Robert V Kozinets on Academic Publishing

I was reading the blog of Professor Robert V Kozinets. He was talking about one of his papers that I have found very useful in my work. It is called The Field Behind the Screen: Using Netnography for Marketing Research in Online Communities. If you google for it on scholar you will find it has been cited 268 times.

In fact, I would say reading it and implementing it in my own work has saved me a few blushes for which I am eternally grateful.

He has written about the story of the making the paper to the print. The story unfolds in a series of posts. But you can easily navigate to other entries if you are interested.

I had worked and poured my heart into my revision of the JMR manuscript and had sent it back to Russ Winer by the deadline, my mind filled with hope and optimism about the possibility of publishing in JMR.

It was the end of summer, and the weather in Chicago was still quite warm. But the response I got from the Editor and Reviewers at JMR stopped me cold and chilled me through. The manuscript was still alive, but it was being eaten alive. Enduring a slow death, its fate was hanging by an extremely thin thread. It was bad news, much worse than before.

I still cannot believe it. At the same time it is a great boost to people like me who have only published in lower ranked journals.

Friday is for Flowers- Garden at the Christ Church Cathedral Premises, Oxford, UK

Garden on the Christ Church Cathedral Premises, Oxford, UK

More Power to the Internet! Missing Person Found in India through Indiamike

On July 28, 2009 I was browsing through my favorite travel message board Indiamike. They have a section for members where you can see unanswered threads. I was answering some posts which had no replies. I had started doing it recently. I read a thread about a missing person in India. It had gone unanswered for about an hour and 20 minutes. I knew not what to say in reply. So I wrote a lame- "I am extremely sorry to hear about your plight. Any updates on the situation?"

And then came many and then a super star by the name of Ronit who said-

Meanwhile I have several friends in Airlines and even in Kingfisher also. I will call them tomorrow morning and ensure that if He boards the flight,they will inform him about your plight. Also I would like to know the details of the Ticket number and PNR (Airline-Ref) of his Travel from your country )Hamburg) Germany to Helsinki, Finland and further to (Delhi)India.

Do write back and have faith in God.

And guess what he did just that, found the guy!

At Bagdogra airport with help of Kingfisher officials.

More power to the internet.

Different Shades!

So Many Colors!

Harcourt Hill Campus, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford UK (May, 2009)

Push Trolley, Indian Railways

Push Trolley at Dharampur Station, Kalka Shimla Railway Line, it is used on the railway tracks by railway official

And just before our Railcar started moving out, this kid came and claimed the car!

Should I Watermark My Old Pictures

When I wrote about my Prashar Lake pictures getting copied, many of you suggested me to watermark it. I will have to go picture by picture but I am OK with it. Will it mess up my feeds completely for those who subscribe to this blog in a reader? Will it change the way google indexes them? Some of them are the first one to come up in a search and I am scared to lose that ranking. :D

To watermark I would have to download and upload it again, right? Any tips much appreciated.

A Young Mango Sapling

A Young Mango Sapling Sprouting Due to Rain

Whenever I eat a mango I throw away the seed in the garden. So when the rain falls (and it fell in buckets yesterday, led to water logging all around and added 45 minutes extra to my commute due to traffic jams) they start sprouting. But my garden is so small that after a while I will give these away. There is just no space for me to grow mangoes in my garden. But while it is there, it looks so beautiful!

Two New Words Learned Today- Ethno Tourism and Making Lazy

Came across two new words today-

Ethno-tourism (do look at the comment section)

and

Making Lazy (the word apears in the middle of the article)

No, I am not telling you anytihng more about them.

Arch Gallery Bridge Between Sonwara and Dharampur

Arch Gallery Bridge Between Sonwara and Dharampur on Kalka Shimla Rail Line

I know the picture is not quite striking but the Arch Bridge is actually quite striking. We were coming back from Barog to Kalka in the Railcar and I was looking in the opposite direction. The driver of the Railcar reduced the speed and looked in the direction of the bridge without saying a word. The three of us were immediately hooked. I tried clicking pictures but the railcar had gathered speed again. I immediately told my nephews, "I wish I would walk along the entire Kalka Shimla route and click pictures to my hearts content. And how wonderful it would be if we could camp at the stations at the night!"

I have a feeling that this plan would always remain in thoughts but what a lovely thought it is!

A Video from the Taj Safari's Banjaar Tola Lodge

My Room and the Surroundings at the Taj Safari's Banjaar Tola Lodge

The Other Kind of Travel Writing that I Do!

Some of my academic papers that have a travel slant!

Social software practices on the internet: Implications for the hotel industry

The online destination image of Goa

Online destination image of India: a consumer based perspective

How Many Copies of My Prashar Lake Images?

Yesterday I did a google image search for Prashar Lake on a whim. And I am completely aghast. The number of times my pictures have been copied by others across the globe without any credit is depressing. So here I go. These are most of my Prashar Lake images (with the December images posted with permission from Anil).

Now look at the copycats, why so many? :( :( :( :( :(

(And don't worry all the links are nofollow.)

Indie-Reise in German, why in Germany would someone copy my Prashar Lake image?

Someone at a site called Wherein City copied my Prashar Lake image

Someone by the Name of Sachin at Merinews copied the Prashar Lake image

Another one by Sachin at Merinews He has copied so many of my images apart from the Prashar lake one. I have left a comment on each of the copied one.

Instablog copied my Prashar Lake Image

Another Copy

Would you blame me if I am hopping mad right now?

Himalayan Bulbul at Barog

Himalayan Bulbul at Barog- It has got such beautiful eyes!

Lazy Sunday Photo- Thanda Matlab Coca Cola!

Thanda Matlab Coca Cola!

(Difficult to translate but would sound like, if it has to be a cold drink then it has to be Coca Cola)

Though not for me, I do not like any fizzy cold drinks. I took this picture at Barog Station in Himachal Pradesh when the oty train to Shmila made a scheduled stop.

The Author of the Cold Pineapple Soup and a Blog

Cold Pineapple Soup by the Chef Manish from Taj Safari's at Banjaar Tola

And this is Manish's Blog.

In his recent post he talks about another Chef who was initially a gardener!

Therefore my first priority was to increase the production in the garden mean while the chef of the lodge usually ask for some favors like helping him in making chutneys and food etc. This regular interaction in kitchen created a interest and I started going kitchen after finishing my regular work to help the chef without his request.

Butterflies from Barog

Butterflies from Barog, Himachal Pradesh, India

I have to say I almost take all my pictures breathlessly! And when they turn out to be even marginally good, I thank my lucky stars! I know this is not much of a discussion as far as photography techniques go, but it is actually quite close to truth!

More Conversations from the Rainbow Day

The Rainbow at Triund, Himachal Pradesh

After I had seen and clicked the rainbow at Triund (must I add till it had almost vanished), I went for a long walk through the meadows. I came back at dusk, slightly cold.

So the fire near the camp was the most inviting place. As soon as the sun goes down, the temperature suddenly drops. Near the fire there were four of us waiting for the dinner. There was a girl from Switzerland, a young lad from the US and the two of us. The boy from the US had been in India for the last 10 months (exiting after 180 days for a visa run to another nearby country like Sri Lanka or Nepal) and had been traveling extensively.

The amount of places he had been to in India, we have not managed to see even a fraction of it. I am, in fact, wondering that if I add all my holidays together taken till date, they may still not add up to a month. What a depressing thought!

So I asked him, "What made you choose India?" He replied, "I was attracted to the ashrams." I asked him hesitantly, "If you don't mind my asking so, did you discuss it with your family or you don't do such a thing?" He smiled, "My parents were really scared, they thought I may never come back." I was wondering if we may ask this one but then Sesha did, "We really don't hold very high opinion of Ashrams." He agreed, "Yes, many of them are a little more commercialized than I thought they would be. But there are a few serious places too. I anyway discovered that I was not really serious about it."

I then asked him, "So how have your journey across India been?" Without blinking he said, "India has taught me patience! I take a lot more things in my stride now"

Do You have a Comment Policy for Your Blog?

Do you have a comment policy for your blog? I never had a formal one and I hardly ever need to delete any comment. The few that I deleted were either obscene or blatant advertising.

But these days there is a spurt in comments that are vaguely on topic and then have links (sometimes more than 1) to a commercial website.

What do you do with such comments? I have deleted them till now but with a vague feeling. Thought I would write about it and then see how I feel.

I have till now managed without comment moderation but now I am seriously wondering.

Friday is for Flowers- Yellow Rose

Yellow Rose with Dew Drops

Remember my Grey and drizzling London day? While I was walking with my school friend (whom I had met after 20 years) to catch a train, I found this rose and I of course had to stop and take a picture. Flowers make for such a pretty picture.

What a Capture

No, not by me. It is by one of the Gonomad bloggers Sonja Stark. The picture is so cute, you have to go and have a look. And I am not going to tell you what it is.

Feeling Hungry!

Thai Rice and Vegatables at Chiang Mai, Oxford, UK

I wonder why do I have to look at food that I have enjoyed in the past when i am feling hungry!

Mustard Fields on the Oxford-London Highway

Mustard Fields on the Oxford London Highway

I took this picture of the mustard fields from a moving bus while going back to London from Oxford. And what the eyes saw was much better than what I could capture with the camera. I have also discovered that however much I try to stay awake and take in the scenes I sometimes fall asleep on the way, like on this bus ride. And then I wonder what did I miss!

Hummer Limousine at Oxford!

Hummer Limousine at the Oxford Streets, UK

I saw beautiful car pictures from Houston Art Car Parade by Steve. Then Max talked about Hummers and Yukons in his post, so I thought why not me.

I was walking down the Oxford streets in May 2009 when I saw this car. First time around, I could not take a picture, the car just vanished. But soon enough it came back again and stood at the red light. And I gladly clicked away, all the time worried that the light would turn green before I could get out the camera and click.

If you get a Hummer Limousine in Delhi, I think the only suitable place to drive it would be the runway of the IGI/Palam Airport.

Searching for Kiarighat, I Don't Like it One Bit- Yatra.in Page

Screen Shot of the Yatra.in page

I was searching for Kiarighat in Himachal Pradesh on Google. I clicked on the second link which was from Yatra.in. What manipulation it is for ranking high on search engine. I mean they repeat Kiarighat endlessly on that page out of context. Here is a sample-

While looking for 5 star hotels in Kiarighat, such as ITC Maurya, Taj Palace or an Oberoi, our site should be your first stop. Kiarighat is a vibrant city that has a rich past, and what better way to experience that than to stay in one of the heritage hotels in Kiarighat.

I mean hello! Five star hotels in Kiarighat?? Who are you kidding or is it that you understand your product so poorly?

Announcements at IGI, New Delhi Airport

Last Call to Board a Flight

Has it ever happened to you that your name was called on the PA system because you were supposed to board your flight?

Never happended to me, though I always get curious as to why people are not at their boarding gates!

Lazy Sunday Photo- Taking a Closer Look

Taking a Closer Look- Geese at Thames, Oxford UK

Coming back from Kalka to Delhi by Shatabdi Express

I like traveling by Shatabdi Express trains. They have chair car seating, they have are air conditioning and they dump you back at Delhi the same night.

Kalka Shatabdi Express Train at Kalka Raliway Station

So while coming back from Barog we reached Kalka by noon and it was quite hot and humid there. We headed out of the station to eat lunch. We found a restaurant called Shelly's near the station and ordered a lot of things and took our time eating it too. It started raining heavily while we were eating. And yet it was three in the evening when we found our self back at the hot and humid station with a light drizzle still falling.

Seats inside the Kalka Shatabdi Express Train

It was raining but the sun also was out. I walked the length of the station that there might be a rainbow but no such luck this time. Brat 1 got us some tea and that helped in passing some more time.

Unfortunately, some kids came begging and I said I would buy stuff for them. They asked for potato chips and biscuits and I bought them the same. And then we had more tea. The brats finally told me that it looks like the train is open, let us go inside.

Checking out the Reservation List

There was this young girl, recently married (look at all the bangles in her hand, newly wedded brides wear them) on what could have been her honeymoon but then what looked like her husband's entire family was also traveling with them. Shimla is full of honeymooning couples and I have nothing for or against them, until they start throwing their empty chips packets out of the toy train window. But then to be fair to them, almost 95% of the train does the same.

However, the biggest surprise of the day had still not revealed itself. We boarded the train after waiting for sometime on platform 3. We were glad for the air conditioning on a hot day. I had a window seat and both the brats aisle seats. I am mean about window seats, I do not give them even to my nephews. I mean anything else and their wish is my priority but not when it comes to the window seat. They also know this and let me have it after a token protest this time. Most of the times they don't even protest.

And then an elderly couple took their seats diagonally behind us, plugged in their cell phone on charger and started playing bhajans (Hindu prayer songs) loudly. Both the brats immediately plugged on their headphones. One has a ipod shuffle and another a mobile that has a million songs. I have a mobile with three songs and I had left my headphones at home! Another person in Brat 1's row took out his headphones and the mobile with a vengeance after about going through this for half an hour.

I was tempted many times to tell them to lower the volume (or better still to shut up) but Brat 2 always told me to ignore it. Let it be. I had to be content by giving them dirty glances occasionally. After an hour or so, Brat 2 took some mercy on me and transferred my songs via blue tooth to his phone and gave it to me along with the headphones. But how long could I let him suffer?

So I gave him the phone back after a while and was forced to listen to the cacophony till we reached Delhi.

Moral of the story? Next time I will fill my phone with songs and I vow I will never leave my headphones at home! This was sheer torture at the end of a beautiful trip.

Friday is for Flowers- Tulips at Harcourt Hill, Oxford, UK

Tulips at the Harcourt Hill Campus, Oxford Brookes University, UK

PS. Feeling too tired for words!

Horn Please, It Happens Only in India

Horn Bajayen, That is Horn Please in Hindi!

We were taking lunch at a Dhaba near the railway station at Barog. And this tractor that invited everyone to honk was parked nearby! And yet I get annoyed when people honk at me. I mean half of us (OK maybe much less than half) somehow believe that honking is bad manners but the other half (OK maybe much more than half) believes in the message on the tractor!

Birds at Barog, Himachal Pradesh

Crimson Sunbird

The Crimson Sunbird is a regular at the Barog Station and I could always spot it among these flowers. Makes for a very pretty picture and it is such a pleasure to watch. However, it won't sit still at all and hence very difficult to photograph.

Long Tailed Himalayan Bird (Red Billed Blue Magpie is the real name, found it via Indiamike and the comment by Satyaendra)

Well, you can make out immediately, I have improvised that name! If you know the name, please let me know. There was a jungle full of them behind the station. I went down the stepped terrace fields towards the tress filled with the birds and they would find the most obscure corners of the trees with every branch and leave obscuring the view.

Toy Train at the Barog Tunnel, Himachal Pradesh

Toy Train at the Barog Tunnel, Himachal Pradesh

I spent a lot of time at the Barog Station and watched the toy trains come and go to my hearts content. Barog is also home to the longest tunnel on the Kalka Shimla route (part of which you see in the video) which is a little more than a kilometer long.

Around 10.00 am (on 11/09/2009) we were chatting with a railway official. He said there were no trains coming to the station till 11.00 am that day. Brat 1 and I (Brat 2 was still asleep) decided to walk inside the tunnel and cross it. It was dark after a while inside the tunnel. I switched on the light of my mobile phone and placed it close to the tracks. I could see their faint outline of the tracks and walk along. Thus we walked for what seemed like the mid way of the tunnel.

Suddenly Brat 1 called out, "Bua (aunt) there is a train coming this way, I can hear it." I moved the light from my mobile around and saw a shelter (an arch within the tunnel inside which you can stand and the train can safely pass) right next to where we were standing. We happily went into it and the Railcar passed by us. Brat 1 refused to go any further and insisted that we head back and that is what we did.

We headed for the tea stall and asked for the tea from the proprietor. Three tourists staying at the Barog Station came along and asked me, "Ma'am what happened inside the tunnel when the train came?" I told them that the shelter was right at our hand, we went in and the Railcar passed. They replied, "The station master was quite worried about an accident and was scolding everyone around that why did they let us go inside!"

Then they asked the tea shop proprietor what would happen if we had not found a shelter? The proprietor thought that chances of an accident were very high. Another person who was at the tea shop was of the view that there is sufficient space for the train to pass if we just stood flat against the wall. We of course wish to believe the second version but we are in no hurry to check out which one is correct. The group of three gentlemen told us, "You should party tonight, it was a narow escape."

We actually did not party nor did it feel like a narrow escape. I did not tell this on phone to my dad who is an ex railwayman. But when I did today he was not pleased at all.

I can only say I do not wish to repeat this experience. But then the smallest of the kids around Barog have crossed that tunnel ...

Pictures from Barog, Himachal Pradesh

View from our Room at the Shivalik Cottage, Railway Station, Barog, Himachal Pradesh

I have managed to upload the pictures from Barog and the nearby places now. I wish I could identify all those birds. I think I am developing a fondness for clicking birds but what a difficult subject they are! They always hide behind a lot of leafs and can't sit still even for a moment! The detailed writing of the trip would be over the weekend but there are so many stories to tell in between! Have to catch up with the comments too.

Lazy Sunday Photo, Barog- A Beautiful Hill Station on Kalka Shimla Train Route

Barog- A Beautiful Hill Station on Kalka Shimla Train Route

We, Brat1 Brat 2 and I spent Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Barog and guess what they rent rooms right at the station to the tourists too! More soon.

More Tiger Tale but this time from Mexico

I am linking to Kelly's post (from Gonomad) who was on a press trip to Mexico and guess what she got to pet a tiger! You have to go and see the tiger picture to believe it.

PS. I am taking a short break. Would be back by Monday.

Grey London Day!

Victoria Memorial on a Grey Day, London

The day I was roaming around in London in May 2009 was completely grey, cold and at times there was a light drizzle too. No, I am not complaining but all the photographs have a well, grey look. And I had just this one day in London. What gave me comfort is that many face this problem. I was reading Phil Coome's Blog on the BBC and one of their award winning photographers talk about grey days, sunny days and traffic accidents too-

I had seen the 'English garden' hoarding before, but always on grey days, and had thought to myself that I would stop sometime when it was
sunny. "That day (a year ago this week) I was driving past and saw the
cumulus clouds and blue sky - so I indicated and filtered into the right turn
lane. ...

Manchester United Club, They Catch them Young!

ManU Baby Wear for Sale at the Manchester United Club, Manchester, UK

They Try to Catch them Young!

What do You Sell to the Tourist?

I remember it was the rainbow day at Triund. We were chatting with a young local lad who was studying in Germany and had a tourism business based out of Germany too.

Rainbow at Triund, Above McLeod Ganj, Himachal Pradesh

We were discussing random things, like the trek, the snow at the Indrahar Pass, the changing weather patterns, the shopkeeper at the Snowline and the tourists visiting India. Both of us expressed a deep desire that one day we want to exchange rupees for a lot of foreign currencies so that we could back pack around the world.

Soon the talk turned to the tourists visiting Triund and McLeod Ganj.

Souvenirs for Sale at McLedo Ganj on the Roadside, Himachal Pradesh

A little while back there was one young girl who gave a piece of her mind to the shopkeeper at our camp because she thought she was asked to pay more for a room. The local lad from Germany told me, "Ma'am yahan haans kar aap dhul bhi bech sakte ho" (Ma'am, in these regions if you know how to talk nicely you should even be able to sell the dust). He was not being derogatory, he said it as a matter of fact, no boasting nothing.

Tiger Tales from Kanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh

The Pug Mark of a Tiger, Kanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh

Tiger Tale 1: I was having a conversation with one of the naturalists at the Taj Safaris Banjaar Tola resort and he told me an interesting tale. One day the resort vehicle was in the park and the elephant riders of the parks told the naturalists, "There is a Tiger sitting in the grass just 30 feet from the road." The naturalist stopped the jeep for an outside chance that there might be some movement from the tiger. The guests started telling the naturalists, "Let us walk and go see the tiger." You cannot get out of the vehicle in the park apart from designated areas. The naturalist kept quite for some time. When they kept on chanting the same old tune he told them, "Aap paidal jaa tou sakte hain tiger ke pass per vapis aayenge ki nahin uske koe guarantee nahin hai." (You may go walking near the tiger but there is no guarantee that you would come back.)

The 4WD Tata Mobile, Kanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh

Tiger Tale 2: We were moving in the Mukki Zone of the Kanha National Park. We met a jeep that had seen the tiger in the same zone but it has given us a miss. We stopped for the breakfast at the point in the picture above (where you can get down of the jeep) and the naturalist remarked, "You guys would have declared me useless by now. Happens all the time with the guests. There are three resort vehicles moving and one of them spots a tiger. Later the guests meet in the dining area and compare notes. Now those who didn't see the tiger are pulling really long faces. They all would want the tiger spotting naturalist for the next ride and declare everyone else useless."

We assured him that we understood that tigers can't be produced on demand!

Lazy Sunday Photo- Boats at Naini Lake, Nainital

Boats at Naini Lake, Nainital

London Train Announcements

London Train Announcements

I unfortunately misplaced my 'mind the gap' file while I was moving it on my cell phone (Nokia 6275) so that I could copy it to the computer. Here is something that remains in another audio file but as I said, unfortunately, no mind the gap. Maybe if I go to London ever again I will make sure to get a good recording and save it safely.

As usual for visuals I am rotating some pictures.

Conversations with David at Taj Safari Lodge Banjaar Tola, Madhya Pradesh

I met David before a dinner at Taj Safari's Banjaar Tola Lodge. There was Alger (the naturalist who took me to Kanha National Park for all my four rides) an Indian couple staying at the lodge, Mohit (another employee) and myself. All of us were chatting nineteen to a dozen. The Indian couple had a home in Italy and they were talking about some beaches they had visited in the USA. Soon David and I started chatting among our self. Here is how it went.

The Taj Safari's Campsite at Dusk, Banjaar Tola

Me: "So David, what a life, living inside a jungle!"
David: "Yes, this is exactly what I wanted."
Me: "David are you married?" (Hey this was not the first time I was chatting with him. And among Indians this question can be popped easily. OK, OK I know I am sounding defensive).
David: "No."
Me: "Hey no one will agree to come and live with you in this jungle!"
David: "Look at ..., he lives with his family and his daughter loves it."
Me: "So where are you from?"
David: "From Kerela, have you been there?"
Me: "No, but have to go there one day."

The Kanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh

David: "So how do you find the lodge?"
Me: "The room rents are way too high, if you don't mind my saying so."
David: "Hey we are used to hearing this!" (laughing)
Me: "Do you manage to take vacations?"
David: "Yes, recently I was in Nainital. I travel on budget"
Me: "Why, that is such a crowded place."
David: "I went bird watching and in off beat places. I can do brid watching all my life."
Me: "We are also budget travelers, I do such trips usually on sponsorship."
David: "Hey I am sure we would meet in the Himalayas somewhere and say Hi to each other again."

To that he went up and left for his accommodations on the premises.

Old Pictures from Spiti

Beautiful Spiti

I was looking at my old pictures from Spiti (on a new laptop) and fell in love with the place all over again. And I didn't like even this one immediately after the trip!

Carfax Tower, Oxford

Carfax Tower, Oxford, UK

I have never been to the top of this tower, in fact didn't even know one could go to the top of the Carfax Tower inspite of being around it thrice!

What a Ride!

Cycle on a Road Roller, Gurgaon

This road roller was inching ahead of me on my morning commute to work today. While both of us were waiting to take a turn I clicked the picture with my mobile phone. And just a few days back I was thinking maybe I really did not need a camera in my mobile, I hardly click any pictures!