Monday, March 21, 2005
Contentment
Is contentment chewing sugarcane on the dusty roads of Bangalore, unmindful of the traffic and filth on the pavements, and dreaming of a fabulous future ? Or is contentment, waking up every morning to the sound of chirping birds, sipping a hot morning cuppa tea and not missing the spark in life ?
A thought that only a Monday morning can bring. Have a great week !
Is contentment chewing sugarcane on the dusty roads of Bangalore, unmindful of the traffic and filth on the pavements, and dreaming of a fabulous future ? Or is contentment, waking up every morning to the sound of chirping birds, sipping a hot morning cuppa tea and not missing the spark in life ?
A thought that only a Monday morning can bring. Have a great week !
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Money, money, money, must be funny..in the rich man's world
While the Indian sun rises in the list of the world's richest men, the underlying assumption (oh, what a hackneyed term !) of money being the reference scale is unstated. So, this could well be the only truly existing monopoly in the world's economy that survives generation to generation. Let me explain..
A monopolistic market has only one dominant player who by his presence has captured all of the market share and has created high entry barriers for others. The consumers in such a market are price takers and have little bargaining power. Relate this to the the diamond market and De Beers comes to mind. Relate this to the Indian skies a decade ago and Indian Airlines is a good example. Now relate this to money as a market of buying power. You see the point ? There is no other tangible or intangible form that will compete with money. It is the longest serving monopoly with no competition in the horizon.
Any second front brewing ? Lets ask Bill Gates, Warren Buffet and Lakshmi Mittal..
While the Indian sun rises in the list of the world's richest men, the underlying assumption (oh, what a hackneyed term !) of money being the reference scale is unstated. So, this could well be the only truly existing monopoly in the world's economy that survives generation to generation. Let me explain..
A monopolistic market has only one dominant player who by his presence has captured all of the market share and has created high entry barriers for others. The consumers in such a market are price takers and have little bargaining power. Relate this to the the diamond market and De Beers comes to mind. Relate this to the Indian skies a decade ago and Indian Airlines is a good example. Now relate this to money as a market of buying power. You see the point ? There is no other tangible or intangible form that will compete with money. It is the longest serving monopoly with no competition in the horizon.
Any second front brewing ? Lets ask Bill Gates, Warren Buffet and Lakshmi Mittal..
Saturday, March 12, 2005
For Hindi film music lovers, here is a beautiful song from Satta. Heard it on the radio last.
Gungunaati hai, geet gaati hai zindagi
Tum jo aaye to
Muskuraati hai, khilkhilaati hai zindagi
Tum jo aaye to
Dil mein ab jaise kaliyaan si khilti hai - 2
Gul khilaati hai, maheke jaati hai zindagi
Tum jo aaye to
Gungunaati hai, geet gaati hai zindagi
Tum jo aaye to
Muskuraati hai, khilkhilaati hai zindagi
Tum jo aaye to
Bechain ek laher thi, ab use mil gaye hai kinaare
O bechain ek laher thi, ab use mil gaye hai kinaare
Betaab ek nazar thi, ab use mil gaye hai nazaare
Dil mein ab jaise tasveerein banti hain - 2
Gudgudaati hai, chhed jaati hai zindagi
Tum jo aaye to
Gungunaati hai, geet gaati hai zindagi
Tum jo aaye to
Paaya jo dil ne tumko zindagi har khushi paa gayi hai - 2
Mere hamsafar ho tum jo raah mein raushni chhaa gayi hai
Dil mein ab jaise kirne si chhanti hai - 2
Jhilmilaati hai, jagmagaati hai zindagi
Tum jo aaye to
Gungunaati hai, geet gaati hai zindagi
Tum jo aaye to
Muskuraati hai, khilkhilaati hai zindagi
Tum jo aaye to
Gungunaati hai, geet gaati hai zindagi
Tum jo aaye to
Muskuraati hai, khilkhilaati hai zindagi
Tum jo aaye to
Dil mein ab jaise kaliyaan si khilti hai - 2
Gul khilaati hai, maheke jaati hai zindagi
Tum jo aaye to
Gungunaati hai, geet gaati hai zindagi
Tum jo aaye to
Muskuraati hai, khilkhilaati hai zindagi
Tum jo aaye to
Bechain ek laher thi, ab use mil gaye hai kinaare
O bechain ek laher thi, ab use mil gaye hai kinaare
Betaab ek nazar thi, ab use mil gaye hai nazaare
Dil mein ab jaise tasveerein banti hain - 2
Gudgudaati hai, chhed jaati hai zindagi
Tum jo aaye to
Gungunaati hai, geet gaati hai zindagi
Tum jo aaye to
Paaya jo dil ne tumko zindagi har khushi paa gayi hai - 2
Mere hamsafar ho tum jo raah mein raushni chhaa gayi hai
Dil mein ab jaise kirne si chhanti hai - 2
Jhilmilaati hai, jagmagaati hai zindagi
Tum jo aaye to
Gungunaati hai, geet gaati hai zindagi
Tum jo aaye to
Muskuraati hai, khilkhilaati hai zindagi
Tum jo aaye to
On the passing of a moment (2)..
"One great difference between persons of real life and the persons of fiction is that persons of real life are creatures of impulse..and it may be said also in the conduct of life that we make use of deliberation to justify to ourselves in doing what we want to do. And to surrender to impulse is part of that pattern." That was Somerset Maugham, a writer whom I so desperately wished live in my times. His astute potrayal of characters and their lives tend to live on with me not because they are what I aspire to be but because they seem to be telling me more about myself - the quest that we conciously or otherwise are on.
"I have never wished the passing moment might linger so that I could get more enjoyment from it, for even when it has brought me something I immensely looked forward to, my imagination in the very moment of fulfilment has been busy in the problematic delight of whatever was to come." Something that at first thought seems ridiculous is a very obvious pointer to the hope and excitement that lives with us from moment to moment.
"One great difference between persons of real life and the persons of fiction is that persons of real life are creatures of impulse..and it may be said also in the conduct of life that we make use of deliberation to justify to ourselves in doing what we want to do. And to surrender to impulse is part of that pattern." That was Somerset Maugham, a writer whom I so desperately wished live in my times. His astute potrayal of characters and their lives tend to live on with me not because they are what I aspire to be but because they seem to be telling me more about myself - the quest that we conciously or otherwise are on.
"I have never wished the passing moment might linger so that I could get more enjoyment from it, for even when it has brought me something I immensely looked forward to, my imagination in the very moment of fulfilment has been busy in the problematic delight of whatever was to come." Something that at first thought seems ridiculous is a very obvious pointer to the hope and excitement that lives with us from moment to moment.
# posted by S @ 10:03 PM
Thursday, March 03, 2005
Unbelong..
There was an advertisement in the Economic Times today about "Black&White" which I assume is a brand of liquor. It said "You dont have to wear a watch to see the time...Unbelong". I didn't fully understand what the line meant, but the word Unbelong caught my eye.
This word clearly did not belong (pun intended) to a world that pays glowing compliments to the relationships of belonging. There are many ways relationships break away but that is not unbelonging. IMHO, it is about having a free spirit that does not feel constrained with the one or two ideas (or belong to) that it has. It is about "unbelonging" oneself from the mundane ( ah ! is that what this ad means ?) and the stereotyped and exploring new aspects of the universe of life.
Its a word that will stay.. Have a great day !
There was an advertisement in the Economic Times today about "Black&White" which I assume is a brand of liquor. It said "You dont have to wear a watch to see the time...Unbelong". I didn't fully understand what the line meant, but the word Unbelong caught my eye.
This word clearly did not belong (pun intended) to a world that pays glowing compliments to the relationships of belonging. There are many ways relationships break away but that is not unbelonging. IMHO, it is about having a free spirit that does not feel constrained with the one or two ideas (or belong to) that it has. It is about "unbelonging" oneself from the mundane ( ah ! is that what this ad means ?) and the stereotyped and exploring new aspects of the universe of life.
Its a word that will stay.. Have a great day !
