Sonia Gandhi -- the journey from Antonia to Amma

Author: !K5hit / Labels: , , , ,


Sonia Gandhi born Edvige Antonia Albina Maino the italian godmother of the INC and the widower of the reformer former prime minister Late Mr. Rajiv Gandhi has come a long way from being the vilayati bahu of the gandhi family. It is by the grandouisty of the nehru lineage and tradition that has crept into the current role that the lady is playing in Indian Politics. Gandhis in India cant be secluded from politics. The Kids after studying abroad, securing good higher education and having lived in most prosperous cities of the world are now actively involved in conducting rallies for the party and are actually reshaping the political scenario in India. New debates have originated in here discussing the influence and the change of their involvement. But anyways holding no core position and just doing something for the purpose of the party i suppose is appreciable in someway. There is a sense of responsibility in the prestige associated with the nehru era.

Sonia Gandhi has no doubt achieved a status which will be remembered for long in Indian History. She holds the record of having served as Congress President for 10 years consecutively. she was named the third most powerful woman in the world by Forbes magazine in the year 2004 and was ranked 6th in 2007. She was also named among the Time 100 most influential people in the world for the years 2007 and 2008. But a important thing is the fact that All that has happened is mere sequence of events that turned up in the Gandhi Family in recent years. The Italian Lady would never have imagined giving rally speeches to masses in their regional language. It has happened fast and well till now. Future looks promising also.

But, my predictions are that there is much to follow with the young blood like priyanka and rahul gandhi into the Indian Poltical Arena. Nehru Lineage lives on...

Nano- Now thats what India can do

Author: !K5hit / Labels: , , , ,



In a country where ambassadors and fiats burnt rubber only some years back, delivering a car for a mere $2500 actually is a testimonical evidence to the attention this car has acquired. Nobody could have imagined the product from the Indian Automobile markets seas apart from the germans and italians the pioneers of automotive industry. It is what great leadership can yield. "A promise is a promise" said Mr. Ratan Tata, who has actually dedicated this vehicle as a solution to the families riding a jagged up two wheeler. It is a common scene in India. Surely there is a huge market for this particular car also. The world has gone quite and at sametime astounded by the progress made in the subcontinent.
ABC News commented- “(Nano) can seat five people…if no one breathes.”
Popular Mechanics said- “Automotive journalists had travelled from the four corners of the globe too see a golf cart crossed with a jelly bean.”
MotorTrends remarked- the Nano is “the ultimate reverse status symbol.”
“You can now buy a pair of Tata Nanos for about the cost of breast enlargement surgery.”somebody on some blog remarked.
There are obvious pros and cons of this product with regards to the potential and affect it is going to have on Indian Automobile market and Traffic Condition.
Now i salute the virtue in the great efforts made by Tata Motors responsible for making this project possible despite the many hindrances and glitches in the path.

The analysis can be left for later. The time now is to rejoice the arrival of a invention on Indian Roads and moreover for the thousands who could benefit. Its time to celebrate and the NHAI to think about the widening of Roads. The features that the car listed in its advertisements is something sedans produced in India provide. I picture the kids of a post office clerk accessing the power window of their much appreciated car. Its amusingly strange. it will allow millions of the middle class Indians to own a car. When its detractors talk about a nightmare on India’s already clogged roads and worsening pollution levels I would like to ask-why Nano alone? The biennial Auto Expo alone showcased 25 new models of cars made by carmakers, both Indian and foreign. Ratan Tata said - “Let me assure you and our critics the car we have designed will meet all safety norms and all foreign environmental criteria.” The reputation Tatasons enjoys makes me trust his words.

Vote India-its your chance to change things..

Author: !K5hit / Labels: , , ,


Come elections, we see the same old story - booth capturing, poll violence, vote buying, muscle power, communal polarization, vote bank politics…
We, the people in Indian IT community, are among the smallest electorate turnout to vote, and very far behind electorate turnouts from rural and less educated communities. Moreover, we have been doing the most complaining, particularly in media (TV, newspapers etc), about the disappointing state of corruption and politics in our country. While less privileged people seem to be doing something about it, we have been on sidelines with resignation and indifference. Yes, there may be valid reasons such as corrupt system/ individuals being too powerful to be confronted by a single person, but time and time again there are examples of how a collection of committed people accomplished unthinkable (hint: how do you think we won our independence?). Enough is enough!

I believe that ‘Voting’, with goodwill of country in mind, will help bring fundamental and sweeping changes to our beloved country. ‘Voting’, while costing nothing or very little to each and every one of us, is the most effective tool to cause change. A single vote can be like a drop of water that has no power to cause change, but when our votes collect together to form an ocean like our mighty and formidable Indian ocean, there would be no doubt about bringing big changes in our society and government.It is my belief that ‘Voting’ is the highest solemn DUTY that any civilian can do in a democracy. So, enough whining, let’s each of us do our bare minimum part, and collectively we will have the best electorate turnout in entire country and then world.
Post elections, power may change hands, but the system remains scarily indifferent. Corruption, red tape, government apathy, criminalization of politics and a lack of governance and accountability exclude the possibility of real change.

It's time we stopped being silent spectators.
It's time we ensured that candidates with criminal records do not get elected.
It's time we made our vote count.

Mayawati- Lets assume she becomes the next Indian PM

Author: !K5hit / Labels: , , ,


Mayawati Wants to be Third fronts' Prime Minister Candidate. I read this on TOI today morning and as a response a soft smile appeared on my face instantly. The reason, well i just pictured Obama in talks with Behanji in a conference for trade policies. Oh my mind has gone criminal, it was followed by a address of madamji in UN talks. Our Nation is democratic, Mayawati can very well on the top office. Now replacing the economist Mr. Manmohan as the Indian PM would be a new change in the Indian Administration Machinery. I dont exactly how should one react to it with the example of Mr. Lalu doing wonders with the crumbling Indian railways. Who knows what lies defunct or lacking is the extra focussed efforts on the dalits and other deprived classes for the nations progress. There are many plans setup for the nations infrastructural and ecomonic progress. That can still be taken care by the top bureacrats of the setup. But having said that lets also take a look at an astouding statistic that in 2007-08 Mayawati paid more income tax than industrialist and Forbes-listed Mukesh Ambani amounting 26 crores. Corruption at the top office!! Narsimha rao the reformist PM responsible for economic liberalisation of 1991 was also charged of frauds and corruption cases worth crores. Pool in your take on Behanjis' role as PM.

Love it live it be in it

Author: !K5hit / Labels: , , ,

Love it live it be in it.. Good luck finding the infinite abyss

I wish there were some 'for dummies' e-tips available to help find that infinite abyss.. or maybe some mantra. But then, what would all this life had been about. No risks, no thrills, just an ominous frill.
I wish it wasn't this, but it was that.. I wish I were satiable..But then, there would have been stagnancy all around; stagnancy of thoughts, a stagnant sense of sensibility.
I wish there were no troubles and there was no panic.. But then..
trouble, panic, ...
what comes next?? Coldplay!! :D

well these words remind me of the amazing Coldplay numbers.. Don't panic, trouble..
and Don't panic reminds me of the amazing video.
ah well it has nothing to do with the thoughts above, but yeah it reminds us of the heavenly abode called Earth and tries to sensitize us about the fact how we are infecting it and rottening it.. high time..lets think green!!

Coldplay-Don't Panic..

Oh, we're sinking like stones,
All that we fought for,
All those places we've gone,
All of us are done for.
We live in a beautiful world,
Yeah we do, yeah we do,
We live in a beautiful world,
Oh, we're sinking like stones,
All that we fought for,
All those places we've gone,
All of us are done for.
We live in a beautiful world,
Yeah we do, yeah we do,
We live in a beautiful world.
Oh, all that I know,
There's nothing here to run from,
And there, everybody here's got somebody to lean on.

RIL-RPL Merger - Who benefits??

Author: !K5hit / Labels: , , ,


India’s most valuable company (by market capitalization) – Mukesh Ambani-controlled Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) has decided to absorb its Reliance Petroleum Limited (RPL) unit through a share swap arrangement.
RIL said it would issue one share for every 16 held in the unit, giving it direct control of the world’s largest refinery complex.
Below is the analysis from top brokerage houses across the country on the deal and who stands to benefit in the scheme of arrangement.
Angel Broking
RIL currently holds 70.4% stake in RPL, which is likely to increase to 75.4% on account of Chevron selling its stake back to RIL.
The merger is likely to strengthen RILs’s cash flow and balance sheet. RPL has incurred huge capex towards commissioning its refinery and is likely to generate positive free cash flow (FCF) going forward.
Thus, the proposed merger would help RIL utilise this Cash flows in its other business verticals in a fruitful manner.
Alternatively, if RPL would have been maintained as a separate entity and had paid dividend to RIL, it would have attracted dividend distribution tax of 17.99%. Thus, the merger allows RIL flexibility in using RPL’s Cash flows.
The proposed merger could benefit RIL in taking advantage of RPL’s depreciation.
While calculating book profit, RIL would be entitled to take SEZ benefit for RPL’s refinery unit and while calculating taxable income for the year, RIL could avail the benefit of depreciation tax shield.
However, things are still unclear whether RIL would actually benefit from the same.
Who benefits from the merger?
The beneficiary of the merger would depend on the swap ratio. In mergers the swap ratio is determined based on the intrinsic value of the respective companies, which is in turn decided based on various parameters, ie. market value based swap ratio, book value based swap ratio, etc.
As per the 27 February 2009 closing price of RIL and RPL, the swap ratio works out to 1 share of RIL for every share 16.6 share of RPL.
However, on book value basis, the ratio works out to be adverse for the RPL shareholders.
We believe given that RPL is yet to commence production from its new refinery the book value based swap ratio would not be an ideal indicator for fixing a swap ratio.
The case also strengthens from the fact that RPL’s IPO price was fixed at Rs60/share much above the book value of Rs29/share of the company. Thus, a book value based swap ratio does not serve any purpose in this case.
We believe swap ratio in the range of 16-17x will be Neutral for both companies. Since RPL’s listing, the hypothetical swap ratio between RIL and RPL has been in the range of 21 - 10x, giving an average of 15.7x and median of 15.3x.
However, if the ratio is more than around 18x, it would be adverse for RPL shareholders. While any swap ratio of more than 20x would be beneficial for RIL shareholders.

Dear Diary

Author: !K5hit / Labels: , ,


Diary has always been the most favorite medium of expression for oneself. It is fun to write or scribble anything on the white pages of your personal diary. Be sure of the fact that it is not checked by any other person when you are not at home. Daily diary writing is a good habit as you get a chance to analyze yourself. As the daily diary writers get engrossed in their writing they create a world of their own where they are not answerable to anyone for any of the expressions over there.
There are people who write daily diaries just to keep a track of the events in their lives. These writings usually come up in the form of flat information on the event with the date. And there are some, who write diaries to express their perception of the event instead of stating the facts. These are actually reviews. A person can mention in his daily diary “Today I watched the film Sound of Music.” and a sensitive person with analytic bent of mind will explain his experience in words. The second option is surely more attractive. Almost all the famous personalities of the world nurtured the habit of writing daily diaries. Cartoonists try out a new sketch in their diaries and novelists are known to carry their daily diaries with them in order to take note of everything interesting that is happening around him or her and later on when they start framing the novel, these dialogs, events or characters are incorporated into the main structure. Thus, we can say that a novel is born out of the scattered notes of daily diaries. Why i am mentioning to let all know i have developed this habit myself. It could be one of those initiatives that go haywire after a pumped start. Lets hope i keep it doing.

Noida MMS Scandal.Talibanisation or Next Door Incident.

Author: !K5hit / Labels: , , ,


I am surprised by the mere fact of discussion being done on a MMS scandal in a population of 1 billion. The Noida MMS scandal is topping charts of being the most read article on TOI after it came into light. What we fail to understand here is that masses get bored of reading Kasab,AIG,Satyam,Raju,manmohan singh or India. It becomes so obvious and easy to be excited about the spice a particular "NEWS" or specifically its the human tendency to be interested in whats happening next door? I do not disagree with the seriousness of the crime and the damage meted out to the girl. But arent we aware that in such a huge system there ought to be some viruses plaguing it. With the intiation of this incident will be lot of reactions extended and demanded. It will surely be talked out, know why?.. because it is spice, we are bored and above that we are democracy. It is just a projection of how sick the human mind can become or the portrayal of degrading Moral value and the protectionist nature of Parents to coverup the ills their pupils bring. the internet is filled with MMS and other explicit content as result of someones' emotions to get a high, being recognised, being hurt or anything. Crimes are always result of motives or emotions. Maybe the nations media need to be redirected. Maybe their is a expoitation of democratic freedoms granted to the press. The Nation and its people need to be focused on most important aspect of Indian Society:Development. And having said that i do not recommend the swaping of moral issues with our drive of economic progress, it should cover all aspects of an ideal society be it economic,social,political or communal. There is a sense of change in the nation, lets capitalise on it.

What do you consider is the biggest invention/discovery till date in the history of human existence?

Author: !K5hit / Labels: , ,


Pour in your response to this question in the comments section. Only 1 entry allowed in the response!!

Lets see where your imagination lands you on this one. Happy reading !!

Valentine's day- know everything about it

Author: !K5hit / Labels: , , ,


Come February 14th and candies,chocolates,flowers,teddies and gifts are exchanged between couples. It i a celebration with its origin in the western countries. Not surprisingly enough around billion greeting cards are sold for this particular eve worldover next to christmas.Approx. 85 percent of cards however are bought by women. The day is most closely associated with the mutual exchange of love notes in the form of "valentines." Modern Valentine symbols include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Cupids with bows and arrows represent Roman mythology. Cupid was the son of Venus, the goddess of love. The shot of the arrow would strike the unsuspecting desired person or god, making him fall in love.
Even though the history of Valentines Day is unclear, it has become one of the most popular holidays. It dates back its origin to two among the numerous Early Christian martyrs named Valentine(Valentine of Rome & Valentine of Terni) No romantic elements are present in the original early medieval biographies of either of these martyrs. One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men — his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death. According to one legend, Valentine actually sent the first 'valentine' greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl — who may have been his jailor's daughter — who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed 'From your Valentine,' an expression that is still in use today. during the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed in France and England that February 14 was the beginning of birds' mating season, which added to the idea that the middle of February — Valentine's Day — should be a day for romance. The oldest known valentine still in existence today was a poem written by Charles, Duke of Orleans to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt. It is on display at the British Museum in london.

say no to drugs- part 4

Author: !K5hit / Labels: , ,

As we continued with the "Chillax" session, i noticed a strange figure, a man in a rotten state in the dark sitting alone under a shed nearby. We ignored,we forgot,we laughed,we fagged,we drank, a lot. It was awesome to relish nirvana playing from the car boot increasing the pace of bloodflow in my veins. Girls gave up midway.Guys continued their thing. Sun broke out early that day. I bid bye to all of them. I always liked being alone after a hangout. That man was not there. What could bring a man alone to drink all night? I remembered to have noticed him with the last memories i had. I slept more in the car.
There was a knock on the car. As i opened my eyes sunlight caught my eyes straight. I must have slept long. couldn't notice the person there. I lowered the window. In came a blow, a strong blow to my head.. I couldn't resist. I had seen this person somewhere. Oh, it was this... this... i got unconscious.

SlumDog Nomination-India's arrival at mecca of film industry??

Author: !K5hit / Labels: , , ,


SlumDog Millionaire- a movie portraying (a rags to riches story) from the slums of Corporate Powerhouse of the nation , Mumbai ,has brought India to the world's Notice. I saw many such reports being published in Indian Newspapers, magazines by reviewers, columnists and critics. Indeed India, The Dharavi slums of Mumbai, India are on a global front, And Yes, People across the world have taken notice, But might i ask the ones who are busy celebrating the nominations of the movie in the American award functions viz. The Golden Globe and the Oscars what exactly has India Got to relate in this Movie. Besides applaudes for a Music Director of Indian Origin who has actually derived all his knowledge of Music from London Music College and the Obscure adult and child starcast of this movie , an otherwise essential requirement for the plot of the slum based movie, What India has provided to this Movie is the Plot!! The Slums, The living conditions, The Open toilets, communal riots, Mumbai mafia, Human trafficking, Male dominance in society with a mixup with the million dollar formula of bollywood that has actually befooled Indian Masses for years, A determined Hero striving hard to find his lady terror-stricken and crisis-laden. But the Hollywood Bread to the indian curry is the indian version of "Who wants to be a millionaire". That for the golden touch.

Besides India is also being Noticed by the stats for its economic progress but I want to question the relevance of that. Mr. Chidambram the Intellectual Economist in the Indian Cabinet ministry mentioned Slumdog to be a portrayal of many Business Ideas that exist in the slums of India. But Mr. minister, for a nation with HUman Development Index ranking of 138 behind countries like El salvador, Uruguay and even palestine Ruled States among the various nations of the world has much bigger issues to be solved in such areas besides looking for business ideas. slumDog millionaire reveals the sorry state of the Indian citizen deprived from basic social amenities and a confirmation for the WHO statistics. So, I believe a reportrayal of Q&M, again a english author based novel with changed facts to replace Muslims inplace of Hindu characters is a word of celebration for the crew of the movie but not us the Indians. India is no more a nation of poor and starving people and when we can display that to the globe, that day will be a day of celebration for us on the stage of not a american award function but on a much bigger arena.

Bye Bye Bush!!

Author: !K5hit / Labels: , , ,


So what are the plans of the 43rd US president after retirement from the most powerful office of the world. Well, my suggestions for him would be playing golf, making post-dinner speeches and sitting on a beach. A leading daily published the intercepts from his comments on the same in a recent press conference at the white house " I just can’t envision myself, you know, with the big straw hat and a Hawaiian shirt, sitting on some beach.”

With the kind of lifestyle Mr. President has enjoyed till now , the answer to this question becomes all the more interesting to lookout for. He doesn't need to earn more for realizing his plans actually. He has earned millions as also mentioned in the article by various initiatives like selling the baseball team of Chicago. But also taking into account the low acceptance ratings of Mr. Bush, it seems logical for him to be around the lecture circuit or is expected to write about his tenure in the white house in a book as the former president Mr. Clinton. Oh yes there will be lot to talk about, 9/11, establishment of 'democracy' in Iraq and Afghanistan, US financial crisis all too far beyond to happen in a presidents' tenure. Happy Holidays Mr. President.

Satyam aint sundar anymore

Author: !K5hit / Labels: ,


Okay, so what are Indian Firms Doing in the time when Global economic slowdown is on the charts. Well, we will find our own ways of messing up things indeed we are not involved in the crisis directly. Indeed, a big movement in Indian IT industry in these testing recession times.

So, the Maytas deal was to cover up for the fake inflated results as shown in the balance sheets. Brave and intelligent Move but with satyam shares proving to be a major holding in any share market dealers’ stacks of stocks. Rightly still, in this time when IT firms are moving towards drastic cost cutting and defensive approach to markets, shareholders suspicions made raju and his fellows to refrain from sealing the deal and then prevented them to get away clean with it. Worse still was the untimely banning of the World Bank to work for it on charges of corruption and unethical use of financial services.

This has now resulted in the tumbling down of Satyam Market shares from 170 to mere 70 now. Great!! Please correct me if I am wrong, the wrong stats in balance sheets were projected to avoid any merger situation and show that satyam is fairing well. It was a bluff projected to its shareholders. Now see where has it landed the company operating in 66 countries with about 150 Fortune 500 Companies.

So new question could be any takers for the 4th largest software exporter of the nation? IT majors don’t seem interested. I don’t have any friends there. Is Crisis heading India’s way? Is it a time for Panic among IT companies and share market people? Is it enough stuff to catch Indian Medias’ attention to divert from the India-Pak-US talk triangle? These are some questions that will be answered in the time to come.

Say No to Drugs?? Part 3

Author: !K5hit / Labels: , ,

" It didnt end there, i had to resort to marijuana and later on opium also to relieve myself of the stress i faced." I raised my voice. " I used to beat my wife for not handing over her wages which she see earned working as a domestic help. I made her work extra hours for that even. One day my boy got sick and i still got the money from her. He died of TB and i am a murderer now. One day she also left me unnoticed and i was left with no sources to finance me. My neighbourers left me to suffer in solitude. I used to have sleepless nights. I was left here on my own.. Suffering, dying and with no one.. oh god..... buuuhhhuuu sob!! sob!! This continued on and is still that way. But you guys wont care, we, the poor are left to suffer and suffocate out of our miseries to death." I finished at a pitch which had quadrupled from the one at started this dialogue. I saw in the eyes of many of them to see if i was able to catch their attention. It had worked. they were watching with utmost concentration as if it was a bolly fick. i was beginning to get the feeling of a bollywood star!! may be mithun.. Naaahhh.. I threw out my fancy thoughts and refreshed myself for the preach part to start..

" Son, All this has nothing to do with society imposing anything on you. Its all by choice. Its you who chooses what to prefer, I know the authorities are not keeping up for completely eradicate the distribution of these drugs in our society but its also very difficult, you must realize. so in this situation its you who should be responsible." The focus shifted to the audience watching now. " Its you who makes life difficult for yourself. If you want to change something it should start with yourself. Remove the "had to resort to" part from your lives. Depending on drugs is not the end of your miseries. No it wont ever be. It will be the the start of many more. No matter how hard it gets DRUGS are never a solution ." i saw some 4-5 moving out. Not bad, we could continue. so did we "There are many counseling and drug deaddiction centres in our cities that can help you if fail to take the right decision even though." We wrapped with some more educating stuff we worked out by googling. "Thanks a lot and remember prevention is better than cure"

We headed to the lake after that. Well, not exactly lake but a place called Kaimvala. for faging and spending some good time. Thats how we work.

Layman's view of the subprime crisis. Part 2 .

Author: !K5hit /

Prakash: That was some good hot cup of tea!!

Suresh: ok!! lets continue, Now as the interest rates rise, EMIs being variable also increased. Since most of them couldnot afford to pay them back at revised rates, they began to default. The losses of the same were passed onto the financial Institutions who bought the "financial securities" as converted by the brokers. But these losses were not detrimental enough to disturb the US economy initially in times of American economy doing well and soaring housing prices. More and More financial institutions jumped into the Mortgage Market in their zeal to make quick money. This was a arena trading to the tunes of trillions in US markets by 2007 end.

Prakash: The problem started when the Mortgage banking Bubble burst. A slowing US economy, high interest rates, unrealistic real estate prices, high inflation and rising oil tags together led to a fall in stock markets, growth stagnation, job losses, lack of consumer spending, a virtual halt to new jobs, foreclosures and defaults.
Now with defaults stacking up financial institutions relying on them for payback of loans lost their liquidity status. The Securities lost their worth because of a devaluation of real estate prices as most of money was invested in that.

Suresh: Vicious cycle!!

Prakash: Indeed, the firms lost the credibilty to handle the risk. Because of this, the consumer spending further decreased leading to a hurdling of funds with no spending and thus a crumbling of these firms with their backs broken and no funds to cover the risk thus generated.

Prakash: hey Suresh, can u please summarise it for me?

Suresh: the whole crux lies in that a financial asset invented by Mortgage Brokers/Institutional Investors for which money was taken from large banks were repaid out of the securitisation of the same by converting them into financial securities thus hitting them back again. So it was these banks who lost the money with investors trading on it and making profits out of it. The Norms were relaxed down to earth because the investors didnt have to worry about the repayment of loans. So a bad financial system which actually became very popular for its bulk returns had to burst when overinflated. It has been a total systemic failure that has its roots in the US real estate and the sub-prime loan market.

Prakash: Thanks Prakash, it was really nice to be informed by you on this.

Layman's view of the subprime crisis. Part 1 .

Author: !K5hit /


Prakash: Hey, wats this subprime crisis in USA all about?
Suresh: Oh, this situation has got the Global superpower US & A in a state of jeopardy. let me explain what caused it. The root cause for it is Mortgage based securities which is related to what we call the subprime loans. It was mainly caused due to large amount of dafaulters in loan repayment.
Prakash: Hey hey, its all overhead transmission. Make it simple.
Suresh: okay, see there are some categories of home loans based on the risk for the lender (known as credit risk). on a broader perspective i can say , subprime and prime loans. Subprime loans provide borrowers with little or no income, little or no equity with loans based on variable-rate mortgages. Basically the regulations and guidelines before lending loans were relaxed to a greater extent.
Prakash: Ok, go on. But anyhow, What is variable rate mortgage?
Suresh: Let me complete. See consider our friend jandy in US seeks a loan for his dream home. But there is a slight problem. He doesn't have good credit rating. This means that he is unable to clear all the stringent conditions that a bank imposes on an individual before it sanctions a loan. Since his credit is not good enough, no bank will give him a home loan as there is a fear that the chances of a default by him are high. Banks don't like customers who default on their payments.But lo, there enters a second American usually a robust financial institution who has good credit rating and is willing to take on some amount of risk. Given his good credit rating, the bank is willing to give the second American a loan. The second American then divides this loan into a lot of small portions and gives them out as home loans to lots of other Americans including our friend at a much higher rate than the rate at which he borrowed money from the bank who do not have a great credit rating and to whom the bank would not have given a home loan in the first place. This higher rate is referred to as the sub-prime rate and this home loan market is referred to as the sub-prime home loan market.
Prakash: things are starting to make sense here.
Suresh: Also by giving out a home loan to lots of individuals, the second American is trying to reduce chances of defaults. The institution giving out loans in the sub-prime market does not stop here. It goes ahead and 'securitises' these loans. Securitisation means converting these home loans into financial securities, which promise to pay a certain rate of interest. These financial securities are then sold to big institutional investors. Many institutions like the 'second American' in our story sold complicated securities that were backed by debt which was very risky. Prakash: But how are these deposits repaid?
Suresh: The interest and the principal that is repaid by the sub-prime borrowers through equated monthly installments (EMIs) is passed onto these institutional investors.The institution giving out the sub-prime loans takes the money that it gets by selling the financial securities and passes it on to the bank he had taken the loan from, thereby repaying the loan. And everybody lives happily ever after. Or so it would have seemed.
Prakash: Oh lets have a cup of tea at nathu's in the meantime. we can continue it afterwards.
Suresh: While we return from the tea stall, pour in your views/queries/doubts/questions for part 1 mentioned herewith. Oh... its so cold..

Will this depression change Dollars' status in the world?

Author: !K5hit / Labels:

In the United States, half a million jobs evaporated last month. Businesses are closing down every day. Banks are afraid to lend, credit market continues to be tight. Consumer confidence is dwindling. Every expert and non-expert has declared that the US economy is in the worst recession since the 1929 Great Depression. But the US dollar is unfazed; it continues to enjoy strong confidence in a world economy shaken by financial turmoil. The greenback is getting stronger every day just as the US economy is plunging deeper into recession. Actually this is the whole point of mystery that remains unsolved. Dollar’s resurgence is a puzzle when compared with how currencies of other countries collapsed in national or regional financial crises in the past two decades. It has happened in argentina in 1999-2002 and with mexico in 1994. Financial crises in these countries not only caused substantial depreciations of their currencies, but also flight of foreign, and sometimes even domestic, capital. So far there is no shine off the value of the dollar, nor any major flight of foreign capital from American shores.

What’s with the greenback? Against all odds, how has it regained in the past four months what it lost against most currencies in the previous three years? Clearly, the dollar has benefited from the fact that it continues to be the international currency of exchange, trade and reserve. The strengthening of the dollar is also helped by the fact that Japan and the economies of the euro zone are as deeply sunk in recession as is the American economy and growth in China and India is projected to be lower than it had been in the previous few years.

Most of all, fright in world financial markets has sent investors running away from risky assets towards the US dollar and US treasury bonds. In the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, the dollar has regained almost half of what it lost in the past six years. Consequently, American businesses are becoming less competitive as compared to foreign businesses. This will dampen demand for American exports and increase its imports. American multinational corporations will also find that returns to their investments abroad decline, when expressed in dollars. american investors who have suffered decline in purchasing value shall benefit from strengthening of dollar.

While the world economy is looking towards Asia, in particular China and India, for economic growth in the coming five years, Asian economies in turn depend heavily on US consumers. The recent depreciation of the Chinese yuan, said to be triggered by the slackening of export orders, is an indicator. A weak Chinese currency is expected to keep US demand for Chinese goods buoyant, while the recession in the US would dampen it. However, if the US economy remains in a prolonged recession, it would be foolish to expect that somehow the US would continue to increase its purchase of goods from the rest of the world to keep the world economy going, and it would be foolish and even dangerous to keep financing American imports through debt. China can keep its economy growing at double digits by using its $2 trillion reserves. The Chinese government has announced a $600-billion initiative to boost its economy over the next two years. The boost can help China maintain its potential economic growth even with slackening of US imports. It is clear that world economic growth in the next two to three years would heavily depend on Asian economies.

Asian economies have to creatively invest their resources in productive activities instead of parking them in US treasuries. That’s the only way Asia can bring the world economy out of recession.

Say No to Drugs??- Part 2

Author: !K5hit / Labels:

It was a bit louder than i wanted it to be , yikes!! the whole crowd's attention was suddenly onto someone within themselves. " Who r u to protest ?" said mita, my love interest , playing the role of chief minister of the state to which i guess, majority of our audience belonged. I always hated to hear it in this tone from her, it always made me uncomfortable in rehearsals even.
I.. I am the representative of the people of this nation. I am one of those thousands of indian citizens who have paid a huge cost for the benefits out of moves from some of you and your corporate fellows. Whose world was shaken apart because smoking and doing tobacco is promoted as an act of heroes and studs. "Ahaaa.. here comes one more with his sorry saga to be blamed on us. We are very caring and dedicated for the welfare of the common man who lives in my state. came her reply..
" Madam Chief minister, i am the son of a brahmin from the divine hindu city of allahabad. I was 13 when my Uncle brought me to this city to help him in his work. He worked in the production unit of a toilet soap factory. I was also introduced there to work with some boys of same age in the loading shed. They were quite friendly and cared a lot for my well being. Early days of the work turned out to be so stressful that i couldnt bear it, i started getting bodypains, headache and couldnt sleep because of the pain. The separation from home also made me homesick and added to my severe condition. In such a situation i had no choice but to resort to what rameas and prakaas did to overcome it. That was tobacco chewing. I had to gather the courage of doing it by killing my conscience. It hurted a lot earlier but pumped in so much more energy into my body. The pains were on lesser side but sleep was still a problem. Ahh.. i could give that up" I finished with mine and was followed by kanav dressed in a white kurta pyjama, and a khaki jacket . The role of the social worker was a perfect 10 for him. " Son. you shouldn't blame behanji for this. It was a problem more to be tackled by yourself.
I stopped him midway" Hey, dont comeup with your social ideas bullshit for application into my life. It isnt simple enough for you to be saying that and I have experienced much more than that for it to be a disaster. I havent finished yet.

Say No to Drugs??

Author: !K5hit / Labels:

It was friday. This day at college had been a hectic one. Finally i was done with the Play rehearsals for the Nukkad Natak we were to play this weekend. I was pretty content with the amount of dialogues and the outcome of the script that i had written a day before only. They wouldnt come to know i did it at the eleventh hour. But all is well that ends well. Feeling content and exhaust i reached home at about 10 in the night. Headed straight to me room followed by my mom for the usual . After 30 minutes of goals and ambition talk as she left I took off the jacket and tossed it in air to land onto my pet pluto. It looked pretty odd in an adidas. The tantra landed onto my computer and what was left onto the bed, i dossed off to sleep in matter of secs.

The morning was a rush, i had to reach the nukkad natak spot by 10 and it was already 9 . Rushed up fast and barely managed to make it. I knew keeping my role to appear after 20 mins from start would always be helpful one way or other. The site for the play was carefully chosen in an industrial area for specific target audience. On the outskirts but in chandigarh reaching corner was a affair of half an hour at max. Kanav and Paki were furious already and i could notice a glance directed to me as i silently stood in front of the bunch of guys who had just finished their night shift. What a tragedy, you stay on drugs and cigerattes to keep yourself awake and your morning starts at this view. i was suddenly reminded of my cozy bed. It felt shivery and cold in Jan there. Suddenly i realised this was it, the part of my role entry had come..
" Nahi Chalegi nahi Chalegi Sarkar ki manmani nahi chalegi " i jumped into the human circle they had made.

To Be Continued.....