I had earlier promised to explain how the US has a savings rate of -7% (yes negative) and how it is funded.
The most important factors are :
1. USD as a Global Reserve Currency:
The US has a spectacular credit rating which has enabled the dollar to become the globel reserve currency, meaning that the probability of the US Govt defaulting on its loans is very low which in turn means US Dollar will be a very strong and stable currency. Every country has to hold reserves of some foreign currency/gold in order to save itself from potential political/financial crises. Hence most of rest of the world holds US dollars. Holding US dollar in terms of currency notes don’t give any returns, so they are used to buy US Treasury bonds. The bondholder has actually lent money to the US Govt.
2. Global Trade:
Most of the commodities (Oil, Gold, Silver etc.) are traded on USD globally. This means buyers and sellers of these commodities have to hold dollars. Hence there is a constant demand for dollars across the globe. Oil plays a very important role here since it is the backbone of every single economy in this world. Whichever currency in which Oil is traded, rules the world. There are theories which suggest that the reason behind Iraq attacks is that Saddam Hussein wanted to sell Oil in Euros which threatened the dollar dominance in the world. Same reason for potential attacks on Iran.
3. Artificially low interest rates:
Since the begining of the 21st century, the US has seen a period of artificially low interest rates. This was done initially to save the US Economy from the 2000-01 recession which was worsened by the 9/11 attacks. The economy made a smart bounceback because of the low interest rates. Consumption is inversely proportional to interest rates. When the interest rates are high, there is an incentive to save and when the interest rates are low, there is an incentive to borrow and spend. Hence the US consumers kept borrowing which was funded by the rest of the world.
4. Absence of an Institution called Family:
I have borrowed this point from M R Venkatesh, a noted economist from Swadeshi Jagran Manch. He says the prime difference between the saving nature among Indians and Americans is that the family culture in India is a huge deterrent to reckless spending. It is very common to see that Indians start accumulating wealth after marriage. This, he says is absent in America. The presence of Social Security and Healthcare benefits further redice incentive to save.
5. The strong consuming nature of the US:
The US is a very strong consumer in the international market. They import much more than they export, which is evident from their trade deficit year after year. The US pays dollars to exporters (Say China, Japan, Thailand, Korea, India etc.). These countries do not convert these dollars to their own currencies. Instead they are used to boost the forex reserves of the country. This in turn increases US debt.
6. Emergence of South Asia as a cheap manufacturing hub:
South asia’s emergence as a cheap manufacturing hub shifted US industries from manufacturing to services. This increased their imports massively as there was no incentive to produce the goods inland when they could be imported for a fraction of the cost. This is actually a result of the strong dollar and weak south asian currencies since weak currencies make exporting very easy.
All the points listed above are strongly inter-related and you could find a lot of cause-effect relationships. They could not have individually led to the present situation but collectively they have.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Monday, May 25, 2009
My take on Punjab Violence
Yesterday, after a gurudhwara attack in Vienna, Punjab erupted violently resulting in damage to buses, trains and an ATM , which means taxpayers money has gone down the drain. And how does our "Educated Honest PM" react? Check this link.
It doesn't matter whether crime is committed by Indians or others. The PM should have condemned the people behind these attack. Instead, he's requesting them to stop their violent behaviour.
God Save India from spineless people.
It doesn't matter whether crime is committed by Indians or others. The PM should have condemned the people behind these attack. Instead, he's requesting them to stop their violent behaviour.
God Save India from spineless people.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Why should the US Govt just let the recession continue rather than meddling with it?
To understand this we need to know about the history of US consumer spending. The US in the past 10-15 years has been a borrow and spend economy, evident from their evergrowing National debt. For every 100$ earned, they have been spending 107$. The remaining 7$ gap is bridged by other countries.( I shall explain this in a later article.) We all know this model is unsustainable, since one can’t keep spening more than one’s income. The house bubble burst was the trigger(not the cause) for this impending recession.
Now after the bubble burst, the US consumer has understood that he can’t keep spending more than his income and hence has cut down on his spending, which is actually good for both the US and the rest of the world. Since this cutting down has happened at a rapid pace, the recession is equally harsh and has its repurcussions in the way of Job losses and monetary losses.
What is the US Government doing now? They have cut down interest rates to almost 0% (a mistake they did in 2001 which led to the house market bubble) and are spending like crazy in the economy in the name of their stimulus plan. This is merely encouraging the consumer, who now has consciously cut down his spending, to spend more. This not only increases future recession possibilities but also increases inflation risk a lot.
My bottomline : The US Govt is again trying to interfere with the market to create skewed incentives for borrowers and is taking the economy to a yet another unstable period of growth rather than letting the economy recede and start stable growth without debt burden.
Now after the bubble burst, the US consumer has understood that he can’t keep spending more than his income and hence has cut down on his spending, which is actually good for both the US and the rest of the world. Since this cutting down has happened at a rapid pace, the recession is equally harsh and has its repurcussions in the way of Job losses and monetary losses.
What is the US Government doing now? They have cut down interest rates to almost 0% (a mistake they did in 2001 which led to the house market bubble) and are spending like crazy in the economy in the name of their stimulus plan. This is merely encouraging the consumer, who now has consciously cut down his spending, to spend more. This not only increases future recession possibilities but also increases inflation risk a lot.
My bottomline : The US Govt is again trying to interfere with the market to create skewed incentives for borrowers and is taking the economy to a yet another unstable period of growth rather than letting the economy recede and start stable growth without debt burden.
Community Blog
A few of us from IIM Calcutta have started this community blog Strat.in. I've just joined them.
Will be posting both here and Strat.in from now on.
Will be posting both here and Strat.in from now on.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
My 2 cents on Exit Polls
Yesterday, I was looking at the Exit poll results of 2009 Elections on CNN-IBN and NDTV. They were giving all sorts of projections based on their survey.
In the CNN IBN survey, I had a look at the Bihar numbers(any state would do, I took Bihar since they had a round 40 seats which can easily divide any number). There were 1960 respondents from Bihar, which means 49 respondents per constituency. I assume each constituency as a few lac voters. How can 49 people represent these few lac voters?
I don't believe NDTV either, who have not even mentioned their sample size.
Hence I don't like to believe these numbers but would like to watch out for Saturday the 16th.
In the CNN IBN survey, I had a look at the Bihar numbers(any state would do, I took Bihar since they had a round 40 seats which can easily divide any number). There were 1960 respondents from Bihar, which means 49 respondents per constituency. I assume each constituency as a few lac voters. How can 49 people represent these few lac voters?
I don't believe NDTV either, who have not even mentioned their sample size.
Hence I don't like to believe these numbers but would like to watch out for Saturday the 16th.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Who do you want to serve Mr. Vaiko?
Vaiko made this statement Yesterday.
‘My sole aim is to protect Lankan Tamils’
If you want to protect Lankan Tamils why are you contesting from India? Why don't you jump off into the sea, swim through, get across to Sri Lanka and serve them there. Why do you want to use Indian resources to save Sri Lankan tamils when India has enough problems for herself?
I always fail to understand the "Tamil Eelam" issue which is prevalent in Tamilnadu. All politicians are sympathetic towards SriLankan tamils who are dying. Why aren't they interested in the Indian tamils that are dying? Why are we being sympathetic? Just because they speak the same language as ours. Is that sound and rational?
I understand India has to be concerned because Sri Lanka is our sea neighbour. But we have to stop there. We should have our self interest first. Everything else comes next. Did Vaiko react so much to the 26/11 attacks? He is more concerned with Sri Lankans dying than with Indians dying.
Bottomline : Just have your self interest when you vote. Don't think about Lankan Tamils, Sri Lanka is not in India. Do we worry about dying Combodians? Just make sure you vote with the utmost selfish motive, which is India's self interest.
‘My sole aim is to protect Lankan Tamils’
If you want to protect Lankan Tamils why are you contesting from India? Why don't you jump off into the sea, swim through, get across to Sri Lanka and serve them there. Why do you want to use Indian resources to save Sri Lankan tamils when India has enough problems for herself?
I always fail to understand the "Tamil Eelam" issue which is prevalent in Tamilnadu. All politicians are sympathetic towards SriLankan tamils who are dying. Why aren't they interested in the Indian tamils that are dying? Why are we being sympathetic? Just because they speak the same language as ours. Is that sound and rational?
I understand India has to be concerned because Sri Lanka is our sea neighbour. But we have to stop there. We should have our self interest first. Everything else comes next. Did Vaiko react so much to the 26/11 attacks? He is more concerned with Sri Lankans dying than with Indians dying.
Bottomline : Just have your self interest when you vote. Don't think about Lankan Tamils, Sri Lanka is not in India. Do we worry about dying Combodians? Just make sure you vote with the utmost selfish motive, which is India's self interest.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Mr Mulayam, can you draw the payoff diagram of a forward?
I've been trying to download Samajwadi Party manifesto for around 45 minutes yesterday, before I realized this fact. How can a party which wants computers banned put up its manifesto online? Shit
When I was googling, I found this SP website, I started wondering. Why does SP have a website? Their policy is that if a job can be done manually, then computers should not be allowed to do it. Why not put a 24 hr Phone line and employ a poor guy to answer calls from anxious people who would like better their lives by knowing about SP.
SP wants to ban machines that substitute human labour. So let's ban buses, trains and flights, people can walk/crawl/swim to their destinations right. Let's ban mixers and grinders, people can use the old fashioned "Aatu Kal"(I don't know how to call it in English, Its a 2 stone thingy used to grind things.)
I'm reiterating Arun Shourie here. Think of Mr. Mulayam representing India in a G-20 meet with bundles of paper(read without a Laptop , without a mobile , talking in Bhojpuri/Hindi)
I agree the majority of India doesn't have access to either computers or English. But that doesn't mean these should be banned for the welfare of the country. But a manifesto like this only shows immaturity and lack of vision of the SP leadership. Poor can't be made better by bringing the rich to them. Poor can only be made better by taking them towards the rich.
When I was googling, I found this SP website, I started wondering. Why does SP have a website? Their policy is that if a job can be done manually, then computers should not be allowed to do it. Why not put a 24 hr Phone line and employ a poor guy to answer calls from anxious people who would like better their lives by knowing about SP.
SP wants to ban machines that substitute human labour. So let's ban buses, trains and flights, people can walk/crawl/swim to their destinations right. Let's ban mixers and grinders, people can use the old fashioned "Aatu Kal"(I don't know how to call it in English, Its a 2 stone thingy used to grind things.)
I'm reiterating Arun Shourie here. Think of Mr. Mulayam representing India in a G-20 meet with bundles of paper(read without a Laptop , without a mobile , talking in Bhojpuri/Hindi)
I agree the majority of India doesn't have access to either computers or English. But that doesn't mean these should be banned for the welfare of the country. But a manifesto like this only shows immaturity and lack of vision of the SP leadership. Poor can't be made better by bringing the rich to them. Poor can only be made better by taking them towards the rich.
Friday, April 10, 2009
How should MK deal with Vaiko after his speech about Tamil Eelam Issue
What should be M Karunanidhi's Strategy after Vaiko's recent speech about Tamil Eelam Issue.
There are 3 options in front of MK.
1. Arrest Vaiko under NSA
2. Ignore him
3. File a complaint but don't arrest
If MK has to maximize his chances in Tamilnadu in the Lok Sabha Election 2009, what should he do?
1. If Vaiko is arrested, it can make Vaiko a war-hero. He'll become bigger than what he is now. He'll become a victim rather than a culprit in the eyes of Tamilnadu Voters. This can actually accelerate the turn in tide against MK and worsen his position in the LS Polls.
2. If Vaiko is ignored, he'll make couple more speeches on this issue and try to make use of this for political gains. But this can be interpreted as incapability on the state government to maintain law and order. Again not positive at all for MK, but definitely better than Option 1
3. File a complaint against Vaiko but don't arrest him. This will show that the state doesn't want these speeches but it doesn't want Vaiko to use the arrest to his advantage. Afterall, DMK doesn't want to convert Vaiko into another Varun Gandhi.
There are 3 options in front of MK.
1. Arrest Vaiko under NSA
2. Ignore him
3. File a complaint but don't arrest
If MK has to maximize his chances in Tamilnadu in the Lok Sabha Election 2009, what should he do?
1. If Vaiko is arrested, it can make Vaiko a war-hero. He'll become bigger than what he is now. He'll become a victim rather than a culprit in the eyes of Tamilnadu Voters. This can actually accelerate the turn in tide against MK and worsen his position in the LS Polls.
2. If Vaiko is ignored, he'll make couple more speeches on this issue and try to make use of this for political gains. But this can be interpreted as incapability on the state government to maintain law and order. Again not positive at all for MK, but definitely better than Option 1
3. File a complaint against Vaiko but don't arrest him. This will show that the state doesn't want these speeches but it doesn't want Vaiko to use the arrest to his advantage. Afterall, DMK doesn't want to convert Vaiko into another Varun Gandhi.
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
What a Shame?
When the IPL, was shifted from India to South Africa, India gave this very famous reason. " In view of the upcoming elections, we don't have enough security cover for IPL."
I felt ashamed when I read this page. India's not able to provide security cover for IPL in spite of holding elections in 5 stages, whereas South Africa is able to provide cover though they hold elections in just one stage.
Shame on u India!
I felt ashamed when I read this page. India's not able to provide security cover for IPL in spite of holding elections in 5 stages, whereas South Africa is able to provide cover though they hold elections in just one stage.
Shame on u India!
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Improper Reporting by Newspapers and websites
If you have a look at this article, it says the Rupee gained 18 paise against the dollar.
Let's make a few things straight
1 Rupee = 100 paise
Is it possible for rupee to gain 18 paise and equal 118 paise. It's rubbish. It is impossible for a currency to appreciate against another currency in its own terms.
What the newspaper tries to explain is that, 1 USD has depreciated by 18 paise.
The newspaper here tries to put the information in terms of Rupee. Then, the article should have said Rupee gains xxx cents. But this is not practical because the cent gain by Rupee will be very very little, hence the mistake these people do.
Let's make a few things straight
1 Rupee = 100 paise
Is it possible for rupee to gain 18 paise and equal 118 paise. It's rubbish. It is impossible for a currency to appreciate against another currency in its own terms.
What the newspaper tries to explain is that, 1 USD has depreciated by 18 paise.
The newspaper here tries to put the information in terms of Rupee. Then, the article should have said Rupee gains xxx cents. But this is not practical because the cent gain by Rupee will be very very little, hence the mistake these people do.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Manmohan Singh - Spineless?
Yesterday Congress party announced their manifesto and Manmohan Singh announced that he will not be contesting the Lok Sabha Polls.
I can understand he getting nominated to Rajya Sabha in 2004 post the elections because he was not in contention before the Polls, and hence was not given a party ticket.
But the situation is different now. He is Congress' PM Candidate. Doesn't that mean he has to contest Lok Sabha polls and win his way to Prime Ministership? The reason he gave was really funny. He cited health reasons for not contesting. But he doesn't mind being PM in spite of his health concerns.
Do we want a PM who's just a puppet and doesn't even have the guts to contests Polls?
I can understand he getting nominated to Rajya Sabha in 2004 post the elections because he was not in contention before the Polls, and hence was not given a party ticket.
But the situation is different now. He is Congress' PM Candidate. Doesn't that mean he has to contest Lok Sabha polls and win his way to Prime Ministership? The reason he gave was really funny. He cited health reasons for not contesting. But he doesn't mind being PM in spite of his health concerns.
Do we want a PM who's just a puppet and doesn't even have the guts to contests Polls?
Monday, March 23, 2009
Who's spreading more cummunal hatred?
Media space in the last few days have been dominated by Varun Gandhi who's accused of spreading communal hatred. He is accused of talking in front of hundreds of hindus against hindus. While this article in no way tries to support Varun, I'd like to question the media.
What the hell is the media doing? CNN-IBN and NDTV are abuzz with the videos being shown hundreds of times which the entire country is watching. How are these TV channels spreading communal harmony by showing these videos throughout the day?
Apparently Varun Gandhi's hate speech happened on 6th March 2009 whereas the videos were submited to the Election Commission and were shown on TV only on 17th March 2009. Does it take 11 days to make a CD?
What the hell is the media doing? CNN-IBN and NDTV are abuzz with the videos being shown hundreds of times which the entire country is watching. How are these TV channels spreading communal harmony by showing these videos throughout the day?
Apparently Varun Gandhi's hate speech happened on 6th March 2009 whereas the videos were submited to the Election Commission and were shown on TV only on 17th March 2009. Does it take 11 days to make a CD?
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Economics of IPL Venue Change (update1)
It's an honest attempt at calculating IPL Venue shift's impact on India's GDP.
No. of Teams = 8
No. of Players in a team = 15
Team Size = 20 (Players + Coach + Manager + Physio etc.)
No. of Foreign Players in Each team = 4(assumption)
Duration = 45 Days
Consolidated team size = 20*8 = 160
No. of matches = 2*8C2 + 2 + 1 = 59
1. Hotel Accomodation = 160 * 45 * 5000 = 3.6 Crores (5000 per head per night)
2. Food Expenditure = 160 * 45 * 3 * 1000 = 2.16 Crores (1000 per meal)
3. Travel Expenses = 160 * 7 * 2 * 8000 = 1.792 Crores (7 away matches per team, 8000 per business class one-way ticket)
4. Ticket Revenue = 59 * 40000 * 500 = 118 Crores (Avg. Audience = 40000, Avg. Ticket Price = 500)
5. Shopping by Foreign Players = 4 * 8* 2 * 100000 = 0.64 Crores (Player including his girlfriend each shopping for 1 Lac)
6. Round Trip Travel from home to stadium by Audience = 40000/2 * 59 * 0.1 * 50 * 2 = 1.18 Crores (40000 Crowd, 2 per vehicle, 5km distance from Home to Stadium, 50kmpl Mileage, 50 Rupees per litre of Petrol)
7. Stadium Shopping by the Crowd = 59 * 40000 * 100 = 23.6 Crores (assuming Avg Spending on food and other merchandise = 100)
Total GDP Impact = 150.972 Crores
I'm sure I've left some expenses. Comments are invited to improve the calculations.
P.S All calculations are done in Indian National Rupee(INR)
No. of Teams = 8
No. of Players in a team = 15
Team Size = 20 (Players + Coach + Manager + Physio etc.)
No. of Foreign Players in Each team = 4(assumption)
Duration = 45 Days
Consolidated team size = 20*8 = 160
No. of matches = 2*8C2 + 2 + 1 = 59
1. Hotel Accomodation = 160 * 45 * 5000 = 3.6 Crores (5000 per head per night)
2. Food Expenditure = 160 * 45 * 3 * 1000 = 2.16 Crores (1000 per meal)
3. Travel Expenses = 160 * 7 * 2 * 8000 = 1.792 Crores (7 away matches per team, 8000 per business class one-way ticket)
4. Ticket Revenue = 59 * 40000 * 500 = 118 Crores (Avg. Audience = 40000, Avg. Ticket Price = 500)
5. Shopping by Foreign Players = 4 * 8* 2 * 100000 = 0.64 Crores (Player including his girlfriend each shopping for 1 Lac)
6. Round Trip Travel from home to stadium by Audience = 40000/2 * 59 * 0.1 * 50 * 2 = 1.18 Crores (40000 Crowd, 2 per vehicle, 5km distance from Home to Stadium, 50kmpl Mileage, 50 Rupees per litre of Petrol)
7. Stadium Shopping by the Crowd = 59 * 40000 * 100 = 23.6 Crores (assuming Avg Spending on food and other merchandise = 100)
Total GDP Impact = 150.972 Crores
I'm sure I've left some expenses. Comments are invited to improve the calculations.
P.S All calculations are done in Indian National Rupee(INR)
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Sachin - Epitome of Humbleness
I have an exam tomorrow, but what the hell - India won.
I am updating my blog almost after 1 year but what better occasion than when Sachin scored the winning runs in a next to impossible chase.
Sachin played an innings of his life, one he will never forget(It is easy to forget a 100 when one has scored almost 100 international hundreds). But what impressed me more was his words after the match "What happened in Mumbai was extremely unfortunate and I don't think by India winning or my scoring hundreds, people who have lost their dear and loved ones would feel better. It's a terrible loss and our hearts are with them. All I can say is that in whatever way we can contribute to make them feel better, we'll make that effort." He never even tried to make his 100 look great, something that CNN-IBN did.
I have never seen Sachin jump out with joy after a victory. What the hell, he scored the winning runs which he wanted to do for a very long time. I'm sure he was always reminded of the Chepauk debacle in 1999 against Pakistan when he was in the middle. But he kept his cool and played second fiddle to Yuvraj, which I consider very mature. I'll have to thank Yuvraj for letting Sachin score his hundred by giving him the strike. That was very mature of Yuvraj.
Once the game was over, Sachin was completely surrounded by the ground workers, how I wish I were one of them. Sachin was extremely humble that he didn't rush out when they rushed in. He acknowledged them and shook hands.
I don't claim this to be a flawless innings, he was dropped earlier in the day. He got beaten a few times. But the sheer pleasure I get when I see Sachin perform is unmatchable. Every success of his is mine. Every failure of his is mine. My Gtalk Status always reflects Sachin's mood. Very sad we may not be witness to the genius' game for long. I don't know if I will continue to watch cricket post 2011.
What impresses me game after game is the childlike enthusiasm that Sachin brings to the game. Sachin said after the match about his dreams, "I always wanted to score a century and win a match for India. I always wanted to score the winning runs". Looks like a dream of a debutant. Never seen a veteran having such dreams.
I can't undermine the effort of Sehwag, without whom this victory was unthinkable. Dhoni is still on his golden patch, winning all 4 tests he captained. This team looks like a potential contender for 2011 cup.
I'd like to end it with a quote from Shawshank Redemption - "I find I'm so excited, I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head. I think it's the excitement only a free man can feel, a free man at the start of a long journey whose conclusion is uncertain. I hope I can make it across the border. I hope to see my friend, and shake his hand. I hope the Pacific is as blue as it has been in my dreams. I hope. "
I am updating my blog almost after 1 year but what better occasion than when Sachin scored the winning runs in a next to impossible chase.
Sachin played an innings of his life, one he will never forget(It is easy to forget a 100 when one has scored almost 100 international hundreds). But what impressed me more was his words after the match "What happened in Mumbai was extremely unfortunate and I don't think by India winning or my scoring hundreds, people who have lost their dear and loved ones would feel better. It's a terrible loss and our hearts are with them. All I can say is that in whatever way we can contribute to make them feel better, we'll make that effort." He never even tried to make his 100 look great, something that CNN-IBN did.
I have never seen Sachin jump out with joy after a victory. What the hell, he scored the winning runs which he wanted to do for a very long time. I'm sure he was always reminded of the Chepauk debacle in 1999 against Pakistan when he was in the middle. But he kept his cool and played second fiddle to Yuvraj, which I consider very mature. I'll have to thank Yuvraj for letting Sachin score his hundred by giving him the strike. That was very mature of Yuvraj.
Once the game was over, Sachin was completely surrounded by the ground workers, how I wish I were one of them. Sachin was extremely humble that he didn't rush out when they rushed in. He acknowledged them and shook hands.
I don't claim this to be a flawless innings, he was dropped earlier in the day. He got beaten a few times. But the sheer pleasure I get when I see Sachin perform is unmatchable. Every success of his is mine. Every failure of his is mine. My Gtalk Status always reflects Sachin's mood. Very sad we may not be witness to the genius' game for long. I don't know if I will continue to watch cricket post 2011.
What impresses me game after game is the childlike enthusiasm that Sachin brings to the game. Sachin said after the match about his dreams, "I always wanted to score a century and win a match for India. I always wanted to score the winning runs". Looks like a dream of a debutant. Never seen a veteran having such dreams.
I can't undermine the effort of Sehwag, without whom this victory was unthinkable. Dhoni is still on his golden patch, winning all 4 tests he captained. This team looks like a potential contender for 2011 cup.
I'd like to end it with a quote from Shawshank Redemption - "I find I'm so excited, I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head. I think it's the excitement only a free man can feel, a free man at the start of a long journey whose conclusion is uncertain. I hope I can make it across the border. I hope to see my friend, and shake his hand. I hope the Pacific is as blue as it has been in my dreams. I hope. "
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Mile sur Mera Tumhara
Wow! wat an amazing video.
Lots of nostalgic memories. I have seen this video some 50 times in the past 24 hours. My wingmates have already decided to throw me out of the wing.
See it for yourself
Lots of nostalgic memories. I have seen this video some 50 times in the past 24 hours. My wingmates have already decided to throw me out of the wing.
See it for yourself
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
Home Trip 3
This is not the third part of the movie series called Home trip. It is a series of humorous(supposedly) incidents on my third trip to home(Chennai) from Calcutta.
It is evening 6 pm on 3rd Jan 2008. I am checking IIMC's student forums. The classes on friday(4th Jan ) are cancelled due to INTAGLIO Business fest. I have been planning to go home for sometime. So this is it. If I go home by tonight, I can spend 5 days @ home by bunking next monday & tuesday. I start asking ppl there r any important things to be done in the next 5 days.
6.15 : None of the airfare websites list flights on 3rd Jan as they book tickets only up to 6 hrs in advance.
6.30: I open all airline websites (low-cost,high-cost and middle-cost) to check the flights available.
6.35: Kingfisher runs from Calcutta to Chennai @ 9:05 pm. This is the best flight available . I wanted to fly kingfisher for a long time. This is the occasion. I start filling the long forms. Its gonna take at least 10 mins.
6.45: Finished filling forms on Kingfisher Website . Still not completely sure whether to go home or not.
6.50: Press Submit after 5 mins of deep thought. " Sorry, your login is timed out". Shit! I start filling the form again. Kingfisher says" You have only 10 minutes left to book the 9:05 flight ticket"
6.58: Finished the form for the second time. Press submit immediately.
6.59: Kingfisher : "Your ticket is confirmed for the IT 732 flight on 3rd January 2008 from Calcutta to Chennai"
7.00: I ask Vinay Betala, the 20-year old MBA grad(youngest IIMCian ever) to print the ticket.
7.01 : I call the security for a Cab to airport. ( IIMC is in Joka which is a good 25 Kms from the airport. Normally it takes more time to travel from Calcutta Airport to IIMC than it takes from Calcutta to Chennai.)
7.04: I leave my room with my laptop bag & a coupla important pieces of clothing.
7.06: I run down the stairs and get into the Cab.
7.08: I get to the main gate of IIMC. I ask the Cab driver to wait for a coupla mins as I wanna draw some money from SBI ATM. I get down and rush into the ATM barely noticing something stuck on the door. It looks something like "Don't use this ATM". I didnt notice that properly. I insert my card & take out the 1000 Rs I needed. I turn back with a smile thinking of the fool who had stuck that notice outside the ATM door. I press the switch to open the ATM door. Nothing happened. Again. Nothing again. Now I realize. Thats why the notice on the door. I am stuck inside, the door can be opened only from outside.
7.10: I call Mrinal and ask him to come out & rescue me. He is happily doing geelagiri(flirting) with his girlfriend. He asks me to wait there and assures to send Rishi, another geelagiri.
7:20: I wait for 10 mins. No sings of Mrinal or Rishi. Suddenly God showers some luck on me. He sends a guy who wants to draw cash. I start smiling again. I have a probability of 0.1 to reach the airport on time. I thank that guy and get into the cab again.
7.25: I ask the cab driver to go as fast as possible. I promise to give him 20 rs extra if he takes me to the airport by 8 30.
7.45: No chances of reaching there by 8 30. I increase the incentive to rs. 40 now.
8:00: Cab drives gives gaalis( Nice swear words) as there is too much traffic and he is not able to drive faster than 35 kmph.
8.25: I am 15 mins within reach of the airport. Here it is, there is a CPI procession blocking traffic. I am screwed.
8.28: Driver takes a bypass route and is going real fast.
8.38: Drives says that I can reach the airport in 5 mins.
8.45: I reach the airport. :) The meter showed Rs.400. I give him a 500 rs note and ask him for 50 bucks change. He gives his gaalis again . He tells me that I screwed his taxi by asking him to drive fast in this traffic.
8.50: I forego that 50 Rs. and reach the Kingfisher Counter @ the airport. It is totally deserted except for a couple of Kingfisher 'babes'.
8.54: I have received my ticket & standing for security check. Damn! I have not attached the Kingfisher tag on my laptop bag.
8.56: I run to the nearest Air Deccan counter and request for a tag. He gives me a cold stare and asks me to go to the Kingfisher counter and get the tag.
8.58: I am back in the queue. Damn! There are 4 people ahead of me.
9.01: Security over. Waiting to get into the bus. There are around 50 people in the queue. None of them are Kingfisher passengers. All Deccan Passengers.
9.02: A Kingfisher employee(Again sent by God) sees my ticket from far and escorts me away separately and boards me into an already-waiting-for-5-mins-bus.
9.04: I board the flight with a broad smile. I can afford to smile now.
9.08: The flight takes off.
Finally Mission accomplished. Kingfisher is a great experience. Had lots of fun. I reach home around midnight.
Sorries again for a long post.
Claimer: The characters and incidents mentioned here are really true and not fictional. Any resemblance to a fictional story is truly coincidental.
It is evening 6 pm on 3rd Jan 2008. I am checking IIMC's student forums. The classes on friday(4th Jan ) are cancelled due to INTAGLIO Business fest. I have been planning to go home for sometime. So this is it. If I go home by tonight, I can spend 5 days @ home by bunking next monday & tuesday. I start asking ppl there r any important things to be done in the next 5 days.
6.15 : None of the airfare websites list flights on 3rd Jan as they book tickets only up to 6 hrs in advance.
6.30: I open all airline websites (low-cost,high-cost and middle-cost) to check the flights available.
6.35: Kingfisher runs from Calcutta to Chennai @ 9:05 pm. This is the best flight available . I wanted to fly kingfisher for a long time. This is the occasion. I start filling the long forms. Its gonna take at least 10 mins.
6.45: Finished filling forms on Kingfisher Website . Still not completely sure whether to go home or not.
6.50: Press Submit after 5 mins of deep thought. " Sorry, your login is timed out". Shit! I start filling the form again. Kingfisher says" You have only 10 minutes left to book the 9:05 flight ticket"
6.58: Finished the form for the second time. Press submit immediately.
6.59: Kingfisher : "Your ticket is confirmed for the IT 732 flight on 3rd January 2008 from Calcutta to Chennai"
7.00: I ask Vinay Betala, the 20-year old MBA grad(youngest IIMCian ever) to print the ticket.
7.01 : I call the security for a Cab to airport. ( IIMC is in Joka which is a good 25 Kms from the airport. Normally it takes more time to travel from Calcutta Airport to IIMC than it takes from Calcutta to Chennai.)
7.04: I leave my room with my laptop bag & a coupla important pieces of clothing.
7.06: I run down the stairs and get into the Cab.
7.08: I get to the main gate of IIMC. I ask the Cab driver to wait for a coupla mins as I wanna draw some money from SBI ATM. I get down and rush into the ATM barely noticing something stuck on the door. It looks something like "Don't use this ATM". I didnt notice that properly. I insert my card & take out the 1000 Rs I needed. I turn back with a smile thinking of the fool who had stuck that notice outside the ATM door. I press the switch to open the ATM door. Nothing happened. Again. Nothing again. Now I realize. Thats why the notice on the door. I am stuck inside, the door can be opened only from outside.
7.10: I call Mrinal and ask him to come out & rescue me. He is happily doing geelagiri(flirting) with his girlfriend. He asks me to wait there and assures to send Rishi, another geelagiri.
7:20: I wait for 10 mins. No sings of Mrinal or Rishi. Suddenly God showers some luck on me. He sends a guy who wants to draw cash. I start smiling again. I have a probability of 0.1 to reach the airport on time. I thank that guy and get into the cab again.
7.25: I ask the cab driver to go as fast as possible. I promise to give him 20 rs extra if he takes me to the airport by 8 30.
7.45: No chances of reaching there by 8 30. I increase the incentive to rs. 40 now.
8:00: Cab drives gives gaalis( Nice swear words) as there is too much traffic and he is not able to drive faster than 35 kmph.
8.25: I am 15 mins within reach of the airport. Here it is, there is a CPI procession blocking traffic. I am screwed.
8.28: Driver takes a bypass route and is going real fast.
8.38: Drives says that I can reach the airport in 5 mins.
8.45: I reach the airport. :) The meter showed Rs.400. I give him a 500 rs note and ask him for 50 bucks change. He gives his gaalis again . He tells me that I screwed his taxi by asking him to drive fast in this traffic.
8.50: I forego that 50 Rs. and reach the Kingfisher Counter @ the airport. It is totally deserted except for a couple of Kingfisher 'babes'.
8.54: I have received my ticket & standing for security check. Damn! I have not attached the Kingfisher tag on my laptop bag.
8.56: I run to the nearest Air Deccan counter and request for a tag. He gives me a cold stare and asks me to go to the Kingfisher counter and get the tag.
8.58: I am back in the queue. Damn! There are 4 people ahead of me.
9.01: Security over. Waiting to get into the bus. There are around 50 people in the queue. None of them are Kingfisher passengers. All Deccan Passengers.
9.02: A Kingfisher employee(Again sent by God) sees my ticket from far and escorts me away separately and boards me into an already-waiting-for-5-mins-bus.
9.04: I board the flight with a broad smile. I can afford to smile now.
9.08: The flight takes off.
Finally Mission accomplished. Kingfisher is a great experience. Had lots of fun. I reach home around midnight.
Sorries again for a long post.
Claimer: The characters and incidents mentioned here are really true and not fictional. Any resemblance to a fictional story is truly coincidental.
Saturday, January 05, 2008
A Beautiful year called 2007 !!!
Wow, what a roller coaster ride was 2007. It was not excellent, it is not the right word. It was BEAUTIFUL. I can say this year changed my life completely.
Timeline:
Prologue:
I waved at my friends. The train began its journey rather slowly. It was a moment which made me feel very bad about not making it to the tour. Yes, I had missed the final year tour to north india as I was expecting a couple of IIM interview calls early in the year 2007. Can you believe it? I consoled myself saying it was my decision, though a rather tough one. It was a slow walk towards the parking lot with Harish( he had also missed the tour). I started thinking about my CAT results. TIME key gave me 79 in Quant, 58 in DI, and -8 in Verbal(Yes, it is negative 8). I seriously wished TIME was wrong this time. Lets see what happens
Now we are all set for the roller coaster ride.
January 1 2007 : This was like any other year. It started off with the regular new year wishes. I had no clue it would turn out to be so wonderful.
January 2 2007: This was the day. The day when IIMs roll out CAT results and interview calls. There were some rumours floating around that results may not be out that day. I sat on my comp since early morning at 6. Yeah I got up @ 6 ! As expected internet speed was pathetic. I kept on refreshing the 6 IIM sites every minute or so. I got fed up near the afternoon and I had stopped. And then, a phone call from a friend. CAT results were out. I jumped out to check mine. A,B,C,L,I - no traces of results. Finally, K site had it. I had got an overall of 99.93 percentile with very good scores in Quant and DI. In verbal, surprisingly I had got a whooping 27, with a 96.31 percentile. It was whooping considering TIME had given me -8. I was sure of a BLACKI(it represents all 6 IIM calls and considered a great feat. Slowly IIMs started rolling out their lists.
January 3 2007: I had received calls from A,C,K and I. B and K were yet to disclose their lists. I was checking B site very anxiously. It wont load. I must have presses F5 atleast a 100 times. My Mentor(also Friend) Srikanth called me and told me that IIMB list is out. Since their website was down, they announce results over the phone. I called the admissions office . Expectedly, the line was engaged. I tried around 20-25 times and then finally it rang. A lady picked up my call and asked for my reg no. Sorry sir, she said. I was aghast. It must have been some error somewhere. I asked my mom to call . Same response again. I was totally aghast. Even an IIML call didnt help. I wanted a BLACKI, but now it is a LACKI. I kept cribbing for the next few days. It was 4-5 days later I realized that I was extremely lucky to get 5 calls from IIMs. There were only around 3000 people who got atleast 1 call from the IIMs.
January 7 2007: XAT 2007 exam day. A lot of my friends were there. Some had IIM calls. Others didnt. That didnt matter. Everyone who was there wanted XLRI calls. I did the exam well.
January 20 2007: XAT results out. I had 2 calls from XLRI.
January 21 2007: FMS exam. High hopes. Decent exam
February 6 2007: IIFT interview @ Spencer Plaza, Chennai. My first ever interview for a B school. Bad GD. Decent Interview. I was still coming to terms with the whole process of selection. I have to be lucky to convert this.
February 8 2007 : IIMK interview @ Bangalore. I had taken the previous day train to Bangalore. Bangalore was boiling due to the Kaveri issue. Since I am from Chennai, It was quite a risk going to Karnataka as Kaveri interim order was just issued. I somehow made it to the hotel and reached the interview spot on time. This time, it was a decent GD and a good interview. Hopes of first convert.
February 12 2007: Time for IIM L interview. Good GD and a decent interview. Hopes of 2nd convert.
February 14 2007: It was supposed to be Valentine's day. But I had a date with IIM I @ Bangalore. It was a disaster to say the least. I was screwed left right and centre on technicals. I had no hopes though the GD was decent. No hopes.
March 6 2007: XLRI Interview for their PMIR program. Bad GD. Bad Interview. Absolutely no hopes.
March 8 2007 : IIMA interview, Bangalore again. Decent GD. Good interview except a last minute hiccup which sealed the fate. Still faint hopes.
March 11 2007: ATM test for PGDCM @ IIMC
March 12 2007 : IIMC interview, for a change an IIM interview in Chennai. Good GD. Good interview. Good hopes
March 12 2007 : XLRI interview for Business Mgmt program. Not much enthu left. I am @ the centre. My friends calls up to tell me that I have been selected by IIFT. I cant believe it. He said , "Congrats Natarajan Sankar". "Damn, I am M.Natrajan" I said. Pretty bad news before an intrerview.Bad interview. I Dont give a shit anymore. I wanna see the world cup matches.
March 21 2007: I join TIME as a Part Time Maths Faculty. I didnt have anything to do in the next 2 1/2 months. I still take classes when I get the time.
April 12 2007: IIM results were to be released on this day. Damn Mr.Arjun Singh. Results delayed due to OBC issue.
April 27 2007: Results day. IIMC comes out with the list first. The defining moment. I have made it. Indore comes next, I am waitlisted. I dont care anymore. I only wanted to check IIMA result. In the meanwhile I have cleared K and waitlisted by L. A gives me a reject in the evening. Slight bad feelings. I was overwhelmingly happy as I am proceeding to Joka.
May 2007: I dont remember the exact dates. I finished my 8th semester exams. Just a mere formality. I almost slept in a couple of exams. Thankfully I cleared all the exams, otherwise all the effort would have gone down the drain.
June 9 2007: My sister's Birthday. The day TIME gave all of us a party. I also gave a very enthu filled talk to the subsequent batch that is giving CAT.
June 17 2007: I reach Calcutta, I prefer to call it Calcutta. This is my home for the next 2 years. I come out of south India for the first time. It was my first flight. So many firsts this year. I had come with my family and planned a small holiday @ Calcutta.
June 23 2007: I reach IIMC. I remember the 'Early Days @ Joka' video as entered the campus. I am all set to be a IIMCian.
September 2007: Time to lose our sleep for the next few weeks. CV making starts. I never knew writing 1 page about myself was so difficult.
October 2007 : CV making is over. CV is frozen before the Durga Puja(DP) hols. I come home for the 1st time after joining IIMC. I could not have a moment of fun as a pile of forms for Summer internships awaited me.
November 2007: The shortlists have started trickling in. People who saw my CV told me that I can expect around 5-6 interview shortlists. It was almost a disaster as i had not made into any of the first 14 lists. Then Came Goldman Sachs and a small ray of hope. I was shortlisted by GS. I was ecstatic. Then I had shortlists from Merrill Lynch and ABN Amro Bank. Thats it. Only 3 shortlists. I didnt want more. If I cannot convert 1 among 3, I cannot convert 1 amoing 30.
November 12 2007: The night when it was announced that GS was not coming to the campus due to security issues. Just 1 more day left for the Summers.
November 13 2007: The day in which I did nothing apart from attending the Merrill Lynch talk.
November 14 2007: We were assembled at the auditorium by 7 am. We had breakfast and the process begun @ 8. I was waiting for my turn. My registration number was announced @ 0830 and I had to attend the Merrill Lynch interview. I was in the waiting room for around 10 minutes before I was called in for the interview. 1st interview is over. I was sent in to another room for another interview. Then I had 2 more rounds of interviews before I was given an offer in Merrill Lynch Hongkong. It was around 10 am when I came out and returned to the auditorium. I realised that less than 25 people have been placed on campus. I have been very lucky. I could see happy faces, sobbing faces and indifferent faces. Some were confused, some were tense. But I was very happy. Mission Accomplished. I can relax now.
November 15 2007: My 2nd trip to home. This trip was more enjoyable as I could spend time with my sister and family.
December 31 2007: I am thankful to all who helped me and made my year beautiful. Thank you all !!
Though this year was beautiful it had a few sad memories. A close friend of mine could not clear CAT in spite of lots of efforts. I had to leave my family and friends and go to a far uncertain place. Bye bye 2007 ! Please return as 2008 and makemy family and friends' lives better.
~ Sorry for a very very long post~
Timeline:
Prologue:
I waved at my friends. The train began its journey rather slowly. It was a moment which made me feel very bad about not making it to the tour. Yes, I had missed the final year tour to north india as I was expecting a couple of IIM interview calls early in the year 2007. Can you believe it? I consoled myself saying it was my decision, though a rather tough one. It was a slow walk towards the parking lot with Harish( he had also missed the tour). I started thinking about my CAT results. TIME key gave me 79 in Quant, 58 in DI, and -8 in Verbal(Yes, it is negative 8). I seriously wished TIME was wrong this time. Lets see what happens
Now we are all set for the roller coaster ride.
January 1 2007 : This was like any other year. It started off with the regular new year wishes. I had no clue it would turn out to be so wonderful.
January 2 2007: This was the day. The day when IIMs roll out CAT results and interview calls. There were some rumours floating around that results may not be out that day. I sat on my comp since early morning at 6. Yeah I got up @ 6 ! As expected internet speed was pathetic. I kept on refreshing the 6 IIM sites every minute or so. I got fed up near the afternoon and I had stopped. And then, a phone call from a friend. CAT results were out. I jumped out to check mine. A,B,C,L,I - no traces of results. Finally, K site had it. I had got an overall of 99.93 percentile with very good scores in Quant and DI. In verbal, surprisingly I had got a whooping 27, with a 96.31 percentile. It was whooping considering TIME had given me -8. I was sure of a BLACKI(it represents all 6 IIM calls and considered a great feat. Slowly IIMs started rolling out their lists.
January 3 2007: I had received calls from A,C,K and I. B and K were yet to disclose their lists. I was checking B site very anxiously. It wont load. I must have presses F5 atleast a 100 times. My Mentor(also Friend) Srikanth called me and told me that IIMB list is out. Since their website was down, they announce results over the phone. I called the admissions office . Expectedly, the line was engaged. I tried around 20-25 times and then finally it rang. A lady picked up my call and asked for my reg no. Sorry sir, she said. I was aghast. It must have been some error somewhere. I asked my mom to call . Same response again. I was totally aghast. Even an IIML call didnt help. I wanted a BLACKI, but now it is a LACKI. I kept cribbing for the next few days. It was 4-5 days later I realized that I was extremely lucky to get 5 calls from IIMs. There were only around 3000 people who got atleast 1 call from the IIMs.
January 7 2007: XAT 2007 exam day. A lot of my friends were there. Some had IIM calls. Others didnt. That didnt matter. Everyone who was there wanted XLRI calls. I did the exam well.
January 20 2007: XAT results out. I had 2 calls from XLRI.
January 21 2007: FMS exam. High hopes. Decent exam
February 6 2007: IIFT interview @ Spencer Plaza, Chennai. My first ever interview for a B school. Bad GD. Decent Interview. I was still coming to terms with the whole process of selection. I have to be lucky to convert this.
February 8 2007 : IIMK interview @ Bangalore. I had taken the previous day train to Bangalore. Bangalore was boiling due to the Kaveri issue. Since I am from Chennai, It was quite a risk going to Karnataka as Kaveri interim order was just issued. I somehow made it to the hotel and reached the interview spot on time. This time, it was a decent GD and a good interview. Hopes of first convert.
February 12 2007: Time for IIM L interview. Good GD and a decent interview. Hopes of 2nd convert.
February 14 2007: It was supposed to be Valentine's day. But I had a date with IIM I @ Bangalore. It was a disaster to say the least. I was screwed left right and centre on technicals. I had no hopes though the GD was decent. No hopes.
March 6 2007: XLRI Interview for their PMIR program. Bad GD. Bad Interview. Absolutely no hopes.
March 8 2007 : IIMA interview, Bangalore again. Decent GD. Good interview except a last minute hiccup which sealed the fate. Still faint hopes.
March 11 2007: ATM test for PGDCM @ IIMC
March 12 2007 : IIMC interview, for a change an IIM interview in Chennai. Good GD. Good interview. Good hopes
March 12 2007 : XLRI interview for Business Mgmt program. Not much enthu left. I am @ the centre. My friends calls up to tell me that I have been selected by IIFT. I cant believe it. He said , "Congrats Natarajan Sankar". "Damn, I am M.Natrajan" I said. Pretty bad news before an intrerview.Bad interview. I Dont give a shit anymore. I wanna see the world cup matches.
March 21 2007: I join TIME as a Part Time Maths Faculty. I didnt have anything to do in the next 2 1/2 months. I still take classes when I get the time.
April 12 2007: IIM results were to be released on this day. Damn Mr.Arjun Singh. Results delayed due to OBC issue.
April 27 2007: Results day. IIMC comes out with the list first. The defining moment. I have made it. Indore comes next, I am waitlisted. I dont care anymore. I only wanted to check IIMA result. In the meanwhile I have cleared K and waitlisted by L. A gives me a reject in the evening. Slight bad feelings. I was overwhelmingly happy as I am proceeding to Joka.
May 2007: I dont remember the exact dates. I finished my 8th semester exams. Just a mere formality. I almost slept in a couple of exams. Thankfully I cleared all the exams, otherwise all the effort would have gone down the drain.
June 9 2007: My sister's Birthday. The day TIME gave all of us a party. I also gave a very enthu filled talk to the subsequent batch that is giving CAT.
June 17 2007: I reach Calcutta, I prefer to call it Calcutta. This is my home for the next 2 years. I come out of south India for the first time. It was my first flight. So many firsts this year. I had come with my family and planned a small holiday @ Calcutta.
June 23 2007: I reach IIMC. I remember the 'Early Days @ Joka' video as entered the campus. I am all set to be a IIMCian.
September 2007: Time to lose our sleep for the next few weeks. CV making starts. I never knew writing 1 page about myself was so difficult.
October 2007 : CV making is over. CV is frozen before the Durga Puja(DP) hols. I come home for the 1st time after joining IIMC. I could not have a moment of fun as a pile of forms for Summer internships awaited me.
November 2007: The shortlists have started trickling in. People who saw my CV told me that I can expect around 5-6 interview shortlists. It was almost a disaster as i had not made into any of the first 14 lists. Then Came Goldman Sachs and a small ray of hope. I was shortlisted by GS. I was ecstatic. Then I had shortlists from Merrill Lynch and ABN Amro Bank. Thats it. Only 3 shortlists. I didnt want more. If I cannot convert 1 among 3, I cannot convert 1 amoing 30.
November 12 2007: The night when it was announced that GS was not coming to the campus due to security issues. Just 1 more day left for the Summers.
November 13 2007: The day in which I did nothing apart from attending the Merrill Lynch talk.
November 14 2007: We were assembled at the auditorium by 7 am. We had breakfast and the process begun @ 8. I was waiting for my turn. My registration number was announced @ 0830 and I had to attend the Merrill Lynch interview. I was in the waiting room for around 10 minutes before I was called in for the interview. 1st interview is over. I was sent in to another room for another interview. Then I had 2 more rounds of interviews before I was given an offer in Merrill Lynch Hongkong. It was around 10 am when I came out and returned to the auditorium. I realised that less than 25 people have been placed on campus. I have been very lucky. I could see happy faces, sobbing faces and indifferent faces. Some were confused, some were tense. But I was very happy. Mission Accomplished. I can relax now.
November 15 2007: My 2nd trip to home. This trip was more enjoyable as I could spend time with my sister and family.
December 31 2007: I am thankful to all who helped me and made my year beautiful. Thank you all !!
Though this year was beautiful it had a few sad memories. A close friend of mine could not clear CAT in spite of lots of efforts. I had to leave my family and friends and go to a far uncertain place. Bye bye 2007 ! Please return as 2008 and makemy family and friends' lives better.
~ Sorry for a very very long post~
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Finally a convert !!!!!!!!!
I am now into what is called as Joka Management Institute (also called IIM Calcutta) .
The fact that I am into one of the best management institutes would have been impossible without cooperation from my friends, family ,TIME faculty and co - students . Thank you very much for the cooperation.
Thank you guys!!!!! I would like to help you as much as possible in your endeavours.
PS:
IIM Calls : A,C,L,I,K
Converts : C,K,L
WL : I
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Who is more punishable?
This blog is with reference to the recent judgement ruling Allister Pereira guilty in a hit and run case back in November 2006.
Pereira was supposedly under the influence of alcohol when he drove his car into the pavement which resulted in 7 deaths and another 8 people getting injured. Let us see what the possible reasons are for this mishap.
1. Drunken Driving
2. More importantly, the fact that those people were sleeping on the pavement.
As Pereira has been given a less than justified punishment of 6 months, we only criticize the police for not investigating properly. Are we missing the bigger picture somewhere?
We always blame somebody for an event and fail to understand why it happens and never take precautionary steps.
Had he not been under the influence of alcohol , but if the brakes of the car had failed he would still have killed those people.
Now let us understand why people sleep on the pavement. They do because they do not have a proper home to sleep. Why people do not have a home to sleep? Because people without a home keep giving birth to children even if they do not have the capability to take of themselves. They have a right to keep themselves hungry. They do not have a right to keep their children hungry. How long will they hope that their lives will get better in the future? Please understand that by giving birth to children more and more they are only worsening their lives. Do you want your children to suffer like you do. First get yourself a decent home that can take care of your needs. Even if you take some 20 years to get that, it is worth it. First make sure you can support your child's basic needs.
You do not have any right do deny children their basic rights citing your economic status. Please do think over it. Do you want your children to sell lottery tickets on roads just because you are not economically sound? Why should your children suffer because you could not control your lust?
Think through and make your lives better
( Sorry if I had hurt any of your sentiments , but I had to say this in this way only )
You do not have any right do deny children their basic rights citing your economic status. Please do think over it. Do you want your children to sell lottery tickets on roads just because you are not economically sound? Why should your children suffer because you could not control your lust?
Think through and make your lives better
( Sorry if I had hurt any of your sentiments , but I had to say this in this way only )
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
What a DAY !!!!!!!!
What a day we have had!!!!!!! When I woke up from my bed, a great news was waiting to cheer me. Yes, it is the TATA- CORUS deal. This is the largest deal ever by an Indian company. Strangely Corus is around 4.5 times the size of Tata Steel. Tata Steel is going to pay around $ 11 billion to become the world's 5th largest in terms of steel output. This did not come as easily as said. First Tatas gave a bid in October'06 to buy Corus. When all of us were happy that the deal will go through, there came the Brazilian company Companhia Siderúrgica Nacional (CSN) outbidding Tatas. It led to a round of revisiting of bids by both the companies . Both of them were given Jan 30 as the last date to give their finalised bid. As both the companies were very keen on the acquisition, it was later decided that there will be an auction consisting of 9 rounds. Though nothing much happened in the initial 2 rounds, at the end Tata managed to outbid CSN by 5 pence a share to emerge the winner.
The merger of Arcelor and Mittal steel kickstarted the consolidation in the steel industry, where the market is very fragmented. Even after the Tata-Corus deal, the top 5 companies command only 20% market share. Hence there are possibilities of much more M&A s possible in the coming years.
One more great news to us is the Century scored by Sachin Tendulkar. He shut the mouths of his critics by scoring a hundred of just 76 balls. A huge six over the mid wicket was the image of the day. The ball never returned. Deservingly, Sachin was both man of the match and man of the series. Let us hope that we see Sachin at his prime in the upcoming world cup.
India is proceeding in the right direction. Way to go !!!!!!!!!!! Come on India dhikadho
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
