Some people are worried they might go crazy one day. What with all this recession (and yet a somewhat positive stock market) and all kinds of people turning into statistical percentages. Percentage of people who lost their homes, percentage of people who can't dream anymore about owning a home, percentage of people who played around with other people's homes... you get the drift.
And who would you trust around you? The about to be enthroned UPA? Ketan Parekh? Those analysts on NDTV who claimed in Jan 08 that "markets would have support at 20000 in the short term"? Who is really keeping the markets afloat? Or would you think that Obama is the saviour? Nasdaq and Dow are inching up rapidly. So is the worst for the world over? Even if GM files for bankruptcy, even if credit card defaults are supposed to increase? What exactly does "consumer confidence index" measure? How do you measure optimism?
And all this accompanied by increasing problems on the personal front. I mean, just how many marriages (and that's another interesting statistic by the way) were actually based on "love", and not on the expanse of your downtown Manhatten villa? How many friendships are actually not based on social status, and the ability (mainly financially) to be "cool"? Would you respect your uncles as much if they turned up at your doorstep without a wallet-loosening gift stashed away in their coat pockets? Would you?
This has got me worried. And what I am worried about is not whether I will go crazy. But that I will never know when exactly did I cross the line...
Monday, May 11, 2009
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Price-tags
I have been house hunting (No, that's not the excuse for not writing anything in March of 09). And I have begun to realize that you can attach a price tag to almost anything and everything.
One of your rooms has a view to what looks like a huge drain (they call it a Lake), and the per sq. ft. price goes up.
You can watch fifty pigeons bathing and shitting in the common pool below, and it's called "pool-facing".
There's one rotten tread-mill in the basement, and you have to pay "Clubhouse" charges.
The vaguely audible sea-waves, lashing a few kilometers away, would come with a "sea-facing" tag.
The convenience of watching huge movie posters and clothing banners would easily lead to a "mall-facing" qualifier, which translates to an additional Rs. to the psf rate.
And if from your window you can watch the crowd pouring into Siddhivinayak, then you must have paid a real hefty premium (God ain't cheap, certainly not in Mumbai)
The only consolation is that they haven't (at least till now) asked me for any premiums if the window opens into the bedroom of my neighbor...
One of your rooms has a view to what looks like a huge drain (they call it a Lake), and the per sq. ft. price goes up.
You can watch fifty pigeons bathing and shitting in the common pool below, and it's called "pool-facing".
There's one rotten tread-mill in the basement, and you have to pay "Clubhouse" charges.
The vaguely audible sea-waves, lashing a few kilometers away, would come with a "sea-facing" tag.
The convenience of watching huge movie posters and clothing banners would easily lead to a "mall-facing" qualifier, which translates to an additional Rs. to the psf rate.
And if from your window you can watch the crowd pouring into Siddhivinayak, then you must have paid a real hefty premium (God ain't cheap, certainly not in Mumbai)
The only consolation is that they haven't (at least till now) asked me for any premiums if the window opens into the bedroom of my neighbor...
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Immoral police
Ancient mammoths imposing their will
Myopic vultures scooping down upon all
Fictitious religions, governed by fictitious Gods
Dwarf-minded dinosaurs, standing tall
Fighting to win their own wars,
The army of wall-builders arrives
Each bearing a sign they don’t understand
Fed on one large truth, of cumulative lies
Carrying bird-cages in their creepy hands,
Finding faults with those walking free
Destroying all hints of progress,
Self-claimed visionaries, who were not made to see
Hallucinating on ego-strengthening trips,
The tyrants claim they are more learned
In a time when shadows rule the bodies,
Illiteracy becomes a virtue of the over-educated
These quacks are playing, with fiery medicines,
Turning guinea pigs out of the innocent
Forked tongues, unleashing venom
Until their preys are fully spent
And so they haunt the unsuspecting millions
Specters marching, waving scepters
Bones of contention left in every plate,
By scheming villains, and glorified rainmakers
Myopic vultures scooping down upon all
Fictitious religions, governed by fictitious Gods
Dwarf-minded dinosaurs, standing tall
Fighting to win their own wars,
The army of wall-builders arrives
Each bearing a sign they don’t understand
Fed on one large truth, of cumulative lies
Carrying bird-cages in their creepy hands,
Finding faults with those walking free
Destroying all hints of progress,
Self-claimed visionaries, who were not made to see
Hallucinating on ego-strengthening trips,
The tyrants claim they are more learned
In a time when shadows rule the bodies,
Illiteracy becomes a virtue of the over-educated
These quacks are playing, with fiery medicines,
Turning guinea pigs out of the innocent
Forked tongues, unleashing venom
Until their preys are fully spent
And so they haunt the unsuspecting millions
Specters marching, waving scepters
Bones of contention left in every plate,
By scheming villains, and glorified rainmakers
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Choices...
I have been told (and have read the same) that all that takes place in our life is our own choice. Even Master Oogway reiterates this so many times to Master Shifu - "There are... no accidents". Though Shifu of course has a tough time believing that. I can understand that feeling.
I guess we all can. It's so easy for us when all that takes place in our life is not really attributed to us, but to a larger scheme; called "fate" or "destiny" or "God" (that is infact usually the first resort). I mean, how can there be "no accidents"? Our whole life began with a (literally) fucking accident. And they don't really stop as we move on through life. Sometimes accidents come in our way, and then there are times when we come in their way.
Like we all obviously remember the last time we just got "lucky", or the time when we were consoled with "Better luck next time". Like the time when you darkened one extra right circle in your CAT exam, or the time when you "somehow" missed the 8:25 Churchgate local, and your client walked into a different meeting by the time you reached... "Luck by Chance", as they say in Mumbai (and they even made a movie out of it -- where would they get all that money if there was no subject such as luck). And the biggest example of them all, is of course Slumdog... (Remember the catchy line - "It is written"?). But what was really written? The fact that there would be thousands of people born into the slums of Bandra, or the fact that a movie about them would go on to win 8 Oscars...?
And to proclaim that all those are our own choices - there's some disbelief bound to happen. I know there's the concept of Super-consciousness, consciousness, and sub-consciousness. And all our choices are made at either of these, or at a combination of these levels. How much have I chosen consciously , is something I have never consciously thought of though. I only have one thing to say to my super-conscious -- "You better be making some good choices mate. We are in this together afterall, aren't we?"
I guess we all can. It's so easy for us when all that takes place in our life is not really attributed to us, but to a larger scheme; called "fate" or "destiny" or "God" (that is infact usually the first resort). I mean, how can there be "no accidents"? Our whole life began with a (literally) fucking accident. And they don't really stop as we move on through life. Sometimes accidents come in our way, and then there are times when we come in their way.
Like we all obviously remember the last time we just got "lucky", or the time when we were consoled with "Better luck next time". Like the time when you darkened one extra right circle in your CAT exam, or the time when you "somehow" missed the 8:25 Churchgate local, and your client walked into a different meeting by the time you reached... "Luck by Chance", as they say in Mumbai (and they even made a movie out of it -- where would they get all that money if there was no subject such as luck). And the biggest example of them all, is of course Slumdog... (Remember the catchy line - "It is written"?). But what was really written? The fact that there would be thousands of people born into the slums of Bandra, or the fact that a movie about them would go on to win 8 Oscars...?
And to proclaim that all those are our own choices - there's some disbelief bound to happen. I know there's the concept of Super-consciousness, consciousness, and sub-consciousness. And all our choices are made at either of these, or at a combination of these levels. How much have I chosen consciously , is something I have never consciously thought of though. I only have one thing to say to my super-conscious -- "You better be making some good choices mate. We are in this together afterall, aren't we?"
Thursday, January 01, 2009
Back to the past...
There is hope, yet again. As the most common emotion floating around between the late hours of 31st December and 1st January. And for 2009, people do need a lot of hope... to get back into a mindset of thinking in terms of futuristic figures...
...It is interesting to note that most stock market indices are back to 2005-2006 levels. So are the inflation and GDP growth figures for a large number of economies. The FRR is back to 50s level, and gasoline prices are US are at 2004 range. And of course, the root cause, the real estate prices are trying to achieve a meaningful bottom.
Which is good, in a way. 2006 and 2007 had seen an irrational exuberance fuelled by severe greed amongst almost all businesses. 2008 dealt a rather harsh, sobering financial blow. Reality has that habit of hurting. And all these shocks, coupled with the demonic terrorist attacks on Mumbai, further affected the general sentiment.
Which is again, the reason why the common populace needs more than a bushel full of hope to lead their way into this new year. But like always, we are a resilient race. The size of the fight doesn't reduce inside us. The future, though unknown, can still look good if viewed with the right lenses. And here's the best part -- the choice of that lens, lies with us.
Happy 2009.
...It is interesting to note that most stock market indices are back to 2005-2006 levels. So are the inflation and GDP growth figures for a large number of economies. The FRR is back to 50s level, and gasoline prices are US are at 2004 range. And of course, the root cause, the real estate prices are trying to achieve a meaningful bottom.
Which is good, in a way. 2006 and 2007 had seen an irrational exuberance fuelled by severe greed amongst almost all businesses. 2008 dealt a rather harsh, sobering financial blow. Reality has that habit of hurting. And all these shocks, coupled with the demonic terrorist attacks on Mumbai, further affected the general sentiment.
Which is again, the reason why the common populace needs more than a bushel full of hope to lead their way into this new year. But like always, we are a resilient race. The size of the fight doesn't reduce inside us. The future, though unknown, can still look good if viewed with the right lenses. And here's the best part -- the choice of that lens, lies with us.
Happy 2009.
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