The adventure of getting Income Tax Refund

For past couple of months I am having adventure of trying to get refund for A.Y.2004-2005. Though not a big amount (a small way up in four figures) when compared to many others' whose grievances I came across via simple net search.

Pune Income Tax office records show that refund order has been sent almost one and half year back, perhaps it has got lost in post somewhere. Seems a sure possibility because when I had a chance to look at the record copy of relevant document, it indicated some issue with dot matrix printer used for printing the address (perhaps some pins not firing or bad ribbon), as the pincode was not clearly printed in the record copy and address was bit mauled - state happened to have got changed there. No wonder I didn't receive the refund order sent by post.

I am looking forward to the day when refunding of income tax directly to taxpayer's account gets actually implemented all over India. It is not much of hassles to an account alive for an year or so for collecting the refund from IT department, than taking rounds of ITO in vain. Moreever it will reduce some fuelling to corruption. Often people have to part with 10-15% (even more in some cases) as commission normally to receive the refunds.

The current procedure for asking for a refund that has got missed out for whatsoever reasons, involved a process of indemnity bond on Rs. 100 stamp paper and xerox of some documents. Since stamp papers are out these days, one has to go for franking and then paying 100-150 Rs. to notary for doing his bit. Not many banks provide franking services and that too is limited to certain branch(es) in city.

I wish if procedure for claiming refund against missed-in-post/lost/expired-date refund orders could be made simpler. Just an application on plain paper or filling up an online form with relevant details.

Atleast income tax department could put information on it's site about - what should a person do in each case, the documents required to be submitted with application, franking/stamp-paper value for indemnity bond, whom should the application be addressed to, better still if formats of these applications also put on site that people can use by filling in the the factual information as per their case. As my experience has been, it takes quite some energy to figure out what, how etc. related to such kind of issues from local income tax office, especially when you are not conversant with the local language.

In case someone related with income tax department or responsible for information on their site, is reading this. Can you look into above request?

Feet tell as much as your face does

Ever had a feeling that your feet tell much more about you than your face does. We are trained to manipulate our face expressions but that's it. Last month I had gone for Annual day function at R.I.M.Y.I.. At the end of function there was a lunch programme. There unknowingly I started observing the feet of people standing in the queue and found something strange. These feet were telling quite a lot about the shape of person's face and the general frame as well. Looking closely it felt as if they are telling about the psyche of the person as well. For around half and hour or so, I had been in this observation state that kept on puzzling me. In between I also looked at my feet and I saw them the way I had never seen them and yes it did tell me something about myself, something registered that I can't express.

I had these feet related observations later as well, but not as intense as on that day. Later on I was talking to one of my teachers at P.U.C.S.D. who told me that somewhere Gurdjieff also mentioned about similar things and that everyone has a specific combination, in which even if you change only the nose of person, it will result in a different person. I think I understand to some extent what Gurdjieff might have meant or wanted to express, when I see in the light of my other past years' experiences and observations as well.

Future of employment

Hiring is Obsolete - came across this article via Slashdot. It's true that future of employment will be changing in coming years. An article I read in Times of India last month or so, about many people moving towards working in temporary mode, as in work for couple of months and go for relaxations or do something altogether different. They are not bothered/worried about usual benefits(??) of being an employee and long term stability.

Building blocks for machine life

Not all of these works, researchers/technologists would have thought of using in building machines that look, walk, talk, think like humans and also are more fault tolerant, heal faster, can repair themselves quickly.

Simple robot that can make copies of itself from spare parts (May 12, 2005) : These could repair themselves if parts fail, reconfigure themselves to better perform the task they have been set, or even to make extra helpers. Offspring version can make further copies. It is only a toy demonstration of the idea, but lead researcher Hod Lipson, of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, has bold plans for these intelligent modular machines. Combining this with the biology of self-repair and of replication would make huge changes to the field of robotics.

Generating artificial organs (October 28, 2003) : Tejal Desai, the 31-year-old associate professor in biomedical engineering at Boston University, was recently honoured by Popular Science magazine as one of the 10 most brilliant scientists in America for 2003. After four years of working to make cells grow on chemically modified surfaces, she developed a microscopic device, that, when implanted in diabetic rats, delivered ongoing, regular doses of insulin. It’s a hollow bit of silicon, few millimetres in size, perforated with 10-15 nanometre pores, filled with living pancreatic cells producing insulin. The holes are large enough for the insulin to diffuse out, but small enough that the pancreas cells stay inside and the rat’s immune agents don’t enter and attack the cells. The silicon means that the body cannot reject the tiny pump. As long as the body produces glucose, the cells respond with insulin. Once you have an implant that contains cells, theoretically, it can last indefinitely, acting like a bioreactor and functioning like artificial pancreas. The most important thing is to keep the cells alive inside the capsule and ensure they get enough nutrients and oxygen.

Flying cars waiting for you in future

I have a dream for long time, past 10 years or so, when there would be little aircrafts available for use like we use two wheelers, personal cars. May be one day I would design a light weight but sturdy air travel vehicle for myself so that I can roam above the ground, high up in the sky like birds and see the world as it looks from up there. May be I would be able to own some such vehicle in future, if I lived by then. I expected small personal airvehicles to be available for common use surely by 2050. But this slashdot article seems to suggest, it could be even possible before 2040, may be by 2030.

Search engines simplified for simpletons

I guess it is more than an year now, when I was trying out some service (possibly search related) at hotmail.com and they had an option about giving some feedback to them. At that point no search engine provided a search facility that dealt with a simpleton querry like - "Where is TajMahal?" and gave more precise answers to this querry rather than loads of results. I had filled in that feedback form, if hotmail search engine could provide such kind of features in (then) near future, it could put it differently ahead of other search engines. No feedback came from them. Well, it couldn't have been expected either as the been-filled-up form mentioned not to expect feedbacks.

Came across an article on slashdot that mentioned about google providing similar service now. On further readups I found couple of other projects and search engines (www.answers.com) that were giving similar services good enough.

feels happy that as a user of search engines I felt a need for improvement there that voila! somebody has even taken steps towards that.

Meeting a Guru

Had been at Delhi Railway station in morning yesterday, with the intention to catch Avadh-Aasaam for some onward journey. Found it so packed that getting inside even without my luggage had been a gruelling task. I dropped the idea later, as if I could get inside somehow, next couple of hours of journey would pass on standing in tight bin-packing (have had experience of such journey in past, longest being once on pune-delhi route for around 18-20 hours. Moreover it didn't make much sense to try this adventure when bus service to desired place was available almost every 15 minutes, though that takes around 1.5-2 hours more and even more if one ends up in traffic jam on highway.

So I stood there on platform for next 10-15 minutes, seeing the train depart slowly, with some mixed feelings inside, wondering why did I waste time to come to railway station and bought the train ticket (that I could cancel with minor cancellation charge), by now it would have been around an hour's journey on bus.

While I turned back to walk towards the platform exit, I saw a woman dressed in almost black clothes (black from dirt, oil etc.) and unwashed, dirtful hair and body, carrying something very softly in her hands and walking as if nothing mattered. I realised that I knew what she was carrying with 'sahaj bhaav', before some policemen nearby started discussing about it within themselves. It was human shit that as per these policemen 'pagli' was carrying to eat??? When I heard the words I realised what I had realised that I knew.

Normally seeing shit around made me quite uncomfortable in childhood, and seeing it on railway tracks I also have felt like coughing, spitting, moving away from site, and yet I was here standing and watching her walk on platform with no feelings. Those 30-60 seconds (frankly speaking I didn't have any idea of how long it had been, as it looked a big deal of time) I felt I was able to see things as it is, without any biases or preconceived or picked-up-from-environment-and-education notions. I wondered why this strange feeling/behaviour I had with respect to human and dog/cat shit? Cow/bufallow, horse, goat, birds etc. shit didn't evoke those strange feelings inside me? And cow/bufallow shit I have even hold in my hands and made 'upale' and designs out of it for a garland used for offering to fire during HOLI. Some fed-in notions since childhood perhaps that cow shit is pious and others not.

When I came out of my state of realisation, I walked towards exit, but something had changed me by then, looking at human shit on railway track didn't have that earlier strength of strange feelings.
I knew the answer now - why had I come to railway station first instead of going to bus station directly.

Making of a reasonable homepage

After being back in pune, it's more than a week now. making webpage has consumed more time than I expected. One or other issue/content enhancement/layout idea keeps on coming and stretching it. But I have also not been working consistently on this.

A hapazhard webpage was initially put in december/january. Making a decent and contentful page takes time. working over resume page took quite some time and revisions, as effectively I was making resume freshly. Lesson to be learnt - keep on updating resume also with time, as do for other documentation etc. in workplace. It's also beneficial in case you have very less time before sending a resume.

I haven't started applying yet. Have been postponing it till get the homepage and links referred in resume in shape, but looks like that I will have to do that even w/o that, the way homepage is taking time. Atleast I should be registering on couple more of job and freelance work websites now, as things take their own course and time to materialise. Have registered on naukri.com so far and it's still not more than 50% finished product.

Mail from some consultant had come telling me that I was sunil and I had earlier sent him my resume. I replied to him giving URL to my resume and correcting that I was not sunil. I don't hope that things will be the way I am looking forwards to, with this person and company for whom he is searching people.

I had planned to start formally applying, rather contacting the people who had earlier contacted me or whom i had informally enquired in recent past, since 7th, yesterday, but doesn't look like it will start even today. But I should send mail to atleast one contact today.

Now I need to work on freezing the contents of homepage page by page. In no case it should extend beyound 15th March. After that once in a while routine maintenance in couple of weeks, mainly because free-homepage hosting sites require some site updations etc. in a month or so to keep them active. But now I will simultaneously work on other tasks as well and reduce homepage work to parttime from full time. Let's see how this week turns out.

Being nowhere yet everywhere

Had left the organisation I had been working for, in first week of january and had been attending some gatherings to charge myself. Past couple of years have drained me significantly, when I look at myself, I find having aged more than 10 years or so in 3-4 years. However, age increased in terms of experiences and understanding of life as well, though not as much.

Working in closed and artificially cooled environment, lack of sufficient fresh air, sufficient dose of sunlight, most of the time sitting in front of idiotbox (aka computer) etc. has had a very bad effect on health even affecting mobility of joints. Good that I reduced usage of mobile around 2 years back, since I realised that initial usage of mobile has had effect on my memory also, apart from giving me headaches these days when I use it for couple of minutes. Headaches are also caused by earphones as well. I wonder when people with headphones on, play so lound music that sitting couple of meters away from them, it is clearly audible to me.

Anyways, now I am out of it and can be close to nature and take care of my health and recover as much as I can before taking on another job. I haven't applied anywhere yet. Many people have asked me how could I leave a well paying (well is a relative term and it's meaning varies from person to person) job just like that, w/o ensuring next job at hand? Simple reason is that, I just wanted to relax, to be nowhere for some time and not having any thing on head about joining one place or other.

I don't know, what I will do next? I won't mind even change of profession. Will look for job as a freelancer/consultant s/w developer in future, though I know that not many companies have faith in themselves to venture into work relationships like that and it might be a bumpy road ahead. Though I would like to not work in computers all the time but explore other aspects of life as well. Let's see how it all works out. I have faith in God, whatever happens, happens for good. I have seen this goodness in couple of cases very closely in my life.

Should be back in pune by month end and then would first polish my homepage and then use that as a portal to look for work and people, working with whom could be fun and invigorating rather than draining, a change in life. I expect things to take time to work out as I wish for future, but one thing or other would start working out by april, when I start on it.

Collective energy of Hope

Had heard a lot about Guru Ramdev (his programs come on aastha TV channel) and his curing many patients via his yoga shivir (camps) from some medical practitioner and common people. Many people had got improvement in their medical conditions in couple of months, even by practicing on their own after watching TV programmes, problems which many years of treatments by doctors couldn't reduce.

Had managed to get a pass for this. Camp timings are daily morning 5:00-7:00am. Had to wake up around 4:00am to freshen up as the camp site is around 15 minutes drive in night, w/o any signal to stop in between, and it's better to be slightly early at camp.

When I reached the site, it was a total different atmosphere. Must be 15-20 thousands people braving the cold under open sky, sunrise happens around 7:00 these days. Tiredness of wakingup so early against the routine was as if never was there. The place was so full of energy, that was charging the individuals also. It was energy of hope, hopes that they will get cured or atleast see significant improvement in their conditions - they have heard a lot about sort of miraculous improvements.

I have experienced tremendous energy of joy, hope earlier also couple of years back. It was some regional newyear day or some such festival, when I happened to be in Thiruannamalai (Tamilnadu). Girivallam (taking rounds of holy hill) route passes through city, as well as small village. It was near that village, in early morning, sun not yet risen but not dark either... people cleaning around their houses and decorating with rangolis, materials varied depending upon their financial standings then, but everyone was full of happiness, some kind of positive energy in that atmosphere... people not chattering around, a soothing calm filling everything, everyone around. I have been on this route couple of times, but this experience there had been so strong first time then.

A Problem, A Solution : Traffic

A road was widened because traffic issues on that road were increasing with years. There used to be big trees on both sides of the road that provided passers by shade from scorching sun and rainfall. Lot of these trees were more than 100 years old, some even older. Trees were cut amidst protests from environment groups. Road was widened.

The times further to that saw opening of couple of famous food/beverages outlets by the sides, adding to existing good enough crowd pulling joints. Crowd is even more. Though road is widened, but so are the cars and two-wheelers sizes and their nos. Though there are yellow lines, marking the parking area by the road side, bigger size vehicles sometimes overshoot that by 2-4 feets.

Effective roadsize is still the same, perhaps lesser than what it used to be, people density on road around the joints has only increased. If something is not there, it's those trees.

There are other places also in same city, where roads sizes have been widened more than double, a lovely strech of around 2Kms, now doesn't have a single tree to give protect from rain/sun. Since road is quite wide now, average speed of people driving by has increased a lot, making crossing difficult for old and young people. This road passes through residential areas, school and there is only one crossing around half km. from one end, that forces people to drive in wrong directions, causing risk to not only themselves but others. You may not mind taking a U turn of less than a km, but what you do when you have one opening is 50-100 mts from you in wrong direction and right direction is a U turn of around 3 kms and it's part of your daily route couple of times a day. Not only this adds to more fuel expenditure, but at times causes more expenditures of time and money also for people.

A problem : A solution

In some building couple of companies under same management had their offices. Each floor had two western style toilets - one for males, one for females; for past couple of years. There hadn't been many females in entire building, a dozen or so at all the three floors.

One day the receptionist on ground floor found a male using the ladies toilet and questioned him on this. She got to learn that many people did the same. Her response was that she would raise the matter even if the owner of the companies acted same way.

Don't know what happened further, but some days later saw the ground floor ladies toilet labelled as gents toilet.

That receptionist no longer works in any company in that building.

Degradation in daily life

software industry environment gives a lot. if I look deeply in things, every act of people around have been useful and there is a reason, why they are behaving the way they behave. the reasons beyound their comprehensions often, they are just mediums, like i am.

thanks to these people and their acts, more they have acted in their ways, more it has strengthened the will to be a human being in me, more it has helped me in identifying/finding/seeing/knowing the things, for which I have been striving for many years and make improvements in self.

one such event that happened last week, acted like a conscious shock. some contradictory behaviour of an individual, in organisation i have been working for at present, irritated me a lot and while reading the electronic conversation i loudly muttered 'bastard'. it was quite an shock to my ears - the intensity of negative emotions of other person impermeating me this much!! and then things cycled through before eyes.. how it has been slowly happening in past 3 years.. first a negative emotion in head when someone drove very rashly and caused accident possibility, then a soft muttering when some (not all people are that variety) car/three wheeler/ two-wheeler driver drove in such a way and speed that accumulated rain water on road got splashed over you and spoiled things.. and this soft muttering grew slightly louder and louder.. thankfully, always had enough control to not let it take control of me. how slowly the words like this one have been entering my system slowly from environment, using the causes around.

for others, rather a lot of people in this organisation, as I observed in past 2-3 years, it is a minor thing rather nothing to be paid attention to. for me it was a big degradation in me.

i reflected over this and prayed to god for strength to recover from this and similar self-degradations and aimed at trying to be more conscious and aware about how negative energies try to affect me, try to take control of me.

the very same night, there was a test. while on the way home around 10:30pm in night, at a crossing, a speeding car almost had me, if i didn't manage to apply brakes in time, and surprisingly the brakes got applied as if perfectly. thanks to God, I remembered the strivings, aims and resolutions earlier from the day. and surprising no expletive came out of my mouth, not even a soft mutter, nothing came in feeling, not even in head. one person riding the cycle, perhaps he would also have got the impact?? said something in local language something to the effect about bad driving of car person, i didn't understand all of it, but his emotions were not agitated either. somehow it was a good feeling that I didn't feel even the need to utter an expletive. I shook my head sideways in response to this person. and we both just continued as if nothing had happened.

I learned something unknowingly from this person, whom I don't even know, nor will ever know.

We call ourselves educated and use filthy english words, how different we are then those people whom we criticise, look down upon for their language and behaviours. Saying something in english rather than local language doesn't make it different.

so far since then, it is calm. i have been able to practice calm and every act of individuals around now looks quite different. in b/w for some short moments negativities have tried to take control of me in various ways, but thanks to almighty one or other form of help has always been there to remind me, to shake me out of it. things like a window popup, or a new mail from someone, or the colleague who sits next to me and has been a very good help in this effort of self improvement. he just casually stands up and possibly even unknown to him, why he did that, he happens to put his hand on my shoulder, or someone comes asking for something to divert my attention... different ways and forms of god-sent help. i just have to keep my eyes/ears/mind/feelings open and receptive. if i don't help myself, god won't be able to help me either.