Modernized Sub Register Office, Tamil Nadu - A Boon

This is my recent experience, a week back. I had some registration work in my local sub register office (Aravakuruchi, Karur).I had expectation on how a register office would look, courtesy, Tamil Cinema. An office with few old staffs, lot of files, lot of crowd and of course bribes 

I reached the office around 10.30 AM, early in govt office terms. Very little crowd. Directly went to Document Writer office. Arrangements were made few days before while I was in Bangalore to avoid any delay. So my document was ready. Document charges were higher which includes document purchase charge, writing charge, DD to be paid in register office plus thing-that-should-not-be-named. This is the explanation given by the writer. DD will be 1% of the total property value. If the value is less 1000, it should be cash payment, else DD. This is the first thing that I dint expect. I mean the DD part I never heard of.

Our doc was the first to be taken to the registrar’s notice. Token no 1. She immediately asked for Encumbrance Certificate (EC) which is widely known as Villangam. This will give an idea about the past owners of the property, whether the guy you are dealing with is a proper owner and stuff. It can be obtained for any number of years. But govt mandated to submit it for last one year. If the numbers of years increase, the rate will increase. This is again a good move to avoid fraudulence. 

Only after we submitted that, the officer progressed with our documents. Next both the buyer and seller were asked to sit in front of the camera, photo and finger prints taken digitally. This is the advancement I am really surprised of. It will be a good solid proof for the transaction as it is available in the govt repository. Then buyer, seller and the witnesses were asked to sign and group photo taken. A separate 130 was paid as fee, which I don’t know for what. Then a receipt was given and I was asked to collect the document after a week. I was told the document will be completely scanned and uploaded in their data base. As there will be large number of documents pending, it will take time.

I am happy about the developments in government offices in terms of technology use. Hope this extends to other offices as well (I am not sure if this has already ). This will serve as a good documentation and proof in terms of conflicts.

Rummy – Movie - An Experience

I watched the movie on the weekend it got released. Two reasons:

             I like Vijay Sethupathi’s acting and his script selection will be good (my assumption)

          It was said that Inigo is the hero and Sethupathi was impressed with the script and immediately signed for it.

I was disappointed to an extent. Movie is set in the late 80’s. Usual love story in village back drop, caste and prestige chases the pair. What happens is the climax.

Regarding the performance, everyone has done a good job. Vijay has largely underplayed, which is required for the character. He is your second hero in typical Tamil cinema. I did not understand what impressed him. His role is nothing new. Maybe he was surprised with the climax which was new but not that unpredictable. 

Seeing an 80’s movie you would expect that to be in lines with Subramaniyapuram. That is a template for everyone on how to make such movies. This is no where related to the feel and look of that movie. But I am sure the director did not let the audience down. He used whatever he got and went on with the script. For example, all male characters will come only in stitched pant shirts. Very less girls in class. Ambassador car. Maybe the story did not require such complications.

Vijay’s last few scenes more or less resemble Kaadhal movie. There was no separate comedy track which is a welcome, limited songs were few positives. Certain scenes were abruptly cut and moved to next one. This is a good move and the audiences have to understand what would have happened. This way the director avoided lot of predictable scenes. For example his meeting with Syed in Madurai bus stand and when you think he is a traitor, rolling him out of the car were notable ones.

Verdict: Overall its an average movie with no gripping scenes in it. It will not be boring either.

Handling Personal Loan - Its not tough if you choose wise

I have no idea about others but for salaried people, getting a personal loan is the easiest thing that could happen to them. Such easy is the procedure. You will have several private banks competing with each other in giving you the loan. There are various factors to consider before going for it.

Purpose of the loan?

Yes. This is the foremost factor that you should consider before taking a personal loan. If that is for an emergency situation like marriage, then it is unavoidable.

For medical expenses, it will be good to have an insurance instead of falling into personal loan. A few thousand you spend in a year might save you lacs of rupees.

If you are planning an investment, here is where you need to decide if a loan is really required. That depends on how much you are set to make using the loan amount. The return on investment should be more than the interest you pay.

Interest and Fee/Charges

Most banks give it for 15.5% interest but for certain corporate employees they give it for 14%. If you are taking 2 Lac loan for a period of 5 years, you will end up paying 2.85 and 2.8 lac respectively for the above interest rates. A 5 thousand difference in a period of 5 years is not a big deal.

Coming to the processing fee, for the above said 2 lac, you will be losing 7000 as fee which means you will get only 1.93 lac at hand. This will be told to you only when the loan amount is deposited into your account.

If you confident enough to close the loan before the loan tenure and you are expecting a lump sum in future, go for the banks that does not charge for pre-closure. This will save you the interest.

Alternates to personal loan

Personal loan always should be your last option in money needs as you have various options available.

Medical Insurance
Home Loan
Land Purchace Loan
Auto Loan

If you are not able to get one, for example, if your land is in remote rural area, the chances of getting a land loan in bleak. In such cases, personal loan is the only option. Invest in the land that will be of more value in the future so that you will actually profit out of it.

Verdict: Good or bad depends on your choice. Choose wiser to benefit out of it. Just that loan is given easily, people tend to waste it and keep paying EMI for no good reason!!

Amma Water – Good Initiative but..

What it is?

This is bottled water supplied by the state government in Tamil Nadu for reduced price (Rs. 10/litre).  The supply was started by the Chief Minister J.Jayalalitha fondly called as Amma in the state and hence the name Amma water.

Why it was launched?

It was launched as a welfare schema for the people, to provide them quality water at reduced price. Some say that it is done to thrash the business of rival party big shots who hold mineral water factories all over the state.

What is special?

This is first of its kind by any government in India as far as I know (If someone knew of a similar scheme can let me know so that I can update myself). The rate is half compared to the private water bottles. The quality of water is good and on par with the standards.

Verdict: This scheme is targeted towards travelers, people who go on picnic and tours who are very minimal in numbers. Day by day, the cane water (20 ltr bottle) consumption increases in household. This water is used for drinking and cooking purpose. If the government is able to supply this at a reduced cost, more and more people will be benefited (Currently each cane is priced from 25 to 50 most of which are substandard. Recently there was a ban on several companies that did not have ISI standard which was later revoked due to protests/strikes all over).

By doing this, govt can give good quality water at a reduced price which can reach larger masses. It could be a good trick to approach the forth coming elections as well. 

Also the bottle has to be re named to survive even if the opposition party comes to power!!

RUSH - Movie Review

I came to know about this movie through a FB post of my friend. No idea on what it deals with. That is how you have to go for a movie. If you are yet to see the movie, my advice is to skip the rest of the blog, watch the movie and come back.

It is basically a biography. But nowhere has it given an impression of a boring biography. The director was spot on in selecting the right story and the right time of their career. It is sad that the movie is not nominated for the reason that it is a biography but it could have been selected for the gripping screenplay and the experience of real racing.

I did not know who Niki Lauda was and James Hunt as well. But after seeing this, in Niki’s words, “they are one of the most respected”. Completely contrasting in characters, both Hemsworth and Bruhl has done a great job. Niki’s dialogues are wonderful. Its plain and on the face. 

“I am the fastest driver of you all”. 

“Its terrible. Drives like a pig. It’s a shitbox”. (On the Ferrari car)

While Niki is a pro, Hunt is a racing lover. He is willing to take the risk of life to win the race which was clearly visible in the Japanese grand prix. He is the one who loves and lives in the present. Lively as he says. I did not know who to support in the final race as both of them were heroes to me. That’s where the director scores. In portraying 2 distinct characters as rivals, still making the audience love both of them.

After the Nürburgring incident, the return of Niki was so emotional. Though Hunt feels guilty and responsible for the accident, he refuses to give up on the championship aspiration. As an Indian cinema audience, I expected him to give up as a tribute to Niki’s bravery but I was wrong. He was more determined than ever to win the race.

Overall it was a great movie. Though only these 2 characters dominate the entire movie, one would not feel bored as they are interesting throughout. 

Must watch. Now I know who Niki Lauda is. Who James Hunt was and the history of 1970’s racing. That gave me more satisfaction as a history lover!!