Thursday, December 13, 2012

Catzilla - Of the cats, by the cats, for the cats



Quite recently, while browsing through Facebook, I came across a link that my friend had sent. It was about a very unique initiative called Catzilla - a rehabilitation center for the feline species. For the first time, I saw a place that was dedicated exclusively cats, which according to the venture's founders, are neglected in comparison to other pets. Here, cats are sterilized, given treatment for their injuries and also taken care of for some time after the treatment. Its not fully functional yet, with a few minor kinks yet to be ironed out.


But what is laudable is that those people have atleast made efforts to start such a venture. We see so many pets on the streets, be it cats, dogs, birds or anyone else. However, if some animal is limping, injured or in need of help, all that we do is 'aww' at it and feel bad about it. A very few amongst us will take the pain of picking it up and taking it to a vet, or giving it food. In such a scenario, this initiative stands out.

Along with cats, there are a few birds too that are being treated. I got a whole lot of photos from their album, but I'm sharing a few of them here:


Cute aren't they? Well if you live in Mumbai, you can drop by for a visit. Here is the address:

CATZILLA
Opp. Holy Cross Apartments,
Shankarwadi,
Next to 'Old Empire Shirt' Factory, Service Road,
Western Express Highway,
Jogeshwari (East)
Mumbai - 400060

Landmark : Near Shankarwadi Bus Stop, behind Sneha Sadan Ashram

Click here for the facebook link with more photos.

Meow, oops, cya! :D




Sunday, July 22, 2012

All about revaluation : Mumbai University

How many of us have been through the Mumbai University's often doubtful and unreliable evaluation process? Almost all. It has often been observed that in university exams, people who study a lot get less than expected, or people who don't, get more, etc. Whatever is the case, we always have surprises coming up when the results are declared.

So, the unfortunate people who had put in a lot of effort but did not manage to get as much get disappointed and start considering revaluation. Before you take this step, please go through this post, so that you get a full idea of what you are about to do.

Some facts regarding revaluation:

1) The application for revaluation or photocopy has to be done within 7 working days from the date of declaration of the result. For applying, you must have secured minimum 20% of the total marks of the subject, or 40% of the marks required for passing in that subject, whichever is less. (In normal words, it comes to at least 16 out of 100 marks)

2) The charges are: Revaluation:  500 per paper
                              Photocopy: ₹  100 per paper

3) The results are declared minimum 60 days after you have applied. Note that it can go up to anything. So, if you have failed, and expecting to pass, you will anyways have to study for the repeat exam. That is sad, but true. Usually, the result is out within few days of the re-exam, sometimes even after you gave the paper.

4) Even if you apply for a photocopy, that will be given to you roughly after 2 months of the date of application.

5) If you have written an answer correctly, and still have been awarded less marks, or marked incorrect, you cannot do anything about it. The only use of a photocopy is that you can approach them if there's a totaling mistake, or an answer has been left unchecked. If that is the case, you can apply for this revaluation(for totaling mistake or unchecked answer) within 3 working days after you got your photocopy. There are no extra charges for this.

6) Once you got your photocopy and after that, feel that the paper should be rechecked again, its not possible, however correct your answers may be.


7) If you have passed, but feel that you must have got more, and hence apply for revaluation, you are in for a big gamble. There is no guarantee that your marks will not be reduced, or in worst cases, you might even be failed.


8) The University considers revaluation in the literal sense of the word. This means that your paper will be assessed as if it is being checked for the first time. The revaluator will not know about the marks awarded by the previous examiner, as those will be hidden with white pasting on them (At least this is what I was told by an official). So, he will check it according to his knowledge and discretion.


9) The new marks will  reflect in your result only if the change is more than 10% of the total, or more than 10 marks if the total is 100 for the paper. Yes, there are many many people out there who feel it is 2% or 4%, but this is what it is. Most colleges, even reputed ones, are not aware of this rule. Be sure to verify it from the University officials.

And now comes the most important part, for the people who did not read this and applied for revaluation just because they had got less than expected.

If you had passed, and after revaluation find that you have been failed, there is still hope. You can use the Ordinance 5048-A of Mumbai University. Through that, if your change is quite big (say for example from 55 to 30 which is a 25% change) you can approach your college principal who has the authority to inform the examination house and request the Vice Chancellor for a third opinion on your paper. If the request is granted, your paper will be assessed for the third time, and the examiner will be informed that you had passed earlier, but were failed in reval. The other terms, as said above, will remain same.

A point to note is that in this case, the 10% rule does not apply. Here, whatever marks are allotted to you will be considered final. And, this is the end of the road. You cannot do anything beyond this step.

If you want any clarification or have a grievance, you can go here:

Revaluation Department

M.J. Phule Bhavan
Mumbai University
Kalina,
Santacruz (East)
Mumbai - 400 098

How to go there: Bus nos 318, 313, 619, 213, 306 LTD, 433, 517 LTD, 507 LTD from Santacruz(E) depot.(just outside Santacruz station)

What to do after going there: Ask for directions to M.J. Phule Bhavan at the security booth. Once you reach there, stand in the Enquiry Counter queue. You will be asked to explain all details of your case, so be sure to have all documents (hall ticket, mark sheet, reval receipt, etc.) handy. Once you are issued a gate pass, go to the concerned room.

What to do after you applied: Wait for your result. Keep checking the varsity website www.mu.ac.in. Once its declared, go to Counter No. 2 at M.J. Phule Bhavan and submit your original marksheet. You will be issued a new one in the specified time period.

If you have got anywhere around 40 to 45 (if the passing is 40), then don't even think about revaluation in your wildest dreams. Its better to be happy with less marks than to repeat an exam.
Also, if you have the highest marks in that paper, and still feel dissatisfied, chances are that you'll end up reducing your score.

The 10% rule leaves little hopes of increase in the tally. Note that even in cases of revaluation due to totaling mistake or unchecked answer through photocopy, the same rule is applied.

Use your head and make a wise decision.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

How do I know this?

Revaluation and photocopy rules :  http://www.mu.ac.in/myweb_test/Rules%20for%20the%20Revaluation%20of%20the%20answer.pdf

Ordinance 5048-A :
www.mu.ac.in/4.101.pdf

10% rule :
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-09-01/mumbai/28100275_1_revaluation-original-marks-court

And, been there, done that too :D

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Lost your SSC/HSC marksheet or passing certificate?

 If you live in Mumbai and have studied here, there are chances that sometimes, you may find that you've lost or misplaced your original documents and are unable to get them back. Especially your SSC or HSC marksheet or passing certificate, which are essential to prove that you have atleast cleared school and junior college.
So what do you do now? You can apply for a duplicate copy of your marksheet or passing certificate by going to the Maharashtra State Board's Mumbai office at Vashi, Navi Mumbai.

Address:

Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education
Mumbai division
Plot No.27 & 28,
Sector No.16 A,
Shivaji Chowk,
Opp. St Lawrence High School,
Vashi, Navi Mumbai - 4400703

Contact No: Mr. M.R. Kale
                    02227881077

What you need for application:

Marksheet: An application form, available for Rs.2 at the office
Passing certificate: Application form + a letter from the school/college (having the student's name, seat no. and year of passing) stating that the student has lost his passing certificate and should be allowed to get a duplicate copy

Charges: 

Normal: 

Rs. 100 for each marksheet/certificate less than 10 years old (issued after 15 days of application)
Rs. 200 for marksheets/certificates more than 10 years old (issued after 15 days of application)

Urgent: Rs. 200 (issued after 4 days of application)

If available, carry a xerox copy of the marksheet or certificate.
After you pay the charges, you will be given a receipt stating the details of your application.

Timings: 10.30 am to 3 pm (Saturday and Sunday closed)

What to do after reaching there: Go to counter no. 2 which is on first level. There are two separate queues for collecting the form and paying the money. Enquire at the counter (NOT with the people in the queue!) about the appropriate queue.

How to reach (from Mumbai suburbs):

Train: Borivali - Dadar - Thane - Vashi. If you have a Java enabled mobile phone or smartphone, download an app called 'm-Indicator' from http://m-indicator.mobond.com/ It contains the detailed train timings and schedule. It takes more than 2 hours to reach Vashi station from Borivali (assuming that you get all the trains on time) and a few minutes to reach Shivaji Chowk from the station by share auto.

Bus: There are normal as well as AC buses from Borivali and Santacruz that go to APMC market, Vashi which is almost the same as Shivaji Chowk. It takes 2 hours for the bus from Santacruz Depot to reach the spot. I do not have much idea about the others.

What to do after you applied: Go to the office again after the number of days specified in your receipt. The marksheet/certificate will be issued between 2.30 pm to 5 pm on working days.

_________________________________________________________________________

How do I know all of this: Been there, done that! :P

Mail me if you need more help.

NEW: Please read the comments for the latest procedure and information.