The End or Beginning still wondering...

It was 31^st Dec 2009, last day of the decade started as usual getting up at 1 in the noon, no mood to eat at mess( @ kadi pakoda) and would be injustice to chole kulchewala if I don't turn up at year end. But that was the only thing common out there. I was never so happy, that year 2009 was coming to an end, and was in all moods to celebrate the ending and beginning of the new time and era. Putting all the worries of placements aside was all set to enjoy the day.

Managing the bike took off on the road tearing the traffic and we three Arpit, Sakina (IMT mates) and me reached the Delhi the city with blend of cultures, religions and ethnicity but still unified by its uniqueness. Soon we were joined by Shubham(other IMt mate), aim was to purchase mobile for Shubham but we ended up doing every other thing from that. Variety in food and tastes something unique about Delhi was explored to the best. We enjoyed the dishes ranging from moong kid dal (@local thela) to 500 bucks sizzler (@ gola sizzlers). Just amazing...

Landed back at IMT by 10 P.M. was all set to sleep after the long day but there was something more in for me. Checked mail and learnt "picture to abhi baki hai mere dost" (mail from SAC for party at AMPHI). The party started at low note but the Cake Cutting ceremony by mess com was the Ice breaking (maximum cake I ever had at any IMT event) and then clock ticks to the new era of 2010 and the feelings and emotions of the people hugging each other and wishing for the wonderful new year ahead, were the most wonderful to be seen. Really brought tears to my eyes. And then started the dancing on to the tunes of the music. Though was tired but couldn't put myself off for a long and then was the madness in me coming out in different dance steps. Really enjoyed dancing out with friends and recalling back the memories of the year 09.

Returned back to room by 2 and just for a check, looked for the keys of the bike and suddenly realized that I had forgotten it in the bike itself. I was just lost and thought I don't want a year to start with such an incident, ran to bike and found the keys bringing great relief to me. Was just planning to sleep but there was something better in store for me .Met Ankit aka Mama on the way and went along with him to their lobby. Another party, other friends but the feelings were same- Everybody happy (some with what it brought to them and some just at its end) with 2009 coming to end and excited about what further lies in for them in the sack of 2010.

And here comes to an end the day where I only didn't bid a thankful and cheerful good bye to 2009 for all the learning and opportunities but also welcomed the 2010 with the same fervour and excitement.

Missed some of the near and dear ones but still it was a fun filled and memorable.

All set to take up 2010 and every year of my life hence forth with bets of mine and enjoy it to the fullest.

Every circumstance is an opportunity just you need a right lens to see at it.

With this an adios for now see u in the new morning with the brightness of Sun.

Telecom bubble rising

Two sets of figures pertaining to the Indian telecom industry were released recently. Each tells a different story. According to the one released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), the wireless subscriber base increased by 16.67million during October 2009, taking the total number of subscribers to 488million. That's a yearly growth rate of almost 50 per cent -- a continuation of the great Indian telecom story.

Shrinking profitsMeanwhile, for the September quarter, Bharti Airtel, the country's largest cellular operator, saw its profits slide quarter-on-quarter for the first time in its history. Rival Reliance fared no better: its profits fell by more than 50 per cent compared to last year. Vodafone Essar's revenues too fell 7 per cent in the September quarter compared with the June quarter. How does this make sense? More subscribers mean more revenues, and more revenues mean more profit, right? Well, not exactly.

The first part of the answer lies in the fact that the new subscribers are from the "bottom of the pyramid" and contribute very little to revenues. "Till we reached the 300million mark, each subscriber was contributing to the top line (gross revenue) and the bottom line (profits) [of cellular operators]. But after 300million, not everyone's been contributing. Today, between 10-20 per cent of an operator's subscribers are not contributing [to revenues]. They have just taken the phone to receive incoming calls," says analyst Romal Shetty, head, telecom, KPMG India.

Secondly, there is an increasing trend of consumers buying two or more SIM cards to take advantage of schemes offered by competing operators. According to a recent report by Macquarie equities research, the recent addition of subscribers has been due to "increased incidence of dual SIMs". So the total number of people using a mobile phone might actually be lower.

Thirdly, in a bid to rapidly add subscribers, new players such as Tata Docomo have driven prices down with schemes such as per-second billing. Existing players such as Airtel, Reliance and Vodafone have followed suit. Also, the subscriber growth today is fragmented between 13-14 operators who have set up base in India -- an unsustainable number, according to analysts.

All these factors are expected to push down the average revenue per user (Arpu). Now, Arpu has always been falling in India (from a little over Rs300 per month in 2006 to less than Rs200 per month in 2009) thanks to lowering of tariffs. But it never affected the revenues of cellular operators because they continued to add more subscribers. This, however, will be difficult to achieve now.

For the first time, experts are predicting a fall in the EBITDA margins of telecom companies. EBITDA is earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation. A lower EBITDA margin indicates lower profitability, making companies less favourable for investment.

"It's after one quarter that we will see the full impact [of the price war]. EBITDA margins historically have been around 35 per cent for publicly listed players in India. That could fall to below 30 per cent," says Kunal Bajaj, managing director, BDA Connect, an advisory firm. The telecom industry will see a 'bloodbath' for at least two years. According to analysts, there will eventually be a consolidation, which will leave only six or seven of the current 13-14 players standing.

VAS is the difference?
In the mean time, with diminishing returns on calls and SMSes, cellular operators need to shift their focus to value added services (VAS), opine experts. "In mature markets like Japan and Korea, 30 to 40 per cent of revenues come from VAS. In India, operators earn around 90 per cent from voice and only 10 per cent from VAS," says Shetty.
Revenue per user doesn't normally increase on voice services, adds Shetty, pointing out how VAS can boost margins for the operator: "With Indian Idol, an SMS to vote for your favourite contestant costs the user Rs6. The cost of providing that SMS might be less than 10ps to the operator." That's some margin, no doubt. However, person-to-person SMS is priced much lower.

VAS will also help in retaining [higher end] customers, says BDA Connect's Bajaj, "The higher end segment has remained untouched by the recent price wars because it is not so price sensitive. They also tend to be very loyal to their phone numbers. [But] when mobile number portability comes into play, operators risk losing this higher-end customer base. This could also affect large bulk enterprise deals. So, one really needs to think about how to retain these consumers by offering compelling services."

Things have begun shifting on the ground as well. According to Mouli Raman, co-founder and chief technology officer, OnMobile, a VAS provider, "There is an urgency [among cellular operators] that we haven't seen before. We had some products in the pipeline on which operators were not keen on earlier because of other preoccupations. But now they are really pushing them through so that they can take [the service] to market much faster."

Beyond caller tunes
Although there are several examples of VAS that are doing well, they are restricted to services such as caller tunes or on-demand music. Such services constitute what Mouli calls "the first phase" of VAS.

High-spending customers, who typically also own smartphones, look for internet-based services, which are just not up to the mark in India, says Bajaj. "Today, ring tones account for a disproportionate share of the VAS pie and that is only because there isn't much else of value that has been marketed to the consumers," points out Albert Almeida, chief operating office, Hungama Mobile

KPMG's Shetty agrees: "When telecom services get into the eco-system of the people -- and by that I mean the economic life-cycle of people, when they use it for business services... That's when the second revolution will take place."

This is happening at a very smallscale today. Mouli points out a company called Baba Jobs which has a mobile service to help rural migrants find jobs in cities. "This is a very niche application. But people are willing to pay Rs30-40 per month for the service."
Another such tool is Reuters Market Light, which provides farmers price information on various crops from nearby mandis. This service has, according to the company, been used by 1,35,000 farmers in two years. "Even farmers are willing to spend Rs60 per month, because they feel they can get a return on their investment," says Bajaj.

On the whole, it is hard to deny that cellular operators are under pressure on multiple
fronts: the levelling off of new and high-usage customers, falling revenue per user, the spectrum squeeze, and a deadly price war that is bound to hurt revenues. Plus, the Trai is getting into the picture to trim hitherto fat margins on SMSes. And there's also the risk of consumer disenchantment with poor quality of services which could, with number portability in the offing, result in the erosion of customer base. It is clear that the tough times ahead will be a call of opportunity that, if not answered swiftly, may prove to be a fatal missed call.

So simple but still so deap....

IK ONKAR

ik-oNkaar sat naam kartaa purakh nirbha-o nirvair akaal moorat ajoonee saibhaN gur parsaad.

One Universal Creator God. The Name Is Truth. Creative Being Personified. No Fear. No Hatred. Image Of The Undying, Beyond Birth, Self-Existent. By Guru's Grace.

jap
Chant And Meditate.

aad sach jugaad sach.
True In The Primal Beginning. True Throughout The Ages.

hai bhee sach naanak hosee bhee sach.
True Here And Now. O Nanak, Forever And Ever True.

sochai soch na hova-ee jay sochee lakh vaar.
By thinking, He cannot be reduced to thought, even by thinking hundreds of thousands of times.

chupai chup na hova-ee jay laa-ay rahaa liv taar.
By remaining silent, inner silence is not obtained, even by remaining lovingly absorbed deep within.

bhukhi-aa bhukh na utree jay bannaa puree-aa bhaar.
The hunger of the hungry is not appeased, even by piling up loads of worldly goods.

sahas si-aanpaa lakh hohi ta ik na chalai naal.
Hundreds of thousands of clever tricks, but not even one of them will go along with you in the end.

kiv sachi-aaraa ho-ee-ai kiv koorhai tutai paal.
So how can you become truthful? And how can the veil of illusion be torn away?

hukam rajaa-ee chalnaa naanak likhi-aa naal.
O Nanak, it is written that you shall obey the Hukam of His Command, and walk in the Way of His Will.

Know your Booze

WHAT IS ALCOHOL?

Alcohol is obtained after breaking down natural sugar of grain into CO2, ethanol or ethyl alcohol and residual content. Yeast from grains and vegetables changes the sugar into alcohol. From the cheapest beer to the most expensive wine or after dinner liqueur, all alcohol is made with the same fermentation process. The different colours, tastes, potencies and flavours come from the different fruits or vegetables used and the additives, by-products and diluting substances employed during the fermentation process.

WHAT IS RUM?

Rum is distilled from sugar cane juice and/or molasses. It is aged in barrels to impart additional flavours. The first true rums were made in the Caribbean during the early 17th century by fermenting the molasses left over from refining sugar into a heady liquor. Barbados is held by many to be the birthplace of rum. Rum is one of the major liquors in the world, with a history steeped in the myths of piracy, the Caribbean, and slavery. Others include Bacardi and Captain Morgan.

WHAT IS CHAMPAGNE?

Technically speaking, champagne is sparkling wine made in the Champagne region of France. But it is often mistakenly used as a generic description of sparkling white wines in the style of the wines of Champagne. Champagne is produced as a blend between the Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Chardonnay grapes. Champagne is designed to be drunk upon purchase, and in nearly all cases is not meant to be collectible. A non-vintage Champagne will begin losing quality within only three or four years, while prestige champagne may last up to 15 years without degrading. Champagne is normally drunk from either a flute or tulip glass, both of which are skinny and tall. This shape allows the scents of the champagne to reach their full potential, and helps the bubbles last for longer than in flatter, larger-bowled glasses. The bigger brands include Moet & Chandon, Laurent Perrier and Krug.

Why should you never drink on an empty stomach?

Experts say eating food before drinking retains alcohol in the system where it is absorbed slowly into the blood stream. This gives the liver more time to break the alcohol down. Otherwise, it is directly absorbed without being broken down into simpler compounds. This can be harmful for the liver and general health. The kick comes when the alcohol is absorbed into the bloodstream directly and slows down the central nervous system; hence the reflexes and reactions are slower.

WHAT IS SINGLE MALT?

Single malt is so-called because the malt comes from a single distillery. It is a whisky refined by a single distillery, using malted barley as the only grain ingredient. Each distillery has its own distinct taste, flavour and style and single malts bear that. Some world-renowned single malts are Glenfiddich, Glenmorangie, Glenlivet, Glenkinchie and if you move into the rare varieties, PortEllen, Dalmore, Glenfarclas, IsleofJura, Knocdhu, Lagavulin, Laphroig, Macallan, Oban,Taliskar, Cragganmore. Enjoying a single malt is a connoissseur’s job and you have to learn to be one. A single grain, as distinct from a single malt, is a grain whisky made at one distillery, while the single malt is made with barley.

WHAT IS GIN?

Gin is a hard alcohol flavoured with the seeds of the juniper bush. Gin is a rather dry alcohol and is rarely drunk on its own, but used instead as a base for many different types of drinks. Good gin is very smooth, with a strong juniper flavour exciting the senses. Gin made its way to England with the ascension of William of Orange to the British throne. And a new style of gin evolved. Dutch gin is distilled from barley and is somewhat nearer whiskey than the London Dry style, which evolved in the 19th century. One difference today is that the London style, since it uses column stills, rather than the pot stills preferred by the Dutch, tends to have a higher alcohol concentration. The famous brands include Beefeater London Dry gin, Bombay Sapphire, Plymouth and Tanqueray.

WHAT IS BLENDED WHISKY?

Blended whisky is a mixture of single malt whiskys and ethanol derived from grains. Developed for those who could not stomach the strong taste of whisky, it is a combination of malt and grain whiskys. First distilled and bottled by Andrew Usher in Edinburgh in the early 1860s, it turned out to be softer, lighter and more palatable. The character of the whisky is determined not only by the proportions of malt and grain whisky, but also by the ages of the individual whiskies and the manner in which they are combined to bring out the finest qualities in each other. Most whisky drunk across the world is blended whisky. Famous Grouse, Bells, Teacher's, Whyte & Mackay and Johnnie Walker are a few that are well-known.

WHAT IS VODKA?

Vodka is distilled from one of the following: corn, wheat, rye or potatoes. It is usually clear, perhaps tinted (by fruit or herbal additives etc), but always clear, never cloudy. Vodka is very rarely aged in barrels. Usually it goes from distillery to bottle to store and bar shelves. The exact history of vodka is unknown, though it most likely originated somewhere in the region of Poland or Russia between the 14th and 16th centuries. The word is thought to derive from Russian, meaning roughly “little water”. Although vodka is traditionally drunk neat in the vodka belt — Eastern Europe and the Nordic countries — its popularity, elsewhere, derives from its neutral spirit usefulness in cocktails and mixed drinks, such as the Bloody Mary, the Screwdriver, the White Russian, the vodka tonic, and the vodka martini. Stolichnaya, Smirnoff, Grey goose and Absolut are the more well-known brands.

Does drinking water before or between drinks help you hold your drink better?

Dehydration causes your blood volume to go down and alcohol even more. So make it a habit to drink enough water before a hard drink. Experts say in case of alcohol consumption, the bigger you are the better it is. Big people have a larger quantity of blood, so alcohol they take in is more diluted as it mixes with blood. Women are generally smaller than men. They also have proportionately more fat and less water in their bodies and so the entration of alcohol in their blood is higher for the same amount drunk.

WHAT IS COGNAC?

The wines of Poitou, La Rochelle and Angoumois, produced from high quality vineyards, were shipped to Northern Europe where they were enjoyed by the English, Dutch and Scandinavians as early as the 13th century. In the 16th century, they were transformed into eaude-vie, then matured in oak casks to become Cognac.. That was the start of the adventure for a town, which was to become the capital of a world famous trade.

Cognac is a living thing. During its time in the oak casks it is in permanent contact with the air. This allows it to extract the substances from the wood that give both its colour and its final bouquet.

Ageing is indispensable if an eau-de-vie is to become Cognac. It takes place in casks or barrels that hold between 270 and 450 litres. The natural humidity of the cellars, in which the casks are stored is one of the determining factors in the maturing process.

What’s the difference between WHISKY & WHISKEY?

Alcohol, malted or not, made from grain which is produced in Scotland is called WHISKY, while it is called WHISKEY if it is produced in USA or Ireland. American whiskey is called Bourbon and is made from grain. Bourbon is at least 51 per cent corn or maize.

Scotch whisky is generally double distilled, while Irish whiskey is generally distilled three times. It is is whisky that has been distilled and matured in Scotland for at least three hours in oak casks.

Wheat whisky is the rarest whisky.

Rye whiskies are mostly popular within the US.

What goes better with Whisky - Water or Soda?

Whisky is preferred with water more than soda as soda is carbonated water and it kills the taste of whisky. But real connoisseurs of whisky like to have it neat or with water on side or with two cubes of ice.

Courtesy: Economic Times

A Visit to "The Pool Of The Nectar Of Immortality" opps... I mean Amritsar..

A long time and i had'nt been out on any trip but finally managed to arrange the one this time.

Me , Inder( ATM man) and Arpit( HR and "S" Specialits) decided to explore the unexplored and so pronouced teritory of Amrit-Sar.

To my Surprise Ankur(Mr. Aashiq) also was there to join us but later came to know that "Loneliness was somewhere frustrating him"...

So the count was now to 4 but this was not over...

On the day to leave for Amritsar surprises were still to come...

Having the Snacks at Mess before leavin the campus added few more members to the group..
Nitin and Akanksha( after lots of struggle and convincing back home) were the 2 new memeber to the league...

So Final Battalion for the amritsar was ready for the journey..

And ya i mean the word Battalion....

Got the tickets for the Bus quite comfortably which was to leave by 10 30 so we had comfartable 2 hrs to spend and most of us were cryin out of their stomachs.
SO we landed up at Mcd's to refill the tanks... and there where the Love of Mr. HR started sprouting out..



Now she must be some "S: lady...

As always McD's never satisfies bellys so we ended up havin some more food at Nirula's and some pathetic drink....

As schedulled we returned to driver at 10 30 and then after half an hour wait were taken to some dock near Red fort fro where the busses were to start..

And now the War begins..
- we were told we would get seats in between and not last seats but ended up gettin last seats even after a small brawl with the Guy-- who called us Baccha Log.

- Bus scheduled to leave somewhere by 11 ended up starting from that place by as late as 1 or 1 30 a.m. We were in no hope that we would reach Amritsar by time and would be able to explore the place as per plans.
- but the driver and conductors were pretty confident and assured us for timely reach...

And then the Drive began, Bus at its full throttle stretching the lanes of National Highway.It must had been running no where below 90 Km/hr But we all had faith in God and the skills of the driver. So after a bit of Bhasad here and there we ended up taking the seats and were for sleep. Must had been an hour or so of sleep suddendly there was a crashing sound of glass and then the voice of inder for a while i was like out of senses as in what happened .

But soon i realized , the window glass of the lower berth had been broken by the bruise with the vehicle from opossite side. God Blessed none of us was hurt but all of us were shattered by this incident and everyone wondering may be not saying anything but the worries on the face of each ones face was speaking many words.

And Sleep was no where to come at least

Missed the excitment of circuit breaker....

Being a Nocturnal , made me lose some of the greatest excitement moments of the stock market today. The time when stock market was busy creating the history , i was deep asleep and when i got up at about 1:30 pm ,i as a normal routine started checking my mails . To my surprise i had 10 mails all saying " HISTORY created in THE INDIAN STOCK MARKET " and i was baffled and was hesitating to open the mails- Having the ambiguity of bad performance with the current recession.

But finally i made my mind and opened the mail and to my surprise the stock market has closed on the Upper circuit - First time in the history of Indian Markets....

UPA's undisputed lead and left being left out of any decisive role in the government has raised the hope of people for the stable and efficient government .Congress party-led UPA government is now expected to provide economic reforms, reduce deficit and boost government funds for development through PSU disinvestment.

This hope were truly reflected in the Stock market movements after the restless weekend for the investors.

This graph gives the movement of market

But after a excitement full day of circuit breakers, now there is a different question in the minds of investors and of course mine too- How will be the day tomorrow? will market rise further or the people will try to book profit and sell out their shares, bringing down the market with a rectification.
We college mates had just a discussion, where every other person was coming up with the different expression of the sentiments of the markets and how it will behave tomorrow.
This mystery is sure to remain till the market opens tomorrow. So lets keep our fingers crossed and pray for the steady rise of the market and help in reviving back the economy to its rising mode...

One of my friend had recently quoted " life is like a series of mountain , U climb one and come down when the other is waiting to be conquered". So lets hope the Market climbs the new mountain with this positive surge....

Rules regarding the Market Wide Circuit Breaker(MWCB) could be found at
http://nseindia.com/content/equities/eq_circbreakers.html

WORLD's FASTEST BUS TRANSPORT

A day which is no special but some events and the memories make them really special and memorable.
So was the day today 16th May 2009. I had gone to the office (rare) for my summer training and was returning back. I had covered almost half way back and reached Dilshad Garden .It was pretty as usual nothing special till then.

As we crossed the delhi border and entered the UP(Uttar Pradesh) "the state of bureaucrats",I was expecting to get the TEMPO as usual but the day was special The BIGGEST DAY IN THE INDIAN DEMOCRACY - the results of Lok Sabha Elections were out and surprisingly we ( Me and Abhisheek) couldnt find tempo and finally had to opt for the bus.

And here starts our journey, Disdained with not getting the tempo to travel back , we finally decided to take the bus . luckily we got the seat in the bus also (though it was the last row which shakes your ass like anything and with roads of UP ,U know what to expect).The bus soon started filling up with the passenger and in the no time it was like - no space to breath even , stinking sweat dripping down everyone's body and to add on the person sitting beside me kept on adding flavor to the air with his FARTS as if in the whole world he had the responsibility to fart.

Still the bus was to start. After 15 min of struggle the bus finally started off. It was hardly 1 Km that we could have traveled and there was a traffic JAM which was almost difficult to get through. A bus waited almost for 30 min in that jam, stand still with double the capacity of people packed in it, all dying for breath.

Here comes the Conductor of the Bus into the scene. As he came back to collect the tickets, one of the frustrated in the Crowd fired him with the question "are bhaiya tenu bus is route se kahe ko le li?" ( Why did you took the bus from this route ) and that was the trigger the whole crowded started showering the questions and questions to him - some scolding , some abusing and some requesting. Conductor somehow giving the excuse - " savri ko kahin se bhi le jao inhe dikat hoti hai " ( someone at the front had forced him to take the bus by this route) he also said " savari ko hi savri karni thi - karlo aab savri "....

And then finally a breakthrough after half an hour we got some to turn back and get to the alternate route.But for that we were required back to reach to the Delhi border from where we started and the other side of the road was no different from traffic( Rightly said about Indian Democracy--- UPA or NDA the corruption and bureaucracy will persist)

As was the day of Election results and the Indian people at their best being argumentative was no exception in the bus . Even in this weather people made out the enthusiasm discussing the polls and results of the elections, criticising , prasining each other and its like a topping if you get the people supporting to different parties in front of each. So was the case here, and we had a fulto faltu discussion- BHASAD(as we say it in IMT-G). It was really nice to enjoy. hearing the perspectives and mentalities of the people about very small small issues.

But still after an hour has passed we had been just able to reach back to over starting point. Everyone cursing the driver and conductor for the path they had taken .
Finally after 1hr 15 min we were on track (the alternative path ) and the rest of the journey went criticizing the Conductor , driver ( for his rash driving) and the Summer Training.....

And it the clock had just ticked 10 when i entered my room. Then i realized that it was the journey of honor to be in the WORLD's FASTEST BUS TRANSPORT......

Management lessons from Battle of Plassey

Throughout history, wars have left an indelible mark on human psyche. Serious debates have been held on the morality of and the strategic necessity for war. And yet, like every dark cloud that has a silver lining, wars too at times leave a society wiser.

India is no stranger to wars. And there are many lessons to be learnt from each of those battles -- management lessons, to be precise. Here we present the fourth in a series of articles on management lessons drawn from Indian history. This one looks at the Battle of Plassey. Read on. . .

The Battle of Plassey (1757 AD)

Mir Jafar, alias Sayyid Mir Muhammed Jafar Ali Khan, is to India's history what Benedict Arnold is to that of the United States.

Mir Jafar came to Bengal as a traveller and took up a job in the army of Ali Vardi Khan, then Nawab of Murshidabad (near Kolkata). He fought many successful battles for the Nawab. This earned him a promotion and his career saw a meteoric rise under Khan.

Apart from showering many favours on Mir Jafar for his service to him, Nawab also married off his half-sister to him. This helped him gain an important position in the Nawab's court.

But Mir Jafar's thirst for power was not satiated by this 'meagre' progress. He had his eyes on the Nawab's throne. Ali Vardi's state had weakened considerably because of its constant conflict with the Marathas.

Mir Jafar wanted to make the most of this situation and conspired to murder and overthrow the Nawab. But unfortunately for him, the Nawab came to know about his plan and stripped Mir Jafar of all his powers.

Lesson 1: No management should let an incident of misconduct or treason pass. Unethical conduct by any person warrants eviction. A routine step like job rotation or transfer doesn't help. An immediate disciplinary action, on the other hand, sets a precedent for others. No organisation should tolerate any behaviour not aligned with its policies.

After having his wings clipped, Mir Jafar concentrated on rebuilding his career. He now worked hard to earn the confidence of the Nawab's grandson Siraj-ud-Daulah. His toil paid off. For, when Siraj ascended the throne of Bengal after Ali Vardi's death, he made Mir Jafar head of his army.

Lesson 2: Mir Jafar followed the much talked-about maxim of life: 'when one door is closed, look for another'. A setback should not stop one from pursuing one's dream. One should be open to explore all opportunities at hand and try to capitalise on them. Perseverance always pays.

The ancestral throne that Siraj sat on was a thorny one. He was constantly involved in warfare with the British. Initially, however, he overpowered them and even won Fort William in a battle against the British. The fort was christened Alinagar by him.

Soon after, the British were forced to sign a pact, the Treaty of Alinagar, with the Nawab.

In the meantime, Siraj had appointed one Mohanlal as his diwan, much to the chagrin of Mir Jafar. Being below Mohanlal in the hierarchy displeased him and this feeling of dissent fuelled his latent intent of overthrowing Siraj.

Now, Mir Jafar gradually embarked on a journey of deception and conspiracy. He joined hands with some other dissatisfied people in the Nawab's court and started strategising a ploy.

Lesson 3: Any leader should weigh the pros and cons thoroughly before deciding on any promotion or demotion. The question that arises in this context: was Mohanlal's promotion essential?

In case a promotion/demotion is decided upon, a leader should have a well thought-out strategy to deal with others aspiring for the same position.

A leader should have a clear idea if the management's step would hinder or improve team work. He should also know for sure if it is the right time to announce the promotion/demotion or if the same should be deferred.

Needless to mention here, the British wanted to have more sway over the Nawab's regime so that they could make the trade from Bengal more profitable.

They were also unhappy over the new Nawab's affinity towards their archrival, the French. The British, therefore, asked their representative Robert Clive to find out who could be their aide in their conflict against Siraj.

The British sent feelers to a disgruntled few in Siraj-ud-Daulah's court and tried to lure them with a promise of handsome rewards. It was also assured that whoever helped the British would be granted the title of Nawab. Mir Jafar fell for it.

On getting the hint of revolt brewing in his court, Siraj had Mir Jafar removed from the post of army head immediately and his place was offered to Mir Madan. Siraj, however, did not take any extreme step against Mir Jafar, fearing an uprising. Mir Jafar escaped severe punishment, yet again.

Lesson 4: In an organisation, a leader should be firm in the affairs of the state and should not tolerate any indiscipline even if the same is committed by a top ranking executive.

In an age of high attrition, a leader needs to ensure that his dependence on key resources is minimal. Even if one act of treason may be forgiven, a repeat act should never ever be tolerated upon and should be punished with expulsion.

The deposed army chief Mir Jafar now decided to join hands with the British. He sent message to Clive and had a clandestine meeting with him. He signed a pact to help the British in their war against Siraj in lieu of the throne of Bengal.

Thereafter, Nawab's army and the British troops assembled at Plassey for a test of their strengths. Siraj-ud-Daulah's army being huge had all the potential of defeating the British troops and a win seemed a foregone conclusion for the Nawab.

But, destiny had something else in store. Mir Madan was soon overpowered and killed by the British, which in turn deflated the morale of the Nawab's troops.

Nawab's soldiers put up a brave fight initially but a brief spell of rain and a lack of gun-handling skills soon dampened their spirits. They had no choice but to surrender to the the British.

Lesson 5: Lack of proper training was a major disadvantage for the Nawab's men. An organisation that plans to roll out a new tool or technology should test and pilot it properly prior to implementation.

During the initial hours of the battle, British troops performed better. Though the Nawab repeatedly asked Mir Jafar to launch an attack against the British, he not only refused to budge but after a while, along with his aides, moved over to the enemy's side.

As Mir Jafar and his aides controlled more than half of the Nawab's army, their revolt dished out an easy victory to the British.

Lesson 6: Mir Jafar should never have been allowed a position in the battlefield. While building a team, a manager should assign critical tasks to those who are skilled as well as trustworthy. Meetings are necessary to identify simmering issues if any.

Meetings help to ensure that people are aligned towards company goals and that they are not blindly following their managers.

If the Nawab had got the hint of dissent among his commanders, he could have built a rapport with them. That way, Mir Jafar would have never got a chance to make those commanders dance to his tune.

At the end of the Battle of Plassey, Siraj-ud Daulah was captured and executed. Mir Jafar was made the Nawab of Bengal. His long-cherished dream thus fructified. Not for long. Soon, he realised he was nothing but a puppet in the hands of the British.

Mir Jafar protested and tried to assert himself. As a result, the British removed him and made his son-in-law Mir Qasim the next Nawab. Mir Qasim did not bow to British demands either and the latter reinstalled Mir Jafar to the position of Nawab in no time. He retained his throne till death.

His treachery helped the British gain first major victory in the Indian soil. It assisted them get a foothold in a country they ruled for 190 years.

Lesson 7: In the long term, unethical actions always fail, their short-term gains notwithstanding. At times, people take wrong steps, lured by chances of quick benefits. Though they realise their follies in the end, very few have the courage to admit that.

Courtesy : rediff.com

LIC Jeevan Aastha Policy

Despite the turmoil in the financial markets, Life Insurance Corporation’s Jeevan Aastha policy is on course to break the record for premia collection by the scheme in a single month.

Now, what is happening in the markets is that investors trust is shaken given the huge turmoil in the global stock markets and frauds like Satyam coming to the fore. Investors who used to love risk in stock markets have witnessed their money value coming down significantly and hence they have become extra-extra cautious with their investments. They are now looking for less risk and assured returns and Jeevan Aastha Policy has made most of this which has been offered till January 22, 2009

Some of the Details regarding the Jeevan Aastha Policy are as follow

What actually is LIC Jeevan Aastha Policy?

It's a mix of investment and insurance (something which I never recommend). It promises assured guaranted returns and also give you life cover, which may depend upon your age, investment horizon and the investment value.

What is the rate of return that an investor will get in LIC Jeevan Aastha Policy?

According to the LIC brochure, one will get Rs 100 per Rs 1,000 maturity sum assured per year for a policy of 10 years and Rs 90 per Rs 1,000 maturity sum assured per year for a policy for five years. But hold on, dont do that calculation mistake. because this is where people make mistake of doing the simple calculation and assume that the rate of return is 9% for five-year plan and 10% for the 10-year plan. It is not that simple. Actually, what you get is a compounded annual growth rate or CAGR in return and that would mean your returns would not be that simple, easy and big.

Does the return on LIC Jeevan Aastha Policy vary as per the age?

Yes - Definitely. Because it is an Insurance Plan, therefore age plays an important role. Take this example as quoted in TOI. A 13-year-old investor (which is the minimum age at entry) who takes a minimum cover of Rs 1.5 lakh pays a premium investment of Rs 24,668 would get around 7.32%, whereas a 60-year-old (maximum age at entry) who pays Rs 29,145 as premium would get around 5.55%. Similarly, a 13-year-old would get around 6.78% and a 60-year-old would get around 4.69% from a five-year plan. So now you see, the best possible case from insurane point of view and age wise will get only 7.32% return per year, as compared to the simple interest calculated return of 10%. Instead many insurance agents are mis guiding investors by claiming that for 10 year, rate of return is 10% while for 5 years, it is 9%.

Is it really beneficial to invest in LIC Jeevan Aastha Policy?

That depends upon your income slab, age and your purpose. If you want insurance, buy a no-frill insurance policy -that would be dirt cheap for you and serve your purpose of insurance coverage.
If you want investments, then along with your age, think about your net investment returns what you will get. In the first glance lookign at the example mentioned above, it may not be that fruitful, but also notice that you may save 10%, 20% or 30% tax on your investment, so account for that as a return as well.
Then, though it is not allowed legally, some insurance agents may offer some cash back from their commission. LIC is leniently giving 2% to 3% commission to agents. So if you can strike a deal, then you may get some cash back, though it is legally not allowed.

Any alternative competitor products for LIC Jeevan Aastha Policy?

Yes, IDBI has come out with Bondsurance, but agents say that it is no better than LIC Jeevan Astha Policy

INDUSTRIAL POLICY – INDIA

What is industrial policy?

An industrial policy is any government regulation or law that encourages the ongoing operation of, or investment in, a particular industry. It is a comprehensive and cover all the procedures, policies, rules and regulations which control the industrial undertakings of the country. It includes fiscal and monetary policies, tariff policies and labor policy.

Major stepping stones in industrial policy on INDIA post independence

· Industrial policy resolution, 1948

· Industrial regulation and development act, 1951

· Industrial policy resolution, 1956

· Industrial policy resolution, 1977

· Industrial policy of 1980

· Industrial licensing policy

· Industrial policy of 1991

INDUSTRIAL POLICY RESOLUTION 1948

The first Industrial Policy Resolution, announced in 1948, broadly laid down the objectives of the Government’s policy in the industrial field and clarified industries and enterprises into four categories, namely:

· Those exclusively owned by the Government,

E.g. arms and ammunition, atomic energy, railways, etc.; and in emergencies, any industry vital for national defense.

· Key or basic industries,

E.g. coal, iron and steel, aircraft manufacture, ship building, telephone, telegraphs and communications equipment except radio receivers, mineral oils, etc.

The undertakings already existing in this group were promised facilities for efficient working and ‘reasonable’ expansion for a period of ten years, at the end of which, the State could exercise the option to nationalize them.

· The third category of 18 specified industries were to be subject to the Government’s control and regulation in consultation with the then provincial (now State) Governments.

· The rest of the industrial field was, more or less, left open to the private sector.

RATIONAL for RESTRICTIVE INDUSTRIAL POLICY OF 1948

India is probably one of the few countries in the world which used its import policy for the healthy development of local industries. Barring the first few years after Independence, the country was facing a shortage of foreign exchange, and because of this shortage, imports had to be restricted. Imports of consumer goods were, therefore, disallowed. A good number of restrictions were put on the import of industrial goods, and the effort of the Government was to encourage the production of these goods indigenously. Local industries were encouraged to have foreign collaborations and to import the technical know-how needed to produce what was being imported into the country.