FORGET THE GRIEF and REMEMBER THE FUN

WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER

Reminiscing and Remembrance

By

VIKRAM KARVE

Yesterday, on TCM Movie Channel, I watched an old Black and White Movie ACTION IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC

The film, ACTION IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC, produced in 1943, stars the inimitable Humphrey Bogart, and is a story of the war at sea during the World War II. The thrilling movie depicts the bravery and adventure on seamen on a merchant navy convoy of ships bound from Halifax in Canada to Murmansk in Russia pursued by German Submarines (a Wolf-pack).

There is one quote in this movie that attracted my attention and remained etched in my memory even after the movie was over. During my evening walk I let the quote perambulate in my mind and the more I thought about it the more meaningful insightful these simple words seemed to me.

There is a scene on a dark and gloomy night, amidst treacherous seas with the enemy lurking below, where Humphrey Bogart, who is the Chief Officer of the Merchant Ship, and his Captain, are standing in the bridge-wings reminiscing and discussing their time on an earlier ship which was sunk by enemy torpedoes.

The Captain keeps talking about the tough hazardous times they had when their convoys were attacked and keeps recalling various tragedies and misfortunes; whereas the Chief Officer remembers all the fun, frolic, and his delightful amorous peccadilloes and escapades in various ports.

The Captain berates the Chief Officer and asks him how he can be so frivolous and merry in a dangerous and grim wartime situation, to which the Chief Officer (Humphrey Bogart) replies: “The difference between you and me, Skipper, is that You remember the grief. I remember the fun.”

Tell me, Dear Reader, when you recollect your past, are the recollections happy and pleasing or are they sad and unpleasant?

Let’s do an experiment.

Close your eyes and think of your childhood – what comes to your mind, what predominates – happy memories or sad moments?

Reminisce about each phase of your past life – your early years, school, college, career, marriage, your middle age, until now – and examine your recollections –pleasant memories and the not-so-pleasant remembrances.

Now you know what to do. Like Humphrey Bogart said – REMEMBER THE FUN.

So blank out all the sad and unpleasant memories of your past and remember the joyful pleasant moments. 

Hark back to memories and reminiscences which evoke a smile on your lips and erase from your brain all traces of your past grief. 

Forget the “bad guys” who harmed you and caused you misery and remember the “good guys” who added value to your life and gave you joy.

Yes, forget the grief and remember the fun

VIKRAM KARVE

Copyright © Vikram Karve 2012
Vikram Karve has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

Did you like this post?
I am sure you will like the stories in my recently published book COCKTAIL comprising twenty seven short stories about relationships. 

To order the book please click the links below:

http://www.flipkart.com/cocktail-8191091844/p/itmdyv8amagkvgpf?pid=9788191091847&affid=nme

http://www.apkpublishers.com/product/42-cocktail-short-stories-about-relationships.html 

COCKTAIL ebook
If you prefer reading ebooks on Kindle or your ebook reader, please order Cocktail E-book by clicking the link below:
AMAZON
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005MGERZ6SMASHWORDS
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/87925

About Vikram Karve

A creative person with a zest for life, Vikram Karve is a retired Naval Officer turned full time writer. Educated at IIT Delhi, ITBHU Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale and Bishops School Pune, Vikram has published two books: COCKTAIL a collection of fiction short stories about relationships (2011) and APPETITE FOR A STROLL a book of Foodie Adventures (2008) and he is currently working on his novel. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories and creative non-fiction articles in magazines and journals for many years before the advent of blogging. Vikram has taught at a University as a Professor for 15 years and now teaches as a visiting faculty and devotes most of his time to creative writing. Vikram lives in Pune India with his family and muse - his pet dog Sherry with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts.
Vikram Karve Academic and Creative Writing Journal: http://karvediat.blogspot.com
Professional Profile Vikram Karve: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karve
Vikram Karve Facebook Page:  https://www.facebook.com/vikramkarve
Vikram Karve Creative Writing Blog: http://vikramkarve.sulekha.com/blog/posts.htm
Email: vikramkarve@sify.com        

© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

SMART HOME - a Gimmick Best Avoided

BUYING A HOUSE IN PUNE
SKIP THE FANCY FRILLS LIKE SO CALLED SMART HOMES
Smart Homes May Not Work in Pune
My Terrible Experience with DIGIHOME
By
VIKRAM KARVE


Many Builders in Pune advertise fancy frills in their projects. But remember, it is you who are going to pay for all those fancy things from your pocket and you will be saddled with lifetime maintenance costs too. 


Sometimes, these gimmicks can become headaches, like it happened in my case with the DIGIHOME  high-tech “intelligent home” System which has turned out to be a nightmare and unmitigated disaster. 


These sophisticated systems may work well abroad, or in metros with reliable and good infrastructure, but they are not suitable for a infrastructure-deficient city like Pune which is plagued with erratic electricity supply. 


The DIGIHOME system has not proved robust enough to withstand the frequent and unpredictable power failures on a daily basis which are common in Pune. In our society, Rohan Tarang, the problem has been further exacerbated as the DIGIHOME System fitted here suffers from faulty design, improper installation and lack of trained customer service technicians. 


In a nutshell, the DIGIHOME Smart Home System has proved to be an unmitigated disaster.


Dear Reader, if you are thinking of going in for a Smart Home in Pune, please read the what I wrote about my experience with the DIGIHOME System almost an year ago, so that you don't make the same blunder as we unwittingly did and get conned into a smart home that drives you crazy - yes, the malfunctions will drive you crazy - like geysers being switched on and off without warning, alarms suddenly start ringing for no rhyme or reason, door bell speaker telling visitors that you are out when you are inside. Yes, DIGIHOME is a gimmick gone terribly wrong. Read on....

DIGIHOME – Faulty Design, Erratic Performance, Poor Customer Service, Waste of Money

The aim of DIGIHOME Solutions is to enhance the quality of life. But in actual fact DIGIHOME has made my life miserable as the system is malfunctioning ever since installation more than six months ago.

In brief, I would summarize the problems of the DIGIHOME System as follows:

1. Faulty Design and Improper Installation

There is some basic flaw in the hardware and/or software that causes repeated malfunction of the system. 

Maybe the system is designed to work in Western Countries like USA and Europe where conditions are ideal and there are hardly any electricity power failures or fluctuations but the design is not appropriate or robust enough for Indian conditions. 

In India, and especially in Pune, where the electric power supply is most erratic and fails repeatedly many times a day, the DIGIHOME system trips, resets incorrectly, malfunctions and behaves in a most erratic manner. 

The installation has been done in a faulty manner and this has entailed a lot of rework. 

Wrong RFC Units were installed which had to be changed causing damage to the plaster and the placement of the door unit is incorrect, which serves no useful purpose. 

Basic Safety and Security features do not work or have not been installed, like main door latch security. 

It appears that there was apparently a lack of coordination between the builder Rohan Builders Pune and DIGIHOME Solutions during installation.

2. Erratic Performance

 

The performance of the system is most erratic. 

Sometimes the doorbell never rings, safety and security features are unreliable, intercom does not work, Local Console trips, system malfunctions, hooters and alarms keep sounding intermittently for no reason  – for example, since last night a continuous shrill noise is emanating from the Console which is most irritating.

3. Poor Customer Service and Clueless Technicians

It seems that the technicians are not properly trained and some of them are quite clueless due to frequent turnover and new faces come every time. 

For the last six months a number of technicians are trying to repair the faults and make the system function properly but without success. 

They seem to be experimenting on a trial and error basis rather that diagnosing defects systematically. 

The response is quite lethargic too and there seems to be a rift between the “blue collar” and “white collar” employees.

In my opinion the DIGIHOME System is a waste of money and serves no useful purpose. In fact, it causes inconvenience and frustration due to erratic performance. 

There is no point investing in futuristic technologies which do not work in local conditions. 

Maybe the infrastructure in Pune (for example, uninterrupted reliable regulated electric power supply) is not geared up for advanced technologies or maybe these futuristic systems for "intelligent" homes like Digihome are not robust enough to work properly in prevailing local conditions.

I wrote this one year ago. There was no improvement and, in fact, the DIGIHOME System started misbehaving so much that we finally shut it down. That is what most residents have done. However, since the system remains connected to the main power supply crazy things keep happening from time to time, like just this morning my geysers got switched off and I had to go down all the way to the DIGIHOME UPS Room and set right the tripped switched. Meanwhile, the customer service technicians have stopped coming as the guarantee period must be over - guarantee for a system that never worked...!!! LOL

Moral of the Story

When you buy a house, avoid fancy frills and gimmicks like smart homes which may give you more pain than pleasure and become a drain on your resources. 

And if you are an investor then what's the point of paying for fancy frills and gimmicks that just increase your cost but do not give you any returns?

Happy House Hunting

WAKAD - SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE

By sheer chance, I happened to browse this post I wrote almost an year and a half ago (on the 27th 0f February 2011). 

It seems as if time has stood still.

It looks like Wakad is caught in a time warp. 

Nothing has changed and life is exactly the same in Wakad.

So if you are planning to live in Wakad or are wondering about the quality of life and amenities in Wakad, here is the post, once more, for you to read.

But before you read the post below, let us do a reality check and see the status of those six things lacking in Wakad between THEN (2010) and NOW (2012)

WAKAD  Social Infrastructure

Then (2010) and Now (2012)

1. FOOD - Slight Improvement, but still no decent restaurants, only takeaway joints.

2. BANKS and ATMs - No improvement. Same as before. Nil banks and very few ATMs

3. SHOPPING CENTRES and MALLS - No improvement. There are no malls or departmental stores in Wakad. For your basic needs you have to go to D Mart in Hinjewadi or Baner or Reliance Mart in Aundh. There are no Malls in Wakad or nearby - you have to go to Chinchwad or Pune City. There is no bookstore or Coffee Shop or Lounge in Wakad.

 

4. MULTIPLEX - No improvement. Enjoy at home seeing movies on TV or go all the way to E-Square or Big Cinema in Chinchwad.

5. LANDLINE PHONES - No Improvement. BROADBAND - a few private players are there but no BSNL broadband. Most use the slow Reliance Netconnect USB. Mobile signals here are still weak and erratic for all networks.

6. MEDICAL FACILITIES - No improvement. Aditya Birla Hospital in Chinchwad is the nearest good hospital.

7. ROADS - Still dug up - work is going on at snail's pace for the last one year.

So, since nothing much has changed, read on and find out about life in Wakad (especially in case you are thinking of moving in here)

WAKAD - LIVING IN PUNE

By

VIKRAM KARVE

At present, there is Zero Quality of Life in Wakad.

Life is difficult in Wakad as even day-to-day requirements for a decent living are not available. And just imagine, Wakad is touted as a future “destination” and it is supposed to be a posh suburb of Pune. It is only when you start living here that reality strikes you.

I live in South Wakad, towards the Mula river, definitely the better part of Wakad, where at least the ambience is good, the view from my clean well lighted airy apartment is excellent with plenty of space all around and the air is fresh and unpolluted and there is still a bit of greenery around. I like the charming rustic ambience of the clean, serene, spiritual and well laid out Wakad village and once the connecting road is ready I will be able to walk down to the highway.

I really pity those who stay in North Wakad, on the other side of the Aundh Hinjewadi Road. North Wakad is a filthy, polluted, congested concrete jungle choking with traffic and terrible infrastructure. Construction activity is on full swing, with all the noise, dirt, and grime flying around, and there is a perpetual stench due to strewn garbage and debris, stray dogs abound dangerously and hapless people working on the construction sites defecate in the open fields.

Let’s hope for the best, stop cribbing and offer some constructive suggestions to improve the quality of life in Wakad. If anyone is listening, here is a small wish list of things urgently required in Wakad in order to alleviate the difficulties of Wakadkars and raise the quality of life.

I will list just SIX THINGS, six very basic requirements of urban life, to start with:

1. FOOD

There is an urgent need of some good value-for-money restaurants, eateries and fast food joints because, today, there is nowhere you can go to eat out in Wakad. 

Yes, you do not even get a decent Vada Pav or Bhel or Pani Puri or Misal or Dosa or Idli or Utthapam or Chola Bhatura or Pav Bhaji or a pastry or ice cream or a quality hygienic affordable value-for-money meal in Wakad. 

You can't even get a decent cup of tea or coffee. If you want to have a snack, dosa, idli or an affordable meal, you have to go all the way to Aundh or to Sadanand in Baner. 

There are a few expensive hotels and overpriced “dhabas” on the Mumbai – Bangalore highway and on the Hinjewadi Road but what one needs are clean decent family places, like Udipi Restaurants, which are not too much of a burden on the pocket. 

Let’s also have some good fast food joints, an ice cream parlour, cafes and street food places (pav bhaji, Chinese etc) too. A Khau Galli (planned by PCMC near the waterfront) would be great. There are no good sweet shops or halwais out here in Wakad. We require some home delivery restaurants too. Till then the only option is to order a pizza from Domino or a Burger from McDonalds.

2. BANKS and ATMs

There is just one ATM in Wakad - the solitary State Bank of India ATM in the petrol pump premises. 

Surprisingly there is not a single branch of any well-known bank in Wakad. 

I wish ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Axis, SBI and other big nationalised banks open Branches and ATMs soon in Wakad considering the huge customer base.

3. SHOPPING CENTRE and MALLS

Believe it or not!

There is no departmental store, electronic goods store, bookstore, shopping centre or mall in Wakad? There are hardly any shops either. Even to buy the basics you have to go all the way to Baner or Aundh or Chinchwad or Hinjewadi, which are quite far away. Just imagine the business such commercial enterprises would generate.

4. MULTIPLEX

If you want to see a movie, you go all the way to ESquare more than 12 kilometres away and on holidays, you may not get tickets. 

Is anyone planning a multiplex for all those entertainment hungry IT Pros living out here in Wakad? 

Maybe, a Multiplex like ESQUARE or INOX - a decent place to spend a day and hang out.

5. LANDLINE TELEPHONES and BROADBAND INTERNET

Let me tell you something you will probably not believe, incredible but true. 

You cannot get a BSNL Landline or Broadband Connection in Wakad, the home to IT Professionals. 

Just before I relocated, I made a request via internet to BSNL for a landline and broadband connection at my new apartment in Rohan Tarang and promptly got an SMS that their staff would visit my place and give the connection immediately. 

I waited for a few days and when no one from BSNL turned up, I enquired with BSNL. I was shocked when BSNL informed me that it was not possible to give me landline telephone or broadband internet connection as there was no optical fibre cable in that area. 

Well, I don’t live in an uninhabited desolate mofussil area in the back of beyond or deep within remote uncharted forests and jungles. 

I live in a most modern township just a stone’s throw away from the much hyped “state-of-the-art” Infotech Park at Hinjewadi in Pune, which is being flaunted as the IT Capital of India. 

And, by the way, most of the persons living out here are IT Pros and I am sure they require fast broadband internet connectivity. 

That’s “Cart before Horse” infrastructure development for you!

6. MEDICAL FACILITIES

At serial six of this wishlist for Wakad, last but not the least, we need medical facilities, a hospital, clinics, doctors, dentists, even vets for pets. Right now there are NIL medical facilities in Wakad - even for the smallest of ills one has to rush to Pune City or to Aditya Birla Hospital which is quite far away in Chinchwad.

I hope for the best.

Maybe this wish list will be realized and the quality of life in Wakad will be elevated to a decent standard. PCMC must be collecting a huge amount of property taxes from Wakad and I am sure they will plough back some of the money into the development of Wakad and make Wakad a happening place to live in.

A large number of IT professionals employed by top-notch IT companies like Infosys, Wipro, Cognizant, TCS etc located in the Rajiv Gandhi InfoTech Park in Hinjewadi live in Wakad. I trust these companies will also do their bit to improve the quality of life in Wakad as a part of their Corporate Social Responsibility or CSR. This will encourage more and more IT Professionals to live in Wakad which is very near their workplaces and will reduce commuting time, save expensive fuel costs and also help in alleviating the terrible traffic chaos on the roads from Hinjewadi to Pune City. I think the IT companies must play their role in the development of Wakad as this will ultimately benefit them in the long run.

Until then, the best thing to do is to STAY INSIDE and STAY COOL and enjoy a life of solitude and contemplation! 

If you live in Wakad, just imagine that you are not living in Pune but in some rural setting, a back of beyond mofussil area, and plan your weekly trips to enjoy the delights of Pune City.

Dear Readers, especially fellow Wakadkars, please do comment and add on to the list…

PS:

Let me end on a positive note and tell you the best thing I like about Wakad (in addition to the excellent connectivity, which is a well-known fact).

There is a beautiful garden on the banks of Mula where I spend my evenings on the lush green lawns by the waterfront enjoying the sublime spirituality in the air.

I eagerly await the BRTS – once this comes through there will be plenty of space for pedestrians and cyclists like there is on the BRTS Satara Road where one can enjoy one’s walks unhindered. As and when the BRTS sees the light of the day, one can hope to travel in the comfortable BRTS Buses to Pune city, the traffic congestion will ease too, and driving will become pleasurable.

Let's wait and watch - maybe Wakad will become a great place to live in.

To be continued ….

VIKRAM KARVE 

Copyright © Vikram Karve 2012
Vikram Karve has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

Did you like this blog post?
I am sure you will like the 27 fiction short stories from my recently published anthology of Short Fiction COCKTAIL 
To order your COCKTAIL please click any of the links below:
http://www.flipkart.com/cocktail-vikram-karve-short-stories-book-8191091844?affid=nme
http://www.indiaplaza.in/cocktail-vikram-karve/books/9788191091847.htm
http://www.apkpublishers.com/books/short-stories/cocktail-by-vikram-karve.html

COCKTAIL ebook
If you prefer reading ebooks on Kindle or your ebook reader, please order Cocktail E-book by clicking the links below:
AMAZON
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005MGERZ6
SMASHWORDS
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/87925

Foodie Book:  Appetite for a Stroll
If your are a Foodie you will like my book of Food Adventures APPETITE FOR A STROLL. Do order a copy from FLIPKART:
http://www.flipkart.com/appetite-stroll-vikram-karve/8190690094-gw23f9mr2o

About Vikram Karve

A creative person with a zest for life, Vikram Karve is a retired Naval Officer turned full time writer. Educated at IIT Delhi, ITBHU Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale and Bishops School Pune, Vikram has published two books: COCKTAIL a collection of fiction short stories about relationships (2011) and APPETITE FOR A STROLL a book of Foodie Adventures (2008) and is currently working on his novel and a book of vignettes and short fiction. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories, creative non-fiction articles on a variety of topics including food, travel, philosophy, academics, technology, management, health, pet parenting, teaching stories and self help in magazines and published a large number of professional research papers in journals and edited in-house journals for many years, before the advent of blogging. Vikram has taught at a University as a Professor for almost 15 years and now teaches as a visiting faculty and devotes most of his time to creative writing. Vikram lives in Pune India with his family and muse - his pet dog Sherry with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts.

Vikram Karve Academic and Creative Writing Journal: http://karvediat.blogspot.com
Professional Profile Vikram Karve: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karve
Vikram Karve Facebook Page:  https://www.facebook.com/vikramkarve
Vikram Karve Creative Writing Blog: http://vikramkarve.sulekha.com/blog/posts.htm
Email: vikramkarve@sify.com

© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

   

WILL SATYAMEV JAYATE DISCUSS ALCOHOLISM

A month ago I wrote a blog post (given below for your convenience) wondering whether the problem of Alcoholism would be discussed on Satyamev Jayate. 

http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2012/05/will-satyamev-jayate-cover-alcoholism.html

I got a comment from a handle called Bombay Sound that there is an episode on Alcoholism scheduled to be aired in June 2012 and that I should not miss it.

The month of June is over. Alcoholism affects all strata of society. Earlier alcoholism was a male-dominated malaise, now even women have started falling victim to the disease of alcoholism, especially in urban metros.  I hope there is an episode on this important social issue of Alcoholism and they telecast the episode in Satyamev Jayate tomorrow or maybe soon.

Meanwhile, do read the post below and give your comments, views and feedback. 

ALCOHOLISM

A Major Social Problem

By

VIKRAM KARVE

There is a country liquor bar on the main road near my house in Pune. 

You probably will not believe it, but the bar opens at 6 o’clock in the morning and you will be surprised to know that there are customers eagerly waiting for their first drink of the day.

This morning on my way to Taljai Hills for my morning walk, I saw a familiar face - that comparatively well dressed man who is unfailingly there every morning waiting for the country liquor bar to open. 

He was shaking with Delerium Tremens (DT) as he desperately craved for his first drink of the day – his early morning dose of alcohol.

On my way back I saw that this man was dead drunk and was being helped into an auto-rickshaw to drive him to his house since he was so inebriated that he was in no condition to walk the short distance to his house. 

He would be back after a few hours for his second drink, then a third, maybe a fourth, and the same sequence of events would repeat themselves.

Someone told me that this man was once a successful manager in the corporate world, but his alcoholism had ruined him and reduced him to this state where he could afford only country liquor. 

They said that the man who now looked like a skeleton was once a handsome healthy sportsman before his alcoholism destroyed him.

The man lived with his joint family, his wife, his brothers, their wives, children, grandchildren, et al. 

Owing to his alcoholism he was a big embarrassment to his entire family and the only reason they had not thrown him out was because he owned the bungalow where they lived. 

But they did not allow him to drink at home and that is why he came to the country liquor bar. 

Someone said that his family members had made all efforts to make him give up drinking, but in vain, and now they had given up hope and were fed up with his drinking and were waiting for him to die.

There was a time when there was prohibition in Maharashtra and you could not drink alcohol in Pune. 

But that was long back – maybe around 50 years ago. 

Now liquor flows freely and there are bars and shops selling booze all over. 

A large number of people, from all strata of society, from all age groups ranging from students to senior citizens, drink alcohol regularly, and many become dependent on alcohol and risk ruining their lives by turning into alcoholics.

It is a common sight to see totally inebriated people lying dead drunk in a state of unconsciousness on the roads and footpaths of Pune throughout the day. 

This evening I saw a sorry spectacle of a wife and small son trying to lift a drunkard (who had fallen down outside the bar on the pavement). They wanted to take the inebriated man home. But, in his drunken stupor, the man was hurling filthy abuses at his wife and son. 

I have witnessed young boys and girls pass out drunk. 

Some are unable to hold their liquor and they puke and wallow in their vomit after binge drinking sessions at high-falutin watering holes which have sprouted all over the place to cater to the alcoholic cravings of the nouveau-riche IT Nerds and wealthy students. 

It is a disgusting sight to see these youngsters in this terribly intoxicated state.

Most youngsters start drinking because of peer pressure and try to show off their drinking prowess and land up getting drunk.

In these places, drunken brawls are quite commonplace and drunken driving is on the rise.

Someone told me that the scourge of alcoholism is a Pan-India phenomenon, rapidly proliferating in urban as well as rural areas, in villages, towns and metros, penetrating in all strata of society, and, you may be surprised, but many women too are succumbing to this disease.

Alcoholism is a disease and the effects of alcohol are worse than tobacco. 

Smoking affects the smoker whereas alcoholism affects the entire family and society around too. 

They say that smoking ruins your body, affects you physically, but alcohol affects both your body and your brain, and, in the long run, damages you physically and mentally too. 

Like smoking, alcohol has an adverse effect on health. 

But unlike smoking, efforts are not being made to discourage people from drinking alcohol. 

In fact, easy availability of alcoholic drinks and lack of taboo due to increasing globalisation of culture, are facilitating, even encouraging, consumption of alcohol.   

All of us need to be made aware of the dangers of drinking alcohol and to what extent alcoholism has affected our country and society. 

I wish Aamir Khan and the director Satyajit Bhatkal and his team cover this topic in Satyamev Jayate.

Making people aware of a problem is the first step towards solving the problem. 

Satyamev Jayate has done yeoman’s service by creating awareness of the ills plaguing our society like female foeticide, child sexual abuse, health issues and many such relevant issues. 

I hope this program will highlight the dangers of alcoholism, both in our rural and urban society.

VIKRAM KARVE

Copyright © Vikram Karve 2012

Vikram Karve has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work. 

© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

Did you like this article?

I am sure you will like the 27 short stories from my recently published anthology of Short Fiction COCKTAIL
To order your COCKTAIL please click any of the links below:
http://www.flipkart.com/cocktail-vikram-karve-short-stories-book-8191091844?affid=nme
http://www.indiaplaza.in/cocktail-vikram-karve/books/9788191091847.htm
http://www.apkpublishers.com/books/short-stories/cocktail-by-vikram-karve.html

COCKTAIL ebook

If you prefer reading ebooks on Kindle or your ebook reader, please order Cocktail E-book by clicking the links below:
AMAZON
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005MGERZ6
SMASHWORDS
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/87925

Foodie Book:  Appetite for a Stroll
If your are a Foodie you will like my book of Food Adventures APPETITE FOR A STROLL. Do order a copy from FLIPKART:
http://www.flipkart.com/appetite-stroll-vikram-karve/8190690094-gw23f9mr2o

About Vikram Karve

A creative person with a zest for life, Vikram Karve is a retired Naval Officer turned full time writer. Educated at IIT Delhi, ITBHU Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale and Bishops School Pune, Vikram has published two books: COCKTAIL a collection of fiction short stories about relationships (2011) and APPETITE FOR A STROLL a book of Foodie Adventures (2008) and is currently working on his novel and a book of vignettes and short fiction. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories, creative non-fiction articles on a variety of topics including food, travel, philosophy, academics, technology, management, health, pet parenting, teaching stories and self help in magazines and published a large number of professional research papers in journals and edited in-house journals for many years, before the advent of blogging. Vikram has taught at a University as a Professor for almost 15 years and now teaches as a visiting faculty and devotes most of his time to creative writing. Vikram lives in Pune India with his family and muse - his pet dog Sherry with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts.

Vikram Karve Academic and Creative Writing Journal: http://karvediat.blogspot.com
Professional Profile Vikram Karve: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karve
Vikram Karve Facebook Page:  https://www.facebook.com/vikramkarve
Vikram Karve Creative Writing Blog: http://vikramkarve.sulekha.com/blog/posts.htm
Email: vikramkarve@sify.com      

© vikram karve., all rights reserved.