Do it yourself

Thought for the day " In a war, you must hate somebody or love somebody; you must have a position or you cannot stand what goes on." —Robert Capa (American, 1913-1954) Word for the day Thunderstruck (adj) Overcome with consternation; confounded; astounded, e.g., He was thunderstruck by the news of his promotion . Malice towards none Is MSY's family taking Ram and Ramayana too seriously?   First random thought this morning The way Virat Kohli is going, he may obliterate many great names from the Cricket's record book. The age is on his side and he is already a youth icon and worshipped ahead of the greats Sachin & Lara. I wonder will that automatically entitle him for a Bharat Ratna, or he would need do little more to earn the honor! Waiting for the tide to turn Indian equity markets started attracting interest from common public in mid 1980s' when the erstwhile Controller ...

Thought for the day " A work of art that contains theories is like an object on which the price tag has been left." — Alexander Pope (English, 1688-1744) Word for the day Lexicon (n) The vocabulary of a particular language, field, social class, person, etc. Malice towards none US presidential election is turning out be quite like Bihar assembly poll last year. Do you also see similarity between a variety of women accusing Trump of outraging their modesty (in some cases 20-30yrs ago) and the spate of intelligent people returning their awards? First random thought this morning The present Indo-Pak policy of China is eerily similar to the Indo-Pak policy of USA till a few years ago. China wants to have good relation with India for mutual economic benefits, and wants to keep Pakistan in good stead for geo-political reasons. Much like the USA in the decades of 1980, 1990 and 2000. I wonder, why is it ne...

Thought for the day " Man never thinks himself happy, but when he enjoys those things which others want or desire." — Alexander Pope (English, 1688-1744) Word for the day Potboiler (n) A mediocre work of literature or art produced merely for financial gain. Malice towards none Congress is desperately trying every trick in the trade to stay relevant in UP. Genuflecting to Ms. Mayawati is perhaps the only thing left! First random thought this morning The online retailers are joyously claiming huge growth in sales this season. Their offline counterparts are echoing their sentiments. This may therefore be a case of some shift of customers from off-line to on-line; and not necessarily reflect the growth in consumer spending. Regardless, the customer is benefitting from lower prices and manufacturers may also benefit from lower sales and distribution expense. The retailers in both the worlds may end up f...

Thought for the day " Some old men, continually praise the time of their youth. In fact, you would almost think that there were no fools in their days, but unluckily they themselves are left as an example." — Alexander Pope (English, 1688-1744) Word for the day Understory (n) The shrubs and plants growing beneath the main canopy of a forest. Malice towards none First random thought this morning For past many days, the front page of my news paper starts from page 5 or page 7 and its usually a half page in width. The notions like Front page, main headline, Page 3 have all lost their meaning. "Discount" is the key operative word these days. I heavily discount whatever people want to "sell" or 'tell" me. Show me the evidence These days everyone in India suddenly seem to have become rationalist - a trait not usually associated with us. Everyone is seeking evidence before believi...

Thought for the day " The same ambition can destroy or save, and make a patriot as it makes a knave." — Alexander Pope (English, 1688-1744) Word for the day Gale (n) A very strong wind. Malice towards none Heard an IT Commissioner issuing an open challenge - 'Those who have avoided paying 45% will definitely end up paying 60% (30% tax and penalty @100%, i.e., another 30%)! First random thought this morning Why Arvind Kejriwal is important to Indian media? He is obviously the least powerful, and therefore least important, of the 31 chief ministers in the country. Why is it so that the national media, especially electronics, considers it important and necessary to highlight whatever he says or does? In Delhi or Mumbai, did you bother to know what Pawan Chamling, Okram Ibobi Singh, Lal Thanhawla or Mukul Sangma have to say on the surgical strikes on Pakistan? Accommodation  is the word ...

Thought for the day " And, after all, what is a lie? 'Tis but the truth in a masquerade." — Alexander Pope (English, 1688-1744) Word for the day Knave (n) An unprincipled, untrustworthy, or dishonest person. Malice towards none Is our fight with Pakistan or Pakistanis? And have we already defined who is a Pakistani? First random thought this morning I have not heard anyone who seriously believed that the latest Indo-Pak standoff could actually escalate into a full-fledged war. I am therefore totally unable to explain the losses in financial markets on last Thursday. I suspect it could either be a case of foul play or something serious taking shape in the womb of time that will be revealed in due course. Gather amunition before the war begins As the date for RBI's periodic policy review date draws closer the anticipation regarding the likely move on policy rate is rising. Like ...

Thought for the day "Lulled in the countless chambers of the brain, our thoughts are linked by many a hidden chain; awake but one, and in, what myriads rise!" — Alexander Pope (English, 1688-1744) Word for the day Sublime (adj) Complete; absolute; utter; supreme or outstanding. Elevated or lofty in thought, language, etc. e.g., Paradise Lost is sublime poetry. Malice towards none Have the surgical strikes in PoK by Indian Army taken the government beyond any criticism? First random thought this morning The farmers in the border areas of Punjab have been evacuated by the Indian Army for security reasons. Many of them have the crops standing ready for harvest. I am sure the State will compensate for them adequately for the financial loss. But the loss of precious food grain will not get compensated. Nifty: tighten your belt As pointed out last week, in September the divergence between the Mo...