Long Distance Marriage - Survival !

Once you get married, you rarely think about living away from your spouse. But, at times work and other circumstances may put some geographical distance between you and your beloved. Adjusting to a long-distance marriage is not an easy task for any couple. So, for all those couples out there, here are a few simple tips to make your marriage strong regardless of the distance.

Communication:-

It does not matter for how many hours you talk over the phone or have a video chat, but it is important to talk every day. Share your days work with each other. Express your feelings, since this is your only way of sharing some intimacy with your better half. If you are unable to call him then make sure that you leave him a small text message, so that you two stay in touch somehow.

Love Letter:-

Yes, we know it seems old-fashioned, especially in the age where technology reaches faster. But, only when you try this out, you will understand the true magic of a beautifully written love letter. Think about all the things you are not able to say to out loud; your love letter will express it all. These handwritten letters and notes will become your keepsake for the whole life.

Gifts:-

Well, if you are not that good with words, then occasionally send some gifts to your partner. Think about the expressions when he/she sees a bunch flowers at the doorstep or when he/she receives a dress that you have bought for an important occasion. They will not only appreciate your gestures, but will also reciprocate them with love. So, next time you go shopping for yourself, do buy a gift for him/her as well.

Technology:-

For a long-distance relationship, technology is definitely a God-given boon. So, use these real-time communication mediums to your advantage. Take time out to create a date setting while you are video chatting with your partner or play favorite songs when you are talking on the phone. While you are talking, you can also plan all those things that you would do when you two come together. This will give you something to look forward to.

Visit:-

If you can make this happen then it will work wonders for your marriage. Just imagine the precious expressions when he/she sees you standing in front of him/her. They would jump at the opportunity of taking you in their arms. So, make a plan to visit, once in a while. But, yes do make sure that they do not have any travelling plans during those days, as that will just dampen your surprise visit.

Cherish:-

Whatever time you get together, make the most of it. You can also fix your plan beforehand. Make a list of all the things you want to do together. But, above everything else just sit down and talk your heart out! Never pick up old fights or arguments, because this will make your ‘little’ time together bitter and awkward. The best idea would be to have a romantic date on the last day of the visit. This will leave you both with some beautiful memories to think about when you go back.

Expectations:-

Once you get married, you have lot of expectations. You dream of being with each other, all the time. But sooner you face the reality, the easier it gets. Your man is out there to earn and provide support for his family. Living away from home is not easy for him as well. So, try to understand his situation. So, give your marriage some breathing space.

Insecurity:-

In a long-distance marriage, it is quite natural to have certain fears about your relationship. If you have any insecurity or any doubt building up in your mind then talk about it with your partner. Pent-up feelings will only make the matters worse. So, keep an open channel of communication between yourself.

A long-distance relationship survives on trust, love and communication. 

Odia Marriage - Bahagara !

Odia wedding or Bahaghara is a ceremony performed by Odias. In the Odia marriage rituals mother of the bridegroom does not take part in the ceremony. The brahmins have their weddings only in the daytime while the other caste weddings are done during the evening or night. There is the custom of sending betel nuts to family friends for inviting them to the marriage. The first invitation is sent to Jagannath as a respect to the lord. Marriages in Odisha are mostly fixed and arranged by the parents. The marriage happens in three major rituals, Nirbandha (fixing the marriage), Bahaghara (wedding) and Chauthi (consummation). These rituals are performed mostly at the bride's house.

Once the marriage alliance is fixed, the ceremony starts up with Nirbandha, the engagement ceremony. The fathers of the bride and groom make a vow to get their children wed to each other and the whole ritual happens either in the bride's house or a temple in the presence of the bridegroom and bride. This is considered as a commitment signal to proceed with marriage arrangements, which is accompanied with exchange of gifts between both families for bride and bridegroom.

Jwain anukula ceremony marks the initiation of marriage rituals which happens in the bridegroom's house. This is followed by the distribution of Nimantrana patra (invitation cards). Deva Nimantrana invitation marks the public announcement of the marriage function. As per Odia custom, the first card is sent to the family divinity. Usually the first card is placed before Lord Jagannath. Moula Nimantrana, the second invitation goes to the bride and groom's maternal uncle. This has to go with some family member in person along with betel nuts. Uncle or "Mamu" is one of the most respectable persons in events like marriages. Invitations can now be distributed among friends and relatives. Jwain Nimantrana for son-in-law of the family, who is the most respectable invitee in marriages. In Odia customs and probably many other Indian customs, the "Jwain Nimantrana" ritual has an important significance. There is a strong religious reason for the same: As per Hindu Mythology, when "Dakshya Prajapati" arranged for a great “Yajna”, he intentionally didn't invite his son-in-law "Lord Shiva". Wanting to visit her parents, relatives and childhood friends, Sati sought to rationalize this omission. She reasoned within herself that her parents had neglected to make a formal invitation to them only because within family, such formality was unnecessary; certainly, she needed no invitation to visit her own mother and would go anyway. So, despite dissuasion from Shiva. Sati wanted to go. So finally Shiva let her go with his ganas. However, upon reaching there within no time Sati realized this mean intention of his father to offend Shiva. Sati was very upset by thinking herself as the cause of this dishonour to her husband. She was consumed by rage against her father and loathing for his mentality. Unable to bear this disrespect to her husband, Sati invoked her yogic powers and immolated herself. Shiva sensed this catastrophe, and his rage was incomparable. He loved Sati more than anything. He devastated the "Yajna" and supposedly slapped "Dakshya Prajapati" that Dakshya was be-headed by Shiva's stroke. Dakshya's head fell in the Yajna Agni. (later upon God's request, shiva gave re-birth to Dakshya by replacing a goat head). Shiva was then with rage into Tandava. Learning a lesson from this, the significance of "Jwain Nimantrana" came into effect, so that no one else should ever think of insulting the son-in-law of a family in ceremonies.

During 'mangana' people bless the bride and then apply turmeric paste on her body followed by the bride's ceremonial bath where turmeric paste is put on her body by seven un-widowed women. Jairagada anukula is a ceremony, which marks the stoking of the fire. Dian manguḷa puja is conducted at the gramadebati's temple. Wife of a barber offers the bride's bangles, toe ring, sindura and sari to the Goddess. Prayers are offered to the deity of a temple. The blessings of the Gods invoked for a long and happy married life.

The groom along with his marriage procession arrives at the wedding venue. This is known as Barajatri. It is the ceremonial procession when the groom and his family members and friends arrive at the wedding mandap amid great pomp and magnificence. Upon arrival of the baraat the groom is greeted with aarti or tilak of which rice is an essential component. The bride is decorated with fine traditional jewelry. In the Baadua Pani Gadhua custom, the girl's side informs the bride that the baraat has come. Thereafter, arrangements are made for her holy bath. The bride is informed of the groom's arrival and then she takes another ceremonial bath called Baadua Pani Gadhua.

The wedding ritual begins with the Kanyadana ceremony which is held on the bibaha bedi. This is the traditional ritual of handing over the daughter to the groom. The customary fire is lit and the priests chant the mantras. Seven heaps of rice grain symbolizing the seven hills and the saptakulaparwata are worshipped during the saptapadi rite. In this custom, the bride's father gives his dear daughter's hand to the groom with the promise that going forward bridegroom will take care of her. This ritual onwards the bride considers herself as member of her husband's family instead. That's why bride is called "duhita", meaning who is grown up in two families to do good for them at respective phase i.e. before marriage bride considers her parental family as her home and is considered auspicious to them. Similarly after marriage the bride is loyal to her husband's family and is treated auspicious as the daughter-in-law of her new family. In fact after kanyadaan the bride steps out of her parental home to spend the rest of her life in her husband's family. Hence, her husband's family has much more significance to an Odia bride compared to her parental home where she lived her initial years of life only. Until recently, before the concept of divorce came into Indian society, it was considered that only death may separate a bride from her in-laws home which is in fact her true own home after marriage.

During hata ganṭhi, a garland made of mango leaves which is considered as a holy symbol is bound by keeping the bride's hand along with bride groom's hand. The bride’s sister is only allowed to open up the ganthi and in return gets some gift from the groom. 'Khai' or puffed rice, a symbol of prosperity is offered to the fire which is called "khaipoda" (burning khai) considering the bride as an avatar of Laxmi who brings wealth and prosperity to the new home. 'Khai' is tossed onto the path of the new wed while they enter the home, the new bride tilts a vessel filled with rice with her right feet making the rice spills over the ground to make a way to her new home.

The bride's brother stands behind the couple while the couple faces each other. The bride placed her hands on the grooms and her brother puts the puffed rice into them. Together they offer this Khai as sacrifice to the God of fire amidst the chanting of mantras. Kaudi khela is a custom of playing a white colored shining shell by the newlywed couple after the marriage ceremony. Kaudi is believed to be bringing wealth, harmony and prosperity to the family. The bridegroom first holds a Kaudi in his fist and the bride tries to break the fist and get it by two of her hands. In the next round the bride make a tight fist with both of her hands with the Kaudi inside and the bridegroom tries to open her hand with only one hand. Rounds of such games go on, the sisters and other younger members of the bride's family carry this custom.

Bahuna is a tradition of mourning with rhythmic songs which includes the story of how the bride's mother has taken pains of giving birth to her, nortured her with care and finally her departure from her own home to make a new house. Elderly women of the house (grandma, father's sisters, mother's sisters) also join mourning with the bride's mother. These songs are called Bahuna gita composed by anonymous poets and been used as a literary tradition for years.

The newly wed couple arrives at the new home where the groom's family gives her a ceremonial welcome called Gruhaprabesa. The bride, along with her husband enters her new home i.e. her in-laws place, where the groom's family gives them a warm welcome. On fourth day after marriage bride and bride groom meet each other. This day is called 'Chauṭhi' (means the fourth day) and the night is called "Basara rati" or "Chauṭhi rati". During the day, puja and homa are practiced which includes burning a coconut to make it roasted inside. A room along with bed is decorated with bright fragrant flowers like "Rajanigandha" (Polianthes tuberosa). This is the night of consummation. The bride glows a basara dipa alongside the bed as a symbol of long lasting glowing relationship. The couples offered to eat the roasted coconut from the homa during the night. There is also a tradition of the bride carrying a glass of kesara dudha (saffron milk) to the bridegroom. This ritual is also commonly known as Suhag Raat in Indian tradition. This is especially important because, marriage is in fact not considered complete or valid until consummation.

The bride and the bridegroom are invited to the bride's house on the eighth day after the wedding known as Asta mangaḷa. Traditional Oriya cuisine is prepared and served for the newly married couple. Sankha (conch shell) is blown along with a specific sound called hulu-huli by placing the tongue on the roof of the mouth with repeated opening and closing of mouth.

True love is all that you need to fulfill all the vows !

When it comes to Indian marriages, words like big, fat, extravagant, pomp and show come to our mind at once. However, irrespective of the style and size of  the wedding, one thing that remains common in all Hindu marriages is the 'seven vows' signified by the sacred 'saat pheras' around fire or 'agni', which  is one of the most imperative rituals of Indian weddings. With each 'phera' the couple makes a vow, a commitment with strong mythological roots, which is to be lived forever and more, its only then that a couple is accepted as husband and wife for the next many lives to come.

These seven vows are supposed to serve as an anchor to keep the couple going through all the ups and downs of life together, as husband and wife tied to each other in a sacred relationship.

First Vow:-

The couple appeals to the almighty to shower blessings in the form of pure and nourishing food with a respectful and noble life. The groom pledges to provide welfare and happiness to his wife and children, whereas the bride swears to shoulder all responsibilities for the welfare of the groom's entire family.

Second Vow:-

The groom requests the bride to be his strength so that he can provide security and protect the family with courage. The bride agrees to abide by, while demanding eternal love and undivided attention.

Third Vow:-

The couple pleads for wisdom, wealth, and prosperity in order to live a content and satisfied life. They pledge to remain spiritually committed and the bride assures the groom that by the virtue of true love and devotion she will remain a chaste wife.

Fourth Vow:-

The groom thanks his would-be wife for bringing auspiciousness, happiness, and sacredness in his life. In return, the bride takes an oath to serve and please her husband in every way possible. Together, they also pledge to take care and respect their elders in the family.

Fifth Vow:-

The importance of the fifth vow is to pray for the welfare of all the living things in this Universe and begetting a noble breed. The couple also prays to almighty to bless each other's friends and family with happiness and well-being.

Sixth Vow:-

In the sixth vow, God is invoked to bless the couple for bountiful seasons and long lived togetherness. The groom wishes that his wife would glut his life with joy and peace; while the bride provides assurance that she would participate with her husband in all his noble and divine acts.

Seventh Vow:-

This is the last vow adding completion to the ceremony. Here the couple pleads for the long lasting relationship, enriched with understanding and loyalty. They take an oath to nourish their relationship with love and honesty and be together with each other forever not only in this life, but also in the lives to come.

Even though different religions and cultures have their own unique set of vows and different ways to perform them, the basic meaning of all remains the same 'commitment', a vow of being spiritually united as one. It is a way to assure your partner that he/she is worthy of your love and you are willing to submit, 'till death do you part'.

True love is all that you need to fulfill all the vows.

Contemporary Women !

She is a girl, who is as much educated as you are; who is earning almost as much as you do; one, who has dreams and aspirations just as you have because she is as human as you are; one, who has never entered the kitchen in her life just like you or your sister haven't, as she was busy in studies and competing in a system that gives no special concession to girls for their culinary achievements; one, who has lived and loved her parents & brothers & sisters, almost as much as you do for 20-25 years of her life one, who has bravely agreed to leave behind all that, her home, people who love her, to adopt your home, your family, your ways and even your family name; one, who is somehow expected to be a master-chef from day #1, while you sleep oblivious to her predicament in her new circumstances, environment and that kitchen; one, who is expected to make the tea, first thing in the morning and cook food at the end of the day, even if she is as tired as you are, maybe more, and yet never ever expected to complain; to be a servant, a cook, a mother, a wife, even if she doesn't want to; and is learning just like you are as to what you want from her; and is clumsy and sloppy at times and knows that you won't like it if she is too demanding, or if she learns faster than you; one, who has her own set of friends, and that includes boys and even men at her workplace too, those, who she knows from school days and yet is willing to put all that on the back-burners to avoid your irrational jealousy, unnecessary competition and your inherent insecurities; yes, she can drink and dance just as well as you can, but won't, simply because you won't like it, even though you say otherwise one, who can be late from work once in a while when deadlines, just like yours, are to be met; one, who is doing her level best and wants to make this most important relationship in her entire life a grand success, if you just help her some and trust her; one, who just wants one thing from you, as you are the only one she knows in your entire house - your unstinting support, your sensitivities and most importantly - your understanding, or love, if you may call it. But not many guys understand this still.. 

Do Respect, love and Appreciate the Women !

Augmented Reality (AR) !!!

Augmented Reality as a concept has existed for a long time now. When we watch Michael Phelps on TV, at the Olympics, tearing away through the water in a swimming pool, we can see the world-record line moving in front of him (which he eventually crosses many times). Here, the reality of athletes swimming has been augmented by the world-record line electronically—hence, it is called ‘augmented reality’. Another example closer home is during cricket matches when we see scores, run rates, etc. imprinted on the pitch while watching matches on television. Recent innovations have brought AR to all of us, thanks to the advent of powerful smartphones and tablets. We no longer need $200,000 cameras and millions of dollars worth of broadcasting equipment to experience and enjoy AR. We just need some cool apps on our smart devices. I think one of the pioneering AR apps is ‘Google Goggles’ on Android phones. One of the very good apps for the iPhone is ‘James May’—a very interesting app. It will be a lot cooler if we use it at London Science Museum. ‘Night Sky’ on the iPhone is another great app. We can simply go out into the open and use the app, and it will show the night sky above us, identifying planets, constellations, etc. There are literally dozens of such cool apps available on smart devices now. By the way, if you have seen Mission: Impossible 4 – Ghost Protocol, you have seen Augmented Reality in action. One of the agents uses an iPhone to scan the crowd at a railway station, in order to identify a specific person. When the person is found, the identifying information is overlaid across his image on the iPhone. If you really think about the building blocks needed to build such an app, they all exist now: 

- Camera/video camera in a phone 

- Face detection: cameras have had this functionality for years, a rectangle is  typically superimposed on faces in their viewfinders. 

- Plus the building blocks of ‘goggles’—a broadband network, cloud computing and big data for holding images and matching them with faces detected by cameras 

If I have the person recognition app that I mentioned above, I can use it in a variety of scenarios. Suppose we have been friends for a while but we have not been in contact with each other for a few years. Now we meet in a mall. You look very familiar but I cannot remember your name. Many of us face a similar embarrassing situation. It will be cool if I can surreptitiously take out my smartphone and recognize you using an AR app that I have described above. However, with wearable computers like Google Glass, person recognition could be a lot easier. Businesses and military are using AR in very innovative ways. As in the consumer world, there are dozens of such uses. Some examples are: China’s biggest food e-commerce merchant, Yihaodian, recently launched 1,000 virtual stores right outside the bricks and mortar stores of their competitors; each ‘store’ is packed with discount coupons. Customers must point their phones outside the competitor’s stores to find Yihaodian’s coupons and gift vouchers. Defense contractor company, Innovega, signed a contract with the Defense Department in the USA to develop a prototype of its iOptik system. The contacts work in conjunction with special glasses that project images onto the wearer's lens, which could allow soldiers on the ground to see images beamed down directly to them by drones or satellite. There is interesting research going on to improve our depth perception with AR, which has great uses in medicine. For example, currently, when a surgeon uses a scope during surgery, he may be using a scalpel, but typically has to look sideways or at an overhead monitor. It will really help if he or she can look directly at the patient and virtual objects appear exactly aligned inside the patient's body—X-ray vision! Finally, there are different forms of reality: Augmented Reality, Mixed Reality, Alternate Reality, Substantial Reality and Altered Reality. As detailed in this column, when useful virtual information is overplayed on real scenes, it is called Augmented Reality. If we can manipulate the virtual objects in Augmented Reality, it is called Mixed Reality. If we roam around in the physical world and collect virtual objects, it is called Alternate Reality. The game ‘Google Ingress’ is an example. Substantial Reality is a cognitive science concept; for instance, showing videos of current scenes and past recorded scenes and switching between them rapidly— as in the movie Inception. This is used to diagnose cognitive dysfunctions in psychiatric patients. When our natural senses are enhanced using AR, it is called Altered Reality. For example, if our equipment includes a camera that is sensitive to long-wavelength infrared, we can detect subtle heat signatures, allowing us to see which seats in a lecture hall had just been vacated. So, AR has excellent uses in our personal and professional lives. Its use will only increase especially with advances in wearable technologies like Google Glass.

Income Tax : Essential Terms to Remember !

20 Essential Terms you should know before filing Taxes

1.Financial Year: The financial year is a 12 month period beginning the April 1st each year and ending on 31st of March the following year.

2.Assessment Year: The assessment year refers to your income earned in the previous financial year.

3.PAN Number: The Income Tax Department of India identifies you with this number. This is a 10 digit number given by the I-T department to each individual, Business, Firm, and Company, in the form of a laminated card (called the PAN card).

4.TAN Number: TAN or Tax deduction and collection account number is a 10 digit number given by the tax department to all individuals / companies, who make payments to others.

5.TDS: Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) is the amount deducted by a company/Individuals before making a payment to others. This is done as per the Income Tax Act so that the burden of payment of lump-sum tax does not fall upon the individual at the end of the financial year.

6.TDS on Salary: Tax is deducted at source by the employer before paying the wages and salary to the employees. This information is present in the Form-16. Form-16 is usually issued annually by the company to its employees.

7.TDS on Non Salary: The tax deducted at source on payments like Rent, Interest Income, Commission, Consultation fees, Freelancer charges,etc (essentially anything other than Salary). These are stated on Form 16A. The Form-16A has to be issued by the deductor to the deductee in the same quarter in which the deduction is made.

8.Advance Tax: According to income tax rules, if the tax liability of a taxpayer is more than Rs 10,000 in a financial year and one knows that in advance, one has to pay:

• 30% of the liability by September 15th
• 60% of the liability by 15th December (less advance tax already paid)
• Remaining liability by 15th March (less advance tax already paid) of the financial year.

This is to avoid certain charges levied by the department in case of non-payment of these taxes as per the dates above. The penalty /charges would be levied when you make your return after the end of the financial year, if the advance tax is not paid.

9.Self-Assessment Tax: An individual / company has to calculate one’s tax liability at the end of the financial year, on the earnings during that year. The taxpayer self-assesses (or gets the taxes assessed by an authorized expert) to find one’s tax liability after accounting for TDS and advance tax.

10.Form 16: An employer has to give its employee a form 16 stating:

• The employee’s salary
• The tax deducted at source (TDS)
• Tax paid to the tax department.

11.Form 16A: This form reflects TDS deducted on non-salary payments. TDS deducted on house rents, interest payments etc are stated in the form 16A. It is issued quarterly, as opposed to Form 16 which is issued usually annually, by the company / bank that pays the rent / interest etc.

12.Form 26AS: The Tax Credit Statement or Form 26AS, issued by the Income Tax Department gives you details like:

• Tax deducted at source.
• Tax collected at source.
• Tax paid (advance tax, self-assessment tax).
• Refund received by the assesse.
• All high value financial transactions as per Income Tax rules.

13.ITR-1: To file an income tax return (ITR), different assesses have to use different forms. ITR-1 (or Sahaj),is used by people who:

• Earn income from salary and
• Earn other income from fixed deposits (and not from horse race and lottery)
• Have up to one house property.

The ITR-1 can be filed electronically or physically. However, from the assessment year 2013-14, the Income Tax Department has made e-Filing of returns mandatory for people whose income exceeds 5 lakh.

14.ITR-V: This income tax return verification form is issued by the tax department as an acknowledgement of receipt of your tax return when you file your return electronically. A print out of this ITR-V has to be taken out, signed in blue ink, and then sent to the central processing Unit (CPC Bangalore) only by ordinary post or speed post within 4 months of filing of your tax return electronically. The CPC at Bangalore on the receipt of this ordinary post /speed post will send an email / acknowledgement on the email id mentioned in your ITR form. Only when you receive this email, the process of the filing of the income tax return is complete.

15.Mutual Funds: A mutual fund aggregates investor money and invests on their behalf in the stock market, for buying shares, bonds, etc such that the investors benefit in the end. These types of funds are typically managed by a professional. Hence if the investor lacks knowledge of direct investment in shares, bonds etc. the investor can put in the money in a mutual fund after seeing the past performance of the fund. Note that the past performance is not a predictor of the future performance of the fund. Any investment has its risk and investors should choose funds after due diligence.

16.Dividends: When an individual buys a share of a company/mutual fund, he buys a unit of ownership in that company. And when the company makes profits, the profit is distributed to the company’s shareholders in a proportion that is decided by the management. This profit, earned by the shareholder is the dividend earned.

17.Salary: Money paid to an individual for services, as shown in Form 16 by an employer, has to be included in the total income for the year.

18.House Property: If you own property and have rented it out, the income you earn from this property has to be included in your total income for the year. Interest paid on a housing loan is tax deductible to a large extent.

19.Capital Gains: When you sell assets like property, shares, bonds, mutual funds, there is a difference in the purchasing price and the selling price. If the sale price is more than the purchase price we call it Capital gains. This income has to be included in the total income if it is gained in the financial year. If you sell an asset at a loss, you can set this loss off against other gains and income as per income tax laws.

20:Business and Profession: Income earned while running a Business or while rendering professional services come under this head. Profits or Losses while running a business or a service have to be declared under this head.

Popular Free Calling Apps !

With Internet-enabled phones, it has become easier to stay in touch with people at all times. With plenty of apps that offer text, audio or video-based options to stay connected, it can be difficult to pick ones that stand out from the crowd.

Here is a list of some popular free calling applications:


1) Skype : Skype was perhaps the pioneer in this space and continues to be used by a large number of people. The app lets you do text, voice and video chats. It also enables users to do group calls and call landlines and mobile phones at a cost.

2) WeChat : WeChat is available across varied mobile platforms. The app offers features like Live Chat, Group chat, Video calling and push-to-talk. This app also comes with a 'Shake' feature to help you find new friends. To use this feature, all you have to do is shake your phone and the app will help you connect with other people, who are shaking their mobile at that time.

3) Google Hangouts : Google offers a free video chat service Google+ Hangouts. It lets you make free video calls that can be one-on-one or and group chats (maximum ten people at a time). This app is available for all Android smartphones running Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) or higher. In case of iOS, the devices should be running on iOS 6 or later.

4) Tango : Tango is another nifty application that lets you make free calls. This app also comes with a "Push-to-Talk" feature, which helps in turning your smartphone into a walkie-talkie.

5) Fring : Fring is also a free application that enables you to make free calls. The group calling feature helps you to talk simultaneously with up to 4 participants. Just like Skype, Fring can also be used to make calls to regular phones around the world at an additional cost.

6) Viber : With the help of Viber, users can make free calls, send free texts and share location and setting. For using Viber, you don't need to create a separate username, as your mobile number doubles up as your ID. After you have installed the Viber app, it syncs your mobile contact list, automatically detecting which contacts area already using Viber, similar to WhatsApp.

7) Nimbuzz : Nimbuzz lets you send free messages and call other Nimbuzz users. This app has started offering 'NimbuzzOut' service, which is a low cost Pay-As-You-Go option to make calls to other mobiles and landlines numbers across the World

8) WhatsApp : WhatsApp is perhaps the most well know application in the list, outside of Skype, and has become the proffered alternate to SMS for millions across the globe.

9) Hike : Hike is a desi app that offers a feature-set very similar to WhatsApp, though it offers additional features like sending SMS to non-Hike users, walkie-talkie mode and more.

10) Facebook Messenger : If you spend all day on Facebook, you don't need to look Facebook Messenger.

Income Tax - Something to Know !!!

There are a few more sources of income which one must disclose.

Some of them are:

1. Interest earned from savings bank account: This interest is tax free up to Rs. 10,000. Any interest earned above that is taxable and should be declared.

2. Interest earned from fixed deposits: This is taxable as per one's income tax slab. Most of the time banks deduct 10 per cent TDS when the interest accrued is more than Rs. 10,000 (unless one submits Form 15 G/H). However, the actual tax liability will be more or less, depending upon the tax bracket one falls under after all incomes and deductions are claimed.

3. Interest earned from recurring deposits: This interest is taxable as per one's income tax slab. Banks do not cut any TDS on interest earned on recurring deposits and, hence, it becomes even more important to declare this source of income.

4. Cash gifts: Cash gifts of over Rs. 50,000 should be declared as they are taxable (unless for specific occasions like marriage)

5. Capital gains/losses: Any capital gains/losses made from trading equities, selling mutual funds, gold, etc. should be declared even though they may be non-taxable (e.g. for equities, long-term capital tax is nil). Similarly, any losses should be declared as these help in offsetting gains for subsequent years.

6. Exempt income: Exempt income (e.g. interest earned on PPF/EPF accounts) should be declared for auditing purposes only. This is a tax-free income.

7. Dividend income: Dividend income is tax free in the hands of the investor. However, this should be declared while filing income tax returns.

Gang of Eight: Eight Killer Provisions.

US IMMIGRATON REFORM BILL

1. Ban on client site placement for H-1B Workers.

Under this any H-1B dependent employer (a company with more than 15 per cent of its workforce on H-1Bs), would be flatly prohibited from placing H-1B workers at client sites or contracting for the services of those workers.

2. Restrictions on client site placement for L-1 workers.

As a result of this an Indian IT Company would not be able to place L-1 workers (whether specialized or managerial) at client sites (the US company) unless the company supervised and controlled those workers and the parent US company attests that for 90 days before and after the L-1 petition filing it had not laid off any employees in the same area performing similar job duties.

3. Limit on total percentage of H-1B and L-1 Workers.

Under this the immigration bill would impose a hard limit on the percentage of H-1B and L-1 workers that could make up a company's workforce in the US. Being enforced in three phases, the limits would be no more than 75 per cent from October 1, 2014 to September 30, 2015; no more than 65 per cent from October 1, 2015, to September 30, 2016, and no more than 50 per cent from October 1, 2016 onwards.

4. Increase in certain categories of H-1B visas that are targeting Indian IT companies.

A company with more than 50 per cent H-1B or L-1 workers currently pays an additional fee of $2,250 for L-1 petitions and USD 2,000 for H-1B petitions. Under the comprehensive immigration bill proposals, the additional fee would rise to $5,000 beginning in fiscal 2015 through 2024 for employers with more than 30 per cent and less than 50 per cent H-1B and L-1B workers. For fiscal year 2015 through 2017, there would be a $10,000 fee for employers with more than 50 per cent and less than 75 per cent H-1B and L-1B workers.

5. The Unworkable Intending Immigrants Exception.

"Intending immigrants," is defined as those employees for whom the green card process had been started by the company, would count as US workers and would not count toward the H-1B or L-1 population for purposes of determining percentages. With a sufficient number of intending immigrants, a global IT company could conceivably bring its population percentage low enough to avoid the additional fees, and perhaps even low enough to avoid being H-1B dependent.

6. The subsequent required wage increases.

Under the proposals H-1B dependent employers would have to pay H-1B workers no less than the mean wage for the occupation, even if the role is entry-level. This would cause a spiraling effect on the rest of the wage scales, and the wage increases would be substantial, experts note. For example, the required wage for an entry level Systems Analyst would increase from about $59,000 per annum year to $92,000 per year.

7. H-1B recruitment and job offer requirements.

Under which prior to filing any H-1B petition, an Indian IT company would be required to recruit for US workers using industry standard recruitment as well as posting on a DOL website, and it would be required to offer the job to any equally or better qualified US worker at the same rate it would have to pay the H-1B worker. Under this the US Department of Labor would have authority to review hiring decisions, and the Indian IT companies would need to be able to justify on an applicant-by-applicant basis why individual US worker applicants were not equally or better qualified than a particular H-1B worker.

8. Significant expansion of government audits and enforcement authority

Under which the Department of Labor would be required to conduct annual compliance audits of all H-1B dependent employers. Not only this the Department of Homeland Security would be required to conduct annual audits of all companies with a workforce with more than 15 per cent of workers in L-1 status.

You alter the difficulties, or you alter yourself to meet them !

Ours was an arranged marriage. It was done the traditional way. Our parents took care of everything. My only condition was that she should be ready to work. Our horoscopes and photos were exchanged. Everything matched. I spoke to her over the phone. We talked about things two strangers would talk. She was a lecturer in Bangalore who felt Chemistry was more important than Hindi movies. There was no engagement. The date for marriage was fixed in 2 weeks as I could not get a vacation after that. Even the vacation time I got was just 10 days.

Everything was fixed. It was supposed to be very hectic for me. We got married and 2 days later we had to leave the country. She cried like there was no tomorrow when we left. She would not talk to me on the plane. I thought that was usual for an Indian girl. I thought she would get over it. Once home she would not talk to me. She sat in a corner staring at the TV. For the first couple of days I had to catch up on some work and did not take her mood seriously.

A week later I sat beside her and asked her, "What is wrong?"

"Why did you bring me here?"

"What do you mean? What happened?"

"I want to go home"

"This is your home"

"No. I want to go home. Please buy me a ticket"

"Look, everybody feels homesick. I did when I came here the first time. It is normal. You will get over it. Sorry I have been busy with work. We can go out this weekend. You will meet my friends and other people who will be very friendly. Come on be a good girl"

"I hate this place. I miss my family, my friends, my college. All thepeople I know are not here. I want to go home".

"Think for a minute. Try to reason it out yourself. What is your plan by the way? So you want to go back and never come back?"

"Yes"

"Are you crazy?"

"If you think this is crazy then I am."

"It is ok if you do not answer this question. Is there someone else?"

"No. I want to go home. I will call 911 if you do not send me"

"First cool down. Think about it. Think about our parents. It is less than a month that we got married and now you want to return home. You very well knew that you had to come here. What were you thinking? Even if you are returning home what happens to our marriage?"

"I am not blaming you. I take the blame. It is my mistake. I can't stay so far away from my family. If you are so interested come to India"

"I am family too! What you are asking is ridiculous."

The next day she would not change her mind. I called my folks. They said that it was my decision and they would stand by me. I booked her ticket and put it in her hand the next evening. She was to leave in 2 days.

Nothing would convince her to change her mind. She was crying like a kid. Then she left.

She had done nothing for me to miss but something inside me was telling me that I was at fault. I tried to shake it off but as time grew I started feeling more guilty. I called her. She made it clear that she did not find me despicable but she would not leave her city. Her parents apologized profusely but they were helpless too.

I have had crushes. None of them were serious. There was this girl in my high school tuition whose phone no I managed to find out. Then the prettiest girl in college whom everybody loved, who talked to me once. Then the girl from my city who was at my university in USA who made me feel at home when I visited her place. I had ignored them once I crossed their paths. But Anjali was my wife. I could not ignore her.

I decided to quit my job. I went home. No one back home knew I was returning. I wanted to surprise her. I dropped off my bags at my place and went to the college she was teaching. The gate keeper would not let me in. So I had to wait outside for the classes to get over.

She walked out alone, struggling to carry her bag, tired, with slow steps. She was walking towards the bus stop. I silently followed her and went behind her and whispered, "Do you mind if I carry your bag?"

She was startled and turned to face me. Her eyes lit up. I was not sure if I could hug her. I was smiling and she had a 100 questions written all over her face. "I want to spend a week with you in this city. Show me the things that you could not miss"

That one week went in a jiffy. She was treated a kid at home with all the comforts. That explained her behaviour. Coffee was brought to her in the morning. Even her dress was laid out for her. She would have breakfast and leave. The bus journey was an hour. She would sit near the window with a book. Then once in the college she would teach her classes and come out tired in the evening. She would stand in the crowded bus carrying her bag which would look heavy. Then she would alight, go home, have a snack and would head out to a friend's place.

Some times she'd stay home watching TV or listening to music. When her dad returned she would join him and they'd have dinner. Then her mom would tuck her in bed. Weekends were not much different. She would sleep late, wake up for breakfast and lie down talking on the phone. Then she would visit the temple in the evening and would have her singing lessons. Then she would eat out and would head home late.

That was her life. It was something every human being wanted - simple, content and happy. Of course to her I was a villain. I told her that I understood her. I wanted to know if it was ok if she stayed in the same city but away from her parents. Her only condition was that I should not stay at my parent's place to which I agreed. So we moved into a small apartment. She knew nothing. She had to be taught everything. She learnt. It was hard to make her understand that she had duties and she had a husband. Coffee had to be brought to her in  the morning. She made the rules and broke them. She did not care for me. Sometimes she would not return home but go to her parents' place without informing me. I would have had to go bring her back.

Slowly she started realizing about married life. She would wake up before me, try to cook, agree for a movie, visit my friend's place, invite me to her college, let me dress her up, dance in front of me, teach me Chemistry, talk about her crushes, play cricket with me, make me cry for a change. She was growing mature day by day. One day she apologized for the whole thing. I brushed it aside. Finally I had her the way I wanted.

Today I am happy and content with my life. She is still there crying to get her things done. I keep reminding her how she had threatened to call the police. She laughs it away. Some times I wonder how life would have been if I had not returned. Then again some things are left as they are.

That's how life is..

There are two ways of meeting difficulties:

"You alter the difficulties, or you alter yourself to meet them" ...

This is what a life is……………………