It's Money Honey

The stock markets have been quite volatile lately due to fears of a recession in the United States. Everyone wants to withdraw his/her money from the markets. Many have suffered huge losses during the past 2 weeks. All kinds of experts have come up with all kinds of theories to explain the turmoil. It's funny to see what happens when people try to find pattern in chaos.

Many Indian astrologers have blamed the bearishness of the market on the bronze bull outside the BSE. The BSE authorities got the thing made and set it there very recently as a symbol of the bull-run that the Indian markets had been enjoying over the past few months. I heard one Jyotishi say on AajTak that a bull outside the Stock Exchange is highly inauspicious, because the bull signifies the Nandi, Lord Siva's ride and with Siva not around, Nandi is bound to get restless. I guess that attracted Siva, the destroyer to come and decimate the stocks.

Many small investors got severe shocks leading to mental depression, nervous breakdown (NBD) and heart problems as they saw their money sinking on the 22nd and 23rd of this month. There was panic all over. I tuned in to News channels on TV to listen to their analyses and understand what's the real problem with the markets. What I gathered after listening to all of them for 2-3 days was that nobody knew for sure about the reasons for the market mayhem (bloodbath, plummet, plunge...). Probably there was no single reason. The blame was put mainly on 2 factors - the fear of an economic recession in the US and the loss of liquidity due to the Reliance Power IPO. The former had pulled all the Asian stock markets to their long time lows. And it looked as if the Indian stock market followed suit. And thereafter, it has been so volatile that if it falls for half the day, it rises for the remaining half.

I am not an investor, but from what I see people doing, it seems a handful of investors take decisions on how the markets should behave (based on factors like the ones mentioned above and also perhaps on baseless assumptions sometimes) and a few others follow them, and when together they create a minor trend, the majority gets swayed by it, thereby consolidating it. And then, there are investors who always think and act opposite to what everyone else is doing, at any point in time. All that for making money...

But some people do more, a lot lot more. France's Société Générale was taken by shock last week when a 31-year-old trader named Jérôme Kerviel accepted placing $70 bn in secret, unauthorized derivatives trades hitting the bank with a $7.2 bn loss, the biggest ever caused by a rogue trader. If you understand how that happened, and what exactly happened, then you have a fantastic knowldge of finance. I don't.

I am very bad in matters of money. I find a lot of usual things quite meaningless. I don't find it very exciting or interesting either to save or to invest. My friend Lugai and almost all of my female friends (who know that I don't invest) call me a fool, coz I don't invest, and try to coerce me to do it. Lugai even uses terms like "Capital Appreciation" to make it look sensible to me. But I am either too lazy to put my brains to it, or am too dumb to grasp it at one go. I also lack an internal urge to do it, which probably comes from my inability to find meaning in it.

Besides being meaningless, money irritates me in many ways. I hate to see articles which mix currencies, but these days we find it all over in the Indian Financial Dailies. Revenues are reported in Dollars and Profit in Rupees (or vice versa). Lacs & Crores, and Millions & Billions the very next moment. I get confused sometimes when I see numbers, whether to read them as Lacs/Crores or Millions/Billions. The commas help sometimes, but only if whoever writes cares to put them in the first place. As an Indian, I have been living all the time with such mixtures of all sorts - Telugu at home, Hindi outside, English with girls (unless she is kind enough to try Hindi) and in office. My mind has to handle the same information in different ways, and then have some way of correlating and comparing, so that finally I have pure data which my mind can interpret in it's basic language, which I am not sure exists. But my mind now is too unplastic to handle new forms of such complexity. I cannot think in terms of Dollars and Rupees at the same time, nor in terms of Billions and Crores. I cannot read $2000 as 2000 Dollars - I see the $ sign first, I'd want to read it first.

These are just minor problems when I compare these to the total incomprehensiblity of all the Finance which everyone seems to be playing with these days - Shares, Derivatives, Options, Futures, Hedge Funds, blah, blah, blah... Long ago, I used to consider myself a normal human being with an average intelligence and average physical abilities. I haven't got a chace to test all my physical abilities as yet, and there is still hope. But my intelligence disappoints me big time when I see everyone doing Finance and I find it hard to grasp. Perhaps people do stuff without any understanding. Perhaps they fake knowing the stuff too. But I find it impossible to fake, with my limited knowledge. Don't know how others do it, if at all they do. Perhaps faking is another ability which I lack. Perhaps I am too masculine to be able to fake well.

The RBI is meeting today to review the credit policies and decide on that for the future. Many business people, who talk economics, are asking for an interest-rate cut by the RBI, in line with the 75 basis-points cut by the Federal Reserve of the US. The Fed is also going to meet by the end of this month and is likely to cut the rate further. These days the markets rise and fall based on speculation as to whether the Fed will cut the rates or it won't. Silly. I recently read the book The Age of Turbulence by Alan Greenspan, the former Fed Chief. And what I gathered from the mota book is that the main job of the Fed (or the RBI) is to play with the Interest Rate figure to keep the inflation and the money supply in control. Excess money (caused by very low interest rates) will lead to inflation. High interest rates which lead to less money supply will slow down the economic activity. So the real challenge is to keep the inflation in control and at the same time manage as much economic pace as feasible. There are too many variables, known and unknown, that govern. And therefore, it is almost impossible to get at the right figure to achieve the best economic health at any point. Historical data and trial-and-error help. No wonder all the biggest banks got their calculations so wrong thereby leading to the subprime mortgage crisis. It is affecting the lives of millions, and many say there is a lot more which is yet to come. The banks themselves have registered huge losses. Well, seeing the best of the banks in the world with the best of the people goof up so badly in handling their money, I am forced to conclude that nobody understands money well enough.

Money is our own invention. It has made life easier as we grew in numbers and needed to distribute the scarce resources of the earth fairly among ourselves. But it seems like it has grown in ways that have complicated the concept of money and the associated matters. Money has also changed our lives more than anything else. But now, I am not sure whether money is making life easy or it's making it more difficult and complex. I cannot confidently proclaim the former, for sure.

Big Monkey

Symonds says Bhajji called him a Big Monkey. It is hard to believe that a sardar called a gora a Big Monkey. I can think of lots of Hindi gaalis that, if uttered quickly enough, would sound like Big Monkey in the Australian accent. Andrew Symonds has definitely misunderstood Bhajji's gaali. It is a cultural issue, actually. We Indians either swear by our genitals or abuse of incest. Calling someone a monkey doesn't mean abusing him/her. Monkey is our God. Jai Hanuman!. So let Bhajji play...for God's sake...

And what if Bhajji really called Symonds a Monkey? My girl-friend calls me a Monkey all the time. (I mean I'd imagine she would if she existed ;-)...) And actually I look like one. And so does Symonds. It is not at all a racial comment. It is a compliment, acknowledging our ancestral origins. Who stopped Symonds from calling Bhajji a Chimpanzee or Gorilla or Orangutan in return? Monkey-Monkey Bhai-Bhai! And Hisaab Baraabar too. The world would be a simpler place to live if everything worked the Indian way.

And what's the big deal if Bhajji called someone Monkey? God will punish Bhajji if he is really wrong. May God make him a Monkey in his next birth and Symonds a Sardar. We must ask Symonds to focus on his karma and not worry about the fact that somebody called him a monkey though he actually isn't. I can understand his problem. I also feel uncomfortable when girls call me a genius, coz I know I am not. But in Symond's case, it really does not matter, coz everyone knows Symonds is not actually a monkey.

Some SochVichaar on Business Networking

Business people are a funny lot. They are called Entrepreneurs. (The word is not pronounced as it is spelt. You have to try many times before you get the pronunciation correct the first time.) It is said that Entrepreneurship is all about Networking. Even a few entrepreneurs have told me that.

I attended the Pan-IIT meet last year. I wrote in one of my earlier posts about all of my blunders in the event. That was a surprize addition to the event by me, coz the Prime Minister could not attend it. The 3-day meet was actually meant for Business Networking. The meet was attended by many big-shots who had founded companies and many small-shots who wanted to or were just getting started. So the kids were after the uncles (very few aunties) hoping for business opportunities, monetary support, ideas or simply a pat on the back. Plus a relationship, that could be useful at some stage.

I was new to all this drama. Like everything new does on the first time I do it, Business Networking also made me nervous. I didn't have any intentions to network. I am normally one of those guys who think big and do nothing. Confident people and girls frighten me. But life is a continuous struggle to overcome one's fears and weaknesses. So just for the sake of it, I started doing what the intelligentsia called Business Networking.

One should not mix Business Networking and Social Networking, though. The latter is done only for fun, finding friends, meeting interesting people, make booze buddies, sex buddies, etc. Business Networking is more focussed at expanding ones Business Opportunities.

Since it was my first time, I had to observe how people were doing the Networking thing. My friend Prashant was with me too. Except for all the knowledge that he possessed about everything they write about in the Economic Times, he and I were more or less at the same level of uselessness. I spoke better English. He had better topics to talk about and more information to keep talking, but talking he was bad at.

We saw that those who network for business keep lots of business-cards to distribute. Being from Indian Oil, Prashant sucked all Sarkari suvidhaas and so had a big bunch of cards too. My company also provided such cards if I asked for those, but I had never cared to. This is another of my problems. I feel a little shy and awkward doing what I feel big people do, until I am convinced that I am big enough to do it, which happens when people younger than me start doing it. And there are a few things which are subconsciously categorized as big-people's things in my mind. It is a dynamic list and things get added and removed with time and experience, and based on the above criterion. Somehow I need to rid my mind of such a list and such way of looking at things, and understand that now I am big enough to do all kinds of things. Need to fix my head. Shaving off the hair didn't help much.

So with your Business Cards stuffed somewhere in your clothes from where you can easily pull one out (not a bad idea to keep the cards in something nice), you have to roam around and meet people (i.e., in a setting like the Pan-IIT meet, which is exclusively meant for Business Networking.) There'll never be a dearth of people to meet, and you will always find someone standing alone. The kind of people you go to is decided by the kind of person you are and how good you are at identifying the kind of people you would enjoy talking to or need to talk to. After some time, in most situations, all extroverts would be talking to each other and all introverts would be talking to each other. Both may be having great business skills, but this is where a personality issue does come in. Introverts do open up to each other, but are more honest, sensitive and respectful. Intermingling happens, but to a small extent. Introverts find themselves dominated by extroverts, and so often avoid their direct informal company.

So you meet someone, shake hands, introduce yourself, listen carefully to the other guy's introduction and exchange cards. Now you have to make a decision whether this guy is worth spending some time with. If you decide he is, then you have to very smartly build up a conversation in the direction of your interest. Needless to say, you must be clear and confident in what you are saying. If he isn't worth all that, then just move on and meet someone else. Of course, the same line of reasoning goes on in the other guy's mind too. He has his interests to take care of, based on which he will take his decisions and act accordingly. It makes sense to listen to him if he tries to build up a conversation and you have nothing of your own to force on him. If you find his points and direction of thought interesting and useful to you, then stay, otherwise, nature can call any time. Or simply move on, saying "It's nice meeting you! Will see you again!" You may add a small invitation saying - "Do look me up when you come to Hyderabad next time.", though it may not mean anything if nothing is working out. It would just sound courteous. But then, who knows, when someone could be of help in future. Isn't this what networking is all about? Not all of it is of immediate use to you. But these contacts may help you in future as you explore new territories.

Some do's and don'ts. Be neat, dress well and use a good perfume. Act confident, yet simple, down to earth and humble. Speak very very nicely to the ladies. Greet them with the best of your smiles and don't look anywhere except into their eyes. Display a good sense of humour in the conversations but don't crack stupid jokes. Don't be too stylish in the way you eat, drink and carry yourself, but you should follow the basic etiquette in everything. Don't drink a lot if liquour is also being served. Just drink a little to smoothen your mood, if you like. Stay calm and confident. If you drink in excess and start talking shit, you will only seem irresponsible and immature. Nobody would want to have a business relationship with someone with such first impression. If you are not sure how a particular dish is to be eaten and you think you may make a mess of it, then better don't take it. You are not there to hog free and tasty food. Eat light. Focus on your purpose and keep your eyes on your targets.

Try it out and let me know how it goes. Please send me any queries that you may have. I would be happy to help. I have never done any real Business Networking though!!! :D :P :-)

Fly-Zip

For 5 weeks, I was the Program Manager - Child Rights in an NGO. I became a big guy. Sala mai to saab ban gaya!!! Everyone was doing Salaam Namaste to me, even people double my age. I found it hard to make a serious thinking face those 5 weeks. I once visited schools to check whether the lady teachers were teaching properly. I was their big boss. Everyone seemed so happy on seeing me. All the Mams, the kids, everyone. I was so glad my visit brought smiles to their faces. All the ladies said that my visit made them very happy and asked me to keep visiting. I felt like a charmer. When I came back to my office after the visit, a guy took me to a corner and told me that my pant's zip was undone. Shit! Wonder how it came down. I ran to the restroom holding a notebook on the postoffice. Checked. A lot was getting revealed. It was a tight old formal pant I had pulled out from the suitcase and worn to match my big-boss status. As it was tight, it had got pulled apart at the fly to reveal more of the insides. I was embarrassed to look at myself in the mirror. I recalled all the smiling faces of the ladies and kids. Now everything was clear to me.

Here's an innovative solution to the problem of fly-zips sliding down. Check it out - the upside down fly-zip.

I quit the NGO job... for various reasons.

center vs centre

I came to know just now that there is absolutely no difference in meaning between the words center and centre. Not only did I get surpized when I discovered this fact, I also felt ashamed at having used both of them so far at different places with slightly different meanings on numerous occasions, and at having considered myself one heck of a linguist for such excuisite skill at using the right words at the right places. I had been thinking that center is the geometric mid-point of a circle; and centre is used to refer to locations where a specific activity takes place. Actually it's the same word for both of these meanings. The British spell it as centre and the Americans spell it as center. So it is good to stick to one of the two spellings (think which English is yours closer to - the British or the American!). "The difference between center and centre" has been asked a lot of times in various fora on the internet. Most answers state that there is no difference except for the way the Americans and the Britishers spell the same word. But I found one answer at Yahoo! Answers particularly interesting (thoughful and thought-provoking). It says: "This has to do with the two poles of the universe. Britain is the 'centre' of the universe, while America is the 'center' of the universe." (Did you know - when there's a quotation mark in the end of a sentence, the Americans put the full-stop before the quotation mark, and the Britishers put the full-stop after it! Check out: Wikipedia Full Stop) Also, check this out for a list of many English words spelt and used differently by the Americans and the Britishers. I hope there will come a time when another form of Enlgish - the Indian English - will also be recognized as one of the standard versions of the language. Till then, let's work on creating it!

Adult Content at Late-Night on TV

News: The I&B Ministry plans to allow adult content to be shown on TV between 11:30PM and 4:00AM. The I&B has put its proposed Content Code in the public domain, for people to comment on.

It sounds like a step in the right direction. It will help us open up to some obvious realities of our life. Many argue that we are not yet mature enough to handle it, blaming it on our culture. But we all wear masks and do it anyway. Is that maturity? I don't think so. We need to get rid of those masks and accept what we are.

Another good influence this step will have will be on the quality of adult content that we produce in India. Though youtube is full of Indian Adult content (thanks to the Mallu A-Industry), not much is Internationally recognized. The quality we generate suffers immensely because of our legal, mental and cultural restrictions. I can imagine that most of those programs we'll now see in those late night hours would be adult commedies. And I think that is perfectly fine, coz over the years I have felt that adult humour is enjoyed the most. (Many may want to argue against this fact though.) And some ooh-aah programs are always welcome. We don't ask for X-Rated stuff on TV, which is not necessarily good for adults too. I think the kind of regulatory norms youtube follows, pretty much makes sense for us too. Coz from where we are right now, it is the right extent of opening up that we can afford. A bigger leap might worsen things.

One problem, though, is - how are kids to be made to go and sleep when their parents watch stuff? You don't want to tell silly stories to the most curious age group. They'll never believe unless they check out themselves. And even if you are successful in doing that, one day or the other the kids will come to know. But I think this is a general issue with parenting. There are many other things which are hidden from kids until they grow big enough to understand them. I have no experience in parenting, so cannot comment on it. But I believe this part is the most tough to handle. Watching adult stuff on TV instead of the Internet or CDs/DVDs etc. is a very small change for the adults. And all adults have their choices of adult content, based on which they may or may not watch the stuff on TV. Many may want to continue their old ways. But I am sure we cannot shield the kids beyond a certain extent, which I think is pretty small. I am not sure what's the best way to handle this. I'd like to know readers' views on this problem and the topic in general.

Finally...