Do it yourself

Thought for the day "Europeans are much more serious than we are in America because they think that a good place to discuss intellectual matters is a beer party." — Richard P. Feynman (American, 1918-1988) Word for the day Oenomel (n) Something combining strength with sweetness. Malice towards none The speed with which global auto makers are joining the list of "emission norm cheaters", it would soon cease to be a headline news - and people will stop bothering about it! First random thought this morning After Sugar, Urea, Tea, Coal, bauxite, Pulses, spices, etc. India is reportedly also becoming a swing player (consumer/producer) in global crude oil market. The natural consequence should be development of a strong and vibrant commodities' market. Unfortunately, even the Indian traders prefer Dubai, Singapore and London over Indian cities for carrying their commodity trading activities. The anomaly...

Thought for the day "I was born not knowing, and have had only a little time to change that here and there." — Richard P. Feynman (American, 1918-1988) Word for the day Quaff (v) To drink a beverage, especially an intoxicating one, copiously and with hearty enjoyment. Malice towards none Congress celebrating Delhi municipal by-polls victory (4 out of 13) as if they have destroyed AAP and BJP completely. First random thought this morning Shiela Dixit and Tarun Gogoi served three consecutive terms as CM of their respective states. Ms. Dixit is already out of power. Mr. Gogoi is indicated to be going out. Given the state of affairs in the Congress Party, these leaders may not come back to power anytime soon. Others who are serving third term are Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Raman Singh. They need to be extremely careful. A win will bring them in the league of invincible Jyoti Basu, Manik Sarkar, Pawan Chamling, &...

Thought for the day "If I could explain it to the average person, I wouldn't have been worth the Nobel Prize." — Richard P. Feynman (American, 1918-1988) Word for the day Cunctator (n) A procrastinator; delayer. Malice towards none After all is said and done, India will not be Congress Mukt, as by the end BJP would have become more Congress than the GoP itself. The skeptics should watch TMC which is more communist than the CPM. First random thought this morning The famous Mumbai Dabbawallahs have evoked global interest. The British Royalty is impressed and so are management czars at elite Harvard Business School. The alcohol supply chain in Gujarat also deserves a place in the hall of fame for management wonders. Regardless of the bitter rivalary between CM Nitish Kumar and PM Narendra Modi, the bootleggers in Bihar must be learning a lot from their Gujarati counterparts. I'm not going ...

Thought for the day "Reality must take precedence over public relations, for nature cannot be fooled." — Richard P. Feynman (American, 1918-1988) Word for the day Obviate (v) To anticipate and prevent or eliminate(difficulties, disadvantages, etc.) by effective measures; render unnecessary: to obviate the risk of serious injury . (Source: Dictionary.com) Malice towards none VK and ABD are on their way to become all time great in history of cricket, i.e., till a new star emerges on the horizon. First random thought this morning The stock Apple is down 27% in past 52 weeks and presently trades at ~10x trailing twelve months earning. The Indian consumer durable stocks with no innovation, little technology leadership, and no cash on balance sheet trade at 20-50x. The market could be irrational longer than usual but not till eternity. The question is who will be left holding the baton when the sun finally sets at t...

Thought for the day "Flowers are restful to look at. They have neither emotions nor conflicts." — Sigmund Freud (Austrian, 1956-1939) Word for the day Eldritch (adj) Eerie; weird; spooky. Malice towards none In a country where even the statements of senior ministers are often brushed aside as "personal view", not the official stand of the party or the government, why a map published by some sundry publisher should be a matter of "national interest" or "sedition". First random thought this morning In one of the popular David Dhawan flicks, the heroine initially falls for the bad guy. She would not listen to any sane advice, not even her father. It was only towards the climax that she realizes her mistake. All ends well but not before a great deal of drama is enacted. There is no suspense. All viewer could exactly anticipate the endgame; and there are no surprises in the end. The trade...

Thought for the day "If you can't do it, give up!" — Sigmund Freud (Austrian, 1956-1939) Word for the day Snuggery (n) A comfortable or cozy room. Malice towards none The Uttrakhand misadventure of BJP will be forgotten soon. But the price Congress would need to pay to Mayawati, may continue to reflect on UP elections. First random thought this morning Historically all developed markets have grown exploiting 3Ms of underdeveloped economies - Money, Materials and Manpower. What has made the difference are the other 3Ms, viz., Military power, Management and Marketing skills. Logically therefore, a developing economy which is aiming to join the ranks of developed economy needs to develop the later 3Ms and reverse the flow of first set of 3Ms. None in the BRICs seems to fit the jacket so far. Accounting is never a real problem Since Tuesday evening, I've got numerous calls ...

Thought for the day "Children are completely egoistic; they feel their needs intensely and strive ruthlessly to satisfy them." — Sigmund Freud (Austrian, 1956-1939) Word for the day Jeremiad (n) A prolonged lamentation or mournful complaint. Malice towards none The Congress President made an emotional speech while campaigning in Kerala. The speech had some parallels to the last speech of Mrs. Indira Gandhi in Odisha. In the meantime the Congress Vice President has reported threats to his life. What's happening? First random thought this morning My all time favorite Saratchandra once wrote "There is no eternal truth. The truth we consider eternal are mostly contemporary and lose their relevance and acceptance with change in time, place and circumstances." For ages people believed Earth to be flat & stationary and Sun rotating around it. The venom which is medicine for snakebit...

Thought for the day "Men are strong so long as they represent a strong idea they become powerless when they oppose it." — Sigmund Freud (Austrian, 1956-1939) Word for the day Turpitude (n) Vile, shameful, or base character; depravity. Malice towards none How valid is the argument of "potential job losses" against banning socially harmful and economically unproductive industries like fire crackers, tobacco products, etc? First random thought this morning Investors in ecommerce ventures like Flipkart, Jabong, Zomato, Housing.com, etc. have noted serious erosion in their valuations. Should RBI be worried about bank's exposure to these companies' working capital funding? Also do the loans to fund fancy houses and cars of the executives of these startups need any red flag? Does government need to review their "Startup India" model? Or let it be! We'll cross the bridge when...