ONLINE I-T RETURNS AND BOOK DISCOUNTS

It is that time of the year again when you fulfill the duties of a law-abiding and socially conscious citizen by filing your income tax return. It definitely gives you a proud feeling... if you manage to forget the fact that there are at least a dozen people you know who earn more than you yet pay less taxes or better still do not pay them at all. But for all the good that it does, filing tax returns is not exactly a stroll in the park. There are plenty of opportunities to get lost among those Section 80Cs and Income Tax Acts of 19-god-knows-when. And so for the two previous times in my life when I filed my returns, I took the help of a certain gentleman who professes to be the best tax consultant in this part of the city. But not this time. I had had enough of paying his ridiculously insane fees and enduring his incessant calls about one insurance scheme or another. Preparing my return online seemed to be the best bet. And with TaxSpanner offering a big discount, where else could I go? It was all so simple and hassle-free. A single mail and a paltry payment of Rs.125 and my return was ready in my inbox. I just had to send the prepared return to the Income Tax office in Bangalore and I was done. Sigh! Wish everything in life was THAT easy.
And for all those with a liking for regional Indian writing, Katha is good news. I came to know about them when I learnt that I was entitled to a fat 25% discount (yeah I know, some favourable planetary orientation at work there) on their publications. Their catalogue is interesting indeed, with a collection of translated works from almost all parts of India. Ordered half a dozen assorted titles last week, though I haven't received them yet. Hope the translations turn out to be fine; for more often than not it is poor translation that kills the essence of a good book. But if people around the world can enjoy translated versions of Murakami's work, maybe Katha can do it too. At least it is a step forward. What with all the hullabaloo (no pun intended) that Indian writing in English has created recently, maybe it is time we remember the brilliance of the stalwarts of regional literature.
Update: Received the books from Katha in good condition. Wonderfully designed covers.