Category: India

  • Falling Rupee is a boon for some, bane for others

    Somebody’s loss is somebody’s gain.

    The worst ever fall in rupee value has made a lot of people rich, more so for the ones that are involved in exports. These include the IT/ITES, Spice Traders, Bike/Car manufacturers, Builders etc. and many more. So when the results of some of the traded companies were announced, it was no wonder that they will show a spike in profitability.

    So does it mean that we should invest in these businesses? It think the writing on the wall still is that you need to go by what the company is doing, rather than the numbers it shows. Numbers are gimmicks, not intentional, though lead us to believe something that may not be right. (more…)

  • Its a new domain! Indianomics gets its own domain name…

    Hey Folks!

    I have moved my blog from hemalshah.net/blogs to https://indianomics.in

    This move for me personally was somewhat challenging since my domain name housed this blog for a good 5 years, and today the move finally happened. In a way, I felt bad about moving the blog, loosing all the Google Juice I had been getting for all these years. But it had to get its own identity and here we are officially unveiling my new domain.

    The theme is the latest WP Twenty Thirteen, which came standard along with WordPress 3.6 version. Over the coming days, I may change it or make it more usable.

    Thank you all my regular readers, who have been a great source of inspiration and my lovely wife who supports my adventures, online and offline.

    Thank you, and keep coming for more!

  • We will have 29th State now, Telangana

    Yes, till yesterday we had 28 and today it has become 29 divided regions in India. The new State, Telangana was finally given the green light by the Congress Working Committee.

    A state that is being carved out with 41% of Andhra Pradesh’s population, but its contribution to state revenues is 76% of the total revenues.

    Now, if you are wondering why is the hue and cry about Telangana then this is a must read.
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  • Air India again in bad news! This time it is companion tickets

    Its barely been somedays since I posted last about Air India. But here I am again tempted to write about it.

    Air India’s companion free scheme was intended as a program to promote its flights to those common people or ‘aam aadmi’ who could not afford to take his family on a flight. Under this scheme, a person booking a ticket with the airline can book a second ticket on the same flight by paying taxes and fuel surcharge only.
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  • Why I cannot save the same money I used to before?

    Why I cannot save the same money I used to before?

    I am sure there are answers in your mind already. Cost of every thing from salt to flights have gone up. Err, salt still costs same for now, but you get my point. Middle class people are those who have the  ability not to stay poor. And then you have lower middle class and upper middle class. But why there is no middle middle class? We can let our eminent economists to figure that out.

    There are two answers to the above question, really. One is, of course the hike in all prices and the second one is change of lifestyle.

    Let’s dig in the first and understand why you are paying more than what you used to.

    1. Greed

    Oh yes, you are right. No one in his sane mind would put this point first. But life is driving me and many others insane, so why not?
    (more…)

  • Pilots do not want Air India to fly for long it seems

    What’s with the pilots of Air India? They go on strike, refuse to let ex-Indian Airlines pilots to train on 777 Dreamliner, ground staff issues, lack of cost saving measures etc. have plagued the troubled carrier. An INR 30,000 crore infusion of equity from Government of India is by no means a small amount! And before you forget, that is the money we pay in taxes. We slog harder to make more money, only to pay more taxes.

    Air India – flagship, in doldrums
    Air India – flagship, in doldrums

    Now the latest in the never-ending saga of turbulence in Air India is another Union, that of ex-Indian Airlines pilots. AI or Air India, has tried to revive itself step by step. This time, it is because of new flying rules for its Airbus fleet (many from its Indian days) which helps in saving fuel.

    The airline recently modified its acceleration altitude while taking off for their Airbus fleet. This is a method followed by many of its international competitors of repute. But the Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) has instructed its members not to follow the new flying rules, citing safety concerns.

    Well safety has to be most important of all, but to cry over a proven method is a bit uncalled for. Another thought around this action also calls for pilot’s inability to adapt to newer generation of its planes. Officials recount that if they fly newer generation aircraft in old generation way, what is the point?

    Please get the airline back to its glory, anyone?

    You can read my other posts related to Air India

  • Money for Inter Galactic transactions now? What next?

    Ruffling through the news paper today, I found a rather interesting piece of news. What will be the money used by Aliens / humans in space?

    Wait, what? I did not understand the need for us to think what money will we use for inter galactic transactions. Who needs them now, when we don’t have any line of sight in which year first human settlement happens in, say Mars or one of Moons of Neptune?
    (more…)

  • My First ever Xtreme Drive: Safari Storme

    Call it the Call of Duty or Meeting a Beast. You can pick one, but both, I did with pleasure.

    The new IndiBlogger meet in Mumbai had something never seen or experienced before at any previous meets. As with every IndiMeets, I set off on my trusted and abused TVS Wego from Dombivali to Andheri Chitrakoot Grounds via Mankhurd for a stopover at my in-laws. Oh yes guys, I recently got married to my love of my life.

    Riding the Wego with Pillion for 36 Kilometers and then solo for the next 24.7 KMS was as always pleasure. For me, this was kind of an extreme drive (ride if you so wish) through horrible traffic as always. The longest I have ridden is for 125 kilometers, but more on that in an upcoming post.

    The Backdrop stage
    The Backdrop stage

    IndiBlogger has been an extended family for me. Almost all meets in Mumbai and you can expect me to be there, standing with the IndiTeam and running around. Well, you are forgiven to think I am part of the IndiTeam! I get those feedbacks from people about the meet thinking I am from the IndiTeam, even after I told them many times over in the past meets that I am not part of the IndiTeam itself.

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  • Tracking Mr. Santa Claus – List of all places he went in 2012

    Santa Tracker World View

    Updated on an hourly basis (till I sleep :P)

    Ever since I knew that Google teamed up with NORAD to come up with an online tracker, I wanted to see it. But it always has happened I have missed it. However this time, I had someone special remind me about it.

    The program began on December 24, 1955 when a Sears department store placed an advertisement in a Colorado Springs newspaper which told children that they could telephone Santa Claus and included a number for them to call. However, the telephone number printed was incorrect and calls instead came through to Colorado Springs’ Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) Center. Colonel Shoup, who was on duty that night, told his staff to give all children that called in a “current location” for Santa Claus. A tradition began which continued when the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) replaced CONAD in 1958. [From Wiki]

    This year NORAD choose to partner with Bing instead of Google to track Santa and Google instead has its own Santa Tracker.

    Mr. Santa Claus

    Below is the list of places Santa has already delivered presents according to the Santa Tracker.

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  • Tracking Santa: Combined List of Countries

    Since I was tracking Santa’s path through the world using Google Santa Tracker, I had this data collected in an excel sheet and in a true corporate style, I created Pivot table / Charts using the data to bring to you an interesting information. This post has been tagged to show below my current post, however this data will be updated all the way.

    Below is the list of countries, with total cities and total gifts being delivered. The Google’s version of Total gifts would be difference since Google failed to provide the correct numbers in many of the cities.

    CountryNumber of CitiesPresents delivered
    Afganistan164915
    Australia1632453110
    Bangladesh183463
    British Indian Ocean Territory14636
    Brunei144513
    Burma (Myanmar)1370948
    Cambodia13013955
    China7183983477
    Christmas Islands11600
    Fiji264944
    Georgia1108965
    Guam214025
    Hong Kong12318
    India520093810
    Indonesia426323428
    Japan1154300819
    Kazakhstan31533638
    Kuril Islands24636
    Laos11738820
    Malaysia2857817
    Maldives1878684
    Mangolia18114
    Marshall Islands260278
    Micronesia227820
    Nepal2475276
    New Zealand52918896
    North Korea1292121
    North Pole10
    Pakistan228546646
    Palau125502
    Paupa New Guinea3852484
    Philippines34958378
    Russia1412835501
    Sakhalin Island190418
    Singapore112055824
    Soloman Islands2143741
    South Korea155410426
    Sri Lanka197373
    Taiwan16955283
    Tajikistan1183155
    Tasmania1507735
    Thailand228168897
    Tibet (China)1275892
    Turkmenistan1204021
    Uzbekistan1150697
    Vanuatu232457
    Vietnam18578182
    Grand Total119489797638
  • Attitude towards women and men in India

    Attitude towards women and men in India

    I have to agree to what Karan Thapar says in today’s HT Mumbai edition. The issue and all the protests are to seek justice is a phenomenal feat, but the main point is its men who rape. And because the teaching at home is not in the right direction.

    A boy is always seen superior to the girl, and this naturally induces the tendency for them to loose respect for women. This applies to the parents. It hurts, but its a fact in India. It applies to our society, who become the protectors of the western beliefs at the same time continues to see women as a thing to play with.

    Why does our society start bitching when a girl is seen with a guy, even though it is really possible that guy can be a cousin, a good friend? Why does the society start behaving protective instead of being Proactive? Educate your sons to value women, and daughters to value men. Never demean either in front of the other. And this goes out to all mothers too. Not all may be doing it, but still there are and which is why incidents still happen.

    Dowry, one of the main reasons why fathers and other family members do not want a girl child. Other thought is since the girl is not going to be with family after marriage but boy will. In a word girls are always called ‘paraya dhan’.

    Stop this my fellow Indians. Lets value humanity more than money, gold or anything immaterial. Its not worth it.

  • The effects and ill-effects of the protests over rape in Delhi

    The effects and ill-effects of the protests over rape in Delhi

    Wake up India! She is dead.

    The title for todays HT is to the point. And hell yes, we all have to be awaken to what is happening. Its not only Delhi, the decorated rape capital of Independent India, and also the Capital of Republic of India. For one, the whole agenda of protests is to get Damini or Patient X, justice and strengthen laws for Rape to ensure it instills fear and hoping that this help women be safe in our country.

    The rapists should, by all means, get the harshest of the punishments, including capital punishment. And the entire process be in front of the media, who can broadcast it live. And their death should not be easy, and everyone in our country and outside should be able to see it. Feel it. And this should be practiced for every other rape case in India.

    But has all the protests deterred the intentions of men? The 5 of the six who raped Damini were worried of her death, than feeling sorry or disgust about their behavior. Similarly, after this much highlighted case, there were one gang rape and 3 other rapes reported in the National Capital Region. Does it mean that to them, all these protests, it does not even matter?

    So there it is, the real culprit. Mentality.

    Now why has this mentality stemmed so firm that even huge protests like the one for Patient X has not even dented the confidence of rapists or would be rapists? Less or no Education is one of the reasons often cited and it is not true in all cases. Its the way women are treated at our homes. Yes, we are and should take this accountability.

    Why are boys the most loved ones? At my home too, I am loved by mother though she does not hate or love less to my lovely little sister, but probably expresses a bit more for me. But at the same time, she professed always to respect women from our childhood. She spoke to both of us as a friend and informed us about the ills of the society we are in, including rape and crimes against women. Yes, its true. I dont know, and have not heard from others if they were treated in a similar manner. If they were not, then this is the right time to make a correction and profess this to their kids.

    While it may have been something I rubbed off during initial days, and recognize it as my mother’s best learning after an incident. One of my cousins while showing me emails from his inbox on viagra and subsequently offered me a job to be work as a gay massage parlor. Its not only women who are exploited. I am sure there are so many of us who have similar offers, or sexual advances made by our own cousins. Heck, there are those cases where parents are involved.

    I also believe that of many reasons women or girls are seen in different light in India, one of them is the Dowry. The thought that a grown up daughter costs a fortune to marry off is such pain to a father as it is to the entire family. And seeing the family in pain and misery, others think twice before thinking to have a girl child, not think once before killing her.

    Wait, there is more. Now that poor, unfortunate and unlucky Patient X has passed away, with the massive protests, is it all the more reason for parents to think thrice about having a girl child?

    With less girls, more men are unmarried and they do not get to have the life of married men, including sex. As shown in the Aamir Khan show “Satyameva Jayathe”, there are already communities who are literally buying women as wives. Now, is it not also a forced, brutal rape of the woman? She is raped everyday, threatened to be sold off again pr exchanged for a new wife.

    What makes these men rape?

    1. Lust
    2. Power of aides working with Political parties
    3. Assumption of Easy targets
    4. Secluded places
    5. Weak Law and Punishment
    6. and many more

    Of the above, you cant do nothing about Lust. I saw and read many people calling the rapists as animals. Well if you do so be aware that, as Animals don’t force sex. They have to cajole the female so much before the female allows them have an intercourse. If there are more male than females, there is a competition of sorts and the winner in the female’s eyes get to make out. These are demons. Evil.

    What should be done?

    The government has to come up with a new law, new order. Pass an ordinance that all unsolved cases of rape must be tried under the newer law. The police has to tighten up their delivery of responsibilities by making themselves more approachable, their biggest flak.

    More often than not, the police are hand in glove with the local politicians, goons, or both. They fear losing their job, being subjected to transfers to remote places, and try to earn back the money they paid as bribe to get the job by taking more bribe. This needs to be curbed. One reason why I appreciate Sony Television repeat telecasting the Anil Kapoor starer Nayak is because of what it shows – What a person sitting on the Chief Ministers seat is capable of doing.

    And then, its our part of action and what we need to do.

    1. Encourage respect for women and men from childhood
    2. Introduce martial arts education to women, make it compulsory
    3. Do not consider differences in gender
    4. Dont demand Dowry
    5. Offer protection to women in need
    6. Do not let this rage fade out

    Feature Picture from Stock.Exchange

  • Why my family stopped giving alms

    Being emotional at heart many a times has its own consequences. Such are people in my family, having seen our own worse times, it does not take us longer than a second to feel for someone else in dire situations. Especially when other person seeking help has a kid tucked to the waist.

    Since last two weeks, we are witnessing a rather strange increase in frequency of visitors seeking such help. It’s either someone who needs monetary help to travel to a holy place or for someone who can’t afford medicines for a life threatening disease. In either cases, they are looking for money than anything else actually. And surely not compassion.

    Two months ago, an event that happened changed our perception of such kind of visitors. As such the news channels highlighting similar occurrences, sometimes deadly, elsewhere was not enough, a person came knocking at door to seek funds for a diety temple and was trying to convince my dad to donate 100 bucks. Since dad was alone at home he discouraged him first and said he doesn’t  have change and since he is alone at home he can’t go out and get the change to pay him. And immediately he offered to get the same done for my dad. Since he was talking in Malayalam (our second mother tounge) it was easy for dad to trust him and he handed over 500 rupee note. As you must have guessed it by now, he never returned.

    With so many bad news around it and a bitter experience ourselves, we are cautious about such an encounter in future. Next some one walks up with a donation request, we simply deny it or pay a maximum 10 Rs. And when someone comes up with an request for help due to medical reasons, given the frequency is high for two weeks now, forced us to think twice about giving whatever money we feel like.

    In essence, even if someone coming up is genuine, just coz some just seek money for their non-genuine reasons, we may end up not helping the needy.

    With inflation at its peak and only threatening to grow north, when ever we plan our finances, paying alms and other such donation never is part of planning but are still part of our age old culture – and still exists – of sharing our wealth to the needy. More often than not, to those who pretend to be one that is.