Python Mysql Connectivity

How do you configure python for use with mysql? You require the MySQLdb module for connecting to mysql server using the python code. This module is used for firing queries to the database server and handling of result sets from python code.

First of all, check if the module is available or not :

jayant@jayantbox:~$ python
Python 2.5.2 (r252:60911, Apr 21 2008, 11:17:30)
[GCC 4.2.3 (Ubuntu 4.2.3-2ubuntu7)] on linux2
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
>>> import MySQLdb;
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "", line 1, in
ImportError: No module named MySQLdb
>>>

If you are getting an importError, then the module is not installed. Download the source files from http://sourceforge.net/projects/mysql-python

Compile and install the module:

tar -xvzf MySQL-python-1.2.2.tar.gz
.
.
cd MySQL-python-1.2.2/
.
.
python setup.py build
.
.
sudo python setup.py install
.
.
Installed /usr/lib/python2.5/site-packages/MySQL_python-1.2.2-py2.5-linux-x86_64.egg
Processing dependencies for MySQL-python==1.2.2


I faced a problem during the build process. The setup process was unable to find the mysql_config program in the path. So i did
export PATH=/usr/local/mysql/bin:$PATH
And then i ran the build process and it was successful.

Now again try importing the MySQLdb module in the python environment

jayant@jayantbox:/usr/share/python$ python
Python 2.5.2 (r252:60911, Apr 21 2008, 11:17:30)
[GCC 4.2.3 (Ubuntu 4.2.3-2ubuntu7)] on linux2
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
>>> import MySQLdb
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "", line 1, in
File "/usr/lib/python2.5/site-packages/PIL/__init__.py", line 19, in

File "build/bdist.linux-x86_64/egg/_mysql.py", line 7, in
File "build/bdist.linux-x86_64/egg/_mysql.py", line 6, in __bootstrap__
ImportError: libmysqlclient_r.so.16: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory
>>>


Oops... the library is not able to locate my shared library. So, i added the library path to the LD_LIBRARY_PATH environment variable

export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/usr/local/mysql/lib:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH

And then try

jayant@jayantbox:~$ python
Python 2.5.2 (r252:60911, Apr 21 2008, 11:17:30)
[GCC 4.2.3 (Ubuntu 4.2.3-2ubuntu7)] on linux2
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
>>> import MySQLdb
>>>


Bingo, now importing the mysqldb module has been successful.
Lets try running some queries using python

jayant@jayantbox:~$ python
Python 2.5.2 (r252:60911, Apr 21 2008, 11:17:30)
[GCC 4.2.3 (Ubuntu 4.2.3-2ubuntu7)] on linux2
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
>>> import MySQLdb
>>> db=MySQLdb.connect(host='localhost',user='root',passwd='jayant',db='mysql',unix_socket='/tmp/mysql.sock')
>>> cursor = db.cursor()
>>> cursor.execute("show tables")
23L
>>> result = cursor.fetchall()
>>> for row in result:
... print row[0]
...
columns_priv
db
event
func
general_log
help_category
help_keyword
help_relation
help_topic
host
ndb_binlog_index
plugin
proc
procs_priv
servers
slow_log
tables_priv
time_zone
time_zone_leap_second
time_zone_name
time_zone_transition
time_zone_transition_type
user
>>>


Now you can create apps backed with mysql db operations using python

32 bit or 64 bit

Theoretically a 32 bit processor can address 2^32 bits or 4 GB of memory, where as a 64 bit processor can address 2^64 bits or 16 exabytes of memory. The speed of computing should not differ much. But the fact that a 64 bit processor has 64 bit wide address space, it can perform large calculations faster as compared to 32 bit processors.

Generally, you would not even realize whether you have a 64 bit system or not. I did not realize that my cpu was 64 bit untill last week (after 6 months of having the system). Even if you have a 64 bit cpu, you might have loaded a 32 bit OS on it.

if you do a "uname -a", it would spill out the details of the kernel.
For a 32 bit system it might be something like
Linux jayantbox 2.6.24-16-generic #1 SMP Thu Apr 10 12:47:45 UTC 2008 i386 GNU/Linux
And for a 64 bit system, it would be something like
Linux jayantbox 2.6.24-16-generic #1 SMP Thu Apr 10 12:47:45 UTC 2008 x86_64 GNU/Linux

Then, how do you identify if your cpu is 32 bit or 64 bit? If you know your cpu model no, you can google for it and you might find out that theoretically your cpu is a 64 bit or not. Another way is to do a

jayant@jayantbox:~$ cat /proc/cpuinfo
processor : 0
vendor_id : GenuineIntel
cpu family : 6
model : 15
model name : Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU T7300 @ 2.00GHz
.
.
.
flags : fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 clflush dts acpi mmx fxsr sse sse2 ss ht tm pbe syscall nx lm constant_tsc arch_perfmon pebs bts rep_good pni monitor ds_cpl vmx est tm2 ssse3 cx16 xtpr lahf_lm ida
bogomips : 3994.26
clflush size : 64
cache_alignment : 64
address sizes : 36 bits physical, 48 bits virtual
power management:



The lm flag tells that the cpu in 64 bit wide.

So, you would say, if there is no increase in computing power, what benefit would i get out of using a 64 bit machine?

Well, firstly, if you need your applications to address more than 4 GB of memory, you definitely need a 64 bit system. So suppose you have a machine with 16 GB RAM and you need to run java with a heap size of 10 GB, or run mysql on it with a key_buffer of 8 GB then the only way you can do it is by using 64 bit OS on a 64 bit cpu. With 32 bit system, java can have a max heap size of only 2-2.5 GB and mysql can have a key_buffer size of only 4 GB.

But, desktops. They dont have such large amounts of RAM. Then a desktop should not be a 64 bit system.

Well, untill now, my experience says that if you are using your desktop for general purposes like word processor, games, net browsing etc, then it does not make sense to use a 64 bit system. Cause i found it difficult to get 64 bit stable binaries for most of the programs that i used to use. But if you are using it for heavy processing, development, then 64 bit might help. After shifting to a 64 bit machine, i found out that my system load has gone down a bit and that performance has improved a little (not a huge difference). There is ofcourse a geeky index linked with the use of a 64 bit system.

But 64 bit systems, as of today are meant for servers and not for desktops.

a 64 bit machine can perform large calculations in hardware faster by using 64 bit integers instead of emulating 64 bit operations using a bunch of 32 bit integers. So, you might find heavy games running better on 64 bit platform as compared to a 32 bit platform. But 64 bit platform requires more cache space for the same program on a 32 bit platform due to the bloated pointers and argument padding used in 64 bit systems. You might also come across some 64 bit programs which are slower than 32 bit programs. My personal thought on this is that those programs are not yet optimized to run on 64 bit platforms.

Lets list the pros and cons of using a 64 bit platform as compared to a 32 bit platform.

1. 64 bit platform has large address space as compared to a 32 bit platform.
2. Big calculations at hardware level at hardware level are faster in 64 bit platform as compared to 32 bit platform
3. The same program occupies more memory due to bloated pointers and argument paddings.
4. Binaries compiled on 64 bit platforms are larger as compared to binaries on 32 bit platform.
5. Most commercial softwares are built for 32 bit platform. So finding pre compiled softwares for 64 bit platform might be difficult.

There are cases when you would want to run a 32 bit binary on 64 bit platform - for which 32 bit emulators are available.

You can have a look at some benchmarks for UltraSPARC platform using Solaris 9 here:
http://www.osnews.com/story/5768/Are_64-bit_Binaries_Really_Slower_than_32-bit_Binaries_/page1/

How icici donated my gift and rewarded my loyalty

Imagine having an identity crisis. Imagine telling people to address you by your full name (first and last name atleast) and not by your last name only. Imagine a bank like icici addressing a letter to a "Mr. Kumar" instead of "Mr. Jayant Kumar". And imagine gathering reward points for 2 years and then the icici guys misdeliver the gift to some one else. That's what happened with me.

I will not be brief. I will elaborate each detail. I will let you know how i overlooked small issues from icici and how they finally made me believe that they cannot be trusted. Here is what happened.

Firstly a few months ago, i had asked for "Big baazar vouchers" in return of the reward points that i had. Well, after 15 days, when nothing happened, i mailed them and then i came to know that "Big baazar vouchers" was not in their stock now and so i would not be able to have them. My points were credited back (Thank god, they did not keep it). Then last month, i again saw the option of redeeming the reward points as "Big Baazar gift vouchers" and opted for it. I ordered gift vouchers worth 1600 points. I suppose it might amount to around 1000/- INR.

Again, when i did not get any response in 10 days time, i had the notion that again "Big Baazar Vouchers" might be out of stock and so i again mailed them. This time their response was like - the voucher has been dispatched on 31st march and received in my office on 2st april. And today was 12th. I got the office address confirmed from the icici guys and asked for the airway bill no. I was given the blue dart airway bill no and i contacted them. The delivery boy came over next day and handed me the receiving of the package. There was only 1 stamp of my office on the receiving and the name in front of it was "Mr. Kumar".

I was like "WTF!!!". How could my name be "Mr. kumar". There are so many "Mr. Kumars'" - similar to so many "Mr. Patels'", Mr. Shahs'", "Mr. Agarwals'", "Mr. Jains'".... How could you address a person by his last name only. Well, i contacted both Blue dart and icici to get clarification on my identity change. Then i got a call from the icici bank call center in chennai and some "Mr C.V.N.Bhoopal" called me up and told me that.
1. the packet was delivered to me at my office with stamp.
2. The name on the packet was "Mr. Kumar" which is a part of my name. I had a heated discussion with him on this, but this person was extremely rude and adamant. I would also say that he might be having a very low IQ. Since he was unable to understand the fact that unlike telephone numbers - names are not unique. And by taking away the first name, he could be addressing someone else than the person he wished to address. (I still remember, I had two "ankit shah"'s in my school and the only way to differentiate them was using their roll numbers or physical appreances).
3. And if i have not yet got the package, i should get in touch with the mailing room in my office.
And then i told him that they changed the name on the package to "Mr. Kumar" and i am not "Mr. Kumar". I am "Mr. jayant kumar". At this point, he bought the blue dart office into conference and asked the lady smita, i believe to read the name. When she told the name was "Mr. Kumar", he again told that it might be due to space constraints, and before i could confirm the same from the lady, he disconnected the lady. And then this highly trained "Mr C.V.N.Bhoopal" started forcing me to listen to him. He would not listen to any reason or logic. All he would say is that "We delivered the package to your office with stamp. Now it is your duty to collect it." He would not listen to the fact that the package was not addressed to me. Maybe that is how icici trains their call center guys - so that they "do not" listen to logic and reason and are always "in your service".

That was the point when i went through all the links on different sites which would tell me how to take care of this situation. And after lots of reading i realized that.
1. ICICI wont listen to you. "Hum hai na..." means they would always be there - troubling you and reminding you that they are here. For them the client is nothing - cause they have so many - they dont care if a few go else where.
2. I came across cases where they have blocked bank accounts for some discrepency in credit card bills which was still to be resolved.
3. And cases where even after full payment of credit card, they entered the person's name as a defaulter - so that he could not avail further credit from any bank.
4. And ofcourse cases where rogues are sent to the peoples who have not paid "wrong" credit card bills.
Just do a google on "icici credit card complaints" and you would see lots of such issues.
I dont know which "code of ethics" do these icici guys follow. I believe there is one "Make money - dont give a damn for humanity" - the same that most thieves follow.

I again contacted the blue dart person and asked if they have changed my name on the package for space constraints. And they told me that they are not allowed to do that. And then it struck me - why would delivery guys tamper with the name on the package. What would they get out of it? - nothing
And i got a mail from blue dart regarding this.
==================================

Dear Sir,

Thank you for writing to us.

The clarification on the name part has to be sought between "icici bank"
and "you".Bluedart has no role in making name changes/amendments.Please
speak with icici bank and clarify.

In case of any assistance feel free to write back to us.

With Regards
Sonal Srivastava
Sr. Executive - Customer Service
Blue Dart Express Ltd
centralized customer Service# 011-66111234


________________________________

From: Jayant Kumar [mailto:jayant7k@gmail.com]
Sent: Saturday, April 19, 2008 1:02 PM
- Hide quoted text -
To: SONAL S /CS /DEL NRO/SR.EX
Subject: Re: non receipt of package


Hi Sonal,

the icici guys called me this morning and we had a telecon with the blue
dart personnel from where the package was sent(i think chennai).
The blue dart girl - i think smita said that they had changed the name
due to space constraints.

Please clarify the same. Icici bank refuses to accept that they have
changed my name from "jayant Kumar" to "Mr. Kumar"

Regards
Jayant
http://jayant7k.blogspot.com
===================================

And then "Mr. C.V.N.Bhoopal" forwarded me the "terms and conditions" document which stated that "They are not responsible for packages lost within office premices". Even if the package was wrongly addressed (i added that).

The moral of the story is that

1. Dont trust banks. No matter how long and loyal have you been to them. They wont wait for a second in breaking your trust.
2. Never take loans and credit cards from the bank in which you have your savings account. So that in case of any confusion with credit bills and dues, your savings account is safe.
3. Dont expect anything from the government. The rbi does lay down some rules and regulations and also ensures that it is followed, but once you get entangled in them, it is a very long process. Avoid getting entangled unless you are in a bad situation.

I had 4 threads of mails to icici - 2 from my email account (a general thread and a level 3 complaint thread) and another 2 from icici's email account. And here is both of them. You would see that they try their best "Not" to admit their mistake and repeat themselves - sticking to their "terms and conditions". I have cleaned up all the junk that they send below their mails.

And the best part was, i got a call from icici regarding "Why i want to cancel my credit card?". When i told them that i was unsatisfied by their service, the call center guy asks me "What happened sir? Can i be of any assistance?"(quite sympathetically).

===========================================================================================
Thread 1 : from gmail.com (level 3 complaint thread) - no reply received after 5 days also
===========================================================================================

Dear Ms. Yalala,

The gift has been delivered to my office, as i had written in my earlier mail also. But it was not addressed to me. It was addressed to "Mr Kumar" instead of "Mr Jayant Kumar" and was delivered to someone else in one of my 6 offices in noida.

How can a reputable bank like icici make a mistake in the name of a person? How can you put partial name on the letter and expect it to be delivered to the right person?

And after that i was shocked by the rude and adamant behaviour of the call center executive who called me. Instead of listening and solving the problem he was just trying to force himself on me.

Hence i have asked for the closure of my credit card which has been accepted via service request no sr63613321. I am supposed to get a confirmation on the cancellation by 29th April 08.

Regards
Jayant
- Hide quoted text -


On Tue, Apr 22, 2008 at 5:42 PM, Ernstandyoung wrote:

Dear Mr. Kumar,

We understand your concern.

We have forwarded request to the department to check the status where the gift has been delivered.

We will write to you with the status within 5 working days.

We request you to co-operate with us to resolve the issue.


Sincerely,

Pallavi Yalala
Customer Service Manager
ICICI Bank Limited


-----Original Message-----
From: customercomplaints@icicibank.com (customercomplaints@icicibank.com)
Date: Saturday, April 19, 2008 02:58 PM
To: headservicequality@icicibank.com (headservicequality@icicibank.com)
Subject: level3complaint/ Credit Card


Name: Jayant Kumar
Product: Credit Card
Account No: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Application No:
E-mail address: jayant7k@gmail.com
Mobile no: 98XXXXXXXX
Telephone no: +91--
Service Request(SR) No: SR28942580
Details of complaint: I had asked for big baazar gift vouchers (item code SR0301) in return of my 1600 points. On 12th, after about 10-12 days of putting the request, when i did not receive the vouchers, i raised a query regarding the same. After this, i was given the Blue Dart AirWay bill no 390XXXXXXXX and told that the voucher was received by my office on 2nd april 08.
When i contacted blue dart with this airway bill no, they gave me a receiving in which the package was sent to someone named "Mr Kumar". I confronted the blue dart guys regarding the change in name from "Jayant Kumar" to "Mr Kumar" and they told me that they have not changed the name. In fact they could not change the name on the package.

So, i wrote a mail to the bank regarding the wrong name on the package from the bank's side. And Mr C.V. N.Bhoopal from chennai called me. First of all he was adamant that the blue dart guys have changed the name on the package and then was totally uncooperative and rude.

My question is why would the blue dart guys change the name on the package. And it is difficult to track the package if it has been delivered to the wrong "Mr Kumar". There are 1500 person in noida spread among 6 offices. Out of which there are 35 "Mr Kumar".

Do you expect me to call all of them and ask for a letter which was addressed to them?

I hope to get a solution regarding this from you.

Regards
Jayant
--
http://jayant7k.blogspot.com

========================================================
Thread 2: from icici's email account (Mr. C.V.N.Bhoopal)
========================================================

Dear Mr. Kumar,

We had initiated a service request number SR63772671 for cancelation of your credit card account.

We request to wait for 7 days to know the status.

Sincerely,

C.V. N.Bhoopal,
Customer Service Manager,
ICICI Bank Limited.

-----Original Message-----
Date: Monday, April 21, 2008 08:39 PM
To: infinity_am@icicibank.com (infinity_am@icicibank.com)
Subject: RE: Credit Card

I know that the name in your records is "jayant jagatbandhu kumar". But the package was not addressed to me. It was addressed to "Mr Kumar". I have confirmed this from my office's mailing room. It has been delivered to some "Mr Kumar" in another office. And the person might have used the vouchers by now.

Such type of irresponsible is not acceptable from icici bank.

And Mr. Bhoopal, that is not the way you talk to me or any other customer.

Please cancel my credit card. I do not wish to continue using your credit cards.

Another unsatisfied customer
Jayant Kumar

-----Reply Separator-------Dear Customer,

We wish to conform that, your name in our records is JAYANT JAGAT BANDHU KUMAR. We request you reconfirm your decision of cancelation of the card.

Sincerely,

C.V. N.Bhoopal,
Customer Service Manager,
ICICI Bank Limited.

-----Original Message-----
Date: Sunday, April 20, 2008 11:26 AM
To: infinity_am@icicibank.com (infinity_am@icicibank.com)
Subject: RE: Credit Card

My name is not Mr Kumar. My name is Mr. Jayant Kumar. How can you change my name/identity like this.

Regards
Jayant

-----Reply Separator-------Dear Mr. Kumar,

We clarify that Big Bazaar Vouchers item code SR0301 dispatched through Blue Dart courier Airway Bill Number:390XXXXXXXX on 31st march, 2008, has been collected on 2nd April 2008 at your office address

For faster resolution of your query, we tried to reach you on mobile 98XXXXXXXX, however you were not contactable.
Sincerely,

P, Gopala Krishna
Account Manager
ICICI Bank Limited

-----Original Message-----
Date: Saturday, April 12, 2008 11:40 AM
To: infinity_am@icicibank.com (infinity_am@icicibank.com)
Subject: Credit Card

Hi,

I have put a request to get "Big Baazaar vouchers" for credit card points of 1600/-. The request has been put for almost 2 weeks. Yet, i have not received any vouchers till date.

Please let me know, by when would i be getting the vouchers.

Regards
Jayant

=====================================================
Thread 3: from icici email account
=====================================================

Dear Mr.Kumar,
We acknowledge receipt of your e-mail regarding your credit card account.
Please accept my sincere apologies.

We understand your concerns about the issue and regret the inconvenience caused.

We initiated Service Request sr63613321 for cancellation of your credit card.

You will get the status on April 29, 2008.

Looking forward your cooperation to serve the best service always.


Sincerely,

Veera Hanuman
Accounts Manager
ICICI Bank Limited

-----Original Message-----
Date: Sunday, April 20, 2008 09:13 PM
To: infinity_am@icicibank.com (infinity_am@icicibank.com)
Subject: RE: Credit Card

Hi,

I am not accepting your apology cause you have not yet understood my problem.

I know that my name in your records is "Jayant Jagat Bandhu Kumar".

But the package was delivered to "Mr Kumar" instead of me.

I am highly unsatisfied with your service and un-understanding behaviour.

I would not be picking up your calls because your call center executives are rude, adamant and abusive.

So, i do not wish to continue using your credit cards. Please close/cancel my credit card no XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX.

Another unsatisfied customer.
Jayant

-----Reply Separator-------Dear customer,

We apologize for the inconvenience caused to you.

We confirm that your name in our records is JAYANT JAGAT BANDHU KUMAR and we inform you that the gift item redeemed was delivered at your office security desk.

We request you to contact your security desk for further assistance.

We wanted to speak with you on your mobile number 98XXXXXXXX to give you this information.

Sincerely,

Abhilash reddy
Account Manager
ICICI Bank Limited

-----Original Message-----
Subject: Credit Card

Hi,

I am highly unsatisfied by your call center personnel and their way of talking. They are rude and uncooperative.

First of all you change my name from "jayant kumar" to "kumar" so that my package is misdelivered. And then you deny taking any responsibility for it.

The Blue dart guys say that they have not changed the name. I have their receiving copy and i could see long names like "Dharampal Satyapal" on it. I think "jayant kumar" is shorter than that. And i dont think that a big company like blue dart would change the name/identity of the person just like that.

We have 1500 employees spread over 6 offices in noida. If the name has been changed, it could be with any "Mr Kumar" in any of the 6 offices in noida. It would be very difficult to track it.

I have not received the gift vouchers worth 1600/- points yet. Please deliver it to me or credit my 1600/- points back.

If you have not changed my name from "jayant kumar" to "kumar", can you give me some visual proof like photocopy of the package for it.

Regards
Jayant

===============================================================
Thread 4 : from gmail.com (in response to terms and conditions)
===============================================================

Dear Mr. Kumar,

For quicker resolution of your query, please write to us through the "Email us" option at www.icicibank.com

We have taken a request for cancellation of credit card.Your request number is sr63613321.

The status of this request will be intimated to you by April 29,2008.

Sincerely,

Aashish Konkaney
Customer Service Manager
ICICI Bank Limited

-----Original Message-----
From: Jayant Kumar (jayant7k@gmail.com)
- Hide quoted text -
Date: Monday, April 21, 2008 10:12 AM
To: ICICI Bank Customer Care (customer.care@icicibank.com)
Subject: Re: Terms and Conditations
- Hide quoted text -

Dear Mr. Aashish Konkaney

Please cancel my credit card.

Once you have trained your staff for appropriate behavior, you can get in touch with me for issuing a new credit card.

Please cancel my credit card at once.

-Jayant Kumar

On Mon, Apr 21, 2008 at 9:55 AM, ICICI Bank Customer Care wrote:

Dear Mr. Kumar,

For quicker resolution of your query, please write to us through the "Email us" option at www.icicibank.com

We focus considerable effort on training our staff to ensure high levels of service and we shall further strengthen our initiatives in this direction based on your feedback. We earnestly hope that the negative experience you had will not come in the way of your availing our facility.

We request you to reconsider your decision for card cancellation.

Looking forward for your kind co-operation.
Sincerely,

Aashish Konkaney

Customer Service Manager

ICICI Bank Limited


-----Original Message-----
From: Jayant Kumar (jayant7k@gmail.com)
Date: Sunday, April 20, 2008 09:29 PM
To: ICICI Bank Customer Care (customer.care@icicibank.com)
Cc: headservicequality@icicibank.com (headservicequality@icicibank.com)
Subject: Re: Terms and Conditations

Mr, Aqeel,

The question is: "Was the package addressed to me?" And the answer is no. The package that you delivered was not addressed to me. It was addressed to some "Mr. Kumar" and NOT to "Mr Jayant Jagat Bandhu Kumar".

Yes, you have delivered the package to my office security desk with stamp. But the package was not addressed to me, so i have not received it.

I do not wish to continue this conversation further. I know you would not accept your mistake.

Please cancel my credit card. I do not wish to continue using your credit cards.

Another unsatisfied customer
Jayant Kumar

On Sun, Apr 20, 2008 at 6:16 PM, ICICI Bank Customer Care wrote:


Dear Mr. Kumar,

We inform you that the gift item redeemed was delivered at your office security desk.

We request you to contact your security desk for further assistance.

We wanted to speak with you on your mobile number 98XXXXXXXX to give you this information.

For any further clarification, please contact us using the "Email Us" option on our website, www.icicibank.com.

Sincerely,

S M Aqueel
Customer Service Manager
ICICI Bank Limited


-----Original Message-----
From: Jayant Kumar (jayant7k@gmail.com)
Date: Sunday, April 20, 2008 11:26 AM
To: ICICI Bank Customer Care (customer.care@icicibank.com)
Subject: Re: Terms and Conditations

As for the "terms and conditions"

1. I waited for 10 days for the product to be delivered. I contacted you first on 14th.
2. Yes you could guarantee delivery upto the inward delivery desk only - but the package should have the right name on top of it.
3. I am not cancelling the order, my order still has not been delivered.
4. Please give me the proof that you have delivered the package. I think that it has not been 45 days since my request of the gift.
5. I have not received the package so i am not sure if the contents are damaged or not.

Regards
Jayant

On Sat, Apr 19, 2008 at 12:39 PM, ICICI Bank Customer Care wrote:


Dear Customer,

We request you check the attachment for terms and condition.

Regards,
C.V.N.Bhoopal
Customer Service Officer
ICICI Bank Limited

--
http://jayant7k.blogspot.com

What do you want to become in life?

I just read this "beautiful" article in times of india -> "Beautiful world of the backbenchers" which describes the mindset of all indian parent. Almost wants their son to become a doctor or an engineer and earn big bucks. The daughters are supposed to just study for the sake of education - so that they can get better grooms. It never crosses the mind of either the parent or the children that they have to do what they like in life.

The article from TOI - dt 13/4/08. Page 10:

Beautiful World of the Backbenchers

A far greater injustice than reservation is the derogatory mindset of Indians that overrates maths, physics and chemistry. Below the merit list, life is actually wonderful, writes Manu Joseph

The most foolish description of youth is that it is rebellious. The young do wear Tshirts that say Rebel or Che or Bitch. But the truth is that the youth, especially in this country, is a fellowship of cowards. It lives in fear. Fear of life, fear of an illusory future. The perpetual trauma of the forward castes is inextricably woven into this fear. And what Arjun Singh’s successful reservation campaign has denied them is the right to a secured but ordinary life, a life that comes with scoring 98 percent in the board exams, a life that goes like this: Engineer-MBA-anonymous. You can argue that this route is better than sociology-salesmananonymous. But that will be to focus unduly on the ordinary among the cowards. The real tragedy concerns the extraordinary cowards.
Great writers, painters, musicians and athletes who are lost forever to what are moronically called, ‘the professional courses’. Instead of pursuing their talents they are, right now, in dark gloomy tutorials preparing for entrance exams, fatally infected by objective type questions. The angle between tangents drawn from the point (1,4) to the parabola y^2=4x is?
The angst of the types who score over 95 percent also fills me, and several lakhs like me, with wicked joy. I was the 75 percent type. It was not pleasurable to be so in Madras of the eighties. I grew up in Kodambakkam where Telugu film directors, who wore white shoes, kept their beautiful mistresses; and Anglo Indian girls in skirts, who did not have hair on their legs, and all of whom I now remember only as Maria, walked to Fatima Church. But a large part of my formative years were spent in a Brahmin housing society called Rajaram Colony where fathers were all clerks and mothers were housewives. Rare working women had the same aura as divorcees. I was special because I was a Christian, and the transitory relatives of my neighbours, when they learnt my religion, would speak to me in English.
Many of my friends were periodically thrashed with belts by their fathers when the miasmic green report cards came home. Once, I heard the cries of a boy who had scored just ninety percent in a maths monthly test. Another form of punishment was heating a stainless steel serving spoon and inflicting minor burns. It was called, ‘soodu’. My parents never hit me for my marks though my report cards were inspiring. My mother beat me up occasionally for political reasons – every time her mother-in-law came visiting. Apparently, according to a rustic Malayalee way of life, thrashing the kids was a hint to the in-law that it was time to leave.
Those days, the legends of Rajaram Colony were our seniors who had entered the IITs, or as a consequence, had gone to America to study further. Their names were taken with reverence. When they visited home, they left a trail of whispers. And when they deigned to play cricket with us, we observed closely how they bowled and how they batted. Because they knew everything. It was already decided in every household, except mine, that the boys will go to IIT, a certainty just like their sisters will do BSc Nutrition. And so my friends began their furtive preparation when they were not yet thirteen. They began to score higher and higher at school. And they began to look at me as an unfortunate freak, not only because they thought they were brighter but also because I said I wanted to become a journalist. They scored better than me in English too. (Once in an English test, when asked the opposite gender of ram, almost every one in my class, astonishingly, knew the answer was ewe. I wrote, ‘Sita’). I did always claim a higher creative status and often entertained the backbenchers, who were chiefly sons of illiterate parents, by calling my Brahmins friends, “curd-rice muggers”.
In the school I had slowly gained a reputation as a poet and some sort of a stand-up comedian. But as I approached the 12th standard, I was not the hero anymore of the juniors. That honour drifted to a brilliant boy, the first ranker who once used to play the tabla and did not touch the instrument anymore because he was preparing for IIT’s Joint Entrance Exam. (A few years later, I would meet him on the campus of IIT Chennai. He would tell me that he will not go to America. “Because, you see, with transcendental meditation, you can sit here in Madras and visit any country in the world”. He was serious. Now, he is a banker in San Francisco).
Meanwhile, in the Rajaram Colony, I observed that older Brahmin boys who had, somehow, fared poorly in the 12th standard and had to suffer the humiliation of pursuing BSc walked in the perpetual
mist of guilt and embarrassment. They took to smoking and drinking, and ‘sighting’ – the disreputable art of looking at girls. They stared at a future in Eureka Forbes.
I eventually moved out of the Colony to another such fiendish place but kept in touch with my childhood friends. The distance between us, however, grew. They did not really want to see me. I was a distraction in their preparation “for life”. There was nothing they could talk to me about, nothing they could share, like their latest JEE sample test scores or the traits of the teachers at Brilliant Tutorials. On my part, I began to find them unhappy and bleak. Once, they were fresh and eager. Like me, they wanted to play cricket for India. Some were interested in music, some even attempted novels. Now, they were zombies in the trance of a whole material world that was just one entrance exam away.
Eventually, almost all of them scored in the high nineties in the 12th standard exams. One made it to the IIT. The others prepared to go to second rung engineering colleges in humid melancholic towns. But they still thought they were more victorious than me because I had got 75%, a misfortune that their parents could not believe would visit someone who had two hands and one head. Worse, I told them that I was going to do a BA in English Literature. At that time, people did not think you were gay because you wanted to do literature. But they still did not understand why a male would do such a thing. They asked me if I was alright, if I could reconsider, if some maternal ornaments could be sold for the good cause of capitation fee.
Some days, I think of those boys from another time. They are mostly bankers in America now and, I imagine, partly responsible for the subprime crisis. They are in the glow of the life that they had so dearly sought. But somehow I feel that their sisters, who eventually pursued what they wanted to, have more interesting lives. Also, occasionally I hear that some IITian or the other is returning to the art that he had originally loved. And is making up for the time he has lost because he could crack the toughest questions in the world but could not answer in time the class teacher’s annual question, “What do you want to become in life?”

- manu.joseph@timesgroup.com

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This article bought back some of the memories of my childhood. I was among the so called above average students who never got below 50% on any subject and never got to the top 10 in the class. When i gave my board exams, by luck, i got a merit rank of around 373 in whole of gujarat/india. Which was too good. I had all my options open. I could opt for any branch of engineering or medical. My parents wanted me to become a doctor. I had a dream to be in Army/Navy/Military. But when i got my first computer - i got into this passion for computers. I was always into machines/electronics.

I used to open up the carburator & engine of my "bajaj sunny" to see how it works. I used to open up watches and radios and see what is inside and how it works. And the computer changed my choice. At that time chemical engineering and electronics engineering were the top branches. And of course medical was the top most. The local doctors were always impressed at how i handled injuries to anyone at home. They had suggested for me to become a doctor.

Anyways, i chose to be a computer engineer - to satisfy my inquisitiveness about how the computer works.

And there were my friends - toppers, above average, average and below average students. All went to different lines. Some joined microsoft. Another person - a below average joined google and he might be the highest earning professional now among most i know.

I think it actually matters to love what you choose to do and build upon that as a profession. Because its your love and passion to the profession which will take you higher in life and not the choice of others. Everyone cannot be doctor or engineer or MBA.

about love

By Swami Vivekananda

I once had a friend who grew to be very close to me. Once when we were sitting at the edge of a swimming pool, she filled the palm of her hand with some water and held it before me, and said this:

"You see this water carefully contained on my hand?
It symbolizes Love."

This was how I saw it: As long as you keep your hand caringly open and allow it to remain there, it will always be there. However, if you attempt to close your fingers round it and try to posses it, it will spill through the first cracks it finds.

This is the greatest mistake that people do when they meet love...they try to posses it, they demand, they expect... and just like the water spilling out of your hand, love will retrieve from you.

For love is meant to be free, you cannot change its nature. If there are people you love, allow them to be free beings.

Give and don't expect.
Advise, but don't order.
Ask, but never demand.

It might sound simple, but it is a lesson that may take a lifetime to truly practice. It is the secret to true love. To truly practice it, you must sincerely feel no expectations from those who you love, and yet an unconditional caring.