Check Before Calling - Beware of Fraud

Last week, I was busy when I received a call from the mobile number- 995416754.

The caller "Sanjay Manjhi" said there was a parcel in my name.

I asked if the delivery agent had reached my address.

He said that he was calling from the head-office, and the delivery agent was unable to find my address.

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The caller requested me to call the number of the delivery person that he had messaged me.

The caller said that the agent was close to my home but unable to locate my address, and it would be nice if I called him and guided him.

I asked him to call the agent and to ask the agent to call me.

He could search for our address on the map, as it is very much registered online.

I have been receiving parcels from delivery agents without any issues.

He asked where is the address?!

I said he would have my address as the address must be on the parcel!

As the caller requested me to call the number he had messaged, I opened my SMS inbox.

I found the message, and there were some extra characters apart from the phone number.

I ignored the *21* & # namely the extra non-related digits in the message, and I simply copied the 10-digit given mobile number and dialled- 8434909230

That number was switched off.

I called "Sanjay Manjhi" and told him that I had called that number and it was not reachable, and asked him to communicate to the agent directly.

He asked me to dial the numbers in the entire message given in the SMS i.e. *21*84349 09230#

Why was he so insistent that I call the agent using those very characters and numbers?

If this were a genuine case, they would have done the job of reaching out, instead of creating a sense of urgency and requesting and even threatening that the parcel will be returned!

I calmly and firmly said that I was not going to dial any other numbers.

"You will not call that number?" He sounded flustered.

"No, I will not call", I replied being very sure that I was doing the right thing.

By then, I had suspected that this was a fraud call, and that the scammer was trying to do Call Forwarding.

I immediately checked online- what *21* was.

My guess was right.

It was indeed their plan to activate call forwarding and gain access to my number's messages.

And that plan was foiled as I did some quick checking and thinking.

You can see the SMS conversation:

He tried calling me twice.

But, I did not receive his calls.

I understood *21* with # caused Call Forwarding.

I found-

The code *#121# is the code that can be used to check the status of unconditional call forwarding on your mobile device.

Dialing this number and pressing “Call” will show if your calls, SMS, and data are being forwarded to another number, along with the specific phone number it is redirected to.

One can disable active forwarding by immediately dialing ##002#

I checked the Call Forwarding status on my phone.

Nothing is active now, as it is "Disabled".

Justice For Ketan Agarwal

A recent case has shocked everyone.

A 20-year-old to-be-married, Siya Goyal, plotted and planned with her boyfriend, Chetan Chaudhury, and pushed and killed her fiancé, Ketan Agarwal, from a fort in Pune.

We are extremely sorry to learn about the tragic end of a promising young life.

From the videos shown in news channels, it can be seen how smitten with love the young man Ketan was. He seems to be in love and looking forward to a life with Siya.

Doesn't Siya look equally happy?

A destination wedding had been planned worth crores.

Also, a pre-wedding shoot was scheduled abroad.

Siya Goyal had even taken Rs 1 crore for wedding shopping from her fiancé, Ketan Agarwal.

And handed over the entire amount to her boyfriend, as he was not in a good financial position. The idea was to empower Chetan at Ketan's expense.

Financial irregularity and funds theft was one angle.

Killing her fiancé, Ketan, is quite another level.

And thereafter behaving as if it was just an accident. And even posting on social media and garnering support and earning sympathy!

Do What You Can

You are here and now, and this is the place you're destined to be.

But, being stationary, one can't possibly move from Point A to B!

Start where you are and keep moving; you have places to go!

Stop not, fret not, the best is yet to come & you'll see & show!

You cannot and mustn't complain about what you don't have here.

Use everything to the best of your capacity, drive your car in top gear!

Remember, you are one of the "Haves", and you've resources to use.

Be resourceful to understand and make the most of available cues.

Source: Pexels; Anna Taravich

Absurd

Absurdity begins & thrives because of some.

Some are ready to give it a red-carpet welcome!

Not all lights are necessary, nor do all glow bright.

How many advocate the extinction of useless lights?

Extinction of Useless Lights - Yves Tanquy (1927)

That Battle Within

There's always a fiery battle raging within-

Should we express what may be considered a sin?

Or keep quiet like the rest- why create a din?

Say nothing or share loudly- which will win?

How Do You Answer These Questions?

You are speaking to someone for the first time.

Then, they ask you- "Where are you from?"

What do you answer?

Of course, your answer will vary depending on your conversation and setting.

Here is what I have personally faced-

http://www.anitaexplorer.com/2016/07/where-are-you-from.html

Some great personalities have remarked and proved that it is not important from where you have come from- what matters is where you are going and how far you have reached.

That is one of the lessons from the Hindi movie- Bhaag Milka Bhaag- that has been based on the late runner Milkha Singh. 

You can read about the 25 lessons from the same movie here- 

http://www.anitaexplorer.com/2013/07/bhaag-milkha-bhaag-25-lessons.html

Beware of Fraud Calls Regarding Insurance Policy

Some days ago, I received a phone call from a "PNB Metlife Insurance" agent. 

She called at 11:46 AM from the mobile number- 7428450226

She stated that I have a PNB Metlife Insurance Policy# 14684834

The Policy Plan- Met Guaranteed Income Plan

The lady who had called sounded totally credible. 

She said that I have a PNB Metlife Insurance Policy- dated 23 March 2013 - and provided details as though she knew my policy and me from ages!

She said the first instalment of my policy had been paid- Rs 50,000.

The amount that the policy is worth today- Rs 1,88,412

She asked me to pay 2 more instalments i.e. Rs 50,000X2 = Rs 1,00,000

Then, I can draw the amount of Rs 2,88,412 (Rs 1,88,412 policy amount as it stands today + Rs 1,00,000 that I would have to pay now)

She asked me to contact her Manager- S.K.Tripathy- Phone number- 9289330405

I had a feeling that this was totally fake.

Women, Violence And Silence

It is said, 'Silence is golden'.
But, is it really?

Silence may be interpreted in a different way When You Say Nothing At All...

I feel- 'Silence Feeds The Violence'.
Violence is not right. Lord Krishna has said in the Gita that those who suffer injustice are greater culprits than those who commit injustice.

When something terrible is happening, why are people silent-onlookers, rather than protesting?

I have shared this in my poem- 'India Needs Bravehearts'.

For example, if a man is slapping/beating a woman in public, people would rather 'watch the fun',  click photos or take videos, rather than raise their voice or come to the rescue of the damsel-in-distress.

Alcohol, Bollywood Movies And Society

Society does play an important role in our real life. The reel-life too is shaped by society.
Movies reflect the society.
This post illustrates this point with the example of drinking alcohol or getting drunk.

Society judges us for whatever we do. Newton's third law of Physics holds true.
'Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.'
The same action i.e. drinking alcohol has an equal and opposite reaction from the society (irrespective of whether the drinking is in real-life or in reel-life!)

There's a Bollywood song- 'Peene waalon ko peene ka bahaana chahiye' (Movie - 'Haath Ki Safai')
Meaning- Those who drink need an excuse to drink!

No matter what the reason, some people are always ready to drink no matter what the society says! Some examples-


I) When the hero knowingly tries to make the heroine guilty or vice-versa.
You are responsible for my alcoholic state! See me drink and suffer!
In a number of movies, the hero/heroine are shown to consume alcohol and stop doing so only after the intervention of their love-interest!

II) When the villain/hero tries to spike the drink to intoxicate the heroine or vice-versa.
The intention is anyone's guess.

'Hothon pe bas tera naam hai, Tujhe chahana mera kaam hai. Tere Pyar mein paagal hoon main subaha shyaam.' (Movie - 'Yeh Dillagi')
Meaning- There's only your name on my lips, Loving you is my work. I am crazy in your love morning and evening.

Discovering Women In Literature And Society

This Post won a top prize in the Kolkata Literary Festival 2015 at Kolkata Book Fair.

Women have been portrayed in different shades. There has been detailed SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis whether in real-life, reel-life, history and literature. There is overlapping too. 

Real-Life

True-stories are an inspiration for society, literature and cinema. 

“Khub ladi mardaani wo to jhaansi wali rani thi” – (Jhansi’s Rani/Queen Lakshmibai fought courageously like a man). Smt. Indira Gandhi was the ‘only man in her cabinet’. I am Malala is about the youngest Nobel Peace-prize winner.  

Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love is her memoir about her trip around the world after her divorce and her discovery during her travels. 

Source: Wikipedia