tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18757281880488792112024-03-19T09:37:38.686+05:30Suchintyaeconomics. finance. philosophy. English. machines. travel. fitness. cinema. the aspiring educated Indian middle class knowledge workerSuchintyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15399073589837205604noreply@blogger.comBlogger89125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1875728188048879211.post-44613161378119654642014-12-03T22:59:00.000+05:302014-12-03T22:59:52.574+05:30Medical Insurance with Money Back plan<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I live in a world where each passing day my medical bills keep increasing, sometimes due to bad life choices and sometimes due to corporate avarice. I pay our annual insurance bill out of my salary, and keep my fingers crossed that nobody in the family falls sick. Also I know how difficult it is to get insurance claims sometimes - claims denied, claims not paid on time, coverage not applicable to our elderly parents who need it the most. Lately I have also realized that the coverage offered by our company doesn't seem enough so I have been mulling over a "top-up" medical insurance.<br />
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So after mulling over it some, I had an epiphany that would allow me to sleep more peacefully and yet will take care of the medical needs of my family in the years to come.<br />
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What industry benefits when we fall sick? Pharmaceuticals. What industry benefits when we want to stay healthy? Pharmaceuticals. What industry benefits when we want to become fitter? Pharmaceuticals. So the epiphany I had was why should I not buy some pharma stocks and gain from their gain? The question that came back is how profitable would it be? Will it compare favorably with getting medical insurance? Is it possible to beat the insurance coverage provided by the health policies. Well, as it turns out, its not easy but it can be done - not in the short term but definitely in the long term.<br />
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I am not that well versed with financial statements and all the "research" tools adopted by my friends who work in core finance. But I do have the common sense to look around and find out which are some of the decent pharmaceutical companies. Also my family has some connection with pharma industry. Based this amateur knowledge I went looking for pharmaceutical companies and picked up two randomly - Cipla and Sun Pharma - and ran some numbers.<br />
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I first take the stock price of these companies every year for the last 10 years on Nov 25. I then buy stocks worth 10000 every year. Here's what I found. For an investment of 1,00,000 over the period of last 10 years, Cipla is currently worth 2,71,000. That's a 11% return compounded annually over a decade. That's probably the medical cover provided by my group life insurance. If by some chance I had instead picked up Sun Pharma the current value would have been 6,87,000. That's a 21.5% return over the last decade. And certainly more than any medical cover given by any group health cover.</div>
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On the other hand if I had disregarded medicine and was more of a believer in general health and fitness, I should've recognized Horlicks, Eno, Iodex, and others. For the company is called GlaxoSmithKline and the same 1,00,000 over the past decade would have returned me 7,14,000. An even nicer 21.8% annually. And all these are excluding any dividends. Plus these are long term gains so I don't pay any taxes.</div>
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Now here's the zinger. This is money just in a decade. Over 4 decades out compound like crazy. No medical insurance policy will ever match it. It becomes ever more important because as we grow old insurance becomes costlier. After a certain age I may actually find it difficult to get insurance. But this investment can become much more than that. And if I keep healthy this money is mine to keep - a money back policy.</div>
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And do check my calculations if you will. Here's the link <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16YDhZVTFT-GcOi_-gq1KgZHVjatC6iPxDy5KEpPF_kk/edit?usp=docslist_api" rel="nofollow">https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16YDhZVTFT-GcOi_-gq1KgZHVjatC6iPxDy5KEpPF_kk/edit?usp=docslist_</a><u>api</u></div>
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Suchintyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15399073589837205604noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1875728188048879211.post-44132291945588787922014-10-24T23:46:00.000+05:302014-10-26T12:04:44.951+05:30Diwali lessons on money<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Over the years I have tried to learn as much about capital markets as possible. It's a fascinating industry that lubricates the wheels of industry and economy. Without the modern capital markets quite a few of our beloved innovations would have been challenged. I maintain that our capital markets, as they are, are necessary (but maybe a little lopsided with respect to rewards to those employed - that's for another post)</div>
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<u>Lesson one (or maybe Lesson Zero) - Asset Vs. Liability</u></div>
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Every investor has to first learn the hard factual difference between an asset and a liability. I have very painfully over the years understood this and got to a stage where the incremental liabilities have been reduced. Well, I never had loans or credit card debts but I was engaged in activities that cost me money instead of creating wealth. One such is the bike I own - a Royal Enfield Thunderbird 500. No doubt its a great machine and lots of fun to drive, but its maintenance is akin to owning an elephant as a pet - impressive when you ride, but otherwise keeps draining your resources. The last time I had a flat tyre, my laziness took over and I got it repaired only after 3 weeks - 3 weeks of no expenses. Otherwise every other month, the bike goes to the service center and costs me money in repairs - small trickle but endless nevertheless. As with all liabilities, it brings no tangible value to me. And the intangible joy element - I should have stuck to my old Pulsar, since I am more of a traveler than a motorcyle enthusiast - so long as the two wheels move my soul, I am at bliss.</div>
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<u>Lesson two - See things for what they really are.</u> </div>
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Investing is not rocket science. If you have common sense, you can become a very good investor yourself. As your investments grow, your knowledge grows and you become even better. But for this to happen, one must first accept and overcome one's blind spots. As a layman, one must begin to see everything in front of them for what it truly represents. Coming back to my acquisition, the TB 500, I massively failed to realize of what it truly portends. I understand bikes. I understand the passion that a "Bullet"/ "Royal Enfield" invokes in millions in India. I have been meaning to own one since ages. Back in 2012 when I test drove the new Thunderbird 500, I fell in love with the modern machine - the ease of handling, the power of the engine, the stability of the ride. This was beginning of a new era for Eicher Motors. With that one machine they unlocked the potential of the brand. As an enthusiast myself, I instinctively understood the thousands of dreams it was going to fulfill. What I completely missed is what it would do to the balance sheet and profit & loss number of the company. As Peter Lynch says in his book "One Up On Wall Street", I need not be brilliant to launch my portfolio into an orbit. I simply need to keep my mind open. With the launch of the modern bike, the only way for the revenue numbers of the Eicher Motor Company to go was up.</div>
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<u>The magnitude of the mistake</u></div>
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So the mistake I committed - The stock price of Eicher Motors rose from Rs. 2258 (Oct 1, 2012 when TB 500 was launched) to Rs. 11890 (today) - that's 5.26 times. Rs. 35,000 invested in the company stock at that time would have allowed me to buy the motorcycle today without any additional expense, a mere two years later. And if I had been wise enough to have actually invested the whole amount I spent in actually buying the bike at Rs. 178,000, I today would have had a cool Rs. 936,000 and could have bought the new 'Cafe Racer' with money to spare. Instead all I have now is a liability that sucks money out of my poor incomes.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVp2b6dNJzTnhtyK_aAerI5U_QsOMKtHG4M49l4cHiyGBue-5LCSn6-KNAO8gL0DcnZCXn6h-LfK9fXPxQf0wwnNhyXP3bMsadENajPCQdu2R5D4hakFqg1t_xBKPWaqex3kCPkkTowAs/s1600/eicher_motors_oct12_oct14.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVp2b6dNJzTnhtyK_aAerI5U_QsOMKtHG4M49l4cHiyGBue-5LCSn6-KNAO8gL0DcnZCXn6h-LfK9fXPxQf0wwnNhyXP3bMsadENajPCQdu2R5D4hakFqg1t_xBKPWaqex3kCPkkTowAs/s1600/eicher_motors_oct12_oct14.png" height="246" title="Eicher Motors Stock Chart" width="400" /></a></div>
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There are several mistakes I have made with money, but this one rankles quite a lot. Happy Deepavali folks!</div>
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Suchintyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15399073589837205604noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1875728188048879211.post-13961453232003852912012-05-01T00:51:00.000+05:302012-05-01T00:51:14.514+05:30Retrieve Amazon EC2 windows password<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I recently was given to work with an existing Amazon EC2 AMI without having the benefit of the previous key-pair. Additionally when the AMI was created the Set Password was not enabled. This led to the problem that even though the AMI could be used to launch a Windows EC2 instance, we could not login.<br />
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To surmount this, we need to make use of an Ubuntu linux instance launched on Amazon EC2. Following steps help in recovering the password.<br />
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<li>Launch a Windows instance from the given AMI. Use your own or newly created Key-Pair.</li>
<li>Stop the instance and detach the volume which contains the root partition. This is usually /dev/sda1. The root partition contains the setting for Set Password. (C:\Program Files\Amazon\Ec2ConfigService\Settings\config.xml)</li>
<li>Launch a micro Ubuntu server instance. We do not need a larger instance since it is a simple operation.</li>
<li>Attach the volume detached in step 2 to the Ubuntu instance under /dev/xvdf.</li>
<li>Login into the Ubuntu instance via ssh or whichever way you do.</li>
<li>Create a mount point <code> sudo mkdir /opt/tempm/ </code></li>
<li>Use fdisk to check the correct volume to mount <code>sudo fdisk -l</code> This will list two volumes - /dev/xvdf1 and /dev/xvdf2. Of these xvdf1 is the boot partition, and xvdf2 is the one containing the requisite file.</li>
<li>Mount the Windows NTFS volume onto this directory using: <code>sudo mount -t ntfs-3g /dev/xvdf2 /opt/tempm/</code> Take care to include the <b>"2" </b>in xvdf2 otherwise you will get errors.</li>
<li>Once mounted, navigate to the configuration windows directory. <code>cd /opt/tempm/Program\ Files/Amazon/Ec2ConfigService/Settings/</code></li>
<li>Use your favorite editor to launch the config.xml file using sudo <code>sudo vi config.xml</code></li>
<li>In this file, change the tag <setpassword> from "Disabled" to "Enabled". Save and exit.</setpassword></li>
<li>Unmount the volume <code>sudo umount /opt/tempm/</code></li>
<li>Detach the volume from the ubuntu instance and reattach to the Windows instance. When attaching to the Windows instance take care to use the right mount point - "/dev/sda1". Otherwise the disk will not be treated as a boot partition.</li>
<li>Start your windows instance and use "Get Windows Admin Password" to recover the password using your new key-pair.</li>
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<i>Note: Obviously if the "Set Password" had been set correctly while creating the AMI, this problem should not have arisen. Please let me know otherwise in the comments section.</i></div>Suchintyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15399073589837205604noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1875728188048879211.post-9547233978131206922012-03-29T12:48:00.000+05:302012-03-29T12:53:53.940+05:30Cassandra with Hector - Eclipse project<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I have been mucking around with <a href="http://cassandra.apache.org/">Cassandra</a> to see how big data works. I am mainly a Java programmer and needed a client to use in Eclipse to connect to Cassandra. In comes <a href="http://rantav.github.com/hector/build/html/index.html">Hector</a>. There is the <a href="https://github.com/zznate/cassandra-tutorial">Cassandra tutorial</a>. I am essentially still on the Ant system (will learn Maven someday for sure). Now it requires that I have the correct libraries in the classpath to run the examples.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">List of libraries required to run the examples using Cassandra 1.0.8 and Hector 1.0.6:</span><br />
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<li style="font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">apache-cassandra-thrift-1.0.8</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">commons-lang-2.4</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">guava-r09</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">hector-core-1.0.3</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">libthrift-0.6</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">slf4j-api-1.6.1</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">uuid-3.2.0</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">This isn't exhaustive. One could possibly include all the libraries in the <a href="https://github.com/downloads/rantav/hector/hector-core-1.0-3.tgz">Hector-core</a>. Some of the jars can be found under cassandra/lib folder. Additionally, the Hector project now tracks the Cassandra versioning system. So look for an upgrade to 1.0.8 sometime soon.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">This post is intended more as a collection of sources than a tutorial. Hopefully will update this into a full blown "how to" guide.</span></div>
</div>Suchintyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15399073589837205604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1875728188048879211.post-76162065982514944992010-08-23T15:04:00.000+05:302010-08-23T15:04:22.998+05:30The Millenium Trilogy (Book Review)<div style="text-align: justify;">It had been a long time since I had read fiction at any length having being busy with work and myriad such excuses. So when I had made up my mind that enough is enough, I went around, asked and looked for a good read. Given the <a href="http://suchintya.blogspot.com/2007/02/history-of-my-reading-habits.html">history of my reading habits</a>, I knew nothing short of great would get me interested. And then I found Stieg Larsson of The Millenium Trilogy fame and his lead protagonist Lisbeth Salander.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">At the very outset I will admit that I have been bowled over completely by the contemporary and adult storyline, that involves themes like hacking, espionage, secret service, sex, activist journalism, and a potpourri of themes without losing the actual thread of the story.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Lisbeth Salander is one awe-inspiring woman, inherently moral and very much the sociopath in the everyday sense of the word. But she's much like John Nash, in that they share the common belief that if I can think, I can do pretty much everything. Remember that John Nash defeated schizophrenia by thinking and analyzing. Lisbeth Salander destroys the secret behind the all powerful sapo, the most clandestine of operations in the Swedish secret service. While some reviewers frown upon the use of violence by her as illegal, I like the fact that an individual is able to defend her own space when the system has not only ditched her, but also has systematically exploited her for its own needs and ends. Her individualism stands out almost in an Ayn Rand way - remorseless and unrelenting. And it is probably the same when she bonds with people she likes and respects - complete and without inhibition.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The other main character is that of Mikael Blomkvist, an investigative journalist who lives to make that next expose that will bring down the most corrupt, whether it be humongous corporations or secret within sapo. He also lives to make love to strong women. And he does both with nuance and flair, treating them like the art that they really are.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The book left me flipping pages as fast as I my eyes could travel and my brain could process. Besides the storyline of murder, mystery and intrigue, the book trio also paints such beautiful colors and bleak shades of gray of the Swedish people, culture and countryside, that by the end you feel that you know it all. And did I add that all topics are dealt in such detail so as to leave the layman spellbound and the connoisseur impressed.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">My recommendation: If you haven't read the trilogy, your should. Period. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I am also eagerly waiting the Hollywood version of the trilogy - hopefully they pick a good team and do justice.</div>Suchintyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15399073589837205604noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1875728188048879211.post-16863339273902925912010-08-21T01:16:00.000+05:302010-08-21T01:16:48.337+05:30Purchasing Power Parity<div style="text-align: justify;">We have on varied and multiple occasions breathed long and vocal sighs when we hear the large dollar/pound/euro salaries and benefits that our very close and dear friends earn when they work in developed countries like USA, UK, Netherlands, Australia, etc (at least I do this purposefully on every occassion :)) What we tend to dismiss with the wave of our hand or the flick of our finger is their living expenses based on a certain minimum lifestyle in such countries. Obviously this applies to people who have stayed back for some duration like for say 4-5 years and not the other set of friends who were there on a short stay (how they behave is beyond of the scope of discussion in a blog post!) And this is where we should think of Purchasing Power Parity or more commonly known as PPP.<br />
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<b>PPP:</b> In simple terms it is difference in cost of a Big Mac at McDonalds in your native country vs. in the foreign country you are comparing to. Or you could say it is the cost of a meal/ movie/ party/ car/ house/ etc. in the countries you are putting in the comparison bucket. Again always look at averages across items, and across geographical regions within each country. So the coffee your NRI friend buys for $4 you can very well buy for ₹25 here - its like saying that the value of $4 is the same as the value of ₹25.<br />
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<b>Are there any standard measures:</b> Not really. Over the years various economists and organizations have tried to do something in this direction without much success or recognition. Although the <a href="http://www.economist.com/markets/bigmac/">Big Mac Index</a> has some popularity in this matter - it was first popularized by The Economist. It essentially tracks the price of a Big Mac produced and sold across 120 countries that have a McDonald's outlet. Since this burger is a standardized product it is very loosely indicative of PPP or currency under/over valuation. Again, it is not a serious economic indicator, as in no country would probably base its economic policy on this. But it comes in handy when you want to write a post like this !<br />
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<b>Why should I be bothered:</b> Well, we probably wouldn't even use it in our day-to-day life unless you are economic policy advisor to the Government of India. But it helps to look at things in perspective, and realize errors in leading media articles <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/After-hike-Indian-MP-gets-13-times-less-pay-than-US-lawmaker/articleshow/6382006.cms">like this on TOI</a> today. I usually am wary of our media - half the time their content and the journalistic quality is such crap such that I cringe to pick up the morning newspaper. Some have gone so bad that their editorials come out as incoherent jingoistic babble in favor of the <i>babus</i> and <i>netas.</i> But this particular piece takes the cake pretty near the bottom. Aren't newspapers supposed to raise awareness about issues that people are concerned with ?? And not mislead the junta ??<br />
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Oh, by the way, my favorite newspaper is "<a href="http://www.bangaloremirror.com/">Bangalore Mirror</a>" - flawless and entertaining in their coverage of storm drains, petty theft, celebrity sightings, and your sex problems! What more can you ask for ??</div>Suchintyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15399073589837205604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1875728188048879211.post-74308837134911793192010-07-21T12:14:00.000+05:302010-07-21T12:14:57.500+05:30Capitalism and Honest Living<div style="text-align: justify;">Now that the old government has been elected anew and inducted into the Parliament, I am starting to think if all this is going to make a lot of difference to the state the people are in.<br />
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I recently was talking to a farmer who incurred an electricity bill of more than Rs. 66000 and was asked to pay up under the threat of law taking its own course with dire consequences for him. This astronomical figure was the sum total of his electricity bill for the past 7 years or so. I was pretty surprised as to why this farmer hadn't paid his bill for such a long time, when I was sure that he had been doing well for himself pretty steadily all these years. On further digging more facts were revealed. He admitted he could have easily paid the bill all these years, but he was living on the hopes that a new government would take the typical <span style="font-style: italic;">socialist</span> stand and just write off his bill amount under some new scheme and he would save some money. But as years passed, the government did nothing of the sort in his district. Although this same government floated lots of other <span style="font-style: italic;">dole out</span> schemes. In the meanwhile his bill kept incurring additional interest, compounded. And this was the plight of fellow farmers in his village too.<br />
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Seeing no way out, they visited some government officials and petitioned them with their plight. In the end, the district administration relented and waived off the interest amount on the bill. This farmer in the end ended up paying Rs. 40000 approx.<br />
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While the people are not inherently lax in their duty and obligation towards their country, the false hopes that the government keeps giving them makes them want to take advantage of all available such options. One such welfare scheme floated by the government is the NREGA - National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme under which any person living in rural areas will get 100 days employment. Why is it just 100 days, why not the full 365 days ?? Is it because the government is aware that it cannot create jobs in enough quantity and is dispersing what it has to a larger multitude to keep them happy and garner more votes as it did this time around ?? Who will actually ask these rural people whether they are really satisfied with the scheme ?? Why only unskilled daily wages jobs for these people and why not skilled jobs too which are higher paying ??<br />
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On the other hand look at what capitalism does to the same category of daily wage workers. Every year millions of people migrate out of their poor villages towards the swanky towns and cities looking for a better place to work and live. The most visible example is that of the laborers in the real estate industry. I personally have worked with an NGO who teach the children of such unskilled workers. These guys toil very hard and put in a lot of physical work, that you and I won't be able to do without puking our guts out. After the initial coaxing they are very eager to send their children to schools, and that too private schools where they can interact with the teaching staff and be updated about their child's progress. One big factor for them also is that these children would typically be served a mid-day meal also. Their single aim seems to be see their child educated and with a more decent life than theirs. So why does the government school nearby not appeal to them - because it does not teach <i>English</i>. Its not as if they are richer than their rural cousins, but they realize that they stand a better chance at a more decent life if they work hard and not support themselves on government <i>dole</i>.<br />
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There are questions and then there are questions ?? Lots of cynics would say that its easy to raise questions. I disagree. It might be easy to raise questions. But it is difficult to do so in a sustained and coherent manner.</div>Suchintyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15399073589837205604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1875728188048879211.post-37663219254398554382010-02-26T18:10:00.000+05:302010-02-26T18:10:40.595+05:30April Fool's Joke<div style="text-align: justify;">My Dear Fellow Salaried Friends and Other Honest Tax Paying Individuals,</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">One of the main highlights of today's budget speech delivered by our very own Honorable Finance Minister (as is done every year, irrespective of the political party in power) was the announcement of tax sops for individuals in form of bigger slabs and consequent lower taxation. This single event would have lifted the spirits of all, me included. I even started to calculate the savings and new expenses that I could make out of the saved taxed. Leading websites claimed it as power to the <i>aam aadmi</i>. People in my office and nearby were in joyous discussions about the amount they would save and where they would spend it. So much joy around and from someone who is as unrelated to you as the ruler of a foreign country set my skeptical nerves in action. What's wrong ? And that is when I realized this: We are being returned a fraction of the money that is taken from us by the way of inflation. Somebody realized that too much would expose their <i>modus operandi</i>. Here's how.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Let's take the example of a salaried person, who has say an annual package of Rs 6Lakhs (Cost-To-Company). Going by accepted norms of salary structure in the IT industry, that person would be taking home somewhere close to Rs. 4 Lakhs in net taxable income after deductions. According to existing tax slabs for 2009-2010 (Assessment Year 2010-2011), the income tax amount for this is Rs. 34,000 (10% * Rs 1,40,000 + 20 * Rs 1,00,000). Since the basic tax free slabs have not been raised, we can safely assume that the net taxable income for the same salary would remain same in the forthcoming year also. So given the new tax slabs the income tax for the same taxable income is Rs. 24,000 (10% * Rs 2,40,000). So a savings of Rs 10,000 per year. Awesome figure you would agree !</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Now comes the interesting part. As any mildly conscious person would know if there is one thing that kills all your hopes and dreams it is Inflation. Did you ever realize that that is also a tax that the governments put on your earnings (besides multiple other excise, octroi, services, sales, VAT, GST, etc. etc) ? Let's consider the inflation numbers as given to us by the moneylender of last resort - 7% (although I have full faith that you as a conscious breathing eating living human being know that the actual number is more than that). So if we are to beat inflation we must earn at the least 7% more next year, right ? Which translates to Rs. 42,000 (7% * Rs 6,00,000). Compare that to the Rs. 10,000 savings you got out of your tax sops.So just by inflation our governments take away our money from us.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Given the recent high inflation across all countries, somebody clever realized that too much of it might invite too many uncomfortable questions. So lets give these fools something to cheer about. So they gave you Rs. 10,000 back. And you know which date this new round begins - April 1, 2010. Enjoy!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">=========================================================================</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">By the way, you are not spared if you are living in India or any other developed/developing nation worldwide (except for countries like Austria, Switzerland, etc.)</span></i></div>Suchintyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15399073589837205604noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1875728188048879211.post-27106338608418955542009-11-03T14:47:00.000+05:302009-11-03T14:47:18.659+05:30Why Socialism fails !An economics professor at a local college made a statement that he had never failed a single student before, but had once failed an entire class. <br />
<br />
<br />
That class had insisted that Obama's socialism worked and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer. <br />
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The professor then said, "OK, we will have an experiment in this class on Obama's plan". <br />
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All grades would be averaged and everyone would receive the same grade so no one would fail and no one would receive an A. <br />
<br />
After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B. <br />
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The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy. <br />
<br />
As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little. <br />
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The second test average was a D! No one was happy. <br />
<br />
When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F. <br />
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The scores never increased as bickering, blame and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else. <br />
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All failed, to their great surprise, and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed. <br />
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Couldn't be any simpler than that!Suchintyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15399073589837205604noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1875728188048879211.post-51577728086453438642009-08-30T19:31:00.003+05:302009-08-30T19:39:41.763+05:30General Welfare<div style="text-align: justify;">They are full of pride and high expectations. An appointment with the minister! Finally they are admitted, and finally they have the opportunity to make their cause heard. The petition is submitted to the minister. Great injustice and unbearable sufferings have befallen them, they add. The unfair competition of the sun was a burden not only to them, but to the whole people. If government could only decide to compel all citizens to darken their rooms with thick curtains during daytime, the candle-makers would be fine. And not only they! Also the butcher would have to slaughter more animals to produce tallow for candles. This would improve nutrition for everyone. And the producers of beeswax... and, and, and...<br /><br />======================================================================<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Even the meanest selfish interest will be concealed as a contribution to the “general welfare” in the political debate – even if it causes more damage than benefit. Extracted from The Essential Frederic Bastiat</span></span><br /></div>Suchintyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15399073589837205604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1875728188048879211.post-45502906900455070072009-08-02T21:39:00.003+05:302009-08-02T21:56:38.806+05:30Getting into groove @ Bangalore<div style="text-align: justify;">Over the just commenced weekend, I did the rounds of the good places in Bangalore and have since come to realize why people are so in love with this place. And why the place around church street, brigade road is still happening.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Amoeba</span> - good bowling alley. lots of lanes. yet if you go after 7ish in the evening, you need 2 wait in queue for a while. address - church street. valet parking available.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bangalore Bistro</span> - awesome food, cool setting. you get your choice of food - Mediterranean, Lebanese, Mexican, Continental, and anything else you can think of and the chef can cook up. Beware you should know what you are ordering - a couple of people in the group I was visiting with, made the wrong choice and landed up with something they did not like. Well, I did surely make hay while the sun shined. I need visit sometime in the evening for the setting outside - looked cool and people recommend it too. address - Brigade Road ( couple of years earlier it was in cunningham rd). Valet parking available.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">13th Floor</span> - the destination pub in bangalore. Actually situated on the 13th floor, with a terrace setting - smoking area. They also have a inside setting - non-smoking area. Be sure to make reservations in advance if you are going on a Saturday. Or shell out a few extra bucks for the tables on the terrace. The view of the city and the UB City is amazing, the crowd is happening, and the music is good. address - M. G. Road (entrance available on church st. also without parking)<br /><br />All these places are within walking distance of each other. So your afternoon lunch extends into a matinee movie (INOX Magrath Rd) extends into a early evening bowling session and peacefully ends with a evening session on 13th Floor. What more can you ask for on your birth-weekend !!!<br /><br />I am loving it !<br /></div>Suchintyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15399073589837205604noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1875728188048879211.post-45714946028654263282009-06-10T14:03:00.003+05:302009-06-10T14:38:32.708+05:30Welcome to India's newest, secret state<div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?sectionName=HomePage&id=3e7456f2-6c9e-44c1-9b35-3af9ec746d7e&Headline=Welcome+to+India%E2%80%99s+newest%2c+secret+state">Welcome to India's newest, secret state- Hindustan Times</a><br /><br />I regularly read the blog <a href="http://sauvik-antidote.blogspot.com/">Antidote</a> by Sauvik Chakraverti. Its inspiring and pedantic. Blasts the floor out of so called development and inclusive growth that our elected representatives keep harping about. Some of the most awesome stuff and best Libertarian Opinion that I have found in India.<br /><br />In his post for today, he points out the article above. It sets me to think, if the Naxals have realized that the way to entrench themselves in the mind of the junta is to go about building infrastructure rapidly then why doesn't our mighty The State realize this. Or is it just that nobody wants to realize this. And from the HT article again, if they are contemplating doing this as an honest low-cost job, then why does it take the government so long to plan and execute such infrastructure projects ??<br /><br />As Sauvik points out in his various posts, our The State is higher and holier than thou. Its so far up there that it will never understand the problems that we the common man have. And isn't that true ? How can somebody sitting in Delhi realize that a common man in Bangalore Rural is probably dead because of a badly built road and open manholes. I like to believe that these things are best left to the local government, like BBMP. And have localites as officials in these bodies who when forced to travel through such roads on a daily office will sit up and take notice. Or am I dreaming !<br /></div>Suchintyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15399073589837205604noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1875728188048879211.post-7182677760422046192009-06-10T12:49:00.003+05:302009-06-10T13:58:07.742+05:30Romeo And Juliet<span style="font-style: italic;">a lovestruck romeo sings the streets a serenade</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">laying everybody low with a lovesong that he made</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">finds a streetlight steps out of the shade</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">says something like you and me babe how about it?</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">juliet says hey it's romeo you nearly gave me a heart attack</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">he's underneath the window she's singing hey la my boyfriend's back</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">you shoudn't come around here singing up at people like that</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">anyway what you gonna do about it?</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> juliet the dice were loaded from the start</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> and I bet and you exploded in my heart</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> and I forget I forget the movie song</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> when you gonna realize it was just that the time was wrong juliet? </span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">come up on different streets they both were streets of shame</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">both dirty both mean yes and the dream was just the same</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">and I dream your dream for you and now your dream is real</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">how can you look at me as I was just another one of your deals?</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">well you can fall for chains of silver you can fall for chains of gold</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">you can fall for pretty strangers and the promises they hold</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">you promised me everything you promised me thick and thin</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">now you just say oh romeo yeah you know I used to have a scene with him<br /></span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> juliet when we made love you used to cry</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />you said I love you like the stars above I'll love you till I die</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> there's a place for us you know the movie song</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> when you gonna realize it was just that the time was wrong?</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">I can't do the talk like the talk on the tv</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">and I can't do a love song like the way its meant to be</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">I can't do everything but I'd do anything for you</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">can't do anything except be in love with you</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">and all I do is miss you and the way we used to be</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">all I do is keep the beat the bad company</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">all I do is kiss you through the bars of Orion</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">julie I'd do the stars with you any time</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> juliet when we made love you used to cry</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> you said I love you like the stars above Ill love you till I die</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> there's a place for us you know the movie song</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> when you gonna realize it was just that the time was wrong?</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">a lovestruck romeo sings the streets a serenade</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">laying everybody low with a lovesong that he made</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">finds a convenient streetlight steps out of the shade</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">says something like you and me babe how about it?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><br />Singer: Mark Knopfler<br />Band: Dire Straits<br />Album: Making Movies<span style="font-style: italic;"></span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">If you love songs and haven't heard Mark Knopfler sing this one, you are missing something. You should definitely try this. For a better appreciation of who or what Mark Knopfler is I would recommend a blog post from <a href="http://talkingtails.wordpress.com/2007/09/19/10-reasons-why-i-love-mark-knopfler/">10 reasons WHY I love Mark Knopfler!</a><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></div>Suchintyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15399073589837205604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1875728188048879211.post-76109171715987399432009-06-03T14:28:00.003+05:302009-06-03T14:38:49.941+05:30From Dr. Gavin Kennedy's post<div style="text-align: justify;">Dr. Gavin Kennedy asks if his blog readers can spot the errors in <a href="http://adamsmithslostlegacy.com/2009/06/two-errors-in-respect-of-adam-smith.html">this post</a>. Since I do not feel qualified to put a direct comment on that blog, here I am recording my response.<br /><br />The first error is in David Ross' assumption that Adam Smith was an economist. That is wrong. Adam Smith was a moral philosopher first and then an economist if at that, evidence in the fact that his "Theory of Moral Sentiments" was published to his "The Wealth of Nations".<br /><br />The other mistake I am still searching for. Anybody help ??<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >For people who are not yet aware, Dr. Gavin Kennedy writes on his blog Adam Smith's Lost Legacy about the obvious topic - Adam Smith and his works. I have that blog listed on my side bar. This blog forms part of my daily read and keeps my intellectual synapses functional, keeping the student in me alive.</span><br /></div>Suchintyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15399073589837205604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1875728188048879211.post-10216059644586226082009-05-25T19:04:00.002+05:302009-05-25T20:49:15.368+05:30The dust is settling down<div style="text-align: justify;">The world as I know it seems to have cooled off its recent hectic activities and is beginning to offer some quantum of time to sit back and think, maybe bask in the glow of what it has achieved in the past few months that have sped by. While I was never a very prolific writer, this blog did allow me to explore and keep in touch with my English and its nuances of grammar and sentence construction.<br /><br />As time goes I have begun to realize more often than not that I personally become very conscious of what I say, not just the syntactically but also semantically. That I believe has helped me in my communication with my customers these past few months. Of the many design documents and the follow up discussions mails that have been exchanged nobody has said "Could you explain ?" In fact, there have been commendations on the economical use of words and the lucidity of language. For those who are not aware, I quit my previous large organization and joined a services startup, where our current business model focuses on generating revenues first and then channelizing those into in-house products to give that fillip to the revenues. Given all the market scenario and the negative spiral ( tailspin, perhaps ?), it so far has been good going. Things are looking steady so far, and we are now planning to look at more avenues for growth. Let's see what comes along.<br /><br />Speaking of the world of markets, while the general markets are still in bad shape - thanks to all the dole that these governments have been giving out - and may continue to do so for some more years, the capital markets have at least shown some signs of hope, maybe lesser despair to say the September - October time frame of last year. That was an awesome time - a time to understand and appreciate behavioral finance as a respected field of study. There are so many biases that an investor holds - confirmation bias, hindsight bias, anchoring bias. From what little I know of the actual finance industry it looked like the hotshot big bosses went through at least some or all of those. In fact I am pretty confident that the ordinary conservative Indian investor did better. My Dad, with his fixed deposits, definitely did better for sure. And I for one have learn some valuable lessons that will last me my lifetime. Couldn't have come at a better time as I have just begun my investment journey and am yet to have invested large sums. In retrospection things look rational - the markets rewards only the rational investor over the long term. That apart the best investment is the investment in oneself and in one's career.<br /><br />To help the Indian capital markets come out of its despondency vis-a-vis other world markets, along came the endgame of the Indian Political Theater - the five-yearly General Election and the Election Commission behemoth. At the cost of sounding much too cliched, the world watch as we did the dance of democracy and elected our representatives, lawfully and peacefully to a large extent. And the citizenry did quite a good job of getting convinced massively by the arguments of the Grand Old Party. Kudos to the strategics in their camp to have devised whatever they did and to have come up with such numbers when all and sundry to bet on haggling and horse-trading post elections. Thankfully that did not happen. What happened instead is that the party seems to have found some spine on its own in the way it is dealing with its current allies. Hopes are up that the disinvestment process that had been stalled, thanks in no small measure,to the Left, will be renewed and the fiscal deficit will go down. Now all that we need are a few more honest-to-self ministers and things would start to look pretty good. Looks like steps are being taken in the right direction when we consider that the party-and-family loyalist Arjun Singh has not been honored with ministerial berths. I am also hoping others like Kamal Nath also make way for better people. These two guys top my list of personal peeves in politics. All this 5-week long election and threw up quite some interesting tidbits of voting patterns, mindsets, etc, etc.<br /><br />There are other places also where the dust has settled - Indian Premier League. Apart from the elections if there is one topic which occupied the mind and heart (o yeah, the heart too!), it has been this. The drama has been never ending. But the best comment was from a local spectator in the field - "I don't understand cricket. I came here to watch the cheerleaders." I like it !!! And in all this I also discovered a few good places in Bangalore where they broadcast matches for the public and serve nice drinks too !!! Obviously you need to pay.<br /><br />Anyways, things are cooling down all around. And as the dust settles the leader starts to prepare for the next boom cycle.<br /><br />Cheers !!!<br /></div>Suchintyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15399073589837205604noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1875728188048879211.post-4730753361993159932009-05-19T23:42:00.000+05:302009-05-24T12:37:01.418+05:30The Indian Political Theater<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">This post written around May 2007 is dated in the future so that it stays at top of all posts and symbolizes the burning desire to act in this regard. For other posts see below.</span><br />===========================================================================<br /></span></span><br />That's how the Economic Times describes its political news page. And I think it aptly sums up the feelings and expressions of any regular educated middle class Indian. Especially those that belong to the creed of people who move away from home for better pastures abroad, not necessarily to different countries but to neighboring states within India itself.<br /><br />Oftentimes, when I have been involved in any sort of discussion (heated debate) on the situation in Indian political scenario, both parties have derogated the current existing state of Indian politics in general and then have proceeded to thrash the party in opposition to their own favorite. What probably they miss is the point that both are agreeing that its the Hobson's choice and yet are taking no cognizance of the fact.<br /><br />Getting more specific, people of my age (mid-20's) are acutely aware of what is missing and will endlessly debate about what can be done. We whine about the availability of good leaders, about there not being enough people with political will to implement development projects as we like it. But when it comes to action to get a better society, we pull back citing not enough resources and not enough experience. Recently in such a debate one person alleged that the country had not given him anything, had not helped in his progress in any way. So he was not bothered about the progress of the country and would rather think about the progress and welfare of his own family.<br /><br />But here lies the crux of the matter: <span style="font-weight: bold;">WE DON'T EVEN VOTE IN ELECTIONS, LET ALONE TAKE ANY AFFIRMATIVE ACTION</span>. Can you think of a bigger hypocrite than this??<br /><br />I have been burning with this idea since sometime. And I have decided to do something about it. Here are a few simple things that can be done and I hope to follow them through, keeping in view that the next national elections are to be held approximately 2 years from now.<br /></div><ol style="text-align: justify;"><li>There is enough time, so get the voter id card. It makes you eligible to vote.<br /></li><li>Save some holidays and plan so that during election time you can go back to your constituency and vote. Far as I have heard, you can also vote from where you are now. Need to find out more details.</li><li>Cast your vote. It is essential. You find that the candidates from the larger parties are not good. Simple idea says choose one of the independents. Let the government formation take care of itself. As of now, nobody can foresee anything but a coalition government at the center.</li></ol><div style="text-align: justify;">More ideas later, but I believe these are very simple and you and I as the educated but frustrated middle class can follow them through and make a lot of difference. All voting statistics in the recent times say that only 45% of the people registered do actually vote. And the winning party takes only about 30% of that. Which makes it only 13.5% affirmation for the largest party in power. Imagine the difference you could make.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Update (31.08.2007) : </span>As of yesterday, I am an Indian citizen carrying the<span style="font-weight: bold;"> voter id card, </span>that makes me eligible to vote in the forthcoming Indian parliamentary elections.<br /><br />If you are reading this, then go out and get your voter id card. Don't just read this.<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br />Update (14.12.2007) : </span><span>All please follow the Lead India campaign on Star One at 8:00 pm every Saturday.</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Update (01.10.2008)</span> : Try out Jaago re ! Is a good option to get more information on the voting process and a lot of help on it. <a href="http://www.jaagore.com/">www.jaagore.com</a></div>Suchintyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15399073589837205604noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1875728188048879211.post-18439303574937945372009-01-28T10:30:00.017+05:302009-02-14T18:27:24.320+05:30Biking to Wayanad, KeralaAfter a long long long hiatus I finally went biking, traveling, exploring hitherto unvisited places. Exploited the 3 day Republic Day weekend to the hilt.<br /><br />Trip planned was to <a href="http://www.wayanad.org/">Wayanad, Kerala</a>. A small district in the northern part of Kerala. Distance from Bangalore is around 350 kms or more, depending on which town you put up there. The two most known are Sultan Bathery and Kalapeta.<br /><br />Starting off at 6am in the morning on Saturday morning, we were greeted with cold-chilly-winter-morning-just-after-sunrise air to the extent that even at 7 o'clock we were blowing smoke through our mouth, nostrils and possibly every other opening. Additionally one of my friends did not have gloves. His hand chilled so much that we had to stop half-an-hour into the drive for a round of tea-and-biscuits, which restored some fuel to burn energy inside. Another stop for tyre air-pressure check we were off to Mysore.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFNPnTb_NWelHmjMjQ22MRtNwf6PjmJC7pQTvCydL8aRvWDugA3UdfTA-lBSy1_CNYwk4m5Vt-mRazpCOED06S4lRnXivb8OtEEvW59nAXShHLyqC25g5lBzGnNSpGelldxZRffSniDic/s1600-h/001.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFNPnTb_NWelHmjMjQ22MRtNwf6PjmJC7pQTvCydL8aRvWDugA3UdfTA-lBSy1_CNYwk4m5Vt-mRazpCOED06S4lRnXivb8OtEEvW59nAXShHLyqC25g5lBzGnNSpGelldxZRffSniDic/s320/001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302605174542764370" border="0" /></a><br />The Mysore Palace (not the more beautiful <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mysore_Palace_Front_view.jpg">front side view</a>) The Bangalore-Mysore State Highway (SH-17) is an awesome 4-lane thing, the only irritant being occasional speed breakers. So sudden that you can't brake because the vehicle behind you will hit you, and you can't jump over if you not confident. Do what you will !!! But nevertheless, awesome road and a pleasure to drive on.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipFT9E0wo8YUgI8eVWpLkmsTSKz5H8UTYJl2RL5t9-pCjzu6GnKrnex0s-sGSidbL6gF7MU-6fgbZDyv5Q_tVqli12l_4zwelOhh-SrlNgPfcAH51usF3Wupdi22HYwH6cutamOA4QAgk/s1600-h/017.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipFT9E0wo8YUgI8eVWpLkmsTSKz5H8UTYJl2RL5t9-pCjzu6GnKrnex0s-sGSidbL6gF7MU-6fgbZDyv5Q_tVqli12l_4zwelOhh-SrlNgPfcAH51usF3Wupdi22HYwH6cutamOA4QAgk/s320/017.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302606355486996210" border="0" /></a>After the breakfast stop just outside of Mysore, awesome roads through the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandipur_National_Park">Bandipur National Park</a>. Looks more like a tree-lined pathway on which you can keep meditating.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-8EkOcRG3Bjhd_dJWyTnWEjH9C0x3yZH_uEvhL9MCIS4bfjjMZnohqDLPh5O_42zu4EcFCmVGdK2-q4zIuqIumWYp8K-YyJ2jZILVVr_hmhE6FEVTArP8AfkAV5oDv3dQZMxkqq_rkOQ/s1600-h/026.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-8EkOcRG3Bjhd_dJWyTnWEjH9C0x3yZH_uEvhL9MCIS4bfjjMZnohqDLPh5O_42zu4EcFCmVGdK2-q4zIuqIumWYp8K-YyJ2jZILVVr_hmhE6FEVTArP8AfkAV5oDv3dQZMxkqq_rkOQ/s320/026.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302620351260686610" border="0" /></a>This clump of forest hits you as soon as you cross into Kerela border, and is probably the first place where you can stop without blocking other traffic.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga9OOn6uMnqj0ED-UVKf0RWJrKXtg3Qbev189Uq9vPywRw8iPzduK7733_i5mb6QxI4lD7q7_0qPduHomJ8eli-RKUeCoKU06IqO9WwydztcRsPs60PrkXGGLaBrOV906lexDVvuUvGWQ/s1600-h/035.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga9OOn6uMnqj0ED-UVKf0RWJrKXtg3Qbev189Uq9vPywRw8iPzduK7733_i5mb6QxI4lD7q7_0qPduHomJ8eli-RKUeCoKU06IqO9WwydztcRsPs60PrkXGGLaBrOV906lexDVvuUvGWQ/s320/035.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302620819885081490" border="0" /></a>Scene outside our place of stay - Eastern Tourist Home, Sultan Bathery. Bloody cheap @Rs. 300 for a room with 3 beds and a clean bathroom. What else does a biker need !!! On Saturday we just lazed around in our room and rested our tired bones.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNjgwV60lUAm7AopCpYozxB3jde_w8NyP4FZ8XaiAAHwhcJpLKrIdeO5er12g_ATd-hIym2xcyX3JZmIqzSwLAwbpz62HX1zw5GghzhmF-DwgSsoPjludIxDI1MDe2qy938CSORgl_e34/s1600-h/043.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNjgwV60lUAm7AopCpYozxB3jde_w8NyP4FZ8XaiAAHwhcJpLKrIdeO5er12g_ATd-hIym2xcyX3JZmIqzSwLAwbpz62HX1zw5GghzhmF-DwgSsoPjludIxDI1MDe2qy938CSORgl_e34/s320/043.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302621339369093618" border="0" /></a>Some Christian celebrations in progress outside the Hotel Windflower - good food at reasonable rates. We had most of our meals here.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQXpfYXG5EndLzsb263OMlbQcWTJUyQ_Gg8iWWs4ioytsJWqLVn3WLBjV7Thfl7qXPRmvar5WoGXAt2d2EROX5XgkqPI0gb1YjO4iowVrYrio_wX3l63it6fXDUz0fcpX4qwWOj9Gm9C4/s1600-h/057.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQXpfYXG5EndLzsb263OMlbQcWTJUyQ_Gg8iWWs4ioytsJWqLVn3WLBjV7Thfl7qXPRmvar5WoGXAt2d2EROX5XgkqPI0gb1YjO4iowVrYrio_wX3l63it6fXDUz0fcpX4qwWOj9Gm9C4/s320/057.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302622169043828706" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj871zusNOMKwgkEIkLd1nz98oYqGrxPJDAZDdcJK6noeVt1lWPldi7fmld6TIW0dBD5FDLKBwoWoqmdFXNWlVmwUf6Uosn_IQWxVt8vvre9dmXJ8MSDa25RKeOF0gMaS0zVebNeQH3hIc/s1600-h/067.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj871zusNOMKwgkEIkLd1nz98oYqGrxPJDAZDdcJK6noeVt1lWPldi7fmld6TIW0dBD5FDLKBwoWoqmdFXNWlVmwUf6Uosn_IQWxVt8vvre9dmXJ8MSDa25RKeOF0gMaS0zVebNeQH3hIc/s320/067.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302622166980229186" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiWi2lZkrvHPbfLJaaI6IOCOpkV2T-2kYEJQAPX_baMk8h-o_G4zLWY7SO7p0IWtt5_L3pG3RT-vvI9yGFXBehFMMhbKnp7uu7I03rCXJcm1oC1R51pjqKJIQiz4XCs3qQMNF62JP8PTE/s1600-h/047.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiWi2lZkrvHPbfLJaaI6IOCOpkV2T-2kYEJQAPX_baMk8h-o_G4zLWY7SO7p0IWtt5_L3pG3RT-vvI9yGFXBehFMMhbKnp7uu7I03rCXJcm1oC1R51pjqKJIQiz4XCs3qQMNF62JP8PTE/s320/047.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302622162171662658" border="0" /></a>The same Christian celebration procession. We tried to ask around a lot but no one could tell us what the thing was exactly about.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFP7BrkNqFVr1Z4JI0DKHo_TzW_i3qxacxzWP0a573DecNVKMA0fFbFtgBoXfsmHTp0Yy5LvIvpCw3T-q-h99O7le0esdUDWgoauVW3hFkMeoqcRguCNmNhAZLP7bnoBu-NK4MaUXc7JA/s1600-h/076.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFP7BrkNqFVr1Z4JI0DKHo_TzW_i3qxacxzWP0a573DecNVKMA0fFbFtgBoXfsmHTp0Yy5LvIvpCw3T-q-h99O7le0esdUDWgoauVW3hFkMeoqcRguCNmNhAZLP7bnoBu-NK4MaUXc7JA/s320/076.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302622884023725970" border="0" /></a>On our way to Meenmutty Falls on Sunday morning we hit this kind of greenery all around. No wonder Kerala is called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God%27s_Own_Country">God's own country</a>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ons-jgXE-MArhyphenhyphenpc-4XjzK-HkeVWPkg_Xna-fLP8LxvoJ9zkGphVCzEV5R67SBxRICYA5NwoobR-oP3ddQ3wNz70FM15sHf4EhzcjyU6yS1f6vZzHiBcHRiohH0i6Ty5MjhRw9CttKM/s1600-h/091.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ons-jgXE-MArhyphenhyphenpc-4XjzK-HkeVWPkg_Xna-fLP8LxvoJ9zkGphVCzEV5R67SBxRICYA5NwoobR-oP3ddQ3wNz70FM15sHf4EhzcjyU6yS1f6vZzHiBcHRiohH0i6Ty5MjhRw9CttKM/s320/091.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302624264428339058" border="0" /></a>We missed our dirt path turn to Meenmutty Falls and almost landed in Tamil Nadu. The guard (in the pic) at the border let us know the way back. The road in the picture led to Ooty (another destination in the future for me !)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtDEt29dDAGHnHg-bKxfdsZZ4RNi_EjlE9wU4bWw275lrYkdvSlkoPMUn9wiptJNPzMIuZwBnFQ1HjxdmGxToko8CTbmuFhALrOgY2gdVhmjZgmMVwD6Ct9onwYcZK2C04gmydjC6-wXI/s1600-h/095.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtDEt29dDAGHnHg-bKxfdsZZ4RNi_EjlE9wU4bWw275lrYkdvSlkoPMUn9wiptJNPzMIuZwBnFQ1HjxdmGxToko8CTbmuFhALrOgY2gdVhmjZgmMVwD6Ct9onwYcZK2C04gmydjC6-wXI/s320/095.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302624274112975666" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWD5FgZkkuQUcgP8XYt17aoG3CUVSAVHBCPjZuYzNy6au1Ds8HHGbeL8LvEc7mInhCU2mNg02owcdr_gTer-4bVtbr3nbc-qqmByBKI3TFZ0-ptfSBvDyvElEHjMaKFXqvR86XiVFWVHI/s1600-h/093.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWD5FgZkkuQUcgP8XYt17aoG3CUVSAVHBCPjZuYzNy6au1Ds8HHGbeL8LvEc7mInhCU2mNg02owcdr_gTer-4bVtbr3nbc-qqmByBKI3TFZ0-ptfSBvDyvElEHjMaKFXqvR86XiVFWVHI/s320/093.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302624269957065010" border="0" /></a>Tea gardens just before starting our steep 1Km trek down to the waterfalls.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6lvnYtodNHIhcOEt-KayxKiUcH9ijzijr4eyFq5Qn06P25SetqFrWJE1WzsRXtGFD0eiEPVqizOCI1ul00QXYRb4h_qMzZ6I9lIrm-TFW-OM01qEKa0FLk1w9Li9zxlWkrbKw7HYobPk/s1600-h/138.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6lvnYtodNHIhcOEt-KayxKiUcH9ijzijr4eyFq5Qn06P25SetqFrWJE1WzsRXtGFD0eiEPVqizOCI1ul00QXYRb4h_qMzZ6I9lIrm-TFW-OM01qEKa0FLk1w9Li9zxlWkrbKw7HYobPk/s320/138.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302624281043515314" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiseyT7zJoolk9nOy81sEKIGhRo5F42ICCuZpG-S8gE7LlnOkYMX-zO2I2rDryzYJNR9V4d5tyPtXZQCES6jM68YpjpDmbJCJyvtOFbT1xHehQtxrzMUxQkp9HL15M0xQ7UydwaqqJvpS4/s1600-h/114.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiseyT7zJoolk9nOy81sEKIGhRo5F42ICCuZpG-S8gE7LlnOkYMX-zO2I2rDryzYJNR9V4d5tyPtXZQCES6jM68YpjpDmbJCJyvtOFbT1xHehQtxrzMUxQkp9HL15M0xQ7UydwaqqJvpS4/s320/114.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302624277851713010" border="0" /></a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meenmutty_Falls,_Wayanad">Meenmutty Falls</a>. The trek was pretty steep and thankfully short at 1Km. Even our guide slipped once. We 3 grouped up with another group of 4 and took one guide. The rates charged are : Rs. 300 upto a group of 10. Rs. 30 per person above 10. Apparently there is a gentler slope to go down, which the guide takes if you have females in your group.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUPlVQHMl0yIYLLrRTKtpvif6IkH0u2f0QtCuzBALGLmNyUFvLzxFxUAiyi2kEXNnWWM-Fwpdy5AzSwF4Rk9CapAznSABzzrtLNq4SdiXru8ifaN6JW9KDRhSA1FgHcfizAdLruTzVnU4/s1600-h/178.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUPlVQHMl0yIYLLrRTKtpvif6IkH0u2f0QtCuzBALGLmNyUFvLzxFxUAiyi2kEXNnWWM-Fwpdy5AzSwF4Rk9CapAznSABzzrtLNq4SdiXru8ifaN6JW9KDRhSA1FgHcfizAdLruTzVnU4/s320/178.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302628554944677074" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoyGPgWdb700c7hB9aY-A-o5BYeGpzV6pyVY1miyusVrdpoQL_-JLQG2RWMo8db8sY2knc0SVZJNc1TsawD33J1zjBqgai0QjRMPSIUAoqvCawAQ_hl2D8WXX1E3QTkpYFFd1QJTuP7Rg/s1600-h/175.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoyGPgWdb700c7hB9aY-A-o5BYeGpzV6pyVY1miyusVrdpoQL_-JLQG2RWMo8db8sY2knc0SVZJNc1TsawD33J1zjBqgai0QjRMPSIUAoqvCawAQ_hl2D8WXX1E3QTkpYFFd1QJTuP7Rg/s320/175.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302628556597619506" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJLD9jcsWCIiLw1F4HxkyxkG2FSTGRW0GX7Y1Zf28PSWL0KOJ6Tc_3V7QC_NiX4VtR3urUczSiSruoZqXglOF5gBN8a1_ykzhrDnr54bgiz2IVESilH7mE4I1XNWX1fmrACxbkcObUTWs/s1600-h/172.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJLD9jcsWCIiLw1F4HxkyxkG2FSTGRW0GX7Y1Zf28PSWL0KOJ6Tc_3V7QC_NiX4VtR3urUczSiSruoZqXglOF5gBN8a1_ykzhrDnr54bgiz2IVESilH7mE4I1XNWX1fmrACxbkcObUTWs/s320/172.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302628549734504578" border="0" /></a>Kuruva Islands. Rather <span style="font-style: italic;">Kuruva Dweep</span> (as known locally). The road is through Pulpally. And there are two roads from Sultan Bathery to Pulpally. One is the easy main road off the road that goes towards Mysore. The other is from the other side of the town of Sultan Bathery, which goes through jungle and potholed roads. Not a soul in sight for kilometres at length. Always the fear of getting lost. More challenge for the biker in me !!! But Kuruva Islands in themselves turned out to be disappointment. We reached late. The boating time had ended. And it did not look like there was much to do there anyways.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcbSPX0cJv83eGzMLS1KltdsbYNXYO2EauQZ88TAmwS24dXRCtuu5lcGFzzBLAn6btCfdJ0bZLPg5pfBOoWn2IpZfnRI-TO06Iqdf3-LF0p03YUyNA8SMWssg9hufDRX_rU3XBdhpyxkI/s1600-h/186.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcbSPX0cJv83eGzMLS1KltdsbYNXYO2EauQZ88TAmwS24dXRCtuu5lcGFzzBLAn6btCfdJ0bZLPg5pfBOoWn2IpZfnRI-TO06Iqdf3-LF0p03YUyNA8SMWssg9hufDRX_rU3XBdhpyxkI/s320/186.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302629831459427106" border="0" /></a>While returning from Kuruva Islands we lost our way, mostly thanks to me. I was leading the group and just kept going on. Then we realized we were lost and there was absolutely nobody. In the twilight, it was getting difficult. And then we saw these woods lying there. After driving quite some distance on the wrong road, we came across a kindly <span style="font-style: italic;">autowallah </span>who guided us back.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">We started back on Monday morning and reached Bangalore by afternoon. It has been an awesome ride. Especially given all the mountainous roads and their U-turns (they are called twisties in the biker's lingo I learn), it was a fun ride. But yeah, there needs to be a lot of caution on these roads.<br /><br />Having been there once, it left a lot be explored. Kalapeta for one. And then people tell me that the backwaters are in the southern parts of Kerela. I must visit it one more time and with more time and enterprising people with me.<br /><br />====================================================================<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >On a separate note : I also did a solo trip to Chennai over the Christmas weekend. And found awesome roads. The toll road from Bangalore-Hosur-Vellore-Chennai is really well-maintained and not a single jump anywhere. I have dreams of buying a HD V-Rod Screaming Eagle someday. When I tell this to people they ask me where I would drive it around in India. I think I found the roads.</span><br /></div></div>Suchintyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15399073589837205604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1875728188048879211.post-70115922293593307932008-10-02T11:51:00.002+05:302008-10-02T11:58:36.737+05:30Jaago re!<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/owb-dInlz08&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/owb-dInlz08&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Brilliant commercial. And it actually works !!! Check out the site <a href="http://www.jaagore.com/">www.jaagore.com</a><div><br /></div><div>The Indian National parliamentary elections are almost around the corner. Its time that I started to speak about it again and hopefully rope in more people to actually go ahead and vote. And you too can do that. Check out the site. Lots of information and useful insights as to how to raise awareness as individuals, student community, employees and other institutions. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.jaagore.com">Jaago re!</a> helps with registration camps and kits and promotional materials. I think the reasons for not registering to vote have gone by at least a few counts more.</div>Suchintyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15399073589837205604noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1875728188048879211.post-15669246538731134242008-06-19T06:56:00.001+05:302010-02-11T14:58:15.650+05:30Inflation and Expenses<div style="text-align: justify;">Everybody has variably heard of the word inflation. As a matter of fact, any educated person would like to rattle off his/her knowledge on inflation, and with the current market news (maybe I follow it a bit too much) its all over. So here's a small peek into what is it and how it affects us.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Inflation:</span> In simple terms it is the phenomenon due to which the little orange candies which used to cost 10paise each back when I was a kid at school, now cost more than 50paise (on a conservative estimate). Or the onion butter masala dosa a south Indian delicacy that used to cost a mere Rs 13, would now cost somewhere in the region of Rs 20 to Rs 25.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">How does inflation affect me:</span> Due to inflation the cost of every goods or service that you buy goes up. And you are not spared, whether you are spending in dollar, euro, yen or the rupee. It affects all commodities and makes them dearer every year. So in general the price of petrol/ diesel you buy at the pump goes up every year.<br />
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The amount of real return earned by keeping money in the bank goes down. For example, given the current real scenario in India, the interest rate offered in a normal savings account hovers around 3.5%. While with the recent released figures, the inflation hovers around 5% and above. If we were to assume that today you have Rs. 100 which would purchase you a cake at the Barista, then due to inflation next year the same cake would cost you Rs. 105. But since you chose to eat the cake next year, and kept the money in the bank, your money grew to only Rs. 103.5. And so you don't have enough money to purchase the cake anymore.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Are there any standard measures:</span> In India, inflation is measured by the Wholesale Price Index (or the WPI) released by the <a href="http://www.rbi.org.in/">Reserve Bank of India(or RBI)</a> every Friday. Check under the Database -> <a href="http://www.rbi.org.in/scripts/BS_ViewWSS.aspx">Weekly Statistical Supplement</a> and select "Index Numbers of Wholesale Prices". The WPI is a more broad based measure than the variably used Consumer Price Index (or CPI) used by other countries, or many other measures. The WPI numbers released for India include on the upwards of 435 item prices and give a good picture of the overall price rises.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">What is the extent of the affect it has on us:</span> Year to year, there is hardly any effect that an individual may feel. In fact with increasing efficiency in some spaces, prices may actually go down in some categories of goods, most notably technology products. But in the long run we all get hurt by inflation. Even if we assume a modest average inflation figure of 5% per year, in 20 years the cost of any good is bound to grow by 2.65 times. So we need to plan our savings in such a manner that we beat atleast that figure.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Why is there inflation:</span> Economists vary regarding all the possible factors affecting inflation. But some of the most common reasons are<br />
<ul><li>Increase in the price of goods due to increase in demand in excess of supply available. This also gives rise to ocassional black market.</li>
<li>Increase in money supply due to government/ central bank policy. Sometimes if the government sees that there is not much spending by the consumer, it may reduce interest rates to encourage the consumer to borrow and spend. This decreases the value of money, and companies increase the selling price to keep the value that they earn the same. This in turn pushes up prices.</li>
<li>Higher interest rates. Due to this the cost of purchase of raw materials or labor increases for the business which may be passed onto the consumer. This effect may not be seen immediately, but is over the long term prices rise/fall to match interest rates.</li>
</ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">Any other information:</span> Yes. There are two more terms that be mentioned in the context. They are deflation and stagflation. Plus there are other terms like disinflation, reinflation and hyperinflation, but of lesser significance.</div>Suchintyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15399073589837205604noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1875728188048879211.post-37631072811985963862008-06-18T23:02:00.000+05:302008-06-18T23:03:12.712+05:30Currency Carry Trade<div style="text-align: justify;">The recent and ongoing global financial crisis was precipitated due to a lot of factors, a few of which I actually know about and all of which I am sure no single person knows about. Albeit everybody would agree a part of it was due to the collapse of the American consumer market, especially the housing market where individuals could no longer afford the monthly payments on the houses they purchased on loan.<br /><br />The other factor that I am aware about is the effect of the <a href="http://www.moneyweek.com/file/9351/what-is-the-carry-trade.html">Yen</a> <a href="http://www.marketthoughts.com/z20060921.html">Carry</a> <a href="http://www.valuenotes.com/poonam/poonam_yencarry_12Mar07.asp?ArtCd=108231&Cat=&Id=">Trade</a>. Today I read an article in Investopedia, which pretty much explains in basic terms what it means with an example.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What does it mean</span><br /><blockquote>A strategy in which an investor sells a certain currency with a relatively low interest rate and uses the funds to purchase a different currency yielding a higher interest rate. A trader using this strategy attempts to capture the difference between the rates - which can often be substantial, depending on the amount of leverage the investor chooses to use.<br /></blockquote><span style="font-weight: bold;">Example</span><blockquote><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br />Here's an example of a "yen carry trade": a trader borrows 1,000 yen from a Japanese bank, converts the funds into U.S. dollars and buys a bond for the equivalent amount. Let's assume that the bond pays 4.5% and the Japanese interest rate is set at 0%. The trader stands to make a profit of 4.5% (4.5% - 0%), as long as the exchange rate between the countries does not change. Many professional traders use this trade because the gains can become very large when leverage is taken into consideration. If the trader in our example uses a common leverage factor of 10:1, then she can stand to make a profit of 45%.<br /><br />The big risk in a carry trade is the uncertainty of exchange rates. Using the example above, if the U.S. dollar was to fall in value relative to the Japanese yen, then the trader would run the risk of losing money. Also, these transactions are generally done with a lot of leverage, so a small movement in exchange rates can result in huge losses unless hedged appropriately.</blockquote></div>Suchintyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15399073589837205604noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1875728188048879211.post-56703056945624257692008-05-14T10:53:00.000+05:302008-05-14T10:54:18.789+05:30Britain's Got Talent<a style="left: 0px ! important; top: 0px ! important;" title="Click here to block this object with Adblock Plus" class="abp-objtab-07666958037821527 visible" href="http://www.youtube.com/v/KA2B5X0LhMY&hl=en"></a><object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/KA2B5X0LhMY&hl=en"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/KA2B5X0LhMY&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="355" width="425"></embed></object>Suchintyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15399073589837205604noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1875728188048879211.post-55817958930798847492008-05-02T17:35:00.001+05:302008-05-02T17:37:08.944+05:30Measuring Code Quality<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicd6boESlFpb2iDaUX3hJbWeqdOVDKqkYTISyuVdCkS1eFrUH5Os7z_7xNqIcYFQ2_UkuKzEFggteV_s64hSemT_Ud05u6sA7HQsw1IUt7NMXFbBzCbYJcbVWic-zKAnEizXIrpbPR7HI/s1600-h/wtfm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicd6boESlFpb2iDaUX3hJbWeqdOVDKqkYTISyuVdCkS1eFrUH5Os7z_7xNqIcYFQ2_UkuKzEFggteV_s64hSemT_Ud05u6sA7HQsw1IUt7NMXFbBzCbYJcbVWic-zKAnEizXIrpbPR7HI/s400/wtfm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5195750800600774482" border="0" /></a><br />Find the original picture source <a href="http://www.osnews.com/images/comics/wtfm.jpg">here.</a>Suchintyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15399073589837205604noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1875728188048879211.post-65264807059179760332008-05-02T10:37:00.003+05:302008-05-02T10:45:24.603+05:30Change of Perspective<div style="text-align: justify;">I called up my brother today, wanting to discuss a transfer of funds to some account. I was expecting it to be a pretty regular call as calls between brothers could go. The call went something like this:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Tring, Tring</span><br /><br />Bro: <span style="font-style: italic;">Jaldi bolo</span>. (Be quick)<br />Me: <span style="font-style: italic;">Kyun ?</span> (Why?) [Normal human tendency to delay proceedings when you are asked to speed them up.]<br />Bro: <span style="font-style: italic;">Abhi hum ICU mein hain.</span> (Am in the Intensive Care Unit)<br />Me: <span style="font-style: italic;">Wahan kya kar raha hai?</span> (What are you doing there?)<br />Bro: I got my duty posting here.<br />Me: Ok. We can talk later.<br />Bro: <span style="font-style: italic;">Nahi. Tum bolo... </span>(It's Ok. You can speak)<br /><br />Did I tell you my brother has completed his studies as a medical undergraduate student and is currently undergoing his one year long internship.<br /></div>Suchintyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15399073589837205604noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1875728188048879211.post-33726153154516179402008-04-30T16:32:00.003+05:302008-04-30T16:52:58.291+05:30Do you push-up ?As the age changes, so does the fad to exercise. Yesterday it might have been yoga, today it's power yoga. Fads come and go, but basics stay. And the one which has endured over the centuries is one's ability to do push-ups, variably called as dips.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzzmSDpQxmmkbdUWZ05ESVoKmqnxc_7HTrIS7whENBpHyH5fK82-qzfmFEgT3ZZXxlNDwjIZhPBkAzFjj9gMrXbgRDzp7pCEBkTNB8jSsqZD1DwzQUFDmy-XMh8fTBiogjf4w34JRNbRg/s1600-h/PushUpFist8.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzzmSDpQxmmkbdUWZ05ESVoKmqnxc_7HTrIS7whENBpHyH5fK82-qzfmFEgT3ZZXxlNDwjIZhPBkAzFjj9gMrXbgRDzp7pCEBkTNB8jSsqZD1DwzQUFDmy-XMh8fTBiogjf4w34JRNbRg/s400/PushUpFist8.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5194996398185166658" border="0" /></a><br />I just found a <a href="http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/PushUps.html">push-up calculator</a>, which determines your body fitness according to the number of push-ups you can do. Oh, and women can also measure their push-up strengths there.Suchintyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15399073589837205604noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1875728188048879211.post-9811583569273165852008-04-23T17:37:00.002+05:302008-04-23T17:41:08.389+05:30I know money can't buy happiness... but money can buy stuff that can buy happiness. For example this bike.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.ewallpapers.eu/Motorcycles/Harley-Davidson/Harley.html"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrSIVdQ5-0FVn3DOhYvzFkh63zhODmpoQ45cAgxWSgE6IiZCmtf53RFgdiw9XqO3Bx9LQ7jP3vMVhUley9_Gk8pB9815NDUi4bLbgUMayTMudYB0l0AERzh5aJGk7fRSGW5go5TCafcNI/s400/1738341260_thumb_.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5192411957449373490" border="0" /></a>Suchintyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15399073589837205604noreply@blogger.com3