Avi Aggarwal

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Online Shopping Sites in India

Best Indian Online Shopping Websites

Online shopping is becoming popular in India these days. In a country like India, where people has to depend on metro cities for finding commodities with good quality and wide selection, Online shopping offers vast, easy and interesting shopping experience.

Online shopping provides several advantages like 24 hours shopping, which requires less travel, rich product availability and specifications etc. Almost all online shopping sites now offer items in discounted price and free shipping for selected items thereby attracting the net savvy customers to have a try. Unlike conventional shopping the consumer can get a detailed account of the specifications of the commodity through the website.

Online shopping has its drawbacks too, we cannot touch and feel the item, delay in shipping, risk of loosing your money etc are a few.

Ebay and Amazon are the market leaders in online shopping in the world. However local counterparts are more popular in India. Here is a list of popular websites offering online shopping in India.

Please note our ranking of site is based on votes which we get by our viewers

How it works:-We average votes of all online shop and shop which has lower average comes first for example if 3 peoples have given rank ebay and yebhi to 1,6,3 and 8,1,5 so we get average for ebay is 5 and for yebhi is 7
In this case ebay comes first and yebhi second

Here is real average for each ranked site (last Updated 8th September 2012)

Flipkart-4.76, ebay- 4.88, Tradus.in- 5.32, Futurebazaar.com- 5.39, Infibeam-5.69, Homeshop18- 5.82, Yebhi-5.88 , Snapdeal-5.93, Buytheprice-5.99 ,Indiaplaza.com- 6.06

(1) Flipkart.com – Score(4.76) -You can not only buy books online through Flipkart, but also mobile phones & mobile accessories, laptops, computer accessories, cameras, movies, music, televisions, refrigerators, air-conditioners, washing-machines, MP3 players and products from a host of other categories. After takeover of letsbuy.com now flipkart is largest player of e-commerce of India.

(2) ebay.in -Score(4.88) After almost 6month of dominating at number 1 ebay has come down at number two on indiafreestuff.in list. eBay.in is the Indian version of the popular online shopping portal eBay.com – world’s online marketplace. Ebay has a diverse and passionate community of individuals and small businesses. Ebay offers used and fresh items with a wide network of international shipping. http://www.ebay.in/

(3) tradus.com - Score(5.32) Tradus.in is owned by ibibo from books to clothes they sell you everything. Tradus offers the Online Shopping in India to buy Books, Mobiles, Cameras, Watches, Apparel, Home Appliances, Ipods & Many More at Lowest Price & Free shipping although their refunding process takes more than expected time and they don’t ship all over India but still at no 3 on our list.

(4) futurebazaar.com -Score(5.39) -FutureBazaar.com is owned and operated by Future Bazaar India Ltd futurebazaar offers you wide range with good price The people of behind this company are same from bigbazaar, pantaloon and ezone

(5) infibeam.com -Score(5.69) India’s Online Shopping Platform offers Buy Mobile Phones, Books, Apparel, Jewellery, Cameras, Watches, Send Gifts to India, New/ Used Cars & Bikes in India a report says 40 lakh visits per month by Indians on this site.

(6) homeshop18.com -Score(5.82) here you find large range appliances, kitchen, cameras, mobiles, laptops, site, indian, gifts, apparel, buy, online, gifts. and more, HomeShop18 is a venture of theNetwork18 Group, India’s fastest growing media and entertainment Group. Network18 operates India’s leading business news television channels – CNBC TV18 and CNBC Awaaz. HomeShop18 has also launched India’s first 24 hour Home Shopping TV channel. The company has its headquarters in Noida, UP. The website has received the ‘Best shopping site” award from PC World Magazine in 2008

(7) Yebhi.com- Score(5.88) Yebhi is India Largest Shopping Destination for your Wardrobe. Shop for shoes, apparels, jewelery, Bags and more. No matter yebhi rules in Apparel catagory and if you want to buy clothes or shoes online this is best site, Their deals become more lucrative with discount coupons, Now they are also selling mobiles at good price.

(8) Snapdeal.com -Score(5.93) SnapDeal offers everything from local daily deals on restaurants, spas, travel to online products deals. They offer you best price with free shipping.

(9) buytheprice.com -Score(5.99) Shop Online – Buy Mobile Phones, Laptops, Digital Cameras, MP3 Players, TVs and Hard Disks + Free Shipping .One of the unique feature of this site is item prices get reduce after selling in big quantity for example a 4 gb pendrive is listed at 350 if 5 people buys it price gets down at 320 if 10-15 people buys it gets down at 285 so on buytheprice is at no 5 on our top10 list

(10) indiaplaza.in – Score(6.06) indiaplaza.in is on 10th place of indiafreestuff.in ranking, Shop online over 8 million items at India’s largest shopping site at lowest prices.

Apart from Top 10 Indian e-commerce sites here we have listed 10 more sites based on suggestion of our readers which can make place in top 10 lists.

( 11) Myntra.com :-Myntra.com is leading online retailer of lifestyle and fashion products. Myntra offers T-shirts, Shoes, watches and more at discounted price.

(12) Shopclues.com:- Shopclues is famous for their heavily discounted Jaw Dropping deals. Shopclues is one of the best online stores that offers a wide variety of cameras, Computer accessories, Mobile, Gift, Jewellery, Cosmetics, toys, clothes, books and bag

(13) Pepperfry.com :- Pepperfry is one of leading Indian website in selling lifestyle products ranging from men and womens clothing, home decor, jewellery, perfumes and cosmetics, furnitures, bags and accessories.

(14) Shopping.indiatimes.com :- Shopping.Indiatimes.com has a wide array of products that range from electronic items to products related to health & beauty, home appliances, fashion, music, movies and games.

(15) Sulekha.com:- deals.sulekha.com offers you great discount on all listed product.They offers wide range of products from Computer, laptop, mobile to books.

(16) Koovs.com:- Koovs offers best offers in dining, luxury, technology, entertainment, utilities, health care, fashion, travel & adventure and plenty more.

(17) Bestylish.com :- Bestylish is one stop destination for all your footwear shopping, they have good range with good price.

(18) Seventymm.com :- eventymm offers electronic gadgets‚ LCD televisions‚ DVD players‚ musical instruments‚ TV video games‚ handheld games‚ kids laptops‚wrist watches Being Human‚ Playboy‚ Ed Hardy & other fashion accessories like handbags‚ laptop bags‚ bed linen etc. For kids‚ we have exclusive stuff from Barbie‚ Disney‚ Ben 10‚ Cars‚ Pogo‚ Mickey‚ Winnie the Pooh. Buy soft toys‚ remote controlled toys‚ school bags‚ block books‚ activity books‚ coloring sets‚ umbrellas‚ animation DVDs‚ story books‚ stationery and more. Other products include decorative‚ toiletries‚ glassware‚ digital cameras‚ mobile phones‚ jewelry‚ coffee table books‚ movie posters‚ etc.

(19)HushBabies.com :- Hushbabies is Indias one-stop shopping source for baby products. from fun, bright bedding and furniture to gear,apparel, toys, baby care, cleaning products, and more. We bring you 100s of world class brands with 1000s of items to choose from

(20) Goodlife.com :-GoodLife.com is a one stop destination for your personal care essentials. It offers products from top Indian and international brands. Some of the most reputed brands available on GoodLife.com include Lakme, Sally Hansen, Lotus Herbals, Maybelline, L’Oreal, H2O+, Garnier, Revlon, Olay, Lux, Dove, Park Avenue, Organic Surge, Palmer’s. GoodLife.com offers the widest range to chose from, boasting of over 5000+ products.

Top 10 Online Shopping Sites in India

Online shopping has its drawbacks too, we cannot touch and feel the item, delay in shipping, risk of loosing your money etc are a few.

Ebay and Amazon are the market leaders in online shopping in the world. However local counterparts are more popular in India. Here is a list of popular websites offering online shopping in India.

Please note our ranking of site is based on votes which we get by our viewers

How it works:-I average votes of all online shop and shop which has lower average comes first for example if 3 peoples have given rank ebay and yebhi to 1,6,3 and 8,1,5 so we get average for ebay is 5 and for yebhi is 7
In this case ebay comes first and yebhi second

Here is real average for each ranked site (last Updated 8th September 2012)

(8) Snapdeal.com -Score(5.93) SnapDeal offers everything from local daily deals on restaurants, spas, travel to online products deals. They offer you best price with free shipping.

(10) indiaplaza.in – Score(6.06) indiaplaza.in is on 10th place of indiafreestuff.in ranking, Shop online over 8 million items at India’s largest shopping site at lowest prices.

India congratulates Obama on re-election

Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh today congratulated US President Barack Obama on his re-election, and said that he looks forward to continuing their rewarding association in order to build further on the enduring foundations of shared values and the accomplishments of the past four years. In his message to President Obama, Dr. Singh said: I have no doubt that there is much more we can do together to further strengthen the India-U.S. partnership and thereby advance peace and stability, expand mutual economic opportunities, harness the potential of science and technology, innovation and higher education and empower our people to address global challenges.

Obama wins re-election, sees better days ahead

Barack Hussein Obama was yesterday re-elected President of the United States on Tuesday, beating a strong challenge by Republican contender Mitt Romney.

Obama won Colorado, Iowa, Ohio, New Hampshire, Virginia and Wisconsin, the battleground states, and held a narrow advantage in Florida. The margins narrowed for Romney, with Obama winning at least 303 of the 538 electoral votes. A cheer of jubilation sounded at the Obama campaign headquarters in Chicago when the television networks began projecting him as the winner at 11.20 pm yesterday, even as the ballots were still being counted in many states where voters had waited in line well into the night. The victory was far narrower than his historic election four years ago, but it was no less dramatic.

“Tonight in this election, you, the American people, reminded us that while our road has been hard, while our journey has been long, we have picked ourselves up, we have fought our way back,” Obama told his supporters early on Wednesday. “We know in our hearts that for the United States of America, the best is yet to come.”

Growing optimism about the economy and a big turnout of the core Democratic coalition sealed Obama’s re-election victory. After years of bleak economic news, enough Americans now believe better days lie ahead for the US economy. The coalition of young, female and minority voters that propelled Obama to victory four years ago also turned out again, in huge numbers.

“I thought four years ago there was an enduring Obama electorate, and that is what we've seen tonight,” said Tad Devine, a veteran Democratic strategist. “It’s made up of African-Americans, Latinos, single women and young people,” he said. “You combine that with blue-collar union workers and upper-educated whites, and you have a majority, especially in battleground states.”

Romney also appeared to have overplayed his hand when it came to his central campaign argument that the US economy was in dire straights because of Obama’s bungled fiscal stewardship. Obama effectively swept the American Midwest, the county’s industrial heartland. Romney’s efforts to convince voters that America’s stubbornly high unemployment rate of 7.9 per cent was all Obama’s fault appeared to have backfired. Early national exit polls revealed that about 50 per cent of US voters still blamed former Republican President George W Bush for the country's economic problems rather than Obama.

Bill Galston, a former domestic policy adviser to former Democratic President Bill Clinton, said Obama clinched victory because a range of economic factors improved in the past six months. Galston said the jobless rate had been ticking downwards, the housing market appeared to have stabilised with home prices finally rising, and consumer confidence had been improving.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in the week before the election reflected how voters’ views of the economy had been improving steadily. “The president’s handling of the economy had to be the centrepiece of Romney’s campaign,” Galston said. “He had no choice. But all sorts of economic signs perked up in the past six months — and just in time for the president.”

No US president has won re-election with an unemployment rate of over 7.2 per cent since Franklin Roosevelt in 1936.

Monday, November 5, 2012

Diwali

Diwali is regarded as one of the most important festival of the Hindu calendar. It is celebrated across the nation with great pomp and excitement. The festival is mainly associated with lights as it is called the festival of light. On the day of the festival diyas (small clay lamps) are lit in everybody's home irrespective of their social status. The name Diwali signifies 'rows of lighted lamps'. Diwali is a five-day festival, beginning on the 15th day of the Hindu calendar month of Kartika (Ashwin). By the Gregorian calendar, Diwali falls in October or November. Diwali marks the beginning of the Hindu and Gujarati New Year and is celebrated with the lighting of lamps and candles, and lots of fireworks. People decorate their home with beautiful diyas and making rangoli pattern in the courtyard and in front of the gate. They put flowers and mango leaves on their doors and windows. Diyas and candles are placed on rooftops, rooms, and kitchen and even in the bathrooms. On this day, people worship Lord Ganesha, the foremost of all Hindu Gods and Goddess Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth and Prosperity. It is time to exchange gifts and sweets with friends, relatives and neighbors.

Due to India's varied cultural diversity there are many manifestations of the Diwali festival. The festival begins with Dhanteras, a day set aside to worship the goddess of prosperity, Goddess Lakshmi. On this day, homes are cleaned and paintings are done. There are various legends associated with the celebration of Diwali. But people mostly associate the celebration with the legend of Lord Ram returning to his kingdom of Ayodhya after fourteen years of exile and defeating Ravana, the demon king. In Bengal, the celebration is marked with the worship of Goddess Kali. People celebrate Kali puja with great fervor and enthusiasm. Joy and festivity reins every corner of the nation during the Diwali season. Diwali festival is the one Hindu festival that unites the whole of India. The exchange of sweets and the explosion of fireworks customarily accompany the celebration of the festival. Diwali is an occasion for cheerfulness and togetherness. This is that time of the year when people of all age and all class take part in its celebration.

Friday, November 2, 2012

Chakravyuh: Movie Review

Rating:

Review: I faced a lot of criticism last year for giving Prakash Jha’s ‘Aarakshan’ very high ratings. I was preparing myself for the same with Chakravyuh until the interval. But the second half crushed all my expectations. It quickly dwindled from a 4 star rating to a 3 star and by the end of the film it almost went from 3 to 2.5 thanks to Arjun Rampal’s wooden acting. Many critical scenes banked on his performance. Although other good performances might have saved face. A genuinely good build up that hit the breaks in performance, plot and pace; post interval. Based on the Government v/s Naxalites war, Chakravyuhis a classic case of good subject matter dealt with a shaky plot. It definitely had the potential to be much more.

S.P. Adil Khan (Arjun Rampal) has just taken up a controversial and dangerous posting at Nandighat, which is at the heart of Naxal activity. The government has vested interests in the area because a big industrialist called Mahanta (Kabir Bedi) has crores invested in their land. Mahanta wants the adivasivillages there evacuated. The Naxals led by charismatic leader Rajan (Bajpaee) and right hand commander Juhi (Anjali Patil) want to protect the villages. They do so by terrorizing anyone who comes near the area with guns and bombs. To stop this terror, Adil sends best friend Kabir (Abhay Deol) into the jungles as his informer to become a part of the Naxals. What happens when Kabir begins to believe in the Naxal cause?

Some highlights include: the issue of the Naxalites looked at from a sensitive perceptive. They are portrayed as messiahs not demons with guns (baring a few violent scenes). Another noteworthy aspect of the film was 2 good performances, Manoj Bajpaee and Anjali Patil. Patil especially was brilliant. Known for highlighting socio-political issues in his films, Prakash Jha commands respect from reviewers like me for brave film making. Audiences generally want to take a break from hectic lives, and intense films like these don’t serve that purpose. Therefore, kudos for bravery Mr. Jha.

Verdict: A good effort sidetracked by a shaky plot. Only for serious cinema lovers.

Malvika Rao

Movie Details
Release date: Oct 24, 2012
Language: Hindi
Genre: Drama, Social
Cast & Crew: Abhay Deol, Arjun Rampal, Esha Gupta, Manoj Bajpayee, Anjali Patil, Om Puri
Director: Prakash Jha
Music: Sulaiman Merchant, Salim Merchant
Length: 2 hrs 32 mins
Writer: Prakash Jha, Anjum Rajabali, Sagar Pandya

English Vinglish: Movie Review

Rating:

Review: 1997 had Sridevi playing a selfish housewife who sells her husband to a rich heiress in Judaai. More than a decade later she returns again as a housewife. But this time she returns to play Shashi, a kind, honest and dedicated homemaker. She is perfect in her duties as a housewife, even popular as the best laddoo maker in town. But as most Indian households go, she is constantly made to feel insecure by her family for small things. One of her family’s major concerns or rather to their annoyance, she cannot speak English.

The story is pretty much about the small journey Shashi undertakes to rid herself of the constant scrutiny and judgment she is subjected to for not being proficient with English. But it’s not this simple story that counts, it’s all the small things that make up the story. The film has been crafted with a simple message in mind and told in a very elegant and impactful manner. Shashi’s small struggles as she goes from everyday embarrassment and insecurities to self-confidence makes you empathize, laugh and cry with her. You feel yourself rooting for Shashi throughout this elegantly tied-together film.

When in her hometown, she is as it is subjected to constant judgment, but when she lands in New York for her niece’s wedding, her patience is tested and she breaks down. That’s when she decides to join a fast track course to learn English. And in a complete, Mind Your Language sort of setup, heartwarming friendships are formed between Shashi and the group. A jolly group that has a Chinese girl, a Pakistani cabbie, a South Indian techie, a Mexican nanny and a gay African. None of them understand each other’s language but manage to communicate in the most endearing manner. The handsome Frenchman develops a liking for our traditional Shashi. The delicate manner in which this has been handled is another aspect worth applauding for this brilliant debutante director. And if you haven’t been charmed by this story yet, wait for the climax.

Verdict: Sridevi’s comeback is a simplistic and warm effort that’s definitely worth a watch.

Malvika Rao

Movie Details
Director: Gauri Shinde
Cast: Sridevi, Amitabh Bachchan, Mehdi Nebbou, Priya Anand, Adil Hussain
Writer: Gauri Shinde
Music: Amit Trivedi
Length: 2 hours 16 minutes

Student Of The Year: Movie Review

Rating:

Review: Two boys, one girl and a high-school romance… going by the trailers you may have thought the story is simple. In reality it isn’t. Here we encounter a glossy affair, called St.Teresa’s located (fictitiously) in Dehradoon. When it comes to Karan Johar’s work on screen, you really can’t expect subtlety.

Student of the Year is the latest and one of the biggest films this year made under the magnanimous Dharma Productions banner, directed by the new-age romance weaver, Karan Johar himself. As seen in the past, all his films have well-known actors who’ve been seen on various platforms that K Jo brings together. Some of them are the faces you may have not seen for many years now. Then, there is the full-of-life, Rishi Kapoor, who doesn’t cease to exude charm whenever he speaks and acts. His character as Dean Vashishth was the most enjoyable one. Sharing some screen space are Boman Irani, Farida Jalal, Ram Kapoor, Gautami Kapoor (last seen in Ghar Ek Mandir opposite her husband), Ronit Roy and so many more. The perfect amalgamation of such seasoned talent couldn’t have got any better, I believe.

The debutantes, Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan and Siddharth Malhotra were spectacular as first-timers. Especially the boys, all oozing with talent. There were many Gossip Girl moments, as well as those that I would like to call ‘Poo’ moments ala Kareena Kapoor’s role as the bimbette in K Jo’s dream project,Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. The great divide that exists in the society, that of the upper class and middle class, has been highlighted once again here. When Aamir Khan got into a duel with Deepak Tijori back then in Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar, you felt bad for Aamir Khan every time he failed. This film, on the other hand, comes with high-octane drama but the feeling dies along the path. The result of the Triwizard Tournament-like competition called Student Of the Year is inevitable. No points for guessing who wins.

Next year’s best debutant award may be shared by the two leading boys in the film. You would keep wondering who was better of the two, yet not zero-in on either. If a masala Bollywood flick is your cup of tea, go watch this film, you will enjoy it for all the good reasons. The songs make the frilly drama even better, for the foot-tapping music, most of the songs that you have heard before, just remixed and re-enacted. At some point, the film was a Kuch Kuch Hota Hai meets Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar, but I reminded myself how this one was a tad-bit different. It is winner at the BO. Also, a surprise appearance is from one of the most renowned actresses in the industry who also happens to be K Jo’s lucky mascot. While you may have already guessed it or read about it, you will still enjoy what you see on screen.

Verdict: High-school romance fizzles out with the competitive feeling, yet keeps you feeling warm and fuzzy.

Saumya Sharma

Movie Details:

Release date: Oct 19, 2012
Language: Hindi
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance, Teenage
Cast & Crew: Siddharth Malhotra, Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt, Rishi Kapoor
Director: Karan Johar
Music: Vishal-Shekhar
Length: 2 hrs 21 mins