Whims and Fancies

Senselessness in the Sensex

2008-01-29T16:52:00.000+05:30

The last week or so (trading week I mean) has seen the flag-bearer index of the Indian stock market plunge by around 20-22%.... Market capitalisation has eroded by 18 trillion bucks (lets just say that its too many zeroes to be counting).. ... Retail investors as always have been pinched worst (I have had a notional loss of 20% or roughly 60k in a matter of 2 days).... In Ahmedabad (the stock brokers' capital of India) police had to cordon off a lake so that people wouldn't jump in, attempting suicide... Once again people (like u and me) are questioning the wisdom of trading in the secondary markets...

Various aspects pertaining to the crash have been dissected and analysts have been unanimous in identifying the "recession" in the US as the main reason for the reverses. The US Fed cut rates by 75 bps the largest cut since 1984 in an attempt to pump in more liquidity into the system (the global financial system apparently).. So what all has gone wrong suddenly?

- Have the phrases "if the US catches a cold the rest of the world sneezes" or worse still "if the US sneezes the rest of the world catches a cold" been proved right?

- Has the Indian markets' over-dependence on FII inflows been exposed?

There might be multiple reasons but what's been most striking (to me that is) have been the vulnerabilities of an Indian investor's mindset and the lack of understanding and deeper analysis of the trends in macro economic indicators by Indian Market analysts. Many of my friends have been talking over the last few days about whether its just time to sell everything and stay with cash... and I find it very amusing

From being one of the most risk averse individuals, the Indian investor over the last 2 years has turned into one helluva of greedy fellow. Greed by itself is bad enough but greed compounded with lack of knowledge is a disaster and that's exactly what we are experiencing now.

- Business new channels providing 24 hr news on markets, stock picks, investment calls etc..

- Mutual fund agents carrying glossy pamphlets with sky rocketing graphs denoting their fund's performance

- Asset management companies providing 'advice' on smart investment strategies

today an average investor has a deluge of information. Information that is confused and misunderstood to be knowledge. Opinions and promises is NOT knowledge. The poor middle class guy has not understood this distinction. Knowing stock codes, brokerage rates, NAVs and issue details does not amount to much. Return on Investment expectations of 30-40% are illogical. I am not saying that every investor should learn "Corporate Valuation"... But investors should atleast know solid investment principles...

- picking industries and stocks that offer long term growth

- Not buying stocks of companies that you aren't too sure about but just because they have been on the top gainer's list

- Realizing that brokers make money only when you buy or sell so there's no point in just blindly believing trading advice

- having reasonable expectations of return. While at an overall economy level companies growing at 20% even the most carefully picked portfolio cant give you consistent returns of anything more than 20% in the long term

- Conviction that the markets are a long term game not a day-day or a monthly one. They might be so for day traders and investment firms (purely because they have a cushion of funds that can absorb losses) but not for you and me

- Moving from a 'sell at every fall' to a 'buy at every fall' mindset (of course aided by a good reason to buy i.e. good companies)

Ok if the Indian retail investor is bad the Indian analysts have fared no better. There has been so much use of the much maligned term "recession". But no value adding opinions given to substantiate the reasons. For starters how many people have bothered to explain to the junta about what they mean by recession in the US economy. In pure macro-economic terms recession is defined as "two consecutive quarters of negative economic growth". Now when we are talking about a phenomenally huge economy like the US growth by itself is at very moderate levels (2-3%).. So negative economic growth is not as much of a shocker as it could be India... In addition to this no detailed opinions have come forth from Indian analysts quoting "US recession" as a dampener on what is driving the possibility of recession in the U.S., in terms of sectors, is it consumer driven, policy driven, industry driven etc..

What is also surprising is that one of major theories that have surfaced in the last decade or so pertaining to macro-economic indicators of developed nations "The Great Moderation" theory has been untouched in opinions and views. Its a fabulous piece on why, if viewed from the experience of the past 2 decades the fluctuations in macro economic indicators are not going to be too drastic or prolonged. In effect they cant have too many shock effects on investment, spending, savings etc..

I don't mean to say that the markets are in no trouble. I don't think these are just over-reactions. My point is fluctuations are very inherent to a market that is driven by so many factors. It will remain to be so and will not be a simple upside or downside story... If it were that simple every one would just be a billionaire or will pull out of the market. What's important is for the common man to stick to basics of good investing aided by some elementary knowledge. As far as experts go, they should come out the "sound byte" mode that they are in for the sake of television and try and provide some meaningful (even if contrarian) inputs through valuable research and analysis.

Ok now lets recoup some losses...

(Un)Civilian Honours

2008-01-29T14:52:00.000+05:30

26th January this year once again saw a clutch of personalities being conferred with India's civilian honours - Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padam Shri...The lists every year evoke standard sets of responses. Some people are unhappy about names having been excluded, some are critical of a few awardees and some awardees themselves feel that they deserved it "much before" (Asha Bhosle for instance).

This year has been no different. To the Government's credit they have recognised some worthy personalities for these awards. However a few sore points do stick out.

Is it right for the sitting External Affairs Minister to be chosen for the 2nd highest civilian honour given that the Government picks the awardees ? Can see a day not far away when politicians like a Laloo or Karunanidhi clamor for awards for their party men like they do for cabinet ministerial berths....
In a country with 1/6th of the world's population couldn't we find one name worthy enough to be conferred the Bharat Ratna ... and mind you we have been hit with this "scarcity" for 6 years now.
There were these debates that raged for a few days about worthy candidates for the ratna and one should say it was sickening. Lobbying of the worst kind was witnessed and needless to say it was only from politicians....Vajpayee, Kanshi Ram, Mulayam(!!) were some of the names thrown into the ring.... A pity that politics extended its ugly fangs in an attempt to tarnish the nations' highest civilian honour...

One wonders how much longer can these awards successfully continue to uphold their own sanctity... With audience polling, nominations and a Jury moderation CNN-IBN or NDTV awards seem much more meritorious and trustworthy...

I have no worries...is that a worry???!!!

2007-12-10T18:35:00.000+05:30

This post is neither an attempt at relationship psychology nor is it a response to a question in the 'agony aunt's' column... Its my take on some marriage basics..

Needless to say being alone last evening was terrible. And alone here means not being with her and does not mean being “Alone” as suggested by the dictionaries.(You cant claim to be alone in the linguistic sense when you have 6 Adults and a kid at home, can you!!!). It was incidentally the first Sunday that we hadn't met (other than the Goa conference) since we had said “Aye”...sheer bad luck. So when AG called me he was just plain unlucky for having called at the wrong time. After some idle chit chat and some run of the mill Tam bashing that he regularly indulges in he had warmed me up for a nasty showdown. He compounded his troubles by mentioning ‘Standard’ stuff like “You spend all your time with her huh?” “Bas, only 2 months and then you are gone” and off I went. Like a fancy firecracker that’s wick has been lit the heat reached me quick and sure enough there was a lights and sound display (more sound than light and of course nowhere as beautiful). Two minutes of mayhem and then I realised that AG was a 'poor thing' that didn't actually mean to be mean and hence didn't deserve this. I mellowed down and some conversation followed, thankfully on a pleasant note. “Goodbyes & good nights” later I started reflecting on why people ask/tell me stuff like....

“So how’s life after engagement. How does it feel to be have lost your freedom ?”

“How does it feel to realize that you are soon going to imprisoned!! Ha Ha (sick laughter)?”

“Aur, Last few months of bachelorhood ko enjoy kar rahe ho?”

“Anxious thinking about married life…hasn't the loss of control feeling hit you yet?”

“How much have you changed already? Sab badal jaayega yaar”

"Courtship period is the best man...sab theek lagta hai....uske baad its not all that rosy"

I know most of these are said in a lighter vein but its hard to not get the feeling that people think that those who are gonna get married should be anxious about getting married. Do some things change for the worse with this turn in life? Do people enjoy life much less given the loss of carefreeness that comes with bachelorhood. Does the burden of a relationship show on your ways in life? Is there a cause to feel for the lack of independence? In short are there some aspects of marriage that one needs to be scared about?

I guess everyone would have thought on these lines and come out with their own answers. I did too because I wanted to understand as to why I have no such concerns around marriage. Yes I am not worried and its primarily because of what I feel are the basics in a relationship.

I think the crux of the cynicism that people have when talking about marriage and more importantly the difficulties that married people face in their marriages are to do with just 2 things. Change and Influence (and obviously sacrifices that come about because of these two things).

In most of life’s facets nobody likes changes. There might be numerous occasions when we say we are bored with routine and are looking out for something different but those are platonic changes. In truth we are all deeply entrenched in our set patterns of approach to life. We hate to be pulled out of comfort zones. Status quo is sacred. Especially when we consider things that are part of our day to day lives.

The favorite couch in the hall, the argument with a sibling, mom’s special Sunday lunch dish, the cribbing session with a best friend, what one wear’s at home and outside……….. Lots more like those.

But then do we all take the same paths all through our lives? Obviously not, there are aspects when we accept changes rather well. College after schooling years, a new job, friends at the workplace……. And some more. At the heart of these changes that we take to rather well (albeit after initial hiccups) is the conviction that that its for the better.

And that’s precisely the point that I feel needs some thinking.

Marriage in fact brings about the need for some things that one needs to change. Starting with the small matter of the company one keeps for the rest of their life and of course in terms of thinking, behaviour, outlook, decisions, preferences, lifestyle, socialising and the works. In the first place I think marriage should be preceded by a conviction that its for a life that is going to be better than what it is without it. To go a step further one should be convinced that its going to be the best ever relationship. This should be a given failing which married life would be difficult. People who are about to get married might say that its obvious but in fact this is in fact an egoistically difficult conviction to posses for people who come from well knit happy families. “Oh my god. My parents are the sweetest people around and they have given me all that I wanted and I am having a great time with them, how can I be assured that anything could get better than this!!? How can there be a better relationship especially given that I don't know the other person as well as I know my folks” is a common feeling for such people. But I guess that’s the primary difficulty in the outlook towards marriage and all the change that’s in store. Your current life is great and thank god for his mercies in having given you a great family but there is nothing in life that can’t get better. The fact that your partner is the first familial relationship that you chose for yourself should mean that its the best (sorry appa and amma, this doesn't mean you are any less sweeter but this is the truth). The reason I say this again centers around change. Unless you are convinced about marriage setting you up for a better life any change that comes with it will be a liability.

The second part on change is slightly higher up the value chain (I hate using management terms like ‘value chain’ but I couldn’t think of anything better after half a minute of thinking). It requires understanding of the fact there are somethings that I might not feel like changing but might be pushed to change. (‘Pushed’ as I use it here is not in a negative connotation). Actually such changes do not even need rational explanations, for in life there are somethings that do not have rational explanations. I know this would be taken rather cynically by some but for those who are smirking at this the ideal way to wipe that smirk off is to think about some things that you have done without too much of rationale....Want a sample? Do you remember praying to God before the results of the examinations you wrote were out…. See, the point is rationalising doesn't always work….

The other aspect is influence. Starting from innocuous (seemingly) aspects the influence obviously extends to the biggest decisions that one would be faced with in life. And again the conviction of marriage being a positive turn in life provides an easy answer. An influence from my partner is to be considered as a welcome step in the already complex process of decision making. As a means to being flexible to accommodate more interests. It also requires clarity of thought to realise that pre-existing spheres of influence (parents, siblings and friends) are now input providers and not decision makers (sorry again appa and amma but I know you will understand). Again tough to accept but reality that’s irrefutable. Because marriage actually means independence. In this case its the independence of two people who depend on each other. (I know that sentence is oxymornoish). I strongly disagree with the concept of a “Strong partner and a weak partner” in a marriage. I feel people who feel they are the stronger partners (in sheer terms of providing direction) are reserving the right to be Dominant. Those who feel that they are weaker partners are reserving the right to commit mistakes that they don’t want to held accountable for. Both cases are unacceptable.

The good part with both these factors is the commonality of what it requires for success. The Right Partner.Period. All that I need to accept the need for such changes & influence is a great partner. A partner for whom I am willing to change certain things with no pre-conditions of "so you will change that for me?".. without being obsessed about “How I actually am” or “How it actually used to happen”. (as long as it does not affect the values I stand for in life). A partner whom I am willing to be influenced by without necessarily feeling the need to influence. Come to think of it, what would be those things that I would have to change or be influenced on. They would either be things that really matter to either of us or one’s own idiosyncrasies that don’t matter much when one looks at the bigger picture for they are just idiosyncrasies. Does it mean I will be jumping with joy with evry change...not at all... But ultimately will I change convinced that its for the better...Yes I wil....So is it too difficult? NO! NO! NO!

So does that mean marriages wont work if change and influence aren't taken in this light. That is not the case. Most marriages work in spite of these being less than 100%. But then those are the marriages where you feel a sense of loss in addition (“yippee my wife’s going to be away for 2 months”…types :-) ) to all the good times that you experience. Marriages where the idea of change and influence is not reciprocated by one partner are worse off, for one person feels cheated. It takes two to tango.

So that’s pretty much I guess. And I am least surprised that I have none of the worries that people supposedly expect me have about married life :-). I am serious!!! So much so that I feel like recording a standard script and playing it out when next confronted with this enquiry. This is what it would be…

“Hi, Yes, You are talking to someone who recently got engaged and is getting married 2 months from now. YES, it does feel GREAT to be engaged and NO, I am in fact looking forward to marriage. NO, I DON’T feel anxious about getting married and NOR am I worried about losing the ‘freedom’ of bachelorhood. NO not at all, I don’t think I will have a problem changing some things about me and YES I am more than happy to be influenced. BTW I can hear you saying that the courtship period is the best time of the relationship but I wish to strongly DISAGREE because that might be true only if you get to spend lots of time with your partner. In fact I am waiting for the courtship period to end and am sure married life would be much BETTER. And yes, If these feelings change I will get back to you and by the way think of something else as well as a conversational topic the next time around. I have no worries...does that worry you?.Thank you for enquiring and have a nice day”

I can be a soothsayer...

2007-11-30T13:16:00.000+05:30

I am suddenly in the writy mood so here’s another one…

The last point in my previous list of learnings was on Linda Goodman and am sure that people might wonder about why I had written that as a learning… So some insights into my thoughts on the Zodiac Circus

As I have mentioned/written a thousand times I am someone who believes that I completely control the path that my life traverses. Most of what has happened to me till now (good+bad) is because that’s the way I made my decisions and I pretty much know how tomorrow’s gonna go coz am pretty sure that it depends on what I did yesterday and what am doing today. If I want something to happen I have it in me to make it happen (or so I think)

Can I represent India in Cricket in the future- Yes of course…If I practice for 6 hrs every day from today and sharpen my skills in about 15 years I can play for the “Above 40”/Seniors Cricket team !!!

Can I dance like Hrithik Roshan – That’s easy for sure. If I decide to amputate my legs and get some artificial limbs fixed I can then train the feet to coordinate with my brain while it comes to dancing. I then would sure be a threat to Roshan Jr.

Can I look like Tom Cruise – Yes by spending about 50 to 100 Million dollars on a series of plastic surgeries I can get close to looking like Mr. Cruise and then life would be a cruise..

But these snide comments apart the point is I can sure dictate the course of my life to reach milestone/objectives/targets that are practical and sensible. That’s what I mean when I say that my life is pretty much in my hands..

So when it comes to stuff like Horoscopes, Sun signs, Moon Signs, Star Signs and predictions I am very very skeptical to the point of being rudely dismissive…

But then when your lady love swears by the Zodiac and holds “Linda Goodman’s Sun Signs” as the Holy book of humanity over and above the Bible, Gita or the Koran you can’t just help but pay some attention to the topic can you? And that’s exactly what I have been doing for sometime. I read some Linda Goodman stuff (courtesy a book gifted by her) and it had not a single good thing to say about Leos (I am one…now people who know Leo characteristics please don’t start abusing me). Its not too pleasant a feeling to read lousy stuff about you page after page is it? So I said goodbye to Ms. Goodman and instead decided to opt for the innocuous yet extremely popular daily forecasts(to just see if they work) in Deccan Chronicle (an additional outflow of Rs. 1.50 per day as The Hindu does'nt feel the need to publish daily Zodiac forecasts)

I have been doing this for sometime now and I should say that it’s a revelation, and No I am talking about the predictions being true. At the risk of being beaten up by her I should say that I can confidently take up a job of writing daily predictions from today without knowing a thing about the stars, planets or constellations.

After careful Analysis I have found a pattern in the way these things are written. Read any bit from any newspaper/magazine and I can tell you that it would fall into one of these patterns.

Let me explain the patterns now

The Irrefutable truth – This one really bugs me a lot. This has advice that can never be turned down simply because its so obvious. Like you know “Actors should rehearse well”, “Accountants should try to reconcile statements”, “Students should practice math”. Now who on earth can disagree with that!!

Smart Hedge – This is a Risk Management professional’s delight. “You might be tired after a long week’s work but the weekend will prove to be a good break”. Come on!!! All of us always have bad days at work and great weekends don’t we. There’s another one…. “People exposed to the stock markets will see profits, however be aware of chances of losing money”…WOW these guys are better than asset management companies.

The Mega Serial mantra – “Loved ones will cause despair. Family problems might keep you worried. You will do well not to argue with your spouse” Ho-hum… as though I do not know the pitfalls of an argument with my spouse…who wants to get beaten up anyways …gimme a break

Feel good factor – who would not want to hear about “You might meet someone interesting”. “Its time for romantic escapades” Its always time for escapades just that money does'nt grow on trees and even if it does I can climb a tree for nuts

Proverbial punchlines – “Opportunity knocks on those who try”…. “Don’t be deterred by failures, keep trying”

With these five rules anyone can write predictions… Believe me… you can, just try. Ok if you still aren’t convinced lemme give you a sample

“Share brokers might have to buy or sell shares today to survive. If you are planning a vacation do your best to not think about expenses and pick the best options, however spending money is not the only way to have a good vacation. Your children might not listen to what you say and might argue with you incessantly. You might have good things said about you by someone you know. Remember that there is no substitute to hard work.”

See, One single outlook for the day that nobody can ever argue with…. Such are the ways of the soothsayers!!! Now tell me can't I be one?

A Naughty smile and numerous things that followed

2007-11-22T17:33:00.000+05:30

I have had my fair share of situations in which I had to make some tough decisions... Typical crossroads where I have had to necessarily pick one path and take the plunge. But I was aware that the BIGGEST decision in my life was still pending. The one concerning the choice of a life partner. I had to search for, find, meet, talk, consider, discuss and decide about the one with whom I would spend the rest of my life. Knowing me my parents and close friends seemed to agree that Sriram indeed would take some time to do all this. "6 months at the least da" was dad's emphatic forecast and I couldn't disagree with that...

Then someone up above smiled at the misplaced confidence that a seemingly confident 26 year-old had about himself and his estimates...Thankfully it wasn't a wicked smile but a naughty one :)...and I met her... The rest as they say is history - just that in this case it was history made in 1 day instead of the expected 6 months. For once this "I control my destiny and I am pretty sure about what's in store for me tomorrow" guy was elated at having been proven wrong.

The last 3 months have been great... and here are some very pleasant/interesting things that I have discovered.

It is possible to yield so much of emotional space for another person in my life and there is not just this much but infinitely more space available if its for just the right person.

After a long time I am genuinely missing someone... over and over again...week after week...trip after trip....even phonecall after phone call... (The last time I really missed someone was in Oct 1998 when I went back to campus after a Diwali visit to home and I big time missed my parents).

362 KMs is a terribly long distance....

The mobile phone is not a necessary evil....its telecommunications' blessing ... and yes it is possible to have a 4 figure mobile bill...

SMSsing from a run down Nokia 6030 is not a pain...its a wonderful exercise to keep your fingers in shape

Indian Railway's Tatkal reservations open 5 days before the travel date - but its not a very sensible option (you can't burn money coz you have it)- and the Indian Railway website is slowest in the afternoons.... You don't have to necessarily travel by 2nd A/C, 3 rd A/C is ok as well...

It takes exactly 7 minutes to reach Park station from Central if you time your walk/jog well..

Sometimes the wait for the meeting is much better than the meeting itself because the meeting ends with the start of a wait while the wait actually ends with a meeting....

Evaluating honeymoon packages is a potential area for a doctoral degree...there is so much to think and decide about... Warm places vs. Cold places, Sea vs. Mountains, History versus Activity, customised vs. managed.... Its tougher than the toughest Optimization problem that Prof. P.Singh presented us with... and ya travel agencies' sales people are sweet talking but predominantly dumb

"Primary", "Secondary", "Stockist", "Invoice", "WISDOM", "Synapse", "Closing", "SMS Centre"are all terms that you need to appreciate, understand and even feel for....

Indypop is a popular, liked form of Music!!

There are things regarding which I actually worry about for the fear of not wanting to disappoint ...(unthinkable given my history)

Physics in not of practical use coz it doesnt explain why 16 gms might be too less in terms of physical mass but can be an immensely heavy and painful emotional baggage to carry, and now I completely understand why...

There is so much more to learn in the English language - many words have a variety of meanings -and the faster you learn the better

Linda Goodman books are well respected and read (revered actually)....and none of her books are good to Leos ....

There are so many more...these are just the tip of the iceberg...and its not even been 3 months... ... and these are just from my side.. Given the character that I am, I can bet that she has learnt a lot too...

The best learning has been that there is no limit to how much I can feel for a person I have known for such a short time.....Am sure there would be a zillion more for both of us as time passes on...

The loveliest part is that I am loving the experience of learning stuff while being in love.... Thanks to the one above for the Naughty smile...

I just remembered

2007-08-27T13:35:00.000+05:30

This is one crazy post and junta pls ignore it....

Its just that I remembered my blog after a couple of months and felt bad about not having visited it at all in quite some time. I was having this wonderful conversation last evening with someone I know now and we talked about loads of stuff. We chanced upon Blogging as a subject and for all my bad behaviour towards my blog, of not just caring about in the recent past I just realised that I still love "it".

So here I am back just taking a look at it..... Theres nothing more to it than just a quiet promise that I will try and continue the Blogger-Blog relation ship :) a bit more dilligently than in the past. I guess am pretty serious about the promise coz am actually typing this out while at work, during the time that I took out for lunch. So no more for now but hopefully a lot more for later.

Charity begins at home

2007-05-24T13:54:00.000+05:30

The last few days have seen our PM talk about "corruption spreading like cancer" and "need for Corporate big-wigs to give back to the society". Noble intentions indeed, but its saddening to note that the responsibilities of the government in these spheres seem to have been conveniently ignored.

Political and Bureaucratic corruption is perhaps the biggest sap on our resources today and the PM and the party in power are directly accountable for this state of affairs. Before making utterances that appear to be noble the PM should touch his heart and ask himself about what stops him from launching an all out offensive to root out corruption in the Government. The lack of political will is writ large on the face of the PM. Being a honest man with unquestionable integrity is great for starters. But that's a hygiene requirement. It does not translate into much.

We are in a situation where we have come to accept corruption as a way of life. Rooting it out seems to be too much of a dream. If upliftment of the poor is the objective the PM would do well to focus on just two things right for starters.
1) Ensure that every paisa that's allocated for Education, Primary health and Agriculture as subsidies, support prices etc. reaches the targeted population.
2) Root out corruption at least in these three areas by removing lobbying, political interference, bureaucratic misdemeanours etc.

This by itself would serve to help a substantial population grow out of the pangs of poverty. Till such a time all these noble intentions would be constured as mere posturing and lecturing.

Big Bother and an unlikely winner…

2007-01-24T18:39:00.000+05:30

Last week was really weird with the mind-boggling media coverage and the scrutiny around the happenings in the UK Reality TV Show “Big Brother “. While Shilpa Shetty in a bid to boost her sagging career definitely did herself a lot of good by accepting 3 Crores to be a part of a show, even she would have been pleasantly surprised at the publicity that last week’s events have generated.

There is no denying the fact that the comments made against Shilpa were in bad taste and smacks of big-headedness. But some issues are being missed.

The point is, when you have a show that’s primarily trying to capitalise on selling private moments and reactions in a bunch of people’s lives you are asking for or rather fervently hoping for nasty things to be said and done. Now is that a justification for racist comments to be made, guess not but there’s only that much importance that one should attach to it. What if one of the participants had commented about the accent of a Spanish woman? (one of the remarks made about Shilpa was about her accent). Would we have considered it racist ? Maybe not. The problem is that of we being self-apologetic about what we are. I think Indians who raise a hue and cry about this issue are burdened with embarrassments about the way we look, speak and react in day to day lives. That to me is unwarranted. All sensible souls around the world irrespective of race are sane enough to admit the existence of various diversities. So when some Jade from the corner of the street who is probably not even capable of spelling India right at the first go, passes idiotic comments, the maximum that we might want to waste as a reaction should be “oh-really…God save you”. And what did we find ? Every media house worth its name (and even those who aren't worth their name) devoted a sizable % of their air time covering this episode. The Indian government opened diplomatic channels to condemn the actions. I am certain that there were much more important issues that warrant utilisation of resources. Jade and her gang in Big Brother …Don’t even bother. Stooping so low to react to an insult is worse than the insult itself.

Also, as a nation we should get rid of our hypocritic double standards and wake upto realities in our back yard. If any experience of watching Big Boss (the Indian Cousin of Big Brother) is enough qualification(I watched exactly 3 episodes), I can say that our version is more racist. We had a couple of struggling TV “stars” commenting about a South Indian participant that “she is apparently an actress, obviously you cant expect better looking things among Madraasis (the all encompassing category that south Indians are clubbed under by some people from the north)”. Another set of participants in one of their late night gossip sessons said something like “Anu and Carol are ‘models”, you expect them to encourage men to be all over them” and so on…….. lets leave the show behind for a moment

Lets pose a questions to ourselves – the common folk. We would have all come across or even contributed to comments traded by North & South Indians about traits such as accent, intelligence, behaviour and colour. So were those instances of racism? If so, then where did this anti-racist streak in us suddenly crop up from? Or are saying that its ok if we don’t appreciate our diversity but its not ok if foreigners fail to appreciate it. Now at the Government – There are still real issues of racism in India with Dalits not let into temples, not allowed to contest panchayat elections, people from the North East being discriminated against when it comes to jobs and a whole lot of things (now don’t tell me that all this is regionalism or casteism and not racism- its all garbage from the same dump). Affirmative and punitive actions aimed at correcting such practices have long been on paper with no real momentum. So lets not waste our time raising a diplomatic row about a wannabe celebrities ramblings. Far more important things should occupy a developing nation’s government’s “to-do” list.

Alas, who’s benefited from all this? Jade I guess – there was news that she got ￡30,000 to do it a bare-it-all interview about what actually transpired in those few days. Huh....So much for all the wasted effort

At Last.....

2007-01-19T14:35:00.000+05:30

It has taken me 25 years to get this achievement on my CV and boy I can now safely hold my head high and tell many friends of mine that “Ya, I have been there and done that”. I should whole-heartedly thank SK for this. After all he was the one who called me on a typical Tuesday morning ( there’s always a typical Tuesday morning just like there is a typical Sunday morning, Monday morning, Wednesday morning and so on…) and offered me a chance to finally do it. His suggestion was that we try to make it on that week’s Friday night. I hesitated a bit for I knew I couldn't get back home after midnight but then I thought “what the heck….I can always sleep at a friends place”. So I said yes and he did the needful. There was this eager sense of anticipation from Thursday morning. I couldn't even share the excitement with people at work for I was not sure about what they would think. Friday was this absolute “down-the-drain” day at work. I just was in no mood to do any work. I cancelled meetings; dilly dallied on calls and postponed pending decisions to next working week. After all, the feeling was so overwhelming that I didn’t want to take wrong calls at work as I my boss keeps telling me that I am involved in making potentially earth shattering decisions for our business. (huh)

And then the time arrived. I reached at around 9.45 p.m. and as usual SK was late. I had to wait outside, for half an hour at that. A quick look at the watch, an eye on the entrance, a look behind the shoulder and then restless tapping of the feet……it was one tiring wait. Finally SK did run in and we went in. The moment had arrived……..

I finally watched a movie on its First Day and “Guru” is the one that would find its place in the History Books. Watching a movie on Day 1 I am told is quite an event. There’s this buzz outside the cinema hall; once in, the trailers and ads are booed; credits are applauded,;stars introduction shots are welcomed with rapturous whistles and so on…

It seems the environment is simply electric (maddening – if you are a neutral observer) if it’s a movie starring a south Indian “mass” star say Rajnikanth or Chiranjeevi ( Coconuts are broken, Camphor is lit, the cut outs are bathed with milk, rosewater and nowadays beer am told). Of course I didn’t expect any of that for Guru mainly because of two reasons. A Hindi film in Chennai isn’t expected to get that kind of a welcome as it basically is not “mass” and Abhishek + Mani Ratnam + A.R.Rahman is anyways not a “mass” combination. But believe me it was undoubtedly the most revved up atmosphere that I have ever got to see in a cinema hall. The fortunate few who managed to get their tickets were actually waiting for the movie to end so that they could get out (collars up) and give the 'aam junta' their 2 cents worth of views about the movie. I thought I should just put my two cents worth stuff in my blog.

For people who go with the expectation of watching a great Bollywood Movie Guru might be a disappointment. It’s a story that we all know about (Dhirubhai is quite popular and though Mani keep’s denying it, the movie is at least a 95% adaptation) and given that its almost real life you don’t have the luxuries of a comedian, villain, fight sequences and the works….The climax is a tad weak too. But if you want to watch a well made film you would be at the right place.

The film is technically brilliant in aspects such as photography, editing, re-recording and art but that’s not all. Starting from the credits (when names are printed on a paper with a yellowish tinge) till the 360 degree camera roll in the final scene Mani Ratnam offers many pleasant variations from run of the mill cinema. The screenplay is peppered with unpredictabilities that add beauty to the flow of the film.

Courtship and marriages have often occupied hefty and boring reels in Indian cinema but here it is handled with a casual knack. Guru’s initial brainwave about marriage and his exchange with his 'would-be' father in law are brilliantly done accentuating his character without any attempt to project any filmatic fluff.

The intimacy that develops between AB jr and Ash is captured refreshingly in the scene where the couple starts smacking each other in their bedroom. Trust Mani to present the most intimate moments in a way that it most naturally unfolds…the scene leaves you with a smile and will stay etched for quite some time to come.

Madhavan makes his mark by underplaying his emotions as the role demands. For all practical purposes he is the villain in the film. He goes about his business in no-nonsense manner and his relationship with Vidya Balan is a nice little side story. Mithun finally can claim some respect from the current generation afetr a sensible portrayal of the media baron's role.

The portion that stands out is the one where Guru goes to Madhavan’s house apparently in a mood to fight only to know that Vidya Balan (they share a Brother-Kid sister kind of vibes) is married to him. It’s a tough situation and the director and the actors could have been excused for some cinematic output but Mani and his actors take your breath away by staging a beautiful scene.

The hospital scene in which Guru meets his long time aide is heavy situation no doubt and would have been handled as a tear jerker by 99% of our directors. It has its share of emotions but then ends beautifully on a pleasant note.......Here again Mani’s knack of infusing humor and creating extraordinary moments out of seemingly ordinary ones is on full view.

In all, Guru according to me is a must watch simply for being a film that’s been handled differently. As mentioned earlier it has its weak points. Its not racy all along but that’s pretty much expected as the attempt is to deal with a man’s life and not an F1 race for it to have twists, turns and thrills all along. The celebratory jig after Guru’s kids are born could have been avoided to put it mildly, and the climax is really weak. But if 90% of the movie is good enough to give you a satisfying feeling, in today’s Indian Cinema world, the unanimous choice should be to just watch and like it.

Homecoming

2007-01-05T15:57:00.000+05:30

The last couple of months that I have spent in Chennai have truly been eventful to say the least. After all, the 8 and half years that I spent away from my hometown has indeed been a long time. I should admit that Chennai has prsented me with a fair share of troubles in the last two months,

I have definite issues in figuring out routes, remembering names of roads (my sense of direction is probably the worst one could ever have) and curse the crazy traffic jams at flyover construction points.

I hate the city’s extremely humid weather (and its winter here!!!) and invariably get into fights with the city’s famed auto rickshaw guys (A 3km ride costs 40-50 bucks- that is if you speak fluent Tamil!!!!).

Rains leave the roads with more water than Cauvery ever had (the area in which I stay apparently had a ferry boat service during last year's floods), yet ‘Metro Water’ tankers routinely rumble around supplying water to apartments and establishments (…also routinely knocking down poor pedestrians on the roads).

Most of the New Year bashes insisted on couple entry (Huh lets not get into that) and Rotis even in the best restaurants have more maida than atta

...........But homecoming has beyond doubt been a great pleasure.

Chennai for me has its own charm that I have failed to experience in the three other places that I have stayed in and I would be the first one to accept that the feeling its more because of the ‘hometown emotion’ that I carry. The city has changed a lot in these years but somehow there are elements that have stood still to retain their character. And interestingly those unchanged traits are just the ones that seem to provide me with a sense of elation. It might sound odd though but I even feel safer in the prosperous presence of the old ‘Madras’ characteristics that are on offer. To be frank most of these are trivial and some actually aren’t even aspects that have perceptible implications in day to day life (definitely not in my life) but are quaintly beautiful in their essence.

Marina, Santhome, Elliott’s and the likes – This one undoubtedly tops the list - the beaches. They are definitely not the Goa or even the Vizag types in terms of beauty but the beaches are a proud possession and something that I have missed in other cities. Bustling crowds, thousands of peddlers, secretive lovers next to discarded boats, the really long walk in the sand……

Old Tam Songs in Chai Stalls blaring out of FM Radios– Ilayaraja’s 80s’ classics wafting along with the smell of sugar and the boiling milk. The spontaneous hum that sets off from the heart and a hint of a curve that the lips form to smile, memories about getting ready to go to school in the good old “AIR Akashavani” days……

Saravana Bhavan et al. - The choicest of South Indian food at incorrigibly affordable prices (at least compared to eat outs in Delhi, Bangalore and Hyderabad). These places do have their Family/Leisure dining rooms but the fun is eating in the Non-A/C and sometimes “stand and eat enclosures”…Order, eat, relish and leave, all in 15 minutes……

Suburban Trains – The most underrated mass public transport system among the 4 metros. High on reliability (A train every 5 minutes, 4AM to Midnight), Low on cost (a first class season ticket comes at 440 bucks per month for a 50 km daily ride), the resting place of the “astro-technical” wonder – the weighing machines, excited chatter amongst aging parents about how their kid just got picked by Infosys (“the campus has all facilities” ,”she has been told that she should have her passport ready”). A massive conclave of humans all of whom have this binding hope ……getting one of those elusive seats in the cramped compartments..

Maargazhi Maasam Prayers - Maargazhi is the month in the Tamil calendar that is dedicated to religious activities. Temples are decked up, early morning prayers and ceremonies are arranged, loudspeakers blare out devotional songs played from aging cassettes, crowds throng the temples……. honest attempts to get quick-fix solutions to the moral dilemmas they face in an increasingly unscrupulous world.

Music Season – 10 prestigious and 100 also ran Sabhas, 25 “hot in the circuit” and 250 wannabe vidhvaans, 30 days and thousands of concerts. The high pitched chatter amongst eager music lovers, full families decked up to attend the social gathering called a katcheri and also by the way enjoy the Thodis and the Kambodhis, Moms and grandmas from various families exchanging notes about prospective grooms and brides for their kids…..Life for a month is this beautiful musical.

I haven’t gone to the beach even once in the last two months, I frequent the Mochas’ and the Amethysts’ than the Saravana Bhavans, I haven’t gone to the temples since Maargazhi started and same is the case with the Music concerts ( I travel by the suburban train twice daily). But it hardly matters……..The spirit these things signify are all pervasive. You can feel it in the city. Typical of old times’ Madras……it got changed to Chennai much after 1998 when I first left my hometown

When the Devil decided that Satan should be hanged….

2007-01-02T17:13:00.000+05:30

Congratulations to President Bush. Can we all rise from our seats and applaud the man’s successful attempt to immortalize his name. It’s a signal for the start of a great New Year. He has successfully authored a chapter that would find its place as another unforgettable one in America’s modern history. On December 30th 2006 as the noose tightened around Saddam’s neck the gasp that went out was so loud that one could have heard it from any where in the world. After all when millions of individuals who care for silly things such as ‘moral justice’ and ‘national sovereignty’ are strangled all at the same time you expect the noise to travel farther than the trivial 40076 km that the earth’s circumference offers as a challenge. Yet almost all of us and definitely those who matter chose to just duck under the noise hoping that it would count as being non-existent.

While Bush’s statements of the act being a ‘milestone’ and loads of other crap was definitely expected what was bothersome are the reactions of most of the ‘un-biased’ nations outside of the ‘Colonial Cousins Coalition’. India for example was ‘disappointed’ as was expressed by the External Affairs Ministry. Wow, how appropriate and well placed one should say!!!! Our parliamentarians are ‘devastated, pained and distraught’ to see the Indian Cricket team losing 0-4 to South Africa and what’s the reaction towards an execution arising from a mockery of a trial ……er…… ‘Disappointed’ is it? Very interesting.

Its not about whether capital punishment that too ‘death by hanging’ is acceptable or not. Its not even about whether Saddam deserved to be hanged or not, being the perpetrator of a long list of heinous crimes that were committed under his careful supervision for over a decade and a half. Those are topics for another day as those are different issues in themselves. The issues here are the oft repeated ones about 1) the right of a nation, however powerful it might be, to poke its nose into a) Sovereign affairs and b) Judicial Exercises , of another nation and of course 2) the fairness of the trial

But by now the USA has gotten so much into the habit of playing Football (American Rules at that) with other nations’ affairs that am not sure if it even remotely pinches them anymore. One wonders if that feeling of numbness has spread far and across a majority of nations that have just got accustomed to the game and are taking it as a way of life. ‘After all as long as it’s not our country or surrounding why bother’ seems to be the popular refrain. I had this wild thought that crossed my mind a couple of days back. In India we have no dearth of politicians who occupy their proud slots as MPs and MLAs after having been involved in varying degrees of criminal activity do we? We would more than welcome and even fervently hope that they are taken to court, prosecuted and punished for their crimes…a la Shibu Soren. But how ok would we be if one day Mr. Bush (in his extended role as President of three parts of the world – US, Friends of US and Foes of US) orders an enquiry and consigns a couple of them to the gallows??? Not very good am sure, for we are not talking about the appropriateness of a wrong doer being punished, but about the appropriateness of who should have the right to decide on rights and wrongs and the way to go about the decision.

Ok, for a moment let’s even forget and ignore the Sovereignty part. Lets assume for a moment that a war torn, leadership lacking nation such as Iraq does not have the bandwidth to conduct a high profile judicial exercise. Was a fair trial conducted? While the US, the other members of the coalition and the interim Iraqi government would all like us to believe that it indeed was the case, its no world secret that the trial was a farce. And come to think of it, we might be downright crazy to even expect that a fair trial should have been conducted in the first place. For, in a fair trial Saddam’s lawyers could have rightfully called 4 main characters of the American cast as prosecutable witnesses. President Bush’s right hand men at various stages (Cheney, Powell) and his dad Bush Sr. were all prime characters in the ugly precursor game that was played in the 1980s in Iraq/Iran and the Arab Nations by the US. Many of the Iraqi dictator’s ghastly crimes (the same ones that formed material during his trial) were performed under their noses and even abetted by them to a great extent. So, fair trial, did we say? Ho-hum

With the execution episode now dead and buried (literally too) the US has created a deeply divided Iraq and a much more antagonised ‘Islamic Nations’ gang. Also evident is a desire to break into unrecognisable pieces what remained of the world order. Iraq was just Bush’s version of a demo equipment, Somalia is waiting in the wings (of course it wont hog the headlines as its not glamorous media material) and a lot more nations are just brewing in their barrels. Thanks once again Mr. Bush You have successfully just tightened the noose….not just around Saddam’s neck…..

Back to Blogging

2006-12-29T14:13:00.000+05:30

Off the blocks I go (again!!) with loads and loads of excitement. The feeling is typical of what a kid goes through when it first flirts with walking....All to eager and never wanting to stop. This is how I feel whenever I start (restart) a new activity. After all am blogging again after two and half years of hibernation. I had conveniently taken shelter under the reason of being too busy with 12 hour work days and too much to worry about in the work place. Very justified isn't it....After all I was this MBA grad in a World Changing job post Campus placements. bah....Of course I was kidding myself and others. I was just plain lazy and worse still was not able to accept that I had slipped back into the hold of a disease that I have suffered from since the time I was a kid.

In the scheme of happenings in India this is widely known as the "Manifesto" syndrome. Things are kicked off with great fanfare (pre-elections), loads of enthusiasm, tall promises, lofty ideals (and perhaps even good intentions at times) etc. But all that doesn't last long. I have umpteen instances in my life that fit into this kind of a plot.

Veena classes when I was in class 3 - Ya I really was enrolled in Veena classes - dropped out after 10 odd classes with nothing to show but for a sore index finger and an even more sore left thigh (the thing was really heavy).

Hindi classes - Wouldn't blame myself for this. This one was a typical "Tam Brahm family" disease. Enrol your kid(s) in the classes taken by one of the zillion private tutors, with the aim being to clear 8 Hindi exams conducted by the "Dakshin Bharath Hindi Prachar Sabha" (spelling this could actually qualify to be an exam in itself..) culminating with an M.A. in Hindi degree. So the poor kid starts going to classes and writes exams such as "Prathmik", "Madyama", "Rashtrabasha" and the likes once in 6 months. I tried to play my part in this play and cleared 4 exams, but then gathered the guts to tell my mom that she was wasting her money and making me watse my time.

Tabla classes while in class 6- This was entirely my fault. I bothered my dad and mom to no end and tried to convince them that I was the next Zakir Hussain in the making. I attended classes for about 6 months. An investment of around 3000 bucks - way back in 1992 - down the drain, a pretty unhappy dad and mom, a Tabla that rotted in my room for about 5 yrs before being disposed off, were all that were left behind post this exercise.

Tennis classes while in class 7 - Now this was something that i really enjoyed, learnt and even now indulge in once in a while. So wont really talk too much about this.

Blogging - Lasted exactly for 6 months before I stopped citing reasons that I had mentioned earlier in this passage.

But let me not be too critical of myself for they say-
"Every man has something to do which he neglects; every man has faults to conquer which he delays to combat."
"Never do today what you can put off till tomorrow. Delay may give clearer light as to what is best to be done"
So as long as there are quotes that are written and can be interpreted to suit the convenience of bad habits I have nothing to worry about. But for now I sign off with the hope that I would keep blogging without slipping back to familiar mental territory For it was something that I enjoyed doing while it lasted.