The Route Planner Diaries

Necessity is the mother of invention! The adage falls even truer with us at MakeMyTrip for everything that we do, technology in particular, is done because that’s what the travelers today need. A super smooth way to plan travel is one of them. Ladies and gentlemen, get ready and say hello to Route Planner, our latest Web App on the block.It all began when we folks at MakeMyTrip had to travel to remote towns in India. So like everybody else, we too would search on Google and go through the different search results one by one working painful permutations and combinations to figure out the best option available. Then, we would go to MakeMyTrip.com and book the tickets. Discussing it further with friends, family, peers and with our customers, we realized that practically everyone else is also faced with the same problem. This made us question ourselves, “Can’t we do something to make this experience smoother? Shouldn’t there be a better tool to plan our trips?”

Thus, the idea of the Route Planner was born. An integrated planning interface, it not only searches across maps but also different modes of transport to find out the best route to a destination.

Thankfully for being in India’s largest travel company, getting the idea off the ground wasn’t so difficult. :)

Quickly a small but very effective engineering and design team was formed which took the challenging task of transforming the concept in to reality. We took one more major decision: we decided that we shall let our customers shape the product and adopted an early launch with an iterative approach.

The engineering and design team worked round the clock, and within three months we managed to develop a prototype and started testing it with a select group of users. Based on their feedback, we would quickly refine the product and test again. Over the next few months, this process helped us break many engineering and design barriers

Finally, what came out as a result of this iterative process was a product which none of us could have ever imagined! The interface solves travel planning problems but at the same time is very simple. Try it out now - http://routeplanner.makemytrip.com/web/ - and don’t forget to tell us what you think.

MakeMyTrip Acquires HotelTravel.com

MakeMyTrip recently announced its acquisition of HotelTravel.com, an online booking platform brand in South East Asia. ThiBlair Speers of HotelTravel.com and Amit Saberwal of MakeMyTrip.coms Thailand based company has a strong presence in Malaysia and Singapore as well. HotelTravel.com is a part of the Hotel Travel Group.

South East Asia remains a popular destination amongst Indian travellers and a majority of our revenue from outbound travel to the region. Our collaboration with The Hotel Travel Group will help MakeMyTrip strengthen its presence in the holidays and hotels market in South East Asia. For MakeMyTrip customers, this will mean a whole new range of hotels to choose from.

MakeMyTrip will now have inventory access to HotelTravel.com’s extensive partner portfolio of over 80,000 hotels that includes some of the world's leading hotel brands and travel suppliers. In addition, rich content that HotelTravel.com has developed through content-integration on over 150,000 hotel sites will also be made available

HotelTravel.com customers will also benefit through the strength of MakeMyTrip’s booking platform and relationships with over 10,000 hotel partners in nearly 400 cities in India. More travellers in the South-East Asia region will be able to access the value-based deals and services that have made MakeMyTrip.com India’s most popular travel portal.

अब मैं रावण नहीं जलाता हूँ

अब  मैं  रावण  नहीं  जलाता  हूँ 

कुछ  साल  हुए  जब  मैं  पापा  के  हाथ  पकड़  कर  जाता  था

दुर्गा  माँ  को  विसर्जित  कर , रावण  दहन  देखने  जाता  था

दुर्गा  माँ  के  जाने  का  सचमुच  का  दुःख  सा  होता  था

रावण  को  जलता  देख  मन , जाने  क्यूँ  खुश  होता  था

अब  टीवी  पर  भी  रावण  दहन  नहीं  देख  पता  हूँ

अब  मैं  रावण  नहीं  जलाता  हूँ .. अब  मैं  रावण  नहीं  जलाता  हूँ 

बाज़ार  नए  से  सजते  थे , चाट  के  ठेले  लगते  थे

सडको  पर  लगती  रौशनी , मैदान  में  मेले  लगते  थे

अब  तो  हर  रोज़  दशहरा  है - बाज़ार  सजे  हर  रोज़  ही  हैं

हर  गली  में  एक  Mcdonalds, हर  मोड़  पर  Dominoz ही  है

वो  ठेले  की  चाट  कहाँ  गयी - मैं  ढूंढ  उसे  ना  पाता  हूँ

अब  मैं  रावण  नहीं  जलाता  हूँ .. अब  मैं  रावण  नहीं  जलाता  हूँ 

दुर्गा  पूजा  केवल  नौ  तारीक  नहीं  थे  साल  के

मेले  में  जाने  के  कपडे , हम  रखते  थे  संभाल  के

मेले  की  धुल  कहीं  गायब , अब  ना  मैदान  की  वो  मिटटी  है

ज्यादातर  लोगों  के  लिए , अब  दशहरा  बस  एक  छुट्टी  है

पहले  से  प्लान  कर  के  मैं  long weekend मनाता  हूँ

अब  मैं  रावण  नहीं  जलाता  हूँ .. अब  मैं  रावण  नहीं  जलाता  हूँ 

असत्य  पर  सत्य  की  विजय - यही  तो  था  इसका  सन्देश

पर्व  मानना  याद  रहा - पर  अर्थ  भूल  गया  सारा  देश

मैं  रौशनी  में  रहकर  भी  अंधियारे  में  घिर  जाता  हूँ

कुछ  मंजिल  ऊपर  जाने  के  लिए , कितना  नीचे  गिर  जाता  हूँ

इस  सोने  की  लंका  में  खुद  ही  रावण  बन  जाता  हूँ

इसलिए मैं  रावण  नहीं  जलाता  हूँ .. मैं  रावण  नहीं  जलाता  हूँ 

इतने  गहरे  अंतर्द्वंद  में , हम  जाने  कैसे  जी  पाते  हैं

माँ  शक्ति  की  पूजा  कर  के , औरत  पर  जोर  चलाते  हैं

रावणों  के  इस  समाज  में  रामराज्य  है  नामुमकिन

अपने  अन्दर  के  रावण  को  हम  काश  जला  पाए  एक  दिन

उस  दिन  की  उम्मीद  में  माँ  के  आगे  शीश  झुकाता  हूँ

मैं  रावण  नहीं  जलाता  हूँ .. मैं  रावण  नहीं  जलाता  हूँ 

                                   ~ Shailendra Nath Jha

THM’s Symphony of Memories. Part III : The Crescendo

If you had one wish what would it be? Money, power, fame? I have something better in mind. I would wish for Einstein to live a decade longer and invent the time machine. Then, I could put the time machine to good use like scoring 100 out of 100 in exams, partying all night and still turning up for work, and revisiting the most cherished times – like the Agra THM.

In the concluding part of this trio of blogs, I cannot help but feel a little nostalgic. Without much ado, here is how the day unfolded…..

Agra Ka Dabra and Agra Ek Khoj – For those who were able to wake up from their deep slumber (sleeping beauties missed out on a lot), the Agra Ka Dabra and the Agra Ek Khoj were sort of a revelation. Trippers participating in Agra Ka Dabra donned their Sherlock Holmes hats and set forth on an enjoyable quest of treasure and fun. The Christopher Columbus style activity Agra Ek Khoj had our Trippers running all over Agra!

Jal-Paris and Cricket Masters – I know what you are thinking of – jal-paris and cricket – perfect combination for any guy! Alas! Not everything that glitters is gold; and not everything in swimming trunks, playing volleyball in the swimming pool is jal-pari. In a keenly contested pool volleyball game, the enthusiasm level of the participants was something to behold. Not far behind were the lads who slugged it out on the cricket field – again a very hard fought match. Who were the winners? Find out for yourself and mail the answers to me (saurav.prakash@makemytrip.com), some goodies in store for you!

On The Rocks – How do you like your music? In MMT, we like it On The Rocks. The evening started with a rocking performance by our very own rock band On the Rocks. Gaurav Sajjanhar crooned to timeless hits like Hotel California, Stand By Me, Leaving on a Jet Plane and Jail House Rock. Siddharth Dehl rocked the house with his Rage Against the Machine like drumming. Gaurav Gujral was the Slash of the band. Ojas Patil and Ragini Mehra showed their prowess on the keyboards. Is there something missing here? Of course, how could we forget the two rosy-cheeked girls, Shreya Sachar and Swati Talwar, accompanying them in their foot-tapping renditions.

The Oscars (More like Razzies) – The brainchild of the HR team, the Oscars at the THM were the funniest Oscars ever! We did not have Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie, we had better. The categories for the Oscars were nothing short of hilarious. Examples – Sab ki Behen, Navratan Tel Award, Gaalibaaz Award and the Three Idiots Award. Check with the HR folks on the proud recipients of the awards.

Aaj Basanti Naachegi – I’m sure Gabbar Singh would have been the happiest man on the planet had he witnessed the spectacular performances put up by our dancers. Veeru Paaji would not have objected this time! I have to mention two names in particular – Bhawna Grover and Surabhi Shikha. Bhawna with her hoops mesmerized the audience and Surabhi with a glass on her head displayed an uncanny knack for balanced dancing (I am definitely going to take dancing classes from them. How about you?). 

Kahaani abhi baaki hai mere dost, the Rookie Award was bagged by Ratindra Nath Pande for his poker faced strumming of the guitar and singing of quite hilarious punchlines in the Take My Trip skit. Or was it his soul-stirring renditions of mellifluous Sufi songs?

The We Rookie award was bagged by the play Pyaar Ka Panchanama – a comic take on romantic relationships in this age. I agree with Manoj Thakur and I am sure most of your bank balances agree too. Manoj, you were fantastic!

Tonight’s Gonna be a Good Night – As it happened on Friday, so it happened on Saturday. There was booze, there was music – a heady combination leading to some epic dancing by Trippers. For those of you who went to bed early, here’s something to curse about. For half an hour, the bar was free for all – unlimited! The people still on the dance floor took full advantage of it– others, better luck next time!

Taj Mahal in the Morning Hues – Some swear on their lives that there is nothing more beautiful than the Taj Mahal in the morning! The warmth of the morning sun, the yellow rays flashing on the white marble and the blue sky – you have to be there to feel it. Pictures and words would go only so long in describing it.

The Return Trip – With heavy hearts and even heavier eyelids (lack of sleep), we boarded our buses on our trip back to Delhi and Gurgaon.  To sum up the trip in one line – when we say ‘Memories Unlimited’, we are understating the obvious.

With that, ends the trip and ends the blog. But there are many more on the way, many more to be lived and relived…

THM’s Symphony of Memories. Part II : The Concerto

Day two – Wildlings (you and me), the Titans (award winners), the Pharaohs (Chetan Bhagat and Deep) and a scary floating white witch (Rohan Verma) made the evening one of great chutzpah and enjoyment.

Nar ya Naari, thi ye badi hera-pheri– It was a sight to behold – guys dressed as girls and girls donning the pants! While the ladies fared very well in the cross-dressing theme, the guys were the ones who took the stage by storm. The adorable hairy legs, the short skirts and the dashing make-up – yes, they were the real beauties that night! :) We also had a witch (Rohan Verma) walking about scaring the living daylight out of the ladies (the real ones).

Rohan, some of them pretty ladies are still looking to get even!

The musical –While being seated, I thought I had everything figured out about how the evening would proceed. But just then, something quite out of the ordinary happened. Human Rhythm happened. The audience was stirred into a frenzy of musical activity – and with the help of what – few djembes, few wooden sticks, few tambourines and a man communicating through gestures. It truly felt like a symphony; created on the spot! Some people were more enthusiastic than others and those are the ones who went back to their rooms with their palms hurting – I was one of them!

Our very own rapper, E-Raize (Ekesh Tewari), set the stage on fire with his desi and angrezi beats along with Tarika and Tilak. Next to come was a fantastic dance performance by our Mumbai Branch. So when they say Mumbaikars rock, I couldn’t have agreed more!

LSD– Now before the HR folks haul me over for mentioning LSD, let me quote Deep’s full form for it – Lakshmi, Saraswati and Durga. Deep, in his address, very lucidly put forth the concept of striving for knowledge (Saraswati) and constant introspection as the mantra for success and growth, and Lakshmi and Durga would automatically follow. His vision of MMT being a force to reckon with in all of Asia and Europe (we are the dominant player in India already) is something which we will achieve  soon. Right, Trippers?

Five Point Chetan –“Nahi hota main motivate, karke dikha.” Exact words of our Chief Guest of the evening – Mr. Chetan Bhagat. This uber cool dude needs no introduction. His books talk a lot about him anyways. :) Chetan proved to be quite an orator and soon enough Trippers were in fits of laughter. His presentation on ‘Why not to marry a Punjabi Girl’ was very enlightening. I could see quite a few male Trippers vigorously nodding in agreement while the presentation was on. No prizes for guessing who they were married to! :)

But all this was a way to ease in to the more serious aspects of life. Quoting examples from his life, Chetan showed us Trippers how to keep ourselves motivated over a long period of time. New challenges every day – his motto. My newest challenge – to write this blog with a poker face! I failed miserably. How have you fared Trippers?

Do remember to leave your comments about what you thought about Deep’s and Chetan’s address.

Here come the Titans – Remember, remember the 5^th of October, the stellar performances (at work) and the awards received; I know of no reason why this day should ever be forgotten!

The award ceremony was scintillating and inspiring. Trippers from all departments and from different branches were awarded for their exemplary performances at work. You can get the full list of the Titans from the HR folks.

I didn’t get the award but the red carpet and the award ceremony did inspire me to strive for it. I am sure most of you feel the same. Next time.

Ya Ya Ye Coco Jumbo – “Have feet, will dance” – that seemed to be the motto of the Trippers once the party started. I am sure some would say “have booze, will drink” is more appropriate. I agree with both. Once the scintillating performances were over, it was time to party! And oh boy, do Trippers know how to party! The Leadership Team joined the Trippers on the floor and from there on it was a beautiful symphony of chaos and multitasking (drinking and dancing).

The party went on till the sun came up and reminded us all – “Guys, I am the God of light, go off to sleep now”.

What happened in the morning? How was the next evening? Was it ‘On the Rocks’ or with a gillassi of water? Stay tuned.