Babaria Media - THE TOOLS YOU NEED TO SUCCEED AT EVERY LEVEL

THE TOOLS YOU NEED TO SUCCEED AT EVERY LEVEL

 

Welcome to Incomeboy Resource section, a curated list of all the best blogging tools and websites that I strongly recommend for successfully building and optimizing your business.

I have personally tested every recommendation on this post. Many of these listed resources are extremely critical in running my business: I have a portfolio of more than 10+ websites that make me more than $10,000/month

Before moving forward with this amazing list, an important disclosure:

Some of the links mentioned below are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a small commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you, rather even if you decide to make the purchase by directly going to these product websites you will pay the same amount. Please understand, that I have experience with all of these companies, and I recommend them because they have been extremely helpful and useful in building my business, not because of the small commission I make in case you decide to buy something. Please do not spend your money on these products, unless you feel you need them or that they will help you achieve your goal.

To help my visitors and add more value in your life, I have come up with a special offer only for incomeboy.com visitors. After you buy the hosting by clicking the links below, my team will set up your website FREE OF COST. Yes, all you have to do is send me an email at contact@incomeboy.com and we will help you get your website up and running in no time. I love my visitors and this is the least that I can do for you :). Hoping to hear from you soon.

Ankur Aggarwal
Incomeboy.com

Siteground - Free Fomain With Hosting

Get Free Domain

Free Domain name with hosting

The first thing before starting a website is Domain name, right. The best place to register your Domain name is Godaddy.

Although if you are starting your first website then don't register the domain name separately, rather Buy a below mentioned hosting like Siteground (recommended) or Hostgator, you will get a Free Domain name with the hosting

So this way you can save some money and you only have to pay for hosting costs, which is very cheap for the first year

Siteground Hosting

Visit Siteground

Siteground : #1 for hosting websites and Blogs

All of my 10+ websites and hundreds of my clients websites are hosted on Siteground. Why? They make it incredibly easy to get a new site up and running with their one-click automatic WordPress Blog installation.

I have tried and tested almost all hosting companies over the period of 7 years, be it godaddy, Bluehost, etc., but the real satisfaction and a smile on my face came when I shifted my website to Siteground. My website loading speed almost doubled and the traffic increased by 176% just by shifting to Siteground. That's the power of this amazing hosting.

You can host multiple websites on their Grow big plan (which, is affordable, the prices are best in the industry) so you don't need to pay more for hosting when you are ready to start another website. Almost all major and popular bloggers use Siteground and recommend this company to all.

I highly recommend using Siteground for your first website, and you can get started now at only $3.95/month, which is nothing compared to the value you are getting from this company

You will get an amazing hosting at just Rs 3,000 (I paid more than Rs 12,000 for the gogeek plan) ​

Additional features: Free domain, Free SSL certificate, Free dedicated IP, Free migration from other hosting, Super amazing customer support

Hostgator Hosting

Visit Hostgator

Hostgator: #2 for hosting websites and Blogs

If there is any other hosting after Siteground that I recommend or have websites hosted on, then that is Hostgator hosting.

The company already has huge name in the industry. The performance of their hosting is on par as of Siteground. You won't be disappointed. If Siteground is not your choice, then the only option you should consider is Hostgator hosting.

You will get all the features just like Siteground, it's just that Siteground is  one step ahead in all parameters. But if siteground scares you then Hostgator should be your choice

Thrive Themes

Visit thrive themes

Thrive Themes: You wont find better themes

You will be surprised by the quality delivered by thrive themes. Being a WordPress developer myself, and also having built hundreds of website, even I was surprised when I found out about this company: Thrive.

Today I have purchased almost all their products including, Thrive Content Builder, Thrive leads, Thrive Headline optimized and many more. But most importantly, I use their Theme: Rise thrives theme

This blog incomeboy.com use Rise thrive theme and this brings the biggest smile on my face. Packed with amazing features (makes so many extra plugins redundant), Lightweight, ultra fast, and many more features.

Thrive Leads

Visit Thrive Leads

Thrive Leads: Best Email Capture plugin

My Email Capture statistics increased by 95% once I moved on to Thrive Leads. Earlier i was paying more than $200/annum for Leadpages. Once I started using thrive leads which costs only $67/site (yes, no annual fees, just one time small payment for amazing returns later) I have never been happier

Packed with so many features that even you will be amazed by the quality of this plugin and will be willing be thinking of how come this plugin is so cheap compared to the value it delivers.

Email list is the most important asset for any blog or online business. Even an email list of 1,000 people can help you make more than $10,000 /annum (yes, i have dont it ). For me this investment of $67 is nothing compared to the returns i make from my email list

FREE SEO TOOLS that help me drive more than 3,000,000 visitors/month combined to all my websites

Ahrefs

Get free trial of Ahrefs

The best SEO tool on the internet right now. I cannot describe how much this tool has helped me get far in my career.

Most comprehensive data for keywords, backlinks , Competitor analysis, keyword explorer, content explorer and what not.

I can go on and on, if you are looking for one tool to handle all your SEO needs, without a second doubt take the free trial of 14 days on this product before making the decision to purchase

Semrush

Get free trial of Semrush

If any tool that comes near Ahrefs in terms of SEO then it is Semrush. The data is not as comprehensive as Ahrefs, but still the breadth of data and quality of results is at par

Although SEMrush is also used in PPC campaign and other ways, the choice is yours, you can try both of these SEO tools: Ahrefs and Semrush before purchasing the monthly membership for any one of them

Trust me without these SEO tools, getting big or building and online site will be extremely difficult.

Other SEO tools i use

Apart from Ahrefs and Semrush here is a list of all the other tools that will help you scale your online business. I use them daily and they have helped me a lot.

• Raven Tools - 30 day free trail
• Google Webmaster - Free - Must use
• Google Analytics - Free - Must use
• Yoast SEO - WordPress Plugin - Free - Must use
• W3 total cache - Must use -Wordpress Plugin
• Wp Smush - WordPress Plugin - Must use

Social Media Management tools that help me engage with more than 150,000 fans/day combined to all my websites

MeetEdgar

Buy membership of Meetedgar

Although a paid tool, but this is by far the best social media management tool on the internet.

A little expensive and not for beginners, this tools store all your future posts and automatically schedule them according to your requirement

With features like categorization, Scheduling, Library and many more, this is the best social media management tool for advanced people who have experience with creating and managing multiple websites

Buffer

Use Buffer for free

This is the tool of choice for millions of newbie online bloggers or basic online website owners.

When i used buffer before shifting to Meetedgar. They have a premium plan as well, but the free version is more than sufficient and offer all the necessary features

Another alternative is using Hootsuite, they also have a nice interface. But among buffer and hootsuite, you should go for the buffer

Email Marketing tools that help me reach over 100,000 people everyday

Aweber

Get free trial of Aweber

I have tested many companies, and honeslty almost all email marketing companies are good. So i wont state any favourites.

I personally use and also like Aweber. I like the simplicity and easy navigation and management.

Aweber gives a free trial till 500 email subscribers​

For a beginner both Aweber or Mailchimp is fine. If you are looking for more advanced level of Email marketing with advanced segmenting, tagging, etc. Then check out Drip, Infusionsoft or Convertkit

Mailchimp

Get free trial of Mailchimp

I started my email marketing with mailchimp. It is simple and highly popular among beginners.

Also they offer upto 2000 members in their trial so that is an attarctive point/. But automation is for paid subscription

You can use either of aweber or Mailchimp, i have used both and both of them have given me good results.

My recommendation will be Aweber

Books that have made me Smart and a better Human Being

These books have been of immense help to me and you should read them too if you are planning to start an online business or learn about these topics in general

• The 4-hour workweek by Timothy Ferriss
• How to win friends and influence people - Although the title might repel you , but trust me this classic is filled with goldmine of information
• Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill - Another must read classic
• Rework - change the way you work forever
• Zero to one - by peter thiel
• The one thing by Gary Keller

Books that are currently on my Kindle

• Elon musk : Tesla, Spacex ....
• Unshakeable by tony Robbins - Your financial freedom playbook

Other Productivity Tools that makes my life simpler

• Amazon Kindle:  The best book Reader. If a person is not reading books, he is missing out on so many amazing possibilities. Buy an Amazon kindle today and make drastic improvements in your life. I read over 70+ books per year and Amazon Kindle makes that job very easy
• MacBook Pro: Although steeply priced at more than Rs 1,00,0000 (plus an addition, Rs 16,000 for extended warranty)., I won't ask you to buy this right away. But if the majority of your work takes place in front of a laptop, then MacBook pro can be the best investment you can make. Never been happier with a laptop before
• Podcasts: My gym partners. I use Stitcher app on android to subscribe to the best podcasts that interest me and instead of listening to music, I learn while I worked as well. I am a learning freak. Podcasts are free, so make sure you utilize this channel to your advantage
• Few of the apps that i use
1. Evernote: All my data is stored in Evernote
2. Wunderlist for my Todo Management
3. A Google Analytics app for tracking and managing traffic to all my websites
4. Quora: I don't know what would I do without Quora. I have spent countless hours on Quora

Reading these article will help you save more and make more money in the next 3 months

I have curated the best article from Incomeboy.com here and this list of articles alone will help you save more money and create a passive income source for yourself.

• How to create a money making affiliate empire
• Best business books that every entrepreneur must read in his lifetime

Share what you love, while making $1,000/month passive income

Passive Income Potential
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100000 Rs Per Month - Within 3 months of blogging

Sucess rate of People who have followed my method​
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Success

What i require from you

100 %

Motivation and Dedication

Starting a blog in 2010 was the best decision that I made. I stumbled into blogging by chance and now I am making more money than what I could have made even after graduating from IIM Ahemdabad in India. So start your blog journey by checking our comprehensive Step-by-step free guide on how to start a blog and make money through it

 

Babaria Media - How to start a blog – Easy steps to learn How to create a blog

How to start a blog – Easy steps to learn How to create a blog

Starting a blog or creating a website is simple, it's the people who make it complicated.

After creating more than 500 websites and blogs you can safely assume, that the information for his article on how to start a blog in India is 100% accurate and correct

I have covered each topic in a step-by-step manner, to make it as easy as possible to start your first blog/website from scratch. So hop on and start this journey with me​.

Good news for you, I won't write this article like others where I just tell you how to buy a domain name and hosting and then leave you to yourself for configuring and actually creating a successful blog. I will cover everything I have learnt in my 7+ years experience of creating a successful blog from scratch:

• How to buy the bestest, cheapest and fastest hosting for your blog or website
• Learn how marketing pros configure their wordpress dashboard
• How to write content that drives organic traffic and are click magnets. People will become raving fans of you and yoru blog
• 21 promotional strategies that will dirve insane traffic (number 17-18 will suprize you)
• Making money through your blog. Yes last year i made almost Rs 13,00,000 (approx $20,000) just from advertising on my blog, Clients, consulting, and other ways of monetizing were giving me 10x more revenue

So sit back and relax, and follow all the steps with me. I guarantee you that this article will change your life, trust me i have been in your position and i would have given anything if someone could have held my hand like i am doing with you to guide me and teach me what i know today.

Why you will love this guide

Compete video training

I made this video to cover everything in a step by step manner for you guys. Each step has been showed to you in this video tutorial to make it crazy simple for you

So simple

that even a 5 year old can learn and implement these steps

Save money 

You won't make mistakes like I did (I will share discounts and cheat codes for saving money and making money)

Free Support

If you don't understand anything, either you can comment or shoot me an email at contact@incomeboy.com and I will be happy to help

I have segmented this guide in step-by-step manner with various headings. To make the navigation simple, use the TOC below to jump on any heading.

Table of Content for Quick Navigation

Why you will love this guide

Creating a passive income source

#1 : Choosing a Blogging Platform

Do i need to learn coding for WordPress

WordPress Alternatives

#2 : Self-hosting or Going for Free

#3 : Start a blog on your Self-hosted Domain and hosting 

How to search for Domain names

Best hosting company to make a blog and start blogging

Visit Siteground (add link) and start your blogging journey

#4. Designing your wordpress blog like a pro

#5. Learn Learn and Learn More

What you need for starting a blog

Computer/Laptop

Little Money

$ 3.95 Rs 254/month (India)

Time

15 mins Yes, its that simple

Why you should start a blog 

Blogging can be done for various reasons, some love writing, some love to have a fan following, some do it to make money (although money should just be a byproduct of your passion to write) and many other reasons.

W​hatever be your reason, do not start it if you are not in for the long game. If you are not consistent, then starting a blog should not be your priority. Creating a website and then adding content is time consuming, so make sure you love it otherwise you will be like any other nobody who starts out of passion and then the blog dies a slow death.

Creating a passive income source

Many people have started a blog and then realized the money making potential in it. Even all my revenue comes from the various websites I own. The majority of my new clients find me on one of my websites. I also make money through advertisement, affiliate marketing, consulting and many other ways. All this was possible because i started a blog in 2010

4 easy steps on How to start a Blog

Now starting a blog is easy all you need to do is follow the steps that i recommend. So let's start:

#1 : Choosing a Blogging Platform

This is more like the backend where you will be working on your blog. Just like you use Microsoft office for writing purpose you need a platform for interacting with your blog. The best blogging platform i recommend is WordPress.

If you have not heard of WordPress, then you will hear a lot from me, as WordPress is the best blogging platform on this planet (at least for bloggers :D). All my 10+ personal websites are hosted on WordPress and the simplicity and customization is amazing. 

The free and paid plugins that enhance the functionalities are too impressive. WordPress is the biggest blogging platform. It offers so many customizations that a newbie blogger can easily understand without any coding knowledge. ​Just look at the status of the research done by Pingdom:

Do i need to learn coding for WordPress

No, not at all. It is so simple, just log in and you are good to go. Even a YouTube tutorial is more than enough to make you understand this ultra simple blogging platform.

WordPress Alternatives

Yes, you can use Blogspot or Tumblr as well, but if you are serious about blogging then WordPress will be your best friend. Here are the advantages of using WordPress to start a blog

• Free and Easy to set-up and use
• Free themes and plugins are all you need - Yes don't spend a penny on anything, everything is free. I love free 
• Great support : If you face any problem there are tons of free solutuons available on various websites, Youtube, Quora, and also wordrpess forum. Again free of cost
• Zero technical skills required: You dont need to be a coder or technical perosn to learn wordpress, it is that simple to use.

#2 : Self-hosting or Going for Free

Another important question that should be taken seriously. Let me first differentiate between the two for you. Yes, i know i love free and i recommend free stuff, but sometimes just a few dollars can help you go a long way.

​Although all blogging platforms such as WordPress, Blogger and Tumblr can help you on how to start a blog for free, but free is not always the best. Here are the disadvantages for going for free blog:

No personal domain name

If you go for a free blog alternative then you will get an ugly domain name and that just honestly sucks. With free blog services your domain name will look like this:

• myblog.wordpress.com
• myblog.blogspot.com
• myblog.tumblr.com

Yes, I know you hate it, I do too

Very few customization options

Yes with a free blogging platform you will get a lot of limits in terms of customization, personalization and more. You are limited to:

• No custom theme - The themes that the free blogging platform offers 
• Very few monetization options
• Wont get google love : A major traffic source for any website is Google, and ranking on your target keywords will be extremely difficult
• It is borrowed property: After all you are just another member in their world, why not just buy a new world for yourself, its cheap i guarantee. I love the blog being mine. Let's say your blog become very popular then you don't own anything. All the benefit will go to the free hosting company. You won't be able to scale your blog. So if you are serious about blogging do not go for free blogging alternative

#3 : Start a blog on your Self-hosted Domain and hosting 

I hope you have decided to go for self-hosting your blog, trust me its cheap and very simple. Self hosting with a custom domain your WordPress based blog is will the best decision of your life. 

I wish I knew this and had started my blogging journey on a self-hosted WordPress based blog. I learnt this useful information much later in my blogging journey.

If you are still confused and need my personal assistance, then feel free to shoot me an email at: contact@incomeboy.com , my team and i will be happy to help you.

Now let me tell you how  to select a domain name and hosting platform for your blog.​ But first let me explain these terms to you:

• Domain name: The domain name is just the address you put in your browser address bar. Like when you enter www.incomeboy.com then incomeboy.com is the domain name of my website
• Hosting: This is the space that you buy from a hosting company that keeps all your blog files and related items and help to render to load your website to all the people who are opening your website. (A good hosting company makes all the difference, i will cover that soon in this article)

How to search for Domain names

Not all domain names are available. Honestly, its a difficult job to find a good domain name for your blog, I spend quite a bit of time finding the best domain name that is actually available.

You can use this amazing tool by Shopify to find good looking domain names for your blog : Shopify business name generator​

Once you have finalized a domain name, now you need to buy that domain name for yourself. Although people make the mistake of buying the domain name and then buying the hosting separately, but here is a tip for you. When you buy a hosting, the domain name comes free, see i just saved you $14. Now bring a smiley face and lets move forward.​

Best hosting company to make a blog and start blogging

You will encounter several articles and advertisements guaranteeing a cheap and reliable hosting, but trust me don't get affected by these baseless claims. I have created more than 500+ websites in my 7+ years experience and i know the ins and out of each hosting company.

​I even wrote a massive 5000+ word guide on the same topic just to educate the people on how to select the best hosting (add link)  company making a blog. You must check that article here: (add link)

The hosting companies personally use for my 10+ websites and recommend are: ​

Siteground hosting

Visit Siteground

All my 10+ websites are hosted on siteground hosting. 

I moved to Siteground in 2015 and I have never been happier. One of my website saw a 176% jump of free organic traffic just a couple of days after shifting, because Siteground made my website extremely fast​

Just go for Siteground without any hesitation and doubt in your mind. They are the most mind blowing hosting company that is offering premium servers and features at affordable prices.

If you need more data or have any question about sitegorund, feel free to contact us.

Hostgator hosting

Visit Hostgator

Do not go to Godaddy, they are absolutely worse and pathetic. Hostgator is the 2nd best option you have that is best for beginner bloggers. Although there are other companies like the WP - engine and a-2 hosting i recommend, but if you are just starting a blog, then Hostgator is the way to go

Many of my clients are comfortable with Hostgator, so I already have many client sites running on Hostgator servers, and trust me their performance is on par as Siteground

Although i highly recommend Siteground for anyone starting a blog, but If you decide not to go for Siteground or Hostgator, or go any other company from our Best hosting company (add link) list feel free to do so. Almost all of them have a one click WordPress installs feature and you can start working on your website. 

To make it easy for you to install wordpres and set up your blog , i have created this step-by-step image guide to help you get started. I have included this Siteground setup image guide at the bottom of this article and you can go to the start by clicking here. (add link) Although the video tutorial in the beginning is more than enough, if you want to use this image guide for guidance even that is fine.​

​

Visit Siteground  and start your blogging journey

Siteground is giving me and exclusive promotional discount if you go through my link, enjoy 

Start a blog with Siteground Today!

​

After you go through our video tutorial or Image guide below (add link) you can then access your WordPress dashboard at the following place: www.yourdomainname.com/wp-admin

Just log in with your username and password and here starts your blogging journey. Do not feel stupid or confused in the beginning after all you are starting something new, you are bound to be a little confused. Check this video tutorial on how to use WordPress, I have covered everything you need to know about WordPress and how to use it: (add link video)

#4. Designing your wordpress blog like a pro

Now lets make your blog beautiful and good looking more like a makeover. 

A blog design matters a lot, a good design shows professionalism and makes your information looks genuine and interesting. So to install a theme you need to go to Appearances --> Themes --> Upload theme -- > Upload --> Activate theme​

To get a theme there are two options:

• Free WordPress Theme
• Buy a theme from Themeforest (add link)

The blog design must reflect about your personality as well as it should be coherent with the niche or topic of your blog

Additional Step: Learn Learn and Learn More

To learn everything about Blogging, it takes time. You must keep learning to improve your writing skills as well as get huge traffic for your website.

Although i will be covering everything related to blogging , starting a blog, promoting the blog, building follower base, making money and all, but still you must learn more.

Look at your competitors what they are doing, ​learn from the blogging pros how and what is working for them that you can replicate. 

IncomeBoy.com - Journey to 1 million visitors/month

I have decided to document the journey of building and getting Incomeboy.com to 1 million visitors/month by the end of 2017. I will be documenting each step and tactic i will be using to grow this new website into one of the most popular website in India, I hope my 7+ years of experience will help me achieve my goal while i am able to deliver as much value as possible to my visitors.

Since the Goal is 31st December 2017, please bookmark this article (as this article will keep getting updated till 31st December 2017). I hope you learn and enjoy this case study with me.

So lets start

External help i am taking:

• 2 Paid Digital Marketing Interns (I have hired two students who have done a course in Digital Marketing and want to grow their career as Digital Marketer). They will be helping me in getting my website to 1 million visitors/day while also learning side by side from me
• 1 Freelance Graphic designer (to create Blog images, infographics, gifographics etc)
• Tools that i use : I have compiled a list of all the tools that i will be using for my website: Blogging tools

I dediced to share my journey in May but i started the actual work on Incomeboy.com from 1st April 2017. So it has already been one month and here are the updates of what we achieved in the month of April

Incomeboy.com April Progress Report 

Before the actual work to start, we need to create a framework and the actual base to build our website upon. So here are the most important steps that every websites needs to accomplish for themselves for the first month

Setting up Website

A website without proper structure will never be able to rank on Google for organic traffic. So you need to follow many steps in order to get your website to perfect start

​

​Share the Knowledge

This is what people have to say about this guide, I love it when people genuinely appreciate the time and effort it takes to write a highly informative, working and genuine guide like this:

Share

Share +1

Tweet

Steve Smith

Kudos to Ankur, for creating this simple and easy to understand guide on how to start a blog. 

I am starting my blogging journey, and I hope I will learn a lot more from you in your upcoming article.

One request: Keep the quality of the articles the same as this one​

Column 1

Suzanna

It could not have been easier for me to start a blog. 

Video tutorial plus easy language, with image tutorial as well. Now I see why you have so many clients, it's the quality factor you have that others lack.

​

Rahul Roy

Seeing an Indian blogger delivering such high quality, simplified guide makes me so proud

​Today i subscribed to your email list and followed you everywhere, hope to learn a lot more about blogging from you Ankur.

 

Babaria Advertising and Media - Claudia Ciesla Model and Actress

Bio

Claudia Ciesla was born to Polish-German parents on 12th February in Wodzislaw Slaski (Poland). Since childhood, she dreamt of achieving something big in life. Coming from a simple family, she had to work hard and push her boundaries. At 17, she started modelling in Germany, and became popular there. At a young age she won the titles of “German Super Girl” and “Snow Queen” in Austria. A few years later, she came to India and make her first mark with the reality show “BigBoss”. Being very focused about her work she truly believes that nothing is impossible. Today she is successfully being a part of the Hindi film industry.  But her desire doesn’t end here. Claudia is also a certified nutritionist and she is penning down her first book call “Keep Eating, Keep Losing: Weight-Loss Secrets” which is another milestone in her list of achievements.

work

• Pivotal role in Hindi movie “Kya Kool Hain Hum 3” starred opposite Tusshar Kapoor and Aftab Shivdasani. Movie produced by Balaji Motion Pictures and Alt Entertainment, released on 22nd Jan 2016.
• Special appearance in the item song called “Patnewaali” from the movie “Desi Kattey”. Song composed by Kailash Kher, sang by Rekha Bhardwaj, choreographed by Vishnu Deva. Movie released on 26th Sep 2014
• Participant in the TV Show called “Comedy Circus ke Mahabali” were she showed her comedy skills in 15 episodes. It was aired in 2013
• Starred opposite Akshay Kumar in the item song called “Balma” from the movie Khiladi 786. Song composed by Himesh Reshammiya, sang by Shreya Ghoshal choreographed by Ganesh Acharya. Movie released on 7th Dec 2012.
• Lead role in Punjabi movie “Yaar Pardesi” opposite Gurpreet Ghuggi. Movie released on 24th Aug 2012
• Performed at the National Games Closing Ceremony 2011 in Ranchi together with Katrina Kaif and singer Shaan
• Participant in the TV Reality Show called “Zor ka Jhatka – total Wipeout” with Shah Rukh Khan as the host. The show ended on 28 Feb 2011 with Claudia as the first runner-up.
• Brand Ambassador of “Lovely Professional University” in Punjab.
• Brand Ambassador of White Mischief Vodka which is a part of United Breweries Group (UB Group), making it the largest selling vodka in India.
• Participant in the TV Reality Show called “BiggBoss 3” with Amithab Bachchan as the host. The show ended on 26th Dec 2009 and Claudia stayed 10 out of 12 weeks in the house.
• Awarded with the prestigious Karmaveer Puraskaar Award for her involvement in social work on 26 November 2009.
• Pivotal role in English movie “Karma: Crime. Passion. Reincarnation” which released on 15th May 2008.

Babaria advertising and Media - Indian Coast guards intercept 2 suspicious vessels, alert authorities

Indian Coast guards intercept 2 suspicious vessels, alert authorities

ANI

Published Jul 13, 2017, 9:23 pm IST

Updated Jul 13, 2017, 9:23 pm IST

Both the vessels had departed foreign ports and were not scheduled to enter any Indian port.

  In a span of twenty days, Indian coast guard units on patrol intercepted two suspicious foreign flag vessels off the Gujarat coast. (Photo: Representational Image)

Gujarat: Ensuring tight safety, Indian Coast guards on patrol intercepted suspicious foreign vessels that were not scheduled to enter any Indian port, reached Gujarat coastline.
In a span of twenty days, Indian coast guard units on patrol intercepted two suspicious foreign flag vessels off the Gujarat coast. Both these vessels had departed foreign ports and were not scheduled to enter any Indian port.
Earlier on 10 July, Indian Coast Guard Dornier aircraft, on surveillance mission, sighted an unfamiliar boat adrift at sea. The aircraft immediately informed the Coast Guard Ship, Samudra Prahari in area for investigation.
The boat Al Bome Marize from Yemen was intercepted and boarded by Coast Guard Team at sea. Initial investigations revealed that the foreign boat with six crew members (3 from Yemen, 2 from Tanzania and 1 from Somalia), had developed an engine problem, while operating off Yemen Coast and had drifted since then.
The boat was thoroughly searched for any illegal contraband or consignment. Thereafter, the boat was towed to Porbandar by Coast Guard Ship for joint investigation by a Joint interrogation team which presently is in progress to verify crew credentials.
A Thuraya set and two GPS sets were also recovered from the vessel.
On 22 June, a Dhow MSV AL Ariz was intercepted by Coast Guard ship while maneuvering suspiciously off Gulf of Kutch and not replying on VHF. The Dhow loaded with sugar, cement, rice and five used cars had departed from Sharjah, UAE on 21 May for passage to Mukalla port inYemen. The dhow with 11 Indian crew members was investigated and then escorted by Coast Guard Ship to Mundra for joint investigation and rummaging.
During interrogation, the master stated that he decided to head towards Indian Coast for shelter due to inclement weather. It also emerged that the AIS and Thuraya sets were switched off during the passage
The crew along with ten mobile phones and two GPS sets has been handed over to Police and Custom by Coast Guard.
A thorough investigation and analysis by a Joint team of Coast Guard, Police, IB and Customs is in progress.
The Coastal security has been appreciated on successful forbidding of these vessels and the proactive approach of the Coast Guards in ensuring surveillance of coastal areas.

Babaria Advertising and Media - Enron Scandal case with India.

How India Replaced Harish Salve With Pak Lawyer And Paid Rs 1400 Crore To Settle The Dabhol Case

Team Republic | 1 month ago

In part-1 of #RepublicExposesEnronScandal, it was revealed how, in 2004, the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government hired a Pakistani-origin lawyer, at 300 pounds per hour, to fight the controversial Enron case. He replaced India’s top legal eagle Harish Salve in the case.
Confirming to Republic TV that he was indeed replaced, Harish Salve said,  “I thought we had a pretty good defence. But again, I am talking about 2002-04. So, I thought it was a pretty good case. But, memory fades and then there was change of lawyer, then I have absolutely no idea of what happened.”
In part-2 of the #RepublicExposesEnronScandal, documents accessed  by Republic TV revealed how India paid a staggering amount of Rs 1400 crore in three tranches to settle the case.
Back in 2004, US multinational giants General Electric and Bechtel bought Enron's 65 per cent stake in the controversial Dabhol Power Company.  While the cap fixed was at $300 million, the settlement reached was of $305 million dollars. The Indian Government paid Bechtel $160 million and paid GE $145 million. These large sums of payment made by the UPA allowed US companies to become rich at the cost of the Indian farmers.
The farmers, who were promised employment and compensation for losing their land in the Dabhol debacle, are yet to get their due. More than 700 families continue to be affected.

India Had A Decent Chance In Enron Case: Harish Salve

Team Republic | 1 month ago

Republic TV's Legal Editor spoke to former Solicitor General of India Mr. Harish Salve on the Enron Saga, as a part of the channel's Mega Exclusive investigation into the scandal.
Excerpts from the interview:
RHYTHM: To understand what really happened in the Enron saga, we are speaking to Former Solicitor General of India Mr Harish Salve, who was replaced when India had a good case but threw it all away. Mr. Salve, thank you for joining us. The first thing that I want to ask you is - you were at the helm of affairs when the Dabhol controversy happened. You were the Solicitor General, you were later replaced. Do you remember how the case was? Do you think the Enron case as it was, was a good case for India, sir?
HARISH SALVE: Rhythm, this is quite a while ago. I remember first draw to action on behalf of financial institutions and we had taken the provision that PTA is tainted by fraud.....I don't remember the details why but, I do remember we were at a pretty decent place. We got interim junctions. The matter was carried to the Supreme Court. I think we successfully defended to the court to try and resolve it.. But, at that time all the junctions were in place. The next thing we knew is, to the best of my recollection, that the GE battle took off in action against the insurance companies, in which it was a common premise that the 'PTA is valid but, PTA is not paying'. So they got some [inaudible] in their favour.
The insurance company brought the matter against Government of India and State of Maharashtra. The Government of India was absolutely clear that there was no action and how can you accuse the Government of India without any merit. I thought we had a pretty good defence. But again, I am talking about 2002-04. So, I thought it was a pretty good case. But, memory fades and then there was change of lawyer, then I have absolutely no idea of what happened.
RHYTHM:  And Mr. Salve, we also wanted to know about the case, you were dropped and unceremoniously there was a Pakistani Lawyer Khawar Qureshi who was brought in. We have papers that indicate he was paid 200-300 pounds per hour. At a time when there were escalated tensions with Pakistan. Why do you think the Government would do something that is so out of the ordinary —  to drop its top most lawyer who is ready to appear for them at a small charge and bring in an internaional lawyer — a Pakistani lawyer who is asking for hiked rate.
HARISH SALVE: Well, I don't know. This is something which you can ask the people who had arrived at that time. I mean a lawyer is the choice of the client. They wanted somebody they got somebody. Why they got, how they got, whom selected, whom is the matter of........I don't honestly know, Rhythm. As far as we were concerned, we were out of it and that was the end of it. By God's kindness I have never had [inaudible] bothered to find out what happened
RHYTHM:  How did this entire proceeding happen Mr. Salve? The fact that you were at the helm of affairs and were suddenly told to leave and someone was brought in. Was it a smooth process? Did they ask you for anything? Did you give them any opinion?
HARISH SALVE:  No.....no. I remember we were working on something, Shailendra Swarup and I. He told me that they wanted the work in progress and I said look it is not fair to say work in progress to somebody because by definition it is not in progress and who takes the responsibility? I mean this is again you are asking me things which I [inaudible].
RHYTHM:  Right. By work in progress Mr. Salve, you mean they wanted some notes which you might have made in the Enron case to be handed over to Qureshi?
HARISH SALVE:  Yeah, we were working on it. You know stuff which we have done and [inaudible] work in progress is my tentative work. So, some may say it's my tentative work and the fact that if I can't take responsibility, it is not fair to pass it off. If somebody says it is from Mr. Salve, then I mean I myself can change it completely.  So that's it. But, this is again I don't know a long time ago which I don't remember at all. After all.....
RHYTHM: Yes

Enron in India: The Giant's First Fall

Enron's collapse may have begun half a world away, in Dabhol India. Mired in controversy from the get-go, the Dabhol project was an economic and human rights disaster.

Enron's collapse may have begun with the kind of misadventures it engaged in half a world away among the quiet coastal villages of Dabhol, India.

In 1992, the Enron Corp. announced it would build a $3 billion natural-gas power plant in Dabhol in the western state of Maharashtra. The project was to be the poster child of economic liberalization in the country -- the single largest direct foreign investment in India's history.

Instead, Enron in India has been an economic disaster and a human rights nightmare.

From the get-go, the Dabhol project was mired in controversy. Enron worked hand in hand with corrupt Indian politicians and bureaucrats in rushing the project through. Charges filed by an Indian public interest group allege Enron and the Indian company Reliance bribed the Indian petroleum minister in 1992-93 to secure the contract to produce and sell oil and gas from the nearby Panna and Mukta fields to supply the plant.

A Human Rights Watch report recounted incidents of farmers' land stolen, water sources damaged, officials bribed and opponents of the project arrested on trumped-up charges. In 1997, the state police attacked a fishing village where many residents opposed the plant. The pregnant wife of one protest leader was dragged naked from her home and beaten with batons.

The state forces accused of abuses provided security to the Dabhol Power Corporation (DPC), a joint venture of Enron, the Bechtel Corp. and General Electric, overseen by Enron.

The U.S. State Department issued the DPC a human rights clean bill of health. Charged with the assessment was U.S. Ambassador Frank Wisner, who had also helped Enron get a contract to manage a power plant in Subic Bay in the Philippines in 1993. Shortly after leaving his post in India in 1997, Wisner took up an appointment to the board of directors of Enron Oil and Gas, a subsidiary of Enron.

Thanks in part to Wisner's positive rights review, Washington extended some $300 million in loan guarantees to Enron for its investment in Dabhol -- even though the World Bank had refused to finance the project, calling it unviable.

A recent Indian investigative committee report exposed an "utter failure of governance" -- bribery, lack of competitive bidding, secrecy, etc. -- by both the Indian federal government and two successive state governments as they rushed the Enron project through.

By June 2001, the Maharashtra state government had already broken off its agreement with DPC because its power cost too much. That was the plant's one and only customer.

By December, news of Enron's collapse was in newspapers across the world. But the company still filed a $200 million claim with the U.S. government's Overseas Private Investment Corporation, a U.S. taxpayer-funded insurance fund for American companies abroad, in an attempt to recoup losses from the DPC. Indian newspapers reported that Vice President Dick Cheney, Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neil and Commerce Secretary Don Evans tried to twist the Indian government's arm into coughing up the money. Otherwise, U.S. officials warned, other investment projects would be jeopardized. International media reported last month that U.S. government documents showed Cheney tried to help collect the debt.

Today in Dabhol, the power plant is considered polluting and undependable. Spring water has become undrinkable, the mango crop is blighted and the fish catch is dwindling. Often at nightfall, the electricity fails.

How did Enron manage to push the project through? By using a time-tested strategy. Centuries ago, the East India Company went to India to trade and stayed on to rule. Before long, Indian money and goods were feeding coffers in London, and the products were sold back to the colony. The DPC was in India, but the money went to Enron's offshore tax shelters. And just like the East India Company, Enron appeared to apply a strategy of divide and conquer. It offered groups of villagers money, hospitals and lucrative labor contracts, with the result that families sometimes became divided against each other.

Pakistan's lawyer at ICJ once pleaded for India in Enron case: report

ANI

Published May 22, 2017, 12:31 pm IST

Updated May 22, 2017, 12:31 pm IST

Millions of dollars were at stake for India and initially Harish Salve was retained as a counsel, but then replaced by Qureshi.

 Pakistan lawyer Khawar Qureshi. (Photo: ANI Twitter)

New Delhi: Lawyer Khawar Qureshi who represented the Pakistan government at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) hearing on the Kulbhushan Jadhav case, represented India 15 years ago in an arbitration matter in the United States.
According to the Dawn, the arbitration before an international tribunal in the United States was initiated by Enron over the closure of the Dabhol power project in 2004.
Millions of dollars were at stake for India and initially Harish Salve, who is representing India at ICJ currently, was retained as counsel for a concessional fee of Rs 100,000 for a day's hearing.
However, a sudden change of heart forced the legal firm Fox and Mandal to hire Qureshi.
India ultimately lost the Enron case and also paid a heavy fee to Qureshi.

The Dabhol Power Company (now called RGPPL - Ratnagiri Gas and Power Private Limited) was a company based in Maharashtra, India, formed in 1992 to manage and operate the controversial Dabhol Power Plant.^[1] The Dabhol plant was built through the combined effort of Enron, GE, and Bechtel. GE provided the generating turbines to Dabhol, Bechtel constructed the physical plant, and Enron was charged with managing the project through Enron International. From 1992 to 2001, the construction and operation of the plant was mired in controversies related to corruption in Enron and at the highest political levels in India and the United States (Clinton administration and Bush administration).^[2]
In 2001, the power plant ran into trouble due to Enron scandal leading to the bankruptcy of Enron.^[3]
In 2005, it was taken over and revived by converting it into the RGPPL (Ratnagiri Gas and Power Private Limited), a company owned by the Government of India.[
The plant was to be constructed in two phases. In March 1995, the ruling Congress Party in Maharashtra lost to a nationalist coalition that had campaigned on an anti-foreign investment platform. In May, hundreds of protesting villagers swarmed over the site to protest the displacement of people that would take place, and a riot broke out. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International eventually charged the security forces guarding Dabhol for Enron with human-rights abuses; Human Rights Watch blamed Enron for being complicit. On August 3, the Maharashtra state government ordered the project to be halted because of "lack of transparency, alleged padded costs, and environmental hazards." Construction ground to a halt. By then, Enron had invested about $300 million into the project.^[5]

Phase One

Phase one was set to burn naphtha, a fuel similar to kerosene and gasoline. Phase one would produce 740 megawatts and help stabilize the local transmission grid. The power plant's phase one project was started in 1992 and finally completed two years behind schedule.

Phase Two

Phase two would burn liquefied natural gas (LNG). The LNG infrastructure associated with the LNG Terminal at Dabhol was going to cost around $1 billion.^[6]
In 1996 when India's Congress Party was no longer in power, the Indian government assessed the project as being excessively expensive and refused to pay for the plant and stopped construction. The Maharashtra State Electricity Board (MSEB), the local state run utility, was required by contract to continue to pay Enron plant maintenance charges, even if no power was purchased from the plant. The MSEB determined that it could not afford to purchase the power (at Rs. 8 per unit kWh) charged by Enron. From 1996 until Enron's bankruptcy in 2001 the company tried to revive the project and spark interest in India's need for the power plant without success. The project was widely criticized for excess costs and deemed a white elephant. Socialist groups cited the project as an example of corporate profiteering over public good. Over the next year Enron reviewed its options. On February 23, 1996, the then government of Maharashtra and Enron announced a new agreement. Enron cut the price of the power by over 20 percent, cut total capital costs from $2.8 billion to $2.5 billion, and increased Dabhol's output from 2,015 megawatts to 2,184 megawatts. Both parties committed formally to develop the second phase. The first phase went online May 1999, almost two years behind schedule, and construction was started on phase two. Costs would now ultimately climb to $3 billion. Then everything came to halt. The MSEB refused to pay for all the power, and it became clear that getting the government to honor the guarantees would not be an easy task. Although Maharashtra still suffers from blackouts, it says it does not need and cannot afford Dabhol's power. India's energy sector still loses roughly $5 billion a year. This plant was taken over by Ratnagiri Gas and Power Private limited in July 2005.

Babaria Media - Scientists Learn How To Make You Forget or Remember While You Sleep

Scientists Learn How To Make You Forget or Remember While You Sleep

Monday, July 10, 2017 2:49

IBS researchers find that manipulating the pulses of electrical activity in the thalamus during non-REM deep sleep make mice remember or forget. Have you ever tried to recall something just before going to sleep and then wake up with the memory fresh in your mind? While we absorb so much information during the day consciously or unconsciously, it is during shut eye that a lot of facts are dispatched to be filed away or fall into oblivion. A good quality sleep is the best way to feel mentally refreshed and memorize new information, but how is the brain working while we sleep? Could we improve such process to remember more, or maybe even use it to forget unwanted memories?
Scientists at the Center for Cognition and Sociality, within the Institute for Basic Science (IBS), enhanced or reduced mouse memorization skills by modulating specific synchronized brain waves during deep sleep. This is the first study to show thatmanipulating sleep spindle oscillations at the right timing affects memory. The full description of the mouse experiments, conducted in collaboration with the University of Tüebingen, is published in the journal Neuron.
The research team concentrated on a non-REM deep sleep phase that generally happens throughout the night, in alternation with the REM phase. It is called slow-wave sleep and it seems to be involved with memory formation, rather than dreaming.
During slow-wave sleep, groups of neurons firing at the same time generate brain waves with triple rhythms: slow oscillations, spindles, and ripples. Slow oscillations originate from neurons in the cerebral cortex. Spindles come from a structure of the brain called thalamic reticular nucleus and spike around 7-15 per second. Finally, ripples are sharp and quick bursts of electrical energy, produced within the hippocampus, a brain component with an important role in spatial memory.
“Often during the night a regular pattern is manifested, where a slow oscillation from the cortex is immediately followed by a thalamic spindle and while this happens, a hippocampal ripple appears in parallel. We believe that the correct timing of these three rhythms acts like a communication channel between different parts of the brains that facilitates memory consolidation,” explains Charles-Francois V. Latchoumane, first co-author of the study.
Figure 1: The triple rhythm of brain waves during non-REM deep sleep

©Freepik.com The electrical fields of groups of neurons in a certain region of the brain give rise to specific patterns of brain waves. Different areas of the brain generate characteristic squiggles of electroencephalogram (EEG) tracings. Peaks (up-states) represent neurons firing at the same time, while minima (down-states) are the sign of neuronal silence. Depending on the origin, frequency and shape, it is possible to distinguish slow oscillations from the cortex, spindles from the thalamus, and ripples from the hippocampus. (credits: modified from Phduet, freepik.com) The researchers focused on spindles because it was shown that the number of spindles is connected with memorization. It has been shown that the number of spindles increases following a day stuffed with learning and declines in the elderly, and in patients with schizophrenia. This is the first study to show that artificial thalamic spindles affect memory, if administered in sync with slow oscillations.
In the experiment, mice were put in a special cage and given a mild electric shock after hearing a tonal noise. The day after, their memory was tested, by checking their fear reaction in response to either the same noise or the same cage. Latchoumane explains that this could be simplified and compared to the experience of hearing a fire alarm in a certain location, like a cafe. The incident would be followed by either another visit to the same cafe or the sound of the fire alarm in another cafe on the following day.
At nighttime between the two days, scientists introduced artificial thalamic spindles in some of the mice using a light-based technique called optogenetics. The mice were divided into three groups. The first group received the light input just after the slow oscillations, so their spindle could form a triple rhythm (in phase): slow oscillation-spindle-ripples. In the second group the light stimulations were applied later “out of sync”. The third group was used as a control and did not receive any light stimulation.
The day after, mice were placed in the same location and their movement was recorded. The mice of the first group were frozen in fear 40% of the time, even in absence of the noise. On the contrary, mice in the second and third groups only froze up to 20%. Instead, when the mice heard the same tone in a different location, remembered the tone and froze in fear up to 40% of the time, independently from the group they belonged to. The hippocampus is involved in spatial memories which might explain the difference
Figure 2: Experimental design to study the effect of artificially induced brain waves.Mice were located in a cage and give a mild electric shock after hearing a noise (left). During the night an optogenetic method (center) was used in some of the mice to induce thalamic spindles artificially. The mice were divided into three groups: in the first group the spindle could form a triple rhythm (IN, red), in the second group the spindle was induced “out of sync” (OUT, green) and in the third group no stimulation was received (NoSTIM, black).

▲  (credits: modified from freepik.com)
 The day after, the researchers checked if the mice remembered either the location or the noise (right). If the mice recall the incident, they freeze in fear. If the thalamic spindles were induced in phase with the slow oscillations (IN, red), then the mice were better at remembering the location. If the same noise was presented in a different location, all mice were equally good at remembering it.
Video 1: Artificially introduced thalamic spindles improve mice memory, if properly synchronized with the rhythm of other brain waves.The first mouse is a control which did not undergo any stimulation of thalamic spindles overnight. The second mouse had thalamic spindles induced in phase with the slow oscillations. It does not move so much around the cage (freezing, fear response), as it was better able to recall the incident which happened in the same location the day before

 Credit: IBS YouTube channel. (background image modified from freepik.com)
The opposite was also true: it was possible to make mice forget. By reducing the number of overnight spindles, the researchers could reduce the memory recall.
The research team thinks that the thalamus is the coordinator of long-term memory consolidation, the process where recently acquired information is transferred from the hippocampus to the cortex to be filed away as long-term memory. The hippocampus is like a hub, where a lot of information comes in and has to be redirected to the correct destination within the brain, especially to the cortex. This study shows that the thalamus seems to mediate the information exchange between hippocampus and cortex. “We think that memorization during deep sleep has to do with time coordination. If the hippocampus tries to exchange information when the cortex neurons are not ready to receive it, the information could be wasted,” describes Latchoumane. “Slow oscillations might be the signal used by the cortex to flag that it is ready to accept information. Then, the thalamus would alert the hippocampus via the spindles.”
It is possible to foresee that patients with memory deficiencies could benefit from translation of this research into humans. However, several points need to be clarified: can we manipulate single memories independently? Is the REM phase influencing the outcome? How is stored memory retrieved? While waiting for the next research outcomes on the science of sleep, sweet dreams… and sweet memories too.
Contacts and sources:
Mr. Shi Bo Shim
Institute for Basic Science
Citation: Charles-Francois V. Latchoumane, Hong-Viet V. Ngo, Jan Born, and Hee-Sup Shin. Thalamic Spindles promote memory formation during Sleep through Triple Phase-Locking of Cortical, Thalamic and Hippocampal rhythms. Neuron, July 6, 2017. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2017.06.025