Do it yourself

Thought for the day “I will give you a definition of a proud man: he is a man who has neither vanity nor wisdom one filled with hatreds cannot be vain, neither can he be wise.” -           John Keats (English, 1795-1821) Word for the day S olipsism (n) Extreme preoccupation with and indulgence of one's feelings, desires, etc.; egoistic self-absorption. (Source: Dictionary.com) Teaser for the day Has Kejriwal exhausted all arrows in his quiver, a little too early? Atone - pepper, seizure Last week an MP used pepper spray in the Parliament, apparently to prevent introduction of a Bill to carve out Telangana state out of current Andhra Pradesh. The cited act of MP widely criticized as seizure of Indian democracy by anarchist elements, motivated many elegies; some of them so eloquent that for once I seriously felt that we are living in a banana republic. A week later the a...

Thought for the day “My work is a game, a very serious game.” -           M. C. Escher (Dutch, 1898-1972) Word for the day Moiety (n) A half, a small part. (Source: Dictionary.com) Teaser for the day What is harsher punishment – hanging by the neck till death or jail term till death? What PM Modi could mean for Indian economy? Since February 2013 when first time Narendra Modi made his national ambitions conspicuous, I have been discussing this question with some investors, fund managers, businessmen, farmers, bureaucrats, and young students. The discussions have become more intense and argumentative since September when he was formally announced BJP’s PMship candidate. Hopes are running high I have been repeatedly highlighting that the hopes of people from Modi are running unusually high. People in general are viewing him as divine intervention that would get them r...

Thought for the day “Landlords, like all other men, love to reap where they never sowed.” -           Karl Marx (German, 1818-1883) Word for the day Bestiary (n) A collection of moralized fables about actual or mythical animals. (Source: Dictionary.com) Teaser for the day “Disruptive electioneering” – © 2013 Aam Aadmi Party, India The big bang theory The NDA regime led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee (1998-2004) is remembered, in market parlance, for its big and bold decisions. The tenure started with the big blast (May 1998 nuclear test) and was punctuated by major initiatives like NELP (hydrocarbon exploration), SEZ (key reforms in land, labor and tax laws in select zones), NHDP (highways), PMGSY (rural roads), AAY (food security for poor), SGRY (employment for rural poor), SSA (primary education for all), airports privatization, port privatization, Electricity Act 2003, spread of mo...

Thought for the day “The schools would fail through their silence, the Church through its forgiveness, and the home through the denial and silence of the parents. The new generation has to hear what the older generation refuses to tell it.” -           Simon Wiesenthal (Austrian, 1908-2005) Word for the day Elegy (n) A sad or mournful musical composition; especially a funeral song. (Source: Dictionary.com) Teaser for the day Once out of denial – the Congress Party will be most relieved. It is the only party that can do better than expectations. Third fronts have mostly been good for economy A government without Congress or BJP post 2014 is less likely in my view. However, for the argument sake even we take a hypothetical situation where non-aligned regional parties like JDU/RJD, TMC/CPM, BJD, DMK/AIDMK, SP/BSP, TRS/TDP, etc. get sufficient seats to form a government along with ...

Thought for the day “For to win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill.” -           Sun Tzu (Chinese, 544-496BC) Word for the day Impugn (trn v) To attack by words or arguments; to call in question; to make insinuations against; to oppose or challenge as false; (Source: Dictionary.com) Teaser for the day Want a Lok Sabha ticket - hurl your shoe on a minister! Nothing to fear Continuing from yesterday , I would like to first deal with the least likely (in my opinion) but most debated feared outcome of the 2014 election, viz., AAP leading the government with full support of Congress party and “others”. In my view, in the absence of a formal economic policy vision documents presented by AAP, the following four precedents, provide indication towards the likely economic approach of AAP: ...

Thought for the day “A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.” -           Lao Tzu (Chinese) Word for the day Chirk (v) To make a shrill, chirping noise. (Source: Dictionary.com) Teaser for the day Instead of studio hopping, should Arvind Kejriwal take one week break and reflect back? Some random questions Sunday evening during presentation of our latest report on India’s current political landscape and outlook for 2014 elections to a group of Rotarians, some very interesting questions were raised. I find it worthwhile to share some of these questions with our regular readers. A large part of the discussion was focused on the economic impact of the outcome of elections. While most of the participants were enthusiastic about the prospects of a Modi led NDA government, the discuss...