Monday, July 25, 2011

Want a home - Useful guidelines


Home loans are easy to come by these days. So, don’t fret over it. Focus on the documents you need to furnish while applying for a home loan.

Documents required: We give you a standard list of documents your bank will ask for. Besides this you need to submit details of the property or home you are obtaining the loan for.

Tip: Check with your Bank or Non-Banking Financial Companies to figure out which of the following documents you need to submit, as the requirements differ from bank to bank.

1. Identity proof – Driving license – Voters ID – Passport – PAN card – Ration card – Employee ID – Bank passbook – Letter from a recognized public authority or public servant verifying your photograph – Confirmation letter from your employer or another bank verifying your photograph
2. Address proof – Driving license – Voters ID – Passport – Ration card – Bank passbook or Bank account statement – LIC policy/ receipt – Utility bill – telephone, electricity, water, gas (less than 2 months old) – Letter from any recognized public authority verifying residence address of the customer – Letter from your employer

3. Age proof – Driving license – Passport – Bank passbook – PAN card – Birth certificate – 10th standard mark sheet

4. Income proof Income proof and property proof vary for a salaried individual and a self-employed individual. a. Self Employed/Businessmen – A brief introduction of Business/Profession – Balance Sheet, profit and loss account statement of income, proof of income tax returns for the last 3 years certified by a CA – Photographs – Receipts of advance tax payments if any made – A photocopy of Registration Certificate of establishment under Shops and Establishments Act/Factories Act – Registration Certificate for deduction of Profession Tax – Certificate of Practice – Receipts of Bank loans – Proof of investments (FD Certificates, Shares, any other fixed asset) b. Salaried individuals – Income Proof (any one of the following): Latest Pay slip Form 16 Increment/Promotion letters Appointment letter Pay slip (Last 2 months) with salary account bank statement Certified letter from Employer IT returns ( for three years ) – Investment proof (FD certificates, shares, any fixed asset etc.) – Documents supporting the financial background of the borrower (liabilities and assets if any) – Photographs

5. Property documents: If a flat is purchased from a builder, you need the following property documents: –
  • Original copy of your agreement with the builder
  • 7/12 extract – This is issued by the concerned land authorities giving details such as the survey numbers, area, date from which current owner is registered as owner etc.
  • Property register card, which is obtained from the City Survey Department
  • N.A. permission for the land from the collector, if its agricultural
  • If the land is agricultural and is being utilized for residential/ commercial/industrial use, then such agricultural land has to be converted to non-agricultural land and a Non-Agriculture Order has to be obtained from the Collector of the district where the property is located.
  • Search Report and Title Certificate - A search report and title certificate can be obtained from an advocate who will conduct a survey of the title of the property by visiting the office of registrar. A legal opinion can avoid any legal hassles later and is mandatory to be filed with the agreement for sale.
  • Development agreement between the owner of land and the builder
  • Copy of order under the Urban land Ceiling Act
  • Copy of building plans sanctioned by the competent authority
  • Commencement certificate granted by the Corporation
  • Building completion certificate
  • Latest receipts for taxes paid towards the land or property or flat to be purchased
  • Partnership deed or memorandum of association of the builders firm. If a flat is purchased from a Cooperative Society, you need the following property documents
  • Original share certificate of the Society
  • Allotment letter from the Society in your name
  • Copy of the lease deed, if executed
  • Certificate of the registration of the society
  • Copy of the bye laws of the Society
  • No objection certificate from the Society
  • 7/12 extract or property register card in the Society’s name
  • Copy of N.A permission for the land from the collector
  • Search Report and Title Certificate
  • Copy of order under the Urban Land Ceiling Act
  • Copy of the building plans sanctioned by a competent authority
  • Commencement certificate granted by Corporation
  • The latest receipts of taxes paid for the property – Original Agreement to assign / Deed of assignment
If you are constructing on your own land, then you will need the following property documents.
  • Original sale deed of land and extract of Index II – 7/12 extract or property register card in your name
  • Copy of N.A. permission for land from the collector
  • Search and title report
  • Copy of tax paid under Urban Land Ceiling Act (obtained from Commissionerate of Urban Land Ceiling and Urban Land Tax)  
  • Copy of the building plans sanctioned by a competent authority
  • Building permission granted by the Corporation
  • The latest receipts of taxes paid for your land
  • Estimate of the cost of construction certified by the architect

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Learn how God works


Courtesy: Simple Sundar at onlysuperstar.com 
Once there was a sweeper in the Well Known temple and he was very sincere and devoted. Every time he saw thousands of devotees coming to take darshan of the Lord, he thought that the Lord is standing all the time and giving darshan and He must be feeling very tired.
So one day very innocently he asked the Lord whether he can take the place of the Lord for a day so that the Lord can have some relief and rest. The Deity of Temple replied, “I do not mind taking a break. I will transform you like Myself, but you must do one thing. You must just stand here like Me, smile at everyone and just give benedictions. Do not interfere with anything and do not say anything. Remember you are the deity and you just have faith that I have a master plan for everything.” The sweeper agreed to this.
The next day the sweeper took the position of the deity and a rich man came and prayed to the Lord. He offered a nice donation and prayed that his business should be prosperous. While going, the rich man inadvertently left his wallet full of money right there. Now the sweeper in the form of deity could not call him and so he decided to control himself and keep quiet.
Just then a poor man came and he put one coin in the Hundi and said that it was all he could afford and he prayed to the Lord that he should continue to be engaged in the Lord’s service. He also said that his family was in dire need of some basic needs but he left it to the good hands of the Lord to give some solution. When he opened his eyes, he saw the wallet left by the rich man. The poor man thanked the Lord for His kindness and took the wallet very innocently. The sweeper in the form of the Deity could not say anything and he had to just keep smiling.
At that point a sailor walked in. He prayed for his safe journey as he was going on a long trip. Just then the rich man came with the police and said that somebody has stolen his wallet and seeing the sailor there, he asked the police to arrest him thinking that he might have taken it. Now the sweeper in the form of Deity wanted to say that the sailor is not the thief and he could not say and he was greatly frustrated. The sailor looked at the Lord and asked why he an innocent person is being punished. The rich man looked at the Lord and thanked Him for finding the thief. The sweeper in the deity form could no more tolerate and he thought that even if the real Lord had been here, he would have definitely interfered and hence he started speaking and said that the sailor is not the thief but it was the poor man who took away the wallet. The rich man was very thankful as also the sailor.
In the night, the real Lord came and He asked the sweeper how the day was. The sweeper said, “I thought it would be easy, but now I know that Your days are not easy, but I did one good thing.” Then he explained the whole episode to the Lord. The Lord became very upset on hearing this whereas the sweeper thought the Lord would appreciate him for the good deed done.
The Lord asked, “Why did you not just stick to the plan? You had no faith in Me. Do you think that I do not understand the hearts of all those who come here? All the donation which the rich man gave was all stolen money and it is only a fraction of what he really has and he wants Me to reciprocate unlimitedly. The single coin offered by the poor man was the last coin he was having and he gave it to Me out of faith. The sailor might not have done anything wrong, but if the sailor were to go in the ship that night he was about to die because of bad weather and instead if he is arrested he would be in the jail and he would have been saved form a greater calamity. The wallet should go to the poor man because he will use it in My service. I was going to reduce the rich man’s karma also by doing this and save the sailor also. But you canceled everything because you thought you know My plan and you made your own plans.”
God has plans and justice for everyone….we just have to have patience…

Friday, April 29, 2011

A Beautiful Argument about the existence of God.



Prof:   So you believe in God?
Student:   Absolutely, sir. 
Prof:  Is God good?
Student:  Sure. 
Prof:  Is God all-powerful?
Student:  Yes... 
Prof:  My brother died of cancer even though he prayed to God to heal him.  Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill.  But God didn't.  How is this God good then?  Hmm?    
(Student is silent.) 
Prof:  You can't answer, can you? Let's start again, young fella.  Is God good?
Student:  Yes. 
Prof:  Is Satan good? 
Student:  No. 
Prof:  Where does Satan come from? 
Student:  From...God... 
Prof:  That's right. Tell me son, is there evil in this world? 
Student:  Yes. 
Prof:  Evil is everywhere, isn't it?  And God did make everything.  Correct?
Student:  Yes. 
Prof:  So who created evil? 
(Student does not answer.) 
Prof:  Is there sickness?  Immorality?  Hatred?  Ugliness?  All these terrible things exist in the world, don't they?
Student:  Yes, sir. 
Prof:  So, who created them? 
(Student has no answer.) 
Prof:  Science says you have five senses you use to identify and observe the world around you...  Tell me, son...  Have you ever seen God? 
Student:  No, sir. 
Prof:   Tell us if you have ever heard your God? 
Student:  No, sir. 
Prof:  Have you ever felt your God, tasted your God, smelt your God?  Have you ever had any sensory perception of God for that matter? 
Student:  No, sir.  I'm afraid I haven't. 
Prof:  Yet you still believe in Him? 
Student:  Yes. 
Prof:  According to empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your 
GOD DOESN'T EXIST...  What do you say to that, son? 
Student:  Nothing.  I ONLY HAVE MY FAITH.  
Prof:  Yes.  Faith.  And that is the problem science has.... 

Student:  Professor, is there such a thing as heat? 
Prof: Yes. 
Student:  And is there such a thing as cold? 
Prof:  Yes. 
Student:  No sir. There isn't. 
(The lecture theatre becomes very quiet with this turn of events.)

Student: Sir, you can have lots of heat, even more heat, superheat, mega heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat...  But we don't have anything called cold.  We can hit 458 degrees below zero which is no heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold. Cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat.  We cannot measure cold.  Heat is energy.  Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir,  just the absence of it. 
(There is pin-drop silence in the lecture theatre.) 

Student:  What about darkness, Professor?  Is there such a thing as darkness? 
Prof:  Yes. What is night if there isn't darkness?
Student :  You're wrong again, sir.  Darkness is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light....But if you have no light constantly, you have nothing and it's called darkness, isn't it?  In reality, darkness isn't.  If it were, you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn't you? 
Prof:  So what is the point you are making, young man? 
Student:  Sir, my point is your philosophical premise is flawed. 
Prof:  Flawed?  Can you explain how?
Student:  Sir, you are working on the premise of duality.  You argue there is life and then there is death, a good God and a bad God.  You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure.  Sir, science can't even explain a thought.  It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing.  Death is not the opposite of life, just the absence of it... 
Now tell me, Professor.  Do you teach your students that they evolved from a 
monkey? 
Prof:  If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, yes, of course, I do.
Student:  Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir? 
(The Professor shakes his head with a smile, beginning to realize where the 
argument is going.) 
Student:  Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and 
cannot even prove that this process is an ongoing endeavor, are you not teaching 
your opinion, sir?  Are you not a scientist but a preacher? 
(The class is in uproar.)

Student:  Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the Professor's brain? 
(The class breaks out into laughter.) 

Student:  Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor's brain, felt it, touched it or smelt it?  No one appears to have done so.  So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain, sir...  With all due respect, sir, how do we then trust your lectures, sir?
(The room is silent. The professor stares at the student, his face unfathomable.) 
Prof:I guess you'll have to take them on faith, son.
Student:  That is it, sir... THE LINK B
ETWEEN MAN AND GOD IS FAITH.  THAT IS ALL THAT KEEPS THINGS MOVING AND ALIVE.
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The student was our own  Dr. Abdul Kalam, former President.  

Monday, March 21, 2011

Kalyana Kanavugal - a Tamil Short Story

The following story was written by me in Tamil, was published in  "The Nilgiri News" - a local monthly magazine in Nilgiris Tamilnadu on 13-1-1995.  I am happy to present the same for my blog readers.

Please click on the image to enlarge



Sunday, March 20, 2011

Unknwon Use of Mobile phones

FIRST
 
Emergency
 
The Emergency Number worldwide for  Mobile is 112.
 If you find yourself out of the coverage area of
 your mobile; network and there is an emergency,
 dial 112 and the mobile will search any existing
 network to establish the emergency number for you,
 and interestingly this number 112 can be dialled
 even if the keypad is locked. Try it out.
 
SECOND
 
Have you locked your keys in the car?
 
Does your car have remote keyless entry?
 This may come in handy someday.
 Good reason to own a cell phone: If you lock your
 keys in the car and the spare keys are at home,
 call someone at home on their mobile phone
 from your cell phone.
 Hold your cell phone about a foot from
 your car door and have the person
 at your home press the unlock button,
 holding it near the mobile phone on their end.
 Your car will unlock.
 Saves someone from having to
 drive your keys to you.
 Distance is no object.
 You could be hundreds of miles away,
 and if you can reach someone who has
 the other 'remote' for your car, you can
 unlock the doors.
 
 
 
 
THIRD
 
Hidden  Battery   Power
 
Imagine your mobile battery is very low.
 To activate, press the keys *3370#
 Your mobile will restart with this reserve and the
 instrument will show a 50% increase in battery.
 This reserve will get charged when
 you charge your mobile next time.
 
FOURTH
 
 How to disable a STOLEN mobile phone?
 
To check your Mobile phone's serial number,
 key in the following digits on your phone: * # 0 6 #
 A 15 digit code will appear on the screen.
 This number is unique to your handset.
 Write it down and keep it somewhere safe.
 When your phone get stolen, you can phone
 your service provider and give them this code.
 They will then be able to block your handset
 so even if the thief changes the SIM card,
 your phone will be totally useless.
 You probably won't get your phone back,
 but at least you know that whoever stole it
 can't use/sell it either.
 If everybody does this, there would be
 no point in people stealing mobile phones.
 
ATM - PIN Number Reversal
Good to Know
 
If you should ever be forced by a robber to
 withdraw money from an ATM machine, you can
 notify the police by entering your PIN # in reverse.
 For example, if your pin number is 1234,
 then you would put in 4321.
 The ATM system recognizes that your PIN number is
 backwards from the ATM card you placed in the machine.
 The machine will still give you the money you requested,
 but unknown to the robber, the police will be
 immediately dispatched to the location.
 This information was recently broadcast on CTV by Crime Stoppers
 however it is seldom used because people just don't know about it.

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Enrich your life


An Angel says, 'Never borrow from the future. If you worry about what may happen tomorrow and it doesn't happen, you have worried in vain. Even if it does happen, you have to worry twice.'


1. Pray
2. Go to bed on time.
3. Get up on time so you can start the day unrushed.
4. Say No to projects that won't fit into your time schedule, or that will compromise your mental health. 
5. Delegate tasks to capable others.
6. Simplify and un-clutter your life.
7. Less is more. (Although one is often not enough, two are often too many.)
8. Allow extra time to do things and to get to places.
9. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects over time; don't lump the hard things all together.
10. Take one day at a time.
11. Separate worries from concerns. If a situation is a concern, find out what God would have you do and let go of the anxiety. If you can't do anything about a situation, forget it.
12 Live within your budget; don't use credit cards for ordinary purchases.
13.. Have backups; an extra car key in your wallet, an extra house key buried in the garden, extra stamps, etc.
14. K.M.S (Keep Mouth Shut). This single piece of advice can prevent an enormous amount of trouble.
15. Do something for the Kid in You everyday.
16. Carry a spiritually enlightening book with you to read while waiting in line.
17. Get enough rest.
18. Eat right.
19. Get organized so everything has its place.
20. Listen to a tape while driving that can help improve your quality of life..
21. Write down thoughts and inspirations.
22. Every day, find time to be alone.
23. Having problems? Talk to God on the spot. Try to nip small problems in the bud. Don't wait until it's time to go to bed to try and pray.
24. Make friends with Godly people.
25. Keep a folder of favorite scriptures on hand.
26. Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope is often a good 'Thank you Jesus.'
27. Laugh.
28. Laugh some more!
29. Take your work seriously, but not yourself at all.
30. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can.)
31. Be kind to unkind people (they probably need it the most).
32. Sit on your ego.
33. Talk less; listen more.
34. Slow down.
35. Remind yourself that you are not the general manager of the universe.
36. Every night before bed, think of one thing you're grateful for that you've never been grateful for before.

GOD HAS A WAY OF TURNING THINGS AROUND FOR YOU.
'If God is for us, who can be against us?'
(Romans  8:31)

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Bloody Triangle - A short suspense thriller


Dear Friends, I have written many stories in Tamil.  But for the first time I have written a Short Story "Bloody Triangle" - a suspense thriller for E-Magazine "Mind Tree" - March 2011 edition.  Editor of this Magazine is Shri Vijayan Balakrishnan.  You can have a copy of Mind Tree by writing to email ID : vijayanbee@gmail.com which is free and you will love it.
Now over to

Bloody triangle

I could not believe my own eyes when I saw him after many years. He looked weary and had a beard which may be few months old. His eyes looked pale and his face resembled a dead man’s……… expressionless.

Observing him closely, I sat in my chair still wondering what made him look like this.

He looked at me as if he has never seen me in the past.

I started the conversation  “How are you ?!!!”

Without answering my question, he handed me an envelope. His face was still expressionless.

I took the envelope and opened it to find “a two page letter”…. no…  “a complaint”  or …. “a self confession ?!!!”.

Even after more than ten years of service in Police department, my hands were trembling while reading the letter.  A chill went through my spine.

I could scarcely believe that he has cold bloodedly murdered his Wife.


 *****



Dolly was in a jubilant mood. She was waiting for Johny, her husband.  It was her birthday and he had promised her  a big surprise. 

She looked through the window.  It was raining heavily outside.  She cursed the rain. Though she knew her birthday falls in August, and hence, generally there will be rain during the whole month. 

She could not guess what surprise he was going to unveil. She had known her husband very well - a very hard man to predict.  He always does what others will not even think and imagine.  Different.  Always different.  Hence, she dropped the idea of guessing what he was going to do.

Suddenly a thunder exploded in the sky.  She felt a shiver.  She, then, decided to call him and ask him where he was.  She went near the telephone.  The moment she touched the phone, it started ringing. She jerked again and took back her hand from the telephone and looked at it again doubtfully.  She thought it must be her husband.

She took the telephone

“Hullo”

………………………..

She could not believe what was told to her.

“Are you sure ?”

……………………..

Her voice trembled, she felt dropping down.  She held the receiver tightly. At last she screamed,

“Noooooooooooooooooooooo…..”

Her scream surpassed even the loud thunder exploded in the sky again.

*****

It was the first day of the New year.

“Will you marry me ? ” he  asked her looking into her eyes.

She definitely did not expect that. Her expression told it all.

“I…. I…., ”  she was searching for words.  

He said,  “Don’t bother.  Take your own time.  I will wait”

She heaved a sigh of  relief .

“That’s fine,”  she said.

They talked for about ten minutes.  If you possibly ask them what they were taking those ten minutes, well, they really might not know.

*****

She took her dairy and started scribbling.

“The 30 days we spent together were awesome”  It is bit a long honeymoon she thought. 

She prayed looking towards the sky as if the happiness she experienced in those thirty days should never end. 

She turned the first page of her honey moon episode.  She read it again…. and again….  Her face became red.  She thought… “It is too elaborate”.

*****

He did not understand what to do.  It was a horrible shock of his life.  He did not expect this to happen in his life. He could not tolerate what was seen by him. 

“No…. I will not accept this….. I won’t tolerate this.  I will take revenge…. Definitely I will take  revenge….” he said to himself.

“What to do….. what to do…..” he was scratching his head.  “Some thing needs to be done…..”

A horribly terrible idea came into his mind. He thought,  “That would be befitting”.

He smiled cruelly.

*****

It was difficult for him to hide his delight.  He had known that she loved him.  He was expecting positive news from her.

“Thank you very much….” he said.

“No. I should thank you,” she said. “I too was  in love with you, but I was hesitant to tell you”

“Whatever….,”  he said… “Let us celebrate this day”.


*****

He was very glad to receive the Invitation Card from him.  He said  “at last you are marrying buddy”.

He said “Yes”

He said “she must be the luckiest girl in the world… because marrying a man like you with clean habits..”

“Thanks, ” he said shook his hands and went out of his cabin.

When he opened and looked into the Invitation Card he felt a shock of his life.

*****

When he entered the surroundings of the house it was mid night. The liquor he had an hour before gave him an unusual sense of strength.  He carefully went behind the house and observed everything. 

“Cool” he thought.  He heard a faint barking sound of a dog in the distance.  

He climbed the window  and reached the terrace with the precision of a thief.  He had a small bag behind his back.

It took only few minutes to unlock the door.  Without making even a small sound he entered in to the room.

He fished something out of that bag again which …. he thought should be sufficient…. more than sufficient…..

He looked at the bed where she was sleeping peacefully.

He slowly went near her.

He heard the faint barking sound of a dog again.  But she did not wake up

*****

She thought about the past two years.  She thought that the first year was good which she enjoyed every moment of it.  She even thought she will not be able to live without him.  Soon after she noticed few changes in him  which made her to think a lot.  She could not believe whether he can be like that ?  He made lot of money.  He lied a lot.  When she asked about it, he simply ignored her.

“Is he a good or a bad person ?”  she thought. She could not come to a conclusion.  She thought, it is difficult to predict him.  Sometimes he is so good. Some times he behaves just opposite.  At times she thought he is the cruelest man she has ever met.  The incidents which she heard about him made her think so.

She thought…. “It is his profession…..but…. not…..this much cruelty”.

After much thinking she came to that conclusion… which …..she at that time did not know will cost her life.

*****
When she got up in the morning she felt the shock of her life.  She felt still there was some heaviness in her head.  Her body pained like hell. She could not understand what happened to her.  She tried hard to remember what happened last night.  All she could gather was his smell all over her.  She experienced this smell for at least two years in her life. 

At last she thought… “He is the cruelest man she ever met”.

She started crying….and she hated him….she thought she would never meet him in her life again.

*****

Please do not read my Diary”  This was the phrase written in the first page of her dairy which made him  read the whole dairy.

No sooner he finished reading than he became violent. 

He could not believe that his wife could do this to him.  “She should have told me”.  he thought. 

He could not hide his anger.  “She loved his friend and made romance with him for two years and cheated him and married me”  he was restless.

*****

When she returned home she was shocked to see him reading her dairy.  She felt a shiver.  She wondered as to how he had got it ?...

Looking at his anger, she knew this would be the time to disclose everything to him.

She went near him but did not notice the heavy iron rod he had in his hand.

*****
Visibly shocked, I looked at his face which was expressionless. 

I told him “No buddy.  That wasn’t my fault.  Whatever you have written in the letter is not true.  Your wife misguided you or you have mistaken”

He gave me an old Diary.

I took the dairy.  I tried my level best to hide my shivering.. but failed.  I opened the dairy…. looked into it.  I could recognize her beautiful handwriting. Her face came before me.  After going through few sentences.. I could understand… she has written everything…. even a small thing….. crap….what a bad habit…”

For the first time, he opened his mouth,

“Johny… you should not have done this to my wife.  She loved you very much but you cheated her.  She took the right decision of not marrying you.  You are the cruelest man.  You had many encounters in your life, you killed many….you did not bother to find out weather they are good or bad. You did all for money…. Even last week there was a Lockup death in your station.  This may be a part of your profession.  But you should not have done this to her….my wife….”

“No… listen…. listen…she only cheated me.  I too loved her but she refused marry me after two years”

“Sorry…. You have to pay for this…you are a liability for this earth.  If I leave you now…you will repeat the same things you were doing…..”
  
Having said this he got up slowly took out a sharp knife, before I could act or  my Police Constable who was watching us curiously could act …. he inserted the knife into my heart. That dagger knew exactly where my heart was.  I felt…..the pain…..anger…..anguish…..felt losing consciousness….my wife came to my mind….. today….her birthday….I promised …..her…. something…..different…..  but….

I…. I…… looked at him…….for the last time…… his face was still expressionless.

The end.