I love parties – not just attending them but also organizing them and hosting them. Having arranged some of the biggest tweetups in Bangalore where over 120 people each time met celebrated author Guy Kawasaki, author and politican Shashi Tharoor, IPL chairman Lalit Modi and the entire Royal Challengers Bangalore cricket team; I know the pulse of people and understand what kind of interaction they want from thei idols and heroes. I also love playing the host to charity events like Twestivals that we have organized over the last 3 years in Bangalore, where we raised over Rs.3 lakhs for charity via great support from brands and music bands.

So when ‘The Coolest Job‘ campaign was launched on Facebook and there  was an opportunity to host and attend parties for a beverage company (and get paid for it too!), lot of my friends felt that this job was right up my sleeve so they recommended me to check it out and apply for the same. I was skeptical at first as I thought it would take away time from my regular job but when I realized that this can be done during my after-work hours, I was really impressed and thought it was worth the shot. So I created my coolest job profile and I got some amazing votes and recommendations from friends all over the place!

A cool Miller High Life Apple iPad game was also showcased there: you needed to balance ‘Work Hard, Party Hard’ with your physics – those with the wildest swinging moves really needed a ‘Work Hard, Party Hard’ life balance! – Stay tuned here as I will report its official iTunes store release.

Back inside on the Blue Frog stage, first up was Dualist Inquiry (Sahej Bakshi) who was playing amazing tracks on his guitar and synching it up with few tracks that he was also DJ’ng. This got the party crowd moving and they moved onto the huge dance floor of Blue Frog and aided with the energy they got through drinking Miller High Life beer, they set the dance floor on fire! Next up were the sexy female DJ duo who call themselves the The Electroverts. They increased the temperature of the party not just with their hot tracks but also with their hot dance moves. You can see a video of The Electroverts performance here:

As the party heated up, people gulped down more of the cool and chilled Miller High Life beer to keep themselves refreshed. The final act of the night was by Dale Anderson and Anil Chawla who kept the party goers on their toes and dancing way into the wee hours of the morning! This video of the DJ performances at Miller High Life beer launch is an interesting watch!

Everybody loved the new beer, enjoyed the music acts and danced like there was no tomorrow!

Photo Credits – Naina Redhu and Hrish Dhempe Thota

Video – Samsung Galaxy Tab 750 India launch

Most of the features of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 750 are already known to you if you have kept your eyes and ears opened to the ecosystem.. but some of the features I liked the best are as follows:

• 10.1″ display with 720p resolution
• 0.2mm thinner than iPad2
• 512MB ram more than iPad2
• No need to depend on PC to put content on the tablet
• No need to convert videos into tablet readable format

Rather than take the conventional way of listing out the same old features in a new format, I took the unconventional way out and decided to take the Samsung Galaxy Tab 750 to normal people who could use it rather than look at the dummy models available in leading mobile and electronic stores across India. Thanks to Indiblogger.in and Mrinal Chopra of Digitas.in, I got an opportunity to take the Samsung Galaxy Tab 750 to review for a couple of days and went ahead and introduced it to my friends ranging from bloggers, tweeps to even non-techies. Here is a video blog of customers using Samsung Galaxy Tab 750 for the first time in India:

Video – What do you feel about Samsung Galaxy Tab 750?

As you can see,  customers loved the Samsung Galaxy Tab 750 for the most part – as it had amazing resolution screen, great camera, wonderful graphics but felt that the responsiveness could improve a lot more. I lived up to my promise of organizing a meetup where everybody could get a hands-on with the Samsung Galaxy Tab 750 and if I’m selected as one of the Samsung Mobilers, I would voluntarily organize more meets like this where people can experience the Samsung mobile devices personally rather than wait a long time for the devices to appear in the neighbourhood mobile store.

What do you think of the idea? When do you want to check out the Samsung Galaxy Tab 750 for yourself? I can arrange you a dekko

Also there was lot of interest generated on Facebook where over 7 people liked the post and over 7 comments were posted in just 1 day:

Got most of the 72 links on http://bit.ly/tab750 from Twitter here and was even retweeted:

During the launch of Samsung Galaxy Tab 750, there was lot of interest generated on my twitpics of the launch like 75 views on Lara Dutta’s picture from the launch:

Also lot of people checked it out on facebook too where I shared a picture of the launch:

Just an update regarding the launch – Samsung Galaxy Tab 750 is gonna be priced at Rs. 36,200 and Samsung Galaxy Tab 730 is gonna be priced at Rs. 33,990 in India. More detailed blog post about the features of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 750 are going to be posted soon Once I have the information, I will blog about it right here and will also organize a tweetup where everybody can have a hands-on with the Tabs and get to know their features better. More info about it coming up soon!

Castrol Cricket Index has good information about Predictions, Head to Head positioning and the Worm telling which team is better performing at any point of time!

If this is not all, they also have opinions from Cricket Gurus like Harsha Bhogle, Bret Lee and Ravi Shastri. To top it all, they have live pictures and videos from all venues where World Cup 2011 is happening!

So now you know where to go if you need quality information for Cricket World Cup 2011! Keep watching this space as I’m gonna soon post exclusive podcasts, fan photos, graphs, charts which will NOT be available anywhere else on the Internet!

Dec 11th and 12th of 2010 saw the dawn of a new auto revolution in Chennai thanks to the product showcase of Toyota Etios Sedan at Express Avenue mall there. Lot of interested folks like Mr. Muthuswamy from Adyar came down to check the latest offering from the Toyota stable which is expected to be the best car in the highly competitive B segment car market in India. He was very much impressed by the Q Class Style and the bold simplicity which took the design of the Etios to a higher level!

Though it was a Saturday which was a working day for most people in Chennai, December 11th saw a huge number of people coming to check out the Toyota Etios Sedan and everybody wanted to have a closer look at one of the most affordable and reliable Toyota cars ever. They were very impressed by the crisp crease lines on the bonnet and the distinctive character lines that run along the side of the car to accent its form. They had to agree that balancing form and function, the Toyota Etios was a perfect style statement in motion!

As Toyota Etios Sedan is a family car, entire families together checked out the car right from the engine to the interiors and even the boot space! It seemed as if the entire family’s approval was required for a decision to be taken! Mr. Ranga Raju’s family from Tambaram opened the bonnet of the car to check out the 1500 cc Toyota petrol-powered engine, and were seen commenting that their main reason to invest in the Etios would be the Toyota engine itself which they would believe in, even with their eyes closed! The huge boot space of 595 litres was also a major advantage for families to like this car as it can accommodate a lot of their luggage during long drives and after shopping binges!

Interested customers were enthusiastically checking out the ergonomically designed interiors which made the Etios extremely spacious and comfortable. Even tall people like Mr. Alagappan from T Nagar felt that he had ample headroom and legroom not just in the driver’s seat but also in the back seat. He also checked out the AC with clean-air filters and was not able to stop praising the ergonomically designed sporty steering wheel which had integrated audio controls in it! The clinching point in favor of Etios for many including Mr. Alagappan, were the many thoughtful storage spaces that made room for everything they need – like bottle holders next to each seat and a spacious 13 litre cooled glove box!

Rajesh here tries to get a picture of his friend Vivek with the background of the Toyota Etios hoarding along with its brand ambassdor AR Rahman’s picture too. Though Toyota till now has been very expensive for Indian market, the Etios with its very competitive on-road pricing of Rs. 5.59 lakhs to Rs. 7.76 lakhs (for 4 different variants) in Chennai, is a dream well within everybody’s reach! Though the price is less than what most people expected it to be, Toyota has not compromised on any safety features and has installed SRS airbags, Anti-lock braking system and Centre meter design which helps the driver in having a safe drive on the unpredictable and accident prone Indian roads!

The day was not just only serious discussions about the car but also included a lot of fun activities like quiz contests where the winners got the songs CD of AR Rahman’s song ‘Pehli Baar’ which has been specially composed for the launch of Toyota Etios. There was also a dance competition between youngsters who danced to the theme song and walked away with some amazing prizes like collector’s edition replica of Etios, Etios key chains and ‘Pehli Baar’ CDs. There was a tattoo artist who was drawing some wonderful designs inspired by the car on the fans’ faces and arms. Chennai Live 104 FM station took sound bytes from most of the Etios fans present at the occasion and Moodler.in analyzed the mood of the people who attended the event and discovered that most of them were very impressed by the Toyota Etios Sedan!

More pictures of the Toyota Etios Sedan product showcase in Chennai can be seen in the Facebook album!

The Oscar winning music genius AR Rahman was bought to the stage on a throne shaped palanquin with renowned drummer Sivamani leading the procession from the front gate of the palace till the stage making way through thousands of Rahman fans who were showered with rose petals by a bevy of beautifully clad girls. The performance started with the song ‘Azeem oh shaan shahensha’ from ‘Jodhaa Akbar’ and then Rahman went on to sing his first and most popular hit ‘Dil hain chota saa’ from ‘Roja’ in both Hindi and Tamil. There were other popular singers like Shaan, Alka Yagnik and Shreya Ghoshal who also lent voices to amazing hits by Rahman which were performed at the concert. Rahman sat on a piano and performed the Toyota Etios anthem song ‘Pehli Baar’ to which there was a beautiful dance sequence choreographed by Shaimak Davar’s group of dancers. Rahman ended his concert on a euphoric note by singing his Oscar winning hit ‘Jai Ho’ and paid rich tributes to the nation by singing ‘Vande Mataram’ which had the entire audience on their feet saluting the spirit of India which was evident in the creation of Toyota Etios, truly living up to its slogan of ‘World First, India First, My First!’

If you have missed the concert, don’t worry! You can download the Pehli Baar song on the Toyota Etios website or download the Pehli Baar ringtone for your phone from the Toyota Etios website too!

You can also see the official TVC featuring A R Rahman being the brand ambassdor for Toyota Etios on Toyota India YouTube channel

So what are you waiting for? Go ahead and book a test drive of the Toyota Etios from January 1st 2011 anywhere in India and test out the Etios for yourself! It is World First, India First, will it be your ‘My First’ too?

I was privileged to be a part of the Toyota Etios Q class world-wide launch in Bangalore at Bangalore Palace on 1st of December 2010. Toyota Kirloskar Motor launched the Etios Sedan on that day, marking the company’s entry into the highly competitive B segment in India. The special attraction of this launch was the fact that this car has been developed in India specifically for Indian customers, true to it’s motto ‘World First, India First, My First’!

Mr. Akio Toyoda, President and Representative Director, Toyota Motor Corporation; was personally present in Bangalore to launch the Toyota Etios Sedan. He started his speech narrating the lesser known fact that his great-grandfather Mr. Sakichi Toyoda had invented weaving machines (that incorporated important advances in automation) in the 1920′s which were imported into India. He related this tale to the fact that now more than eighty years later, we are celebrating the new arrival of Toyota technology in India. He emphasized on the fact that India has always been a part of Toyota since establishing Toyota Kirloskar Motor in 1997, Toyota Kirloskar Auto Parts in 2002 and the Toyota Technical Training Institute in Bangalore in 2007. The graduates of the Toyota Technical Training Institute, first batch which passed out in July 2010, are going to help produce the Etios in Bidadi, a suburb of Bangalore.

Mr. Akio Toyoda also mentioned that at Toyota they believe in the motto “the road makes the car”. Hence Etios is the product of real world testing on roads throughout India – Etios has been driven across more than 200,000 KMs of Indian roads from the Himalayan foothills in the north to the southern tip of the Indian peninsula and from Kolkata in the east to Mumbai in the west!

Mr. Toyoda then invited Mr. Yoshinori Noritake, the chief engineer of the development project, to talk about the 5 year long effort of developing the Etios which included a lot of knowledge transfer between Toyota offices in Japan and India.

After Mr. Noritake was done talking about the development of Etios in India, everyone was eagerly waiting for Mr. Sandeep Singh, the deputy managing director for marketing at Toyota Kirloskar Motor, to announce the much awaited information about the price of the Toyota Etios Sedan and the date for the launch of the Toyota Etios hatchback named as Toyota Etios Liva.

Mr. Sandeep Singh announced to thunderous applause that the Toyota Etios Sedan is priced under Rs.5 lakhs! He elaborated on this fact by saying that Etios Sedan will be available in 4 variants, J, G, V and VX which are competitively priced between Rs.4,96,000 and Rs.6,86,500 (ex-showroom Delhi). He emphasized on the product highlights which include innovation styling, best-in-class cabin and luggage space, superior comfort and impressive fuel efficiency. He mentioned that booking for Toyota Etios Sedan starts from Dec 1st onwards across India and customers can book it by paying booking amount of just Rs.50,000 and deliveries will start from Jan 2011 onwards. He also mentioned that the Hatchback version ‘Toyota Etios Liva’ will go on sale from April 2011!

I’m thankful to Mr. Jiveshdeep Singh Sandhu, Deputy Manager – Marketing Division, for giving me this wonderful opportunity to be a part of the Toyota Etios launch and his team, who did wonderful arrangements at the venue which was required for a world-class event!

You all would have seen the exciting promos on TV with Amitabh Bachchan roaring about the clash of the titans… yes, Champions League Twenty 20 is just around the corner and this time it is in South Africa – the wonderful venue of IPL 2!

I remember the excitement of meeting players during IPL 3 parties which I attended and covered for different blogs.  It was great to be shaking hands and chatting up with many wonderful players like Shane Warne,  Muralitharan, Symonds and of course also RCBians like Manish Pandey, Jacque Kallis, Virat Kohli and Praveen Kumar…

I was a part of many of the celebrations of the RCB team at the ITC royal gardenia lobby in Bangalore where they cut a cake and sprayed champagne all over their fans after every resounding win! The sound of the Royal Challengers’ anthem ‘game for more’ reverberated throughout the lobby of the amazing hotel.

There is now a chance for all you RCB fans to meet the RCB team and personally wish them good luck to bring back the Champions League trophy from South Africa!

RoyalChallengers.com has come out with an exciting contest called ‘The Royal Sendoff‘!  In the next 2 days (24th & 25th Aug 2010) , you can send your virtual gifts to your favourite player and be part of the elite chosen 50 at the Royal Send Off party on 28th Aug 2010! This can’t get bigger and better!

So what are you waiting for? Go ahead and create some inspirational gift or message or poem which will motivate the team to move mountains and go for the kill in the rainbow nation! Hurry and participate here – http://bit.ly/cJnlyZ

All the best

I got delayed to the show and had to hurry to the hall. The people from Foster’s, including a guy named Bansi, were present at the INOX entrance itself only for me, and warmly welcomed me! They gave me my tickets, escorted me to the hall where the movie was playing and even guided us to our seats in the F-row! Very royal treatment indeed They also gave us a foster’s kit which included 2 face wipes, 1 bottle opener and a stress ball. I was instantly feeling like I was sitting at home and all my tension of missing the movie, had vanished!

Inception was excellent and really enjoyed the twists and turns in the movie. During the interval, I had the chance to try out the foot massager in the Foster’s lounge area which was exclusively for us in the F-row! I relaxed sitting in the easy chair, listening to music and getting my feet massaged by the foot massager. Enjoyed the entire movie watching experience and really hoping to go there sometime soon again If you want to win this experience too, check out this contest! All the best

Pictures of the chilled out experience (click on them to see a larger version of the same):

“ Fresh from our stupendous stay at Goa, me and my wife landed in Delhi on 30^th of June in the afternoon as part of the last leg of our vacation. We had booked Hotel Southern located at Karolbagh area in New Delhi (package of five days and four nights @ Rs.15,260/-) in Executive Suite room. We were promised a host of things during the package starting from welcome drink to tour package to Agra/Mathura and sightseeing in an AC car.

We were promptly picked up by the hotel guys and transported from the Airport to the hotel in an AC Innova. We thought our memorable tour of Goa will be continued in Delhi too but only to be disappointed thoroughly.  We were given a room full of mosquitoes and badly maintained linen (the room is supposedly called Executive Suite. We could not stay in that room even for a couple of minutes and request the reception guys to give us a different room. There was no welcome drink, no fruit basket, no slippers (we had to ask several times for these); they gave slippers of the same size to both of us and that too of very low quality. Surprisingly, they agreed and allotted us another room which was no better than the earlier but at least we thought we are safe from mosquito bites.  I thought of taking a shower and went inside the restroom only to come running out on seeing a centipede which was freely roaming inside the restroom. My wife became too agitated and immediately called the hotel guys. They sent one house keeping boy sometime later and he removed that centipede. When we went there to vent our frustration, the reception guys replied as though it is our fault and assured it will not come again as though they knew the future. This is the first trouble we encountered at the hotel. We later realized that in that room there are more centipedes which were roaming freely day and night. We had a nightmarish sleep on that night.

The next morning we had to proceed to Agra/Mathura package. To our dismay we found that the Volvo bus was leaking when it rained (Southern Travels was accorded the best Domestic Tour Operator a couple of years back…).

Once we came back from the tour, the same night we approached the reception guys to help us out with a new room (third time we changed the room in two days); they gave us another room in another building. Fortunately, the room was not the home for centipedes though mosquitoes were having a gala time. We thought it is better to have a mosquito as our partner rather than a centipede.

Next day we were proceeding to Haridwar early morning and had requested them to make arrangements for hot water. They promised that it will be available but again the same story of disappointment; there was no hot water and we had to take cold water bath and rush to the railway station. It was a mad scramble even to get the taxi from the hotel which showed how disorganized they were.  In our five days of stay at the hotel, we could get hot water only once.

We need to ask several times for water, coffee and tea sachets (which were all promised as part of the package). There was no exhaust in the toilet too.

The last nail in the coffin was we were asked to go in a old maruti van after we vacated the hotel as against the promise of AC car drop to the Airport.

Overall I would say the stay at Southern Hotel was a nightmare for both of us and we will never ever again even step into that hotel. “