Furloughed! Now what?

On a Wednesday morning, a couple of weeks back I received a call from my Manager who had quite an apologetic tone and I could sense it and I knew that he really is feeling sorry, yet he couldn’t do anything about it. Even though he didn’t have to be sorry, he was feeling that for me. He said, “I am sorry I couldn’t save you and I can’t do undo this. I am sorry to tell you that you have been furloughed!”

I think this is the trend going on in the companies right now and quite a lot of people have either been laid off or furloughed recently. Thanks to the beloved Corona Virus which is the reason and only thing sticking to this scenario. I didn’t know I would feel so emotional while writing this, but I wasn’t that emotional while answering the call. The decision of furlough was a business move and it was in the best of the company’s interest and if it might shock some of you, it was the best decision for the company, and I respect that.

When my manager said, “I don’t even know how you feel and what should I say. But if there is anything, I can help you with, I am here.” I responded in a brave tone, (not pretending, as I meant every bit of what I said), “It’s okay man. I completely understand and respect that!” Well, I still do.

But once that call was done, the only thought in my mind was, NOW WHAT? What do I do, where do I go? Do I have enough money to survive for 90 days? or Will I be able to pay for my bills? Because these bills never get furloughed, they just add interest to the final payment, but our salary doesn’t add any interest, does it? Well, I’m glad that I anticipated the situation quite well and saved a good amount of money to help me survive for 3 months easily.

Right before the call, I was discussing with my team member and he said, “I don’t see anyone of us going anywhere man, we are in an important department and the organization needs us.” But as soon as my manager called, I knew this is it. Not even shocked or trembled. I said to my friend that day, “I think I handled the call too bravely and courageously.” For sure it was courageous, as this was my first furlough’s or lay off’s experience of my career. Yet for living in the Corporate Capitalist World at least in the United States, I should get used to it. But there’s nothing wrong with it because if they don’t do it now then we will never be able to return or continue in the future. I am glad they did this.

Before that Wednesday, I didn’t even know what furlough meant. I didn’t even know how to pronounce it. Is it FURLOW or FURLOUGH? I was new fish in that pond, but when I switched over to Linkedin I found out that I wasn’t the only fish. The sharks of industry were part of this trend too.

I had many other questions too, Will I be able to cope up with this ever? Or Was it because of my performance? Was I not good enough in the organization?

And now when this is done, what do I do next? What do I do?

I had a list of things in my mind as to what I want to do:

• Wake up early and workout
• Have a healthy breakfast
• Take a bath and dress nicely
• Read a Book
• Write Articles (Been more than a year or more)
• Start writing a book? (Not sure about the story yet)
• Think about that Food Startup idea I have been thinking for more than 2 years now?
• Do some financial analysis of stocks, mutual funds, ETFs (Best time to buy but not sure if I have enough money to make a portfolio right now)
• Oh yes, not forgetting about the certification courses like Tableau, SQL, Hyperion, MS Excel (Because if you don’t then you will lose your place in the rat race of updating new skills on Linkedin, right?)

Well now the list is prepared, what shall I do next? Where do I start? There was so much on my platter, but no motivation to do it. Now I don’t have a manager for some time, not my parents to tell me or yell at me for telling me what to do, and no deadlines.

I was finding a reason when a friend told me, “The reason is right in front of you.” This friend was Abhinav with whom I was discussing as to why should I not be like a lazy sleepy rolling Panda! I asked him what could go wrong, I have 3 months to chill. I have all the time in my life now. Why should I do anything? Not sure that I was saying that because I was lazy, or I was trying to be perfect before I start anything. My friend Abhinav said, “You don’t fear the consequences.”

Is that it? That’s the most redundant and lame motivation speech I have ever heard!

But that worked!

That made me realize that it wasn’t my performance that got me furloughed because I am quite competent to fulfill my duties and I know for a fact that my manager believes in that too.

I realized that the consequences can be worse if I don’t act now. My brain might become a slave of Netflix, or I can be addicted, or maybe I become good for nothing like a rotten egg. Frankly, I don’t want any of that.

And I thought why not I should start those pending articles with this one first?

For all those who have been fortunate enough to get this extra time for yourself, use it wisely. We are in the middle of this pandemic and I am no scientist, but this is not going to get over so easily, so we got to get hold of ourselves together. Stay close to your friends, watch good movies, satisfy yourself with all means (No Addiction), read books, learn something new, cook delicious food, clean those utensils (I am sure you are doing that all day by now), take breaks and live that freelancer life you have always been dreaming about. This is the time. You can think and create anything you want.

Join the clubs you always wanted, you can talk and give more speeches at Toastmasters than ever before (Online). If you think you wanted to change your job, do it now. Or if you wanted to be an entrepreneur, now is the time. Or if you want to learn something that you want to implement when you get back at your desk after furlough or layoff period, Do It Now.

I have worked with different organizations in the last few years and I have realized that there is nothing personal between the corporations and yourself. People like us make it personal. If you think you are capable enough then you better be. Nobody fired you or laid you off because you didn’t perform, they did it because they want you to do something better with your life and save yourself from wasting your time when there is less growth in their business. Your organizations and managers are being truthful to you, then shouldn’t you be truthful to yourself and make the best use of this time?

I have wasted 2 weeks out of my 90 days furlough period, but I am not going to waste any further. All those pending articles are going to come out and all those food stories are going to be out. This is my time and I will live it. And then the consequences will be only good and nothing else.

Try it! It is easier to be dull and depressed when you don’t have work, so we choose the easy task. But it is difficult to stay active, explore new things, and be your own boss. I am going to take that difficult road, what road are you planning to take?

I thought I’m good for a TED Talk!

I am sure everyone knows how difficult it is getting back on something when you haven’t tried that thing in a very long time and it is even worse when that thing is what makes you happy, alive and moving!

For me, that thing is writing! A thing which in my childhood I thought I could never take it, and anything related to reading or writing made me think, “Oooo I am not that smart to do that!” I guess we all have a feeling of being an imposter at something, but we are actually good at it. Looks like I found that I am not an imposter for writing at least, I am still not very sure about everything else in life – work, people, and more.

Not deviating from what I started as my dear friend Nikhil said once, “Tu na likhte likhte kho jata hai aur bhul jata hai kaha shuru kiya tha! A.K.A You get lost while you are writing and forget why you were really writing that!” Well, I have devised that if you are too passionate about telling someone about your story then it is okay to deviate because that is as natural as telling your story.

So why did I leave writing? Or should I say, why did I stop it or pause it? Well, I am still not sure if I will do this regularly now too, but let’s see. And I’m not sure if anyone wants to read my errant anymore.

I wrote the last time in 2018 and I realized that I was getting pretty good at it. I was guided by a person who really told me what I needed to improve and that was Megha (This girl sent me sweets from India recently and I love her for that!). Talking about Megha, she is the one with whom I talked to because my neighbor’s son wanted me to write for his company’s blog and Megha oversaw his company’s content. By the way, I did write an article and Megha gave her critical feedback and the article came out to be wonderful but that never got published because she was busy, and I too had stopped bugging her. After that, I kept creating these .Doc files on my Desktop in the hope that I will write when I get a job, have a paycheck and no stress of life anymore. And because Megha’s feedback made me realize that I can write a lot better, but I forgot that I still wanted to write my crap which helped me being myself. Well, here I am!

I thought I would write again once I get a job because that would free myself from the stress, frustration of life and also lower down my blood pressure as I Have High Blood Pressure or actually Hypertension. But the very week I got my job, something very terrible happened, since that day my body still shakes when I’m nervous or angry. And that terrible incident didn’t even meet an end. And those .Doc files were just left on my Desktop. They are still there!

But today, seeing those files I found one file, a quite interesting one which made me realize that it wasn’t that long that I didn’t write.

In July 2019, I heard that my university, The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) is organizing a TED talk and I thought that this is my time of being there and enjoy the things for which I am proud! The university required a document where you could mention all your experiences which will make you worthy enough for a TED talk and it took me a couple of days to aggregate my life and write. When I heard about this idea, my dearest friend Prateek said, you are wasting your time and you are not worth it. I didn’t tell about this to my family too because I knew that in the crunch of time for getting a job, they wouldn’t want me to find my passion for coaching, speaking, and writing. There were people who motivated me, but out of all of them, a very sweet one named Akhila kept my hopes high and made me write my life story for the requirement of the TED talk, so I could self-nominate myself and be there at the TED Talk. I think I should try it again now!

I will add that write up for the TED talk here too, it is too long to read and it’s okay if you don’t want to. I myself don’t read long stuff, but if you do then please let me know as all I need at this point in life is a great push to make things greater. Because I know I have it in me, I am just starved because I don’t have an inspiration in life.

About the write-up, when I wrote that it reminded me of the time when during my undergrad, I wanted to be like those Executive Board members of the Model United Nations Conferences I have attended or organized. The ones who had great profiles and had some great achievements in their lives. I think I am quite there. If you have read the book, “The Secret” or watched the movie, “The Secret” you will relate it that if you make an aim in your life and keep thinking about it and one day you realize that you have made it and you have really done what you wanted to – Now that, that was the feeling I had while I wrote the write up for the TED Talk.

About the result? I did submit the write up to my university and waited eagerly to hear about the result if I am there and after a month I received an email that said, “You have done a great job, however, at this time we are looking for more eligible speakers.” – I guess something similar on those lines. That crushed my heart! Although I was getting used to these kinds of Emails as I was looking for a job that time and that email just sounded like those job rejection Emails (if someone would have read it to me). I thought I would at least make it up to the Salon events. But I didn’t make it anywhere.

I was sad to read it but about in early September I got an offer from OYO USA, so I forgot about the disappointment of rejections.

But today! I thought, why not? Just why not should I write a blog post about my rejection? I am writing this because I know I will never stop writing and no matter how hard my friends or people or family tell me, I will make my words worth reading and listening!

There are always things you are proud of; it is just a matter of time you start acknowledging things. If you smile at someone, hold the door for someone, or save someone’s life at a Railway Track (It was a kid’s track in an amusement so no big deal! But the old man on the wheelchair gave me a thumbs up!), just keep appreciating yourself! And you are there!

Be good to yourself, be kind to yourself, and appreciate what you are doing at that moment and you will be through! You will get a job, you will get an easy and happy life, you will be free of addiction, and you will be everything you have ever wanted to be and maybe find more things.

I thought I am good for a TED talk and I still think I am and if I am then why not you?

So, I won’t stop applying for TED talks and you don’t stop appreciating yourself! Deal?

And about my write up for the TED Talk? I will post one section of it every day to give you time to read. Starting tomorrow!

Be good to yourself 😊

The Last Letter to Grandpa Stan Lee

Dear Grandpa Stan Lee,

You must be wondering why I am addressing you as Grandpa. Well, I won’t keep you under suspense until the end of this letter. Here is the reason why! When I was a small kid, I was raised by listening to some short stories narrated by my maternal and paternal Grandmothers. None of my Grandpa’s told me any stories, they were too busy making money. But there was always one man whose stories were interesting for me, they came in the form of comics, some were X- Men, Captain America, Spider-Man, Incredible Hulk, and many more. They all were written by you! For me, you were my Grandpa!

My childhood was not like the typical one shown in the movies, but like an average childhood which was made special by the stories, I heard from my Grandmothers and of course the ones which I read in your comics.

I always thought how you came up with this idea, but frankly, I didn’t even know your name until you were dead. But when the news came up, I was astonished to know your age and the work you have done. I was not very sad but a small part inside my heart wanted to ask, “Who will tell me new imaginative stories now?” I think my imaginary world came to an end with your death. A few years back my maternal Grandmother left me and now you!

My parents always said, “You are too grown up for cartoons, comics, and fiction movies.” But I know how I became my own superhero after reading and watching all those marvelous Marvel characters written by you. Your stories were like a continuous motivation and inspiration for me in this mean and brutal real world. Your stories inspired me to see myself as a writer, but I can never be as good as you were.

As every grandson have little complaints with Grandfather, I have got some complaints about you. I was disappointed when you changed Tobey with Andrew in the Amazing Spider-Man. I was angry when you killed Logan in the last X – Men story. And I was sobbing like a small kid when you killed my favorite Marvel characters in the last Avengers. But you know what? I was somehow convinced that you will come up with something again and make everything alright as you do know that all your grandsons and granddaughters across the world will be very sad. But now, I am worried to see what will happen to my favorite characters who died? Will they just remain dead forever?

You made me realize about my responsibilities with my power in Spider-Man, you told me that even an arrogant popular person must meltdown and save the world in Iron Man. When an experiment went wrong, and Hulk was born, I learned, “What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.”

You always made sure that Iron Man and Captain America always appeared in the movie with the American Flag at the back depicting the American pride Marvel has. I wish if people were half patriotic as you were.

And out of all the characters, there was one whom I was always curious to see in these movies, and that was you, Grandpa. I didn’t know your name, but I loved your small funny and interesting roles, proving your metal in acting too.

You never wore a cape, and now I know it is true, “Not All Heroes Wear Capes!” I won’t lie to you Grandpa, but I would have laughed a lot seeing you wearing in a cape. You would look funny, really!

You once mentioned that you were not doing an important work while creating these fictional characters in real life as the scientist and doctors do the important work. Perhaps, I won’t deny that, but you also mentioned that imagination is also very important for one’s life. And no matter how important work these scientists and doctors do, I don’t like them. They are boring! They never inspired me, but you did! And I am sure not just about myself, but all other grandchildren that you have in the world. They were inspired more by you than any other doctor or scientist.

I know that the show must go on and someone will complete those incomplete stories you left on your table, but they won’t be like you had in your mind. With every Marvel movie I will watch, every comic I will read, I will remember you.

Thank you for filling my life with a beautiful and powerful imagination which made me a strong man today. And I will keep on imagining things in life to follow your legacy.

Until then Grandpa..

Tell God to create more avengers like you did on earth, we really need them a lot. And I know you won’t rest in peace because that’s not your style.

Keep imagining and keep motivating the world from wherever you are.

Love,

The Shameless Indian

An Idiot!

Who is an idiot? Idiot is the one who is mentally challenged, a man with subnormal intelligence, or a stupid human. Perhaps, everyone is an idiot, or I should say everyone has an idiot inside them. Well, if you think you are not an idiot, I feel very sorry for you. But, I am an IDIOT. Proudly, An Idiot!

Here is a story.

He wakes up every morning sharp at 6:00 AM, brushes his teeth, drinks water and poop. Later he wears his shoes, schedules a half an hour alarm at 6:45 AM and go out for a walk. He keeps walking until his watch strikes 7:00 AM and he use the last 15 minutes to walk back to his apartment and reach his place before the alarm goes off. He steps inside his apartment at 7:15 AM and put off his shoes and take 15 minutes to rest on his couch in the common area to normalize his breath. Exactly at 7:30 AM he goes to his room and sit in the right posture for 10 minutes and meditates to calm his thoughts down. These thoughts are always telling him not to follow his schedule every day and do what hippies do, what crazies do. However, he tries harder and put more efforts to follow his routine to be a gentleman. And when his meditation is completed at 7:40 AM, he takes a sharp 20 minutes nap to revive his body with the sleep depravity because he has a long day to go ahead. He wakes up at 8:00 AM sharp to take a bath for 15 minutes until the clock strikes 8:15 AM. At 8:15 AM he comes out and wear his clothes for 10 minutes to suit up and eat his milk cereals for 15 minutes scrolling the news on his smartphone. And exactly at 8:40 AM his day starts. His day is scheduled a night before he sleeps. From what to wear the next day to what to what to eat, from what to study to which companies to apply for, from what to talk and whom to talk. And he follows his entire day to become the best in the society, he runs in a race where he wants to win and at the end exactly at 12:00 AM he hits off his bed to sleep.

 

His alarm rings at 6:00 AM the next morning and he follows his routine to be a gentleman like a mediocre!

This man wants to be a gentleman, the one who can survive in society and the one who shall be respected by society and people. He runs in the race which is unknown to him, he wants to keep going without knowing the start or end as he didn’t choose this race for himself, the society chose for him. He wants to win the race, but he can’t as he doesn’t know which race he is in. He wants to stop and take a breath, but he can’t or else he will die. He needs to keep going like a Robot. Otherwise, his machinery will be rusted and dusted. But in his entire busy routine, there is a time where he feels what he wants, he smells what he wants, he enjoys what he wants. What is that time? Which time does he choose to think what he wants?

The 10 minutes of his meditation!

What does he feel in those 10 minutes? Lets’ see!

He wakes up every morning sharp at 6:00 AM, brushes his teeth, drinks water and poop. Later he wears his shoes, schedule a half an hour alarm at 6:45 AM and go out for a walk. He keeps walking until his watch strikes 7:00 AM and he use the last 15 minutes to walk back to his apartment and reach his place before the alarm goes off. He steps inside his apartment at 7:15 AM and put off his shoes and take 15 minutes to rest on his couch in the common area to normalize his breath. Exactly at 7:30 AM he goes to his room and sit in the right posture for 10 minutes and meditates to calm his thoughts down. These thoughts are always telling him not to follow his schedule every day and do what hippies do, what crazies do. However, he tries harder and put more efforts to follow his routine to be a gentleman. And when his meditation is completed at 7:40 AM, he takes a sharp 20 minutes nap to revive his body with the sleep depravity because he has a long day to go ahead. But he doesn’t wake up at 8:00 AM, he sleeps until whenever he wants, until he doesn’t feel sleep deprived and sometimes even more. He wakes up and makes a sandwich for breakfast with tea and calls his family and friends and talks to them for 2 – 3 hours. After he is done with his calls, he opens his laptop to study for a while, but he can’t so he watches a movie for 2 hours and as it is already lunchtime he prepares Kadhai Paneer for his lunch and enjoys his delicacy by updating his WhatsApp status with a food story. And while having his lunch he watches short films and when he is done with lunch, he writes his heart out, having music on high volume in his earphones he keeps on writing. His emotions best expressed in his writings and best flowed in his tears. He doesn’t stop, smiling and laughing and writing like An Idiot. He is An Idiot who does whatever he wants the entire day and doesn’t follow the routine which gentlemen follow.

You must be thinking such a waste of time, right? Oh, definitely it is. His relatives, girlfriends, roommates, friends, and family criticize him for doing so. They call him an idiot, a stupid and mentally retarded man. He talks all day long and everyone teases him by naming a storyteller. And he feels happy because that is what he is, a Storyteller, a Writer, a Cook, but still An Idiot.

We all have an idiot around us and even inside us, perhaps we choose to ignore, criticize and tease that idiot. But have we thought that this Idiot is actually lucky unlike us? He does what he wants, feels what he wants and runs in the race he wants, and he can even win the race because that is his race and his story. He knows how to run and win.

Seeing that, why do we want to be mediocre, when we all can be An Idiot too? A special human with not subnormal but supernormal intelligence! Maybe we have Ishaan of Taare Zameen Par inside us or Jordan Belfort of the Wolf of Wall Street or maybe Christopher Gardener of Pursuit of Happyness, or Prof. John Nash Jr. of the Beautiful Mind hidden inside our soul. Maybe we have S. Ramanujan, the mathematician or Alen Turing.  Each one of us in An Idiot. All we need is just to break the routine and start finding our race to run and win.

Rat race is not a bad thing, but not knowing your race is bad. Find your race and ace all the rats.

Find yourself, break the beard, break the routine, break the schedule, break a leg (not literally) and become An Idiot. You can be anything. You can be an analyst, a writer, a storyteller, an engineer, a photographer, or even a stockbroker or maybe a scientist. However, in so many these ANYTHINGS, you just need to find Your Something. Find it, dig deep in, do it and ace it.

Believe me, it is that simple to be An Idiot.

And if it makes you feel any better – #IAmAnIdiot!

 

Sources of Images: Google Search Engine

Out of all the places!

The world is a small place, round, and looping. And we experience the same sometimes and things happen at the places where we expect the least. Meeting old friends whom you couldn’t meet in years in your city but meeting them in some far-off city or meeting a stranger on a leisure trip and who happens to be your future boss. I experience this quite a lot of times and I usually write and talk like I’m telling a story, so I must share my experiences in an impactful manner. I usually talk about myself, but this time I am talking about my new roommate and close friend Ansh Shah.

Talking about Ansh, he is tall, dark, and handsome with a great posture and composed personality. His life circles around the things he wants to focus, and he does the job of focusing on things pretty well. I am actually amused to see how flawlessly he is focused. His humble and compassionate behavior made him a very important piece of my life and his approach keeps me motivated too. In all these experiences I had with Ansh I didn’t know he has something which I don’t expect it from someone who is so determined and serious about life. He is a Standup Comedian! It came as a shock to me when he told me that he has hosted shows and opened shows for star comedians like Zakhir Khan and Abhishek Upmanyu.

It was last night when me, Ansh and Pal went out for a late-night hangout to Jasmine. It was a Mediterranean cuisine lounge which serves delicious food and accustomed to an open ambiance. We found the staff a little rude, but they are not to be blamed, things happen. While we were enjoying the mouthwatering falafel sandwich with hummus and French fries, Pal told me about the plan of watching the Standup Comedy show of Abhishek Upmanyu here in Dallas. I am not a big fan of comedians, but they have a different approach to present things and I personally respect those who can de-stress people in this rat racing world. When Pal discussed this plan, Ansh disclosed that he met Abhishek personally and took him for a drive in Ahmedabad for Wagh Bakri Chai (Tea). I didn’t believe him at first, but I had to believe when he showed me a photograph on a house full stage which Ansh and Abhishek were sharing.

The day of the show came, and I asked Ansh what time we were leaving for the show but Ansh being Ansh, you can always expect the unexpected from him. He denied for the show as he had to do the grading for his professor. I knew he is procrastinating which is usual for both of us, but I procrastinate more than him, not that I am proud of it but that is how it is. Later when the show was already started, Ansh said, “Dress up, we are going now!” I laughed and then smiled. We got ready and booked an Uber. It was on our way when Ansh told me that Abhishek replied to his text over Messenger saying, he reached Dallas. I was excited and happy to see Ansh and Abhishek meeting today in Dallas. It was more than a year that he didn’t meet him and now meeting in Dallas would make me say, “The world is small’.

We reached the auditorium where Abhishek was already making everyone cry out of laughter. We both sat and enjoyed the show and couldn’t stop our laughter too. When the show ended, I saw Ansh standing at the corner. I knew he wanted to meet Abhishek not because he wanted to show how good relation he had with Abhishek, but it was a feeling of meeting an old friend with whom you have done mischievous things too. Ansh was hesitant to ask the manager Imtiaz to meet Abhishek but better late than never, he finally heard me and asked the manager. As every other person would think, the manager thought we were just someone finding an excuse to meet Upmanyu for a photograph. The manager said he could try and asked Ansh his name. It was just in a moment when Abhishek came from the green room and called for Ansh’s name. Their meeting was not like an emotional moment, but I could feel the happiness in that handshake. Ansh introduced me to Abhishek and of course, Abhishek doesn’t require any introduction today. Upmanyu then directed us to the green room and wrapped up the last meeting with the audience. I was amused to see the gratitude in Abhishek Upmanyu that he spent half an hour with us. Seeing Abhishek and Ansh’s conversation I could revive my old days in Ahmedabad. They talked about how they spent time in Ahmedabad and other friends they had and what everyone was doing in their lives now. Upmanyu admitted how Ansh served him with hot Wagh Bakri Chai (Tea) in his Volkswagen Polo with a cracked windshield. Abhishek later asked Ansh to open for the upcoming comedian like Kunal Kamra and Rahul Subramanian to which Ansh’s response was uncertain. And after getting the moment of celebrity photograph we adjourned our meeting. They parted while saying, “Out of all the places we met here”.

I could feel the excitement and happiness Ansh was experiencing. The good old days revived in his thoughts and I heard more about his standup comedy and other comedians.

Our meeting and the step to see the show made us ponder on the thought that one thing you can never buy with money is “relationship”. You can always make a network but if you want things to remain healthy and memorable, you must go out of your comfort zone and build a relationship. The Wagh Bakri relationship I observed between Ansh and Abhishek made my theory about meeting people even more convincing.

I hope Ansh takes up the role of opening for the celebrity comedians and rejuvenate his skills of Standup Comedy.

What I experienced today is what anyone of us can! However, what we lack is commitment and belief in ourselves. All we must do is believe in ourselves and go out and try it out. Try out and talk to people, meet them, follow your goals, take initiatives and your journey is halfway done. Do whatever you feel like but just don’t stop.

I have decided to follow my dream of being a writer and I would request you all to follow yours. There will be plenty of problems which will stop you but all you must find is that “one reason” to do it and you will have your “Out of all the places” moment.

Stock Market – Swinging Pendulum and Climbing Everest

Friday, 21^st September 2018, when the world’s fastest-growing economy suffered from regular earthquakes in the stock market, at that time the world’s largest economy climbed the highest cliff in history. Yes, it is about India and the United States respectively. The impacts were so heavy that Indian stock market BSE Sensex and Nifty (2 major indices) lost control and Sensex fluctuated for almost 1500 points and obviously as Nifty mostly observes 1/3^rd of Sensex, it fluctuated almost 500 points. On the other hand, the Dollar dominated market, Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) and S&P 500 gained the faith of investors in the robust US economy. DJIA gained 250 points (1%) to hit the bull’s eye at 26656 points and the S&P 500 added 22.80 points (0.8%) overcame the fear of recession and touched 2930. It didn’t end here for the US stock market as the world’s largest Digital index NASDAQ gained 78 points (1%) and broke the records to reach the pinnacle at 8028 points.

So, what all happened and how did it happen?

Well, Indian market bled because of the speculation of liquidity crunch and downgraded ratings, whereas, the US market showed respect for the lowest unemployment, tax cuts in the last year and finally rising above the pain of recession occurred in 2008.

Indian Market’s Roller Coaster

The Speculation in DSP:

As IL&FS is facing the worst phase of existence, DSP Mutual Fund (DS Prabhudas) sold off NCDs (Negotiable Certificate of Deposit) of DHFL (Dewan Housing Finance Limited). These NCDs were short-term debt instruments worth INR 300 Crores which DSP sold at a higher yield of 11% than the previous deal materialized between 10.25% – 10.50%. The heavy sales of NCDs of DHFL by DSP speculated the possibility of downgraded ratings of DHFL. Not just that, assumptions of heavy liquidity (money in hand) crunch in DHFL were made. However, as expected, DHFL denied any pressure of liquidity. To support the statement, DSP Mutual Fund said, “The sale of NCDs on higher yield was a credit call and we still hold more NCDs of DHFL worth INR 800 Crores.”

To support the research, I even found, DSP Credit Fund holds 3.26% of IL&FS Energy Development Corporation (a subsidiary of IL&FS Ltd.) And the valuation of these securities was marked at 50% when recently when a rating agency gave it a D after missing two bond maturities payments and non – payment of a mere INR 100 Crores repayment to SBI (State Bank of India). I assume that the investors would want to pull their money out of the Credit Fund and because of the redemption pressure (paying back to the investors) the heavy INR 300 Crores sale of NCDs of DHFL happened.

Alas! DSP denied all the statements of speculation, liquidity crunch, and redemption pressure. I really appreciate how the companies hold each other’s back in the bad times, but if that was a well-planned move then DSP would have taken the pain of informing the investors, at least the market wouldn’t have swung like a pendulum.

The tenure cut in Yes Bank:

Shares of Yes Bank slumped 29% as the RBI instructed the CEO and MD Rana Kapoor that he will have a tenure of just 4 months. Now on 25^th September, the board will decide the further steps when Rana Kapoor steps down unwillingly.

Miscellaneous Activities:

The all-time low currency rate is now unaffected to the investors due to the faith in the NDA government. Oil prices are also higher but that is the part of the global cues. However, Maruti’s share price took a small dip joined by India Bulls which measured the depth of the sea and fell 35%.

The Shining US Star Market

It is always seen that Indian stock market is affected by any small happenings in the world, be it Singapore and Malaysian market, China’s trade tariffs, or the United States elections. In this chute – the – chute, the US market is also affected by the happenings everywhere in the world but India. And as the US market dominates the Dollar, it stands the strongest, even when it is not the world’s largest population and not the fastest growing economy.

As being a curious finance student, I expected to see the US market taking a dip after seeing what happened in the Indian market, but the US market was unaffected by the swinging pendulum and hoisted its flag on the highest cliff.

Overlooking Trade Crisis:

As Mr. President Donald Trump has been seen disliking the Chinese goods in the US, he has been imposing trade tariffs on them. Although it is a little good move by the honorable President, he should have asked for some advice of his fellow businessmen in the US who are producing most of their electronic goods in China and these tariffs will make the iPhones even costlier, not for Mr. Trump but for poor people like me. However, the trade tariffs didn’t seem to affect the investors and they showed heavy support in the policies and invested more in the market.

Applauding the Unemployment Rates:

The United States has always struggled due to high unemployment rates but recently they have seen the unemployment rate lowest in the last two decades. On top of that, the layoffs have also been decreased to the lowest since 1967 as per the Labor Department. The investors showing heavy faith in the policies of the US government have invested and decided to stay in the market for a longer run.

Dollar Weakening:

As the dollar is weakening in the US, the multinational companies can sell their products at a lower rate in the entire world which will increase the income of overseas earnings coming back to the US.

Tax Cuts Appreciated:

As the corporate tax rates were trimmed last year to a comforting level, the first two quarters saw high profits, and this might continue in the coming quarters too.

All’s well that ends well!

The relation in the Indian and US market has always been an interesting topic of discussion for big sharks like Warren Buffet and Rakesh Jhunjhunwala and small sea animals like me and seahorse. As the analysts are talking about the world might see a recession again, I don’t agree to it for some reasons. First, if they knew about the recession then it would have already happened. Second, the world economy is seeing new heights which will sustain the strongest economies like India, China, and the US. Furthermore, at this point, the countries are extra cautious about their investments, lending, and accounts payable.

The Selection

I was in 12th grade searching for my career options. I secretly wanted to be a soldier, but I didn’t know the process of becoming one. A friend of mine told me about the National Defense Academy (NDA), I decided that I will do anything to get through.

I started preparing for the exam and soon the applications were out. One day I was busy filling up my application at my father’s office when a salesman came to meet my father when he was busy in the office. I graciously escorted him to my father’s cabin. He entered the cabin and greeted my father. My father gave him a suspicious look and trying to remember him. But he couldn’t remember as he never met him. My father asked him about his whereabouts to which he said, “Sir, I am Kishore and I am here to give you a demo on an accounting software.” I was impressed with this man, unlike other salesmen he was well dressed, confident and smiling even in the scorching heat. But to my surprise, my father reprimanded him and told him to get out as he came without an appointment. But I believe that is the right thing he did because you need to have an appointment for meeting anyone. The guy couldn’t say anything and felt insulted. I was very angry with my father for his behavior, he could have been a little polite.

When Kishore was about to leave, he turned towards me and said, “Okay! Mr. Rakshit, I’ll take your leave. But make sure you get selected because when someone rejects you, it is very disheartening and painful.”

I looked at him numb and shaken by his words, I didn’t have any words to say, alas I just smiled. I was amused how Kishore was so observant to the application lying on my desk that he read my name and NDA too. And that day I learned a lesson, “Never be unprepared for an exam or an interview.”

After a few months, I appeared for the exam. I was confident yet nervous about the results. I was eagerly waiting for the results but on the judgment day my maternal uncle passed away at a very young age of 32. My entire family was in a turmoil, and I didn’t know what was happening. In the meanwhile, I got a call from my friend presenting me the good news. I was happy and proud that I kept my words and followed the path he showed me. I did this for myself, but I wanted him to know that I kept my promise. However, I didn’t go any further, seeing the scene in my family, I couldn’t gather the courage to tell anyone in my family about the results. But since that day, I have never been rejected from an interview.

Even today I thank Kishore when someone kicks me out or rejects me.

Akira – Brightest & Strongest

Akira! This word has different meanings in different languages, but it is coincidental that the meaning in all the languages has a positive interpretation. In Japanese, this means bright, intelligent and clear, and in the mother of all languages, Sanskrit, Akira means Graceful Strength.

Often, we watch inspirational and motivational movies, theater shows, read good books and listen to songs which depict ethics, strength, bravery and life lessons and these movies, books, songs, theaters, and talks make us feel powerful, but do you remember one incident where you have tried doing what you have learnt? Or kept on following the path of truth? Or you just felt happy, motivated and enraged for a while and decided that you will change your life from now on but just after a while you forget those and lead your usual life. Well, don’t feel bad about it. We are humans and the majority of us have been created with a built – in software which is not auto updated. We are all the same, except a few!

My life has been the same. I am very emotional, and things affect me a lot and I think my write – ups describe my feelings quite well. People sometimes ask me why I don’t write about things which will really help and develop something in people. I ask people for suggestions, they look for science, technology, arts and the aspects which contribute towards a good world. I do want to write about them, but I don’t wish to write about the topics where I have not experienced things personally. And so, I write about issues which need to be addressed for empowering the untamed animals, the humans. Incidents and happenings in my life have been the same as every other individual but they have left marks which are shouting out loud to be revealed to the world. And I write about them. Why do I? Maybe this will make others shout and reveal their marks as well.

There was an incident in school where I was rebellious when few students in the class had a monopoly on things. These students were not bad and now few of them are even my friends but in those days, they were sort of bullies or I should say uncontrolled kids or rich spoilt brats of their parents. Some had a political background, some had huge businesses, and some belonged to armed forces families. That lead them to rule like autocratic rulers in the class and I had issues with that attitude. I would never agree to whatever they say. Agreeing with them for anything would kill my conscience which I couldn’t allow. Like all the parents who tell their kids to fight against the evil, my parents did too and later when we grew up our parents told us the sour truth of the world. They wanted us to adjust, absorb and move ahead. Well, sometimes my parents do the same but they have always been of the thought that if there is something unethical then fight it and I took it too seriously and entered the school with that attitude. One day, all the so-called bad boys of my class kicked me for fun and then they continued. I couldn’t fight them, I was a coward, I still am when it comes to fighting physically but when it ended I made sure that their punishment will be a lesson for them. Since that day I even made a pact with me that if I’m not at fault then no matter what happens, I will fight, physically and mentally.

But why suddenly today, I’m talking about this! I think I am motivated to write about Akira as I have just watched the movie and maybe I will forget about what I have learned in a while. But before I forget, I want to express my thoughts with my writing which will always be alive and won’t fade away. People will tell people and they will keep fighting against the evil.

Our society curses people who are ethical, who are honest, who follow the path of truth because it is too cynical. Well, in today’s world, I agree it is, however, not following these paths make us face the situation and scenario we are in at present. The attitude of adjusting with the unacceptable make us a partner in the crime. We depend on others to fight the problems we have. We let terrorists attack because we have accepted that the world is like that and this has turned into a gang war. Terrorists kill us and then we bomb them. We don’t have any remedy or perhaps we do but we choose to lay ourselves down and not fight them first. Rapists rape our daughters, sisters, mothers, and wives but we don’t have a remedy to stop them from doing so. What we ask for is the death penalty and life sentence which is not a solution to the crime but the criminal. We must eliminate the crime, not the criminals. Nourishing our kids since birth with good habits, self-defense, and non-negotiable attitude towards the wrong and being a nice human can kill all the evils off the roots. And why just girls even boys face problems, they do get robbed, they are killed, they are sexually assaulted too but their problems are ignored because being men prohibits them to cry.

We tell people to stay indoors at night, be it a boy or a girl, it is unsafe for both, but will it be unsafe if you are self-protected? If you have the power to defend yourself? We are told not to wear revealing clothes, not to walk on lonely roads but is it not our incompetence? It is our wish to wear what we want and go where we want. Obviously, it is stupid to go out at night at a lonely place or maybe revealing clothes too, but things happen, anywhere any time. We should be prepared rather than scared about our surroundings.

Our habits are because our society says, “Please Adjust!” No matter what good or bad it is, keep adjusting. Throwing trash on the streets, spitting, urinating are all parts of the evil too. Corrupt officers, inefficient workers, and lethargic people are parts of the evil too. If for once you have felt something bad happened and you didn’t agree to it, Move and ask for your side. Don’t adjust. Try doing that at least once a day and this will be a habit too, a good one. Educate people about the good habits, the life lessons and protecting themselves. You will not need the police if someone tries to rob you this time, you will handle it by yourself.

Different religions and different Gods have always spread one message which proves the path is one and God is one. The God always sacrificed the life of their avatars to save humans and what we did? We just ignored their sacrifices. Why just Gods, think about the people who are fighting against corruption, acid attackers, rapists, terrorism, and domestic violence? These people are the brightest and the strongest in the real sense, who doesn’t stop their struggles. Find a way to fight the evil, some action, some words, some music, some art but find something and fight! Don’t Stop!

When I watched the movie Akira today, I realized why to empower just our girls why not boys too, why not transgenders and LGB’s too? Why not empower everyone? If we are alive then it is our right to have a secured life and it all depends on us.

Next time make sure you don’t forget the learning from a good movie, song or show. Keep it intact with you and spread what you have learned.

Just to share, if there is something in the name then my kid’s name will be Akira! Be it a boy or a girl, the name will be Akira. Maybe this will be a start and not just the name, I will train my child to be the Graceful Strength and the Brightest Mind – Akira!

Indian and Proud!

India, a country known for its values and traditions with love being the most important characteristic. Our flag has three colors and the Ashok Chakra. The saffron color on the top symbolizes unbiased thoughts and neutrality, the white color in the middle denotes the path of truth and conduct and the color green in the bottom, depicts our relationship with soil and the down to earth culture. And with all these colors we have the Ashok Chakra, this small looking wheel with spikes is the wheel of law, dharma, and belief in the unstoppable development of people and country.

India has been under the influence of foreign powers since its inception, sometimes Mughals, then Britishers and now it is under the influence of its own people, politics, media, and politicians. The country saw many good and bad things since its independence but comparing what we did in the last 70 years of independence our country has grown the most in last 3 – 4 years, as a person who used to sell tea in trains became our Prime Minister. I think in comparison to the world we have the lowest graded Prime Minister in India. People call him “Chaiwala”, “Friends of the Industrialists”, and “Suit Boot Wala” but if we talk about what he did in last 4 years, the entire world is now looking up to India. One of the most unorganized country, 2^nd largest population, full of corruption, ill optimized system, democratic and what not! Amidst, all the factors which push back the development of any country, we are currently the mightiest. We are the fastest growing economy in the world. We might be the next country to be a permanent member of the United Nations, we sent satellites to space in cost at which even cars are not driven on roads, we have people heading the biggest corporations like Google and Microsoft. Science and Technology is India’s forte even when we are known for superstition. And I would like to give credit to not all but few good things in this list to our Honorable Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi.

But why am I praising India today? And when I’m The Shameless Indian who is known to demean India, who is blamed for spreading the negativity about India with his mere “Pen Name”. Why am I praising India or the Prime Minister today?

The recent incidents in my country led me to that.

In last one month, my country has been paralyzed by Dalits (Scheduled Caste) in the name of reservation, faced an uproar due to the honest human being Salman Khan over his philanthropist act of killing black bucks, few murders, and scams by Nirav Modi, but the most important being the rape cases of minors and infants. Yes, infants and minors were raped in India!

Heinous and humiliating, right? India should be abandoned by the world and the Prime Minister should resign. That is not what I’m saying but the people. And people from where? These are Indians who have absolutely no clue about the happenings in India as they are just influenced by Media (which is either paid by opposition or foreign countries). I am ashamed of not India and the Prime Minister, but the people. Undoubtedly the acts are not to be forgotten or forgiven. And our Prime Minister has given his statement that the culprits are arrested and severely punished.

Even after his statement which he wasn’t supposed to give as he is the Prime Minister whose work is to see the entire country and not give a speech on every good and bad thing happening in the country. There is a system which is working to run the country. He is the Prime Minister and not the Mayor who should comment on everything. “Pradhan Mantri hai woh, Municipality ka Parshad nahi!”

The culprits should be hanged that’s what the people want, but I personally think they should be burnt alive. But that is not how our country works, we are a democracy, we are not Saudi Arabia. Not that people are burnt alive there, but punishments are severe and horrifying. Also, if you praise them for doing that, then praise them for not letting females drive and force them to wear Burkha!

India is in a state of turmoil and I think we have always been, but as citizens of India, our job is not to curse our own Prime Minister for whom we voted, and he didn’t force us to. And if you did vote for him, have faith in him. And if you didn’t then keep praying but Rahul Gandhi can be the Prime Minister only when we all die. Narendra Modi is also the reason for growing international reputation of India in the world. Indians are now respected and looked up and one reason is our Prime Minister. And if you people can’t support him for the good he did to our country, then you have no right to curse him or hate him for things which he is not responsible for.

A country is never perfect, the citizens make it perfect. Make the system strong by joining the system or working from outside the system. Think and Comment!

I being The Shameless Indian is not ashamed of my country, absolutely not! Because things happen across the world and we are responsible for all the acts, we as humans are.

I stand by India, My Country, My Nation and My Honorable Prime Minister!

Love,

The Shameless Indian

#IndianAndProud

See Through

Hello World!

You know why am I so charged up, excited, enthusiastic, and happy in my words? Well, it will be a lie if I say that it is because of just one reason. I got a few of them. First, writing helps me express, my happiness, my pain, my learning, and my anguish of my life but, I always turn that into a motivational speech because I want everyone to see through what is good even in the worst and I want everyone to see the positive and maybe the god has left me to experience and stand strong with everyone to make them realize how things are beautiful behind the bad ones. The second reason is, I love people, I love each one of you. No matter if I have met you or not but I do. Few of my friends were and are still angry with me with the fact that how can everyone be important in my life and I said well everyone is because they have a soul, they have feelings and I can’t prioritize them. You know why? Because humans are not commodities yet!

When things go bad, things are not in your favor, time is running fast and against you. You must be thinking to take a different and big step in life which will reverse it all, but you know what? Sometimes, you can’t change things, they are meant to be as they are. When things go bad, just take a deep breath in, sit, have a drink, meditate and don’t think at all. And when you don’t think at all, you will have the real reasons why things went bad and what are the ways you can figure to fix them up. So, it is like magic. No matter how smart you think you are, how much you think, how closely you look, and you think you know the trick is happening here, The real trick is happening somewhere else. You might even think to give it a closer look but remember, The closer you look, the less you see.

It has been a while that I didn’t talk to you all, not that we talk personally, but people who don’t know, for them I should just reveal this. If you are not talking to someone and they still understand, it is just because you are feeling them. So, let me tell you about my winter break. I think they were the worst ones, maybe not so worst for others but me. What all went bad? Well, there is actually a pretty long list but maybe a couple of them I have here for you. I realized that I need to study hard as the US is not that easy, my first vacations in the US went in vain just sitting at home and doing nothing, I got no one around, I was all alone in my apartment for a month, I had cut my finger while making food, I got to ride a cycle at 6 in morning when it was -9 degrees Celsius while I had a bleeding finger, and no one to talk to. Pretty stupid, huh? Well, that was it. I got anxiety issues and made a new friend back in India who is a psychologist for counseling. I couldn’t sleep for straight 36 hours. My blood pressure shot to higher levels, and what not! I was missing India, my family, friends, and people. I thought I could survive without people around me, I could survive without praising myself, I could live without grabbing anyone’s attention, I could sleep without talking to anyone, but I was wrong, and I admit. I have realized that I like to show off, grab attention, be in the crowd and get recognition, I need people knowing me and I think that is all and nothing else. No money, no position, just people around me. Well, when I realized all of this I figured out it was late as I couldn’t pull things off on time, but this made me realize that you are never too late for anything in life until you die and when you die, you are not living so be it. I felt a jerk in my head which connected my heart, I made myself comfortable with who I am and what I want. I should rather be proud of what I do, how I do, and not be ashamed or scared of what bad happened because while the bad was happening I still tried new things and didn’t stop. I was doing pretty well. I told my psychologist friend that I might not really need her but still gave her my information and felt relaxed. I made peace with who I am and now I feel calm and relaxed.

You must be thinking, why did I write my life story of past few days in the previous lines, right? Well, if you are then, you are actually reading and if you are not, then read it again. So, there is a reason for everything which happens in life and everything happens in life for the good even if, it is someone’s death because that makes you realize that you loved him, and you still need to go ahead without him. It makes you stronger, loving and caring. I wrote all my misery to make you all realize that the best part of the bad time is that it will end and if it is not ending then it simply means that the good time will be even longer and merrier. I was worried too but one thing I did was.. NOTHING. I could see that it is not working out, so maybe kick myself back on the couch, relax, have a drink, and give it some time and time heals everything. Well, it did for me. I am better than ever. Oh yeah!

And yes, the jerk I felt in my head for the bad times? I think it was needed for a knucklehead like me. And it is good that I went through such a bad time. This gave me time to think what I really want in life and how to bring my life to back on track. And I think I have it in control. You know a constant thing about Focus? IT LOSES! I might even lose focus again and I think it is my biggest fear. But, make sure you always have one thing inspiring you in your heart which will get you back your lost focus and this time it will be more FOCUSSED.

It is funny, how I wrote everything for which I wanted to write 2 separate blogs but maybe that is how things change. Did you notice an interesting about CHANGE? CHANGE IS CONSTANT. Keep yourself up with the things happening around you and you will never fall back with the new change.

I have a small message for you. Don’t you ever think of keeping yourself focused or winning something over someone to demean them or avenge something? You know why? Because whatever you do, you will never feel happy because you can’t ever have enough of it. You always want more, and you can’t get that with revenge. And if you keep on taking revenging then remember that there is always An Eye for an Eye! You will never be satisfied and if you keep on doing this, then the entire world will be blind.

I am sure you must be thinking that if thinking like a monk or a good soul will not land you anywhere in life? And what will happen to you? Me and my 3 more idiots, Nikhil, Vishal, and Kunal also though the same but we always had just one thing in life, it is like a mantra. It might be useful for you. Here it is:

SIT BACK, CALM DOWN, RELAX, DON’T THINK ANYTHING, YOU WILL DO JUST FINE. BECAUSE EVERYONE BECOMES SOMETHING OR SOMEONE IN LIFE.

SABKA KUCH NA KUCH TOH HO HI JAYEGA, KUCH NA KUCH TOH BANN HI JAYENGE! BHAROSA RAKH, APNE AAP PE RAKH SAALE 😊