Do it yourself

Thought for the day "Then not only an old man, but also a drunkard, becomes a second time a child." —Plato (Greek, 427-347BC) Word for the day Genuflect (v) To express a servile attitude. Malice towards none Hurricane RaGa has now been downgraded from level 5 to level 0. First random thought this morning We have adopted a lot many things from the Europe and US in past one century - ranging from constitution, administration practices, language, food, fashion, TV shows, technology, education system, legal system, architecture, system of medicine, accounting practices, taxation practices, profligacy, violence, and intolerance to music, art, movie plots etc. Many of these imports violate the conventional concept of Indianness, and many have since been abandoned by the originators themselves. Our exports to the western cultures include yoga, spirituality, classical dance & music, food, tolerance, non viole...

Thought for the day " Honesty is for the most part less profitable than dishonesty" —Plato (Greek, 427-347BC) Word for the day Humbuggery (n) Pretense; sham Malice towards none I am no big fan of either Saif or Kareena. The young Taimur has so far done nothing to draw my notice. First random thought this morning All of you must have seen students who are not confident of what they have learned in the past many months, and want to revise the entire syllabus just minutes before entering the examination hall. I have even heard some parents complaining that their ward could not do well in exams because he/she woke up late on the exam day and could not revise the notes just before the exams. The CMs and other senior government functionaries of the five states where polls are likely to be held in next few months these states are behaving just like these students. In just two months, they want to make their res...

Thought for the day "The community which has neither poverty nor riches will always have the noblest principles." —Plato (Greek, 427-347BC) Word for the day Cordate (adj) Heart-shaped, e.g., a cordate shell . Malice towards none Heard RaGa speech in Jaunpur on Moday. Not a grain of truth. Wonder who is the King Liar who writes his speeches. First random thought this morning Flipkart, SnapDeal, PayTM, Ola and sundries are poor versions of Amazon, PayPal, Uber etc. just the way KBC, Indian Idol, Voice of India, Big Boss etc. are poor copies of the similar American TV reality shows. A large part of our whole start-up ecosystem distressingly appears to be based on the business models and ideas conceived, tested, and already commercially exploited in other parts of the world. Respect for IPR and innovation is amongst the few things still missing from the picture. In search of solutions - 12 ...

Thought for the day "No one ever teaches well who wants to teach, or governs well who wants to govern." —Plato (Greek, 427-347BC) Word for the day Ignominy (n) Disgrace; dishonor; public contempt. Malice towards none Santa: I know the prime minister. Banta: I know the cashier of SBI branch in market. Santa: Wow, you are so lucky! First random thought this morning The pace at which the focus of public discourse is shifting from one "burning issue" to another "burning issue" is perplexing. Sometimes it seems our society and country actually do not have a problem to earnestly worry about. In search of solutions - 11 The young demography is inarguably the core strength of the Indian economy. My concern is that, if not managed properly this may as well prove to be the nemesis of the fabled India story. We must accept that despite being one of the fastest growing economies ...

Thought for the day "We do not learn; and what we call learning is only a process of recollection." —Plato (Greek, 427-347BC) Word for the day Clarion (adj) Clear and shrill, e.g., the clarion call of a battle trumpet. Malice towards none Did Mahesh Shah or any of his accomplice know about impending abolition of HDNs, and just created a bucket where Rs13800cr worth of old currency could be washed, if needed? First random thought this morning The popular narrative these days is straight copy from the blockbuster Deewar - " भाई पहले उसका sign ले कर आओ, मैं तभी sign करूंगा." Politicians are busy highlighting misdeeds of each other. Tax evaders are justifying their deeds, on the pretext of corruption in administration and leakages in the public spending and delivery system. No one is willing to admit their own failings. In search of solutions - 9&10 “History shows that where ethi...

Thought for the day "States are as the men, they grow out of human characters." —Plato (Greek, 427-347BC) Word for the day Vainglory (n) Excessive elation or pride over one's own achievements, abilities, etc.; boastful vanity. Malice towards none As per Expedia's 2016 global vacation survey - "India is the fourth most vacation deprived country in the world."   The joke ended up there. First random thought this morning As a deeply religious community, we strongly believe that our Gods are always there to help us out of any trouble. Gods on their part have not disappointed us. Indeed, Lord Krishna (Gita), Mother Durga (Durga Saptshati) et. al. assured us that they will incarnate themselves in human form, whenever there is any threat to our survival. The problem that has arisen out of this assurance is that we are always searching for God's incarnations, even during normal times. We w...

Thought for the day "He who steals a little steals with the same wish as he who steals much, but with less power." —Plato (Greek, 427-347BC) Word for the day Festschrift (n) A volume of articles, essays, etc., contributed by many authors in honor of a colleague, usually published on the occasion of retirement, an important anniversary, or the like. Malice towards none The rise in currency demand in the economy in past 25years is not exclusively due to rise in corruption and other illegal activities. It is also outcome of rise in trade and commerce without matching growth in banking infrastructure and financial literacy. There were obviously better ways to achieve the objectives of HDN abolition. First random thought this morning After 35days, I wonder this morning - How currency notes could be the cause of naxalism, terrorism, drug trade, corruption and other vices in the society. Hoard of currency at bes...

Thought for the day "The curse of me and my nation is that we always think things can be bettered by immediate action of some sort, any sort rather than no sort." —Plato (Greek, 427-347BC) Word for the day Asomatous (adj) Having no material body; incorporeal. Malice towards none President requests MPs to do their job! Did someone told MPs - what's their job! First random thought this morning After the Supreme Court became the tyrant mother-in-law of BCCI, the Kerala High Court has dictated that female devotees cannot enter the Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvanthanpuram wearing Chudidar salwars. 10 Days ago, a bureaucrat, KN Satheesh, had allowed churidars to be worn in the temple. Are you wondering why I am discussing these frivolities this early morning? Well that is exactly the point! In search of solutions - 6 Indian markets and economy have always surprised the experts and ...