Fashion- The show must go on...

"Fashion" is another marvel from Madhur Bhandarkar, who has made a place for himself in realistic cinema. After watching Page 3, and Traffic Signal, hopes were high from Fashion - and Madhur delivered. the movie was also important for Priyanka Chopra's career - who has performed decently. One of the few Indian movies which doesnt have a main lead as a hero - the movie revolves around Priyanka Chopra and her trip in and out and in again into the modelling world. The movie is educative about life of a model and the struggles involved, the fact that the people you meet going up in life on success ladder, are the same people you meet while coming down. And that it makes sense to be principled and success at every cost is a question one needs to ask oneself. However, the best part of the movie is the climax, when Priyanka has to walk the ramp when she is informed by the police that her friend ( Kangana Raout ) has died due to drug over dose - a very clear message that the show must go on - the show always goes on....good movie worth a watch - but only at a cinema hall

On professional education..

Parents have forever been worried about the choices kids make for their education, and I am often asked for suggestions. India is a changing economy and many professions have lost their charm ( and need) and many new have sprung up. Media , Animation, RJ, Airhostess academies have all sprung up and are doing brisk business due to inherent demand in the economy for new professions. One feels that the purpose of education, is to make better human beings out of all of us, which has always been the case - but in this accelerating economy it makes a lot of sense to acquire skills which have some ready use, and can instantly be converted to cash. The generalist world is giving way to specific jobs - and people now look for advanced skill sets - which can only be gathered if one has spent time in professional education - so the choice of courses should have this as a determining factor.

Law of Celestial Justice

In one of my visits to Ahmedabad, not long ago, when I was staying at Prof. Sunil Handa's house and engaged in a lively discussion with him, there concept of celestial justice system came. He very beautiful named the Indian way of thinking that good deeds are rewarded and bad ones are punished, and there exists a justice system that keeps a count - beyond the earthly routes to justice available. I like this idea, and can live with it, and it doesnt give me the same questions as the concept of "God" in general does. Having said that , I met one gentleman who just six months ago had a market capitalization of 10,000 crores, and could see no harm his way. He looked invincible in the face of every challenge, and couldnt expect any threat from any quarters. And today he cant expect any help from any quarters. The world has given way and he is owing the world today a lot of money...what makes such upheavels - who makes Princes out of paupers and paupers out of priinces - is there really somebody up there who is pulling our threads ?
On the financial side - the lessons are - a. may be leverage is not such a good thing b. going public or not is something that has to be thought much more seriously by the company as this market has shown. The best of companies dont control their destiny any more.

Trip to Mussoorie

Mussoorie, a beautiful hillstation located in the Shivaliks, in the Indian state of Uttrakhand -approx 30 kms from Dehradoon, capital of Uttrakhand.  A convenient way to reach Mussoorie is take a Shatabdi express from Delhi (NDLS) that goes to Dehradoon at 6:50 AM and reaches there 12:30 PM. From there, one can get taxis from the station itself. The process of getting  a taxi is pretty hastle free, unlike other places in India. The fares are regulated by the Uttrakhand government, and one can just queue up and get the taxi which costs 450/- per trip to Mussoorie. One can also share a cab and pay lesser, for there are many people going to Mussoorie from the station.  The uphill trip takes about an hour, and the change in temperature is just superb. Mussoorie, also called the queen of hills, is very pleasant during October as well, and a light breeze can make the weather very cold. The two sides to the Mall are the Picture Palace (crowded) and the Library side (less crowded). The route to Kempty falls etc is also from Library side. There are loads of hotels to choose from on the mall, and the rooms are available at almost all prices. Hotel Pallavi Mussoorie on the mall, on the library side, is a beautiful and cozy resort with beautiful views and helpful staff. There is a Barista on the Library side, and the Picture Palace side as well.  Its a small quintessential town, with a small mall that can be walked in about 45 minutes end to end. like other hillstations in north india, there are horse rides on the mall, and street vendors - and there are vendors who come out in the evening selling shawls, which are quite nice and cheap - just to take advantage of the sudden change in temperature, like true entrepreneurs. Take a  short weekend break to Mussoorie, and you wont regret it.

On starting..

I often wonder if it is better to start alone, and yet small in a business, or is it better to taking funding in the beginning and try fighting it out in a better league. I am tustling with this for a while now - sometimes i feel it is easier to take a business from 100 to 10,000 than taking it from 1 to 100. The competition at the bottom of the pyramid is far intense and ruthless...any answers dear friends ?

Changing times in India..

Yday, while walking down hounslow in west london, I was discussing with my cousin the pace to today's life. And suddenly my mind got transported to India of yesteryears, when the only thing to do for entertainment was to watch chitrahaar in the evening, and there used to be a serial of charlie chaplin and movie on sunday. Anybody who had a telephone connection was a wow in the society. ....and today, if your driver doesnt have a mobile phone, people are shocked - the normal reaction is "how do you manage yaar "

Market Commentary

With Lehman going down, and Merill bought out, and AIG in trouble, it could be pretty bad for the USD in the short run. Any further bad news could cause a lot of damage. Oil has come off almost $4 reversing most of its gains in the beginning of the year. Fed rates could be cut going forward.

Turmoil in the international markets

Lehman brothers, filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy today. Merill Lynch was sold off to Bank of America for $50 bn. The two towering giants of wall street that have, between the two of them, a history of 250 years on the wall street, were not present when the markets opened today morning.  Wall Street will never be the same again. AIG, the largest american insurance company is also in trouble.