'Right' Perspective

Well, The elections are over and the results are out :D

The INC or the Italian National Congress has won a convincing victory !!.

The day began with Rajdeep S of XXX TV predicting that the congress would win 550 seats in parliament, before his panelists reminded him that the parliament had only 543 seats and that Bangladesh wasn't a 'swing' state.

As the results started trickling in, the writing was on the wall. The BJP had been vanquished and the commies had been tamed. A truly remarkable aspect of the victory was its magnitude, given Rahul Gandhi's best efforts to deflate the congress. He had  single-handedly through his asinine efforts tried to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. All it took him was a press conference.

Rahul may have claimed that "empowering villagers would end terrorism in 15 minutes", but if he had ended his press conference 15 minutes later, he would have ended the congress party. 

But however in spite of all the clownery going on, it was the indian electorate who prevailed and proved to everyone that they were not going to be fooled. They were going to vote on issues like

Free land, Free TV sets, Free electricity, Loan waivers, Free cash, Free biriyani and free liquor unlike losers who voted on other trivial issues like terror, economic stability etc.

Maybe they didnt know that India's fiscal deficit was in double figures (one of the highest in the world) and that India's debt had been given junk rating. But who cares about fancy elitist shit like that when u can drink, burn effigies and throw your footwear at any politician irrespective of his political affiliation ?

On Monday the stock market soared 2000 points on the baseless rumor that Manmohan is an economist. Is that true ?

5 years of unending prosperity and bliss awaits.....

- Tejas

Let's play a game....

Here is where I continue from my previous blog post about the current economic downturn.
So which economic theory will last the test of time ? The answer is without doubt CAPITALISM :D

"See, the whole free market is collapsing before your eyes"
"The collapse of the US market and the subsequent meltdowns in Asia and Europe show that Capitalism is failing"

What can you say about the above statements ? Firstly , they are inherently flawed.
The FREE MARKET HAS NOT AND WILL NEVER FAIL.
GOVERNMENT INTERFERENCE IN THE PROCESS MAKES IT FAIL.

Let us see how communism works using Game Theory. For those familiar with Game theory, here is a small intro. Game theory is used to capture how humans respond in various strategic situations. There are many outcomes, but however, in a lot of cases, the best possible outcome is not what really happens.


In this case, we consider A and B.
A is a person and B is the rest of the society.
W => Work
NW => No Work/Dont work

In every square, the top portion represent results obtained by A and the bottom portion represent results obtained by B.

Consider that you are the person 'A'. Whatever u work will be pooled in with the work of the society 'B' and then the results will be equally distributed. A doesnt know how hard the society is working. Similarly , each and every one in the society will not know how the hard the other person is working. If we consider the boxes, we have 4 scenarios.

Scenario 1 : Both A and B (society) work hard and end up with profits.

Scenario 2 : A works well , but the rest of the society's output is not good enough. So, compared to what effort A put in, he will not get the results to compensate that. So, A ends up with a loss.
The society enjoys a small profit at the expense of A's hard work.

Scenario 3 : A doesn't work hard , but the rest of the society manages to put in effort and create some output. So, ultimately A makes a small profit, because he is getting something without doing anything. B takes a loss, because people like A are a burden to society.

Scenario 4: A also doesnt put any effort. The rest of the society also doesn't work. So there is no profit for anyone and no loss for anyone.

What is the ideal case here ? Scenario 1 of course. Both A and B will end up with profits and live in harmony ever after.

But very sadly, game theory proves that that never happens.
Why is that ? That is because of underlying human nature. Here , the 2 participants A and B have no idea of what each other is doing and cannot trust each other.

A will think --> "what if i put in effort and then end up with a loss because other people in society have not worked hard enough ?"

similarly, each person in the society will have the same thought as A. They fear that they will end up with a loss if other people in the society dont work as hard as them.

So, what are the options before A ?

If he works, he will get either Profit, or a loss
If he doesnt work, he will get a small profit, or wind up with no profit-no loss

The same are the options before B.

It is proven that both A and B will go for the option of not working, BECAUSE THAT WILL WORK OUT BETTER FOR THEM ON AN AVERAGE.

So, we will wind up with scenario 4 , where noone does any work.
What will result ? massive stagnation, absence of any development and abject poverty.

Now u know why capitalism works :))

- Tejas

Marx my words !

"Democracy will ultimately collapse into socialism(communism)" - Karl Marx

Before embarking on writing this blog entry, I would like to emphatically proclaim that I am a proud free-marketeer who believes in the tenets of capitalism.
Yes , this blog is going to be about economics (yawwwnnn :) ). Well, I would be deceiving myself if I were to believe that this topic would appeal to most people. But however keeping in mind the current economic downturn, it would be nice to delve into the reasons that got us here.
I consider myself a layman in financial issues (but however, it is also one of my passions). Lemme try to explain what I understood from this financial chaos.

What exactly happened

Let us consider a guy called ABC and a bank called XYZ. ABC has seen that property prices are going up everywhere. So, he decides to buy a house. The house costs Rs. 70 lakhs. Even though ABC is unemployed, the bank XYZ gives him a loan of 70 lakhs. Why ?
Isn't giving a Rs.70 lakh loan to an unemployed person risky ? how will he give the money back ?

The beauty here is that the banks never expected to get their money back :)

what the bank XYZ thought ---> "ok...this guy will not give the money back. So, we can seize the house when he defaults on the loan. By the time the guy defaults, he defaults, the house price would have shot upto Rs.80 Lakh. We can sell the house at that price and make a cool Rs.10 lakh profit "

well, in a few months, the price went upto 80 Lakhs.

What ABC thought--->"ok, the price of the flat has shot up to Rs.80 lakh. I have already got a loan of 70 lkahs from the bank. Now, let me borrow another 10 lakhs. With this new loan of 10 lakhs, let me buy a huge car and go on a vacation. Afterall, if something happens, I will sell the house at 80 lakhs and give the money to the bank. "

The bank XYZ gives this 10 lakh loan, because, after a few months , the house will be worth 90 lakhs rite ????

What actually transpired ----> The housing bubble burst. Housing prices collapsed. The house that ABC bought at 70 lakhs is now worth 30 lakhs, and sinking fast.
ABC has no option but to file for bankruptcy , or default on his payment.
Remember, ABC actually owes the bank 80 lakhs (70+10). So, the bank seizes the house. But finds that it is worth only 30 lakhs.
Bank has a loss of 30-80 = 50 lkhs

Now, banks are facing huge losses. So, they stop giving loans to people like they used to.
But if people dont get the money they want , they are pissed. What do they do ?
They vote out the government.

what the government thinks -----> "Damn ! if we dont get these banks up and running and lending to people again, the people will get pissed and not vote for me. Hmm...there is one way out. Whatever tax money I have got out of the people, I will give it to these banks so that they can lend more money to undeserving people."

So, this is how money gets transferred from law abiding, non risk taking , hard working citizens to jobless people (remember XYZ) who took unbelievable risks

It is interseting to note that the same thing is happening with "BIG FIRMS"
Firms like General motors, Ford etc having huge losses. Why ? They had labour unions which demanded a large pay for a small amount of work. So, their cars became expensive.
So, in such a downturn, people stopped buying these cars and went in for Japanese cars which were cheaper. So, what happened ?
GM and Ford are facing huge losses. They have 3 million workers working for them directly and indirectly. They have no choice but to file for bankruptcy. But if they do, some other company will take them over. If some other company takes over, they will fire 1.5 million and retain the other 1.5 million workers.
So, 1.5 million are unemployed. They are pissed.

What the Government thinks ----> "Oops, if i dont pump more money into GM and Ford (which are practically dead), I will lose 1.5 million votes. So I will take tax-payer money and give it to GM and Ford "

Money which should have been used for development and other purposes goes for propping up a failed business which hardly deserves any sympathy.

But why are communism and socialism collosal failures ? I shall try to explore that next :D

-Tejas

The news that Isn't

What do you do when one of your best frds has no time even to respond to your offlines/chat messages/sms's etc ?
Here is an innovative idea.

NEWS REPORT

Mr.Keshav Kandhadai Mukund hailing from Chennai has broken the world record holder for the maximum number of hrs worked in a day. KM Keshav or 'Sloth Kamnaati' as he is popularly called, clocked 25hrs , 4mins and 30 seconds of work on a single day.
Keshav had managed this unbelievable feat by working on different time zones during the same day (or some crazy shit like that)
Part of this marathon feat was a 1hr telephone call from an abusive caller in the United States. It was later learnt that the caller was one of Mr.Keshav's best friends and that Keshav had mistaken him for a customer. Some of Mr.Keshav's most vocal detractors allege that his achievements are bloated because of the sheer volume of prank calls made by anonymous female admirers. When contacted, a spokesperson for Mr.Keshav categorically rejected the allegations as baseless and untrue. Mr.Keshav himself could not be contacted for a statement on the issue as he was troubleshooting a windows-2009 bug for Bill Gates.

- The abusive caller from the USA

Perception and Reality :D

I wrote this blog at one stretch after listening to a CNN-IBN/NDTV new report.
The un-highlighted part is what we are supposed to presume and the highlighted part potrays reality :D

1) The Prime minister condemns the attack and says that the perpetrators will be punished (just like Dawood ibrahim)

2) No comment from Pratibha Patil (because she has forgotten that she is the president)

3) An all party meeting is convened where the PM takes stock of the situation (all parties stage walk out after 10 minutes and PM is left all alone).

4) Security is 'beefed' in all the metros (with 5 constables who are armed with state-of-the-art lathis)

5) China says that its sympathies are with India (and Its missiles are with Pakistan)

6) The USA calls it a barbaric act (and sends Condi Rice for a fully paid vacation to India for a month)

7) The PM blames pakistan and ISI operatives for the attacks (Pak refutes the allegations , 10 minutes before the PM blamed Pak).

8) The cricket tour to Pak is cancelled (which upsets Afridi who was eager to kick Bhajji's ass yet again)

9) Rajdeep Sardesai comes up with a unique solution (lighting a candle for every attack)

10) The defence minister attends meetings with the army chiefs (and comes to know that Assam and the northeastern states are part of India)

11) India gives a 48 hour deadline to Pak to act. (because, the previous 72 hour deadline expired 36 hours ago)

12) The air force is put on 'Passive defence alert' which is the last stage before an attack. (at the last moment, the tyres will be inflated and petrol will be filled)

13) The army is put on high alert ( some world war II cannons are moved to a village near Pak border)

14) This time, strict 15 days notice is given to Pak (because of festivals/holidays etc in between)


After 15 days, another terror attack takes place (Go back to step 1)

The Politics of Nothing

‘Terrorists stage a multitude of attacks on India’s commercial capital Mumbai. Blasts rock Ville Parle and Churchgate’

This was the news which confronted me first thing in the morning on November 26^th (as I currently work in USA).

Well, what’s new ?

‘This is the first time that terrorists have spread out into groups and fired indiscriminately on citizens’

Okay, well atleast something is new about this scenario. I wondered why this news did not even cause me to bat an eyelid. This despite having deep connections to Mumbai (being born in Mumbai and most of my maternal relatives hailing from the city) .

Although my heart went out to the victims of the attacks, I could not help brush aside a feeling of nonchalance and disinterest. I wondered as to how I had transformed into this ‘callous’ person who could no longer relate to the reality of a terrorist attack and the pain that it subsequently brought. My thoughts went back in time to the afternoon of December 13^th 2001. I was merely a young lad studying in Std 12. I could remember vividly the events that unfolded on TV that afternoon. As I returned from school, my grandmother exclaimed to me – “Teja, terrorists have struck at the parliament. There is a gun battle going on !”. Being a hot blooded teenager, the news angered me and it gave rise to a feeling of bloodthirsty revenge. I was confident that the BJP government at the center would respond in kind, avenging the attacks that had struck at the very heart of Indian democracy.. But however, after much grandstanding and posturing, it became evident that India was not going to respond afterall.

Months passed. On May 14^th 2002, terrorists had struck again, their target being the soldiers’ psyche. Terrorists had killed the kith and kin of soldiers serving at the nation’s borders. I was seething with rage again. Surely this kind of attack warranted a response. Fiery speeches were made by the nation’s leaders. Rhetoric ruled the airwaves and war was imminent. But however, I was once again stymied to find that India lacked the backbone to retaliate.

Despite being sorely disappointed, I somehow nurtured the factitious belief there should be a valid reason behind India’s reluctance to act. Months later, Akshardham followed.

Power changed hands in 2004 and India stepped from the frying pan into the fire. In July 2006, blasts rocked Mumbai’s commuter trains. But however, this attack was also brushed under the carpet and accolades were showered on Mumbaikars for their fortitude.

By the fag end of their tenure, the UPA government became the laughing stock of the world as terrorists struck week after week at different cities across India. All the government did was watch from the sidelines.

Then my thoughts came back to the present. As I write, Afzal Guru is still alive living a life of luxury in prison. I smirked as I realized how impotency and apathy had become ingrained in our psyche. I logged into social networking sites like orkut to find my fellow country-men engaging in a war of words over the attacks calling for ‘immediate action’.

But however, I have come to realize that in India, life has no value and action is mere fallacy.

I bet that the coffee shops inside the Taj will be teeming with people within a week and that the attacks will be forgotten.

Wanna bet ?

- Tejas

First Love

I saw her first in 2004. Her sleek appearance captivated me. Her purring voice was music to my ears. The minute I saw her, I knew she was the one.

The first ones to know were Kaushik and Keshav. Kaushik was initially apprehensive, but gave the thumbs up based on the family from which she hailed.

Keshav was unusually enthusiastic (for his usually slothy/teddy bear self). He even came with me to see her in person. He smiled and said “great choice da”.

Now , I had to tell this to ABC and XYZ (my close friends).

I thought “Boy would they be excited !!”.

ABC was amazed.

ABC : “yenna da solre ? nijamava ?”

Me : “aamam da..yenakku avala romba puduchirukku”

ABC : “Dei, u are telling me that she is Japanese. Will it not be a problem ?”

Me : “Dei, her mother is Indian da, and her father is Japanese. But now, they have separated.”

ABC : “What a mixed up family ! Well, If she is Japanese, what all does she eat ? nadakkardhu, parakardhu etc ?

Me : “Dei ava oil items mattum thaan saapuduva. She kinda likes them.”

XYZ : “Unna poi ava eppudi tolerate panna poraalo !”

Me : “Are you kidding me ? She gets a kick out of me everytime we are together."

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Kesh chuckling to himself. Afterall, he had see her.

ABC was understandably eager to see her. He was insistent that I bring her to college one day and introduce her to the gang. He had conveyed the news to a couple of his friends and his excitement was palpable. But I knew that the time was not right.

So I waited….

A few days later , I called ABC in the morning at about 7 AM.

Me : “Dei machan, I am gonna make her mine. Register panna poren da”

ABC : “dei !! yenna da sudden-a ?? U gotta be kidding. Unnaala mudiyaadhu.”

Me : “Of course I can…wanna bet ?

ABC : “Come on da. Nee poi solrae. What will your parents say ? “

Me : “I have already conveyed my decision to them”

ABC : “dei..U sound like u are serious ! naanga yaaravadhu varanuma ?”

Me : “Vaendaam..I will ensure that there are no hassles in the procedure”.

It was 8:30 AM. Everything was set. I messaged Kesh informing him that I would be arriving at college in a few minutes and that I would be meeting him at the vacant parking lot in our college . Kesh brought ABC and XYZ down to the parking lot and covered their eyes.

When they opened their eyes, they saw me with my BRAND NEW HONDA UNICORN

ABC : “Dei $#@^&* (unutterable expletives) , Yenna da idhellam ????!! “

XYZ : “Yenna da !! ippudi deceive pannitiye !!”

Me : “ Guys, idhu thaan yen first love. Ava amma Indian (Hero) and ava Appa Japanese (Honda) . Naan sonna maadhiri , ava oil items mattum thaan saapuduva (petrol)

Of course, she gets a kick out of me everytime (no electric start, only kick start)

Innikku morning thaan vandiya register pannen.”

ABC chased me around the college building desperate to lay his hands on me, but thankfully, I gave him the slip. Of course, XYZ gave me her customary angry glare for the rest of the day.

Too bad I sold my Unicorn a months ago :(((

But even today, when bikes race past me, I am reminded of my beloved Unicorn.

Aahhh..those were the days …. (sigh….)