Sri Devi's 'English Vinglish'

Cast - Sri Devi,Priya Anand,Mehdi Nebbou,Adil Hussain,Sujata Kumar with Guest Appearance of -
Ajit Kumar(Thala)in Tamil Version and Amitabh Bachchan in Hindi Version

Directed by Gauri Shinde

Produced by Sunil Lulla,R Balki,Rakesh Jhunjhunwala and R K Damani

Music Composed by Amit Trivedi

Cinematography by Laxman Utekar

'English Vinglish'  is scheduled for release on Oct 05,2012

Storyline

The film revolves around a housewife Shashi(Sri Devi) and her struggle with 'English Vinglish'. She does not know English and is made to feel insecure by her family and society at large.
Shot mostly in New York, the film captures the inherent struggle of many people all over the world with the English language.

Train fares of all AC classes hiked wef Oct 1,2012

Train fares of all AC classes will become costlier by more than 3 per cent from Monday Oct 01,2012. The new service tax of 3.708%, as per the government notification, will be levied on AC First Class, Executive Class, AC-2 tier, AC-3 tier, AC Chair Car and freight.

NOTE
Passengers travelling in AC-2 and AC-1 will be additionally burdened by the service tax as the fares of these classes were already hiked by about 20 per cent in April as part of the proposals of the Rail Budget 2012-13.

World Heart Day - Sep 29

World Heart Day was created in 2000 to inform people around the globe that heart disease and stroke are the world’s leading cause of death, claiming 17.3 million lives each year and the numbers are rising.
In partnership with WHO, the World Heart Federation organizes awareness events in more than 100 countries.

 Together with its members, the World Heart Federation spreads the news that at least 80% of premature deaths from heart disease and stroke could be avoided if the main risk factors, tobacco, unhealthy diet and physical inactivity, are controlled.

Maruti Suzuki Limited

Maruti Suzuki India Limited commonly referred to as Maruti, is a subsidiary company of Japanese Automaker Suzuki Motor Corporation(pwnership 54.2%) and offers a complete range of cars from -

Entry level Maruti 800 and Alto
Hatchback Ritz,A-Star,Swift,Wagon-R,Estillo
Sedans Dzire,SX4
'C' segment Maruti Eeco
MPV Ertigo  and
SUV Grand Vitara

On Sep 17, 2007, Maruti Udyog Limited was renamed as Maruti Suzuki India Limited.

It was the first company in India to mass-produce and sell more than a million cars, the market leader in India.  In February 2012, the company sold its ten millionth vehicle in India

Maruti Udyog Limited (MUL) was established in February 1981, though the actual production commenced in 1983 with the Maruti 800 which at the time was the only modern car available in India, its only competitors- the HM's Ambassador and Fiat's Premier Padmini were both around 25 years out of date at that point.

Car Manufacturers in India

 India's passenger car and commercial vehicle manufacturing industry is the 6th largest in the world, with an annual production of more than 3.9 million units in 2011.

As of 2010, India is home to 40 million passenger vehicles. More than 3.7 million automotive vehicles were produced in India in 2010 (an increase of 33.9%), making the country the second (after China) fastest growing automobile market in the world.

The majority of India's car manufacturing industry is based around 3 clusters in the south, west and north.

The Southern cluster consisting of Chennai,State of Tamil Nadu,India is the biggest with 35% of the revenue share.Chennai accounts for 60% of the country's automotive exports.
Chennai is also referred to as the "Detroit' of India" with the India Operations of -
Ford
Hyundai
Renault
Mitsubishi
Nissan
BMW
Hindustan Motors
Daimler
Caparo and
PSA Peugeot Citroen about to begin their operations by 2014.

The Western hub near Mumbai and Pune contributes to 33% of the market
The Chakan corridor near Pune,State of Maharashtra,India is the Western cluster with companies like
General Motors
Volkswagen
Skoda
Mahindra and Mahindra
Tata Motors
Mercedes Benz
Land Rover
Jaguar Cars and
Force Motors
having assembly plants in the area.

Northern cluster around the National Capital Region contributes 32%
Gurgaon and Manesar in Haryana form the Northern cluster where the country's largest car manufacturer, Maruti Suzuki is based.
Noida in Utttar Pradesh also form the Northern Cluster where the Honda Cars India Limited (HCIL)a subsidiary of Honda Motor Company,Japan that produces Honda Siel Cars

Other Car Manufacturing Regions are -

Kolkatta,West Bengal having Hindustan Motorsthat produces Ambassador Cars

Bangalore,Karnataka having Toyota Kirloskar Motor Private Limited,a JV between -
Toyota Motor Corporation,Japan and
Kirloskar Group,India
currently is the 5th largest car maker in India(after Maruti,Hyundai,Tata Motors and M& M)



Hindustan Motors Limited (HML), India's Pioneering Automobile Manufacturing Company and Flagship Company of the C.K. Birla Group was established just before Indian independence, in 1942 by  B.M. Birla of the industrious Birla family. Commenced operations in a small assembly plant in Port Okha near Gujarat, the manufacturing facilities later moved to Uttarpara, West Bengal in 1948, where it began the production of - the Ambassador.
The vehicles manufactured by Hindustan Motors are: -
(1) Ambassador

(2)Lancer

(3)Pajero

Maruti Suzuki India Limited (formerly Maruti Udyog Limited (MUL)) was established in February 1981, though the actual production commenced in 1983 with the Maruti 800 is India's largest passenger car company, accounting for over 45% of the domestic car market.
It was the first company in India to mass-produce and sell more than a million cars.
Its manufacturing facilities are located at two facilities - Gurgaon and Manesar
The vehicles manufactured by Maruti are -                                               


                                                                                                            Maruti Omni

Maruti 800
 

Maruti Alto                                                                                           Maruti Gypsy

Maruti Zen                                                                                              Maruti Zen Estillo

Maruti Versa                                                                                           Maruti Wagon R

Maruti Esteem                                                                                                   Maruti Baleno

Maruti Vitara                                                                                                       Maruti Swift

                                                    
Maruti A Star
                                                                                                                             Maruti Ritz

                                                             

       

Maruti Dzire                                                                                                         Maruti SX4

                                                                           

Company Name	Market share	Cars sold during 2011-12
Maruti	40%	10,06,316
Hyundai	13.88%	388,799
TATA Motors	13.12%	313,385
Mahindra and Mahindra	7.89%	210,700
Toyoto	6.46%	141,980
Honda	3.91%	54,427
Chevrolet	3.75%	110,048
Ford	3.20%	92,748
Volkswagen	2.95%	78,261
Nissan	2.08%	33,277
Skoda	1.71%	34,089
Fiat	0.50%	16,037
Renault	0.50%	3,969
HM-Mitsubishi	0.18%	4,143

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL)

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited ( BSNL) is an Indian State Owned Telecommunications Company  headquartered in New Delhi, India and is the largest provider of 'fixed Tekephony' and the 4th largest Mobile Telephony Providerin India and is also a provider of Broadband Services.

BSNL operates throughout India except for the metropolitan cities of -
Mumbai and
New Delhi
which are managed by ' Mahanagar Telephone Nigam '  (MTNL).

BSNL had a customer base of 95 million as of June 2011

Main telecom services provided by BSNL are -

Fixed wireline services and landline in local loop (WLL) using CDMA Technology called bfone and Tarang respectively. As of June 30, 2010, BSNL had 75% marketshare of fixed lines.

Cellular Mobile Telephone services using GSM platform under the brand name Cellone & Excel (BSNL Mobile). As of June 30, 2010 BSNL has 13.50% share of mobile telephony in the country.

WLL (Wireless in Local Loop)service is a service giving both fixed line telephony & Mobile telephony.


Internet Access services through dial-up connection (as Sancharnet through 2009) as Prepaid, Net One as Postpaid and ADSL broadband as BSNL Broadband.

'3G' or the'3rd Generation' services which includes facilities like video calling, mobile broadband, live TV, 3G Video portal, streaming services like online full length movies and video on demand etc.


BSNL, along with Sai Infosystem - an Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) provider - has launched Voice and Video Over Internet Protocol (VVoIP). This will allow to make audio as well as video calls to any landline, mobile, or IP phone anywhere in the world, provided that the requisite video phone equipment is available at both ends.

Passport application fee hiked wef Oct 01,2012

Passport application fee will go up in both Ordinary and Tatkal categories from October 1,2012, the first hike in a decade.


The fee for those applying under normal category, which is now Rs. 1,000, has been increased to Rs. 1,500. For those opting for Tatkal mode, the current charge is Rs. 2,500, which has been increased to Rs. 3,500. 

For citizens living abroad, the revised fee would be $75 from $40 and Euro 60 from Euro 48 for normal applications.

The current fee structure came into force in July 1993, subsequent to the passing of Passport (Amendment) Act, 1992, which allowed the government to fix the fee on the basis of actual cost incurred on issuing a passport. In 1993, the passport fee was at Rs. 300 and it was revised in 2002 to Rs. 1,000.

Altamas Kabir sworn in new Chief Justice of India - Saturday Sep 29,2012

Justice Altamas Kabir(64) was on Saturday Sep 29,2012 sworn in as the 39th Chief Justice of India by President Pranab Mukherjee at a brief ceremony in the Ashoka Hall of the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

NDA working Chairman L.K. Advani, Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley, Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and RJD leader Lalu Prasad were also present at the swearing in.

Justice Altamas Kabir succeeds Justice S.H. Kapadia(who served as the CJI for nearly two-and-a-half years)and will serve a tenure of nine months till July 18, 2013.

President Pranab Mukherjee, Vice President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, new Chief Justice of India Justice Altamas Kabir, his predecessor Justice SH Kapadia and Union law minister Salman Khurshid are seen during a group photo session at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi

Born on July 19, 1948 in Kolkata, Justice Kabir did his LLB and MA from University of Calcutta and was made a permanent judge of the Calcutta High Court on August 6, 1990.Justice Kabir was appointed Supreme Court judge on September 9, 2005.

Matt Damon's ' We Bought a Zoo '

Cast - Matt Damon and Scarlet Johansson play the lead roles
Directed by Cameron Crowe

Storyline

Recently widowed Matt Damon( Benjamin Mee ), still grieving his loss, starts life over by buying a large house with a zoo in the back. Although reluctant to take on a zoo and all of its animals, he decides to give it a try, delighting his 7-year-old daughter Maggie Elizabeth Jones(Rosie) but causing his 14-year-old son, Colin Ford(Dylan) to unhappily retreat into his artwork (drawings and paintings which have grown more macabre since the death of his mother). The zoo staff, led by head keeper, Scarlett Johansson(Kelly) help Benjamin to start renovating the zoo.

George Clooney's ' The Descendants '

Cast - George Clooney,Shailene Woodley,Beau Bridges,Judy Greer,Mathew Lillard and Robert Forster
Directed by Alexander Payne
The film won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and also won two Golden Awards for
Best Picture and Best Actor

Storyline

From Alexander Payne, the creator of the Oscar-winning Sideways, set in Hawaii, The Descendants is a sometimes humorous, sometimes tragic journey for Matt King (George Clooney) an indifferent husband and father of two girls, who is forced to re-examine his past and embrace his future when his wife suffers a boating accident off of Waikiki. The event leads to a rapprochement with his young daughters while Matt wrestles with a decision to sell the family's land handed down from Hawaiian royalty and missionaries

Charlize Theron's 'Young Adult'

Cast - Charlize Theron,Patton Oswalt,Patrick Wilson,Elizabeth Reaser,Collete Wolfe
Directed by Jason Reitman

Storyline
Soon after her divorce Charlize Theron(Mavis Gary) , a fiction writer returns to her home in small-town Minnesota, looking to rekindle a romance with her ex-boyfriend Patrick Wilson( Buddy Slade), who is now happily married with Beth Slade(Elizabeth Reaser)and has a newborn daughter.

' Your Sister's Sister '

Cast - Emily Blunt,Rosemarie DeWitt,Mark Duplass and Mike Birbiglia
Directed by Lynn Shelton

Storyline

Mark Duplass(Jack), emotionally struggling a year after the death of his brother, takes up an offer from his friend Emily Blunt(Iris) to stay at her father's isolated cabin.There, Jack unexpectedly encounters Iris' sister Rosemarie DeWitt(Hannah), a lesbian who has recently broken up with her partner and has moved to the cabin without letting her family know.
Jack and Hannah drink together and strike up a conversation about their relationships, which leads more personal until they find themselves eager for sex. With a condom supplied by Hannah, they have brief sex.Hannah confesses to Iris she slept with Jack.
The film ends with Hannah taking a home pregnancy test with Iris and Jack and is about to see the result.

Meryl Streep's 'Hope Springs'

Cast - Meryl Streep,Tommy Lee Jones,Steve Carell,Elizabeth Shue
Directed by David Frankel

Storyline

Kay(Meryl Streep) and Arnold Soames (Tommy Lee Jones) a devoted couple for years they have slept in separate rooms, forgoing any physical affection undergo a week of intense marriage counseling with Dr. Bernie Feld (Steve Carell)who counsels them together, each time asking increasingly frank questions about their sex life and feelings toward one another.