Do it yourself

Thought for the day "The only way not to think about money is to have a great deal of it." —Edith Wharton (American, 1862-1937) Word for the day Ad absurdum (adv) To the point of absurdity Malice towards none Silence was never so glittery as it is today. #Manishankar Iyer # PChidambram #GVLNarsimharao First random thought this morning China is still far from being recognized as a developed economy. Nonetheless it has started behaving like one. Ignoring short term concerns, it is acting ruthlessly to check pollution and spiraling debt. It is keeping its currency stable, and continues to open its markets. It is assertive on geo political issues and shown great ambitions in terms of CPEC and OBOR. We certainly have many lessons to learn from Chinese, keeping all our prejudices aside. Prelude to Union Budget - 1 I spent the weekend reading reports published by various market participants highligh...

Next post on Monday, 29 January 2018. Greetings for the 68th Republic Day of India Thought for the day "If a fellow really likes potatoes, he must be a pretty decent sort of fellow." —A. A. Milne (Indian, 1863-1902) Word for the day Instauration (n) Renewal; restoration; renovation; repair Malice towards none Do you seriously think that committing suicide by jumping into fire is a good idea? First random thought this morning Stuck in a traffic jam yesterday in Delhi, I did my favorite thing again, i.e., bothering people with uncomfortable questions. Like every year, this time also, I checked with people about what they feel about Republic Day. But unlike past 10-12yrs, this year the reactions of people were quite different. People were well prepared for this question. Their responses were extremely guarded. No one wanted to be on the wrong side of the FRINGES. Almost everyone answered with nationalistic ferv...

Thought for the day "As different streams having different sources all mingle their waters in the sea, so different tendencies, various though they appear, crooked or straight, all lead to God." —Swami Vivekanand (Indian, 1863-1902)) Word for the day Moira (n) A person's fate or destiny. The personification of fate. Malice towards none What about decentralizing film certification! Let each state issue a separate certificate to all movies. So that a producer can boycott one or more states if it wishes to. First random thought this morning Media reports suggest that the finance ministry may be mulling 100% FDI in private banks and 49% FDI in PSBs. If implemented, this could result in complete undoing of Bank Nationalization. Large, private banks like HDFC Bank (34%), ICICI (35%), IndusInd (58%), Axis (49%), Yes (46%), Kotak (41%) etc. already have substantial foreign holding. These bank can easily see the...

Thought for the day "The will is not free - it is a phenomenon bound by cause and effect - but there is something behind the will which is free." —Swami Vivekanand (Indian, 1863-1902)) Word for the day Decathect (v) To withdraw one's feelings of attachment from (a person, idea, or object), as in anticipation of a future loss, e.g., He decathected from her in order to cope with her impending death. Malice towards none Surprisingly, people are expecting so much from union budget!! First random thought this morning The latest trend in the country seems to be alleging threat to life from BJP and RSS. If one were to take statements of Hardik Patel, Jignesh Mevani, Praveen Togadia, et. al. at face value, the prime minister and the BJP president may come out to be the most notorious mafia dons who are committed to eliminate all voices of opposition. The worst part is that media is leaving no stone unturned in...

Thought for the day "The whole secret of existence is to have no fear." —Swami Vivekanand (Indian, 1863-1902)) Word for the day Nonviolence (n) The policy, practice, or technique of refraining from the use of violence, especially when reacting to or protesting against oppression, injustice, discrimination, or the like. Malice towards none Sophistry is a form of violence, perhaps the worst kind. All those who avow by Gandhi, must avoid sophistry and chicanery of all sorts. First random thought this morning "A democracy can neither forbid propaganda nor allow it. It cannot forbid propaganda without undermining freedom of speech and expression. But it cannot allow propaganda without destroying any hope of cultivating an enlightened citizenry whose political and economic decisions are based on evidence rather than misinformation, on facts rather than partisan descriptions, on reasoned analysis rather than emoti...

Thought for the day "Arise! Awake! and stop not until the goal is reached." —Swami Vivekanand (Indian, 1863-1902)) Word for the day Vatic (adj) Of, relating to, or characteristic of a prophet Malice towards none What did change post Nirbhaya? First random thought this morning Some "sensational" media research suggested that in past two decades, some very "sensitive" cases have been assigned to "Junior" judges in the Supreme Court. The report was trying to highlight that something is amiss at the apex judicial forum in the country. The report implies that someone who has experience of 25-30yrs of judicial experience before being appointed a judge of SC, will still be junior judge, if he is 5yr younger to the Chief Justice. A judge who has served as Chief Justice of a High Court, and delivered judgments of far reaching consequences, will still be junior and incompetent to hear appea...

Thought for the day "You cannot be a hero without being a coward." —George Bernard Shaw (Irish, 1856-1950) Word for the day Denouement (n) The outcome or resolution of a doubtful series of occurrences. The final resolution of the intricacies of a plot, as of a drama or novel. Malice towards none In the spirit of pluralism, the administration shall tell schools to hold a 10minute meditation session every day, in which all students should be encouraged to silently pray the way they like it, instead of current practice of chanting specific prayers. First random thought this morning The outrage of the Congress leaders over cabinet decision to allow 100% FDI in single brand retail is inexplicable. If Congress Party truly believes that this decision is in the interest of the Nation, they should rather welcome it. The fact that BJP, which opposed the move in 2012, has finally chosen to follow the path taken by Co...

Thought for the day "Science never solves a problem without creating ten more." —George Bernard Shaw (Irish, 1856-1950) Word for the day Suspiration (n) A long, deep sigh Malice towards none If Lalu Yadav, who needs people to serve him in jail, is socialist, who is feudal in India? First random thought this morning “The world’s largest taxi firm, Uber, owns no cars. The world’s most popular media company, Facebook, creates no content. The world’s most valuable retailer, Alibaba, carries no stock. And the world’s largest accommodation provider, Airbnb, owns no property.” ( Tom Goodwin ) The world is changing like never before, and some of us are busy debating who first discovered the Law of Gravity and banning movies. Someone needs to rise and tell the Rajasthan government "Ok, Brahamgupta-II, discovered the Law of Gravity some 500yrs before the apple fell on Isaac Newton's head. Get the history books and...