Solitude

What solitude would do

to the solitary reaper

It has done to me.

Now no difference lies

In solitude and loneliness

Thou have come in communion

And given birth to my solitude.

My solitude has found joy

 in the darkness of loneliness

Now I don’t remain starved

by joy; my joy lies in my solitude.

What solitude would do to

you it has done to me

I am not harping on my solitude

It is solitude which has settled

On my conscience from quite some

time now.

My sole intent to derive solace

from my solitude is such

that it has derived genuine

pleasure from the void

in my life.

Now, the apathetic might has taken over me

to find solitude of greater level.

See what solitude has done to me

it wouldn’t do to you.

So, I rejoice in my solitude

What it couldn’t do to the solitary reaper

it has done to me.

All you need to know about Apple iPhone 6: A sneak peak

It seems you won’t have to wait for long to grab your new Apple iPhone 6.

Apple’s maiden announcement of iPhone 6 and I Phone 6 Plus smartphones is the new high. The smartphones will be available in India from October 17 according to Apple India website. For India this means the new iPhones will hit the retail market with a bang in the festive season.

Though the price details are yet to be out; the unlocked version of iPhone 6 is expected at a starting price of $649 i.e approximately Rs. 39,500 in India. The unlocked version of iPhone 6 Plus will be available at an initial price of $ 749 i.e Rs. 45,600 in India.

With the launch of these two iPhones Apple has also joined the segment of big screen smartphones. The iPhone 6 sports a 4.7 inch display with a resolution of 1334x 750p while the iPhone 6 Plus sports a 5.5 inch display with a resolution of 1920x 1080p.

Apple iPhone 6 and Apple iPhone 6 Plus are the slimmest phones ever that Apple has launched with thinness of 6.8 mm and 7.1 mm respectively.

Apple claims that iPhone 6 is up to 50%

more efficient on the energy aspect powered by the new A8 processor which will give higher sustained performance.

Bollywood’s first lady turns out to be a design queen

Yes, I am talking about Gauri Khan, the first lady of Bollywood and wife of Bollywood Badshah Shahrukh Khan. The first lady of Bollywood Gauri Khan was born as Gauri Chhibber to Savita Chhibber and Colonel Ramesh Chandra Chhibber on 8^th October 1970. She spent most of her salad days in the suburb of Rajendra Nagar in New Delhi. Gauri’s schooling was held at Loreto Convent and later she graduated from Lady Sriram College in History.

Gauri Khan met Shahrukh long back in 1984 and tied the nuptial bond on 25^th October 1991 much before success kissed her husband’s feet. They are happily married with three children Aryan Khan, Suhana Khan and Abram Khan.

Gauri Khan apart from being a celebrity wife maintains her profile as a film producer, interior designer and a costume designer. She is also the co-founder of film production and distribution company Red Chillies along with Shahrukh Khan.

In year 2002, Gauri Khan debuted as a producer in Bollywood with Farah Khan’s directorial debut Main Hoon na and continues to be the prime producer of the distribution company Red Chillies Entertainment. The film was the second highest grosser of the year at the box office. Not only this Sharukh’s wife Gauri Khan made guest appearance in her another production venture Om Shanti Om. Since then Gauri has produced seven films in which Shahrukh was in a lead role.

Some time back in 90’s Gauri Khan used to host a weekly Hindi music countdown show called Oye for the music channel MTV India. Gauri Khan is also the face of a fashion line called Aftershock.

But Gauri Khan the first Lady of Bollywood was destined to be a design queen. Gauri Khan at first had an inclination towards interior designing as a hobby and did her Bandra bungalow, Mannat as per her taste for designing. However, hobby was soon followed by  professional call when in 2010 Gauri Khan ventured into interior designing. Gauri wife of actor Shahrukh Khan partnered with her close friend Sussane (Hrithik Roshan’s wife) to design interior designing projects together. For the very first time Sussane Roshan and Gauri Khan both worked in collaboration with each other on a commercial project in the same year on an enormous 60 thousand square feet private abode.

Next in line was the launch of Gauri Khan’s individual line of furniture in the year 2012 where she again partnered with the Roshan’s home store in Mumbai known as The Charcoal Project. In an exclusive interview with Vogue magazine Gauri Khan stated that she choose interior design because of her flair for art. Gauri also stated that she started early as an artist during her school days. She used to draw various sketches then and continued to do so as a hobby for many years. Gauri Khan feels that this is where her designs come from.

The design queen Gauri Khan got her maiden brand new interior store Design Cell inaugurated in Mumbai by her husband Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan on 17^th February this year. The journey for the First Lady as a designer has just begun and knows no limit. It seems sky is the limit for this design queen.    

Grey

Flora, fauna, bubbles

Out of the sparkling

blue sprinkler, cold to touch.

Grey cover up above

the sky-kissing buildings

A pyramid of olfactory

In contrast to the red…

Black! Is it the color of our white

senses or a mix of both that is GREY!!!

Numb are my senses,

Numb … grey above is the sky

Unfolding the mystery of black night to come…

The fellow birds chirping to call the fellow birds

time to go to their hearth.

A LADY IN WHITE

I am traveling in a bus and I notice an old women about an age of sixty wearing a white sari and it was obvious that she was a widow .She was a simple lady ;very calm and gentle. May be, she was a part of some missionary organization as she handed out a leaf-let on how to achieve inner peace at soul. She herself dressed in white was a symbol of peace. She started giving sermons on how to take sound decisions in life to the person sitting next to her which showed her concern for others. She was a very motherly and caring person as was obvious by her behavior. It seemed that she didn't have anyone in the name of family .May be she was abandoned by her family in this old age. When her stop came she became very excited like a child; may be she was there to see someone after a long time.  

The plight over nursery admissions in Delhi

24th January 2011 ... the day i held the sunshine in my arms ... my first child lovingly named 'Sanskar'. But little did we know that life would be at a turmoil after three years for all three of us or i must say for all those who are struggling to get their child admitted in nursery that too in Delhi- the national capital of India. It   is really heartening to say that the kindergartens whom we lovingly caressed are merely reduced to a bunch of lots with the lottery system chosen in the national capital for nursery admissions.

No respite!  as per the point system one gets 70 for living in the radius of 8 kms, the other 20 points are for children having sibling in the same school, another 5 points for transfer cases and 5 points allocated for having parents who are alumni from the same school.

Now, people like us get 70 points for living in 8 km radius. But is it destiny or is it our fault to have begotten our first child who can't possibly have an older sibling or who doesn't have parents as alumni  (matter of fact only some school are old enough to have child's parent as alumni) or is it our fault that we are not transferred from elsewhere( off late some cases of fraudulent transfer cases were  reported due to which 5 points to the transfer cases have been waved off). Good news or bad news leaves me in tandem.

The status quo-  we are heading for a fresh round of lottery for those securing 70 points a midst those who had fraudulent transfer cases (now stands equal to the 70 points candidates) resulting in more of candidates having 70 points. Now, that's kick-start competition for these children even before they step into the world of competitiveness and shocker for would be parents. You better gear up!

Haiku

Bombastic attitude to shelve upon

Scintillating beauty to dwelve upon

Oh dear! What took me so long

Haiku

Smoggy night to walk,

Dew drops on my face so numb

What a time to come!

Railway Budget 2014 amidst vote on Account and 72 new trains

Ahead of the general elections the United Progressive Alliance government kept the passenger and freight fares unchanged in the interim railway budget 2014-15. After presenting a vote-on-account the difficult task of fixing the state-run monopoly's damaged finances has been left to the next government.

Mallikarjun Kharge, who took charge of the railway ministry about eight months back, has announced 72 new trains. The railway minister has also promised to allow foreign direct investment (FDI) in his maiden budget that exhibited a worsening of railway finances.

This interim budget had direct effect on the shares of companies that manufacture equipment for the railways. Shares of the companies such as Kalindi Rail, Kernex Microsystems BSE -8.71 %, Texmaco Rail Engineering and Titagarh Wagons BSE -6.35 % fell by 1-4% after the budget speech because of lack of any core investment.

Unlike what is seen in an election year that the outgoing government presents an interim budget that allows the country to run until a new government comes to power. It is by convention that no major policy announcements are made in an interim budget. But Finance minister P Chidambaram is all set to present his vote on account to Parliament on February 17.

According to Kharge the Indian Railways just doesn't have enough infrastructure to do what it needs to do. Inadequate financial resources is a key constraint to railways following the desired path stated Kharge.

The Railway Minister highlighted the achievement of the railways under the second term of the UPA, buffing over the fact that passenger fares were only raised in January after a nine-year gap even though expenses were rising, which barely left the railways with any surplus for investment in capacity, expansion and passenger amenities.

 

As stated the operating ratio, a measure of expenses as a percentage of revenue, is seen deteriorating to 90.8% in 2013-14 in comparison with a budgeted 87.8% and 90.2% in 2012-13. Kharge has set a target to improve this to 89.8% in 2014-15.

"By a single stroke we cannot solve all the problems that have been infecting the Indian railway system over the decades," said minister of state for railways Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, adding that it faced "heaps of problems".

The railways sought over Rs 30,223 crore from the general budget and proposed Rs 12,800 crore of market borrowing to fund the Rs 64,305-crore annual plan in 2014-15, which was up by just 8.3% over the revised Rs 59,359 crore in the last fiscal.

As per the sources Arunendra Kumar, chairman of the Railway Board said "This is a zero extra fare budget. We are seeking to generate revenue by getting more passengers and loading more"

The railways is planning to achieve this aim through improved ticket checking system and taking help of IT to improve sales. As accounts for freight, an empty flow discount and higher loads on all routes has been proposed. The discount will be applicable on wagons that go back empty.

As far as figures are concerned the railway budget has accounted an increase of 49.7 million tonnes in freight traffic target over the current year's revised target of about 1,052 million tonnes.

The railway budget expects a recovery in the economy to boost receipts 14.4% to Rs 1.60 lakh crore and contain the expenditure increase at 14% despite rising prices. There is a hope that a surplus of Rs 10,538 crore would be generated as compared with Rs 7,943 crore expected in the current fiscal.

The Railway Minister Mallikarjun Kharge also announced 17 new premium trains, 39 express trains and 10 passenger trains, extending the services to Katra, the base camp for the Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu and Kashmir.

Kharge glossed Indian Railways' achievements under the UPA, but the yester budget showed that the railways- the country's lifeline was barely able to meet the ends that has led to compromising situation of investing in expansion, safety and convenience.

Nightmares

Much despair it has caused

Oh! these nightmares

Of mine

Bringing bad omen

Nightmares they are

Of serpents crawling

Nightmare of life before birth

Nightmare of sorrow and of grief

Though I am blessed in this life

But what about the nightmares

Of past life

Oh god! You have blessed me

with the choicest of your

blessings though

But still I have to go a long way to overcome

my nightmares.

To conquer the deadliest of the deadly

nightmare I have to overcome my fear

The fear of tomorrow the truth of today

Oh! These nightmares of mine

To overcome thine I have to

conquer my mind

So that no more thy effect is on

My mind.

Oh! These nightmares of mine.   

The gen-4 Honda New City

The all-new generation four Honda City made its World Premiere in Delhi. Honda City’s fourth generation model, is all set to go on sale in January 2014. This will mark the introduction of the 1.5 litre diesel engine in Honda City. The new Honda City will also be available with a 1.5 litre i-VTEC petrol engine.

Ever since its launch in 1998, Honda City has sold over 4.3 lakh units. Maintaining its brand success Honda City has reached an iconic status while dominating the premium mid-sized sedan car range in India. Over the past few years, however, the competition from diesel powered competitive range has made it tough for Honda City and the need to introduce a diesel version was now required. The 1.5 i-DTEC engine made its Indian debut in the Honda Amaze earlier this year, it was expected that this state-of-the-art engine would find its way under the hood of the new Honda City too though in different manner.

With the introduction of new City, Honda is looking forward at regaining its leadership in the premium mid-sized sedan segment in India. The new Honda City seems to have the styling, fit, finish and features to make it class apart. But the million dollar question pertaining to the price of the car will only be known at the time of its market launch, however it is expected that Honda will have an aggressive price strategy.

The new Honda City which is developed by the Honda R&D centre in Tochigi, Japan is set to be sold in 60 countries. With a high level of Indian feedback incorporated; India remains a key market for Honda, considering the fact that the company is looking at the new Honda City to contribute over 1.5 million units to the target sales of 6 million units by fiscal year 2016-2017.

The new Honda City has an evolved design over its earlier design. It now measures 4440mm in length, 1695mm in width and 1495mm in height. While these dimensions are almost identical to the earlier model, the new car’s wheel base has been increased by 50mm to 2600mm, which has resulted in exceptional seating space for five.

Further to that, Honda has assembled the car with a plethora of new functions including a start/stop button, touchscreen A/C controls, in dash car entertainment system with eight speakers, rear view camera and steering mounted controls.

Nevertheless, the new Honda City has gone a level ahead beating its own game and is all set to dominate the mid-sized sedan segment. Though the pre-booking of the sedan has started the future of the new Honda City remains uncertain till the price is revealed.

Microsoft Windows 8.1 review

Microsoft has released Windows 8.1, a majorly improved update of its common scenario of its fast forward thinking.

If listed, the list of changes that Microsoft has made to Windows 8.1 don't seem all that big. The app tiles are still there. For a change the Start button is back, but not exactly the way it used to be.

Until you start using the new OS you can’t trace the huge benefits of little tweaks that are a part of the latest version of Windows. The return of the Start button on the task bar of the desktop is one big example of this. The main function of the start button now is to call up the start screen instead of hiding a series of nested menus. But if you are using the new Windows 8.1 version in a desktop mode the start button won’t take you out of the desktop. Instead a semi-transparent version of the series of app tiles which Microsoft calls Modern UI will come on the top of the desktop to choose an app. This feature allows you to organize the Start screen. You can make all the icons come together and label them for desktop apps in Modern UI. 

So, in short the new Start button in Windows 8.1 version has retained all the functionality of Windows 7 with a more appealing feel of the modern Windows 8.1 version.

The major change in Windows 8.1 is the expanded "snap view" feature. It enables multiple apps on the screen at the same time.

The all new Windows 8.1 enables you to run up to eight apps side by side as compared to just two in Windows 8. But it is true in case of high resolution monitors on the surface still only two are possible.

In Windows 8.1 snap view will launch automatically in certain situation like if you are reading an e-mail and want the browser too you need not exit the e-mail app. Instead the screen will get divided into two and Internet Explorer will pop up next to the e-mail app.

Microsoft has tried to integrate its services tightly through Windows 8. For example, if you are searching for a particular musician using the Bing search app, links and play buttons to that artist's songs and albums will get integrated into the results as well.  

Also, a smart option to answer your Skype call without unlocking your computer has been integrated in the new Windows 8.1 version.

The Windows 8.1 is not just about tweaks to big conceptual ideas which makes it ideal. Microsoft has paid attention to every little technical detail as well.

Like if you have more than one monitor Windows 8.1 will make sure you can independently adjust scaling for each one so that text, icons and other visual elements are sized to the optimum and proportioned on each display.

Another instance is the Start Screen organization. Naming the groups of tiles gives the screen an added sense of order. Instead of pinning each and every new installed app to the Start Screen, Windows 8.1 now adds new apps to a larger list of apps one menu level below. That helps cut down on the chaos on the Start Screen, making it exclusively about the apps that matter to the user. It also enables the possibility of moving the entire group of tiles instead of moving it one by one on the Start Screen.

Poor sales and negative feedback of Windows 8 drove Microsoft to rethink about its futuristic strategy which resulted in Windows 8.1 promising upgrade which would go a long way.

Disillusion

I walk an empty street
in disillusion
In search of a companion
a shadow of me besides me
broken dreams & shattered expectation
in my shallow heart
I walk an empty street

                           

Left with disillusionment
Now or never
Be it you or me
On the verge of broken dreams
Me and my empty heart
I walk alone on an empty street

 

Nowhere to go without you
I walk an empty street
I sigh in agony and pain
I wonder why it happened
While I walk alone on an empty
Street with my broken dreams.
I walk alone I walk alone
In disillusion I walk alone.

 

Dilemma

Though in dilemma
I am these days
For the love of you
Whether to choose you
Or my love for you
Though it’s just the beginning I suppose
Yes yes you are right
I am still not over you.


Is this a feeling or the eternal truth
Yes yes I am in dilemma
These days for the love of you
So near yet far away
Waiting to cross the distance each day
Yes you are right yet again
I am still not over you

Just love the feeling of falling in love with you
But wait I am still not out to fall for you again
Though in dilemma I am these days
These words might not be enough
To describe the yearning
Yes the yearning
To fall for you again and again
But now I am in dilemma
Yet again whether to fall or rise
Yes yes I am in dilemma
These days for the love of you
My dear.

 

 

 

 

Success

Success comes to few

To some early to some late

Though it comes to only a few

As I write these lines on success

It gives my mind a feeling of success

Yet another poetry is ready

But wait the success poem

is still not over

Success comes from within

Not from an applaud from elsewhere

For some it is a mantra

For some a recognition

For some it is mere chance

But whatever it might be

Success is always sweet.

Truth

Truth starts where sarcasm ends

Truth is where only some can reach

Truth though eternal is free

Truth a reality

Truth a pain

Truth is something only a few can take

Truth may be a boon or a bane

Truth has facets no same

Truth is jarring

Truth is soothing

Truth has meaning no same

Truth is you and me

Truth is love

Truth is hate

Truth is what I am to you

Truth is what you are to me

NCR promises boom in realty - An overview

Delhi is undergoing a facelift these days due to the rise of satellite townships, business avenues and various other infrastructural developments. The main aim behind this development is to make Delhi a global metropolis and also a world class smart city by the year 2021. The Government and the private sector are hand in glove to make Delhi a better place for which government has initiated Private Public Partnership ( PPP) model. The PPP model has been propagated to improve infrastructure actively as well as for development of the land in Delhi and along its national capital regions.

With the help of Delhi Development Authority the Delhi Master Plan 2021 aims at constructing 65,000 houses for the urban population in the coming next four years. Nevertheless, there is also a planned budget 2012-13 by the central government which would involves the private sector for cheaper housing which in turn would boost the development in NCR.

Infrastructural development and improved connectivity with better transportation will not only lead to concentric development of the capital city but also pave way for further investment in the Delhi NCR. Various highway and expressway projects like Yamuna expressway have not only made way for better connectivity but have also made way for real estate developments. Also, there was a stress on the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor by the Ministry of Finance for on the either side of Western Dedicated Rail Freight Corridor.

There is also in the pipeline the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor that would be intersecting the Western Freight Corridor in the Greater Noida thus making Greater Noida an important area of the NCR. Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation (DFCC) and the U.P state Industrial Development Corporation (UPSIDC) on the initiation of the Government of Uttar Pradesh have already started the deliberations on developing the industrial and residential townships along these corridors.

In National Capital Region the development of residential areas is going hand to hand with the infrastructural development. However, in Noida and Greater Noida the infrastructure is being developed at a better pace where the facilities like metro, F1 track, night safari have already been developed or are under development whereas Faridabad and Gurgaon are still on the verge of infrastructural development which is slightly slow as compared to the residential development in these towns.

The growth of real estate will not only benefit public facilities but also safety, accessibility and connectivity all of which have the potential to boost mass housing schemes in new areas.

Since, this is just the beginning the IT sector has much more to offer being the largest occupant in excess of 200,000 square feet each across Gurgaon and Noida. More of such developments are expected in the fourth quarter of which 70% will comprise of IT across Noida and Gurgaon.

Gurgaon as of now is one of the most favourable location to cater to as compared to Noida and Greater Noida for commercial and residential developments. The maximum appreciation in the last one year was in Gurgaon and its adjoining areas. In some places property prices went up by around 50%. Even Dwarka Expressway saw a steep rise of 50% in the prices of recently-launched apartments. Many of the apartments that are still under construction were sold at Rs 3,000 per sqft in early 2011. Now the rate is Rs 4,500 per sq ft.

 

Some of the apartments in the area were launched at over Rs.6000 per sq ft. Similarly, the prices of apartments on Golf Course Road, Sohna Road, DLF City Phase V and Manesar appreciated by around 25% in the last one year. Apartments on Golf Course Road in Gurgaon are being quoted between Rs.11,000per sqft and Rs.12,000 per sq ft.

However, the most sensational performer in NCR region for 2012 was Dwarka Expressway with its close proximity to the international airport and the proposed diplomatic enclave, along with its rapidly evolving infrastructure and good connectivity with west Delhi and Gurgaon continues to work in this region’s favour. There was high level of interest by investors in this region, resulting in price appreciation and high sales volumes in 2012.

In addition to this, most of the projects launched in the last one year have been nearly sold out in all the micro markets like Noida, Gurgaon, Faridabad, Kundli, Sonipat,Dwarka etc. Looking at the current scenario developers are encouraged to launch premium products, like skyscrapers in Noida and Gurgaon, where the base prices have been pegged at around Rs 8,000 per sq ft.

In one of the latest survey it has been revealed that out of the top 13 cities, Noida – West (extension) in National Capital Region will generate the highest returns for residential real estate investors over the next five years. With all the action centred in Delhi NCR whether it is Dwarka Expressway, Noida Extention or Raj Nagar Extention; the expressways, national highways and the proposed metro networks are where all the property developments are taking place allowing good connectivity for the people.

People from all over the country are migrating continuously into the Delhi NCR to study, to explore new business avenues or for a job for further career advancement leading to exponential rise in the population of Delhi NCR. Thus, there is a huge requirement for residential, commercial as well as social infrastructure to cater to these increasing numbers.

Various projects are mushrooming along the Greater Noida, Noida Expressway, the Yamuna Expressway, the KPMG expressway, NH-24, NH-58, NH-8, NH-1, the Dwarka Expressway, Raj Nagar Extension at a very rapid pace thereby receiving favourable results with end users and investors as well.

The real estate sector is booming since last one year. Though it is carrying the apprehensions that the economic slowdown will impact the realty sector in the short to medium term, the residential sector is performing well in all the micro markets of the national capital region (NCR) of Delhi, so far.

Even the RBI's measure to increase interest rates to tackle inflation had not dampened the mood in the realty sector. The increase in interest rates, however, had led to slowdown in the economy. However the recent cuts in the interest rate and the provision of subvention in the housing loan up to 25 lakhs have boasted the sentiments of the realty sector.

Moreover, if much needed global economic recovery along with domestic economy comes to surface the future of realty sector is really bright in NCRs.

An insight into the world of windows

Windows not only carve out elevation of the building and interiors but also bring in fresh air and light. Availability of various options with varied design and usage has driven the modern architects to use different types of windows of which the sliding is the most popular followed by bay windows. Though the window design is used as per the requirement of the place; but the sliders and the bay windows have their own advantages.

Sliding windows are designed of two or more sashes that slide horizontally, left or right, on tracks. The sliding windows work on a 'ride over' mechanism so:

·         Sliding windows guarantee light-flooded rooms.

·         They are ideal to meet the special requirements of the Mediterranean and locations with similar climatic conditions.

·         With sliding windows fanlights and different window combinations are possible.

·         These windows can be made wide and tall with the addition of sashes.

·         Steel reinforcement can be integrated into both frame and sash to ensure excellent structural values.

On the other hand, bay windows are protruding window constructions which run over a single or multiple stories of buildings. Bay windows are mostly polygonal or square in a building plan. The angles used in the corners of the bay window are generally 90, 135, 150 degrees. Bay windows have various uses in the building up of a structure like:

·         They give room for visibility from within unlike in a flat window blocking visibility from outside.

·         They form a special type of balcony giving it an aesthetic value.

·         Bay windows not only allow natural flow of light into the building but also help in making a room appear larger.

·         They add ornamental beauty to the building than being an essential part of a building structure.

·         Mostly bay windows rise from a building while some bay windows are levelled along with the exterior giving insight to the interior of the room.

Honda Amaze: A win-win option

As we all know it has been the worst year in a decade for the auto industry but with the new entrant the Honda Amaze it seems things will turn out to be positive for the auto industry. Honda Amaze the new entry level sedan is priced at Rs.4.99 lakhs for the petrol variant. For the first time in India they have introduced the diesel variant with best mileage in the category and improved engine performance. This holds better opportunity for Honda than Maruti Dzire on one front that Honda has limited reach with only 150 sales outlets against Maruti which has 1200 outlets.

Will Honda Amaze play a game changer or not here are few indications on this basis:

Honda is the hallmark of premium cars in India with its City and Accord models but the number        has gone down significantly. Honda’s market share has slipped from 5.52% to 3.86% almost six years ago to fiscal year 2013.Inspite of the strong Honda branding it has struggled to launch the right product at the right price in India.

Amaze should be a game changer for the company. Also, with the big shift in the approach with a diesel variant Honda is now ready to take on market leader Maruti Dzire. Industry experts expect Amaze will sell between 3,500 and 4,000 units every month in the near future.

With Honda Amaze Honda has not only tried to trim the costs in India but also tried to connect better with the Indian consumers by launching ad campaigns in regional languages with the tagline "Badle Aapki Duniya" ("Changes Your World").

For the industry it has not been a good fiscal year with the  total sales dipping at 7% over a year ago to 1.89 million units.The auto industry saw 20-plus launches every year but 2013 will see very few model launches. In that context, Amaze stands out because only Ford Eco Sport is slotted for a launch this year.

According to the experts it is unlikely that Amaze will turn the tide it will at its best add 50,000-odd units to the overall 2 million annual sales. But it should certainly help turn around the sentiment something the industry badly needs.

 Though, Honda Amaze debuts in a segment which already has Maruti Dzire, Tata Indigo and Toyota Etios; the only competitor that matters is Dzire with the sales of 18,000 units a month and covers over three fourths of this segment.

  Amaze is well placed to creep into Maruti Dzire's dominant share. However, some experts see an unlikely side effect that Amaze will eat away Honda City sales.  It is expected that Amaze will expand the entry-level sedan segment that might lure compact buyers to upgrade their segment.

The entry-level sedan Honda Amaze is uniquely made for Indian segment. It is a compact car in every way with a small boot to it. It owes its origin to sub-4 metre cars. For a car buyer, the sub-4 metre offers advantages of a compact with sedan-like comfort at a slightly higher price. The segment is a win- win for buyers as well as for Honda.

Focus 2013 in Realty

The year 2012 had few signs of positive growth with inflation below the RBI’s levels and with growth in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) which was a breather for year 2013. Here are some insights with regard to inflation in economy and policies which would have an effect on real estate for 2013:

1. Economy – Although there is a risk of inflation but RBI would focus towards growth in 2013. It is expected that interest rate would witness a downward trend in 2013 which would lead to reduced home loan rates inturn leading to increase in buying of realty assets. An upward trend in consumption will lead to urbanization despite the slowdown in GDP which will drive the year 2013.

2. Policies – Initiatives for better policy making are being taken which would improve the investment in the near future in the year 2013 of real estate. The Real Estate Regulation Bill is expected to be tabled in the winter session of the parliament; the real estate investment trusts (REITs) or real estate mutual funds (REMFs) are also expected to get launched in 2013; and the Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill is to be tabled in the upcoming budget session in 2013.

3. Infrastructure – In the infrastructure sector a substantial FDI of USD 2.8 billion has been achieved which is accountable for a notable 7.7% of the total FDI inflow in the Financial Year 2012. In the year 2013, relaxation of FDI policies in multi-brand retail is expected to boost the investment in back-end infrastructure development such as logistics. Moreover, an FDI of up to 100% will be permitted under the built-up infrastructure which will surge the development of the city and the infrastructure in at the regional level in 2013.

 

4. Commercial Real Estate – There is not much significant change in the absorption of office space in 2013 as compared to year 2012. There is expected rush for prime locations in prime buildings in the year 2013. Fresh projects are being launched and vacant spaces are being occupied in no time. With this scenario rents are certain to get a boost. Special economic zone is favorite among the occupants to avail the benefits.
 

5. Residential Real Estate - REITs in India allowing investments in rental housing is a new trend worth a watch. Once the framework and details of REIT are formulated it is  likely to drive the investor demand across the prime cities in India in 2013. Another interesting trend observed recently in the last two years was that the stock in the range of INR 2,000-3,000 per sq ft was sold out very swiftly. In 2013, there will be a shift in the range to INR 3,000-5,000 per sq ft with the increase in inflation and construction costs.

6. Education and Health Care – There is aggressive growth in skill based educational institutions in 2013, particularly in the non-metro cities of India, where there are new opportunities. In the health care sector, hospital chains along with day care centre are expected to expand aggressively in 2013. Both these sectors are expected to attract private equity investment in 2013.
   

 

7. Delhi - Most of the absorption in Delhi NCR is likely to focus around Gurgaon and Noida, with the exception of Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) and few select stand-alone Grade A projects of Delhi. As the demand supply gap of quality office space is expected to increase because of the supply constraints in select precincts of Delhi NCR, rents are expected to increase in certain micro-markets.

Therefore, these factors will affect the real estate business in year 2013.