Cheers,
Amish…

No more professional info. here, I have started an entirely new blog for that…you may find the url from “Where to Find me?” page here….by the way one good thing is I love misal pavs here in pune…they are really “something” and this is the only first thing which I have loved in Pune city so far…..crowd is not that happening like we have in Mumbai though. Folks here don’t really know how to drive on roads…they drive as if their forefathers created the roads lol….will keep writing more here as n when I get some time…I apologize to everyone as after again a long long break I have started writing…I will try to be regular here….

In the recent past, several studies have been carried out to identify the best or most attractive cities in India. Gartner Inc, National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) and KPMG, neoIT, Mercer, A T Kearney, Merrill Lynch and several others have carried out city studies for a wide range of objectives.

Important parameters that were considered when developing the rankings in these studies include:
* Availability of Infrastructure (Power, Transport, Telecommunication, Housing)
* Cost of Living * Real Estate Costs
* Availability of Skilled Manpower
* Attrition Rates
* Quality of Living
* Political Climate
* Educational Institutions

Urban infrastructure in India is not the best in the world. Indian cities are facing overpopulation, indiscriminate growth and shortage of urban services like public transportation, water supply and sanitation. It is important to point out that the 2006 World-wide Quality of Living Survey by Mercer for 350 global cities has the top Indian cities Mumbai and Delhi ranked at 150th place. Not impressive at all. On the networking front, India ranks 40th out of 115 countries with the network readiness index of 0.23.

Despite the constrains imposed by the infrastructure or lack thereof, availability of skilled manpower and the low cost advantage continues to drive investment into urban India.

An analysis of city rankings by different surveys and study of recent outsourcing trends reveals that the top 10 outsourcing destinations in India are:

1. Chennai was the poor cousin of Bangalore and Hyderabad during the initial years of the IT boom in India. Today it is the lead outsourcing destination due to the low cost advantage, improving infrastructure, international connectivity, availability of land, skilled manpower and lower attrition rates compared to Bangalore and Hyderabad.

2. Hyderabad continues to woo investors by focusing on improving its urban infrastructure. The Governments, both past and present, have been very clear in their focus and support to the IT industry. The city has been among the most favored destinations due to the infrastructural improvements and the planned growth phased in by the governments in the twin cities.

3. Bangalore is the technology hub of India. It is increasingly becoming a global melting pot of cultures. The original garden and pub city of India has a comfortable climate compared to the other Indian cities that are happening in terms of outsourcing. However, the city’s infrastructure is inadequate to meet the demands of the exploding population. There is a growing feeling that other cities will overtake Bangalore if it continues to suffer due to political bickering, skyrocketing real estate prices and poor urban planning. According to a recent survey, it still ranks as the top city for living, earning and investing.

4. National Capital Region (NCR) includes Delhi and its surrounding suburbs. Delhi is expensive and not as popular for outsourcing. It is the suburbs, Gurgaon and Noida that have become important outsourcing destinations due to their proximity to the capital. They continue to be a major draw due to improving transport connectivity with Delhi, good international linkage and availability of skilled manpower.

5. Pune is Maharastra’s response to Bangalore. Its proximity to India’s financial capital, Mumbai and availability of trained manpower has led to the development of a thriving hi-tech outsourcing industry in this erstwhile retirement and education haven. Apart from other infrastructure components, the city is focusing on township projects to improve housing facilities.

6. Chandigarh and Mohali are twin cities. Chandigarh is one of the few planned and good cities of India. Mohali is its twin. Together, they have the space as well as the intellectual and financial capability to become India’s best outsourcing destinations. It does not yet have an international airport, but is well connected to New Delhi by road and rail.

7. Kolkata, the capital city of the state of West Bengal is high in intellect and has an advantage in terms of low costs. However, the city is famous for its traffic snarls and trade union shut downs. The current state government under chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee is making the right noises to encourage investors. Early indications are that it may actually emerge as a good outsourcing destination.

8. Mysore is one of India’s smaller cities, which have joined the outsourcing bandwagon. Its proximity to Bangalore and presence of companies like Infosys and Wipro has helped the cause. It is emerging as a preferred choice over Bangalore as India’s silicon city is now congested, expensive and has higher than average attrition rates.

9. Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala is well known for some of the leading science & technology research organizations in India. The city has the infrastructure and skilled workforce to attract IT investments. It is early days yet and remains to be seen whether Thiruvananthapuram can woo investors away from Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai.

10. Coimbatore is the emerging engineering outsourcing hub located in the state of Tamil Nadu. The government of Tamil Nadu is keen on developing Coimbatore as a major IT destination in the state. Coimbatore’s strength is its rich engineering tradition and young graduating engineers to meet the manpower demands of the growing industry.

Cost of living is just one factor in the big picture of how people choose where to live. Other factors include job opportunities, entertainment options, access to cultural activities and the quality of life in the city. Work-at-home techies may be drawn to cities where rents are cheap but they may also weigh their decision against the availability of tech expos in the city, the number of Internet cafes in the area and the general community support for telecommuting individuals.

With those factors in mind, the mobile employee may want to look at the following cities which are ranked as the best cities in which to be an at-home, tech-using employee. Some are better for the freelancer, others for the telecommuter and still others for the solo entrepreneur who runs a virtual start-up. All of them are good spots for the person who wants his work environment to be limited only by his wireless connection and not by the flimsy walls of a cubicle.

San Francisco, California

It’s one of the most expensive cities in the nation but that doesn’t deter people from wanting to live here and work from home. It’s an all-around terrific city for people at any level of telecommuting.

Individuals running their own virtual start-ups will find it easy to get connected and maintain that low overhead. People who want to work for established businesses but telecommute from home need look no further than big businesses like Second Life or temp services that place people in virtual assistant jobs. The attitude here is completely open to people who work from home, the public transit is developing to allow wireless connections during commutes and the city is home to numerous expos including Web 2.0 and MacWorld Expo. The only drawback is the price that you’ll pay to live here but many say it’s worth it.

Austin, Texas

People who are seeking to live in a techie hot spot that isn’t too expensive will find that the developing tech industry in Austin, Texas is a great place to find a job. A large number of tech start-ups have been successful in this area. It’s also a leading area for business in general so it’s a particularly good place for the work-at-home techie entrepreneur who wants to run a business without setting up a physical office space.

Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina

This part of the United States has grown considerably in the areas of information technology and software development. The at-home employee who wants to work as a freelancer in software development will find that this is a good place to make some connections while still working from home. The climate is moderate, home prices are fair and the low crime rate makes it a place that’s safe for families.

Vancouver, Canada

If you want to make a move to Canada, you might want to think about heading to the West Coast city of Vancouver. One of the largest cities in the state, it also happens to be one of the most progressive. It’s involved in eco-friendly efforts to ‘green‘ its urban area and it’s highly supportive of telecommuting as part of that effort. It’s also just a beautiful city with a lot of opportunities to enjoy yourself when you’re not hard at work.

Seattle, Washington

This Northwestern United States city is a terrific happy medium for the work-at-home employee who can’t move all the way north to Vancouver and doesn’t want to head south towards San Francisco. It’s an expensive city but not as pricey as California cities and it offers all of the tech opportunities that you need to really enjoy life as a tech fiend. It’s also one of the healthiest cities in the United States.

Copenhagen, Denmark

This was recently named one of the happiest cities in the entire world. For the work-at-home employee who seeks to be happy, that’s a big benefit. It isn’t easy for residents of other countries to find work-at-home jobs here but the individual who has an online job elsewhere can complete that job from Copenhagen and enjoy a great daily life. It’s also one of the cheapest international cities to live in so you won’t even pay much to be happy here.

Phoenix, Arizona

This city has been growing in popularity over the past several years. A lot of money has been invested to grow business in this area and it’s the home of a number of huge tech conferences each year. It’s also got a great leisure side with a strong resort and golf community so you can earn good money while working and then go play hard after you’re done at work. The best work-at-home situation here is to find a business which needs tech help that you can do from your home office.

Seoul, South Korea

If you’re looking to really go international with a work-at-home job move then you might want to look at Seoul. This city has the best >broadband penetration in the world. There are also numerous companies here that you can try to get a job with, primarily in the wireless industry. There are also tons of Internet cafes so you can easily get to know other people in the community after you make your move.

Syracuse, New York

People who want to live in an inexpensive place and yet be close to a major city will find that upstate New York offers the right balance of opportunities. In Syracuse, you can easily purchase a single-family home for under $100,000. Despite this, you’ll be just hours from all of the employment and entertainment opportunities of New York City. It’s a win-win situation.

Anchorage, Alaska

If you really want to get away from the world and enjoy a terrific home in a beautiful part of the world then Anchorage is a great spot. It’s an urban city that will have what you need in terms of a tech connection. However, it’s a remote area compared to the rest of the world and will give you lots of peace and quiet. You can live cheaply here so you don’t even have to work full-time. The computer can rest while you go adventuring in the snow.

Atlanta, Georgia

This city is considered the most wired city in the United States. That makes it a great place for the individual who needs to be wired all day in order to work. It’s also a great city because it’s fairly inexpensive to live there but it offers a lot of jobs in the tech industry. What that means is that you can earn a good income here and yet not pay a lot in terms of cost of living.

Taipei, Taiwan

This city was one of the first to start dealing with its traffic congestion by encouraging employees to telecommute. With a goal of becoming the world’s first cyber-city, Taipei has gone a long way towards making it really easy to get a wireless connection here. You’ll be able to enjoy a great global experience and keep your online job.

Cordoba, Argentina

If you’re looking to make a move to South America then this is the city that you’ll want to keep your eye on. It’s a terrific city that seamlessly blends a culturally rich history with a modern technological approach to industry. It’s the center of the country’s technology and home to extensive research in both satellite technology and various sciences. It’s a safe city and one where it’s fairly easy to stay wired so you can work.

Barcelona, Spain

If you happen to be a single person who is in need of both a partner and a work-at-home job, your best international bet is to head to Barcelona. Once named one of the best cities for singles, it’s a place that offers a lot of romance. Even if you don’t end up finding a significant other, all of that romance is sure to inspire your creative side. At least that’ll be good for your online work!

Bangalore, India

It’s a beautiful city that is very inexpensive and yet it’s easy to find a wireless connection. Whether you want to work from your mobile phone or lug a laptop to an Internet cafe, this city is going to be a place that will keep you busy.

Santa Fe, New Mexico

One of the areas of the tech industry that is going to grow considerably in the upcoming years is green technology. Santa Fe is a city that’s already looking towards making developments in this area which is going to make it a great place for green telecommuting techies before too much more time passes. It’s a fairly inexpensive place to buy a home so you might want to invest in a move now.

Mexico City, Mexico

As the most populated city in the entire world, Mexico City is definitely a big urban place. That means there are a lot of opportunities to meet people and have a good time here. It’s also an up-and-coming city in terms of wireless technology which means you can do some great business here. If Mexico is a place that appeals to you, this is the best city to choose.

Salt Lake City, Utah

This United States city was voted one of the best places to find a job last year and it remains number one on the list again this year. Because the jobs here are primarily in the tech industry, it shouldn’t be too difficult to find an employer who would be more than happy to let you work from home at least part time.

Colorado Springs, Colorado

One of the biggest problems plaguing work-at-home employees is that they get lazy. Because of that, it’s a good idea to move to a city that cares about fitness. Colorado City is ranked highest in the United States for fit cities. This can be a great benefit to the at-home employee who needs an extra push to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Stockholm, Sweden

This is the home of the headquarters of The Pirate Bay the world’s largest BitTorrent tracker. For those who don’t know, that means that there’s been a big push here to fight lawsuits against illegal filesharing. With that kind of precedent, it’s a great place for the techie who is interested in open source development of products and web services.

VADA PAVS:

Ingredients: Serving size – 4 6-8 medium sized boiled potatoes 2 cups gram flour (besan) oil for frying salt pav ( A kind of bun) – If pavs are not available, you can use any other bun. Choose the ones which do not taste sweet. Masala 1 small piece ginger, 4-5 flakes garlic, 4-5 (or more) green chilies, 1/2 cup coriander leaves (chopped), For tempering 1 tea spoon turmeric powder, curry leaves, 1 teaspoon mustard seeds, 2 teaspoon oil Method: 1. Grind ginger, garlic and green chilies together into a paste. 2. Peel and smash potatoes with a potato masher (or simply use hands). Do not smash completely. Let some small chunks remain. 3. Add ginger, garlic and green chili paste, coriander leaves, and salt to the potatoes. 4. Then take 2 teaspoons oil in a kadai. Add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add turmeric powder and curry leaves. Pour this tempering on the mashed potatoes and mix gently. 5. Make small balls of mashed potato mixture. (You can flatten the balls if you like) 6. Add some salt, turmeric powder and chili powder to the gram flour. Add water gradually and keep mixing with a sppon or wire whisk. Remove lumps if any. The batter should not be too watery or too thick. If lifted by a spatula, it should flow in a ribbon like consistency. 7. Heat some oil in a pan. To check if oil is properly heated, drop some batter in the oil. If the batter immediately turns soild and float on the surface of the oil, the oil is ready. Also make sure that the oil is not too hot. Otherwise, the vadas become dark from the outside before they are actually done from the inside. 8. Now dip each ball in the batter, letting the excess batter drip off and slowly add to the hot oil. Do not overcrowd the pan, else the temperature of the oil reduces which in turn slows down the frying process. Like this, deep fry all the vadas until golden. Remove on a paper towel and drain. Batata Vadas are ready. 9. For Vada Pav, split Pav keeping the base intact & spread garlic chutney or green chutney on the inner surfaces of it. Place the vada in it. Serve hot. Tip: Instead of adding whole curry leaves, you can grind them along with the ginger- garlic paste to bring out their flavor. Variation: Substitute 1 tsp udad dal (split black gram) for mustard seeds in the tempering.

<!–

–>

Layoffs for January 2009 at America’s 500 largest public companies*:

151,352

Jan. 28: Boeing (nyse: BA – news - people ) increases previously announced layoffs–bringing total to 10,000 workers, or 6% of the company’s workforce.

Jan. 28: Starbucks (nasdaq: SBUX – news - people ) organizes closings at 900 stores worldwide and fires 6,700 in the process.

Jan. 28: Target (nyse: TGT – news - people ) cuts 400 open positions and 600 employees on sagging sales.

Jan. 27: Time Warner’s (nyse: TWX – news - people ) AOL reduces workforce by 10% (700 workers) as it fights declining ad revenue.

Jan. 27: Cabinet company Merillat–a subsidiary of Masco (nyse: MAS – news - people )–cuts 20% of workforce (70 workers).

Jan. 26: Texas Instruments (nyse: TXN – news - people ) pink-slips 3,400 (12% of workforce).

Jan. 26: IBM (nyse: IBM – news - people ) selects 2,800 to participate in its “current resource reduction action.”

Jan. 26: Lincoln National (nyse: LNC – news - people ) posts five quarterly declines in profit; cuts 540 (5% of workforce).

Jan. 26: Caterpillar (nyse: CAT – news - people ) announces quarterly profit plunge of 32%; fires 20,000.

Jan. 26: Following the acquisition of the small drug outfit Wyeth for $68 billion, Pfizer (nyse: PFE – news - people ) closes five factories and cuts 15% of total workforce (19,000 workers).

Jan. 26: Sprint Nextel (nyse: S – news - people ) pink-slips 8,000 workers–recording more than $300 million in severance charges but saving $1.2 billion a year in labor costs.

Jan. 26: Home Depot (nyse: HD – news - people ) closes high-end home design shops and slims ranks at headquarters; dismisses 7,000.

Jan. 26: General Motors (nyse: GM – news - people ) cuts production at several plants and fires 2,000 in Michigan and Ohio.

Jan. 23: Brazil-based Deere & Company (nyse: DE – news - people ) subsidiary lays off 502 employees.

Jan. 23: Abercrombie & Fitch (nyse: ANF – news - people ) cuts 50 from headquarters as company leans expenses.

Jan. 23: Harley-Davidson (nyse: HOG – news - people ) sees 60% drop in profits in fourth quarter of 2008; fires 1,100 (10% of workforce).

Jan. 22: Microsoft (nasdaq: MSFT – news - people ) has first mass layoff in 34-year history; pink slips 5,000.

Jan. 22: Huntsman (nyse: HUN – news - people ) reduces workforce by 9%; cutting 1,175 regular workers and 490 full-time contractors.

Jan. 21: Burlington Santa Fe cuts 2,500 workers (5% of workforce) despite a 19% jump in earnings during the fourth quarter.

Jan. 21: UAL (nasdaq: UAUA – news - people ) fires 1,000 to cut overhead costs.

Jan. 21: SPX (nyse: SPW – news - people ) attempts to sell a business unit and cuts 400 employees to help endure the downturn.

Jan. 21: Intel (nasdaq: INTC – news - people ) closes five manufacturing plants and pink slips 5,000.

Jan. 21: Walt Disney (nyse: DIS – news - people ) offers voluntary buyouts to 600 theme park executives on poor attendance.

Jan. 21: Wynn Resorts wraps up construction on Las Vegas Strip casino with 53-worker layoff in design and construction affiliate.

Jan. 21: Eaton (nyse: ETN – news - people ) brings total workforce reduction since the beginning of last year to 10% with 5,200-worker cut.

Jan. 21: Warner Bros. Entertainment–a part of Time Warner (nyse: TWX – news - people )–cuts 10% (800) of its jobs.

Jan. 20: Clear Channel Communications (nyse: CCU – news - people ) reduces workforce across the entire company by 9% accounting for 1,850 job losses.

Jan. 20: Deere & Co. (nyse: DE – news - people ) dismisses 120 at Iowa plant.

Jan. 16: ConocoPhillips (nyse: COP – news - people ) trims capital spending by 18%, writes off $34 billion and reduces workforce by 4% (1,300 jobs).

Jan. 16: Hertz Global Holdings (nyse: HTZ – news - people ) sets out for worldwide restructuring in first quarter of 2009; cuts 4,000 jobs.

Jan. 16: WellPoint (nyse: WLP – news - people ) reduces workforce by 600 and removes 900 open positions.

Jan. 16: Advanced Micro Devices (nyse: AMD – news - people ) reduces global workforce by 9% (1,100 jobs).

Jan. 15: Xerox (nyse: XRX – news - people ) cuts 275 jobs in New York region.

Jan. 15: MeadWestvaco (nyse: MWV – news - people ) fires 2,000 and plans closings or restructurings at up to 14 plants.

Jan. 15: Autodesk (nasdaq: ADSK – news - people ) expects loss from 2008 fourth quarter; pink-slips 750 (10% of workforce).

Jan. 15: Marshall & Ilsley (nyse: MI – news - people ) cuts 8% of staff (830) in ongoing cost-cutting.

Jan. 15: General Electric (nyse: GE – news - people )’s (nyse: GE – news - people ) jet-engine group cuts 1,000 white-collar jobs.

Jan. 14: Ecolab (nyse: ECL – news - people ) restructures and reduces workforce by 4% (1,000 jobs).

Jan. 14: Delta Air Lines (nyse: DAL – news - people ) gives 2,000 early retirements as part of 8% capacity reduction.

Jan. 14: Motorola (nyse: MOT – news - people ) lays off 4,000 following a 3,000-worker layoff last year; expects savings of $700 million a year.

Jan. 14: Google (nasdaq: GOOG – news - people ) fires 100 hirers as it cuts back on contract workers and temporary employees.

Jan. 13: Cummins (nyse: CMI – news - people ) freezes salaries for the rest of the year and lets 800 go.

Jan. 13: Pfizer (nyse: PFE – news - people ) cuts 800 researchers as it lowers cost in the face of poor performance and coming patent losses.

Jan. 12: Mosaic (nyse: MOS – news - people ) fires 1,000 in Saskatchewan.

Jan. 12: Aircraft maker and Textron (nyse: TXT – news - people ) subsidiary Cessna sends 2,000 packing.

Jan. 12: Best Buy (nyse: BBY – news - people ) clears 12.5% of its headquarters staff with 500-employee layoff.

Jan. 12: Precision Castparts (nyse: PCP – news - people ) dismisses 40 as airline industry continues to struggle.

Jan. 9: Oracle (nasdaq: ORCL – news - people ) reportedly cuts 500 from U.S. sales and consulting businesses.

Jan. 9: Boeing (nyse: BA – news - people ) cuts 4,500 and returns workforce size to what it was in early 2008.

Jan. 9: Freeport-McMoRan (nyse: FCX – news - people ) slices workforce in half at Arizona mine; 1,550 workers let go.

Jan. 9: Smitfield Foods’ (nyse: SFD – news - people ) Butterball–the nation’s largest turkey company–fires 75 at Missouri plant.

Jan. 8: Union Pacific (nyse: UNP – news - people ) pink-slips 230 as company struggles; stock down 22% year-to-date.

Jan. 8: Navy shipbuilder Bath Iron Works–owned by General Dynamics (nyse: GD – news - people )–dismisses 179.

Jan. 8: Continuing companywide job cuts at Eaton (nyse: ETN – news - people ) hit Iowa, with 78 laid off.

Jan. 8: Walgreen (nyse: WAG – news - people ) cuts 1,000–roughly 9%–from corporate and field manager ranks.

Jan. 7: EMC (nyse: EMC – news - people ) fires 2,400 as it reduces 2009 expenses by $350 million.

Jan. 6: Alcoa (nyse: AA – news - people ) starts global salary and hiring freeze, plans sale of four non-core businesses and cuts workforce by 13% (13,500 jobs).

Jan. 6: Aqua Glass–a subsidiary owned by Masco (nyse: MAS – news - people )–pink-slips 30 employees.

Jan. 5: Cigna (nyse: CI – news - people ) reduces workforce by 4% (1,100 jobs).

Jan. 5: United States Steel (nyse: X – news - people ) cuts 50 jobs as it closes production lines in Texas.