The Appalachian Trail

A long long time ago, this blog was created... and almost t the same time life went into a suck spiral...and the blog went into oblivion. Now not that life came out of the suck spiral...but the blog can atleast see a ray of hope.

So i decided to write on my travels so that the "Magnetic Compass" can finally show some direction. Today the Magnetic Compass pointed the north of Salem, a place called Bedford in Virginia, most famous for its Blue Ridge Parkway drive, and that is where we were headed today.

After a sumptuous meal at McD... i started to pack my travel bag, but this time around it just had a Sony Cybershot in it. Accompanying me was a SLR Camera with Dev in its travel bag...believe me the SLR did a much smarter job than did Dev. So we decided to greet the spring and hit the roads headed towards Blue Ridge Parkway, leaving the messy and smelly rooms, a dwindling career, memories of weekdays filled with redundant and predictable horror stories , discussions which seems to last a lifetime with no conclusion, and the unwashed clothes lying in my closet in the Marina's trench of our minds oblivion.

So with Rahman, Scorpions and Keisha blaring from the speakers of the Chevy Malibu (I have named it the Yardstick), with our Windshield down, at a speed limit more than the one put up on signboards and a TomTom acting as a Magnetic compass, pointing north this time, here we are with the rubber on fire to the Blue Ridge parkway. When the Cop nears us we reduce the volume , and also slow down a bit, definitely nobody wants a surcharge in their insurance premiums.

After thirty minutes came the small town of Buchanan, with the charm of a hill station city, beautiful and small with a speed limit of 25, it was right at the entrance into the Blueridge Parkway. After a right turn from Buchanan was Bedford and a few miles from there into the BR Parkway lay the beautiful camping and picnic spot more famously called the "Peak of Otter".

We stopped at the Visitor center, and Dev took off his famous SLR and started working out his Magic with the camera. Really this guy has got a lots of talent (I am sure you are reading this)... with the Camera...I am sure the photographs he took today deserved a place in photographic journals. So i decided to exploit Dev's photographic skills, and get a couple of good snaps of mine too..

After a small photographic session we set off on a trail called the "Elk Run trail" Hike... After half a mile into the woods filled with Oak trees, and small fresh water streams flowing, we took as many pictures as we could in the woods. A occasional rustling sound in the foliage would make us turn to see if we can get a sight of either a Raccoon or a Rabbit, but it was just the wind every time playing peek-a-boo with us. Spring is just setting in so the Oak trees are still to get into a blooming stage. But the sounds of the woods is music to the ears which has been tortured for a week...listening to you know what (If you still are wondering what...watch for my next post).

After returning from the Elk trail...we set off to the Abbott Lake which was nearby... Set next to the Abbott lake is the Lake view restaurant... yes yes it had a view of the lake and served wonderful food. The Lake was looked like it was out of a painting ...and Dev was quick to capture the beauty in his SLR...such a wonderful photograph...with three different types of blue...The Azure Sky, the Blue ridge peaks and the Blue waters of Abbott lake.

So after the pics of the Abbott lake...we set on another trail, this time a much tougher 1.5 mile trail up hill called the "Sharp Top trail". We climbed half a mile when the evening was setting in. We had to stop and get down at time for our much early dinner at 5:30 PM... So back to the Lake View Restaurant and there came a Country cooked Steak, Mashed Potatoes and Casserole with bread a coke for thirsty travellers... So tired wished i had a beer but the calorie consciousness got the better off me and settled for Pepsi.
So after some window shopping, where i collected some postcards as usual, with a fully satiated hunger, with a well spent day behind and wonderful photographs of Dev's magic in his SLR...we went back to the car.

So back in the car Dev calls me "Dude...I did a awesome stuff"... "What is it Dev?"
"By mistake i have deleted all the photographs in the cam"...
"You mean all of them"... and a beaming Dev replies ..."Yes ...ALL OF THEM".

PS- Check out the pics shot by the cybershot point and shoot in Facebook.

From Chidamabaram to Cambridge

Just finished reading this article on Nobel Laureate Venkataraman Ramakrishnan in "The Hindu". Venkataraman has joined the not very formidable line-up of people with Indian origins who have been conferred with this highest honor in science.

http://beta.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/article391164.ece

With respect to Indians, even though we have quite a handful of Nobel laureates in various fields, only Sir CV Raman and Chandrasekhar have managed to receive this honor in a scientific field (Both in Physics). And now the list is extended by the first person of Indian origins to receive a Nobel prize in Chemistry in the more than 100 long years of the award's history.

Getting to know about the early years of some of the great people is always interesting. It gives an understanding of how very simple people were transformed into following something with a passion and establishing themselves in their respective fields. And in that way Mr. Venkataraman’s story was more closer to home and very relatable.

From being born in Chidambaram and having early education in Tamil Nadu, to being a confused graduate not sure which field to choose from the story of his life is very simple and relatable.

Anyhow this was an interesting read.

Maoist Menace

In a country that is already bleeding due to terrorist attacks from across the border, the recent attacks by Maoists on the CRPF troops in Dantewada forest region, emphasizes that equal importance should be given to acts of violence from within the country.

Dantewada is another macabre manifestation of the heinous crimes that are committed against innocent civilians and government servants by the Maoists. While it is a ghastly act that needs to be condemned by all the responsible citizens, it is also time to take notice of how to tackle the menace of Maoists which is spreading like a lethal virus across the country.

Time and again the Government of India has tried to engage the Maoists in discussions in understanding their ideological issues, but the time has come to realize that such forces should be tackled with bullets and not through discussions.

The Government should immediately act in bringing not only the perpetrators of Dantewada to justice but should focus on the other elements that are supporting the Maoists across the country. The source of funds for the Maoists should be tracked down along with cutting off their political patronage if any.

It should be ensured that these atrocious criminals are not called once again to any round table but were brought to justice as soon as possible.

Right to Education

Wherein his predecessors were more concerned with higher education reforms concentrating on the IIM’s, Kapil Sibal have taken a much welcome shift concentrating on Education at the grassroots level. The Right to Education is a landmark act in the history of India addressing one of the plaguing issues of the Indian Society.

As mentioned by Mr. Sibal, “The bill provides a framework for quality education and access to it” providing the right direction for primary education in India. The keyword to note is Quality and ensuring access to Quality Education across the cross section of society. However this will depend on the multiple stakeholders and their interests, right from parents, teachers, educational institutions and the society as a whole.

The commendable part of the bill is the delineation of Literacy from Education, whereas literacy is defined as the ability of a person above the age of 7 to read and write, education is much more than literacy enabling comprehension. So it is time to do a reality check as to what are the gaps that needs to be filled in order to achieve the ambition of 100% access to primary education.

In 2005, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh mentioned that only 47 out of 100 children enrolled in class I were able to reach class VIII. This puts the dropout ratio at 52.79%.
19% of the total primary schools in India are single teacher schools. 42 million students in the age group of 6-14 do not attend school due to various reasons like accessibility, poverty, inadequate quality of education etc. 16.64 % of the country’s villages do not have any primary schooling facilities. Teacher absenteeism ranges from 15% in Maharashtra to as high as 42% in Jharkand. The teacher-student ratio in India is 1:42, whereas in Bihar alone it is 1:83. (Sourcehttp://www.unicef.org/india/education_1551.htm)

The reality seems bad enough as the data points out the jarring gap in infrastructure and the ambitious goal of achieving quality education for all children. So the first step will be to set appropriate incentives for each of the above-mentioned stakeholders. (The mid-day meal scheme was one such incentive prompting the child to attend school).

Similarly in order to get Quality education, Quality Teachers are a necessity which unfortunately India lacks due to the miniscule pay scale set for the teaching community. A performance based incentive for the teaching community which is at par with any other industry should be set. The performance of a teacher can be measured as the pass percentage of his/her students based on which incentives can be set.

The bill targets compulsory education till 14 years of age or till Class VIII only. Whereas the syllabus is set in such a way that real education starts only after the age of 14 for a child. While primary education will concentrate on ensuring literacy, Education will begin only after the age of 14. But with the kind of startling statistics with respect to education in India achieving 100% literacy in the first place will prove to be a herculean task for the policymakers.

The bill is only a signboard which points to destination miles away and not the destination itself.

Rin Vs Tide

Yesterday i saw this ad from Rin which was a direct dig on the competitor detergent brand Tide. Don't know how long this campaign has been on or the history behind it, as weekends are the only time i am getting nowadays to watch TV. But rather than directly classifying this ad as illegal or uncompetitive, just thought or trying to think from the point of view of HUL, as to what might be the strategy behind such a ad campaign that can lead to a possible lawsuit from P&G's Tide.

Will it be actually true that RIN can provide more 'safedi' to clothes rather than Tide. Is there any scientific proof that RIN is superior to Tide, which HUL is taking to its advantage of to educate the consumer. Is HUL trying to prove a fact by making a statement, which could possibly be true, and in that way trying to help the confused consumer who is entangled and bored with the run of the mill ad campaigns which are hitting them from multiple directions. Is HUL trying to provide direct facts to the consumer, and in that way enabling him to compare two different products, in a objective and direct way. Is this giving raise to a new paradigm in ad making which seems to be more objective at the outset. This is one way of looking into the advertisement.

But the question remains that if HUL is so concerned about providing objective data to the consumer, why not do a comparison between RIN and Surf, both of which are the products of HUL. It is a very well known fact that Surf Excel is positioned and priced as a high end product when compared to RIN which is more of a lower end product in comparison. But leaving the comparison in terms of positioning and pricing why not provide a comparison of the first P, the product, between Surf and RIN. Or even for that matter of fact between Wheel and Rin.

The conclusion is clear as light, no organization actually cares about educating the consumer or even showing a concern towards the end user. All a brand wants is to spread, and even if it requires to kill the other brands with their vitriolic campaigning in the name of providing facts. Should wait and see what will be the response from P&G with respect to this...

A Taxing Task

Three years back, I remember receiving my first paycheck when I was worried about the amount going away as income tax. New to the whole idea of tax saving options, which are available, I went to a Tax consultant, to seek his advice on these tax saving instruments.

He suggested the best way, or so did he call it, for tax savings the ULIP or Unit Linked Insurance Plans, which offer both insurance and investment returns. I bought both the idea and ULIP as a gullible rookie as far as tax savings go.

Again in the same year I thought of investing in some other tax-saving instrument and opted for a Mutual Fund, the guy who came to my office again started talking about this wonder called ULIP as the best tax saving instrument and tried to push me into it once again. But failed this time coz I was adamant on buying a MF rather than a ULIP.

So, the question is, Is ULIP the best tax saving option available, what are the Fine prints which go unread and why are the Tax consultants so eager and pushy to sell the ULIP’s.
Let’s analyze this one by one…

Tax saving options can be divided into two types, one which is tied to the market like ULIPs and MFs and therefore risky and others which are least risky like the PPF (Public Provident Fund), NSC (National Savings Certificate), Pension Funds, Fixed Deposits (FD) and Infrastructure Bonds (IB). But the returns of these instruments vary based on the amount of risk you are willing to take.

While PPF, NSC, Pension Funds, FD’s and IB’s offer a fixed rate of return, ULIP’s and MF’s offer varying returns since they invest in stocks and bonds depending on the type of plan which is chosen. Almost all these instruments have a lock-in period during which money cannot be withdrawn; The Lock-in period starts from a minimum of 3 years for ULIP’s and MF’s to a Maximum of 15 years in case of the PPF.

The best investment vehicle should be chosen based on the investment objective of the investor. The investor should understand that tax advantage is just an added incentive for investing in these options and not an objective in itself.

ULIP will be the preferred option if the investor’s objective is to buy an insurance policy which has investment also as an additional goodie. As an investment Vehicle ULIP will always fare far lesser than the Mutual Fund the entry load in an MF is far lesser than what goes in the name of service charges for an ULIP. And Insurance plans are available in the market for far lesser premiums than what is being charged under the name of ULIPs.

So what good is the ULIP, if you see ULIP as an investment vehicle providing high returns, a Mutual Fund will always fare better since for a ULIP the service charges range from 20% for the first year and 5-10% for the second year whereas a MFs are talking about the “No Entry Load” scheme suggested by SEBI means all your money is invested. But these service charges for ULIP are usually mentioned in fine prints or the tax consultant never even mentions it.
Also in an ULIP if the investor defers the payment and was not in a position to pay the premiums in a particular year, there is a risk of the policy cancellation due to the non-payment of premium making him lose the entire money.

As an insurance policy, there are many conventional policies available in the market for a lesser premium than the service charges demanded by ULIP. When I invested 25 K in ULIP 5K went as service charges whereas had I taken a Life Insurance I would have paid a premium of only 2500 to 3000 for the same amount of coverage (In this case 100000).
And ULIP tends to differ from each insurance company differing in terms of lock-in period, Sum Assured, coverage, service charges etc. with fine prints and terms and conditions insulting the intelligence of an average investor.

In spite of all these disadvantages why does the tax consultant push for this product? As Freakonomics puts it, man is an Economic animal who responds to various forms of incentives. The Tax consultants are also Insurance Agents, and always get a better commission by selling Insurance policies rather than the other products. And a flawed product like ULIP, will always carry a better commission rather than both MF’s and conventional insurance policies. So a lesson learnt and my ULIP policy has matured and will soon post on the losses I have made on this investment of mine…

And the Nobel Goes Too

Dec 10 2009, amid controversies Barack Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Well there is a controversy looming around this decision of the Nobel committee, where some believe that Obama deserves the prize for not being Bush and others find Obama’s statement on the necessity of war for achieving peace a little more like the statement of a Jihadist.

But as the controversy takes its own time to metamorphose into fact, and finally turn into a butterfly, as does most of the controversies, let’s analyze some of the top 10 controversial decisions of the Nobel committee from its inception in 1901.

No. 10 – The Inventors War

When it comes to Inventions, the first name that will come to anyone’s mind is Thomas Alva Edison. There will be no text-books dealing with Physics or Electronics which do not have the name of Edison in them. But Edison never received a Nobel questioning the credibility of the award itself.

Same is the case with Nikoli Tesla, the man who is credited with not only the Alternating Current, but also known as the inventor of Radio. Whereas Marconi received the Nobel for Radio in 1909, Tesla was not even nominated in that year. The Magnetic field is measured by the name which was not considered for Nobel.
These two inventors, although were nominated during 1916, bad-mouthed each other so much that the Nobel committee decided to skip the Nobel award for physics that year.

No. 9 – E = MC2
In one of my Physics papers there was this question, that “For what did Einstein awarded the Nobel Prize?” I as usual did not go prepared for the exams, but believed that this is an easy one. Although I was a bit confused between “Theory of Relativity” and “Mass Energy Equation”, I took a gamble and went for “Theory of Relativity”.

But after the exams, it was a surprise that neither were right answers. He was awarded the Nobel on his explanation of the Photoelectric Effect in 1921. Even though when compared to his other theories which were instrumental in creating a new term called “Modern Physics” as opposed to the Newtonian Physics, he was never recognized for his path-breaking theories explaining relativity or Mass Energy relation.

Some see this as a fallacy and others say that this is justified because some of his theories were yet to be proved during those times, but at the end of the day, I did not clear my Physics paper.

No. 8 – Barracks Obama
The most recent controversy surrounding the peace prize, guess there is nothing required to talk more on this. It is time for the man to do it in action.
No. 7 – A Pre – Phosphorus mistake

The man who created the first periodic table of classification of the known elements, Mendeleev, never received the Nobel. He was nominated for the Nobel in 1906 but due to the behind the scene politics, he did not get the award. The Chemistry award that year went to a man who isolated fluorine from its compounds.

No 6. – War and Peace

1973 – Henry Kissinger gets the Nobel for Peace.
1969 – 1975 – Henry Kissinger was involved in bombing NVA infiltrators in Cambodia
1975 – Operation Condor, involving the assassination of more than 60,000 people belonging to the left wing in S. America. USA even though played a Supervisory role in this, Kissinger was the man on the forefront, allegedly well aware of the Operation Condor.
Nobel peace was put to good use in quelling all the opposing elements ensuring peace.

No 5 – Hesperisum – What is that ???

In 1938, Enrico Fermi was awarded the Nobel in Chemistry for creating this weird named element Hesperium. But later It was found that he has not created any new elements and the Hesperium is nothing but some isotope produced due to Nuclear Fission.

A Nobel once given cannot be recalled.

No 4 – Sabbatical wars
Anwar Sadat, the then PM of Egypt, who lead the Yom Kippur war, on the day of the Sabbath against Israel, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1978.
Also another person Menachim Begin, who was an alleged terrorist, against the British rule in Israel, was also awarded the Nobel Peace Prize the same year.

No 3 – The PLO and Peace Prize

1994 – Yasser Arafat, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Arafat, a known terrorist leader, with a long history of violence was awarded the Peace Prize.

No. 2 – Ahimsa’s Way out

While Yasser Arafat, Anwar Sadat and Kissinger were given the peace prize, with known history of violence, the man who wielded his walking stick and travelled the nation promoting peaceful protests was shown the door by the Nobel Committee.

Gandhi was nominated five times and each time the Nobel committee failed to award him the Nobel. In 1948 after Gandhi’s assassination, no award was given stating that there was no living candidate with the word living underlined. This made sure that
Gandhi did not receive the prize even though he was nominated.

But Dag Hammarskjold was awarded the peace prize posthumously for being a fellow Scandinavian and not an Indian.

http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/articles/gandhi/index.html

No. 1 – Hail Hitler

Even though the Nobel Committee did not award the Nobel Peace to Hitler, he was still nominated for the award in 1936.

The list of nominees cannot be published until fifty years by the Nobel Committee, and when the list till 1955 was released, it was a surprise to find Hitler among the nominees.