02-2021 : A nightmare in broad daylight — AXIS BANK ATM

It happened in broad daylight at about 0930, on Sunday, 25 April 2021, at the ATM of AXIS BANK on Old Airport Road, Bowenpally (ATM #APCN69811) .



As I was busy withdrawing cash, a middle-aged man enters the ATM from behind me, in spite of a clear sticker on the gate that only one person is allowed to enter at a time. His intentions became clear from what followed. When I started objecting and asked him to stay outside, he created a loud and aggressive ruckus, obviously to confuse me and divert my attention. Suddenly, he pounced on me and tried to snatch the money which had just popped out of the ATM. By instinct , I resisted and prevented him from grabbing my money. Frustrated by not being able to get what he wanted, he punched hard on my nose 3-4 times. This resulted in a fracture in the nasal bridge bone and very serious injury to my eye. Seeing the blood and also seeing that people had gathered outside, he quietly slipped out and fled the scene.

AXIS BANK ATMOf course, I called up the police and lodged a formal complaint along with what is called a MLC (Medico-legal Certificate) from a reputed hospital nearby. Now the football match between the police and others will start. The Police has other things to do.

The bank — AXIS Bank, obviously could’nt care less. The Bank is busy dilly dallying and inventing lame excuses and diplomatically-worded hollow promises.

If AXIS BANK is serious about customer safety, all that they have to do is implement some simple security measures. Here are a few suggestions to make roadside ATMs safer for users like me:

  1. Introduce a mechanism by which the ATM cabin can be bolted from inside. It should be possible to open it only from inside, or by authorised personnel, from outside (using a special tool).
    Such latches are common in the toilets of all trains and planes.
  2. Provide a PANIC /SOS button plus a hooter inside the ATM cabin. The hooter/siren itself may also be placed outside the ATM cabin. Often, mobile phones may not be of help, since the culprit can easily snatch it while you are trying to dial for help.
    Such “alarm chains” are provided in all passenger wagons in all trains.
  3. A hotline from the SOS/PANIC button to the nearest branch of the bank, or to the nearest police station, will help locate the distressed ATM easily and rush rescue teams to the ATM.
  4. Install appropriate sensors to detect the entry of more than one person into the ATM cabin and activate the panic hooter/siren.
  5. Provide CCTV cameras which monitor the street outside.
  6. Display prominently an emergency 24×7 phone number. And ensure that help arrives urgently. The 12 digit numbers being used now is of no value in an emergency. Use a number of not more than 3 digits like 100, 108
    The above emergency SOS/PANIC number should be displayed prominently in the ATM cabin, as well as on the ATM monitor screen, and should be visible from outside the ATM cabin.
  7. Introduce sentries/guards and patrolling squads at all ATMs
  8. Introduce a more closer and meaningful relationship and arrangements with the local police and law enforcing agents.
  9. Regularly audit safety/security of all ATMs. Publish all security breaches and incidents and the remedial actions taken.
  10. Introduce pronto all other security arrangements not listed above.
  11. Adequately compensate the victims for any loss or bodily injury or death
  12. Provide insurance cover to ALL its customers for incidents like this.

I expect AXIS BANK (and all other banks) to announce the steps they have taken to improve safety and security for their customers. The bank is morally responsible to ensure the safety and security of all its customers within its premises (including all ATM cabins) .

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PS: Please forward this message to your bank and to all your friends. Take care and stay safe. You can also send your suggestions and comments to drpartha@gmail.com

Your safety is in your hands.

01-2021 My new fall-back mail ID = A larger footprint on the Internet

June 2021

I have created a new fallback mail ID:
new email ID
profpartha@drpartha.org.in **This is in addition to my regular/main ID which is very popular as always : drpartha@gmail.com.**

“Hope for the best, but be prepared for the worst”, they taught us in school. I suddenly remembered this wise advise when scanning my daily emails on gmail. I wanted to be ready to face the nightmare of being cut off from my emails (at gmail). I thought about the highly unlikely event that gmail becomes defunct or extinct. Or when gmail becomes inaccessible to me (password gets hacked, or gets corrupt or is forgotten). I wanted a fall-back option and wanted to make it easy for all my correspondents to bumplessly accept the change. I have now created a fall-back email-ID for myself :

profpartha@drpartha.org.in

To make the transition from my regular/main ID to the fallbackID (only if you wish) as bumpless as possible, I have taken several steps. I do not intend closing my regular/main mail ID in the near future (at least a few years more). Although an alternative fallback ID exists, I advise people to use the main/usual ID (gmail) until I ask them to switch over to my fallback ID. You can also use the fallback ID, if you wish so. Or you can be more cautious/prudent and send a copy each to both IDs.

This mail ID has a distinct user name (very different from the earlier one). It uses my own domain name (unlike the main ID which is on gmail). Every mail you send from here, gets an autoresponse (so you know your mail has reached me). The mail is saved here (at drpartha.org.in) and a duplicate copy is forwarded to my usual/main mail ID (gmail). People have got used to prompt responses/reactions from me for all the mail they send me. And when some email goes unresponded, they may conclude that I am dead (an inevitable possibility). See Quand je ne serai plus la.

There is one more innovation built in this mailID, to stop spam robots. Try sending a message from your mailID and you will be subjected to a test. Fail this test, and you are locked forever outside the gate (blacklisted).

Although I watch both mail Ids regularly, I might be a bit slow in answering mails sent to my fallback ID.

You just cant miss my footprints any more.

Keep in touch,

Thanks,

partha

07-2020 Beware of impostors

Impostor Do you want to trust your child’s future to a fraudster ? What can your child learn from this impostor ? Shoddy and indifferent attitude born out of incompetence and ignorance ?

There are a whole lot of unscrupulous swindlers out there, to milk you dry and ruin your child’s future, Beware !

Ask this author why some words have been circled in red in the image above.

06-2020 — Beaches of India welcome you !

In a great honour, India is now among 50 countries that have at least eight beaches winning the clean-beach certification by the Foundation for Environment Education (FEE), Denmark. The list includes Puri’s Golden beach and two beaches of Karnataka, among others. Blue Flag bearing beaches are considered to be the world’s cleanest beaches. So far, FEE has awarded the tag to 4,664 beaches, marinas and sustainable boating tourism operators from 50 countries.

A beach should meet 33 stringent criteria relating to environmental, bathing water quality, educational, safety, services and accessibility standards in order to qualify for the certification.

The Blue Flag Beaches recently (Oct. 2020) certified by FEE (Denmark) include :

  1. Kasarkod in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka
  2. Padubidri in Udupi, Karnataka
  3. Shivrajpur in Gujarat
  4. Ghoghla in Diu
  5. Kappad in Kerala
  6. Rushikonda in Andhra Pradesh
  7. Golden Beach in Puri, Odisha
  8. Radhanagar in Andaman & Nicobar Islands

Besides the above, you have an awesome choice of beaches to visit and serene islands for a weekend getaway (or more). The length of coastline of India, including the coastlines of Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal and Lakshwadweep Islands in the Arabian Sea, is 7517 km. Length of Coastline of Indian mainland is 6100 km. Coastline of Indian mainland is surrounded by Arabian Sea in the west, Bay of Bengal in the east, and Indian Ocean in the south.

04-2020 Quand je ne serai plus la …..

I wrote this post when I saw the latin phrase Memento Mori (Remember that you will die).
Just after that, my friend passed away and I learnt about that by accident, only four years later.

It can happen any time. It will happen to all. When my time comes, I do not want my friends to wonder why Partha does not answer mails or phone calls. I usually answer all my mails promptly and regularly. There must be a reason, if you do not get a response/reaction from me. If this ever happens to you, for an unreasonably long time :

  1. Send one or two reminders to my main/regular ID drpartha@gmail.com, and then try my fall-back mail ID
  2. Take a look at my twitter account https://twitter.com/profpartha (@profpartha)
    I usually post some stuff there regularly, at least 2-3 times a week. When the tweets stop coming, the inevitable has happened.
  3. Call up home by phone to find out.
  4. Find out from my next of kin :
    • premap2@gmail.com
    • parishramp@gmail.com
    • prayathna@gmail.com
  5. inform all our common friends and contacts
    (send this page to all who might be interested in knowing about me)

Thank you in advance, since I cannot thank you when the time comes.

Adieu,

partha

PS:

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT WAS MADE ON 2020-02-10

03-2020 RIP Kryzstof Cetnarowicz

kryzstof

My friend of 40 years, Kryzstof Cetnarowicz, seems to have left this world sometime ago. I got to know this sad news thanks to a chance conversation with the wife/widow of my PhD guru.
Kryzstof was a Professor at the AGH University of Science and Technology , Krakow, Poland, where I met him last in 2009.

aghlecture

In fact, Kryzstof had invited me for a talk on the role of non-functional specifications in software engineering, at his institute.

It was also a beautiful holiday for my wife and me. Thank you Kryzstof, may peace be with you forever.


To come, to know, to learn to part, is the sad tale of many a human heart.

Adieu cher ami.

Quand je ne serai plus la ….

02-2020 Mysteries of Indian TV !

There is a lot to learn from Indian TV !

  1. Why do Indian police stations always have a world globe on the Inspector’s desk when policemen never cross the street if the other side is not in their jurisdiction ?
  2. Why do they show warning messages whenever there is a scene showing smoking or drinking ? Why dont they delete those scenes altogether instead of showing those meaningless warnings ? And, why is there no warning with scenes involving other crimes like murder, bank holdup, rape …?
  3. Are maths teachers always grumpy , sadistic people ? Or is maths such a horrible subject ? Why do we always malign maths and maths teachers ?
  4. When there is a conductor in front of an orchestra, why does he seem to follow the orchestra rather than the other way around ?
  5. What is the blue liquid they show on commercials for sanitary napkins and diapers ?
  6. Why do they show toilet basins in grand detail and in closeup when they try to sell toilet cleaner liquids ? Don’t they know that most of the times these disgusting commercials are displayed during during dinner time or when people are having meals ? Why don’t they learn some decency or discretion from those selling diapers and sanitary napkins ?
  7. Why do they show only men for promoting products for bad mouth odour ?
  8. Why do they use only women for promoting under arm deodarants and rollons ? Idem hair remover creams ?
  9. Are sports shoes worn only by men ?
  10. Why do all detergents, cleaning agents etc. claim to clean 99.9 % of the dirt/germs etc ? Any one can prove or justify this precise figure ?

If you have watched some more absurdities like the ones above, just let me know on drpartha@gmail.com.

01-2020 Macau we will never forget you.

My most pleasant memories always lead me to Macau (erstwhile Portugal colony in current China), with all my family on an assignment with United Nations University.
macau
chopsticksWe decided to take souvenirs which would be useful for us always. We chose two such amazing pieces of Chinese culture (and of course plenty of porcelains): the Abacus, and Chinese chopsticks. We (my children and I) even spent several weeks trying to master the abacus. We took an abacus for each one of us.

My wife joined us when we had training sessions on the use of chopsticks !abacus We bought a pair for each one of us.

We will always remember our visit to Macau.

I wish we had an “action replay” button in our life. Till then, Macau will be in my dreams every day.

55-2019 How a chance discovery saved a precious mathematical legacy.

THE LOST NOTEBOOK OF RAMANUJAN

Ramanujan’s last major contribution “mock theta functions” were almost lost forever, but for a fortunate discovery made years later. The story of the lost note book goes like this ::

Ramanujan’s lost notebook is the manuscript in which the Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan recorded the mathematical discoveries of the last year (1919 — 1920) of his life. Its whereabouts were unknown to all but a few mathematicians until it was rediscovered by George Andrews in 1976, in a box of effects of G. N. Watson stored at the Wren Library at Trinity College, Cambridge and were due to be incinerated in a few days. The “notebook” is not a book, but consists of loose and unordered sheets of paper — “more than one hundred pages written on 138 sides in Ramanujan’s distinctive handwriting. The sheets contained over six hundred mathematical formulas listed consecutively without proofs.The manuscript contains no introduction or covering letter. In fact, there are hardly any words in the manuscript. There are a few marks evidently made by a cataloguer, and there are a few remarks in the handwriting of G. H. Hardy.

After Ramanujan died on April 26, 1920, at the age of 32, his wife Janaki had given his notebooks to the University of Madras. On August 30, 1923, the registrar Francis Drewsbury sent much of this material to G. H. Hardy, Ramanujan’s mentor at Trinity College, where he probably received the manuscripts of the lost notebook.

Almost surely, this manuscript, or at least most of it, was written during the last year of Ramanujan’s life, after his return to India from England. Undoubtedly, the most famous objects examined in the lost notebook are the mock theta functions.

Some time between 1934 and 1947 Hardy probably passed the notebook on to G. N. Watson, who with B. M. Wilson started on the project of editing Ramanujan’s notebooks. However, Wilson died in 1935 and Watson seems to have lost interest in the project in the late 1930s. After Watson’s death in 1965, J. M. Whittaker examined Watson’s papers (which were a complete mess, due to be incinerated in a few days) and found Ramanujan’s notebook, which he and R. A. Rankin sent to Trinity College Wren library on December 26, 1968. The lost notebook George Andrews, following a suggestion by Lucy Slater, found the lost notebook in the spring of 1976 while on a visit to Trinity College. George Andrews and Bruce C. Berndt have published several books in which they give proofs for Ramanujan’s formulas included in the notebook. Bruce C Berndt says of the notebook’s discovery: “The discovery of this ‘Lost Notebook’ caused roughly as much stir in the mathematical world as the discovery of Beethoven’s tenth symphony would cause in the musical world.”

The “lost notebook” was published on December 22, 1987, by Narosa publishing house, India, 67 years after Ramanujan died !

Also see :: Remembering Ramanujan

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