Do it yourself

Thought for the day ” God is not willing to do everything, and thus take away our free will and that share of glory which belongs to us.” -           Niccolo Machiavelli (Italian, 1469-1527) Word for the day Peckish (adj) Somewhat hungry; Rather irritable. (Source: Dictionary.com) Teaser for the day Where is Rahul Gandhi and his youth brigade? Entrepreneurship is not best always In past two decades, since 1995, India’s economy has grown at an average rate of 6.9%. However, the total employment in economy during this period has grown at just 0.3% CAGR. In this period the number of self entrepreneurs has certainly increased in the country. This has coincided with the sharp fall in public sector employment. The aggregate private sector employment level has not been able to compensate for fewer opportunities available in public and unincorporated private sector. Consequently...

Thought for the day ”The new ruler must determine all the injuries that he will need to inflict. He must inflict them once and for all.” -           Niccolo Machiavelli (Italian, 1469-1527) Word for the day Garboil (n) Confusion (Source: Dictionary.com) Teaser for the day Should government consider scraping degree as eligibility condition for all government jobs (including IAS)?   Instead it may institute an exhaustive eligibility test followed by a 3-12 month orientation program for all new recruits.   Capitalize on human capital In a recently published working paper the Reserve Bank of India highlighted many interesting facts about the status of employment and its elasticity to the GDP growth. I find it pertinent to highlight some of the observations made in the said working paper. In particular the change in occupation structure of the ...

Thought for the day ” Hence it comes about that all armed Prophets have been victorious, and all unarmed Prophets have been destroyed.” -           Niccolo Machiavelli (Italian, 1469-1527) Word for the day Drake (n) A valley with steeply sloping sides (Source: Dictionary.com) Teaser for the day Narendra Modi to Shankracharya Swaroopanand Saraswati – “O’ lord thou are supreme amongst all wise, a truly elevated and enlightened soul, please enlighten me ‘what is Dharma’ and ‘who is God’?   Bitter pill alone is not enough Two people who would certainly be delighted by the decisions to hike rail fares, and proposal to hike energy prices are former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh (MMS) and former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram (PC). Despite their best effort and intentions they could not do this due to pressure from party (read Ms. Sonia Gandhi) and supporting parties and allies (...

Thought for the day “A wise ruler ought never to keep faith when by doing so it would be against his interests.” -           Niccolo Machiavelli (Italian, 1469-1527) Word for the day Comely (adj) Pleasing or agreeable to the sight; good-looking. (Source: Dictionary.com) Teaser for the day What is more important-- (a)    Know to drive or having driving license; (b)    Having PUC or keeping vehicle clean; (c)    Playing or watching sports on TV; (d)    Becoming a parent or having a child; (e)    Learning or passing exam? Committing on the front foot The cricket enthusiast would know that many good batsmen, who could have become great but did not just because they had the bad habit of committing to a stroke much before the ball pitched in front of them. Vinod Kambli is one such classic examp...

Thought for the day “The promise given was a necessity of the past: the word broken is a necessity of the present.” -           Niccolo Machiavelli (Italian, 1469-1527) Word for the day Epithalamion (n) A song or poem in honor of a bride & bridegroom. (Source: Dictionary.com) Teaser for the day Modi should address the nation and say in unambiguous terms: (a)                All citizens of India are free to use whatever Sch-VIII Language they are comfortable with. The government will accept and honor the communication. (b)                Our God, Goddess, scriptures, religion, culture, languages, Tricolor, etc. are supreme and beyond insult by ordinary mortals. Therefore ordinary people should feel free to write, draw, or   narrate...

Thought for the day “A return to first principles in a republic is sometimes caused by the simple virtues of one man. His good example has such an influence that the good men strive to imitate him, and the wicked are ashamed to lead a life so contrary to his example.” -           Niccolo Machiavelli (Italian, 1469-1527) Word for the day Scofflaw (n) A person who flouts the law, especially one who fails to pay fines owed. (Source: Dictionary.com) Teaser for the day Was US war against global terrorism just an extended exercise to enhance homeland security post 9/11? If yes, in hindsight should Europeans regret joining the war? Bewildered markets picks up wrong threads She came, she spoke, and she sent stocks to a new all time high. That is perhaps the simplest summary of what Janet Yellen did yesterday when, as a result of her droning monotone, she managed to put the VIX li...