Head Light - Keep Your Head Down!

Every night, when I start my bike from office towards home, there are about 15-20 people who would’ve got my curses. Especially the ones who drive 4 wheels. They are cursed because they think they’re driving in a highway and unleashes their high beam on the road. These high beams affects almost all of the bikers coming in the opposite direction with their helmet vipers down. The effect is too high when you go near the source, it causes a momentary blindness on the road and you know what will happen when that happens. I understand why high beams are used on the highway – you are driving at high speed (like it or not) and there’s no lights other than your own vehicle’s. But, when you are driving in the city, especially in a city which is one of the metropolitan in India where there’s hardly a street without lights – why do you need to turn your high beam on? Are you blind? Or, you just show the world your car’s high beam power?

The effect’s extremely high when you drive in a road where there’s no divider. It’s worse when the person who’s got the high beam starts to turn towards his right – either to overtake someone or to take a right turn. I have even noticed the speed that I have to reduce during this effect and before I hit someone without knowing of this madness. Normally, I drive at a max of 60 kms/h and I’ve to drive at the speed of 20 km/h (driving on the 2nd/3rd gear) to pass through safely. What’s more annoying is when you signal the idiot who has a high beam (by either switching off your light and switching it on or enable your high beam for a second and off) to put it down, he probably has no idea why I’m doing that! Those are the people who gets curses (like கேனா பூனா / மூனா கூனா!). Bikers are also not the one who’s saint in this. They do that too. There are times when I got too much frustrated with these guys that I started to switch on my high beam at them when I see one and switch it off when they pass – just to give them a taste of their own medicine. The effect, with the Honda Shine that I have, wasn’t that good though!

When you drive in a city where you have absolutely no street lights and no one is coming opposite to you, then that’s when you use them. If you are reading this and you drive with a high beam, please put them down from now on. Drive with a sense and drive with a smile! Remember:

The driver of a motor vehicle shall at all times when the lights of the motor vehicles are in use so manipulate them that danger or undue inconveniences is not caused to a person by dazzle.Dazzling light- restriction of : (Tamil Nadu Motor Vehicle Rules 1989)- Section 405.

More on the rules here.

Image & Links Courtesy: Google.

Kettal Kedaikkum!

Despite all the advice from my friends – I decided to join NIIT to take a career jump once again. As expected, it was a tragedy and I ended up paying 25K (as a first installment) and they never scheduled a class for me. I still remember the date on which I paid the amount - 3rd of April 2012. The course was supposed to be 3 months (or even less) and until 15th of May, I did not receive a single call from NIIT about the class schedule. When I enquired about the course (MCITP), during my admission, the sales head told me that the classes are starting the next day (4th of April). And up until 15th May, the class was never scheduled. I believe I was the only person who chose the MCITP course and no one else!

                So, after paying the money, it's my responsibility to ask for a class and almost every day from the day I paid the money, I called NIIT and every time I received the same response – the classes will be starting from this weekend sir. The weekend never came for them! Soon, I got a job on the same profile that I was working earlier and decided to give up the course. Now started the real pain. I walked into the NIIT office and told them that you guys are never going to schedule a class for me – I'd like to quit. They tried to trick me once, but since I was strong, they decided it'd be better if we leave this guy or something like that!

                On the first day, when I said that I'm requesting a refund from them, they said “Refunds are processed at the end of every month sir – your refund will be given by the first week of June”. From that time on, I'd been struggling to get the money back from them. Every time when I call for the refund, they said that the refund is being processed and requested to give a week's time. June 5th, a Tuesday, when I walked in to enquire about my refund, they requested me to write a letter to the NIIT Center head so that the refund may be initiated (I was puzzled as why this was not told to me when I said I want my money back!). So after that they said that it'd take a week's time to process and give my money back.

                Weeks came and went and I never received a call from NIIT. Until 4th of July, I was very patient and was frustrated when they said that your refund was not processed by this month and will be processed only by July month end. That's when I decided to reach out to a society that's been nothing but helpful in Facebook – “Kettal Kedaikkum”. When I posted my situation in Facebook Kettal Kedaikkum, I received a response from the founder, Mr. Sureka Sundar that he'll help solve the problem for me. Following that week, I walked into the NIIT Adyar  and called Sureka Sundar and asked him to talk to the Sales head and the Center head.

                I could observe the change in the faces of the center and sales head's as they were talking to Sureka. Until that moment, the promise from NIIT was that they'd not be able to give the full amount that I paid (an amount of Rs. 6000 to 8000 will be deducted for the Book charges) and that only the reduced money will be given. After they talked to Sureka, they told me that full amount will be settled to me. The whole refund processing took them less than two weeks and I received the full amount that I paid in cheque. When Sureka talked to them on what will happen when they failed to refund me in Legal Terms, I could see that they were terrified.

                What Sureka told them was the rights I have over the NIIT failing to provide a refund. That, if I buy a product and never use it, I have the rights to get a refund (full amount) upon return. Even I didn't know these until then. I'm sure the NIIT guys over there may be well aware of that! For a 3 month duration course, no class was scheduled for over a month and they still said that the full money will not be refunded. After Sureka's interference – I 'asked' and I 'got it'.

                I'm writing this article to create a basic awareness. When you keep quiet, people step on you and go forward. When you ask, you'll get it. This is the motto of the Facebook group “Kettal Kedaikkum” (You'll get it when you ask). It is your rights that you are demanding and not someone else. I'd have certainly got the money from NIIT had I not been to Kettal Kedaikkum – the difference here is the time and quality. I may have received the money only by the end of August or even September – also, not the one which I paid in full – only  the deducted money. Don't give away your rights – fight for it. “Kettal Kedaikkum” is a group that helps you fight.