Ctrl.Alt.Del….We need to Re-Boot

This Sunday, like every Sunday in recent times, was reflecting at what’s happening to the World and How would My Family and I be impacted….. and like all Sundays was convinced to go Back to the Basics and fundamentally re-boot our lives

The Sunday Editions of Newspapers were packed with some incisive articles… Three worthy of special mention are linked below

Indian Express : Check out Uday Kotak’s insightful interview and reflections on funny money and the financial chaos and the deleveraging going on 

Asian Age : Paranjoy Guha Thakurta has written an explicit article on the Telecom Scam  perpetrated by the Telecom Minister, A Raja of the DMK, in issuing 2G licenses…In his estimation the scam is the biggest in post Independent India involving roughly Rs 80000 crs loss (@ US $ 16 Billion) to the Indian exchequer… An earlier Blog covers this scam

The Financial Express : Vanguard Group of Mutual Funds Founder, John Bogle’s Investment mantras of No Load, Low Cost, Simple, Index based plans for Capturing Market Returns

Economic Times : A Continuing Expose covered Companies who are under the Intelligence Bureau Scan for Stock Market Manipulation. Sterlite, Uttam Galva and many other companies have been blatantly flouting Insider Trading and Other Laws in making suckers of Traders and Investors in Indian Stock Exchanges… often in cahoots with Brokers, Media and even Mutual Funds and FIIs

Just wondering how SEBI took corrective action in the IPO Demat Scam and fined the perpetrators significant sums that reflect the illegal gains made in the IPO…. will they again demand that the promoters of these companies and brokers and others involved return the obscene gains made while flouting Insider trading and other Laws !

In the Times of India Sunday Edition was also a captivating and inspiring coverage of Marine Commandos or Marcos for short… These commandos are closest to a real life James Bond and pride themselves as better than US SEALS... Their Gruelling Two year Training involves a 60% rejection rate in the first two months itself and finally only 10% go on to become Marcos… Marcos are experts in all weapons right from Ninja style darts to the sniper rifles and hand guns… they specialise in counter-terrorism and electronic survelliance-a rare mix of brawn and brain… they are both paratroopers and combat divers… their training involves the real killer ‘Death Crawl’ – an 800 m struggle through thigh high mud, loaded with 25kgs of gear and after a 2.5 km obstacle course that most would fail… then when the trainee is half dead, he has to undergo the final test – shooting a target 25 m away with his buddy standing next to it – if the exhausted hands tremble, his buddy is history… this is where many give up

To inspire her, I read this Marcos Training  out to my 13 year old daughter…. She is training hard for her  Black Belt in Karate … she appears for the gruelling physical tests next Month… 35 rounds of the Track at PDP in South Mumbai (14000 meters)… one round each of duck walk, bunny hop, crawling, front roll, knuckle walk and firemen lift… 500 Squats, 500 Push-Ups and 500 Sit-Ups….. followed by a four day camp in Pune for Katas and Shios… she’ll have to weather stomach punches and combat bruises… “I’ll do it, Dad” she calmly states…. her rigorous and vigorous Gymnastics (year round, two hours a day, six days a week) and Football (thrice a week, one and a half hours to two hours, in ongoing season) training is clearly standing her in good stead here… on topof it she’s determined to tackle Inter School Squash and Elocution and School Athletics too this month and next…. Phew !  

Last week 700 Citizens of this World, highly reputed and respected in their field were invited to Dubai to debate what is happening in this World of ours in every area… They were closeted  in small relevant groups in open-air cabins within a huge Conference Hall and were involved in animated debate and discussion over two days in the areas of Gerontology, Terrorism, War, Nuclear Power, Climate Change, Faith, Finance, Business, Sciences, Health, Education, Food, Energy etc…… The Consensus was that the World needs to fundamentally re-boot…. The Risks are just too much in every area to overcome…It’s better and wiser to simply forget and eradicate the past and begin the Future on a clean plate… Easier said than Done… for Example General Motors is asking for a Bail-Out of US $ 25 Billion immediately… It’s a Catch 22..Bail-out only delays the Death of GM… To let it collapse will involve a payout of close to US $ 200 billion to Employees etc… That’s worse… Ironically and Paradoxically there’s no Liquidity to let GM to Collapse !

That was a really ‘Heavy’ Sunday !… needed to balance all of this with  the slapstick and no brainer of a Comedy Hindi Movie… ‘Golmal Returns’…. If all of us don’t re-boot together, than ‘Golmal’ certainly will return… in fact may never have gone away at all !.. these challenges of Climate Change, Cash Crunches, Colour and Race Issues, Corruption and the Continuing Cons among other Capitulating Issues

Back to the Basics !… “Dal Roti Khaao,Prabhu kay Guun Gao !”… a line from an old and popular Hindi Movie song…. translated to ” Eat Simple and Ordinary Food and Praise God”!… and you’ll survive this Financial Holocaust