loved doing as a child but gave it away to adult ..anything that brings about the silliest grin..

Life is short my friend..

Today is perhaps the best day to loose guard and be a child. AGAIN!

 What has this world become.

 

Born roughly four decades ago, I remember things were much simpler back then, not that we were against the test of time, but definitely more forbearing.

Times were easier, technology was scarce but contentment was in abundance.

Born in a joint family, raised among seven other kids in limited resources, what we’ve gathered from our experiences is enough to fuel generations. But the question is what world are we giving to our children? Is it the world enough?

Where is tolerance? There is Ego. Where is joy? There is disgruntlement. Where is acceptance? People are hypercritical. Where is love? Oh! let’s not even go there!

From climate change to scams, from AI to Donald Trump, from Russia to Hamas, we were striding in reasonably but now it’s getting intense.

Being an Indian, we automatically have feelings for Pakistan (pun intended!) but it’s overwhelming now as I see the fourth or maybe the fifth Indo-Pak tiff (it’s not a full-fledged war yet!)

What bothers me more is the kind of people we have around us, who don’t comprehend the enormity of the situation and irrespective of their limited geo political understanding, are spreading fake news like wildfire, stimulating misinformation and deepening public confusion along both sides of the border.

The social media is flooded with memes, content creators are tirelessly rolling in, I see some are using the tragedy to fill in the social media profiles!

I hope Elon Musk’s dream of colonizing Mars singles them out!

 

Note: This is not a piece of art, it’s just a rant!

 

Charu Agarwal

 

 Experience is simply the name we give to our mistakes.

The internet is flooded with quotations on mistakes and its aftermath.

However my favorite is “It’s not how you make mistakes, but how we correct them that defines us”

Not that we don’t know that we all make mistakes, it just takes enough mettle to admit doing it, and especially when it could cause a trade-off!

With over 10 years of corporate experience I admit making several mistakes, most of which were totally avoidable, some which could cost me the project and at times trust was at stake.

The best way to navigate from the slug is Prompt Resolution and Effective Communication.

Though it is as simple as it sounds, its execution is the key. No leadership lessons or text book solutions can bail you out if you get stuck.

Chin up, Own Up and do what IS to be done. The only approach to avoid is denial!

The waves are therapeutic

The sea as I see is in a hurry to be,

just like me thinking, brooding, drooling,

the never ending expanse of  thoughts crashing at the shores....

Leaving behind an echo of broken waves, broken dreams, 

and broken me!

Albert Einstein's Quotes - Part II

His quotations have a sure way of teaching us the basics (and not physics for a change!) :)

If A is success in life, then A equals x plus y plus z. Work is x; y is play; and z is keeping your mouth shut. 

How on earth are you ever going to explain in terms of chemistry and physics so important a biological phenomenon as first love? (Ahem! Ahem!)

Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts. (Sign hanging in Einstein's office at Princeton) 

 

If the facts don't fit the theory, change the facts. If you are out to describe the truth, leave elegance to the tailor. Imagination is more important than knowledge. 

Technological progress is like an axe in the hands of a pathological criminal. 

You cannot simultaneously prevent and prepare for war

The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits (Oh this is my all-time fav!) 

I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones. 

If you can speak of technical things only in technical terms, you do not understand them. 

In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity. 

Put your hand on a hot stove for a minute, and it seems like an hour. Sit with a pretty girl for an hour, and it seems like a minute. That's relativity. 

If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?

                                                                                                                              Albert Einstein

Thought...

I found myself standing alone in a dark room.
Where no light could touch me, no one to hear me...
Felt the chilly breeze run through my hair...
I knew he was there, everywhere...

The love I felt made me numb,
To his wishes so I succumb,
He tore me to pieces...
Now I am busy gathering my shreds.
Still in the room, alone but warm!

Charu Agarwal

Mood swings in Females, Alcoholism in males!

Men muse on it and girls remain confused.

At times even they don’t know why they reacted in a particular fashion, may be it’s the mood swings.

But science has an explanation to certain behavioral patterns commonly seen (and mostly abhorred by men). Men and women respond differently to reductions in serotonin, the neurotransmitter that regulates mood and impulsivity. Using a technique called acute tryptophan depletion, which decreases serotonin levels in the brain, it’s found that men become more impulsive, but are less susceptible to mood swings.

Women, on the other hand, experience worsening of their mood and became more cautious -- a response associated with depression (and anxiety sometimes). Soon after the serotonin levels normal up (no relation to watching TV or their men wooing them) they bounce back to their most charming disposition.

The findings might help men understand "why women show a higher prevalence of mood and anxiety disorders compared to men, (even when they are not on their periods) while they show a higher prevalence of alcoholism and impulse control disorders"

Wait a min guys, it never means its girly to be moody-though we do have the hear warming share of it..:-)

Charu Agarwal

A grain of sand...

It was a fine day of spring when the wind blew as it always has been. The sun stood at the sentinel as the trees swayed frantically in revelry only to subvert what the wind whispered to them, what it knew about the frail, senile creature who had ineptly occupied a small bench under the tree, eyes void of all emotions and his face bland. He had been a new entry at the asylum, accosted with a couple of more such joy hearts, about whom people knew just a too little. Infact, they were considered too bawdy to be cared for. But the wind knew more. As it blew past his cryptic eyes, percolating his slack beard, it tried to surmise the cause of his detonation...

It had seen him as a jovial man, in mid-thirties, and at the pinnacle of his career, where the aura of his persona mused all those who met him. It had seen veneration in the eyes of those who read his poetry and extolled on his impeccable “work” of art. The skill to proliferate the simplest of human emotions to a diadem has been his forte. Life had been considerably fair to him and had honed out an artist who was revered for his immaculate skills. He never married for he preferred to be alone with his thought, his art!
It was his love, it was his life.

..and then the day arrived. The day that whisked off the debacle of his skills, mooting his art, pulverizing his retinue…

One day as he was dawdling to his way back home, the idea of writing a testimony to self alluded him. He smirked at the idea of parleying his grandeur (hitherto) to words that world would read and the thoughts of siring his life to a meaningful work of art enthused his spirits. But fate had a very simple stratagem to jostle his canopy and more importantly, shock his art he so profusely trusted and banked upon.

Charu Agarwal

Scotch

It was the usual evening outside Vanitha’s two room apartment. The roads were jammed with vehicles glaring horns at each other furiously in lieu of reaching their respective home the fastest they could. She could clearly hear the radio screaming the latest songs from cars, but was too distracted to reach for the window panes. Her neighbours Mr. and Mrs. Reddy were already back from God knows where.
She squirmed slightly in her couch, placing her slender body more carefully to fill in the contours of the couch while trying to concentrate on the movie she had decided to watch as she waited for Utsav to come home.

She had been married to Utsav for five years now and it had been a perfect marriage by far. Utsav was a jovial guy with attractive looks and fantabulous temperament. He was every thing a wife would want him to be and everything she would not want him to be!
She took a deep breath as if to let out the relentlessness that had been occupying her but her eyes lit with magic as her roving eyes fixated on the photo frame placed callously on the table by her side. The man smiled back ineffably from behind the frame she herself had handcrafted, setting the deeply set brown eyes to mischief as they peeped through the closely knitted brows.

Just then the movie declared a break and she felt the much familiar emptiness queering her contentment as she began to recall the day’s events.
It wasn’t the break for sure.
The day had started and sailed through as most of her weekdays were. She gave a second glance to the frame placed by her side and suddenly realized what it was. The television resumed the movie as promised but she was no longer interested. With great effort she twitched once again in her couch, making a mental note as she dawdled towards the cupboard stationed in her bed room. Without wasting any time she stuck her hand inside to the debris of the piled clothes, pulling out an almost tattered picture of a tall youth in his mid twenties. The man here bore a broader smile, his teeth sparkling white against the tanned complexion and was one of the best looking men she had set her eyes on. But what she loved most about this particular picture was the way his passion for Scotch came though as he raised the glass to a toast, never mind what the occasion was! He was unmistakably her first love, the sight of which made her get back to her comfort zone. She gave a long conceiting look until she realized it was almost the time for Utsav to return!
She hurriedly made the planned moves and replaced herself to the comfort of her couch, lilting to the song the enthusiastic couple in the movie sang

It was none less than ten minutes when the door bell startled her. She sprung up instantaneously anticipating who it might be. The man smiled back from behind the doors with similar mischief.

“Hey, you changed that picture of mine!” he gasped noticing the frame slightly tilted.
“I think you looked more handsome before our marriage, honey”, she teased as she threw her arms around his neck.
“Oh!” giggled Utsav
“What’s for dinner?” intrigued Utsav
“Scotch!!” she smiled back.





Charu Agarwal

Both..

Today when I look up, I see the stars and the clouds, the sun and the rainbow, the moon and the mist. I see both, I savor both.

Five Minutes Of Fame

And the winner is….yeh hum aapko batayenge ek chotte se break ke baad!!

Zoom goes in another commercial. Aren’t these commercials far much able than such singing so-called-reality-shows, which have been revolving around the same concept ever since Sonu Nigam got his first ever break in Sa Re Ga Ma as a host??

The model has invariably given us talent that we relish till date. Sanu Nigam, Shaan, Sunidhi Chouhan, Shekhar, Kunal Ganjawala to name a few. The concept has reached its saturation after being exploited, and continuing to be, by all the channels one can fathom. When the desh ki janta was already getting acidic by over dose, the voting calls keep coming in. This time it was churning the rotten candidates that the sauntering janta had already decided to do without. The long forgotten candidates were given a chance to relive the drama, hurling the janta towards the pain of voting. What the heck!! If this was not all, the spat between the judges is artificially created and organized to a hype and is then sold for better TRP. They never seem to get enough. To make it worse, it’s now been coupled with dancing, hosted by our very own, and talented (read not) Ravi Anand! Does this man qualify at all to represent and host a show!! Of course he does. Any man in the industry who runs out of work does. And that’s the guru mantra to keep the cash resisters ringing. Applies to the channels, to the singers (if they at all can) and certainly the hosts and the hostess!!

Soon after the series gets wound up, lost are the faces in the 5 minutes fame which were once cheered for so vehemently, some of which certainly deserve. Remember Rooprekha, Qazi, Sandeep, to name some cheered and long forgotten winners!

But, picture abhi baaki hai mere dost! Don’t forget to switch on your television set- never mind the channel as all must be airing the same conceptual singing drama- at 10 pm. Who knows you find a familiar face that you once vouched for. Hang on, even if you have forgotton their names in the long list of “singers”, the reminders would be to shortly provided..” Please mujhe vote karma na bhoolen, mere voting information hain…..”

Dekha, ab yaad aaya na!

PS: Readers comments and opinions are invited!

Forever Your’s

It was a beautiful day when Arvind was to take his scheduled bus to Kota. He chose to commute by bus to buy out time; he would need it anyways to plan out even the miniscule details to perfection. There was no way he could allow even one mistake on his part this time. The bus driver stepped in the bus and looked around, Arvind’s heart was racing and the nervous excitement was almost palpable. He seemingly and willfully allowed the feel to sweep inside and infect his senses. He enjoyed every moment that was to take him to Kota, to Charu.

The bus driver injected the keys into the engine, it sniffed with a roar and in no time the engine was bought to life. The engine pipe let out the thick black vapour into the air and bang, the bus was now leaving behind the by passengers, the tea stall and in no time the bus stand had vanished giving way to the green plush turf. Arvind squirmed to adjust himself to comfort and closed his eyes, moist by now with nostalgia. He parted his dry lips to a soft mumble “Here I come…”

The journey had begun and the roads stood besieged, as if waiting to take him to his love, who had once been her life and still was. The time flew by ever since he had last met her, the memories were afresh and his love intact.

He slowly dragged the brown envelope from his bag and began reading it. He had lost count of the times he had been through the black print, and consequently the agony. In fact, he had read it the day he last met Charu. The final letters of the report gave him the courage to do what he had been planning so long.

Adjusting himself yet again to the uncomfortable seat of the bus, he started reading it again. Slowly. Carefully.

“Listen”, he darted back at the tear filled eye “I think I have had enough of all this. I have bagged a job in the States that I was after for so long and there’s no holding me back now. Not even you.”

A drop trickled down her flushed cheeks. “Not even me?” she croaked with effort.
I never intend to hold you back Arvind. I just need you, your love. Please don’t do this to me. Not now when ......”

“Not now? He barked cutting her short. He turned afraid she might read what was going on in his mind. He wanted to throw his arms around her embrace her to a tight hug and promise to never leave her. A promise he intended to honor. A promise he knew he could never honor, not when he had been diagnosed with Leukemia!

She stood there speechless, looking at Arvind in the eye, searching for one weak moment that he would surrender to for she knew Arvind was genuinely in love with her, until now.
He turned to leave.

The bus driver slammed the brakes dragging Arvind out of his reverie. He gave a last look at the pages he held before folding them back neatly in the envelope.

The night passed in anticipation and at 7 am, the tyres screeched bringing the bus to a halt.

“Kota”, announced the bus helper.

He took the lane straight to 12, Narendra Road carrying butterflies in his stomach. He kept making images of how Charu might be looking though it wasn’t too long that she had been out of his sight.
He placed a soft knock and the door opened with a thud.

The old lady at the door spoke to Arvind with inquisition “Yes..?”

Just when he was about to speak, something else caught his attention. It was unmistakably the same beautiful face he had missed so much. Just the sight of her and he felt his knees weakening. The same brown eyes stared back her him and the tresses were neatly arranged though some managed to fly around her broad forehead, making her look even more stunning.

Suddenly something hit him hard in his mind, “Damn!” He said and fell on his knees and began to weep uncontrollably.

It took him an hour before he could recover the shock and looked at the lady who was now standing by his side. “Aunty, I don’t know... I...Just…” he fumbled, choosing the right words.

The lady gave him a flat look and drew a brown envelope from her cupboard without speaking a word. They both knew each other but the tie between them was now snapped by the fateful hands of time.

“Here” She said.

He sat adjacent to the wall from where he could not see Charu but she looked at him from behind the silver cast frame that was ornate with a blue white garland. The broad smile was invariably the same. He remembered this particular picture very well. It was her favourite, and his too. He closed his eyes again, tighter this time to squeeze out the last drop of tears.

He flipped open the envelope and began to read. Slowly. Carefully.

Arvind,

Its been really difficult living without you, but what’s more difficult is to live with the fact that you love me no longer.
I have waited for your return since then, and today I give up and I give up on life.

I close my eyes with one last wish, please don’t turn around to hide your tears when you see  me next because I know you will come looking after me.

And yes, couldn’t tell you this the last day we met. “I love you”

Forever Your's

Charu

“Me too...” He drew a deep breath and turned around, this time to face her.


                                                                                                                        Charu Agarwal


PS: Please leave in your comments.

Strategies to a successful interview

Getting job is easy, but not free. The price you pay is some home work done on your part. Interviews are treated as a conversation, that might, or might not fetch you a job. An interview
is much more than that!

An interview is a direct conversation, formal/informal, between the authorities empowered to employ and the potential candidate.
It is a process of assessing the characters, needs and benefits which both the parties can offer to each other and form a professional association. It reveals to the interviewer how serious you are about the job, and your career, and trust me, he is no fool. You are. If you meet him unprepared!

Pre Interview Preparation

The pre interview preparation includes the following:

§ Study the company's website thoroughly.

§ Study the LinkedIn profile of the company and the Manager (who you are scheduled with)

§ Visit the Job portals searching for similar roles to get a whiff of the job and consequently the expectations from you.

§ Keep a check on what the employer expects from you and make a list of the probable questions .(The questions asked will be in accordance with the nature of the company and more importantly in relation to the nature of the job you are applying for)

§ Try and keep the answer of these questions in writing and be prepared with slight variations. If you have any doubts, consult with an experienced person. Search the net

§ Practice the answers before a mirror . It really does wonders in improving the self confidence level. 

Now that we know how we are to face the interviewer, lets ponder on to his favourite questions..

The common questions asked at the interview sessions are enlisted herewith:

· Tell us something about yourself. (Mention the educational qualifications, briefly giving the details of the institutes, academic credentials, and achievements in the previous positions held.)
· What is your family background? (Mention your fathers occupation and of other family members who are working. Mention very briefly about your siblings and elaborate only when asked to. One must answer this particular question very confidently)
· Why did you not join your father’s business? (A sure question if you mention your father as a businessman. I assume you must be having a valid reason already)
· How does your father inspire you?
· What are your strengths?
· What are your weaknesses?
· How will you explain the break in your career (if there is more than 6 months gap between two consecutive jobs?)
· Why do you change your job so frequently? (if there is less than 1 yr stint in any company)
· Why did you leave your previous job? (never speak ill of any of your past employers)
· How has the working experience that you have added to your personality?
· How will you deal with situations if your weaknesses affect your deliverables/performance?
· What are your personal goals?
· How do you expect your family to support you in your career?
· Do you mind working overtime?
· Are you open to relocation?
· How comfortable will you with shifting departments within our organization?
· How will you react to the responsibilities added to your job profile from time to time?
· What is the most important thing that has attracted you to this particular job?
· What is more important to you - Position or Pay? (Both are important. But the extent of importance grossly depends from case to case)
· If you have offers from two companies, one offers you a higher pay and the other a good position. Which one will you select? Why?
· How would you like to be managed? (By anyone who would understand why I made a mistake and makes sure that I learn from it. By someone whom I can set as my ideal and learn things from.)
· What will be your ideal job?
· What motivates you the most?
· How do you manage pressure situations?
· Why do you think we should hire you for this job?
· Tell us an annoying/ embarrassing/ humorous incident.
· How do you think your qualification/experience suits/suffices the requirement for this job?
· Where do you see yourself after 5 yrs from now?

§ Make sure to clarify the question, its meaning, if you don’t understand, rather than giving an incorrect answer Read the set of questions twice and be prepared to be greeted by "him" with a warm smile.. Not only he thinks you are well prepared, he understands you are an asset to his organization.

Happy Working!

                                                                                                                        Charu Agarwal

Samsung M 2710

Samsung has recently unveiled several decent phones and have allotted neat classification to these sets. The customer can select the option and the page leads to its relevant category-music phones, camera phones, touch screen sets and the like.

One such model introduced by Samsung in the Music Series is the Beat Edition-M2710 launched in July 2009.

A decent slider phone available in Black- Red and White-Purple (which is hardly available in the stores) the phone provides battery back-up of up to 10 hours talk time and 2 days in stand-by, the phone avails GPRS (Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps) Edge and WAP Connectivity with data transfer mode is restricted to Bluetooth and USB alone (USB and Software CD provided).

The display is standard Graphical with coloured TFT Screen supporting 262K colors and a modest 240 x 320 pixels resolution. The 2.0 MP camera (1600x1200 pixels) is pretty impressive whilst the image editor functions extra ordinarily well, almost at par with picasa that we use so frequently. The video recordings are above average although they cannot be zoomed-in while being played.

Among the usual functions, the Samsung M-2710 doesn’t go amiss with to-do-list, Calculator , Alarm Clock-Supporting as many as 8 personalized alarms, Java Applications (empowered with Java games that includes Sudoku also, to my delight), Currency Converter, Stop Watch, Offline Mode (that affiliates to the Air-Plane wireless functions), Voice Recorder , MMS, SOS Messages (emergency messaging to relatives/friends) and not to forget the Mobile Tracker . The sleek 2.10 inches light weighted phone with smooth slider is a treat with music lover as the MP3 and MP4 format supported music playes on well (nearly as good as Sony Walkman series) notwithstanding the Radio to linger on. The dedicated music keys are of no use when the phone is in slider down mode. Besides, for these music keys Samsung has sacrificed on the Call and End keys that I miss perpetually. With these keys missing the slider has to be pulled on and off every time the call is to be made or ended causing much irritation. Besides there is no provision of auto keypad lock and the slider has to be tampered with to lock keys all the time which goes a long way in pulling down the phones rating.

The phone supports up to 16 GB external memory (microSD TransFlash) which supplements the 50 MB internal memory (Done expect to get the memory card inside the pack like he Nokia Phones)
In this age of free messaging provided by the generous service providers the Samsung Phone fail to offer message counters that I miss fervently when I lose track on the count of sent messages. The message memory is 300 which I find sufficient (though I have heard many complaining about this)
On a lighter side Samsung has launched Etiquette Pause which automatically turns off all sound being played the moment phone is kept up-side down. Besides the BEAT edition (unlike several other Samsung series) provides the facility of locking the Phone Book, Call Log, Messages and the File Manager by a personalized password, which I personally liked a lot.

All in all it’s an average set according to the cost incurred. The phone in my opinion can be overlooked as Samsung Omnia is almost in the same range and offers much more to its users. Wait for a while until I buy that and offer you the review of the same. Amen!

People say I should not trust..
They teach me to Not Trust


I can distrust the whole humanity, But that includes ME as well...

There is a famous paradox that CEAT is using currently as its marketing instrument- The only thing permanent is CHANGE..

Samilar is the situation where I am currently! The frame for my situation is "The only certainity here is uncertainity".

Though there is the difference of just one prefix, the impact is toxicating... :(

PS: Readers comments and opinions are invited!

Just The Matter Of Time

The journey seemed difficult, but he had to start anyway. Vicious, so to say, but the hostile road lay besieged to its only occupant. Although he came across as a frail persona, his aura deprecated all incoherence.

He kept walking with heavy steps, reposing his presence on the unmade road, mentally maintained repository of all details he set his eyes on. It was almost dusk when he noticed a 14-year old boy trying to escape the inced crowd. He approached the boy when he managed to dodge his chasers And learnt that he was a petty thief who has been exempted. The old man placed his hands on his fore-head and tried to deter him from stealing in the future. The boy gawked at him in mistrust and fled without uttering a single word.

The old man made a mental note of it….

He resumed his purpose and kept walking, until he came across a man of uncouth disposition. He flirted with dirty streets and reveled his inane existence. The old man noticed his lower limbs unfurled in a queering fashion, only to further deprecate his appearance. On a small conversation with this man of sporadic mannerisms, he understood that he had lost his leg to a gory accident. The man lamented and wept with grief but never tried to combat his unruly fate. Despite the ineffable efforts old man, failed to make him realize the importance of life, so he decided to wait and watch what fate had in store for him! He rose to his feet and this time it was certain to see him again, and he knew it would be soon…

He resumed his purpose. Days passed by….

As he walked past the desolated street, he saw an old man from distance. His sprawling limbs were confined to the ambit of his tattered mattress. He sat there with mouth slightly ajar, as though from eternity, under the vigilant sun who did not miss any opportunity to make brute foray at his sagging skin and sans eyes. The beggar forced his eyes open and tried to recognize the much familiar face which bore such surreptitious expressions that sufficed fairly to perplex him. All that he could manage was to strain his wits to fathom the cryptic smile that played back and forth him.

Finally the old man spoke:

“ Why are you having troubles recognizing me? You have seen me before. I met you when you were a 14 year old kid trying to escape the people who caught you stealing. I tried to make you understand the vices of your trade but u never listened to me and continued with it until you me t with a gruesome accident which permanently disabled you from walking, let alone running. That was the first lesson for you. I had to come to see you again when you were wasting your life cribbing over what you lost. You again ignored what I said and here I am, for the last time to see you living how you chose to. You would have saved your legs and the Sun had you conceded in me then.. True, Man is what he chooses to be”

The words struck the beggar in the heart and he wept.. Finally when he opened his eyes the old man was gone…Time again was gone..!!!!

PS: Readers comments and opinions are invited!

Flue-d

It was the season of marriage and consequently celebrations when the bad news broke up in Kolkata putting a moral ban on consumption of poultry and poultry products. All hell broke loose as the Bengalis, much faithful to their daily dose of chicken and deem (egg) had to manage with the sole diet of Fish (which is their culinary favourite) and Mutton.

This came with another bad news, the prices of mutton shot up to 240/kg from 170/kg.

Now that’s called Double Dhamaka!

There was an emotion and a financial edge to this as well…
A lot of chicken retail outlets like Arambaghs , KFC, Broadsters digested on the major financial loss as their sales fell like never before.
Emotionally, the poultry owners suffered parting with their “children” that surmounted their financial losses as well.

Over all 38 lakhs chickens were culled in all (West Bengal)

Long after the virus affected Kolkata after claiming 5 lives in the state, the government put a legal ban on the purchase and stock keeping of the product, despite which, the local vendors were seen feeding the “officers” in Dalhousie Square, Baghbazar and Chandani Chowk.

Its not been even 5 days that the vendors have got a clean chit on the poultry products percolating a smile and a sigh of relief.

Though there aren’t any evidences, I personally feel that the government played the same shot as it has played with the cola industry (scams and bans) for more than once now.
http://www.thehindu.com/2008/02/13/stories/2008021360191400.htm

Statutory Warning: The chickens are still not friendly yet…

PS: Readers comments and opinions are invited!

The Stars Shine Down!

The Stars did shine down for the Taare Zamin Par...

Ishan Awasthi spends 8 years of his life in a spectacularly colourful world, and gets a rude shock in lieu of surviving his parent’s expectations from him. Though he is not directly compared to his elder brother Youhan, who edges him almost everywhere, the hitch that he is nowhere closer either is deeply etched in his nubile mind. The toothy grin fades eventually as he is ruthlessly placed in a hostel where Ishan looses his unearthly dreams in the cry to read and write!

The detailed realties of childhood like profoundly digging noses, staring endlessly in void, weaving dreams carefully and then the much detested "Get out from my class" from the teaches are thrown back at us so finely that they bring back us our childhood, certainly leaving for us a wide grin to relish..
But childhood was not easy for Ishan till Ram (Aamir) comes to his rescue only after intermission.

The movie all in all is an emotional feast that has fine lyrics, good music and extreme sensitivity in direction served in hearty proportions to win all hearts.

Aamir has been mind blowing in his directional debut letting Darsheel (Ishan Awasthi) lead from the top and mesmerize his audiences.

The movie to no ones surprise received a "Standing Ovation" as the curtain falls leaving Darsheel swung in Aamir’s arms!

PS: Readers comments and opinions are invited!

The Monk speaks after selling his Ferarri!

What is the monk left with after selling his Ferrari?? Any guesses??Handful of piteous advices and a book titled such!
After the massive success (as Sharmaji puts it, although it was a huge failure in my books) a different pattern of self help book is put forth. Mr. Robin Sharma, here discusses the 101 “things to do” so that people cry when you die?? Err sounds absurd though. This is what the book is titled!

The book in the first places carries an utterly wrong title and confuses the readers who wish to win hearts and gets disappointed to finds nothing to do with becoming a better person. This book, to brief up is a guide on effective utilization of time that then converts you to a better “self manned” individual. No surprises folks. This time Sharmaji have been kind enough to dole out some sensible advices and to my pleasure have shared some names of nice books (though he never mentioned the authors) in his 101 tips.

Coming to 101 tips, these constitute for the plot of the book. A refreshing change from loads of gyan thrown from professional self help speakers, here, one can afford to skip the pages and the elements if need be. The book would certainly not loose its charm (if any) and continuity this way.

The language used is simple and makes sense most of the time though Robin Sharma never misses an opportunity to show off his accolades for the monk who sold his Ferrari; though I secretly wonder if he really got any. He mentions his speeches and his status as a professional speaker at the drop of a hat and makes a hue of it. Nevertheless, he summons up some already known and some known but less practiced fundas of life which certainly are appealing and sensible.

All in all with his “limited resources”, he has compiled a decent read for people with more patience than intelligence!! Be cautious with the title though, you may not get what you thought the title would bear.

A refreshing change. Dus kahanaiyaan

Post the fizzles of the much hyped Sawariyaan, Dus Kahaniyaan promises a refreshing change from the never ending list of the mellow dramatic movies.
Sanjay Gupta’s experiment with the Short Stories style of cinema seems to be going a long way in the city cinema.

Though Dus Cinema failed to thoroughly satisfy the critics, the amalgam of the assorted emotions did just what they were intended to.

Starting with the dilemmas of extramarital affairs, to separation of a married couple to horror flicks and pain, the movie has it all.
The plot of the movie banks on the Jeffrey Archer style short stories which has a spoonful of the sentiments. Tears, humor, sex, deception, conviction, horror, love… you name it, they have it. These sentiments have been swirled in just the right way across different a backdrop which holds the audience’s interest from start to finish. Ranging between 20 to 30 minutes, the stories have been excellently depicted while nothing went amiss that was to aid the screenplay.
The performances have been ordinary to extraordinary. Variety, remember, is what Mr. Gupta was looking at! While Anupam Kher’s role as the father of a daughter was very very frail and ordinary, the character played by Amrita Singh was of a weak woman played with greatest strength! Sanjay Dutt was naturally brute followed by Sunil Shetty and Shabana Azmi who are stars by all means.
There was nothing much to music left in the movie, but I think the casting deserves a special mention. The effect entailed by the cinematographer wins hands down in the process.

The stories with the star cast are:

Gubbare (7.5/10)
Cast: Anita Hasnandani, Nana Patekar and Rohit Roy

Made for Nana Patekar. There is none who could have played the character of a loving husband better. Emotionally taxing, the story has not much left to it as it draws towards the end, very predictable.

High on the highway (6/10)
Cast: Jimmy Shergill, Masumeh

The Story deals with college lovers who meet with a tragedy to bring the good things to an end. The emotions and the drama is surplus.

Love Dale (3/10)
Cast: Anupam Kher, Aftab Shivdasani and Neha Oberoi

Sheer nonsense story. Anupam kher was ordinary.

Matrimony (7.5/10)
Cast: Mandira Bedi, Arbaz Khan and Sudhanshu Pandey

Although the story has been told several times by Jeffrey Archer, it was pleasant to see it onscreen as well. Mandira Bedi and Arbaz did justice to the characters.

Pooranmashi (8/10)
Cast: Amrita Singh, Minisha Lamba and Parmeet Sethi

A personal favourite. It was nerve shaking and very well made. Hats off to Amrita Singh!

Rice Plate (9/10)
Cast: Shabana Azmi and Naseeruddin Shah

Shabana Azmi was simply mesmerizing. The very complex emotions of an old South- Indian lady who has special aversion to the “other caste” is well portrayed, although her “coming back” remarkably well narrated.

Rise and fall (7/10)
Cast: Sanjay Dutt, Suniel Shetty

The story of two friends cum brothers who fight for power. The stale concept as seen in several hindi movied including Sarkaar. The lust for power however, is shown very briefly yest with novelty. Sanjay and Suneil did wonders!

Sex on the Beach (7.5/10)

Cast: Dino Morea and Tareena Patel

Well..well...well. It is funny and interesting too.

Strangers in the night (6/10)
Cast: Neha Dhupia, Mahesh Manjrekar

The viewers shall have no clue unless the story reaches its climax. Amazingly deceptive!

Zahir (6/10)
Cast: Manoj Bajpai, Dia Mirza

Nothing new to the concept, but the story line was fresh. Dia Mirza is the charmer here.

The movie is a must watch for those who like to take a closer look at human emotions. There are many served in the platter!

Orkuts Greetings!!

Its Diwali..Celebrations all around. How can the google team sit back without extending its with its loyalities...

Here is wat they had to offer and trust me..I am impressed.

The moment you click on the small Diya (besides the Happy Diwali wishes) at the top of ur Orkut Home Page, the page refreshes to something like this...

Enjoy

The goddess is here

The artis are grand and the pryers are run from heart. Some might not believe in Her existence,



but for the Kolkattans this is the ultimatete time to rejoice..

(At times the video might appear a little hazy and unclear due to the bright lights abd the distance)

Nevertheless Enjoy!

Coffee Delight!!

Enjoying a cup of coffee was never so delightful.

The recently tried varieties of Filter coffee...

Available in 100gm packs (ideal for gifts) at 70/- and 80/- respectively at Fabindia Stores pan-India!

I give full marks to both!

Samsung SGH J-600, another mega hit model launch!

Before you hang on to buy the Samsung SGH J-600, decide on what exactly you expect from the device? Whether its features, looks, durability, camera and music functionality at par with other high end phones. Unless you are assured, you can be in for a rude shock.

Available in Metallic Blue and Steel Grey, Samsung SGH J 600 is power packed with the features that a sleek handset within budget inhibitions can survive. Its powered with a 65,536 TFT screen with a clear colour resolution of 128 pixels by 160 pixels. With the 1.3 mega pixel camera samsung picture quality outperforms nearly all makes of handsets and its 1.3 MP is at par with2 megapixel of Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Motorola etc). While Samsung boasts of its improved and competitive picture quality, it falters badly with the Video Recording that, sigh, is limited to 2 minutes only (after which it ends automatically)

Among the usual functions, the Samsung SGH J-600 doest go amiss with to-do-list, Calculator , Alarm Clock, Java Applications (empowered with Java games that includes sudoku also, to my delight), Currency Converter, Stop Watch, Offline Mode (that affiliates to the Air-Plane wireless functions), Bluetooth, Web browser, Voice Recorder, Whisper mode [to combat the whispering effect when out on night calls ;-)], MMS, USB Cables (with software application CD) SOS Messages (emergency messaging to relatives/friends- its a new launch pad) and not to forget the Mobile Tracker . The sleek 1.9 inches light weighted phone with smooth slider is a treat with music lover as the MP3 and MP4 format supported music playes on well (nearly as good as Sony Walkman series) notwithstanding the Radio to linger on. Internet surfing (also WAP) is made easier with its dedicated Web Surfing button.


The USP of the set, as advertised is its feather touch functionality , which I personally dont approve of. The feature touch makes its less user friendly as every now and then the cancel button gets activated wile scrolling in on the right side. Also, to talk of its durability, feather touch’s limited life has been proved with LG Chocolate series.

The message geeks might find the "&" function and the smileys missing to only cause irritation with limited expressions to provide. :-(. The keypad lock can be a little unnerving to the not-so-tecky samsung lovers!

On a lighter note, the phone supports upto 2 GB of micro SG card with makes up for the 20 MB internal memory.

A wise buyer should match up his expectations with the power packed features. But yes, its a no-no for rough users (and I personally think men too) as the slider and the metallic body is a little jerky for a tough game.

All in all, a smart phone.

The Indian way of retailing- Autobiography of Kishore Biyani..the think tank behind Pantaloons Retail, India

Its always inspiring to hear from the great men who do things their way. Nevertheless the biographies, especially the autobiographies are rated as boring (even though they are enriching) especially to the restless readers... But this one is different. The think tank, the father of Modern Retailing in India is set out to magnetize the readership of the young and the not-so-young with the same paraphrase that he has spread around.

Kishore Biyani, with little help from Dipayan Baishya moves smoothly from his school-college days, his first entrepreneur endeavors to his stint in movie making and team building experience in his book, lets call it his autobiography (the book was intended to be the Pantaloons Story, but eventually it turned out to be his autobiography) and dishes out a motivating interest in his pursuits.

The plot of "It happened in India" moves around retail strategies of a baniya and his conviction in himself while most of his ideas were rubbished by the then retailers and his family too.

But the book has its share of weaknesses too. He has crammed the pages with testimonies from his business associates that initially provide for a refreshing change from the Gyaan that he drops every now and then. The overdose of the testimony thwarted the flow and most of the times seemed to be made up.

Nevertheless the author repatriates to the Indian way of retailing and provides a hand book for the emerging entrepreneurs and dreamers.

Pros: Entrepreneur qualities revealed and discussed in details.


Cons: Overdose of Gyaan every now and then

Bravo India Bravo!

The Indians bring home the Cup after 24 years.
It makes for a sentimental issue for the Indians whilst the true lovers of the sport regard it as a massive win.

To quote Gavaskar "Pakistan always have been a competitor for India whenever we think of good cricket". Certainly the comment was diplomatic and shunned the feeling of most Indians (as Rameez Raza was seated just beside Gavaskar, the comment didn't show on the signs of pleasure on his face)

But History repeats itself. Pakistan, no matter how potential threat it poses to the Indians, have never been able to sustain a victory against India in any relevant World Cup (Finals) match.
Its only proved once again.

Someone said Twenty20 being a small and a less important format, does not carry India's victory to the top notch. I disagree and oppose strongly. In fact, it posed new threats and challenged to the new and certainly the more vulnerable team as they had a lot more responsibility in lesser time.
Certainly the Twenty20 slot makes them even more worthy of the winning title!!!

After the Team failed to qualify in Top8s in last world cup, the reshuffling of the players made much more sense. This, in my opinion was the savior for Team India.

While the new players were much more open to the new concept, it was indispensable to make the Indians show and prove that India is worth a title prestigious as the World Champions without ace players like Sachin, Dravid and of course the useless Ganguly.

The country awaits the Twenty20 Finals

The country awaits the Twenty20 finals against Pakistan on September 25th. While it’s said to be a historical match, we hope for the historical win also. It nevertheless doesn’t seem to be an impossible mission. Team India has made its way up to the finals giving the world champions (Yes, I mean the Aussies) a cut throat competition followed by a despicable defeat. Do the unfazed guns need more proof to be given? Follow the Twenty20 match journey. They have proved themselves more than once.

The Fear factor that we have witnessed in the old team is found missing, while they shamelessly set out for hunting wickets and the Cup of course..

Dhoni (although not my very favourite) has set examples for the team hitherto and so has Yuvraj while Sree Sanath is no less. With such tough men gunning towards Victory stop them because fear can’t.....

Great Quotes from Albert Einstein.

The following are some amazing quotes from Einstein. He needs no audience and no introduction. My favs are marked in bold though...

Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love.

The hardest thing in the world to understand is the income tax.

The only real valuable thing is intuition.

A person starts to live when he can live outside himself.

Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character.

Sometimes one pays most for the things one gets for nothing.

Science without religion is lame. Religion without science is blind.

Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.

Great spirits have often encountered violent opposition from weak minds.

Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen.

Science is a wonderful thing if one does not have to earn one's living at it.

The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources.

The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education.

The whole of science is nothing more than a refinement of everyday thinking.

We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.

Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school.

I-Google rulzzzzzzz

What I have always loved about google (and its products) is simplicity, coupled with creativity.

One such example is i-google! Set up as home page, it is highly customizable and full of options that the page width may size. Dream of it and we have it. What the child in me loved most about it are the themes that (I) keep changing. The selection may switch from Classic, Sea Beach, Tea House, and many more that are full of vibrant colours and cool animation (although I am not much of an animation freak, the designs just strike the right balance).

Talk of the gadgets now, I have some that I admit, though I dont need I liked them enough to make them adorn my home page! I am talking of the Decision maker. To tell you the truth, I am still not certain what and how it decides. :-) Besides, the two blogs that I constantly get to have my eyes on finds place here. I never miss on the add-ons with this!

Neways, there are some real sensible hues also. The BSE index, The Note Pad ( I called it Charu) and the To-do list are the must for my profession. I simply cant do without being reminded several times of the day and time, so there is a clock to suit my taste and need. Sudoko is anothr fascination with me, so have that at the centre to have it waiing for me whenever I want to unwind. The option of adjusting its level (Very easy, easy, medium etc) makes it my darling. With my stress level, matches the game level!

I am constatly in touch with my "stuffs" and loving it a lot!

Quote

"I would not be what I will be tomorow, if I dont be what I am today"

Charu Kaushal

The Countdown to 10 most beautiful cell phones!

The era of flagrant gadgets have arrived where computers are becomming palm tops; then whats with the palm tops??

Leave alone the features (they are plenty in each) lets take a ride on the looks!

Here the countdown begins....

10. Hitachi W42H
Where looks werent enough, the dash of colours make it say all. The phone is available in black, white and orange and three different snap-on accessories. The set comes with an image stabilized camera, dictionary functions, and music player, but the most important feature according to Hitachi is the ability to change the look of the phone itself!

9. Samsung SGH-E900

Another stunning masterpiece from Samsung. But when did Sam sing?? Oops jokes apart, this deadly Tri-Band GSM (900 / 1800 / 1900MHz) EDGE phone comes with GPRS and multimedia capablities. It features a new innovative slider design and is powered by a 2 MegaPixel camera with a 262K Color TFT display. The storage capacity is expandable though through microp SD slot that has been provided. In addition the phone also features a music player that supports MP3 / AAC / ACC+ / AAC+(e) / WM playback. On the connectivity side it has bluetooth and USB. In addition it also includes a Digital Power Amp and also feature touch keys as well.

8. KDDI Talby by Marc Newson.

The Talby is a quite old phone. It was first shown as a product concept back in 2003 and garnered a lot of attention during a couple of years. The Tably is available in three colors, hornet green, orange orange and hole black. The Talby is only available in Japan. While featured with 1.3 megapixel camera, there is not much to boast about in the zone other than the looks.

7. O2 Ice

Now here is a man! The O2 Ice was actually the phone that was the inspiration to this article. It’s a small stylish 3G phone that has the usual built-in MP3 player, 1.3 megapixel camera, with bluetooth. Though the camera stands as a demotivation for the 2 and 3 megapixel crew, the looks are enough to entice the girls. Men in palms..not a bad idea!!

6. Samsung SGH-E870

The Samsung SGH-E870 is a nice looking clamshell phone coming in three different colors Chic White, Valentine Pink and Chilli blue. It’s primarily aimed towards girly-girls. It is a triband clamshell GSM phone that has GPRS, Bluetooth, a speakerphone, a 1.3 megapixel camera, supports Java applications, weighs just 85 grams, and it has a crisp TFTLCD on the inside and a color OLED display on the outside. Phew. Thats pretty much! The SGH-E870 comes with a nice 80mb of internal memory which can be expanded via a Transflash/micro SD slot.

5. KDDI Neon by Naoto Fukasawa

The Neon is one of the latest phones coming out from the AU Design project at KDDI. It’s available in three colors, light blue, pink and black. It has a built-in 1.3 megapixel camera, miniSD slot, music player, FM tuner and a 320×240 screen. Not much to boast about. Its just an eye candy to think of.

4. Black Diamond

Black Diamond is a luxury phone that isn’t out on the market yet. It’s supposed to be launched early 2007 from a company called VIPN. On their site they promote a limited edition of the phone made out of titanium and with real diamonds. Blessed with the fancy overtone, the phone comes with 1.3 megapixel.

3. Helio Kickflip

The Helio Kickflip is small and stylish, but it’s still loaded with a 2 megapixel camera, 2.2″ screen (320×240) and 3GB memory capabilities. Better off in style nad features than most mentioned. It sure calls for attention!

2. LG KG-800 Chocolate.

A pure beauty and a pleasure to own. Commonly available in the city (cities) its a little difficult to maintain. Priced towards common peoples reach, it leaves finger impressions when (ever) touched. 1.3 megapixel camera, slider case and expandable memory forms the key feature to the unit!

1. KDDI Penck by Makoto Saito

A hunk to call it so. The PENCK phone designed by Makoto Saito is one and a half years old, but it’s still the most beautful phone ever made. The PENCK is available in three colors, metal, milk (white), and bitter (black). Too bad it’s only available in Japan. :-(