The Malwala Palace

 The Malwala Palace was built way back in early to mid 1800s and was situated on the road leading towards east from Charminar, just about 200m from the famed monument. It was constructed in a mix of contemporary Mughal and carvings of ethnic Rajasthani style. It retained the brilliantly unique style of Hyderabadi architecture with an intricately carved wooden pavilion and was probably one of the only two or three such palaces in Hyderabad to feature such carvings. 

The palace was home to the Revenue dept under the Nizam of Hyderabad's rule and was titled 'Daftar-e-maal' in its initial days that led to its name. Raja Dharam Karan and Raja Shyam Karan were the prominent people to have made it their abode amongst the Mathurs who form a sizeable number in Hyderabad. They were inhabited close to the palace but have now spread across the city (and the world, I must say).

The Malwala Palace or the Shivraj Bahadur ki Devdi , as it was referred to locally, has a special place in my heart as it was my naani-ka-ghar and I spent quite some time there during my childhood. We stayed barely 5 minutes walk away from the place and so passed it regularly on our way. I have seen it in splendour but not in full glory. As per the many elders of our family, it was a sight to behold when it was being maintained and with all the Khandils and jhoomars lit up. 

It gave a striking appearance as you walked from the Charminar eastwards. The main arch gate (the only part that remains today) was majestic. It inspired awe as one passed by.

The inner courtyard was no less grand with a large dalaan with a fountain in the centre leading up to the elevated portal with intricately carved pillars.

While I have never seen the palace in glory, there is one photo that shows its real richness.

And this pic when the Late great film star Dilip Kumar Saab visited the family at the palace. 

A few more photos to show its beauty.

And this was the version I remember seeing.

Later it was being used as a community and wedding hall for functions of the Mathur community. Indeed, my parents did get married in the same palace.

Coming back to my naani-ka-ghar, my mom grew up in the part circled in the image below. The house itself was wonderfully beautiful. The roof was high with solid wooden beams supporting it and a flooring that was made of such beautifully intricate small sized ceramic tiles arranged in gorgeous patterns. And that windowed balcony is something I still remember fondly. The view of the Charminar one got when we peered out of those balconies was breathtaking. And the cycle-rickshaws that went about ferrying people and goods across town as one looked down onto the street below. Auto-rickshaws had just started finding a foothold in the old city but the manual versions ruled the roads.

And just out of the above frame to the bottom left was a small shop that rented out cycles for 50p an hour (in my time). We used to hire for a couple of hours and went around exploring the old city.

Alas, the palace was sold off to a local businessman/politician and is gone now after it was razed down behind closed doors and a case is still going on in the courts considering it was a designated heritage structure.

What is left of it today..

 

 

To end, sometime back, I found this wonderful sketch of the Malwala Palace in all its glory!

* All images googled. Copyright with their respective owners.

Easily remove unwanted system apps without root

 One of the biggest grouse that people have against Xiaomi's phones is the presense of advertisements and huge bloatware, or the number of unwanted apps that form part of its MIUI custom skin.

We have seen a simple method to get rid of ads on any phone. Now let us remove these unwanted apps. Normally for removing system apps, one would need root access, but here is a simple method. This method can not only be used in Xiaomi, but in any android phone as well, regardless of the manufacturer and android version.

Step 1 : Use native Uninstall Tool

Use native Uninstall Tool to remove whatever is possible. Go to the Settings > Apps and click on Uninstall at the top. This will now show you a list of apps that can be uninstalled by the user on the phone. This will include apps installed by the user as well, so you will have to select which unwanted apps you need to uninstall.

Once you are done with this step, you will now have only the system apps to be uninstalled.

Step 2 : Install adb, fastboot and drivers on your computer

A. For Windows computer, please download and install the Minimal ADB and Fastboot Tool application.

B. For Ubuntu/Debian users, open terminal and install adb & fastboot.

Use these commands one after the other:

sudo apt update

sudo apt-get install adb

sudo apt-get install fastboot

sudo apt-get install android-tools-adb android-tools-fastboot

Once this is done, your computer is ready for action.

Step 3 : Enable USB Debugging on your phone

To remove system apps, we need to connect to the ADB or Android Debug Bridge and so we need to enable USB Debugging on the phone.

A. Enable Developer Options. These are hidden developer settings in your phone and need to be enabled. Go to Settings > About Phone. You will find a field called MIUI Version. Continuously tap on the same seven times and then you will get a heads up message that Developer Options have been enabled. (In many other phones, you will need tap seven times on 'Build Number')

B. Enable USB Debugging. Go to Settings > Additional Settings > Developer Options. In this you will have to enable USB Debugging, Install via USB, USB Debugging Security Settings. Once you enable, you will be shown a warning and then asked to accept. You will need to Accept these to enable USB Debugging.

(The warnings are shown because you are making system level changes)

Connect the phone to the computer using a good quality cable. You will get a pop up in your phone requesting to allow connection to the computer. Allow/Accept. Allow Windows to install any drivers it needs to in the background. It might take 2-3 minutes.

In some MIUI versions, you will be asked to connect to create and connect to a Mi Account before USB debugging gets activated. You can use your email or phone to create the same and link your phone to the Mi Account through Settings > Mi Account.  

Once done your phone is connected to your computer in USB Debugging mode.

Step 4 : Connect using ADB and use the following commands.

In Windows, open the installed Minimal ADB and Fastboot Tool. In Ubuntu, open Terminal.

A. Check for ADB connection

Type the following command

adb devices

This will show a list of adb devices connected to the computer. You will see a device code listed. It should show description as device. If proper authorization is not given, you will see description as Unauthorized or Unrecognized.

Then type  

adb shell

Now it will display shell@phonecodename. This means you have entered adb shell to continue your commands.

B. List all app packages installed. This is an optional step if you want to know the type of packages installed. Type

pm list packages -f

This will give out a full list of all app packages.

pm list packages -s displays a simplified list.

Note that each app package will be listed as 'com.android.xyz' or 'com.miui.pqr' format. You can make a list of all the packages that you need to uninstall. Remember that you should remove only those that do not affect your android system to work properly. Otherwise your phone will stop working properly. So remove only the ones you are confident will not affect the phone.

The app package name can also be obtained by checking the app details in Settings > Apps > XYZ App.

C. Uninstall unwanted packages. To remove the packages, type

pm uninstall -k --user 0 package name

Replace 'package name' with the actual package name of the app you want to remove.

It will take a few seconds to work and will give a Success or Failed message. Remember to type the code and not copy-paste from here as that might pop-up errors.

D. Codes for common MIUI bloatware

AntiSpam

pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.antispam

E-mail

pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.android.email

Facemoji Keyboard for Xiaomi

pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.facemoji.lite.xiaomi.gp

Feedback Services

pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.bugreport

Games

pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.xiaomi.glgm

GetApps 

pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.xiaomi.mipicks

Mi Drop

pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.xiaomi.midrop

Mi Pay

pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.mipay.wallet.in

Mi Payment

pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.xiaomi.payment

Mi Recycle

pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.xiaomi.mirecycle

Mi Roaming

pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.virtualsim

Mi Video

pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.videoplayer

MSA - MIUI System Ads

pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.msa.global

Music

pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.player

Notes

pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.notes

Recorder / Sound recorder

pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.android.soundrecorder

Scanner

pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.xiaomi.scanner

Screen Recorder

pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.screenrecorder

SIM Activation Services

pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.xiaomi.simactivate.service

Wallpaper

pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.miwallpaper

Weather

pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.weather2

pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.providers.weather

Yellow Pages

pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.yellowpage

Some other apps that are not used by many. Remove only if you do not use these. Facebook Lite is an official app available on the Play Store and uses less data and battery than the official facebook app.

Google Duo

pm uninstall -k --user 0 om.google.android.apps.tachyon

Google Play Games

pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.google.android.play.games

Google Play Music

pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.google.android.music

Google Play Videos

pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.google.android.videos

Talkback

pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.google.android.marvin.talkback

Facebook Apps

pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.facebook.appmanager

pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.facebook.services

pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.facebook.system

By following the same method, any app can be removed from your phone.

Once you are done, head back to Developer settings and disable USB Debugging. Or even disable Developer settings.

Note: Screenshots & Images would be added soon!

How to register for Covid Vaccine in India

This is a short step by step guide to register for COVID-19 Vaccine in India.

This guide shows how to register on the Cowin website and also how to book an appointment at your nearby vaccination center.

Registration opens at 9am on Monday, 1st March, 2021.

Register at http://cowin.gov.in

Vaccination is open for citizens above 60 years of age and all citizens above 45years who have co-morbidities. 

Update (March 1st, 10.20am):

Follow this: Open Cowin Registration page. Wait for 1 minute till entire page loads in the background. Then enter your mobile number and again wait for 20 seconds. Then click on GET OTP.

Once you get the OTP, enter the same and click Register. Wait for 1 minute. Do not keep clicking again and again. The site needs some time to connect to the database and get back. 

Patience helps.

Update (March 1st, 10.20am):

While many people have complained about the website not working and have not even even received their OTPs, some have managed to sneak in and have been lucky enough to get registrations done.

Plz do not hit the refresh button as it further adds to the server clog. Just give it some time and it should settle. 

Update (1st March, 8am):

The link to register on the CoWin website is https://selfregistration.cowin.gov.in/. (Will work after 9am)

Update (1st March, 6am):

The location wise list of all Govt and Private Vaccination centres is now available on the above Cowin website. You can search by typing in your area name. Location is also shown on the map.

Follow these step-by-step procedures to register. 

The Govt has clarified that the CoWin App will not support registrations. Only Cowin Website will.

Currently India is using Serum Institutes-Oxford-AstraZeneca COVISHIELD and Bharat Biotech COAXIN for vaccination. Both these are extremely safe and can result in only mild sife effects like light fever or arm pain or itching at injection site. 

Two doses will be given at 28 day intervals. Once both the doses are done, you will be able to download the COVID-19 Vaccination Certificate from the website and also the app. 

List of Hospitals empanelled to give COVID19 vaccine

List of Hospitals for COVID-19 Vaccine in Telangana 

* Co-morbid conditions in 45-59yr old patients needs a prescription at the time of vaccination on a doctor's letterhead with stamp. The following conditions if present, make one eligible for the vaccine. 

Block Ads on phone without root

It is normally thought that any ad-blocking app or software on your android phone works only when the phone is rooted or has a custom rom.

To a certain extant, this is true. However, there is another method by which every advert on your phone gets blocked, including those in the UI-(as in case of some custom UIs like Xiaomi / Redmi / Poco phones' MIUI and Realme / Oppo phones , and also those ads within any other app or websites opened in the browsers. These days, even Samsung has started adding ads within their UI.

This is the easiest method to block all ads on your android phone.

This method should work on most phones. The idea is very simple and easy. All you need to do is route your internet traffic via a private DNS that blocks ads like Adguard.

Navigate to the the Network Settings page in your Settings panel. At the bottom of the list you will find the Private DNS entry. Just enter the private dns url dns.adguard.com in that and save. That's it. You're done. No more ads on your android phone!

However, in some custom UIs like MIUI, this native android setting is hidden. There are some free apps that can show up the same.

Install QuickShortcutMaker app from the Google Play Store. 

Scroll to the Settings option in the Activites tab and find:

com.android.settings.Settings$NetworkDashboardActivity

You might also try to sear for 'mor'. Once you find it, click on it and 'Try' it. The option will open the Private DNS entry box where you can enter the private url dns.adguard.com

That's it. You should be done.

Alternative to Adguard:

Instead of using the Adguard DNS, you can also use dot.tiar.app as the private dns. The method to use remains same as above.