Not the time for doom & gloom

2020 has started with a lot of disruption for personal life & business as well. Starting with the Coronavirus & it’s rapid spread across the globe resulting in business disruption as well as requiring companies to come up with alternative means of engaging with clients, prospects & various stakeholders.

There have been other disruptors globally like Australian bushfires, protests in HK & India CAA protests, on the back of one of the biggest trade wars between US & China. All these have caused the economic engine to slow down faster than expected. These would be a precursor to a slowdown in growth with many predicting a global meltdown or a looming recession. In these uncertain times, here are a few take from me on what one can do to avoid the doom & gloom & stay positive.

For businesses: Don’t let this be a time that goes waste. The global disruptions will mean that changes in profitability/balance sheet (attributable to global economic scenario) are bound to happen. These would be out of control of a business. This would be a good time to reflect on the product/service changes which you may not have been able to manage in regular course of business. This also may be a good time to identify geographies/business lines which will sustain revenues & profits while keeping a sharp eye on areas for growth to capitalize on once the economic engine is up again.

For individuals: This may be a troubled time as people may be retrenched considering economic outlook or may not be in the most positive frame of mind. I think each one of us should work on the following points:
·      Maintain personal hygiene & stay safe
·      Stay sharp & focused on the task /job at hand
·      Upskill & identify areas for improvement

A simple thing like opening up the drapes from your office window in the morning & letting the sunshine hit you can have a positive effect on your daily routine. Rather than being huddled in conference rooms with gloomy lighting do move out & explore the outdoors. Nature will provide the strength in times that we may need going forward.

The Great Indian Consumer Story

We have all heard of the great Indian consumer growth story wherein every brand is eyeing for all the eyeballs & increasing spending power of Next Gen India. The growing consumer base is tech savvy & is also spending a lot more than the previous spend thrift generations. That got me thinking on the future of Indian banking industry (15-20 years down the line) in this context. Few data points to note while considering this:

o   Indian Household debt has been going up & the average savings rate has been going down every year for a few years. There has been a big change in investment, spending & saving behavior of the consumer.

o    The tech savvy next gen has newer avenues of investment (MF, P2P loans, simpler options like sweep In FD’s/net banking) & is actively using these for their banking needs.

o   Growing credit culture: The generation is also not averse to debt as the rise of EMI culture has hit the Indian economy as well which we believed to be the bane of western economies only.

The fallout of these data points could be:

-          Macro: The increased household debt could be a problem in recessionary times. As average Indian household income is lower, they will be more prone to such shocks & might need bailouts/loan waivers. Govt borrowings could go up with inflationary shocks being more rapid than regular business cycles.

-          Banking:

o   Liabilities:  The SA book in CASA will surely go down as :

§  Lesser number of people are keeping money in their bank savings accounts & are looking at other avenues of investment/liquidity. This trend will only continue to grow.

o   Assets:  The effect on assets might be :

§  This loss of SA base will lead to ALM /pricing issues which might lead to higher interest costs as the effect of SA loss will surely come back to effect the loan pricing. The higher interest costs would affect corporate banking customers as well.

§  Lower savings rate might lead to higher delinquencies on loans as well. We already see higher credit card debt for Indian consumers (It is a vicious cycle which is very difficult to get out of).  

§  Margins for retail banking would be under pressure & subsequently corporate bank as well.

-          MF Industry: MF industry will surely benefit gathering this liability business (It has been growing well over the past few years)

-          Fintech: The fintech industry is tapping the payment landscape & will benefit from the pie of market being taken from banks/new borrowers inducted into the formal borrowing economy.

The current household debt figures are not at any alarming levels & with a growing economy these figures should not go out of hand. But a major point to consider is that Debt provides a good boost to consumption/GDP growth in the short term but in the long term it can have catastrophic significance. The only point to consider is that whether the necessary evil (debt) will have more short term benefits or a higher long term negative.

Retirement Calculator

Hello,


Putting up a blog after a long time. Have made a calculator to find out corpus needed at time of retirement. The cells in green are to be entered as data points. Enjoy & let me know feedback on the same.

Retirement Calculator

Rollback of Stimulus: A Risk or need?

“The good news is that we may be at the end of a free fall. The rate of economic decline has slowed. The bottom may be near – perhaps by the end of the year. But that does not mean that the global economy is set for a robust recovery any time soon. Hitting bottom is no reason to abandon the strong measures that have been taken to revive the global economy”.-Joseph Stiglitz (in “Stimulate or Die” dated 8 Dec 2009)
Economics defines business cycles as economy-wide fluctuations in production or economic activity over several months or years. It includes periods of rapid growth and those of relative stagnation as well. The world economy is on a revival path from the huge contraction that it suffered due to the subprime crisis. As the credit crunch gripped the entire financial system, the central banks moved in unison to avert further deepening of the recession by injecting liquidity into the system. These stimulus packages have provided crutches to the crippled world economy. But these crutches come with a caveat , the longer that you hold on to these crutches the more you get used to them and the lesser become your chances of standing up on your own. This analogy applies to the stimulus packages as well. The government needs to return to a path of fiscal consolidation to avert dire circumstances like hyperinflation which have the potential to ruin a perfectly healthy economy.

Stimulus Packages across nations

The size of stimulus has varied significantly across nations. Including the measures undertaken in 2008, the U.S. stimulus is largest (a cumulative 4.8 percent of GDP during 2008–10), while Italy and India are at the lower end of the spectrum. Two sets of factors help explain the relative size of stimulus packages: (i) differences across countries in the need for stimulus; and (ii) differences in fiscal space. Source: IMF database & 2010 forecast
Countries in which the automatic stabilizers are larger need smaller discretionary stimulus. Government size is a proxy for the impact of automatic stabilizers and is smaller in China, India, the U.S., Canada, and Japan, and it is negatively related to the fiscal stimulus.

Growth impacts and needs

Stimulus efforts, together with the impact of the automatic stabilizers, provide an important boost to growth and help forestall a negative downward spiral. According to IMF Preliminary staff estimate, fiscal policy may have contributed 2–2½ % points to PPP-weighted growth of the nine countries in 2008 and may provide 2–2¼ % points in 2009 and ¼–½ % points in 2010.The decreasing impact of fiscal stimulus is indication for the rollback of stimulus worldwide.

A rollback of stimulus is necessary to bring the economy back to its natural growth path. This artificial growth is not sustainable in the long run and needs to be dealt with on priority. The global markets are upbeat on the magical carpet of the stimulus packages, but the real test for these economies would be when they would be left all alone ,high and dry, in mid air. The action plan should now involve a gradual and judicious withdrawal of the stimulus package as any sort of misconceived notion of a V shaped recovery will be disastrous to say the least. The central banks need to work on their strategies to maneuver themselves on this tight rope with the help of an effective monetary policy.

Risk Analysis

The systemic risks have been substantially reduced following unprecedented policy actions and nascent signs of improvement in the economy. Even with the momentum significant risks remain. These are as follows:
• The recovery is driven largely by government spending in many economies
• Commodity and asset prices have risen aided by high levels of global liquidity
• Emerging market economies which are generally recovering faster than advanced economies, are likely to face increased inflationary pressures
• Uncertainty about the pace and shape of the global recovery
• The surge in oil prices, if global recovery is stronger than expected
• Sharp increase in capital flows, above the absorptive capacity of the economy, which may complicate exchange rate and monetary management
• Large fiscal deficits command a bigger risk to both short-term and to medium-term economic prospects

Global Scenario

Last five year the world has seen a dramatic downside in term of negative growth in their domestic products. All the major economies except China and India have undergone contraction varying from -2.5% (France) to -10.2 % (Brazil) during 2009, as evident from the chart.


The IMF says that, led by China, the world economy is bouncing back strongly from its 2009 decline. US growth is projected to reach 2.7% this year, a nice rebound from last year's 2.5% decline. The IMF, in its latest financial stability report, says there is an urgent need for more regulation of financial institutions.

This entire fiscal stimulus comes at the price of greatly expanded debt. The Congressional Budget Office this week said the US deficit will for the second straight year exceed $1 trillion, an amount equal to about 10% of GDP. This explosive volume of debt will at some point have to be halted and rolled back. But, says the IMF, not yet. The exit from stimulus towards fiscal balance should come only when there is a tangible pickup in consumption, investment and exports. Unfortunately none of these elements are yet present.

Indian Scenario

The economy is steadily gaining momentum, though public expenditure continues to play a dominant role, and performance across sectors is uneven, suggesting that recovery is yet to become sufficiently broad-based. The baseline projection for GDP growth for 2009-10 is now raised to 7.5 per cent.
The Industrial Growth in India has been significant with 7.6% growth rate up to 3rd Q and 11.7% in November but the closest indicator of Industrial growth, bank credit has not exhibited a parallel picture. Growth in Bank credit is sluggish at 8.8% for the first 3 Q of year as against 12.5% last year. This can be due to either low demand of funds from industry or the banks are not lending easily.
Industrial Growth has been high at 6.3% but according to a recent study of 1752 manufacturing firms, done by RBI, financial performance of these firms has declined by -1.6% while net profit were up by 9.6%.This happened mainly due to sharp cut of 9.3 % in raw material cost. The import of capital goods and raw material usually increases during industrial growth but this is yet not visible and it has been negative for November. The fourth indicator of state of industry is the movement in price. Growths of manufacturing industry prices are still low at 5%.

Conclusion

There is a need for a prudently planned exit from the fiscal stimulus. A phased rollback of the stimulus is essential to maintain a balance between delivering sustainable growth and stabilizing the economy. A hastily worked out stimulus could end up being disastrous and counter-productive for the industry. There also needs to be greater coordination between fiscal and monetary exits to avoid conflicting results between them. We need to understand that we are not out of the woods yet and that the darkness might prevail for a longer time tha

Lessons from a decade of financial misfortunes

This decade has been quite fascinating to say the least. It ended with a recession at its tail quite similar to the way it had started off with. The IT bubble gave way to the real estate bubble both of which burst with equal tenacity leaving the taxpayer at the mercy of the Capitalist system. As these huge financial institutions gambled away the savings of the common man, the brunt of the losses was borne by the hapless tax payer who was left in a lose-lose situation .The cherry on the other hand was taken by the few who actually recklessly gambled away the savings of the many who diligently paid their dues to society. An insight into these financial crises gives us an understanding of what happened, how it happened and why it happened as these are a critical part of stabilizing the financial system in the long run.
The learnings from these crises are one too many but the biggest of all has been that of the importance of regulation in our financial markets. Without adequate regulation markets become susceptible to manipulation and lose their self correction mechanisms. The invisible hand remains invariably invisible.
As in the case of the recent Global financial crisis the “invincible” sector – Real Estate also revealed the mess that was underneath the massive housing market. Right from the late 1990’s to the mid 2000’s housing prices in US rose at a CAGR of 8%. The expansionary monetary policy followed by the Clinton administration led to extremely low lending rates due to which more and more people were able to afford houses thus leading to growth in the economy in general.

But this growth was temporary as the housing bubble burst sending a ripple effect throughout the financial system. Default on mortgages and foreclosures became commonplace, thus leading to a credit crunch for the banks that had lent out these subprime loans. Soon these banks went insolvent which triggered the downward spiral that engulfed the entire global financial system. Globalization of these toxic assets made this the local problem global. Thus an understanding of complex financial products requires great expertise and judgment.
During the first half of this decade American-style consumption offered a new model of economic development. The world revolved around American consumerism. During the recession the savings rate of the debt ridden economies shot up due to reduction in disposable income of these economies. This led to a further deepening of the crises while revealing the massive overcapacity of the US retail market. So while the last decade was an age of Consumerism the next one is sure to be one of the Service Economy which would emphasize human interaction more than individualistic consumption.
Another learning from these difficult times has been the impact of labour and financial markets on the economy. The inefficiencies of the labour markets lead to escalated costs on society. On the other hand capital market failures strongly affect the labour markets. The recent global recession has left the United States with approximately 8 million jobless while the global unemployment levels have reached to around 220 million. Such weakness in the job market takes a huge toll on economic and personal well-being.
We also know that not all innovation leads to a more efficient and productive economy. Financial engineering did not create products that would help ordinary citizens manage the simple risk of home ownership. Instead, innovation was directed at perfecting the exploitation of those who are less educated, and at circumventing the regulations and accounting standards that were designed to make markets more efficient and stable. As a result, financial markets, which are supposed to manage risk and allocate capital efficiently, created risk and misallocated wildly. Thus to check the excessive leverage of the last decade, stiffer capital adequacy norms need to be put in place.
In the current crisis, China, India, and certain other emerging-market countries are coping fairly well. These countries all had strong external balance sheets and ample room for fiscal maneuver before the crisis, which allowed them to apply countercyclical policies to combat external shocks. They have also nurtured industries in line with their comparative advantage, which has helped them weather the storm. In today’s competitive global marketplace, countries need to upgrade and diversify their industries continuously according to their changing environments. The focus now should be on establishing well-functioning markets that enable developing countries to fully tap their economies’ comparative advantage.
With the advent of globalization, integration and synchronization of the business cycles across the world has become a common fact. It has its pros as well as its cons. Increased financial integration can lead to a positive effect on the exports of neighbouring countries through inter-linkages between monetary policies of these nations. On the other hand we can also have demand shocks in one country severely affecting the output of another. As was the case when the demand in US declined it affected the exports of India and as well as China immensely. The developing economies need to build up their own demand levels and reduce the burden on exports to mitigate the impact of such crisis on their growing economies. Decoupling of major economies is not a viable option as the self-sustained growth can only be possible after decades of superlative growth.
All in all this decade has proven to be one of great hurdles which have taught us important lessons about the role of greed and fear in the markets. We need to take our learnings forward and make sure that the next decade can handle all the impediments that come across its path.

Economic Renaissance should take precedence over ecological imbalance

The recent financial crisis has put the great economies of the world under immense pressure to rebuild and restructure their financial structures. It demands a comprehensive strategy from all the major countries to restore the growth momentum of the earlier decade. At this stage of the economic cycle the emphasis should only be on kick starting an economic renaissance. Entangling ourselves in the hue and cry over environmental sustainability will only inhibit our efforts in restoring the economy.
We have almost half the world living at less than $2.5 a day. The main concern of these 3 billion people is food security and that can only be attained through economic growth. For poor countries ecological impact takes a back seat as human survival becomes a priority. Even for the developing countries maintaining their growth momentum involves building on their competitiveness which can be marred by environmental constraints. The pioneer in the field of sustainable development should be the rich developed countries which have the necessary resources and technological expertise to explore renewable energy resources and to utilize them efficiently. But sadly even the US, the largest economy in the world, has not ratified the Kyoto Protocol even though it is the largest contributor of greenhouse gases in the world.
We should understand that the topic here talks about giving precedence to growth aspects of the economy and is not concerned with underpinning the environmental sustainability. Both these aspects need to be considered while chalking out a successful business model. The government also needs to be proactive in its approach towards sustaining the environment. Any company which is losing out on its competitiveness due to environmental friendly policies should be provided with the required stimulus to sustain its eco friendly outlook. Giving precedence to environmental aspects without understanding the financial implications of the same can be catastrophic for any business.
The main concern of the environmentalists should not be to stall the growth process rather it should be to develop sustainable energy resources for the future generations. The focus should be on developing cost effective solutions which are competitive in the free market and do not require any subsidies for implementation. They should work towards making global energy supply more efficient while reducing consumer demand for polluting goods and promoting cleaner energy and transport technology.
Be it Kyoto or Copenhagen, there has never been a reconciliation between ecological concerns and economic growth. The current economic scenario is not potent enough to stand any further ecological restrictions. Any attempts to do so might prove to be catastrophic.

Markets and morality don't go hand in or do they??

A market is an all-encompassing socioeconomic system, covering economic institutions, social relations and culture. In this context let us take a more streamlined definition of the market as the rules that coordinate economic activities.
This idea emanates from a Socialistic viewpoint that markets are inherently corrupt and that morals can’t coexist within such a system. As we all know recently, free market capitalism has faced a lot of slack on the premise that greed fostered the subprime crisis and that all capitalists are immoral by nature. Capitalism naysayers have pounced on the bandwagon of Global recession to trounce the fundamental idea behind a Capitalistic society and have started to falsely believe that this downturn shall lead to the eventual death of the prancing horses. These proponents of Socialism should remember that this glitch will only be a learning experience and that the Bull Run shall continue with a more resilient system behind it.
There’s a popular saying that those who live in glass houses should not throw stones at others. Ideologically driven socialistic societies have suffered from stagnated economic performance, a withering civil society and hence a corroded moral character.
On the other hand, the idea behind free market capitalism is that it tends to increase the overall pie hence allowing a much larger number of people to be better off. We need to understand that Moral judgments about particular socio economic activities are different from moral judgments about the rules of the market. The markets flaws stem from the actions and motivations of its participants rather than from its design. Free markets foster free societies which afford people the opportunity to make their own political and social systems more just. Thus in contrast these activities support rather than corrode morality.
For example, In Europe, the integration of former Soviet bloc countries into the continent’s free-market trading system did not have any negative moral consequences. But in China, one can easily find evidence of a decline in both the moral order and business ethics.

Who says markets and morality can’t go hand in hand. We have Infosys which has been the epitome of fairness in all business dealings. The value system envisioned by its founders has been able to keep the company highly competitive in its business while maintaining the virtues of trust and honesty.

There’s nothing inherently evil about profit. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is based on the idea of doing good while making profits. Google’s charitable wing, Google.org, is also designed as a for profit enterprise. We all know of Grameen Bank which was established with the sole motive of providing credit facilities to poor. Currently it has 7 million borrowers + with US $ 175 million in revenue. A perfect example of an enterprise set up with a social cause and one that is able to sustain itself in a highly competitive business environment.

My opponents will argue that markets are an evil place where the rule breakers are the kings. I would like to tell them that the market place is a great leveler; all your misdeeds will come to haunt you sooner or later. Be it Satyam or Enron, everyone will suffer from consequences of their deeds. Any and every immoral act shall be punished by the system.

In the end I’d like to conclude saying that the greatest empires have been built on the foundations of morality and have collapsed due to the lack of it.
With that I rest my case.

The business of business is only business

This theme emanates from an age long debate over the outlook of a business organization and the key driving forces behind its makers. The standard definition of Business is that it is an organization aimed at providing goods and services to consumers. The modern day business has a far greater role to play than just providing goods and services. A sustainable business model needs to look into the desirability of the product, the after sales service and the customer engagement model being employed. We have seen a paradigm shift in the way businesses view customers not only catering to their preferences but also building a rapport with the consumers.
In the legendary JRD Tata’s words “No success in material terms is worthwhile unless it serves the needs or interests of the country and its people”. A CSR initiative is indeed required to build a symbiotic relation between the corporate and the society. A business is a part of society and is not independent from it and it aims to do so by indulging with the people it does business with.
Profit making should not be the only driver for a business. The sole purpose of business today has been revamped from a money making outlook to that of being a solution provider. Irrespective of the scale of the organization, a businessman needs to understand the implications of his business from a macro as well as a micro perspective. Looking at it through the tinted glasses of money will only result in a skewed vision.
The mindset that we have to run a business to make money is highly controversial as this has resulted in businesses overstretching their workers and undermining the right to a healthy life for an individual. We all know of the highly overstressed workers of today with late working hours and little job satisfaction. All these symptoms are due to a not so rare disease called ‘Greed’. Businesses need to cater to the needs of not only their customers but also their employees as well.
Looking at this from a macro economic perspective, the government also needs to intervene into the running of a business if it finds that the greater good is being sacrificed for a profit. An optimally regulated business environment has the assurance of a fatherly figure overlooking our business but it also is conducive for economic growth. The downfall of the western markets led by the collapse of the Investment banks has been a great lesson for all those preaching the completely free market ideology .The sole reason for the collapse of these ‘invincible’ financial institutions was GREED. This happened because the business of these businesses was only business.

We talk of letting our businesses grow unrestricted leading to the greater good with lower unemployment rate, higher GDP growth etc. What we must realize is that we will be faced with challenges of an ever increasing population in a highly corrupted environment .Case in point: Satyam. So are we ready to cradle the scion of free markets? Some food for thought for our policy makers surely.

My बियो Data

My Info

Name : Chaman Bahar ( urf Maut Kit Thook)

Residential Address : Room No. 420,Kambakht Khatmal Bldg,Sher ke Angaare Colony,Near Chun Mun Medical Store,Gandi Gali,Rang Raliya Maidan

Telephone : Nahi Hai

Mobile : Yeh Kaise hoga be

Email : khoonbharimaang@thook.com

Date Of Birth : Main Samay Hoon

Sun Sign : Dalda

Blood Group: Lal

Height : Good

Weight:Satisfactory

My Favorite Teacher : Prof. Ram Bharose

My Favorite Friend : Gulgule Ki Maa, Chhail Chabili

My Favorite Subject : Faaltu ki Bateein

My Favorite Picnic Spot: Sulabh Shauchalaya

My Favorite Food : Khoon ki ulti with Gas ka Churan

My Favorite Sports Player: 1.Jaalim Haggu

2. Jammal Gota

My Favorite Film Star : Dardnak Fart

Brave Fart Saves the Day

As I entered the NITIE campus on 17th June, 2009, I was a mixed bag of emotions. There was a constant conflict in my mind regarding the choice of NITIE over IIT and along with the apprehension as to what if this turned out to be the wrong decision. Amongst this entire conundrum I stepped into the sylvan campus and was astounded by the noiselessness here. Considering Mumbai this campus turned out to be a huge relief. The hustle bustle capital of the country had a serene location hidden away in alleys of Powai. I reached the Hostel room allocation centre and was escorted to my room by my to be roommate (the eventual Floor Captain).Gripped by the Delhi V/s Mumbai debate, I tried to free myself away from it by mixing about with the crowd and enquiring about their profiles and other converts that they had forgone to come to NITIE. I was anxiously waiting to meet an IIM convert who had left IIM for NITIE (which by the way was the case with the senior batch). But alas all my attempts to satisfy myself that all was well were not being helped even a single bit by the constant comparisons between IIT and NITIE and varied responses from people. I seriously contemplated taking back my decision and returning to the comforts of home and being amongst my family members. All this was getting a bit too much for me so I decided to sleep on it
The next day was supposed to be our Induction day but started off with some academic formalities. Later the same day we were called in by Team IMPACT to meet up at 6pm.The Induction event started off with a few introductions and a bit of boring stuff. This was pissing as I was already confused and these people were not helping. This continued till dinner after which the real fun started. It was past 12 and sitting on the ground for around 6 hrs was nowhere in my idea of a B-School. After what I considered to be a boring and uneventful day, I was in for a shock as we were handed out case studies on a Marketing Strategy for a company. We were to submit this by 7 am. I slept for around 3 hrs that day and had no time to think over my doubt at all. A new start awaited me there of which I was yet unaware of.
The next day started at 7.30 with a campus tour and a skit competition arranged by the Professors. The evening was supposed to be again about the same thing “Know your batch mates”. All this seemed a bit boring and I was not at all in the mood to go out there and have my head torn apart by silly performances. At 1800 hrs or so (in Mayank’s parlance) we came to know that we were to do some skits again, but this time they came with a slight twist. We were handed out our chits and as my group representative brought along our groups topic an astonished look took over the entire group. We were supposed to enact “BraveFart”. As everyone struggled with the idea, I had an incessant smile on my face. This was the area where in my domain expertise came into the picture. I reveled in such nonsensical stuff. I found another like-minded guy in Anant and together we created magic. The jokes were hilarious; the fart noises I made were almost surreal and all that Andaz Apna Apna style fighting (the one between Salman Khan and Crime Master Gogo at the end) brought tears to some people’s eyes. The whole skit turned out to be a class act and brought me instant fame (now I can understand the charm of Bollywood). It was the entire setting, the group and the penchant for absurdity that made this entire skit possible. And all of a sudden in one swift stroke I was a part of NITIE. All apprehensions went away and I knew this is where I belong, a kind of Home away from Home. So this blog is dedicated to the latest superhero who saved the day and farted his way to stardom.

Youngistaan Rocks Or Does it??

Amidst the 15th Lok Sabha elections that were concluded recently resulting in a strong mandate for the Congress Party and its allies, a prominent position was taken up by the youth in this election. This election was supposed to bring about an upheaval in the political system with identity politics taking a back seat and progressive governance being given a push in the right direction. This was supposed to be the election where the youth takes charge and starts taking up some responsibility for this country. With the immense amount of TV coverage given  for the largest democratic exercise in the whole world and the innumerable voting campaigns started to raise awareness amongst the electorate there was a feeling that maybe ,just maybe we might be moving in the right direction. The first time voters were supposed to influence some constituencies of the urban localities by giving their verdict in favour of performance rather than sitting at home and chilling coz it’s a holiday today. But alas all these hopes and wishes were washed away. Not only did Youngistaan turn out to be the useless “Pappu”, it was also caught sleeping soundly in spite of Jaago Re being such a useful tool for almost everyone. 

So why did pappu not go out and vote. With excuses such as excessive heat being labeled as possible reasons for the same, it seems to me that all that talk and no play makes Youngistaan a damp squib. With the abysmally low turnout in highly educated places like Mumbai one’s heart goes out to those ill fated people who choose politics as a career and chose to make money the other way round (Hell some even give away their money just for a chair ). Even the glitz and glamour of Bollywood wasn’t able to bring in voters to see their favourite stars in real life. I imagined that hundreds and thousands would throng the voting centers to be the next one in line after Shahrukh Khan or Bipasha Basu. Seems like Youngistaan’s a bit too lazy even for that. So looks like Youngistaan just rocks in the parties at night and when it comes to the real stuff the heat takes away all the dance moves.

The electorate is not the only one to be blamed for such for this entire fiasco; the politicians too come in to stake their claim for the blame. We have perpetrators who though are young and energetic but still assume the policies of their former/elderly colleagues to divide the country along religious lines. They have their hate speeches ready and loaded to the full to go out and give its entire blast to a group of people who can be indoctrinated to think on those lines very very easily. Such divisive politics is the root cause of all the troubles ailing our 60 odd year old vibrant and young democracy. 

But lose not all hopes my friends, coz there still is a silver lining in this dangerously dark and damp cloud of ours. We still have the likes of Rahul Gandhi who have their kurtas clean and white, void of any dirt unlike many of our other MP’S. But maybe that’s just because he uses a better detergent than all the others. Maybe not, but that’s not our main focus right now. We may have most of our young MP’s from political backgrounds with great family legacies behind them, but all we need to do is to give them a chance and that can only come when we go out and do our bit for them. 

Call me a cynic but “Yeh hai youngistaan meri jaan”.

JAAGO RE!!

Amidst the recent terror strikes in Mumbai there has been a lot of hue and cry over inept politicians and rampant corruption. The phrase ‘Enough is Enough ’ aptly represents the mood amongst the electorate . The reverberations of this terror attack are being felt throughout the nation and across the globe. This is an attack on the sovereignty of our country and every Indian mourns the lives of those brave soldiers who have been lost in this heinous crime.

But in a democracy like India with all its variants and diversity in every aspect of social life how do we as individuals contribute to the building up of a safe, secure and prosperous nation. The definition of democracy lies in this line : A government is of the people, by the people and for the people. The part which says ‘by the people ‘ has not been justified because a large segment of us ( Educated youths) do not go out and cast their vote. We think that we are not to blame as we as individuals cannot change the entire system .But this is the exact mentality which has allowed the strikes of terror in Mumbai, Delhi, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Malegaon, Bangalore and right through the heart of India . The mantle to bring a strong government lies upon our shoulders now. Each and every one of us needs to be involved and do the needful i.e. to go out on election day and cast our votes and not be at home sipping coffee our at cinema halls enjoying.


I believe every one of us would have seen the advertisement of Jaago Re ( the campaign to help people vote ) . I went through this site yesterday and found out lots of things about voting . For those of us who like me do not have an election card , I would like to request everyone to go through this site and give in application for the same . It’s simple and just takes 5 minutes to do. So before ignoring this mail do think of the people who have lost their lives in these attacks and realize that it could have been any of us or our near and dear ones.

The site is http://www.jaagore.com/.

Too good...

Really liked this cartoon ... what do u think ??

IPL Mania

Finally the T20 fever has gripped the entire country and how. Not only has it gained the interest of each and every red blooded, cricket loving citizen of India, it has also been successful in gaining the interest of many outside of India as well. India was one of the last countries to adopt this format of the game but has proved its mettle in this fast paced format by winning the inaugural ICC T20 world cup held last year. I think the BCCI was a bit sceptic initially about this whole format and its reliability. But once it has decided to endorse this format, the results have been ripe. The amount of money being spent is almost ridiculous and the world’s richest board could not let go of this opportunity.
Of late there has been a lot of hue and cry over whether this format of the game constitutes a sustainable model of revenue generation over a long period of time. I believe that there should be no problem in this aspect because the short duration of the game (4-5 hrs) makes it easier for audiences to stay and watch the game and not get bored sitting in the stands.
The whole concept of the fast game is conducive to the lifestyle of the modern families and makes for an entertaining affair. Why else would Mr. Mukesh Ambani invest $111.9 million in his team Mumbai Indians (which btw is fairing pathetically in the tournament till date). Doesn’t he have anymore oil fields left to exploit and shouldn’t he be using his money in putting up a petroleum plant somewhere .Or does he just have so much money that he doesn’t care if this meager sum goes to the dogs. Then what about Shahrukh Khan and Priety Zinta who have invested $75.09 million and $76 million respectively in their teams. I seriously don’t think that they have put all this money to waste .They would be expecting to gain loads in the long run and I think they are fully justified in thinking so. From The promise that T20 has shown till date I don’t think there is any stopping this version of the game.T20 my friends is HERE TO STAY!!!!!!!
The IPL also it seems has lived up to all the hoopla that it had generated before its launch and seems to have all the makings of a yearly event in the cricketing calendar. It is also being speculated that from next year onwards the ICC may suspend all international matches during the IPL so that the teams do not face a player crunch. Seems like a very realistic possibility doesn’t it.
Some cricketers do say that this is not the correct format of the game and is only a temporary pleasure which will soon fizz out. I think this is the same thing that was said when ODI’S were launched and only test cricket was prevalent .After taking the world by storm, the ODI’s attracted a larger array of people which was way larger than the viewership of test cricket which included only die hard cricket fans. Of late the tests had become quite a boring encounter with a large number draws ruining all the fun. But recently, the ODI game has influenced test cricket as well with the increase in run rate in tests and thus faster scoring leading to quicker innings and thus providing results. ODI’s have replenished test cricket and given it a new lease of life in this age of T20 mania.
But the question arises now is that will T20 do the same thing to ODI’s. Will it overpower the ODI’s or will it run in parallel with the ODI’s. In my opinion, it is quite a possibility that T20 might just make the ODI’s seem like a boring way to play cricket. When you can have the game finished off in 20 overs per team then why stretch a 4 hrs game to a 10 hr one. T20 might just pull away the crowds from the ODI’s and leave it in a very difficult position. Then it might just happen that T20 will help rejuvenate the ODI’s (spotted a trend ??) . But that’s a thing of the future and of one that’s not so near at all. Let’s just enjoy the latest flavour the wonderful game of cricket has to offer and soak in all its fun. Hurray to IPL and the T20 format!! Three Cheers!!!!

SHOW ME THE MONEY

It would have been a regular day at the office had it not been for just one statement of mine. Everything was going well, work was a waste as usual and most of our time went in criticizing our work. But this one statement of mine changed the course of our discussion all together.
This simple yet complex statement of mine is as follows:
“Is it all about the money? “
This seemingly straightforward statement sparked off a major debate at the lunch table. I wont get into the intricacies of the discussion here but I shall delve into a few of the points discussed.


At first glance, in my opinion, most of us would say ‘NO’, it’s not all about the money. There is a greater good involved and money does not get you everything in life.
But there is another side to it .there were people on the lunch table whose first response was ‘YES’. I was a bit surprised at this. a general idea that I had was that whoever said yes to this was in general greedy and had his/her mind only on money. Such people obviously would do anything for money. Thus I had a very negative impression of “such people”.
On a bit of contemplation I think my opinion about “such people” is changing. Let’s have a look at the question again. “Is it all about the money?”

I by the way am 22 yrs old and work as a Software Engg. In a leading Indian IT firm. I have done my Engg. In Chemical background. So why software? Why not a chemical job? Am I not as vain as the people that I have just now branded as greedy? This is one of the questions that I was asked when I very straightforwardly and matter of factly said ‘NO’, it’s not all about the money.

My answer to ‘why Software? ‘was that I wanted to gain experience, which by the way is partially true. The discussion got over after sometime and I stayed very staunchly onto my stance on this topic. As I reached home I kept on pondering over this question almost the entire day. Have I come here only for the experience? Don’t I want to earn money? Would I have been happy in an internship (non-paying) providing an excellent opportunity to learn? Doesn’t it make me happy to earn money and don’t I keep wondering when I will earn more? Isn’t everything driven by money?

And then comes the eternal question
“Can money get me happiness?”
Now, I am getting too deep I know, but let’s not look at this as a cliché. Let’s look at it practically. Money can get us our materialistic needs for sure. I think no one would have a problem with this statement at least.
But are materialistic gains all that we crave for, isn’t there a larger outlook to life. What about satisfaction?
Can money buy me satisfaction?
The answer to this question would vary individually depending on how we define our aim’s in life to be. But what can be said for sure is that the richest man in this world need not necessarily be the most satisfied man in this world.
On the other hand, looking at this question very simply, yes money an get me satisfaction at least for now . with money I can buy the best in class cell phones, iPod’s , a bike , a car etc. etc………… basically anything that you desire.
Isn’t that what all of us want. These things have become kind of the basic necessities of our day today lives. So for purchasing all these things, I need money. And all these things make me happy and hence satisfied. SO, POINT PROVED.
END OF DISCUSSION
Here comes the catch. All these requirements of ours, cell phones, iPod’s, motor vehicles etc... , are they not needs of our own creation. Haven’t our parents lived without all of these so called necessities? Yes, these equipments have made our life a bit easier, but they are a nuisance in themselves. Let us not get into the discussion of pros and cons of these necessities.
All I want to say is that we are the ones who create these necessities for ourselves. If we don’t have the money, then buying a high end phone will not be a necessity. We will make do with an average phone. So even after making more money we will never be satisfied, we shall keep looking for things out of our reach and try and obtain them and these things shall be very easily branded as necessities. So, according to me, this thirst of money or greed as is called generally will keep on increasing and one shall never be satisfied.

So what does this mean for us, that we shouldn’t earn money and live a saint like life. No I do not advocate that.
Live your life to the fullest. Live it happily. Live it well. Always yearn for more but never be dissatisfied with whatever you have now. Spend your money judiciously irrespective of how much ever money you earn because it will always be less than what your necessities will require.

BOLLYWOOD AWAKENS

Of late we have had a number of mainstream Bollywood Movies which have moved away from the prerequisite formula for a Masala Hindi movie. There has been a phenomenal change in the way the movies are made nowadays .These are movies which have an actual storyline, u know “An actual story” (and that too in Hindi Movie).I thought I had never live to see this day. These are movies that either inspire us or at least make us think. They have been successful in ‘bridging the gap’ or ‘breaking the barrier’ between commercial cinema and thought provoking art cinema. Earlier the general thought used to be that art movies are not money makers and that mainstream Bollywood movies are not thought provoking.

A point to be noted here is that do movies affect our lives? A very superficial answer might be No and it will seem to be an obvious one at that. But on a closer look one might feel that some movies do actually affect our life. They make you think about yourself, your lifestyle, the community at large and how we are part of the larger picture. Some of the movies which illustrate my points are:

SWADES (WE THE PEOPLE)


















The story here revolves around an NRI who leaves behind his riches and a comfortable life for the betterment and welfare of his country, his own motherland. How many of us would have the courage to even think about going through with such a step. Most of us would ridicule this and say that such things are only possible in movies. What I propose is an intermediate step between the two extremities. One doesn’t need to give up everything to help the society. A good cause done with a clean heart is all that it takes to be better person.

RANG DE BASANTI (A GENERATION AWAKENS)

Perhaps the best movie that I have watched till date. It displays careless young college students realizing that a country is made its people and its citizens are the ones who have to work towards its progress. Every time I see this movie it inspires me to do something selfless. Such movies fill you with a sense of pride for your country and make you look at the larger picture and how you can be a part of it.

LAGE RAHO MUNNABHAI

A fresh Perspective towards Gandhi-ism or as is called ‘GandhiGiri’ by the goonda Munna in the movie. This movie teaches the most important value that each one of us should have i.e. Truth. Our lives are becoming a bundle of lies. A lie to cover another lie and so on. Why can’t we just learn to say the truth? Maybe coz it’s difficult. As is said Truth Hurts (Sach hamesha kadwa hota hai).All we have to do is start speaking the truth. Whenever we know that I can lie and get from this situation we should try and gather up the courage to say the truth. It might be a big thing but it will help you in the long run.

Chak De India

The latest entrant in this list and it pleases me that a sports movie was able to implement the prerequisites to be on this list. Chak De was successful in breaking the caste and gender barriers embedded in the minds of the common man. It also brings to light the politics involved in the game and also the passion of the sportspersons for the game. The plight of the sportspersons of games other than cricket can be seen as they are never referred to as ‘Sports Stars’ like our cricketers. The deadly combination of hockey and girls was able to move a lot of people to actually go and watch sports other than cricket.



All these movies have something in common. They can either be inspirational, passionate, humorous or serious. But what all of them have in common is that ALL of them UNITE INDIA and empower each and every citizen of India.


So after a deep slumber Bollywood has woken up to the reality of the lives of common man and has started displaying this on celluloid. It feels great to watch such movies and hope for many more interesting and thought provoking movies to come in the future.

ARE WE CORRUPT????

Corruption is a plague which has affected our country in a very severe manner. It has clenched its jaws on almost the entire bureaucracy along with all the politicians. In these ranks there are hardly a handful of people who have moral integrity and honesty left in their hearts. But is corruption only limited to these few people who “govern” our country? It has slowly but surely descended into lower ranks as well. I feel that corruption is type of cancer which starts at the top and multiplies infinitely while moving towards the bottom.

We generally are made to believe that the easiest and the guaranteed way of getting things done is to pass the bucks under the table (for the naive reader it means to bribe somebody). This may happen either as a live demonstration from our own family members or friends, or else it maybe viewed regularly in the movies and the TV serials. With the abundance of news channels nowadays, we regularly get to see through their “sting operations “ that even the biggest of ministers or officials can be bribed into making deals through which they sell their own country along with each and every citizen of it.

Whether it is the media, or any Tom, Dick and Harry on the streets, everyone has two common complaints that the government is corrupt and the system is flawed. Our parents and their forefather’s favourite pastime had been blaming the corrupt government for its flaws. Their forefathers blamed the British rule for messing up the whole system. Maybe in this blame game we have lost the essence of the problem. These complaints might be true and maybe it has been so for the last few decades. But what do we do about it? This is the question that each and every INDIAN should ask himself/herself.

The past is beyond us and we can do nothing about it (until I start work on my time travelling donkey. I am thinking of mutating his genes by mating him with this Martian I found on my way home. But I think that would be part of another blog…). The future is upon us and the present is where the work needs to be done for improving our future. This is not the time to crib over our past and blame others for their mistakes. It is time for action. RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW!!!!

What we need to realise is that corruption has been embedded deep into each strata of our society and to completely eliminate it we have only one way. The way of truth, the way of purity. We have to first of all weed it out of ourselves, then our family, then our relatives and then our neighbours, friends and so on. This is not the time to question: What can I alone as an individual do? How can a single entity change the whole corrupt system? It is the time to believe that: I CAN change myself and my country with my actions. Understanding that change is not a ‘2 minute noodles’ but rather it is the ‘wine’ which gets its taste only after years of patience, is the first step to improving the system.
We have to be ready to do things the hard way and not look for the easy way out. We have to follow the law and believe in our judicial system (which off late has become really proactive). We can only expect the system to be fair if we first of all change ourselves.


This reminds me of the dialogue of Aamir Khan (DJ) in Rang De Basanti : “zindagi jeene ke do hi tarike hote hain. Ek, jo ho raha hai hone do, bardasht karte jao. Ya fir, zimmedari uthao usko badalne ki”(There are only two ways of living life. One, let whatever’s happening go on and keep tolerating and enduring it. Or else , take up the responsibility of changing it).


Kind of sums it up doesn’t it…………….

K.I.S.S.

As I sit in the comfort of my room writing this blog, I wonder if I am lucky to have all of this. All throughout my 21 years (or at least for the last decade) I have wondered why I couldn’t have the things that I liked (e-gadgets, sports goods, etc. and the usual stuff that any teenager craves for). I envied those who had them and despised myself for the lack of these “luxuries”. All my demands which were not met made me angry and frustrated. I was angry at my parents for not buying me those things and frustrated for not having the freedom to buy them myself. My parents have provided me with the best possible facilities that they could have provided. But I always wondered why I couldn’t have more.

Maybe this happens to all of us. Maybe everyone is swayed by the excitement and the fun of these luxuries. And maybe there is no real problem in craving for these things. But there is a larger issue at hand here. We are not kids anymore who will be swayed by such glamorous things.


We always envy those above us in the financial ladder (if not explicitly but sometimes in our hearts) and all we can do is frown upon those below us. This might be because we (not our parents) have not risen from those bottom levels and reached at this position. We were given these comforts from the start and we have learned to accept them as part and parcel of our lives.

Some may argue that our parents have worked hard for it and they don’t want their kids to go through what they have seen and been through. They just want to provide a nice environment for their kids to grow up and they want to fulfil all their wishes which they couldn’t fulfil for themselves. I completely agree with this if the kids understand how much their parents have sacrificed for them. Have we ever tried to imagine the hardships that our parents have gone through for us?

In a country like India where a large chunk of the population lives in rural areas, which are devoid of basic amenities like electricity and drinking water, and where kids of our age or younger are dying of hunger and their parents are helpless about it. I just want to convey to the kids of our generation and those of the forthcoming generations should understand the value of their parents hard earned money, spend it judiciously and not squander it away. We should be thankful each day of our life for getting two square meals a day.


Never during the last 21 years did I ever realise that there might be kid just some km’s away from me who might be in dire straits just because he has not had proper food for the last couple of days and is wondering (and in his little heart wishing for the best) whether his father has been able to earn enough for the family to decent meal after a week. In his little heart this kid is also angry with his parents. But the reasons are completely different as compared to mine. He is angry and frustrated at being born to parents who are not able to provide him proper food. He is envious of the rich kids who get everything they want. But the need of the boy is food (a basic necessity for life) as compared to mine of e-gadgets (hardly a necessity for life).

Have we ever thought about this kid when we go out for shopping and munch on chocolates, ice creams and burgers and purchase any of those unnecessary necessities that we have created for ourselves? Do we give the slightest thought to this kid and his family when we throw away a half used bottle of water or a half eaten burger?

I am not here to preach or to tell anyone on how to live their lives. I just want everyone to realise how blessed we are and what we could have been.

Another question that may arise here is: What should we do, it is not our fault that we are being provided these luxuries and we obviously cannot say no them.

My answer to this is that yes, no one will want to say no these things, but what we can do is to abstain from ostentation. In short, my mantra for achieving this is a simple four letter word.

K.I.S.S.

KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID


P.S.: For those of you who do not me I am not a social activist nor am I a politician (Thank God for that). I am just a kid who has realised that whatever I have is more than enough and whatever I need will never be enough.

HAIL SHANTARAM!!!!!!!!!

Hi ,

The following lines are not my work; these are just a few lines that I found to really good while I was reading SHANTARAM . Some of them are funny while some are really deep. The novel is simply awesome; I think everyone should give a read at least once. So here goes ………………………



· The only force more ruthless and cynical than the business of big politics is the politics of big business.

· Civilisation is defined by what we forbid , rather than what we permit

· When you judge the power of a person, you must judge their capacities as both a friend and as an enemy.

· Truth is a bully we all pretend to like.

· Now sadly there is all attitude and no style. It is the mark of the age in which we live that the style becomes the attitude, instead of the attitude becoming the style.(the context here was attitude and style of gangsters in their work)

· Optimism is the first cousin of love and it is exactly like love in three ways , its pushy, it has no real sense of humour an it turns up where you least expect it.

· The real trick in life is to want nothing and succeed in getting it.

· One of the reasons why we crave for love and seek it so desperately is that love is the only cure for loneliness and shame and sorrow. But some feelings sink so deep into the heart that only loneliness can help you find them again. Some truths about you are so painful that only shame can help you live with them. And some things are just so sad that only your soul can do the crying for you.

· When the wish and the fear are exactly the same, we call the dream a nightmare.

· The worst thing about corruption as a system of governance is that it works so well.

· Justice is not the only way we punish those who do wrong. It is also the way by which we try to save them.

· Poverty and pride are devoted blood brothers until one, always and inevitably, kills the other.

· Nothing grieves more deeply and pathetically than one half of a great love that isn’t meant to be.

· One of the ironies of courage and the reason why we prize it so highly is that we find it easier to be brave for someone else than we do for ourselves alone.

· Guilt is the hilt of the knife that we use on ourselves and love is the often the blade, but it’s the worry that keeps the knife sharp and worry that gets most of us, in the end.

· Cruelty is a kind of cowardice. Cruel laughter is the way cowards cry when they are not alone and causing pain is how they grieve.

· It isn’t a secret, unless keeping it hurts.

· Men reveal what they think when they look away and what they feel when they hesitate. With women it’s the other way around.

· It’s a fact of being in love that we pay no attention to whatsoever to the substance of what a lover says, while being intoxicated to ecstasy by the way it’s said.

· Depression only happens to people who don’t know how to be sad.

· Love cannot be tested. Honesty can be tested and loyalty. But there is no test for love. Love goes on forever, once it begins, even if we come to hate the one we love. Love goes on forever because love is born in the part of us that does not die.

· Every human heartbeat is a universe of possibilities. He’d been trying to tell me that every human will has the power to transform its fate. I’d always thought that fate was something unchangeable; fixed for every one of us at earth, and as constant as the circuit of the stars. But I suddenly realised that life is stranger and more beautiful than that. The truth is that, no matter what kind of game you find yourself in, no matter how good or bad the luck, you can change your life completely with a single thought or a single act of love.

· In the long run, motive matters more with the good deeds than it does with the bad. When all the guilt and shame for the bad we’ve done have run their course, it’s the good we’ve done that can save us. But then, when salvation speaks, the secrets we kept, and the motive we concealed, creep from their shadows. They cling to us, those dark motives for our good deeds. Redemption’s climb is steepest if the good we did is soiled with secret shame.