Google Charts

Having some fun with the Google Chart API.

NPTEL - National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning

I am proud of my alma mater and peer institutions for sponsoring this initiative. Details below.


The IITs have taken up an initiative of starting online teaching and thus have started offering course materials online for every engineering stream. Many professors from all the IITs have provided course materials for each chapter and each subject. One has to register at the link provided below and can access the course material free of cost.

Every Chapter has been described with diagrams and charts. Please spread this message to everyone, as many can benefit from this program taken up by the government and IIT. This is just a trial period going on and hence I request everyone to register at the link given.


1] Type the following address on internet explorer http://www.nptel.iitm.ac.in
2] Click on Courses
3] Sign up as a NEW USER
4] And one can access any course material.


Please spread the word, so that this initiative benefits as many students as possible.

Cabbage Pathrode

Savouring Cabbage Pathrode at Woody's. On the left is what remained of green chilli bajji.

Little Red Riding Hoodlum

So we bought junior his first bicycle today. Alongwith came a red helmet. All was well till we put the bicycle in the car's boot. Then we realized that junior and his headgear weren't to be parted. For the rest of the evening we're shopping with helmet in tow (and junior underneath it). Sure makes it easy to spot him in crowded shops though.

I posted a letter

I clutched the envelope tight as I drove to office this morning. It must be posted today, I told myself. I couldn't help notice the contrast between the dingy basement room functioning as Kundalahalli Post Office and the steel and glass Cosmos Mall gleaming on the other side of the road. I queued up behind half a dozen people at the counter (wo)manned by a nervous looking fidgety lady alone. It was interesting to see what gets transacted there. A vermilioned lady was getting her Post Office savings bank passbook updated and asking questions nineteen to the dozen. The postmistress violently stamped the receipt and sent her packing. Next, an elderly gentleman wanted to know how much it would cost to send different denominations of money to Pune by Money Order (yes, people still do those, not everyone has access to NEFT). He was given a chit of paper with the different combinations possible and politely asked to rejoin the queue after deciding. A few money orders and speedposts later came my turn. I suddenly realized that I didn't even know what denomination of stamp I needed for my ordinary post letter. Turned out to be Rs 5. I bought four of these so that I don't have to queue up again this decade. Stuck one onto my envelope and sent it snailing towards the Income Tax office in Electronic City. Another study in contrast that. I had to come to a brick and mortar post office for the first time in a couple of years, because I needed to post a receipt generated from filing my Income Tax returns (brace for this) completely electronically over the internet this year!
As I walked back to the car, I wondered when I'd possibly have to visit a post office next. Probably not in a long time. And the reason for the reduced popularity of post offices (at least in urban India) is probably not mainly due to email. I'd guess the handwritten letter was dealt a death blow more by the ubiquitous cellphone. Very few would want to write a letter when they can talk directly. And then for the purposes of sending parcels, the zillions of private couriers probably do a lot better job than IndiaPost.
Ultimately it was enjoyable to actually transact communication the forgotten way. Hope the letter reaches though.

On Twitter

I've started to microblog on link:http://www.twitter.com/chandradip

Forum Value Mall Whitefield

So the mall opened on 18th June and we were thinking of having a look especially as it was so close by. So today we went in. Parked on the 3rd Floor (free multilevel parking, enjoy till it lasts!) and went in. The first thing we noticed was that it was pretty spacious. There was a children's dance competition on at the foyer. We went down to watch. There are 2 real coconut trees in the foyer! We also went into the MegaMart store, where this picture is from. Pretty decent place overall although a lot of outlets are yet to open. Right now we're investigating the intriguingly named "rattrap". Let's see :-)