aala ree

Eyes that used to throw furtive glances at the sky in anticipation can rest...Monsoon has finally come to Mumbai shores ! Rains bring in plethora of memories - all sewn up across time lines.
Rain drops on through the windows as you wake up. The smell of sweet earth emanating from the moist cool breeze. Pigeons resting at the windows safe from the deluge. Slightly soggy newspapers. The sound of viper making swoosh noise at the car. Foggy windows at Grandma's mansion where paper boats were initiated on a endless journeys. New school uniforms for June reopen which soon gets messy and wet in the school bus. 3 a.m walk to canteen at IIM A in knee length water to have hot coffee. Trekking in the rainforests of Kerala with leeches all over as an 8th standard student part of WWF camps. Splashing of water drops on the historical facades of Angkor watt temples. Water bellowing through the grand roots of the trees which has eaten Ta Prohm temples. Kerala and her sex appeal. Fishermen going into deep seas with cloudy horizons in Kochi. Slushy peace of a small rural temple in Kerala where rain drops fight with the oil lamps. Dazzle of thunder all around as you hold onto fixtures in a storm inside a pipe laying barge with huge waves all around you. The rage of seas along with rains beating my small seaside cabin in Tanzania to pulp in a span of 2 hours. Coldest of rains and hailstorm in Alps while trekking in Austria. Waking up on a Sunday afternoon to have Sandy's masala chai and roadside bhujiya. Gulping buckets of Beer at Seaview, Juhu before walkign to PVR to watch random movies or lying down at the chowpatty with waves and rains drops beating you down. Going from Juhu to Borivali in double decker bus sitting in the front seat at "top floor" with front windows opened. Cheapest Brandy mixed with water from Canteen and lemon pickle to go along as a poor Mechanical engineering student. Driving my Pajero over unforgiving terrains in Africa with visibility close to nil due to the watersheets falling from heaven. Sitting with my Gujarati pilot born and bought up in Nairobi flying in a Cessna over Arusha forests/river in a storm and his profoundly comforting words," Dont worry, I won't crash land. Why ? Cause death from a mid air crash would be so much more peaceful than by those crocs down below!"

Angkor Watt with clouds gathering before a deluge !! (Taken in 2008 while on a Steve McCurry inspired trip to Cambodia, taken with Canon 40D, Tamaron 28-75 f2.8, Manfrotto support, worked in PS CS3)

Last frontier of Asiatic Lions - The Gir Odyssey

Gir was in my dreams for couple of years. When an opportunity presented in the form of hurriedly applied for and obtained leaves for me and Sandy, we decided to embark to the last abode of Asiatic Lions in the world - Gir Sanctuary (~170 km from Rajkot and 45 km from Veraval)

Had a quick chat with Yogendra bhai from INW (Our lion leader and go to person for all things Gir) and booked the ever reliable gypsie driver of his, Lalit bhai. Knowing my love to stay with locals as deep in the jungle as possible rather than in posh hotels, he arranged Chaman bhai's (One of the most hospitable individuals Ive met - imbibing all the fineries of the amazing Saurashtrian hospitality) farmhouse for our stay.

On March 31 me and wifey reached Sasan from Rajkot. Chaman bhai's farm was adjoining the gir forest where freqently leopards and lions roam freely at night. (We could hear them sometimes, never could see them in our search lights the couple of nights we gathered courage to venture out)

First safari the next morning yielded amazing results. We tracked a mating pair in route 1. And spent around 3 hours with them. The attack of the lioness on the lion before mating, the roars, the love making - these 3 hours gave us both memories of a lifetime. We could not stop thanking our stars for helping us witness such a rare and intimate moment in the life of these animals.

Next day was bitter sweet. While we could photograph a brother and sister (Both extremely good looking), we missed the chance of shooting 5 cubs which were sighted on another route. From our route we could see them at distance but could not go since that would have meant breaking the "route rules" at Gir (Each gypsy is supposed to stick to their assigned routes - largely this is followed to the word!)

Afternoon was again spent with the mating couple observing them spar at each other (Lion sustained a huge gash in his face). Post mating (Which this time they did behind bushes) they came out in open road and sat resting. We could observe them for an hour from as close as 15 feet. Could almost feel their breath on our body and it did send a tremble down our spines. There is nothing bigger an adrenaline rush than looking eye to eye with a male full grown Lion at 10-15 feet. It is like 500 sky diving and 1000 bungee all rolled into one !

Third day morning was on route 2. 2 and 6 are the routes which is allocated to most local tourists and hence pretty busy ones- also more noisy especially if there are rather clamorous kids in some jeeps. The morning was spent with just a single lioness sighting deep in the bushes for any good photo ops.

Went back to Chaman bhai's farm for lunch and the usual bucket of chaas (buttermilk). Took a break to download pics, process a few of them, check internet for sometime and catch up on some sleep. At 3.30 sharp we started off in Lalit bhai's gypsy for the safari. Nothing happened till around 6. We did shoot a few birds like common kingfisher, tickells blue, green pigeon etc. While on the way back we saw a gypsy full of students waiting across a water hole. We waited there along with them. After about 10 minutes a lioness appeared across the hill - slowly walking down to the waterhole behind bushes. Then we saw her brother appear lazily ambling across. They gave a brush to each other and came towards us. Passing us in front they started walking along the road. After 10 minutes, the male decided to rest right on the road in full view - that too in super golden light falling on his beautiful full maned face. At that moment, he could very well compete with the most handsome tiget Ive photographed as the most beautiful thing Ive ever shot.

As wife shot the video in her panasonic, I took 2 GB worth of memorable snaps. We had to leave them as the time was almost 6.30. Going back to Chaman bhai's farm we discussed the day and plans for next day with Lalit bhai. Went to the field to take bath under the water pump and then off to the machan to lie down under the sky in the field with mind full of happiness. Got down to have a sumptuous dinner and chaas as ever !! :)

The last day again proved to be unfruitful for photography as there were no lion sightings - nor any great birding opportunity. However, we saw fleeting glimpses of Jackal and two leopards - one in each safari. It was my first leopard sighting. That day morning Lalit bhai had told - today we should aim to shoot leopard. His words came close to being true twice - we saw it twice but could not photograph either time as it was too fast between the bushes for a good shot. Anyways, I was more than happy since in all the time spent in the Indian and African wilderness, I had not once spotted the beautiful leopard let alone photograph one.

As the trip came to a close, we were really sad to leave Gir - both the lions and it's amazing people, especially Lalit and Chamn bhai who were like close relatives all through the week. We caught up with "Dhamal" a performance by the small african community which thrives in the Gir forest - little known to the outside world.

As we went to Rajkot for onward trip to Mumbai and it's daily chores we were wondering when would the next opportunity be that we can be back with the kings of Gir forest and the love and hospitality of Chaman bhai and gang !!


Tips for first time visitors :

1. The road from Rajkot to Junagadh is real ossum. Junagadh to Sasan is not bad either.
2. If you are taking bus, ensure you take a GSRTC express from Rajkot to Sasan. That will save you more than an hour - it becomes a tiring and sometimes irritating journey in a non-express.
3. If you are coming by train, see if you can take a ticket to Veraval and travel back to GIr (45 km from veraval) rather than from Rajkot (160+ km from Gir)
4. Book a nice place to stay. If you are adventurous, I suggest farm houses as close to the forest as possible. You can then walk along with experienced locals at night to search for some lions ! (Or just walk in that hope - it is indeed quite thrilling and you probably are happier when you fail in the endevour). If you love local life, local food, local folklore and lots of great hospitality head to Chaman bhais !! Else you also have airconditioned swimming pooled hotels galore.
5. Get a good driver (If you are a photographer) who can maximise your sighting by collecting local intelligence regarding animal movements.
6. Tip the guides and the driver - they work overtime to get you to see and photograph your subjects. ANything from 50-150 over and above the stipulated guide fees is fine.
7. There are no ATMs of any bank. Pay in advance or check if they can accept credit card/cheques.
8. Alcohol is officially prohibited ;)
9.Understand and accept that inspite of best efforts, the guides / drivers can't make a lion appear for you ! However, in summer months 2-3 safaris should yield atleast one sighting. And in winter 5-6 should yield atleast one.

Lastly just feel blessed - you just went to the last remaining abode of the Asiatic lions. Truly the king of the jungles in these parts of the world. Lets all do whatever we can to ensure this population grows for generations to come.

Vacation at Gir

Me and Sandhya have taken a break (finally) of a week to track and photograph the remaining Asiatic lions in their final frontier Gir in Saurashtra, Gujarat. We are staying at a local farmer's house here in the forest. Sleeping at the machan in the field open to the stars, hearing the roar of lions close by, bathing under the pump in the fields and drinking bucket fulls of chaas whenever we are not photographing in the jungles..
Detailed report and pics soon...

Sachin Tendulkar - Legend in my life !

I woke up today, started brushing my teeth watching Sachin score yet another century. That's when I suddenly felt a strong emotional connect with a man whom I have seen only 3-4 times and spoken to only once in my entire life. Still he felt so much a part of my life. Like a close relative. He has at various points been a guide and philosopher (unknown to him ofcourse!!) as well as being forever an inspiration in professionalism and how to lead a worthy life. Right from when I was around 8, over the past 20 odd years, he has been always close to my heart.
Right through my days of playing district leagues and Inter University through engineering and working as an engineer, through MBA and working as a consultant there had always been tid bits that I have tried to imbibe from the his life. Some of his interviews with Harsha Bhogle, I regard as masterclass in philosophy as well as being truly inspirational. Like when he said "Experience is a double edged sword. For every ball you know all possible shots, but you also know all possible ways it could go wrong and result in a catch".
I never used to keep his posters in my room, or drool over in his fan clubs. Or buy t shirts with his face. And surprisingly I was not angry at the fans who booed him at Mumbai. For me he is beyond all this. I'd be thrilled if I can do 1% of what he has done in his chosen field in my own area of work. With the same dedication and more importantly the same humility.
Thanks Sach bhau - for being there !

So what is your Paris ?

Saw Revolutionary Road this weekend (Along with Da Cunha's Pune Highway).
Rev road is a must watch ! One of the most intense old school cinema making I've seen in recent memory. If Slumdog is very good, Rev Road is excellent ! (Now that is saying a lot)

IMDB and Oscar panel might have differing view, but for me this is a timeless classic. It could be anywhere, anytime setting. A story which is riveting, a script which is tight and above all Kate in as good as performance as in The Reader.

So what is the Paris that you are waiting for ?...Do you need a Mike Shannon a.k.a John Givings to ask you those tough questions ?

Had gone for a trek at Sinhagad valley in Pune. It turned out you don't need to trek a lot to shoot the amazing number of flycatchers. In keeping with the decision of not posting too many pics here directly given the bandwidth issue faced by some blokes
So if you have tha bandwidth you can catch a few from the trek here

Good day ! (Oh what a day - ARR got his due finally ;)

To MBA or not

I often get asked by MBA aspirants on what to study, what not to study, if they should go for the MBA at all etc etc ! Recently I have figured out a quick check for the folks to come to a decision on this (It is a very rough and generic way of looking at it but honestly at the end of the day this is what it shall come to ! - my big insight 3 years post MBA!!)

So here is the big insight ! (Hehe)

A. To build your knowledge (Not for CAT - Im sure all smart folks out there can crack it) - read Mint for atleast 6-8 months before the interviews / GD

B. Again read Mint for atleast 6-8 months - If you like around 75% of what is written in there and look forward to reading it daily, you are good to go for an MBA. If you dont like even 25%, you should definitely not go for it. For all who fall in between, it is a tough call !!

Some of the stuff is a bit too technical for non Accounting/Economics majors but even engineers /others can intuitively get what is being said - just by thinking through the logic from first principles. I'm a huge fan of Mint since it's inception, unfortunately these days I dont quite get enought time to read it end to end. On a rating of 1-10, if ET is 4 and Business Standard is 6, I'd rate Mint at around 9 ! And it costs only Rs.2 !

Disclaimer : Ive nothing to do with LiveMint and in no way is this an ad for the same :))

Bharatpur pics goes live here

Hope you all like a few of them ! :)

I see trees of green, red roses too
I see them bloom for me and you
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world

I see skies of blue and clouds of white
The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world...

-- Bob Thiele & George David Weiss

Spirituality and nature !

For someone not deeply religious like me, spirituality has different connotations. For me, personally, it is something which touches you deeply, makes you think about meaning of life and existence ! And some of these instances could be relatively mundane.
Few such events are listening to a Sachin Tendulkar interview with Harsha Bhogle. Or listening to a "folk-touch" song composed by A R Rahman (Ghenda Phool in Dilli 6 for example). That clearly shows, atleast for the more profound "spiritualists", that I've no clue about spirituality !

One such recent experience for me was a trip to Bharatpur with Sandy and another friend of mine, Shireen. Bharatpur is a National Park in Rajasthan (Officially it is the Keoladeo Ghana National Park). I was there last year too but due to severe drought experienced, there were not many birds or animals to see. What makes this place amazing is the vastness or it's wetlands and the absolutely mind boggling number of birds that visit this place every winter.

Sandy was coming from Mumbai and I was coming from Delhi. After meeting at Bharatpur and checking into our hotel, we went to the park. I was trying my new Benro tripods for the first time along with my trusted 40D and Canon 100-400 L IS. Sandy was shooting with her 12X zoom Panasonic. In many cases, we had to work together for shots - especially for flight shots, where she would predict with reasonably good accuracy the flight path and landing moment.

Just being in the quite park (Before the weekend tourists flooded the place - singing, dancing, wearing outrageously loud cloths and generally behaving as if it was a picnic spot) looking at the mist covered horizon where thousands of birds fly around gives you a "spiritual" high. It is as good (even better!) than seeing a Sachin Tendulkar cover drive or a listening to an intricate Rahman composition!
You also see the raw life unfolding in nature - fishes shredded to pieces, smaller birds being eaten by birds of prey, jackals hunting smaller antelopes (A jackal almost attacked me as I was lying low to click it's pic - it probably thought I was another small prey!!)

The place is also exceptionally romantic - as much as some of the Alpine EU regions that Ive trekked in. A very apt setting for Sarus cranes - the most elegant of creations that God has blessed mankind with. They mate for life and are strictly monogamous ! Even if one of a pair is dead, the other doesn't accept other mates. Valmiki is supposed to have cursed the hunter who killed one of such a pair (The famous Ma Nishada episode) which purportedly became a precursor to his writing Ramayana. Being with them, enjoying their elegance in the romantic ambience that Bharatpur is in itself a "spiritual" pinnacle ! Unfortunately, only around 20000 of them are left, thanks to modern day hunters - humans who kill it for meat and for fun! - We need many more Valmikis with a plethora of curses !!

Vacations are back !!...

Im having a rather long and deserved vacation in Kerala. The kind of peace that the land brings is amazing. Even from the moment you can differentiate the coconut palms from high up in the air before landing, even inside the enclosed cabin, you can smell the fresh air. Even over the landing announcements you can hear the birds sing. Even as you pop the remaining packet of After Mint or the Jet's typical tamarind toffee into your mouth, you can taste the culinary delights of this small strip of land south - south west of India. My days are packed with weddings and receptions and meeting people et al. This is the first time Im taking Sandy to Kerala after our wedding. So she is damn thrilled.
For me it's homecoming. Again. But everytime, even over the familiarity brought by number of trips, each is unique in what the abode of Gods can throw. Im planning to squeeze in Thattekad / Salim Ali bird sanctuary. If it happens, expect some good pics (Hopefully ;)

Merry Xmas and Happy New Year !!!

Updates on photoblog

Check it here

I've decided to reduce photos in this main blog keeping in mind friends who browse on dial up..

Currently, planning for the year end vacations going on. Mostly thinking of Kerala itself. Haven't been home after wedding and it seems there is a line of Uncles and Aunts to be visited, sweets eaten !! Im looking forward to the festival at a temple close to where I was born. Should be able to shoot some folk art / elephants etc. Let's see !! Planning to do Gir at Junagadh after that for the Asiatic Lions. All depends on my wife's leave apps though !!:)

Andy's blogs !!

Dont know if you guys follow Andy's blog about cricket. Or if you follow The "Bugle" Andy at all. He has started blogging at Cricinfo. Super hilarious. Dangerously good humour. If you read at office & your boss catches you laughing your guts out in these difficult times, you might be sent to shrink. So beware !

Worth checking it out with this one here
Definitely Zaltsmanisque !!

Diwali Trekking Bhimashankar

Have been under some stress due to the way markets are turning out. The best panacea for all stress is nature. One of the key distressing tablet for me is trekking & shooting in forests. This time Sandy & I decided to trek the Bhimashankar forests. The key trails we did were the Gupt Bhimashankar, Machaan and Forest rest house trails, as suggested by the noted naturalist Adesh who knows these places like the back of his hand.
My idea was primarily to shoot the highly endangered Indian Giant Squirell for which the WLS is created. Sandy's idea was to trek the tropical evergreens & the adjoining mountains. Both were quite complementary. She helped spot some rare species that I could then shoot.
The trails are all small and we did only around 15-16 km over 3 days. Not for the serious trekkers. More for people like me who are what I call " forever aspiring trekkers". (Well old age is getting to me you see...I used to do 30km in 2 days, but of course without the photo equipment weight on your back...now its like a distant memory !!)
Bhima WLS it is a little known jewel in Maharashtra created for protecting Maha's state animal - The Shekru or Indian Giant Squirrel.

We stayed at the blue mormon resort - quite a decent place over a plateau overlooking some splendid valleys giving one terrific sunrise and sunset shots. We used to trek starting 6. Come back for lunch. Rest a bit and start afternoon treks. Come back. Have sumptuous maharashtrian snacks like Kanda Poha, play cards for 2-3 hours. Hit sack by around 10 for an early morning rise. It just rejuvenated the whole body and mind.
Photographically, shooting shekru is difficult. It is forever at high foliage. Lighting and BG are additional challenges. But could shoot a bunch of birds ranging from bushchats, orange headed thrush, bonelli's eagle, swallows, bee eaters, pipits, larks etc.
Its a good 3 days plan for people in Mumbai. For Pune folks even 2 days is good enough to cover up the place. I will go back mostly in Jan / Feb once the winter migratories too come down from up north.

Belated Diwali greetings to all. Hope you guys had a safe diwali.

Strangeness !!

Its snowing here in September..At the peak of summer...It is strange. But then this week has been the epitome of change. The ice man I mocks at me and says "Change. It is the only constant".

Im coming back after a sumptuous (??) lunch of duck, leaves, potatoes and red wine. Im emotional. So much has changed in the last week that I still think Im in a daze. Many of my friends have lost jobs. Two companies which had offered me plum jobs are no longer extant. (The only reason I did not take jobs with them was that I got into McKinsey). I've lost most of my savings invested in Indian equity markets atleast on paper. I can't of course file for bankruptcy even though Im pretty much broke.

The CDSs and CMOs designed, sold, bought and hidden by many of my friends have come home to roost after grander days. Some people I speak to here (who are from US) have houses where their equity is completely wiped off.
There is a sense that someone cheated everyone. That someone always predicted upward sloping curves for housing prices. That has now come crashing down. And in its wake it has swept to ashes the dreams and aspirations of many young men and women. We can all debate till cows come home on whether the Fed should have done an LTCM and saved Lehman. Or if by allowing Bankam to pick Merrill it has helped create yet another "too large to fail" monster. In all the technical debates, one must not forget the thousands of people involved, their families and homes.

As we all pick up whatever is left of our lives, some lines in some half read Indian spiritual book gives me the courage to face these uncertain times

"We came into this world with nothing. We shall leave this world with nothing. So why sweat?".

As I flick another waft of unseasonal snow from my Indian winter jacket and shiver, I say, Quite True.

This link from a friend of mine quite correctly sums up what has happened over the past year or so. Enjoy clicking here. Quite sarcastic. But unfortunately true.

Kitzbuhel

Im in the quaint sleepy European town of Kitzbuhel in Austria. It is only around 1.5 hours drive from Munich (That is if the highways are not teeming with the cars of weekenders going up north / down to Italy).
It is everything that picture postcard EU is & then some more. One of the most famous skiing resorts during Jan - Feb - Mar it even hosts the world championships. I'm living in Grand Hotel which has an old Euro charm to it. It is an amazing property where one wakes up to clouds coming down the mountains outside your window. Compare this to what many Mumbaikars wake upto, and you start thinking really about what lifestyle is. And what money can & cannot buy. But ofcourse, come winter and there is seldom a sunny day. So take your pick :)

Starting a photoblog

I've decided to start a photoblog separate from this. Just pics and no words is the aspiration.Predominantly on nature and landscapes. Even there the focus would be on wildlife (Birds and animals). This hopefully shall showcase some of my better works and hopefully inspire a bunch of folks to do something towards nature conservation or even create awareness towards the same.

Here is the link

Let me know what you folks think. I know, Im a complete novice on webpage building. So excuse the odd looking layout and dimensions :)

Bloom

Had been to Bangalore to catch up with my sister for couple of days and see the home Im planning to buy there. I think Ill write about IDBI and their pathetic customer service soon. For now anyways, the much better processes and people of HDFC has meant Im going to have the loans sanctioned in time :)

If you like shooting flowers, I think Bangalore is one of the best places in India. Probably it is the weather and the umpteen number of gardens that make this an ideal location. Here area a couple. Nothing great. Just tried two different compos of two simple flowers.

Terror comes home

I almost went into depression reading the article on the terror suspects recently arrested / implicated.
Reasonably well educated, Indian born Muslim youths in 20s - proficient computer engineers, doctors, teachers, electronics specialists. Add to this the charade happening in Kashmir through the I Day celebrations and its now clear that religion has become bigger than country for millions.
The funny thing is,as I read the article, the places mentioned there made me nostalgic.
Vadodara - a city I worked
Ernakulam - city I was born
Pavagadh - ranges I've trekked & camped through beautiful full moon nights
Ahmedabad - City I went for a post graduation in management.
It is then that it stuck me with a finality that sent a chill down the spine.
Terror has come home to roost. And unlike the cows and the crows, they are not going to be shooed away by the first rays of a new morning. They are here to stay. And no, they are no longer visitors from our northwestern neighbor, they are our own brothers, comrades and countrymen. And they are out to kill us.

There have been times over the last week where I wondered if the price to pay for secularism is so huge, would we have been better being a mono religion country. Answer was clear. An emphatic NO. But there are no solutions for the current mess.

Its not a problem that one can state, understand constraints, boundary conditions and find a logical solution to. My personal belief is there is only one way to fight this and that is through Madrassas and spiritual teachers. Madrassas, Ive personally seen, touches children at a young age and touches them deep. What gets indoctrinated at that impressionable age remains firm for long. If it is love, we have a bright future. If it is not, we have a dangerous one. Same holds in case of Hindu terrorists. It might not be madrassas, it might be some other agency. But touching them young and making them proud of our multi cultural fabric is the one and probably only way.


Al Kafiroon
Chapter 109, 6th verse
109.006
YUSUFALI: To you be your Way, and to me mine.
PICKTHAL: Unto you your religion, and unto me my religion.
SHAKIR: You shall have your religion and I shall have my religion.

Love Letters

We saw Rahul Da Cunha's love letters over the weekend from St Andrews .
We watched it coz

1. It was from the team who gave Class of 84 (If you love theatre, you must watch it)
2. It had Rajat Kapur (One of the rare Kapur specimen I like right from Byomkesh days)& Shernaz Patel (Only white lining of Black)
3. We did not have anything better to last Sunday evening (The other scary option was
to watch Sing is King. Oh by the way Ram gopal verma, it seems have said that the most scary thing for him is Karan Johar's movies. What irony coming from the maker of such remarkable masterpieces like Ram Gopal ki Aag).

Love letter also brought to focus the fading purpose of "Handwritten letters" in our
lives. It must be over a decade since I last wrote a snailmail. I think it had its own sweetness. I miss writing letters sometimes. The blue Inland letter had a charm of its own. Getting it in hostels made one nostalgic, brought back deja vu through the khaki of the postman. (Especially all those love letters to school sweethearts;)

It also made me realise that some of the best actors in Indian filmdom have their roots in Theatre/Drama. Whether it is Nasrudeen Shah, Rajat, Irfan, Boman etc.
Im off to Bangalore for the I Day weekend. Hope I can shoot some nice snaps around in the city / if I could drive to outskirts.

Hope all you folks out there have a great I Day and hope Paes / Bhupathi can add to Bindra's tally.

Easy predictions !

Couple of years back when I used to blog at Rediff I had talked about how oil prices are going to shoot up (At that time I thought it would be around 80 $) and how India is going to have an issue of inflation at hand. And that the RBI would have to shift focus from a pure growth driven agenda to something more akin to inflation targeting. Though I had blogged about it, I never really thought things would turn up so rapidly within couple of years. Read here what one of my most illustrious alumni and one time chief economist of IMF & his committee advises.
Again, end of last year I had talked here about how the large I Banks are sitting on instruments whose risk is increasingly becoming difficult to predict, hedge or price. Within a year now, read here about both Citi and MS reporting some of the biggest quarterly losses in their history. (For MS the first of its kind!!)
This is not to say Im an economics Nostradamus. Just that somethings do come true (Id have predicted 100 things out of which 2 would have come true, so let me focus on those 2!! - the typical black swan problem / astrologers luck)
Maybe I should start predicting happy endings !! Like I would end up being a Lok Sabha MP in 10 years. (The highest paying job probably in India). I was just thinking after yesterday's tamasha, as to how much I would take to cross vote !!..Def 25 crore is huge money. I might take 3 crore for abstaining. How many of us are ethical enough /unselfish enough to say we would not take that kinda money ?....Is my character strong enough to say no to 3 crore rupees for not doing anything ?..If it is not, what has failed ?...Education ?..Value systems ?..Upbringing ?!!...Tough questions !