Wind Farming

In an earlier post, we had mentioned the power shortage that some states face, and the need to switch to alternative forms of energy. Tamil Nadu has been one of the pioneering states in the use of wind energy and this form currently constitutes ~10% of power generated. While in Kanyakumari, we could feel the intensity of wind blowing from all directions: both the south-westerly and north-easterly winds (at different times of the year) hit the region unabated. It only made sense that the country’s largest wind farms should be located here.

Windmill

Starting from a distance of 15km north of Kanyakumari lies probably the largest density of windmills anywhere in India. Manufacturers, shapes and sizes vary from one windmill to another, but the objective is common – to harness the wind speeds and convert it into energy. European manufacturers such as Vestas and Gamesa along with the Indian supplier Suzlon have a sizeable presence here, providing 750kw, 1.25MW and 1.65MW capacities. Subsidies by the Tamil Nadu government provided a little over a decade ago saw a spurt in growth due to the financial incentives given at that time, which included capital subsidies, income tax exemptions etc.

A view of the wind farm

Wind power constitutes the largest component of renewable energy capacity (70%) in India. The installed capacity is currently a fraction of the cumulative energy demands of the country (~6%[1]) and the potential remains substantial. The MNRE recently announced incentives for wind power generation and sale-back to the grid, on a national scale. Other states need to follow Tamil Nadu’s lead, in conducting research studies on the potential for wind power generation and providing incentives to promote the growth of this industry.

Inside a windmill

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[1] Utilization is even lower, at 1.6%

Reliance Netconnect (Chennai)

100% coverage on the Nungambakkam High Road.

Reliance Netconnect (Pondicherry)

98% coverage at the Pondicherry bus station.

Connectivity

All along this trip, technology has played an integral role in keeping us connected and more importantly, in updating the blog regularly. As mentioned earlier, the speed test comparison could not be carried because of dreadful customer service in order to get Mihir’s Photon working. Another incident that could be useful in making choices easier occurred with regards to cell-phone and tower connectivity, while in Tamil Nadu. To be clear, while roaming, connectivity can either be obtained through the home network or through agreements with other networks. E.g. Aircel can work either through its own network, or use the towers that have been setup by IDEA, assuming an agreement is in place to share their tower.

Vodafone consistently received EDGE/GPRS connectivity[1] throughout the state, through one of the two methods described above. Even at some of the remotest points in Rameswaram, close to land’s end and Sri Lanka’s border, connectivity was available. On the other hand, Loop Mobile’s data service has been dismal, with no service available anywhere. In addition to the absence of their own towers, the apparent agreements they have with Vodafone and Aircel count for nothing. After repeated complaints to the Loop technical team, there was still no rectification.

These two events seek to highlight the customer service and infrastructure deficiencies of TATA Photon and Loop Mobile respectively. Especially in the latter’s market, with MNP (Multiple Number Portability) coming early next year, serious improvements will need to be made to prevent an outflow of dissatisfied customers to other providers.

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[1] Necessary for data transfers, i.e. email, internet, BlackBerry Messenger etc.

Reliance Netconnect (Rameswaram)

99% coverage at the railway station.

Closure

One of the many reasons that compelled us to travel the country was the fact that we had not seen, or heard, enough of India and her people. Our understanding of the country was limited to theory, which just about begins to define this nation. Every destination we have covered and every conversation we have had has contributed to a more practical perception of India. Often, there have been moments of contentment as predetermined mandates have been fulfilled. Doing the Kashmir to Kanyakumari length was one such mission.

While in Kanyakumari, we watched the sun go down (picture). About 140 days ago we were in Kashmir, the northern frontier of India. We’ve already done Jamnagar, Gujarat — Namdhapa, Arunachal Pradesh. Having covered the length and breadth of the country, we are experiencing a certain sense of closure.

This is a memorable moment as we enter the last 10 days of our adventure!

Reliance Netconnect vs. Tata Photon

Dear Readers,

The speed and coverage tests between 2 wireless internet providers have been a highlight of this blog. Unfortunately, no more contests will be held. One of the original loggers, Alok (also the owner of the Photon stick), has not been able to join us for leg 3. Mihir tried to get a Photon but faced several issues with regards to activation, which are still to be resolved. The customer service guys at Tata have been extremely unresponsive. While you will continue to see Reliance Netconnect’s performance data, there will be no competition.

Apologies,

Loggers

Thus far, Reliance has emerged as a better service provider between the 2 nominees.

Fort Kochi

Often times I (and others) forget that we had Western colonizers and settlers other than the British, dating back to the 15th century. The coastal regions were where most of this took place, and our exposure to those areas was limited in previous states. A visit to Fort Kochi, an island off the city Ernakulum and right next to the bustling Cochin Port, reminded me of that fact.

Vasco da Gama landed at Kozhikode back in 1498, and the church that was built[1] by the Portuguese soon after, still stands today. He was buried at that church, with the tombstone still present till date. In addition to the Portuguese, the Dutch also staked their claim to the port, with a palace and cemetery reflecting their past presence.

Dutch Cemetery

Chinese, Jews and Arabs were prominent traders[2] that came, and left their mark on the Malabar coast. Chinese fishing nets, so called because of their unique process as introduced by the Chinese, feature prominently along the shore. There is also a Jewish synagogue, supposed to be the oldest in the British Commonwealth, in an area of the island called Jew town.

Chinese fishing nets

Homestays are a very popular mode of accommodation on this island, where local families host tourists in their home for as little as Rs.400. Bicycles are the best mode of transport, which can be rented for Rs.50/day. Fort Kochi, with all its multicultural past, is definitely worth a visit prior to continuing further south towards the backwaters.

-Mihir

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[1] St. Francis Church was the first European church to be built in India, in 1503

[2] Spices such as ginger, cardamom, cloves and pepper dominated trade then

Dogs

Every so often we have come across stories that do not fall into any category or theme we are following, but still deserve to be mentioned due to their peculiarity in nature. Once such experience was during my stay in Coimbatore, which was due to host the largest dog show in south India. Dog-owners from all over the country come to show off their wares[1], with judges flown in from countries as far as Australia and New Zealand to adjudicate. The canine equivalent of a “Man Hunt” or “Miss India”, this show holds immense importance not only for reasons of pride for their owners, but also due to the prize money involved and subsequent market price in the event of success.

Parallels can be drawn to the rationale behind owning horses – apart from the personal attachment individuals have, they can be significant sources of income if looked after, trained to be fast and strong to win big derbies. Ego games between breeders have seen dogs being imported from countries such as Spain and the UK, specifically for dog shows and then sold on the market if they do well. This is an expensive passion, with maintenance costs considered to be as much as, if not more, than those associated with having an additional child.

There is even a sophisticated market for trading dogs, if your morals permit you to do so. For example, the pup that has been appearing in the Vodafone ads recently, has seen its market price shoot up from Rs. 1,500 to Rs.30,000-Rs.40,000. Talk about return on investment during a recession.

–Mihir

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[1] An individual in Pune is known to own close to 550 dogs. Another in Karnataka supposedly hires A/C buses and bodyguards for his dogs

Technology In Education

Building a strong knowledge economy is a very important aspect of a developing nation. Hence, visiting educational institutions has been an important and frequent agenda of our travels. We have been attempting to understand some characteristics of the education (predominantly school) system across various states and identify shortfalls/possible lessons, if any. From Assam to Mizoram to UP, we have interacted with educators at institutions from a variety of backgrounds. The southern states have historically led the way in reducing illiteracy and providing quality schooling, and we embarked to try and find out why.

The use of technology in education is part of an explicit effort by the government to encourage schools to introduce such teaching methods. Educomp, one of the leading educational service providers in the country, identified this potential early and has experienced exponential growth as a result of schools increasing adopting these technologies. Adwaith Secondary School in Coimbatore is one such school that has taken this step, and reaped the rewards. Even though the equipment and maintenance costs are relatively expensive, the principal unequivocally pushed for its use in some of her classrooms. This was mainly due to the agreement of the management (trustees) of the school, who were willing to provide additional funding for this purpose. This was done without increasing student fees significantly since the students were mostly from lower to middle income families.

The setup itself consists of a central server that needs to be housed within the school premises, which is then connected to individual operating systems in each of the equipped classrooms. Each classroom has its own CPU, mouse, keyboard and LCD TV, with the help of which teachers can conduct lessons. The digitization of content and conversion into presentation material is done by Educomp, by sending them the relevant course material prior to the start of the academic year.

Equipment in the classroom

Initiatives such as these can go a long way in improving the quality of education at our schools. It is important to note here that this should be utilized as a compliment to teachers and not a substitute where students can simply learn from the material presented visually. To this end, teachers should also be adequately trained in these new technologies in order to make the delivery even more efficient.

Leg 3b – South India

Dear Readers,

Over the past 135 days, we’ve covered 19 states; all that remains of this trip is a fortnight in the southern part of the country. Through this blog we’ve given you a chance to travel vicariously. There is much that we have shared but there is so much more that we are still internalizing. For the remainder of this month we will upload posts from Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. At this point, we would like to express our deepest gratitude to our readers who have incentivized this form of documentation of our travels. As demanding as this exercise has been, we’ve enjoyed the process thoroughly.

Do stay tuned for exciting tales from down south!

Yours truly,

Loggers