I was watching the news today and I read something that has hit a nerve...

Onion prices in cities all over India have gone up and the BJP spokeperson made a comment to the effect of is the government going to tell us global onion prices have increased and in a different comment onion prices are a classic case of inflation going up and not really decreasing as was reported earlier.

I am not a congress supporter infact I am believer of a good governance implies little governance....

But these statements got me thinking. If a senior politician can say this obviously the common man is going to say the same thing. Teach economics to the general population came the reply... but economics is filled with numbers people may not like it... I have always saud I would want to make a difference and this is the first time something has made enough sense to start...

Inflation and the price of onions:

What is inflation exactly? How does this index come about? And can the price of a particular commodity be controlled by the government in a free market?

In simple terms the rate at which the general level of prices for goods and services is rising, and, subsequently, purchasing power is falling is called as inflation.

The formula for calculating the Inflation Rate using the Consumer Price Index is relatively simple. Every month the Bureau surveys prices and generates the current Consumer Price Index (CPI). Let us assume for the sake of simplicity that the index consists of one item and that one item cost 1.00 in 2010. The Bureau published the index in 2010 at 100. If today that same item costs 1.85 the index would stand at 185.0. This would imply that the price has gone up. Generally the CPI basket comprises of a number of goods that are essential for the people. If the price of a majority of these goods increases we say that there is inflation.

Now we come to the bone of contention the Price of Onions

How much do you think it costs to grow one Kilo of Onions. Well there is the price of land, water, electricity, seeds, the upkeep of the machinery, the cost of the farmer, petrol, and then the opportunity cost which cannot be calculated. In India the monsoon season also plays a huge role in determining the cost of onions. For the sake of this argument we shall not consider the impact of the rains.

Now, petrol prices are in every turmoil which makes it expensive for the farmer to plough his land with a tractor, but using cattle is not as efficient. So the cost to produce has gone up a little.

Land is not something that we have in abundance. The number of people to the land under cultivation is low. This means that the farmer needs to produce more onions than every before from the same piece of land. But the land will become infertile if it is over cultivated so he might buy fertilizers and pesticides which all cost money. He might instead go and get better land which will cost him and again the price increases.

Now the onions are ready to send to the market. Well petrol will be there so will transportation. The middle men are a different story and we shall eliminate them for the sake of argument right now.

Well the onion has reached the market place and we have not put in the price increase for the sake of the farmer and his family. After increasing the price for a good profit margin we can sell it in a market that is free. Which implies that if the demand for my product grows and the supply is limited the price of my product will increase.

Economics is amazing. In very simple terms we are able to link the prices of goods and the external non-financial environment to the price of one commodity. Can it be controlled? Well yes it can be but not completely eliminated. In fact there should be a small amount of inflation in any economy but more on that in another rant.

I have started using twitter more often and there are a lot of interesting people who tweet. I wondered for long why would people update what they are doing or what they are thinking about... Will it not get boring and who will really want to read that stuff... well to be honest just like facebook twitter is addictive to a certain extent. I am cool is what everyone would like to project at least that's what I feel... Plus it is kind of nice to know that some people who you think of as role models are quite human and have likes and dislikes sometimes similar to our own...

I somehow could not make myself follow a actor / actress I felt they were very different from me... Also an interesting thing that I learnt is that journals keep updating their twitter page with links to articles which is very beneficial if you like keeping yourself updated...

I have officially crossed 60 posts :P, which is a huge thing for me.

Well I was generally looking at random things on the Internet and saw a site where you can list 100 things that make you happy - other than money.

My initial reaction was how hard can it be but then you reach a limit and go what else makes me happy it is kind of weird but then there are so many small seemingly insignificant things in life that also bring a smile to your face. Like a leaves rustling in the wind, a feather floating away with the wind...

When I was small I used to be happy riding my bike all around my house I used to feel cool. There were no worries just pure happiness. When I jumped into a pool I felt that sensation as though I water just going with the flow unadulterated joy and bliss. It seems soooo long ago...

So, What are your 100 things?

los mexicanos de indio

Now before I start I want to make it very clear that this is not a racist post; however, if it does offend anyone I am very sorry.

Now, Mexican people in the US are harworking individuals who cross the border to make a decent living often sacrificing a lot to ensure that their children grow up to be better than them. Look at any posh resto in the big cities in the US and a majority of the behind the curtain staff is mexican working for little but putting in tons of hours.

I noticed a similar trend in the UK where Polish people did a lot of construction work. They slogged it out to make a decent living.

A commonality in both these groups is that they try and save whenever possible. They save and send it to family they save and keep it for a rainy day. This is amazing to me. The human nature is such that they should be want luxury. But these amazing people curb that want for a future.

I have been wondering who can we call the mexicans of india?

There are thoughts in my head which nobody may know
there are voices in my heart that nobody can hear
they will explode one day into ideas
they will be justified one day
they will not have to be silent anymore

In the making...

He stood still
watched with unbiased eyes as the wind swept seas danced
so did his mind
with thoughts of the future with no recollection of the past but with the will to do something in the present
where had he changed he was asked he did not know
to him it was a way of life
he stood still now watching the skies
the bright blue with some white was a symphony to him
he wanted them to tell him their tales
tales from far and wide he wanted to learn more

The wind played with the trees in the distance making its presence felt
like a jealous lover it wanted his attention
but he stood still and watched the courtship
after all he was a storm in the making.

The early hours of morning are amazing they are serene and let me think. The calm has an amazing effect on the mind I think everyone should try it. I was thinking to myself with a cup of tea (or in my case a glass of tea) what would I change if i could and the answer was plain and simple. The way we educate our young.

I never had a coach for swimming but I managed to reach states 9 times. When I did get a coach for one year I was able to shave off 53 seconds from my time, which says a lot. I never had any one teach me tennis but I am decent enough. I was never told what is my apptitude and what I would do well in. But this is the reality in a number of small and medium towns in India. This is what I really want to change.

Every since I can remeber I want to do more. I always wanted to work as a consultant well the general idea would be ok so apply to consulting firms they will hire you. One huge problem I read their websites and they say we want people with passion we want curious people we want people who are ready to learn. All of which I am then they say he/she should have more than x number of years of experience now I do have experience but not what they ask for and at times not in the field that they ask for. I do not have a MBA from the primeir institutes in India but I dont think that I am any less than someone who has graduated from them. What they learnt in class I learnt by myself. Well life sometimes throws you lemons but that just means you make lemon juice. So I keep fighting.

There was once a drive a passion to do something different to not conform to be the rebel...somehow that seems to be lost there is still a drive but it is not as passionate there is still a tendency to say "hell no" but it is often not said...

There was a time when it did not matter what people thought, they didnt know me. They still dont know me but I have to think about what they think... my nature seems to change with each step I take maybe it is time to reclaim what I have lost maybe it is time to jump of the cliff and do exactly what I always wanted to do...

Life is filled with twists and turns...some are so beautiful to need to stop and take a deep breath and others hit you so hard that they knock the wind out of you.

Somedays i feel miserable... as though i dont know what I am doing. It feels as if i dont have a future. other days things around me make me feel inspired. whatever be the case life is not worth stopping and not trying to do better. I guess i have realised that, so i toast to a better tommorow and live today.

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too:
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream---and not make dreams your master;
If you can think---and not make thoughts your aim,
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same:.
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build'em up with worn-out tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings,
And never breathe a word about your loss:
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings---nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much:
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And---which is more---you'll be a Man, my son!

I often think to myself what am I doing. What do I want to do. Who is with me. Well most of these questions have hazy answers. Sometimes I am able to think straight. There were times in my life when i wanted nothing more then being at a certain place and I would do anything to be there but over the years I relised at times we tend to add complexities to a very simple situation. We tend to overcomplicate a simple thing atleast I do.

I wonder where will I land up 5 years from now. Where will I be what will I be doing.

I was travelling by local recently and it was amazing to look around and see the people who travel by trains in Bombay. I thought to myself maybe I dont want to travel like this my entire life. But then being a traveller and a road warrior has become a part and parcel of life. It has become important to take on different roles and grow.

I dont think I have seen it all. I have tons of mountains to climb but I know now that you have to do it yourself.

The politics of agitation.
I was thinking when was the last time a government in India passed a bill or made a resolution that was approved without opposition. Yesterday after the budget opposition members staged a walk out against the rise in petrol prices. I agree with people who say inflation has to be controlled. But my question is do you want the growth to be high? Do you want more FDI flowing into the country? If the answer is no then we can go back to pre 1990's when we basically destroyed our own economy. If the answer is yes then I think we have to draw the line somewhere and agree to some of the suggestions we should oppose otherwise democracy will be dead but not on all issues right now the political parties in India are like nagging partners who are mostly likely to find faults in everything and crib about them.

One of my friends made a statement the other day. He said he is not normal. This got me thinking as to who is normal and how can someone adjudge someone as being normal. I listen to rock and I have no problems admitting that I hate some other forms of music this makes me normal in some eyes while it makes me a full blown weirdo in the eyes of others. I have inked my arms this is considered to be a fad by some to be a statement by some but to me its just an extension of myself so am I mad or may I normal.

I thought about this for a while and I feel the only normal people in this world are the abnormal ones maybe its to do with conformance maybe its to do with being a part of the herd those who stand out are the abnormal one. To be honest I would rather stand out and be abnormal.

When do we learn to say NO?

We rarely ever say no directly unless we are angry or frustrated. The thinking men and women ought to have the courage to say it as it is. But we don't. We have politicians who on one hand say that they are the protectors of our city and they are the same people who also tend to destroy it at the slightest controversy. We have internal and external enemies who are creating ruckus and we cant tell them no we have had enough.

We cant say no to our friends when we don't want to do something. We think of excuses to make them feel that we are busy or we are up to something. Why cant we say no and why cant others respect the no.

The voice in my brain says don't the voice from somewhere else in me says do.
There are things that I see and cant figure out.
There are places I need to be but cant find a way to get to.
There are people I want to meet but can't.
There are ideas that I want to implement but don't know how.
Through this sprinkling of dreams I live a life that sometimes seems surreal.
Through the days and nights I have only more aspirations to fulfil.
Life as I live it seems distant from life as I want it.
The means to complete something sometimes seem so unreachable that I feel we live in a reality show.
A show where we are forced to make choices but the result is sometimes immaterial of the choices.
Till I solve my conundrums I bid adieu.

Standing by my window I look at the sun kissed earth through a curtain of smoke,
Admiring the beauty of what stands forth makes me think of other places I have been,
It makes me want to see how it feels to see the same sight at different places,
The earth in all its naked glory beckons all to come see her beauty as the sun wakes up and illuminates her being,
The blue waves crash against the rocks as my smoke curtain grows thinner,
Someday I will see a lot and that will make me smile just like she is smiling right now.

I don't get our obsession with marriage I mean as a society. Marriage is an institution they say I highly doubt it like many other things people say. Marriage is an understanding of sorts I feel it is like a compromise that I will have to undertake the question is why should I not think about myself. TO grow your family name you need to get married and have kids too. This whole concept though makes a little sense has also led to female genocide. The number of girl children being aborted due to the want of having a boy is very alarming. So that argument also fails according to me. Now there is another argument that says you will have a companion for life. Well I don't need to marry for that do I? I can have a companion without getting married. Oh I am scandalising a lot of people with this comment but then I don't think it is wrong. This is not our culture you say. Well so are a lot of things which we reintroduced to make our society highly conservative and constricted.
Not everyone needs to think like me I don't want to argue all I want is my voice be heard.

I see many amazing sights on my way to work or sometimes on my way back maybe I am too observant or maybe I have nothing better to do. But this is what I have started observing recently. The newer generation is not spoilt they have different tastes.
Hip hop culture I think that's what it is called has taken over suburbia and its influence can be seen every where. When I was that age we had different influences. I feel nothing is wrong as long as you don't overdo it.

A recent murder of a high profile lawyer is quite unnerving. One of the suspects is a techie who works in mumbai. Even in some of the heinous crimes the culprits are educated working professionals. I often wonder why an educated person would succumb to such ideologies.
Is it the world around them that they find to be cruel? Are they just doing it for money? It would be interesting if some physiologist actually studies this or maybe they have and I have not looked hard enough

Incredible India... My last post was about regionalism and it seems like our diversity is rotting. The recent bomb blasts in Pune does not seem to have an impact on people in AP. Amazing, isn't it?

I have a problem with broadsheets in Mumbai dedicating their front page to Adverts from various organisations mainly builders though. How can you have the front page of the newspaper given to a builder or for that matter any other organisation or group. The front page to me is a sacred page where the most prominent events are highlighted. It could be argued that they do this for the extra income that is so badly required in the print media specially since the advent of 24 hour news channels but why compromise on the first page?

I don't have a television at home which means the first thing I do in the morning is read the newspaper only to go through 2-3 pages of pictures of buildings. I guess the print media is answering the question will we survive; but I feel it should be how we survive.

Welcome to the new version of me.

I have written about things that I found interesting in the past but have never really written about current issues. However, this time around I intend to be current.

Lets start with the regionalism that has taken India by storm. Ask a small child on the road where he/she is from and rarely will you get the answer that I am from India. A majority of people thing that their first loyalty lies with their state and in some cases their city. I will not declare that I am a staunch Indian and whatever we do I agree with it. Sometimes there are instances when what we do does not make sense. Like opening a dialogue with Pakistan. Well more on that subject later.

First I want to debate on this topic of regionalism. We have people asking for their own state we have people stating that a particular part of the country belongs to certain people. Do we realise that we are dividing the country into small parts based on religion, language and customs. India boasts that we have unity in diversity at least that is what I was taught in school but I do not see any unity I see personal agendas and regional bias killing our growth story.

India is set to take on the so called economic powers in the world and on the brink of possible greatness we decide we do not care where we can reach let us fight among ourselves and destroy the chances of getting investment. Truly a united front, isn't it? We could well be the biggest economy in time to come like the golden era of India but then it depends on what the people do next.