Breathtaking sunset over Everest Base Camp

Please click on image to expand. [Image source]

Ladakh, the "Land of High Passes", in Kashmir, Northern India by Gurdyal Singh

Beautiful mountains filled with history and lore. [Image source]

Hippo Falls, Great Himalayan National Park, India,

If you're wondering why the name. Please look at the rock at the bottom. [Image source]

Varanasi evening view from the Ganga.

A view of Varanasi sitting in a boat on the river Ganga.

This Green Bhoomi Devi Temple in Chendia, Karnataka, India

Please click on image to expand. The green around this temple is unbelievable. [Image Source]

Happy Elephant Family at Corbett National Park, India. [Image]

Please click on image to expand. Happy Elephant Family in Corbett national Park - India. [Image Source]

Camels at the Great Raan of Kutch, Thar Desert, Gujarat, India [Image]

Please click on image to expand. The Great Raan of Kutch is a slat marsh and is reputed to be the largest salt desert on the world. [Image Source]

Google Doodle for the Republic Day of India

Jan 26, is celebrated in India as Republic Day - the day when India got its constitution. 2012 marks the country's 63 Republic Day. The constitution came into force replacing the Government of India act of 1935. It is also one of the three national holidays in India. Each state in India celebrates the anniversary in varying forms for in the capital Delhi, the main parade takes place in front of the president. A Day that is celebrated all over India.


Google has a new Doodle out for Jan 26 and it it known as 'Republic Day of India'. The doodle is not animated but an image that when clicked leads to more general information of Republic day. The image however is interesting as it has three elephants dancing along in a parade with happy kids sitting on top, with a  umbrella found on top of elephants. The umbrellas have the colors of the Indian national flag. Google Doodles are special Google Logos created to mark specific and special events and birthdays that happen around the World. wishing all Indians a Happy Republic Day!. 

An original post by

Sociolatte

India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh joins Twitter

Source: Twitter

Amid all the scares happening in India with ministers threatening popular social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and Google with legal actions if they do not censor content that could hurt religious sentiments. The Prime Minister of India has joined Twitter. The reason given by his office being that he wants to reach out to younger people and especially the online generation. The work done by him and his office has been substantial and he would like to use Twitter to bring it to the notice of young Indians. The first three Tweets from his office has to be with the 'National Bravery Awards' and a picture of him sitting with the young bravehearts. The Prime Minister has been known to keep his silence on many a burning issue but we hope he will be able to open up more using the micro-blogging's 140 characters at a time. 


The Prime Minister's Twitter handle is @PMO which stands for prime minister's office. Indians on Twitter however have not lost an opportunity to poke fun at the account, saying it will mostly stay silent and 140 characters is too much. Others see this as a step forward and the PM now has over 8 thousand Twitter followers. You can expect this to grow over the coming days as more and more people are just finding out about it. Way to go Mr.PM.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Twitter

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Sociolatte

Tiger Videos

Tiger videos are always fun to watch. Especially for those of us who are in awe of such lovely animals. Tiger videos can be funny, especially the ones involving baby tigers. Tiger videos can also be scary as one is really not used to seeing them everyday. Your first encounter with a Tiger in the wild has been said by many to be one that you will never ever forget. It is truly a majestic animal and long live the Tiger. Tiger, Tiger burning bright in the forest of the night.






White Tiger Video: A huge Bengal white Tiger feeling sleepy.

An original post by

Sociolatte

Viral Video: Why This Kolaveri Di?

Another video produced in South India has gone viral. Thanks to people sharing it on Facebook and Twitter. This song which was uploaded on Nov 16, 2011 has already crossed 4 million views. The song is song by Tamil Film actor Dhanush for the upcoming flick  "3", directed by his wife Aishwarya Dhanush, megastar Rajnikanth's daughter. Rajnikanth being the highest paid actor in India. The song captures a mood and has a laid back attitude. With the actor asking 'Why This Kolaveri Di' which when translated means 'Why this murderous rage babe'. The Tamil-English song has a laid back attitude and captures the mood of today's youth, in a way that is very special. The Song has been produced by Anirudh - a new comer in the industry. Compared to all the intense music coming out of the west - the attitude of this song is totally chill and cool. Simple asking the girl why all this murderous rage. The tune is very catchy and is a must listen. If you don't understand the Tamil you will certainly be able to follow it with the English. Follow the discussion on Twitter with the hashtag #Kolaveri

An original post by

Sociolatte

Crazeal: How does it work

Daily deal of the day site Groupon is known as Crazeal.com in India. When they first wanted to expolore and establish their presence in international markets Groupon bought the site Sosasta.com in India. Since establishing themselves as one of the leading daily deals sites in India they have decided to change their Indian name and the company in India is now known as Crazeal.

The principals are the same but with a  few monir changes. Groupon in the US has a certain threshold limit before a deal becomes active. In India that does not seem to be the way to go. Once a deal is announced it is live and ready to go.

How does Crazeal work

merchants across India have a tie-up with Crazeal and offer services a huge discounts. The discount is possible because of something known as group-buying. These huge discounts and coupons can be offered becasue of sheer volume. Once a deal is announced on the site you will receive a message on your phone or in your email. Depends on your preference when you signed up. You can then claim that deal and through an online payment method pay for it. You will then receive your voucher on your mail id or phone. These vouches can be used once you reach the merchants place and you can claim your deal.

Popular deals right now are in Spas, restaurants, holiday destinations and general merchandise. 

An original post by

Sociolatte

Wilbur Sargunaraj India's original YouTube viral hit maker

Wilbur Sargunaraj is considered by many to be one of India's original YouTube stars. The thing about his videos is that it is very down to earth and involves using everyday common people. The locations are also as original as can be. There is no makeup and the star from the south of India. Films all his videos on location in actual places. He has also gained fame and popularity in Canada and the UK. Where his music shows run to large enough audiences who want a good laugh and some down to earth music. The understand the humor you would need a context and that would be South-India and knowledge of the way English is spoken here. Yes it is very different and grammar mistakes galore. That's what makes it fun though and it is worth checking out. If you are not familiar with the culture prepare for a little bit of a shock. His YouTube channel has over 4 million hits and well not too big you might say, but for an artist that keeps everything ordinary this is quiet a feat. He is not the largest YouTube channel in India but one of the most original. Check out his YouTube channel here and his website here. 

An original post by

Sociolatte

Google's Doodle honors India's Independence today

August 15th in India is commemorated as Independence Day in India to celebrate its independence from British rule. The flag is flow high in India to celebrate it's birth as a sovereign nation in 1947. On this day the Prime Minister of the country will hoist the flag at the Red Fort and delivers a nationally television speech. The Google Doodle for the day is precisely that - the Red Fort . Google Doodles are holidays and eventsr that at celebrated Google style. 

An original post by

Sociolatte

PayPal Suspends Personal Payments and local bank transfers in India.

The online payments service PayPal has taken the unusual step of suspending transactions in India for more than a week. 


Anuj posted this on the PayPal blog



Hi blog readers, it’s Anuj from the communications team here.
I’m writing to let you know that personal payments to and from India and transfers to local banks in India have been suspended while we work with our business partners and other stakeholders to address questions they have about the service.
During this time, customers can still make commercial payments to India but merchants cannot withdraw funds in Rupees to local Indian banks.
We’re trying to resolve the situation as quickly as possible and we’re really sorry for the inconvenience that this may cause our customers in India and around the world.
I’ll update the blog as soon as we have more information to share.
Anuj


There is no eloborations as to why this steps been taken. We expect some clarity in the coming weeks. Paypal is owned by online auctions giant eBay.

An original post by

Sociolatte