Insurance

Years back insurance was considered a luxury, then a comfort. But its almost a necessity in the present world. Life is full of risk by all means. None is free from the risk of a natural disaster or a riot or from a terrorist attack. So most people prefer to have a minimum precaution to lighten the disaster they may face in future. Here lies the scope and importance of Insurance. Insurance is a hedging instrument used as a precautionary measure against future contingent losses. This instrument is used for managing the possible risks of the future. This is a mode of financially insuring that if such a incident happens then the loss does not affect the present well-being of the person or the property insured. Thus, through insurance, a person buys security and protection.

Different types of insurance is used to cover different properties and assets such as vehicles, home, health care etc. Basically, an insurance policy can also be known as a protection net which secures you from any financial losses in future. All you have to do is pay the insurance agencies a specified amount every month, known as premium, so that they can take care of you by providing you financial back up in case of a sudden health emergency or a fatal incident.

There are two ways for getting an insurance done.

One way is to visit an agent and consult him for the best option you can avail for your situation. And then, trust him/her for their suggestion on the type of insurance they feel is right for you.

The other way is to research and choose on your own, the type of insurance which will be best suited for your situation. You should research the market as well as the net, to look for the best insurance companies, and further more, the most suitable type of insurance that they offer. Also explore the various types of policies which are available to you in the market, and then compare to decide which one to choose finally.

Health Care Insurance

With such high medical and health care costs these days, it’s hard to even think about visiting a doctor. But what about an unexpected mishap or an unforeseen disability or attack, where the potential medical bills could shoot up to a sky? Where would you get so much money from? These are exactly the situations where you feel you had a security, something which could come to your rescue and save you from such financial crisis. While some companies do provide its employees with health insurance, for others, this is a must. Especially for the aging couples, who have a comparatively more chances of needing emergency bill money. The health insurance does it all, so that they do not have to worry for the huge payments at the last minute. A health insurance can cover all from a routine immunization to a major illness.

Life Insurance

Loss of a family member is a catastrophe which glooms a family’s life. But even more tragic is the death of a sole bread earner for the family, who then has to go through the pain of losing their loved one, as well as the financial loss putting their survival in jeopardy. This financial hardship due to a sudden death of a family member or a disability resulting to a loss of job or inability to work can be avoided to a great extent by taking up a life insurance policy. A Life insurance or disability insurance covers such losses and pays a family, compensation to restore the earnings lost by them due to a sudden death or disability. The monthly premiums for a life insurance are generally based upon the age, health, and occupation information of the applicant, in addition to the total benefits to be paid to him for his policy.

Home Insurance

Real estate property and hard assets are subject to accidental risks like theft, destruction due to natural disasters or fire accidents etc. with such huge investments gone into buying a real estate property like your home or office, the risk involved is a loss of large amount of money. Home and property insurance helps you in managing and protecting against these risks. The cost of a real estate property and its insurance is mostly based upon the worth of the already insured hard assets and also the location in which the assets are situated.

Travel Insurance

This is intended to cover any of the financial or any other losses which were incurred by the insured while traveling, be it nationally or internationally, such as mountain trekkers, cruise travelers etc.

Auto Insurance

Any vehicle on road, no matter how safe its driver is, is bound to meet with an accident or two, which may leave it with just a few scratches, or crash it up totally. Most countries today require you to have an auto insurance while on road in your vehicles.

If you have an accidental car crash, a total repair could cost you a fortune. On the other hand, a little scratch on your Land Cruiser might also soar up your bills to a high. Whether or not you need an auto insurance mostly depends on the type of car you own. If you have an expensive car and a little repair could wipe you out financially, you should very well go in for a buying an all-inclusive and crash insurance which could protect you against any and every harm done to your vehicle.

Dual Sim Mobile Phones

Dual sim mobile phones became popular from the year 2008 I think. Now almost 20% of the total mobile users prefer to use dual sim phones than their old single sim phones. Most people like to keep one mobile number for the office and one for home like me. Earlier I had to carry two phones to manage the calls from my family and office. But with the launch of the dual sim phones people no need to carry two different cells, but can manage their work with a single, multiple-sim phone.

In the initial stage the dual sim mobile models were not convenient for easy use. Its operations were somewhat complicated and difficult. But now top branded phone companies are after the market of this dual sim phones and latest technology has made the most modern multi usable dual sim phones providing real-time switching facility between both SIM at the touch of a button. There is a whole range of options available to consumers in India for top quality Dual sim mobile phones at much affordable prices.

Though international cellphone giants like Nokia, iPhone, BlackBerry…… not ventured into the dual-sim mobile phone market leading brand like LG, Samsung and others have dived straight in. Let’s have a look at a range of popular dual sim phones available in India.

Samsung Duo GSM-CDMA dual-sim world phone

The important features of this dual sim wold phone are :

• Sharp and vibrant screen with 2.2 inch, 262000 colours, TFT display with 176 x 220 resolution.
• supports call forwarding facility on both GSM & CDMA which facilitates incoming from both the numbers.
• Enjoy the convenience of Sharp and responsive Touch Screen
• Large phone book and sms storage
• 72 Polyphonic ring tones on the Samsung Duo. You can also set your favorite MP3 as your ring tone.

LG Mobiles dual-sim phones

LG has Unveiled lastest dual-SIM phone LG KS660 which runs on tri-band network. LG KS660 handset allows users to have both their personal and business lines concurrently on a single device without change SIM Cards. LG KS660 features below:

• 3.0-inch WQVGA (240×400) TFT touch-screen display with feedback,
• 5.0-megapixel camera with autofocus, video recording (720×480), flash,
• 50MB internal memory with microSDHC memory slot
• integrated acceletometer.

Karbonn Mobiles

Karbonn Mobile is another company which makes dual sim phones in India. The dual sim phones in the Karbonn Mobile range include KC 441, K 445, K 443, K 460, K 447, K 770, K 332, K 217 and K 451. Some general technical features of KC 441 are: weight 86 gm; talk time up to 180 mins; screen size 1.8 inches; camera 1 megapixel; Mode GSM; expandable memory up to 2 GB; and FM Radio and MP3 media.

Karbonn dual sim phone K 445 boasts a touchscreen, an MP3 player, mobile tracker software, torch, video player and a WAP browser. There is also an FM radio and voice recording features with the Karbonn K 445.

Karbonn K 443 is a slider dual sim phone, with a 1.75 inch screen. The GSM-GPRS phone has an internal phone book which can hold 100 entries, and its memory can be expanded up to 4 GB. There is a WAP 2.0 browser in this dual sim phone, and has features like one-touch camera, one-touch FM radio key, and one-touch movie player. The Karbonn K 443 dual sim phone has Bluetooth connectivity and USB connectivity.

Lava Dual Sim mobiles

Lava mobiles which is based out in Noida is hitting the mobile market with their low price dual sim mobiles. It is now proven than mobile market is bullish with dual sim requirement. Its cost ranges from 2599 to 3850. Looking at the price and features it is very clear that Lava is targeting an entry level segment. Basic Features of Lava sim phones are:

• Digital Camera
• Dual charging points
• FM Radio
• One touch music player
• Micro SD upto 8 GB
• Bluetooth
• Lithium-ion Battery.

Binbrain TV

I’m happy to introduce Binbrain TV,  free online video site, which has a decent collection of rare videos from all over the world. Binbrain TV is specialized in collecting mind-blowing scenes from kerala and firing it to the air. As all you know, Kerala is an incredible tourist destiny in the world. I assure, you can enjoy the real beauty of this heavenly place through Binbrain. I’m sure in the near future this initiative will be a big success. This is not only an entertainment spot but also an opportunity to share your rare video collections. It provides an exceptional platform which is definitely a safe at office site.

Binbrain TV is a newly launched service from Binbrain.com,  a multi purpose parallel web portal. This nice web portal is always being referred as the prime in developing a booming career too. The most popular section of Binbrain is Binbrain Exam.

Follow Binbrain @ Twitter for the latest updates.

Payyambalam Beach

I have once written about this beautiful tourist spot in Kerala, Payyambalam Beach. Then it was just mentioned as one of the tourists points in kerala. Last week we went there for a routine weekend outing. And I thought I must share something more about this beautiful beach in particular to you.

It is an emerging hot tourist spot in (God’s own country) Kerala, which  is one of the must seen ten tourists spots in the world. Now the most popular beach in Kerala is Kovalam. I have visited Kovalam twice. I agree, it’s really beautiful. But I think, Payyambalm Beach does have many qualities and features than Kovalam. The first feature that one notice here is its cleanliness and the second one is its calmness and the marvelous sunset.

I hope in the near future Payyambalm will be the hottest beach destiny for the tourists in Kerala. It’s situated in Kannur district, about 3km away from kannur town. You can also have some time pass at the park aside of this beach. But don’t expect much here except one famous sculpture ‘AMMA’, of Great sculptor Kanayi Kunhiraman.

a musical treat

is a medicine, can cure you. Music is heavenly, can bless you. Music is like a winter, can blossom you. And can give you happiness, make you lighter, can inspire you, and fill you with energy and… and….. I can write pages with like comments when think about music. I don’t usually have a habit of listening albums or music compositions. But if a composition really catches me, like to hear it again and again and it gives me some kind of positive inspiration and happiness.

It’s strange that I’m not a fan of great singers or music legends in the world, though  never dislike them. But some compositions really beat me with their beauty, and ‘Toss The Feathers’ is like one. It’s actually an old version of music. But I really like it and a great fan. To me something seems ‘best’ when it pull  someone or something towards them, by the qualities they have, especially positive and admirable ones. Hope you too will like it. If you feel its love comment me back, ….. want to hear,….. what you think of it. Bye…..

Avatar, The Movie

”It’s all nonsense of course, but in the best possible way; pure Hollywood entertainment at it’s best. Take the misses or take your mates, see it at the cinema and see it in 3D. This is, after all, what cinema was made for.” I think this is what to say all about  ”AVATAR“. It’s an American 3-D science fiction epic film written and directed by James Cameron. This film focuses on an epic conflict on Pandora, an inhabited Earth-sized moon of Polyphemus. The film’s title refers to an avatar, a 3-D representation of a real person in a virtualized world.

The story takes us to AD 2154, where the character Jake Sully, a former US marine who was wounded and paralyzed from the waist. Jake is selected to participate in the Avatar program (due to his genes being identical to those of his late twin brother, Tony, who was supposed to go), which will enable him to walk. He travels to Pandora, a lush and sentient-inhabited satellite of Polyphemus, 4.3 light years from Earth. Pandora is filled with incredible life forms, some beautiful, many terrifying. This world is also home to the Na’vi, a sentient humanoid race, who are considered primitive, yet are more physically capable than humans. They live in harmony with their world.

As humans encroach deeper into Pandora’s forests in search of valuable minerals to remedy a crisis on Earth, the Na’vi unleash their formidable warrior abilities to defend their threatened existence. Jake has unwittingly been recruited to become part of this encroachment. Since humans are unable to breathe the air on Pandora, they have created genetically-bred human-Na’vi hybrids known as Avatars. On Pandora, through his Avatar body, Jake will be able to walk again. Sent deep into Pandora’s jungles as a scout for the soldiers that will follow, Jake encounters many of Pandora’s beauties and dangers. There he meets a young Na’vi female, Neytiri. Over time, Jake integrates himself into the Na’vi clan, and begins to fall in love with Neytiri. As a result, Jake finds himself caught between the military-industrial forces of Earth and the Na’vi, forcing him to choose sides in an epic battle that will decide the fate of Pandora.

Anyone with an interest in films and filmmaking will appreciate what writer-director James Cameron has achieved. “Avatar” is not such a fresh story. Actually it’s quite old: boy meets girl, adapts to the ways of her tribe, must choose between the girl and his mission.What is astonishing is the look of “Avatar”. Cameron and crew, with hundreds of millions of dollars in CGI tricks, have created another world: the planet Pandora, occupied by the Na’vi, nine-foot blue human-hybrids with tails who share the forest with a fantastical collection of creatures, plants, and insects.

‘Amelia’ directed by Mira Nair

Amelia is an upcoming 2009 biographical film by Mira Nair based on the life of Amelia Earhart. Amelia Mary Earhart was a noted American aviation pioneer and author. Earhart was the first woman to receive the Distinguished Flying Cross, awarded for becoming the first aviatrix to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.

She set many other records, wrote best-selling books about her flying  experiences,  and was instrumental in the formation of The Ninety-Nines, an organization  for female pilots. Amelia Earhart was  born in july 24,  1897 and disappeared in July 2,  1937 over the Pacific Ocean in an attempted circumnavigational flight across the globe. The American government spent $4 million searching for her but her body was never recovered. She was declared dead by the American authority in January 5, 1939.

Mira Nair’s biopic film Amelia, based on a script written by Ronald Bass, has an excellent cast of actors including two-time Oscar winner  (Boys Don’t Cry, Million Dollar Baby) Hilary Swank, Richard Gere, Ewan McGregor, Virgina Madsen, and Christopher Eccleston.

Though The film is expected to release on October 23 in USA, Oscar buzz for the Mira Nair’s biopic Amelia is brewing fast, with distributor Fox Searchlight focusing heavily on the film.

They say the film about the mysterious disappearance of aviation pioneer, feminist and author Amelia Earhart, will compete with James Cameron’s eagerly awaited Avatar which is distributed by Fox. It is his first film since the mega hit, Titanic, released in 1997.

Though the nominations are several  months  away ,  several prominent publications including  Los Angeles Times and Seattle PI.com are betting on Amelia playing big at the nominations. ‘Only three times in history has a woman been nominated for Best Director,’ wrote Seattle PI. Com which expects Nair’s David go after Cameron’s Goliath.

The Times expects the Nair film to bag a number of acting nominations. Los Angeles Times started the Oscar buzz for Amelia saying that Swank is a heavy contender. Her Oscar success is even more striking when you recall that she has never lost.

Fox Searchlight has released in recent years many hit films which were either nominated for the Oscars or won the coveted award. The list includes The Wrestler, Slumdog Millionaire and Juno. So let’s hope and especially as an Indian I wish and hope that all these factors may bring the first Oscar for the best director to India.

“Amelia” in brief…

• Directed by : Mira Nair
• Produced by :  Ronald Bass Hilary Swank Ted Waitt Kevin Hyman Lydia Dean Pilcher
• Written by :  Ronald Bass Anna Hamilton Phelan
• Starring : Hilary Swank Richard Gere Ewan McGregor Virginia Madsen Christopher Eccleston
• Music by : Gabriel Yared
• Cinematography :  Stuart Dryburgh
• Editing by : Allyson C. Johnson
• Release date :  October 23, 2009
• Country : United States
• Language :  English

Venice of the East

Alappuzha is one of the 14 districts in the state of Kerala in India.The district is also known for its communist traditions. It is home to the Punnapra Vayalar strikes against the British and also the revolt against feudal raj. It has the highest population density among all districts of the state. Alappuzha is one of the most important tourist centres in the state, with a large network of inland canals earning it the sobriquet “Venice of the east“. These large network of canals provide Alleppey its lifeline. Alappuzha was one of the busiest centres of trade in the past with one of the best known ports along the Malabar coast.

Alappuzha, the Venice of the East warmly welcomes you to the backwaters of kerala. It is emerging as a hot tourist spot of the millennium. It is gifted geographically to spread a unique tourist menu to a tourist. Today Alappuzha has grown in importance as a backwater tourist centre, attracting several thousands of foreign tourists each year. Alappuzha is also famous for its boat races, houseboat holidays, beaches, marine products and coir industry. An important attraction  of this land is the region called Kuttanad. The land of lush paddy fields, Kuttanad is called the rice bowl of Kerala and is one of the few places in the world where farming is done below sea level.

Alappuzha is one of the most attractive and green backwater destinations in Kerala, South India. Take a houseboat cruise on the Alappuzha backwaters with Tourism in Kerala and marvel at the exotic natural luxury that greets you with the warm sunrays dancing on the ripples created by sailing boats on the otherwise tranquil Alappuzha backwaters. Tourism in Alappuzha in Kerala, South India is a flourishing industry with a number of resorts and hotels all over Alappuzha that cater to the needs of the growing tourism sector.

The ‘Venice of the East’ Alappuzha in Kerala has a number of tourist attractions that are worth visiting:  the Krishnapuram Temple, Punnamada Kayal, St. Andrews Church Arthugal, Mullackal Temple, Chettikulangara Bhagavathy Temple, Mannarasala Sree Nagaraja Temple, Devi Temple, Ambalapuzha Temple and Kottamkulangara Mahavishnu Temple etc.

This district is also notable for its numerous pilgrimage centres that draw vast crowds on the festival days and also boasts of having some of the best ayurvedic rejuvenation centres in Kerala. This Venice of the East is also famous for its coir and carpet industries in addition to featuring many other attractions of tourist importance.

Hotels @ Alappuzha

You can easily have accomodations at Alappuzha with four, three star facilities at cheaper rates. If  not satisfied with four star facilities, nearby Cochin city provide the world class accomodation with all luxurious facilities.

How to reach Alappuzha:

Air: Nearest International Airports are: Kochi (65 km) Thiruvananthapuram (150 km)

Rail: Alleppey is well connected to major Cities of Kerala.

Road: An excellent road network links Alappuzha / Alleppey to all the major towns and cities in Kerala and India.

Water: Alleppey/Alappuzha is connected by boat service through the backwaters to Quilon, Changanacherry, Kumarakom, Cochin, Chengannor etc

Top tourist points in kerala – my view

VAGAMON

Vagamon is a very ideal tourist spot surrounded by the greenery of tea gardens, beautiful meadows, deep puzzling valleys and dales. The enchanting hill station dotted with tea gardens will soon be one of India’s foremost eco-tourism projects.All the trekking enthusiasts will enjoy climbing this 1100 metres tall hill.

This tourist place also has to offer Thangal Para, the Indo-Swiss Project and Kurisumala Ashram. Welcome to a land which would make you come back again and again. So that you could rejuvenate yourself and cherish memories of this enchantinglybeautifulland.

PAYYAMBALAM BEACH

Payyambalam Beach is a beach in Kannur district of Kerala in India that attracts tourists and local people. It often finds mention in tourism related publications as a beautiful beach. It has now a garden close to it. The beach is just 2 km from Kannur town.A sculpture Mother and Child by Kanayi Kunhiraman is an attractive feature of the beach garden. A part of the garden is specially for children.Many movies have been shot in this location including the Maniratnam movie Alai Payuthe.The Worldspace ad featuring A.R. Rehman was also shot here.

MATTANCHERY

Mattancherry is a part of Ernakulam District in Kerala, India.It is a tourist destination. It is surrounded by the backwaters of Arabian Sea.Mattancherry was the first trade hub of the present district.Mattancherry is populated by people from various walks of life and various parts of India & Abroad. There are people who have come and settled in Mattancherry from Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Goa and so on.

Earlier Mattancherry was the trade link to Ernakulam. Main Trade was on spices such as pepper and turmeric. Tea is also traded. Mattancherry deteriorated mainly since the porters working at various firms had some unaccounted trouble with the Merchants. Slowly the traders moved to Ernakulam as Mattancherry proved to be costly. Mattancherry has a Jewish Synagogue, Mattancherry Palace Museum, Jain’s Temple (known as MahajanWadi to localites)and Mosques. Mattancherry Palace Museum hosts different weapons such as swords, spears and various other artilleries such as cannon used to protect the borders from invaders in the historic ages. The museum also hosts various paintings and murals. Near the museum, a private BUS Depot is also present. Close to the Bus Depot there is a Boat Jetty, where we get boats to Ernakulam, FotCochin and Willington Island. There is also Bazaar (Market) where we get to buy different spices and articles used interior decorations.

LAKES IN ALAPPUZHA

Rivers are flowing bodies of waters. There are rivers on every corner of this whole world. Rivers are an important part of the Earth`s water cycle and the sculpting of the Earth`s topography as they carry huge quantities of water from the land to the sea. This district also has a network of rivers, canals and backwaters. Manimala, Pamba and Achankovil are the names of some of the major rivers.
Manimala River:
The river Manimala originates from Mothavara hills in Kottayam district and enters the district at Thalavadi village in Kuttanad taluk.

Pamba River:
Pamba River Of Alappuzha District Pamba which is the third longest river in Kerala is formed by several streams originating from Peerumedu plateau in Idukki district while enters Alappuzha district at Chengannur .

Vembanad Lake:
Vembanad Lake Of Alappuzha District The Vembanad Lake is the most important of the west coast canal system. Its length is 84 Km, breadth is 3.1 Km, an area is 204 Sq.Km. Stretching from Alappuzha to Kochi

Achankovil River:
This Achankovil River is often known as Kulallada River. It originates from Pasukida mettu, Ramakkal Theri and Rishimalai of Kollam district and enters the district at Venmony.

Kayamkulam lake:
This Kayamkulam lake is a shallow lake stretching between Panmana and Karthikappally. This has an outlet to sea at Kayamkulam barrage.

MUNNAR

Munnar is a town located in Kerala state in the southern Western Ghats in South India. The name is often used to refer to the whole tourist area of Idukki District of which the town forms a part. Munnar panchayat of Devikulam block is the largest in the district with an area of 557 km². The name of Munnar is believed to be derived from the Malayalam words Muunu (three) and aaru (river), referring to the town’s strategic location at the confluence of the Muthirappuzha, Chanduvarai and Kundali rivers. The area is surrounded by vast jungles and remains wet and cold during most of the year. The Mattupetty Dam is nearby. The people of Munnar share the culture and traditions of Kerala and their Tamil neighbours.
The territory of Munnar is almost entirely occupied by 30) are owned by Tata Tea, one of the Tata Group of companies. The entire area is known as “high range” and rarely Kannan Devan Hills, from which the famous brand of the Tatas gets its name. In April 2005, the Tata Group decided to divest its holding in the Munnar tea plantations, after which the employees purchased the plantations and are now running the same as Kanan Devan Hills Plantations Company Private Limited.

Many residents are employed in the tourism business. In 2000, the Government of Kerala declared Munnar as a tourist spot. This has helped in attracting more tourists to this beautiful hill resort. Several protected wildlife areas in the area attract many tourists who support the many hotels, restaurants and transport businesses in Munnar.

KOVALAM

Kovalam is a beach town on the Arabian Sea in Kerala, a state in south India. It is located around 16 km outside Trivandrum City in the Thiruvananthapuram district. Kovalam means a grove of coconut trees. Kerala into one of the most important tourist destinations in the world- the Kovalam beach. Kovalam has three crescent shaped beaches separated by rocky outcroppings. Shallow waters stretching for hundreds of metres are ideal for swimming.

The larger of the beaches is called Light House Beach . The second largest one is Hawah Beach named thus for the topless European women who used to throng there. It was the first topless beach in India. Top free bathing and parading is banned now except in private coves owned by resorts.

There are a large number of beach resorts in and around Kovalam. The sea port of Vizhinjam is about 3 km away and famous for its special varieties of fish, old Hindu temples, big churches and a mosque. The Proposed International Trans shipment Terminal at Vizhinjam is also close to Kovalam.

Kovalam was among the most prominent tourist spots in India during the hippy era. It still has a high status among tourists, who arrive mostly from Europe and Israel. Kovalam is finding a new significance in the light of several Ayurvedic salons, and recuperation and regeneration resorts which provide a wide variety of Ayurvedic treatments for tourists.

BAKEL FORT

Bekal Fort is the biggest fort in Kerala, spreading over forty acres. The important features of this fort are the tank with its flight of steps, the tunnel opening towards the south, the magazine for keeping ammunition and the broad and wide steps leading to the Observation Tower which is a rarity. From there one has ample view of towns in the vicinity like Kanhangad, Pallikare, Bekal, Kottikkulam, Uduma etc. This observation centre had strategic significance in finding out even the smallest movements of the enemy and ascertaining safety of the Fort.

The Fort appears to have been built up from the sea since almost three fourth of its exteriors is drenched and the waves stroke the citadel. The Hanuman temple and the ancient Muslim Mosque nearby hold testimony to the age-old religious harmony that prevailed in the area. The zigzag entrance and the trenches around the fort show the defense strategy connected with the fort.