What a Day!

March 31 2006:
I generally do not look back at a day till i get into my bed, i have no clue why i am thinking abt it so soon. May be b'coz i am in Office this late after a long time (5 months to be precise). More so i am still stuck with the damn paperwork, i wonder when will i get out of this mess :(
Then its end of the month .. Salary Day....yippie.. oh Hell!! this is end of the financial year too Gosh!! how much money Govt. has stolen from me .. ha ha ha.. ya the bloody Tax ... i have been robbed!
Then there is one thing i have been aware since morning.... No Dinner tonite @ home :(
Well i am yet to decide how waz the day for me. But all i can say March 31st reminds me that in 7 days time i will be at home feasting on "Aloo ke Parethe" made by Mom... i just can't wait for that
...damn! No food tonite :)

Tax, Tax and more Tax

This mrng i came across this article regarding caution deposits for house advances and the Tax on that. Gosh! i didn't knew that u have to pay registration tax on advance (security deposit or caution deposit) which we pay while renting a house. According to new State Budget we need to shell out 7.5 % registration tax on caution deposits for house advances. That’s too much! Well if u look at the prices in Bangalore of any commodity, all are Too Much! I do not understand the logic behind it. A US to India power converter plug costs Rs. 45 in Bangalore (Koramangla) while the same damn thing costs Rs. 15 in South Delhi. Can anybody explain me the logic? Well some say all here are working class (read Software/IT Professionals)...So? does this mean that we have to shell out so much money for such small things. This just reminded me of my days in Port Blair where there was an unwritten rule that "Anything that is not branded or doesn't have an MRP marked, its going to cost u the much", and i guess the same thing applies to Blore city too. Any product frm unorganized sector u buy and it will cost u heavily. Also look at the rent rates these days ... in my view the only thing that can give competition to the bull run we are seeing these days in stock markets. Any place u look for a decent house and the rent are sky rocketing. To make matters worse, landlords ask 10 months advance as a security deposit. What for? am i gng to run away with ur house and why 10 months...in Delhi advance is max. 3-4 months. Why? Well we are all prospering working in IT companies, making good money...does this justifies the irrational demands of landlords....and why are we paying that much? Well yea we can afford it but till when? ppl here (auto drivers, landlords) should understand we do not have a money plant in our backyard and govt. should understand that levying more taxes will not take them anywhere either.

PS: anybody havin more info abt state budget and its impact on us can do a post or send links.

Paper work .. Paper work .. more Paperwork

Today i appeared for the driving license test for both two-wheeler and four-wheeler. The whole exercise was one tiring shit.....do all the paper work, fill the forms, stand in queue, submit the papers. Then again wait for the almighty Police Uncle to come. Today the Policeman came at around 11:15, by that time i had to stand for over 2 hours in scorching heat and guess what now the Uncle wants all the applicants to hold their applications again...Again? i searched for my application along with some very impatient ppl and the whole scene looked like afish market, if nothing else...i mean why the hell applicants had hold their applications....start calling the names from the bundle of apps and start taking the test. Paperwork is not limited in the government offices too...in software companmies u have to write all sorts of docs like the release notes, manual and the all very important design document. Design Doc....huh? Sounds interesting? Well that the most boring work these days i am doing esp when u have to do it on a MS Word Template. Gosh that’s hard.. MS word somehow makes me crazy..
And then after wasting half a day for driving test i came to know that i need to do more paperwork as the appraisal time is here. I wonder when will this paperwork will leave me???

PS: I passed my driving test and will be getting license soon :)

Holi Hai!

Gosh! its Holi and i am sitting here in Office. Though i do not like to go out and play with colors on a Holi Day, that craze is gone now (i know i am only 24 years..) but still the craze to play with colors and water is all gone. Now as i sit here in Office and wondering what the hell i shud do today..i am the only one in my team to be present. Talking to my folks back @ home made me home sick again .. no no not the colors. but the awesome "Tahari" my mom is gng to cook today for lunch and yea those delicious "gunjiyas" Damn! i am missing home.
Enuf of centi i guess.....Here’s Wishing u a Very Colorful Holi!

Saza-e-Kalapani

Passing time on this dull Friday Afternoon i came across this article which prompted me to write this post. Post abt Kalapani as they all call it -- the worst jail term anybody cud get in pre-independence era. I also got Kalapani the only difference being it was post-independence, but hell what does a 16 year guy knows abt that. i was 16 years old when i showed my dis-interest in my fathers' business and had no clear goals in life what i wanted to be. i didn't knew that casual talk with my father (while i was flying kite) on a chilly December day will become my sentence to kalapani, as it turned out to be a week later when i was told to pack my bags and head off to Port Blair to stay with my relatives. I was very upset as the words echoed in my ears....What? what wrong did i do? The reply i got in return was "ur grown enuf, u have made a decision that u do not want to do business. I have made my decision that u cannot stay here coz the atmosphere ur gng to get at home will be always business-like. So ur out in 6 mnths time". I thought my folks does not love me (well it was my father actually, my mother cried on hearing his decision). Thinking abt it now, i have become an engineer (a great achievement if u ask me) :) Port Blair is a very calm and quite place. Life there is really amazing, no tensions, no worries and awesome beaches. Looking at the picture of Cellular Jail just reminded me how grand the structure is. Moreover i am amazed by the sheer genious of the designers who designed it.....Only 3-5 guards can keep a watch on the entire premises....real genius. For those of u do not know, original cellualr jail used to have seven wings, now it has five wings the other two gave way for the biggest hospital in the Islands which provides free medical services for the local people. Then there was my favorite Corbyn's Cove beach .. ah! i just love beaches. Then u have Marina Sports Water complex..my favourite place in the whole world. There was this bench at the end of the Jetty overlooking sea and Ross Islands at a distance frm where u can see all the ships entering Port Blair Harbor. But as they say all good things come to an end and this did literally....Tsunami Dec. 2004.....i was not there though i have heard frm my frens that Marina Sports Complex was totally devastated as the other places in the Islands .... i wonder what happened to Little Andaman where i say a water fall for the first time in my life. I wonder that bench is still there, neh it is not i saw the picture of the jetty and everything was submerged. Well the restoration work is gng on and hope it is completed before i head to my second home this winter! And yea who can forget the light-and-sound programme @ Cellular Jail every evening....gosh i am missing it too much!

Terrorism in India...Whos Line is it anyway?

Varanasi bombs explosions shook the whole nation, not b'coz place of worship was targeted among others but so many innocent ppl got killed by maniacs who think that will fulfill their goals -- whatever they are. The only thing they have achieved is that they have reserved a seat for themselves in Hell. However this is not the only reason that saddens me. Its the attitude what makes me sad and ashamed. Attitude of govt., politicins, media and relious fundamentalists. At this time of national grief...ppl are busy in making allegations, new ways of improving TRPs/vote bank, spreading communal tensions.
To start with the govt....yea the customary meetings, calling up the Chief Minister etc. etc. what was their in the manual is all done. what the govt shud do frm this point of time is WAKE UP! and tighten the screws of the intelligence agencies, arm the local police well and pay them well which will keep thier motivation lever high. 303 is obsolete, provide them smthing they can bank upon. There is a significant lack of co-ordination among different govt. agencies which is evident frm the reports after such incidents. When the Govt. will take steps to correct the shorcommings in its policies? After how many incidents? After how many loss of lives? Reading this article, many ppl feel (including me) that the govt. is lax in its policy to tacle Terrorism. There are laws like TADA which has brought its misuse by political parties to the limelite. We are talking abt National Security, our security and these ppl are framing laws so that they can settle political scores. Will these "wise" men will ever grow up and think beyond politics? i wonder! We should have a firm policy in place so that such henious attcks does not occur in fututre and the culprits get appropriate punshment.
Media .. Please do not bother abt ur TRPs, Stop sensationalising news. Also stop asking Stupid Questions! Media is also a partner in spreading communal tensions along with political parties by asking stupid questions and giving ideas to crazy ppl. Political parties these are the culprits responsible for dividing Indian society, causing tensions, violence while they have a quality time on our expense (tax payers money and general public ignorance). Still at this point they are trying to woo people by playing with their sentiments..worse spreading tension, hatered. I wonder which other nations' PM calls upon his ppl for restraint among people of differnent religions..It Happens Only in India! Hon. politicinas understand one thing these are the lives of people ur playing with not the vote banks as u see it.
Religious Fundamentalists all i want to say abt them is Shut Up! if u want to do any good to the ppl of ur religion if not society help the ppl who are suffering frm poverty, disease.
Finally people of India "Jago", understand what is in our interest and not get provoked by silly comments. Choose ou representatives wisely. Live and let live

Stocks and Stock Markets

In my last post i talked about Indian Law System which i do not understand at all. There are two more things which i do not understandl. The other one is Stock Markets. this post is influenced by the book i am reading on Stock markets and my own observation for the past few years. To begin with Stock Market just reminds me of a song by Bon Jovi "Hey God! -- What the hell is going on?" the only thing i understand is that stock markets go up and go down, the swings being judged by the indices. A quick questions pops in my mind what makes the indices go up or down...the answer is the Stock prices of the companies that makes up the index say BSE-30 index. Ok! And the stock prices are governed by the performance of the company Rite? Well the markets seem to think otherwise. For the past 3-4 years i have observed (most of the time) even though a company declares positive results for the quarter the market responds in the other direction almost all the time...the logic? i have no clue! Then u have those analysts.. These guys are real pro . i have heard frm lots of ppl "If u hear their words carefully, u will be able to predict where the market is heading the next day". So a question that comes in the mind of naive investor (say) like me is -- Then what drives the markets? thats a million rupees question (i do not like Dollar) and the person who can answer that, in my view has made a lot of money on the stock markets. There is one incident i remembered in which the markets went down by over 1% around 26 Jan 2002 (i do not remember the year correctly) and the reason given by the analysts on a major financial TV was General Padnabhan has called a press conference...............if my memory is correct the Army has been calling for the press conference earlier too on the eve of independence day.....so what was special in that? NOTHING ... i think they just ran out of ideas to take the markets down. Coming back to present times, markets have been touching new heights till yesterday....i did not get the point for this phenomenal rise coz as my frens tell that the "Mid-caps" (i have no idea what the hell they are) have not risen much compared to the rise in markets and the rosy picture that the RISE paints. Also this reminds me of the scams that have always followed with the phenomenal rise in the markets. I hope this time this isn't the case thanx to SEBI for tightening the regulations even further. Having said that, as i said in my earlier post that ppl think of loop-holes in the laws before they come into effect .. lets hope this isn't true this time for the benefit of small investors. PS the books I have read are --

1. A Beginners Guide : Profitable Investment in Shares
2. One Up on Wall Street - How to Use What You Already Know to Make Money in the Market (Currently Reading)

Justice in India ... a costly affair.

Justice! Wonder does anybody understands its true meaning? I don't.
There are lots of things that are unique abt India..to start with culture, language and ofcourse the yummy food which everyone appriciates and talks abt. These days there are lot many things aprt frm good ppl talk abt India like its foreign relations (read US of A), economy...well to apty put u hear sub-continent and India is the first thing comes into my mind. "Sub" continent..wow thats pretty big but then a question pops up in my mind how easy it is to get justice here.
There is no doubt we in India have one of the finest documented law system in the world. Our constitution in itself is a master piece. However as they say "Nobody is perfect"..very true nthing is perfect...in this case i feel that law system in pur country is not anywhere near perfect.
If there is a new law coming we get to know well in advance and if anyone of us is frm a business class family u will definately know before that advice/suggestion has become a law, we have already found the loop holes to exploit it.
I have found our law system pretty strange, Firstly, for the sheer number of pending cases at all levels. Secondly, nobody believes in the system anymore...general belief is if a case has started it will go on forever..true very true (telling frm personal experience).
Then u have a unique way of getting justice. u have to start at the lower level say a Sessions Court where if u are lucky u will get justice in 5-10 years. If anybody is not satisfied with the judgement (it is impossible to satisfy a human being....humane nature) then we have High Court and the same procedure is repeated again and this time we get judgement in less time say 2-3 years .. again humane nature.. and we have the baap of all courts THE Supreme Court of India.. housed in a magnificient structure in delhi.
I wonder if one follow this path (many do actually) how long will it finally take get justice...hmmm.. i have no clue. But one thing is sure the scenes from Hindi films aptly applies (son taking forward the case frm his father)...the only difference is it doesnot get over in 3 hours it really goes on for a long time (personal experience again).
Well times are changing here, and the day is not far away when govt will set-up some committee for law reforms....my only hope is that it stays free frm political influence....

Budget 06 was good news in terms of income tax whose rates were untouched by the Finance Minister and the cars are getting cheaper. However going thru the newspapers for the past 2 days, some reports (eg STT ) are depressing. To start with PCs and notebook are set to get costlier with 12% excise being levied. One quick question though if i get a laptop frm US (say) will the excise duty be still levied? Presently one laptop is allowed without any duty. Then u have STT for transaction in Stock Markets....i was dng my homework reading abt stock and stock market.. now this STT has left me confused :( And my favorite topic for the past few days...Transaction Tax in banking. Going by the reports in the newspapers we will have to shell out more money in addition to Rs.30-50 which is levied by bank if money is withdrawn from other banks' ATM. Debit/Credit card transactions will now attract Tax -- which in my view spell doom for the banks as ppl will refrain using plastic money .. at least i will. And to tell u the most ridiculous tax i have read in a report in TOI is there wud be service tax levied if u decide to have ur address changed in the banks' records. Amazed? there is more... This morning read that even requesting for a Cheque Book will attract service tax....I am confused at this point....if i go to bank to get the same, the bank will levy a processing charge and now Service Tax if online banking is used. i have a question...am i taking somebody elses money from the account which bears my name? i just do not understand the logic...seriously do i have to pay to get my own money out frm the bank...then whats the use of keeping money in banks...Here is a tip for Finance Minister...plz levy tax on the interest ppl earn in their Savings Bank Account...i think thats the only thing left now to levy tax on.

Meter Down!

Yesterday i went to watch movie Taxi No. 9211 @PVR. Having reached on dot 7:32 i was expecting that the movie wud have started and we are late..damn! traffic in Blore city. However PVR guys seems to have taken Traffic Conditions in Blore city into consideration coz they never start any show on time be it night show or evening show. Last movie (RDB) i watched started @10:30, full 30 min late. Yesterday show was much better it started with a nominal 15 min. delay.....lots of cribbing, now abt the movie.
This was good movie, full of laughter and Nana Pategar as usual at his best... John Abraham was OK (i know grls, he is more than OK), still i wud say he was ok in the movie. The story line is a bit "Hat ke". All in all it was a good time pass.

PS: According to me a movie is good if i am not sleeping in the hall :)