Airtel's 'FAIR' usage policy!

fair noun, verb –adjective

1. free from bias, dishonesty, or injustice: a fair decision; a fair judge

[taken from dictionary.com]

Thanks to Airtel, now the word Fair is going to get a new meaning. One which states that Fair is when two people, getting different bandwidths, pay the same amount of money for using their connection. For the uninitiated, India's most respected broadband provider Airtel - from the Sunil Mittal owned, and brilliantly run, Bharati group - has decided to put curbs on its broadband customers. The details are in the following link:

http://www.airtel.in/applications/xm/Fair_Usage_Policy.pdf

What this means in layman terms is, that people 'mis'using the internet bandwidth for heavy downloads, will now be penalized by having to pay the full amount for half the actual speed of the plan. Sample a 256kbps unlimited download connection. Currently, one can download [and upload] as much as they want with this particular speed. However, once the curbs come into effect, a person would be able to download upto 15 GB at 256kbps, following which he will be downgraded to 128 kbps. And the best part - Airtel gets to collect the same amount of money!

I wonder what is so 'Fair' in all this. This policy violates two basic tenets -
a) As per TRAI, anything below 256kbps cannot be called a broadband connection. How then can Airtel slot this as broadband if the speed offered goes down to 128kbps!
b) The word 'unlimited' means 'without limit'. Then why is Airtel trying to limit the speed - very carefully following the definition of the plan - without curbing the download limit per se. But with a reduced speed, how can one still download / upload the same amount of content!

Airtel over the years has become a household name for all sections of the society - thanks to some very smart packaging, backed by good to excellent customer service in most cases. Their broadband connection in particular, has continued winning laurels for the company, and garnered tremendous goodwill among the tech savvy. But this move puts a huge blot on its reputation. Many people - me included - are contemplating switching providers.

Hopefully, Mr. Sunil Mittal is listening, and he will, instead of letting such backward policies take effect, invest more on his network infrastructure and help build a network for the future - and one in which companies like his will have a huge say.

For those who think we - the customers - are right in opposing such an unfair move, please sign an online petition on

http://afup.broadbandforum.in/

Slumdog - What's the big deal?

A month or two back, half of India was not even aware of the existence of this film. And now, it is on everyone's lips - or ears, or eyes, or whatever physical anatomy you can think of. All thanks to our over enthusiastic, and yet over reacting media. And I am referring to the news channels. Now it doesn't need my certification to state that our lovely Hindi and English channels have a huge heart. And by that I am referring to their tendency of putting in their opinions as news. This is an art they have mastered over the years, and are now so adept at, that it would be difficult to say what is news and what is their opinion.

Take the case of Slumdog, their latest favourite. Here is a foreign director - and pardon my ignorance of films outside the Hindi film industry - who no one has ever heard about, who comes to Mumbai, shoots a documentary glorifying the lives of slum dwellers, puts in a dash of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, with a group of Indian, and part-Indian actors, and voila, the international press and media go topsy turvy trying to portray this as a work of art. Some even go to the extent of calling it the real India. Dude [and Dudette, lest our Women's commision takes objection]! India is not about slums alone. Nor is it about the dogs there. Or the humans you loving call Slumdogs.

Indians being people with oodles of generosity, will not mind what you call them, but that doesn't take away from the fact that India is still looked upon with fear and awe - awe that a country with such diversity and internal conflicts, still manages to make tremendous progress, and a fear that we might colonise them one day. Fear not. Indians do not believe in ruling others.

Coming back to the film, for people like me who have been brought up on Hindi cinema - Bollywood as called by many - would know that the basic plot of the film is nothing new. An underdog brought up in extreme poverty strikes it rich one day, and as a bonus, gets to keep the girl too. How innovative. I have nothing against the film - to me films are a means of escapism, and not a source of knowledge - but I am very much against the attitude of a large section of the media as also some self proclaimed movie critics - they are another group I have never understood, but more on them later - go on to describe how this film is a path breaking venture blah blah blah. I can bet my money that had the same film been done by some Indian director, the film would have been ripped apart, and he would have been crucified for taking cinema 20 years backward. Talk of hypocrisy!

In short, neither India, nor its cinema, has gained anything out of Slumdog. Did anyone notice that barring Rahman and Rasool, not a single other Indian got an award for the film yet - which is surprising considering it has got a whole galaxy of them, and the entire starcast was Indian? Doesn't all this point to something, something which I mentioned earlier in this post?

It is time to move on, and while I salute you Mr. Rahman, I have nothing good to say or talk about this film.

First Clap

As I embark on yet another attempt to start blogging - without knowing what in the world this even means - I need your good wishes. Being the first post, I know this would probably be seen long after this blog becomes popular - yes, wishful thinking indeed :) - but to those how have just read this, a big THANK YOU!

Even as I write this, there is a great confusion in my mind, blended with a heady mix of lack of enthusiasm - which means I feeling perfectly fine except for the niggling cold that I caught over the last few days. I know not what I will be writing here. I just hope I keep writing. For beginners, something which I really think I know I can talk about - Hindi films - will be what I will be discussing most. And then, just about anything. Or nothing. Sorry folks, I know this is my first post, and I am at my confusing best. Hopefully, things will turn out better over the days.

I will now BEGIN.