Ban the Bhang?

Can you imagine Holi being celebrated without the ubiquitous Bhang? What is this exotic drink? Culled from the leaves and buds of Cannabis plant, the very intoxicating Bhang helps to escalate the spirit of Holi.
Cultivation of Cannabis is government regulated and illegal without a permit. The derivatives of Cannabis are Marijuana, Hashish and Bhang. In the US, several states have decided to legalise the recreational use of Marijuana; in India, such a similar use for Cannabis, was the norm till 1985, when due to US pressure to stop India becoming a conduit for drugs from Afghanistan and Pakistan, our government notified Cannabis as a narcotic.

A Times of India report says:

It is now medically proven that marijuana is less harmful than alcohol. In fact, the good weed has medical uses (as many as 19 US states have legalized marijuana for medical purposes). However, moderation is the key. While excessive and sustained consumption of alcohol can cause severe liver damage leading to death, excessive use of marijuana too can cause some damage, mainly to our sensory abilities. In moderation, marijuana is a gentle mood-altering relaxant.

So, if there is a rational policy towards intoxicants and we allow the sale and consumption of liquor, there is no good reason to not similarly allow sale and consumption of marijuana, hashish and bhang. For years, India has held this position. For 25 years since 1961, it has withstood American pressure to keep marijuana legal. Which brings us to the story of why it was banned in India.

Since 1961, the US has been campaigning for a global law against all drugs, both hard and soft. Given that ganja, charas and bhang were a way of life in India, we opposed the drastic measure. But by the early '80s, American society was grappling with some drug problems and opinion had grown against the "excesses" of the hippie generation. In 1985, the Rajiv Gandhi government buckled under the pressure and enacted a law called the Narcotic Drugs & Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

(The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, commonly referred to as the NDPS Act, is an Act of the Parliament of India that was assented to by President Giani Zail Singh on 16 September 1985, and came into force on 14 November 1985. The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Bill, 1985 was introduced in the Lok Sabha on 23 August 1985. It was passed by both the Houses of Parliament and it was assented by the President on 16 September 1985. It came into force on 14 November 1985 as The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 (shortened to NDPS Act). Under the NDPS Act, it is illegal for a person to produce/manufacture/cultivate, possess, sell, purchase, transport, store, and/or consume any narcotic drug or psychotropic substance.)

Twenty seven (now, nine) years later, now that some American states have "shown the way", it is time to revisit the ban. When ganja, charas and bhang don't have obvious medical negatives and don't lead to addiction or violent behaviour (which alcohol may be accused of doing), why then should it not be legal as it was in India for centuries? Especially, when there is no social or cultural rejection of them. On the contrary, it is a way of life in our country. Poorly thought-out laws lead to corruption and the harassment of ordinary people. It also tells on the health of the nation. Instead, the NDPS Act should be amended and soft drugs such as ganja, charas and bhang should be made legal. (End of report).

ALTERNATIVELY, SHALL WE CAMPAIGN FOR BANNING BHANG TOTALLY?




Interview - Actor Vincent Asokan

Published in The Hindu Cinema Plus

Remember the television commercial for an online shopping portal which asks, in Hindi "Real life mein aisa hota hai kya?" Similarly, does menacing villains and fisticuffs at the drop of a hat, happen in real life? Does a lanky youngster in real life manage to beat up scores of well-built thugs with his bare hands? Well, that is celluloid for you. Everything that happens on the silver screen is larger than life and is meant purely to entertain the masses. After all, don't we all need an escape into a world of make-believe from the drudgery of humdrum life?

And, that's precisely what actor Vincent Asokan is good at. He would rather chase the good man (read: hero), rough up the damsel (read: heroine) into more distress and eventually get smashed to a pulp by the said hero. For, that's what the masses want and that's his profession - Villainy!

Since his introduction to the silver screen in 2004 in director A Venkatesh's Aei, Vincent Asokan has done that in close to 30 films. That's an average of 3 films a year! But, 2013 was different for Vincent as it must have been for other villains and thugs of the film industry. That was the year when, besides the odd 'Madurai-type-film', comedy and romance reared its head. "For the first time in my career, 2013 was a dull year with no releases, except a Kannada film, Lakshmi. But the bright side was the completion of two excellent films and the ongoing production of four others," says Vincent.

Bright year ahead

That makes six films ready or getting ready for release this year. And, Vincent is quite upbeat about them. "In Thottal Thodarum, directed by Cable Shankar, I play a negative role with a difference. I have absolutely no dialogues and the terror element is conveyed through menacing looks, facial expressions and actions. I was quite apprehensive when Shankar narrated the script, but I found a uniqueness in this characterisation which gave me the confidence to do the role. At the end of it all, personally, I feel that this will be one of the highlights of my career," confides Vincent. Thaman Kumar is the hero of Thottal Thodarum, with Vincent playing a hired assassin.

While, Vincent's role in Thotal Thodarum will come up for critical acclaim, the one he plays in director Ramesh Selvan's Thalaivan will take him back into mainstream villainy. "Thalaivan is a proper commercial film with all the right ingredients to warrant such a big budget production. It is a very well-made film in which I play a Don. BAS Bhaskaran in the hero. Ramesh Selvan has etched an extremely powerful character for me which takes me to action in locations such as Goa and Ooty/Coonoor," says Vincent.

Besides Thottal Thodarum and Thalaivan, Vincent has four other films, in almost completed status which will give him a variety of roles. "For instance, in Eppodum Vendraan, for director Sivashanmugham, I play a cameo role of a good cop. In Ennamo Nadakkuthu, director Rajapandi wanted me for a guest role as a boxer; I spar with actor Prabhu. But, there are two other films in which I am doing main villain roles that are ready for release. Director A. Venkatesh has given me a thug's role in Killadi which has Bharat as the hero. In Mayyam Kondein, director Arjunaraja has come up with an interesting script in which I play a village bad man to Dilip Kumar's hero."

Trend cycles

Changing trends do not worry him. Vincent feels that, as in any other industry, trends keep changing and there will always be a cycle. Consequently, in films, villains, heroes and heroines will keep changing their styles to keep with audience demands. "There have been instances when villains took to comic roles, or heroes took to negative roles. Mainstream heroines have done item numbers, too. Clearly demarcated roles are not the order of the day and we as actors have also to understand the needs of the audience and keep re-inventing ourselves. But, when it boils down to hard facts, villains have to beat up the hero and in turn get beaten up."

Does he perceive a change in trend from main stream movies to critically acclaimed small budget films with comedy and romance as the theme? "While that may be the case with so many comedies, romantic films and realistic stories doing the rounds, we must all understand that films are meant to entertain. And, to properly entertain the masses, there must be commercial elements - songs, dances, fights, thrills, good man, bad man, comedian, item numbers, car chases - the works. Obviously, these will be big budget films with big action stars, but these will also be box office successes, giving mass entertainment value. Films are larger than life and so will the hero, heroine and villain be. As long as there are good directors who come up with exciting scripts to portray his film's characters differently, all of us will have our work cut out properly," concludes Vincent Asokan, in a positive frame of mind, as he looks forward to his first Bollywood film with a current favourite director from the South.

Interview: Director Kaushik of Tamil film Adiyum Andamum

Published in The Hindu Cinema Plus

Here is a one good looking director who did not get tempted to act in his own film, despite the fact that his entry into Kollywood was through lead roles and several television serials. "Since 1997 I have acted in four films – Indru Mudhal, Kathal Saregama, Athu Oru Kanakalam, Thoovanam, and the short story series on television, Kathey Neram. But I have always nurtured a desire to direct and having waited many years for the opportunity to come up, I didn't want to make a mess of things by indulging myself to act. Even while acting in films I have always been curious about directing techniques, camera placements, lighting etc and have learnt a lot by just observing and asking questions," says Kaushik whose Adiyum Andamum is releasing on March 14. His stint assisting director Haricharan in a biopic, after his role in the director's Thoovanam, has helped him learn a lot about direction.

The producer and hero of Adiyum Andamum, Ajaay and Kaushik have known each other for some time and when the former launched his own production company in 2010, Kaushik was requested to come up with a script. "Before this I was peddling several ideas to many producers, in vain. When I narrated a basic story line to Ajaay, he immediately showed a keen interest and thereafter, I started working on the script, which eventually became Adiyum Andmum. In Ajaay I found the right actor with the required qualities and temperament, as well as belief in the script. At the end of it all, I must say, that he has brought the character to life, like no other. I think his experience in doing TV serials like Kolangal, has helped a lot. More so, because he wanted to get out of the negative image that was impressed upon him, from the 'Adhi' character in the serial," says Kaushik.

Kaushik is not willing to divulge much about the plot of his film, except to say that viewers will see a totally different side to Ajaay and also identify with the core message of the screenplay. "It is a psychological thriller and, besides Ajaay, the two female characters played by Mitali Agarwal and Kavita Srinivasan are a very integral part of the story. I do not believe in ornamental characters in my films. Of course there will be romance and songs, but these are required to take the screenplay forward to its unexpected climax. When a viewer feels that he has got full satisfaction (paisa vasool) for the 120 bucks he spent on the movie ticket, for me, the film is a commercial success - whether it has item numbers, fights and chases, or not."

Despite the best intentions and sincere efforts, producer Ajaay went through a rough patch half way through the making of Adiyum Andamum, from which he resurrected himself by roping in an investor who came in as a co-producer. "Yes, there was a bit of a delay and during that phase, I was offered another film to direct," says Kaushik who started work on Panivizhum Nilavu.  After Ajaay's project resumed, Kaushik had the tough job of doing double duty to complete both productions simultaneously. "That was a tough period, especially for someone who was directing for the first time. But, the very experience has taught me a lot and I am now ready to take on bigger projects. While I am eagerly awaiting the release of Adiyum Andamum, I am also looking forward to Panivizhum Nilavu hitting the screens, soon thereafter," concludes Kaushik.

Interview: Director Raju of Tamil film Cuckoo

Published in The Hindu Cinema Plus

The call of the kuyil - 'cuc-k-o-o' - has a melody that is so symbolic of the lyrical magic of love. It has a touch of symphony that brings out the tender emotions of togetherness and belonging - that of true love. Such pure love, according to director Raju Murugan, knows no colour or smell. It is all about touch, feel and imagination. For, how else do Thamizh and Swatantrakodi, two visually challenged people fall in love in his tender love story, which he has aptly titled Cuckoo?

"The film is a musical love story between the two who do not allow their handicap to come in the way of their affection for each other. Their visual impairment is not an encumbrance in their life. She is a very confident girl who does not expect any sympathy and he is very humorous and full of life," says Raju. Dinesh (Attakathi) plays Tamizh, an uneducated youth while Malavika Nair (Malayalam film Black Butterfly) plays Swatantrakodi, a college student studying for a teacher's degree. Both the characters are from economically backward communities.

The inspiration for the story of Cuckoo came to Raju Murugan during his days as a journalist with Anandaviketan. "In the course of my work I used to come across scores of interesting people. One such person, was a blind man on whom the character in Cuckoo is based. He used to narrate to me his life, his experiences and the love for his girlfriend who was also visually challenged. For years, this idea has been germinating within me and later, during my three years of assisting director Lingusamy, I had extensively worked on the story. To a large extent it is a true story as it is based on the life of the couple who were so much in love, despite their handicap. But, for cinema, certain liberties have been taken to make it more appealing to the audience," informs Raju.

Initially, Raju had actually presented it to director Shankar who saw a great promise in the script, but was already tied up with Ai to take it up as a project for his S Pictures. "On his suggestion and with a little help from a couple of friends from the television industry, I got the opportunity to present it to The Next Big Film Productions and Fox Star Studios who gave me the go ahead immediately," says Raju.

Raju didn't want big names for his lead roles, but someone who had a bit of experience as well as the talent to grasp the nuances of acting as blind people. "We had a two month workshop when the actors were made to interact with the original couple who were the inspiration for my story. Both Dinesh and Malavika quickly learned the way the blind people move, interact and go about their daily chores. There is another visually challenged couple, Elango and Nandini who act as friends of Thamizh and Swatantrakodi. So when we started shooting, it was quite a breeze for all concerned. More important was to get a cinematographer who understood the need to neither downplay nor glorify the blindness factor. In P. K. Varma I found the right person with the temperament to understand the script. This is his next big one after Attakathi. He has achieved a perfect balance of visual beauty that is so important to the screenplay. Being a musical love story needed the right type of songs which Santosh Narayanan has brought out in his inimitable style," states Raju Murugan who is eagerly awaiting the release of Cuckoo on March 21.

Actor Vishal: Interview

Published in The Hindu Cinema Plus

What is the archetype of a film hero? Swashbuckling, tall, dark, rugged and handsome, brooding looks and a deep, manly voice. Vishal fits into all this, with his swaggering walk and disarming smile. Ideally he should be playing the buccaneering knight in shining armour who rescues a damsel in distress on his white steed or the gallant Romeo who woes his lady love to the ends of the earth. But, Vishal chooses to play a different game, especially in his forthcoming home production, Naan Sigappu Manithan (NSM).

"With Pandiya Nadu, I came out of my comfort zone as an action-oriented, angry young man to a softer character. And, it seemed to have clicked with my viewers. Maybe, my fan base has expanded, too," says Vishal. "Pandiya Nadu has given me the courage to experiment with different roles and when director Thiru narrated to me the story of NSM, I had no hesitation in accepting it."

Unusual subject

Vishal plays a person afflicted by narcolepsy (or hypnolepsy) which is a chronic neurological disorder caused by the brain's inability to regulate sleep-wake cycles normally. People with narcolepsy often experience disturbed nocturnal sleep (quite often confused with insomnia) and an abnormal daytime sleep pattern. Almost 80% of persons with narcolepsy also has cataplexy which is a sudden occurrence of muscle weakness. In these people, extreme emotions - sadness, anger or happiness will result in instant sleep wherever or whatever situation they are in. Cataplexy without narcolepsy is rare and the cause is unknown.

NSM is all about wishes of a person with this dual disorder. His bucket list consists of several wishes which he wants to attain. Although he is a narcolepsy afflicted person, he is also human and has his desires. In the face of his problems, how does he achieve all this? This situation becomes a great hindrance to the hero's lifestyle - he is unable to undertake any responsibility - that of even walking on the road for fear of falling asleep. How Vishal tackles these situations and overcomes his handicap is what NSM is all about.

"Honestly, I had no clue about this disorder or how a person with it behaves. Thiru had done a lot of research on the subject and I did some Googling too. Hence it was quite a challenge to take it on and enact the scenes," says Vishal. “But it was exciting to do this role and I am sure it will surprise a lot of my viewers. Thiru is attempting a film with an unusual subject for the first time - narcolepsy.  I have known him for many years and, having done two films with him, I am confident of what he can achieve. For me, as well as for him, this was something new and while I had absolutely no reference point for characteristics, Thiru’s research helped.”

Known for his action scenes, for Vishal it is a departure from the norm. "With my earlier films I had established a strong viewership in the second tier markets. When Pandiya Nadu released the film brought in more audiences in the rural areas. NSM is a city-based subject and quite modern in its approach. It is an action thriller with revenge as the main ingredient. In terms of the overall flavour of the film, it will neither be a dark film nor will it be one with messages. In my view, NSM will be a cult film as something like this has not been attempted so far,” says a confident Vishal, who is also the producer of Naan Sigappu Manithan under his own Vishal Film Factory banner.

Pack your bags

Pack your bags, not your worries

By Nikhil Raghavan

Nestled in the midst of the tranquil, green Nilgiri hills, of South India, at a height of about 7000 feet above MSL, is a tiny tea estate called Sans Souci. The words mean without a worry!
For years Sans Souci has been the place where the family that owns it, came away to rest, and shake the dust and worry of the city off themselves. It has always been a place where one is at peace with oneself and nature and where the worries of the world seem so far away that they become inconsequential. A place where you live without a worry!!

Sans Souci is an old property-one of the oldest in the Nilgiris. It was handed over to a Mr William Mullaly by the Right Honorable Secretary for State of India on the 9^th of December 1871. Since then it has had rather a checkered history - from the original 30 acres or so, the property has been whittled down to a mere one and a half acres. It has passed through several hands - one being Mr Thomas Brown who willed it to a Miss Jackson and her infant daughter. “for grievous wrongs done to her”. It was used as a convalescent home for British soldiers during the 2^nd World War, and during the Mysore wars, legend has it that Tipu Sultan buried the gold reserves of Seringapatnam on the property! A lovely fairytale, with not a shred of truth in it unfortunately. However what is true, is that the Nilgiris was a part of Tipu Sultan’s Revenue collection area, and that he had a fort within trekking distance of Sans Souci. This fort served as a lookout point, and a cannon fired from the Pakasuramalai fort, would warn the sentries at Seringapatinam of approaching enemies.

One of the owners of Sans Souci was Ernst Fritchi a celebrated Swiss botanist. He gave the property its name and is credited with turning it into a fabulous botanical garden. Unfortunately only a few of the trees he planted remain. One of these is a Giant Monkey Puzzle that is probably one of the tallest trees in the Nilgiris - it can be seen all the way from Coonoor town (8 kms away), and as you come up the ghat road from Mettupalayam.

The Catholic Bishop of Ootacamund sold the property to Mr V Srinivasan, the father of the current owner - Sunitha Srinivasan. The property is jointly managed by her and her husband Markus Pfefferer.

The Facilities:
The cottage at Sans Souci is simple and rustic. It harkens back to a time when luxurious living was not all that commonplace. It is essentially a one room living space divided by furniture into a bedroom that can accommodate a maximum of 4 persons, living cum dining room and a kitchenette.  At one end is the bathroom and toilet.

You can cook your own meals in the kitchenette or else order what you would like with the housekeeper.

Right outside the cottage is the famed Monkey puzzle tree, and in front of it is an old Victorian water tank, into which drops crystal, clear spring water from rock springs that are located on the property. In fact all the water used on Sans Souci is supplied by mountain springs.

The location:
8 kms from Coonoor town
60 kms from Coimbatore
300 kms from Bangalore

You can reach the property only by road. Pick up and drop can be provided from Coimbatore/Mettuplayam.

What you can do there:

Relax and read a book.

Visit Ooty, Coonoor and Kotagiri.

Go for long walks. There are some excellent routes around the property. If you are lucky you will get to see Bears, Bison, Peacocks and Hares. Some of the most picturesque treks in the vicinity of Sans Souci will lead you to:
     1. One of the largest expanses of Echo Rock in the region.
     2. A Toda Village
     3. Tipu Sultan's fort. The remains of a wall still exist.

Learn how to harvest Tea. Tea leaves are picked approximately once in 10 days, and if you are lucky to be on the property when they are harvesting, maybe you would like to learn how Tea is harvested.

Visit a Tea Factory.

The weather:

The best months are between February and September, when the temperature is between 18-22 degrees. October – December are rainy and cold, and the temperature has been known to touch zero degrees. No matter when you go, please carry some woolens and water proof clothing.

Essentially Sans Souci is an extremely welcoming home - a haven to soothe your soul and fill it with peace. Remember to pack some of that peace when you are leaving-it is what will help you face the long, hard days of city life.

For more information on Sans Souci do call Markus or Sunitha on +918041466793 / +919900590737 / +919900590713

BankBazaar.com

Banking Online

After several years in the US, the urge to return home struck Arjun Shetty and his wife, Rati Rajkumar. Having decided to set up home in Chennai, in the early part of 2007, Arjun went shopping for a home loan. He found it really hard to get a good deal and had to go from bank to bank during their working hours, stand in line and fill reams of forms to even get a quote. "Once I got the quotes, I still found it hard to compare as banks quoted interest rates in different ways and they never spelled out the various fees associated with a home loan," says Arjun.

Additionally he learnt that banks didn’t usually start-off offering the best rate that he was eligible for. They’d usually try and charge a higher rate, and he had to bargain hard to get them to lower their rates. At the end of a week, despite wasting a lot of time researching loans, being a good bargainer and being reasonably knowledgeable about finance, he still wasn’t convinced that he was getting the best deal on the home loan.

"Many people I spoke to had similar experiences. Rati and I brainstormed on whether we could make this process significantly more convenient, and became convinced that it was possible," realised Arjun. He had worked at Amazon.com in Seattle and managed the Amazon.com Visa Card program. His brother Adhil was then working for Deloitte Consulting in New York. A convincing call from Arjun set Adhil's brain ticking and the next thing he did was to arrive in Chennai and plan a startup venture BankBazaar.com. Adhil's background of a Bachelor degree in Engineering from College of Engineering, Guindy, Anna University coupled with a Masters degree in International Relations with a specialisation in International Finance and Business from Columbia U had stood him in good stead while managing Deloitte Touche Tomahatsu's US East alliances; this came in handy when forming the start-up venture. "The idea was to start a dotcom company as a one-stop shopping solution for any kind of financial loans. BankBazaar.com was launched as the world's first online real-time loan disbursal platform for one-stop end-to-end solutions," says Adhil.

BankBazaar.com is the world's first neutral online marketplace that gives you instant customized rate quotes on loans and insurance products. You can instantly search for, compare and apply for loans, credit cards and insurance products on their site. Since they partner with India's leading financial institutions and insurance firms, you have to look in only one place to get a great deal.

"Our goal is to make it easy for everyone to get a great deal on a loan or an insurance product. On BankBazaar.com, you can easily compare the total costs of the loan offers made to you, and get access to unbiased customers' ratings of financial institutions. We want to make it easy for a person to have a lot of options, to take a well-informed decision when choosing which product to apply for and to do all this instantly! And best of all, BankBazaar.com's services are completely free," explains Adhil. The revenue comes in from the commission paid to them by banks after a loan has been sanctioned and disbursed. The client does not get charged for these services.

"The most fun thing about BankBazaar.com is that we work with extremely intelligent, passionate people who’ve excelled in their careers, but chose to take a leap of faith and join us because they believe in our vision. As we decided early on that we needed our team to comprise of the very best, the most difficult thing for us has been building our team as few people meet our bar. We’ve been successful at attracting some phenomenal people because we are truly passionate about what we do and because we dream big. My team comprises of people who worked for companies like Deloitte Consulting, Amazon.com, Microsoft, Trilogy, Kraft Foods and Capital One, that are considered amongst the best in the world," informs Adhil.

BankBazaar.com is invested by AVT Infotech and is funded by Angel Investors from Silicon Valley. The company is a first of its kind in this realm of facilitating bank loans, by offering multiple solutions on a real time basis from a wide range of banking and financial institutions. The core team is headed by Adhil Shetty, 30, CEO, Arjun Shetty, 29, COO, Rati Rajkumar, 28, CPO, Iype Isaac, 32, CTO, Vimal Kumar, 29, CIO, Gurjap Kohli, 29, VP and Noel Cedric, 29, Senior Marketing & Sales Manager who work with a total staff strength of 30 hardcore IT professionals, whose collective average age is less than 30.

The venture kickstarted in July 2007 with an investment of USD 1.2 million. During the first half of the current year, they have achieved a turnover of half a crore Rupees. "During this period, we have helped disburse on an average about 500 units of loans a month valued at approximately Rs. 20 crores. The largest loan disbursed was for Rs. 80 lakhs," says Adhil.

Surya Kompella of Bangalore is one such beneficiary. "My company Affiliated Computer Services Inc is into IT enabled services. I had logged into BankBazaar.com to apply for a personal loan of Rs. 2 lakhs for my marriage. I was able to obtain the best bargain from HDFC without having to visit numerous banks. I am thoroughly satisfied with the professionalism of their system and their method of operating," says Surya.

Sridhar Seshadri of Gurgaon is another satisfied customer. A senior person from a leading Internet company, he had availed of a personal loan through the facilities of BankBazaar.com. "I searched the Net for such services and from a list of three, I found the services and features of BankBazaar very user friendly. Within a day of logging in with all my details, I got a positive feedback from three banks from which I shortlisted one - HDFC. After the initial online interaction of filing all the required documents and details, my loan was sanctioned within 7 days. I must say that this experience has been quite encouraging and the brains behind an important financial service like BankBazaar.com needs applause," says Sridhar.

How is BankBazaar.com different? First of all, the process of registering itself is unique. Initially, you don't even have to divulge your name and telephone number. The user provides very basic information to determine his credit profile. The site will revert almost instantly with a few options of banks with their best offers. You can then compare the offers using their easy to use tools. After you have decided which bank or financial institution you want to go to, you can directly apply online. It is only at this stage that your name and contact number will be entered. Normally, similar online facilitators would pass on your contact to as many banks as possible and then you will be inundated with calls. And, mind you, all the facilities offered by BankBazaar.com is free to you. The facility allows you to upload all relevant documents and papers for the bank's verification. Only the personal identification has to be furnished in person. Once the loan is sanctioned, the user will have to make one visit to the bank with all the relevant supporting documents to sign the papers and avail of his loan.

"Competitors merely generate leads for banks i.e. they sell users’ contact details to the banks who then try to convert the lead. Our model adds marginal value and offers an end-to-end real-time solution for the customer," points out Adhil.BankBazaar.com offers a differentiated loan product of a one stop solution with the best online quotes offers from multiple banks. Differentiation is through complete loan completion process online and value add for the banks and customers.

How does this process benefit both the user and the bank? Says Adhil, "The customer needs personalised loan quotes as a simple process. The banks need to cut costs to maintain profitability. Data indicates that online lending in India has achieved critical mass. Banks are focussed on having efficient channels during this downturn." It eliminates the need for setting aside precious man hours and unwanted initial paperwork. "Loans at BankBazaar.com are at a net cheaper cost for the consumer than other options and we are compensated only by the banks and not by end user," says Adhil.

How good are these rates? "These are the lowest rates on offer from these banks. Please feel free to cross-check by directly calling the bank. Upon confirming that BankBazaar.com offers the lowest rates, do come back and apply because we also offer the fastest loan processing system in India," states Adhil.

END