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Articles by ayanmisra
Posted Jan 19, 2017 | General | 390 Views   

Mehengai,Dhandebazi aur ab Notebandi...

It was 10 pm on 8th November 2016.My sister called on the landline.We were shocked:Rs 500 & Rs 1000 notes had been withdrawn.The next day banks were closed.On 10th morning I was in the queue at our local bank.I was able to deposit some of the... It was 10 pm on 8th November 2016.My sister called on the landline.We were shocked:Rs 500 & Rs 1000 notes had been withdrawn.The next day banks were closed.On 10th morning I was in the queue at our local bank.I was able to deposit some of the notes we had but was allowed to withdraw Rs 5000/- only by cheque.I was at the bank the next morning and was able to withdraw Rs 5000 again.We had many Rs 20 notes now.What followed in the next few days was unrestrained chaos.Nobody was accepting old notes not even CESC which is the electricity provider in Kolkata.I run an advertising agency.SBI,our banker was not accepting our client's cheques and when it did it took over a week to encash the cheque.The queues at various banks were seen to be believed.Why the government was and is still giving Rs 2000/- notes remains a mystery.Everyone wanted Rs 100 notes and whenever an ATM was found to issue Rs 100 notes there were huge queues to withdraw them.In the meanwhile my other sister arrived from Canada.For her various shopping needs she required Rs 60000.I had to fight hard to withdraw this cash early in December but somehow managed by taking money from multiple accounts.The process of demonetization and what followed thereafter is ongoing.We still do not know where we are heading.There are still queues in banks & ATMs and a general paucity of cash.But we hope things will improve.For one we need more Rs 500 notes & these are still not available.I guess times are tough but let's hope we will see better days. Read More
Posted Aug 16, 2016 | General | 286 Views   

About rising prices & the common man..

We live in a strange world.We have multiplexes where everything costs 4 times their price outside.The movie tickets in a multiplex may cost Rs 1500/-.There are schools where it costs Rs 50,000 per year to educate a 5 year old child.There are shop... We live in a strange world.We have multiplexes where everything costs 4 times their price outside.The movie tickets in a multiplex may cost Rs 1500/-.There are schools where it costs Rs 50,000 per year to educate a 5 year old child.There are shops in a mall where the cost of a garment is minimum Rs 2000/- and its only a tshirt.There are shows on television that talk about sarees that cost upward of a lakh.The list is endless and these prices only keep climbing.Why,you may ask.Because there are very few genuine buyers.We are living in a world that is overvalued.Things are not worth their asking price.And as fewer and fewer people buy these goods and services the prices keep increasing.This is what so-called liberalisation has done to us.There are some people who are making a lot of money.The guys from IT & ITes and the government job-holders maybe.But even in these sectors the supply of money is not plentiful.What is the core problem?Probably inefficiency.Most certainly there is not enough money in the system.If you try to see all the money ultimately comes from the poorest sections.They are end customers of all manufactured goods.Indeed these goods are not of good quality.And even if they are people do not have the money to buy whatever is on offer.Naturally this leads to things becoming costlier as inefficiency leads to inflation.If we must indeed progress(which means more money for all)we must make better things.More efficiency can help us curb price rise or at least keep prices affordable. Read More
Tags: Prices
Posted Jul 25, 2016 | General | 319 Views   

Kuch Toh Log Kahenge...

Rajesh Khanna is dead.Long live Rajesh Khanna. I think Naseeruddin Shah is plain jealous.When he was doing art films he abused them saying that he was not making enough money.He was a failure in commercial movies.Why is he saying that Rajesh K... Rajesh Khanna is dead.Long live Rajesh Khanna. I think Naseeruddin Shah is plain jealous.When he was doing art films he abused them saying that he was not making enough money.He was a failure in commercial movies.Why is he saying that Rajesh Khanna was a poor actor?He is forgetting that Rajeshji stood first in an acting competition in which Amitabh Bachchan was a participant.And Rajesh Khanna was definitely a good actor.Who can forget his performance as a dying cancer patient in Anand when he was a top star at the height of his powersAnd in many more movies.And indeed Rajesh Khanna's life was tragic too.At age 30 he was a mega-mega star.He can do no wrong.He gets married to a 14 year old girl.And then its all gone.He suffers one flop after another,he loses his looks,When he dies he is a lonely,neglected man.Agreed his stardom went to his head.He treated his producers and directors badly.But surely he suffered too.When you get married you hope life will be great.But look at this man.He loses everything that he had including his looks after marrying Dimple Kapadia.He is no longer charming or attractive and his films don't do well,Naseer Saab is a bitter,frustated old man.He has neither had commercial success nor wealth.He is envious of Rajesh Khanna.Between 1969 and 1973 Rajeshji had 15 hits and they were all good films.Aavishkar was an art film,Amar Prem was good,Prem Nagar was good.In fact some of the best commercial,masala films were made with Khanna as hero.So what is Naseer saying? Read More
Tags: rajesh khanna
Posted Mar 11, 2016 | General | 305 Views   (Updated Mar 11, 2016 10:21 AM)

Gone there?Done this?

We all may have watched the commercials of UTI Mutual Fund currently on air.UTI is a public sector company and the stock market is in doldrums.However these commercials show common indian people wearing expensive foreign watches or going on multi... We all may have watched the commercials of UTI Mutual Fund currently on air.UTI is a public sector company and the stock market is in doldrums.However these commercials show common indian people wearing expensive foreign watches or going on multiple foreign trips.Indeed a lot of investors of UTI(My father is a customer) stay invested in the company because it helps us fulfill certain fiancial needs on an annual basis.The kind of returns UTI offers is not good enough to finance a foreign trip.And indeed most UTI investors are NOT thinking of a foreign trip when they park their hard-earned money with UTI.It is generally children's education or medical treatment or at the most a daughter's wedding that we have in mind.So why show this kind of stuff?There are other advertisements airing presently that promote an alternate lifestyle.Take the Birla Sun Life Insurance ad.A person who works as a personal assistant in a company is seen receiving medical treatment in a luxurious hospital.And he is talking about sending his son to the UK for doing his MBA.Can an insurance policy give returns good enough to make this possible.For people like us who have lost a lot of money by investing in unit-linked insurance schemes(ULIPs) this kind of advertisements are all the more painful.Then there are the ads for automobiles,high-end automobiles.These guys present the cars costing 7-8 lakhs as desirable and even affordable.We live in a country where most people are poor.And we are being tempted to think big,crave and desire big through advertisements such as this.The rich have always done these things-gone on foreign holidays,sent their children abroad for higher studies and bought high-end cars.But can even the so-called middle class afford these things?Should we not concentrate on building the economy,creating genuine jobs and augmenting national income?Why create a demand for esoteric,luxurious lifestyle which the majority of us cannot afford anyway. Read More
Tags: advertisements
Posted Jan 22, 2016 | General | 399 Views   

Maine Film Banayi Hai Aap Dekhnay Aana...

Each time a new film appears we notice a certain behaviour on part of the various media.They always act like this is the ONE.This is the film that will save us all,this is the movie we were waiting for for centuries.Yet,this film despite all its... Each time a new film appears we notice a certain behaviour on part of the various media.They always act like this is the ONE.This is the film that will save us all,this is the movie we were waiting for for centuries.Yet,this film despite all its publicity turns out to be the same stupid mish-mash that we had watched a week before.And in a theatre where the ticket costs Rs 1000/- & the popcorn Rs 500/-.Yet the newspapers,the channels do not tire.Come next Friday,come the weekend and they are doing the same thing.Indeed this is true of major serials too.Each time a big producer like Ekta Kapoor lauches a new project the glossy city-supplements and the airwaves are full of tidbits about the actors & how much fun they had shooting and what not.It sets one thinking.We pay to buy newspapers or to watch the various channels.And if all we get is film promotion then that's unfair.And its the same thing over and over again.They act as if its the greatest film ever made.One common tactic is to quote the amount of money spent to make the film.Now we all know that a film has to recover its making costs from ticket sales.And a lot of expensive films turn out to be "turkeys".So I don't see the logic in quoting expenses.Indeed these days they make a film and like Shah Rukh Khan they will do anything to get us to the theatres.It doesn't seem to bother them that they are doing the same thing repeatedly for each new film and some people if not all will remember what they had said the last time.Do they assume that people don't read or see and recognise that they are being cheated? Read More
Tags: Film
Posted Nov 25, 2015 | General | 370 Views   

The 7TH Pay Commission & Bharatvarsh...

The central government is hiking salaries of its employees.The IAS officers of high rank will get monthly basic of 2.5 lakhs.The minimum salary of central employees is around 30000.Indeed Modi is shouting himself hoarse to Indians in the US,UK,Ma... The central government is hiking salaries of its employees.The IAS officers of high rank will get monthly basic of 2.5 lakhs.The minimum salary of central employees is around 30000.Indeed Modi is shouting himself hoarse to Indians in the US,UK,Malayasia & Singapore that India is a rising power that the country is progressing.Only that we do not see the signs of progress.Among the people who will have their salaries increase are people who work in the Post Office.If you have been to any indian post office you will know how things are there.I have to often buy postage stamps.These guys never give you change at the post office.You have to either carry the exact change or wait till some kind soul buys with enough change.The post office employees are very rude.If you have to get money from either through Monthly Income Scheme,National Savings Certificate or Kisan Vikas Patra they will harass you to death.These people act as if the money is their own and they are being kind enough to give it to you.This is a typical scenario at a sarkari daftar.They seem to have no fear of losing their jobs so they will do what they please.And these are the very people who are getting salary hikes every five years.Those people working in the private sector particularly outside IT and ITes have no such luck.Their salaries are low and job security is not that much.And the rest of India is actually poor,dirt poor.Our farmers take loans of Rs 10000 or less to sow their crops and are still unable to pay back these loans.How can we progress(which means everyone has enough money) if we cannot include everyone in the developmental process.How can the indian government servant famous the world over for their inertia keep getting more money and the poor kisan,the labourer in the unorganised sector or even the white-collar worker in the small private firm be ignored.We want to follow western materialism but where in Europe & US are government employees paid as much as they are in India.Instead of lecturing the indian diaspora about India's growth let the government do something for everyone.Only then can we become rich. Read More
Tags: 7th Pay commission
Posted Nov 02, 2015 | General | 295 Views   

Thinking about India...

One question that comes to mind is this:Are we or is India rich or is it poor?All that I see around me,the people,their lifestyles and their general attitude seems to indicate that India is a poor country.The majority of the people do not have en... One question that comes to mind is this:Are we or is India rich or is it poor?All that I see around me,the people,their lifestyles and their general attitude seems to indicate that India is a poor country.The majority of the people do not have enough money.So,why is everything so costly.If most people cannot buy that which has been manufactured or produced naturally prices will go up.Because the seller wants to profit.But its not that simple.There are forces at work that are doing this intentionally.Hoarders and black marketeers are pushing up the prices of everything.They are making huge profits but this leads to inflation.Every body has to buy food and if hoarders push the prices of food articles up,the prices of everything goes up as food has become costlier.Since the small man,say the rickshaw-puller has to eat too,he will increase his fare.As everyone increase their rates inflation goes up.And to think that most people are still rather poor.And everyone including poor people have to buy both food and medicines.And prices of both these things have gone up.So where is India headed?There were rich people before and inflation doesn't hurt them so much.The government is saying that domestic helps should be paid a minimum wage of Rs 9000/- per month.The trade unions are demanding a minimum assured wage of Rs 15000/-.The seventh pay commission is all set to make Rs 30000 the minimum salary for a sarkari naukri.Where are we headed?The rich people milk the middle class and the poor.The poor depend on doles from the mai-baap sarkar.And we continue to see advertisements for fancy goods like cars,electronics and smartphones that cost more and more and some more.Is there an end to this vicious cycle.Will we ever become what we are made to believe that we have become.Its a difficult question and there are no easy answers. Read More
Tags: India
Posted Oct 07, 2015 | General | 258 Views   (Updated Oct 08, 2015 09:14 AM)

The Dream Merchant?

Ram Gopal Verma(RGV) is not popular these days.He has been involved in litigation about his version of'Sholay'.His role in the aftermath of the 26/11 attack in Mumbai circa 2009 has been questioned by the filmy & non-filmy press.Yet this man... Ram Gopal Verma(RGV) is not popular these days.He has been involved in litigation about his version of'Sholay'.His role in the aftermath of the 26/11 attack in Mumbai circa 2009 has been questioned by the filmy & non-filmy press.Yet this man was something of an institution for some 15 years.He brought modernity to Bollywood with'Rangeela'.With this film,the industry gained the insight that good costumes,stylish mounting and synchronized dancing can add value to a movie and add to its box-office sales.Thereafter we saw the launching of the RGV film factory that churned out many new projects with new ideas and of course RGV's muse Urmila Matondkar as the leading lady.Thus we had'Mast' about a film actresses' strange life,'Nach' about dance,'Bhoot' about ghosts,'Jungle' about a Veerappan like forest brigand and many others.RGV launched many new directors like E-Niwas,actors like Aftab,Manoj Vajpai,Fardeen Khan was given a new lease of life.He made a film like'Satya' with practically no stars and a lot of fresh faces and it became a hit.There was a time in the 2000s' when RGV could do no wrong.Then,he made his version of'Sholay'.The movie was an unmitigated disaster and it bombed at the box-office.Then he was seen taking a tour of the Taj Hotel in Mumbai after the terrorist attack along with then CM of Maharashtra Vilasrao Deshmukh.The media tore him to shreds for this. RGV introduced a new kind of thinking.He promoted new ideas and new paradigms of film-making.He explored art,the supernatural,Mumbai's underworld,human psychology,politics as subjects for his films.In an industry that is accused of being repititive and formulaic he brought innovation and imagination.He promoted thinking out-of-the-box but with an eye on the box-office.Indeed he is a dream merchant and yet was never a showman but someone who painted pictures in his films like an accomplished artist.This is his contribution to indian cinema. Read More
Tags: ram gopal verma
Posted Sep 14, 2015 | General | 200 Views   

E for Energy,F for Finish...

I was watching a programme on DD Bangla just now.I liked what they were saying.The gist is this.In the World Environment Forum in Rio De Janeiro 1992 world leaders took note of the impact of so-called development on the environment.Nature is all... I was watching a programme on DD Bangla just now.I liked what they were saying.The gist is this.In the World Environment Forum in Rio De Janeiro 1992 world leaders took note of the impact of so-called development on the environment.Nature is all we have got.And we are exhausting nature and fast.The problem is this.People want to build more cities.More cities means more consumption of energy.And where is this energy coming from?From petroleum,from coal.And we have only limited amounts of these minerals.So,on one hand we are finishing off whatever oil & coal that we have and we are creating a situation where we are forced to consume energy.Whatever we do these days consumes a lot of energy.Offices have computers & ACs.Both consume a lot of energy.There were offices before but no computers.Computers have made our life easy but they consume a lot of energy.A lot of people buy ACs for their houses these days.That means high power consumption.Then there are water purifiers in homes & offices.All this means a lot of energy.This energy is being produced at the cost of coal deposits.Whatever we do consumes energy.Most of us have mobile phones.The hi-end smart phones need to be charged many times in a single day.All that requires more electrical power.We are consuming more & more energy.Most educated job-holding types are on Facebook all day long.That consumes electricity.We have gigantic malls that consume a lot of electricity.In short we now have a lifestyle as part of which we expect comfort,purity and pleasure at all times.We were not like this before.In the good old days people were ready to accept pain and inconvenience as part of life.Not any more.We now expect instant pleasure.And that consumes a lot of oil and plenty of coal.And unless we start to tone down,to adjust we will have to go back to bullock carts and dark,powerless evenings and nights.And at the current rate this can happen pretty soon. Read More
Tags: Energy
Posted Aug 21, 2015 | General | 272 Views   

Aamir Aadmi,Garib Aadmi

If you read the newspapers you come across a lot of talk of startups.It seems that companies founded by young techie types are appearing by the hundreds.And each time a startup receives funding from phirang investors its like a huge party.The pin... If you read the newspapers you come across a lot of talk of startups.It seems that companies founded by young techie types are appearing by the hundreds.And each time a startup receives funding from phirang investors its like a huge party.The pink business papers say a lot about the flipkarts,the snapdeals,the housing and their like.They write that these businesses are handing out handsome salaries,that they are paying Bollywood stars in hundreds of crores to appear in their advertisements.All this talk begs one simple question-is it all true.80% to 90% of indians are having a tough time these days about buying essential household supplies.And the startups are not discount stores like say Walmart.They are selling valuable goods & services at good prices.Indeed they sometimes offer discounts but that will not help them repay the loans that they are getting from foreign investors.So what is this all about?Are some people making some very careless mistakes?Has India become rich,is everyone on the internet.If India is not rich who will buy Flipkart's,Jabong's & Myntra's inventory of fancy goods.If the majority of indians don't have net connectivity how can they access the internet marketplaces who are spending a lot on advertising in mass media.Who is lying?Is all the talk about these startups not to be taken seriously?Is India still poor & backward?If so who will buy the goods on sale on Flipkart?And the advertisements for many kinds of cars all very expensive is it targeted at the poor indian or at the rich seth with truckloads of black money?Has our country changed or is the scenario more dismal than the 70s,80s & 90s.Indeed someone has these answers. Read More
Tags: India

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