Desicritics Author: Varun P

There Is No Sun Shining Through

Varun P — Mon, 8 Dec 2008 17:35:51 EST

Listening to Metallica's Unforgiven, I am struck by these lines:

There is no sun shining through..

There is no sun shining.....

Looking at the current state of affairs in India, to an outsider it would certainly seem so. 2008, which began with a lot of promises, has failed to live up to any. he Sensex, which was promising much at the beginning of the year, instead crashed all hopes, declining by almost 60% since attaining the peak of 21k in January 2008. If this weren't enough, the US economy collapsed (the technical term is "entered into a recession"), dragging the entire world down with it. Growth slowed, banks failed and then disaster struck Uncle Sam -- banks filing for bankruptcy and growing unemployment were but a few problems faced by the US.

This for the world scenario. On the home front, India was battling inflation while witnessing the meltdown of realty stocks and financial firms (darlings of the stock markets in the years gone by). When the realization finally dawned that this crisis was far from over - in fact, it was worse than the Great Depression of the 1930s - the US Government stepped in with bailout packages, rate cuts and special plans to try and revive a sagging economy. The net result: still more collapses, more banks and firms going to their respective governments, hats in hand seeking more aids, investor's confidence continued to erode! Oil prices, which had scaled a historic high of $147 a barrel in July 2008, slipped and then went into a tailspin and finally a free fall -- oil prices were $43 a barrel in today's trading! And oh did I mention the governments of Iceland, Ukraine, Pakistan and Hungary that approached the World Bank / international Monetary Fund for a cash infusion to rescue their stalling economies?

In between this mayhem, a black man (who was not even born in America) was chosen as the President of the United States of America. The world cheered -- amidst this darkness, the success of Barack Obama was seen as the spark, the miracle the world was waiting for. Suddenly, people had hope - countries woke up from their stupor, took a realistic look around and declared that the world would be back on the growth path -- and out of this financial crisis-induced mess -- within 18 months! This was followed by coordinated rate cuts across the globe and stimulus packages (on the lines of the U.S. Government's) in a bid to revive the economy and prevent it from slipping into a period of stagflation or even worse, a recession.

Just when all seemed to be going well, terror struck. From Delhi to Malegaon to the heart of India's financial capital, terrorists of all kinds -- from the jihadis to the Hindu Zionists -- played havoc! And of course, the crown of all attacks go to the planners of the attack on Mumbai -- well planned, even better executed! They stuck to their tasks and their mandates unlike our politicians. It certainly seemed like there was no sun shining through...

However, the attack on Mumbai touched too many raw nerves and for once, the governments decided to act unitedly. Diplomatic pressure was the mantra of the day and within 2 weeks of India's version of 7/11, the Pakistan government agreed to crack down on the non-state players that were using its territories to launch acts of terrors on foreign lands. I will not bore you with the details, but here is the concerned press release.

And only yesterday, on December 7, 2008, the Indian Government announced several measures, including duty and rate cuts and a stimulus package exceeding Rs. 32,000 crore to achieve our GDP growth target of 7% for 2008. Suddenly, you can sense some hope in the air. But whether it will stay or how long will this hope last are the questions doing the round in my head. Do you have the answer? I invite you to share your opinion here.

Mumbai Stands United!

Varun P — Wed, 3 Dec 2008 20:11:38 EST

In a unique show of solidarity, ALL radio stations in Mumbai played the song "Maa Tujhe Salam", sung by AR Rahman, at 8 p.m. today on their respective wavelengths! Now ain't that something? Good to see that they let go of their constant endeavor to hog the limelight and take such a step -- I hope our news channels too take note of this and do something similar.

In another more widely covered act, thousands of citizens took to the street across the metros in India to demand action against the terrorists and to express solidarity with the victims of this attack. Read more on this here.

I just can't help being skeptical of such ACTS - taking out demonstrations has the means to catch attention but I believe to elicit some sort of action from our thick-skinned politicians, it's going to take something more than this! By now, our netas have tackled the aftermath of so many terrorist attacks that such "peaceful" demonstrations will not more than scratch the surface! History shows that we are pretty tolerant and lack muscle -- from the Bombay bomb blasts in 1993 to the bomb blasts in the Mumbai local trains and the attack on the Parliament (not to mention several other instances of similar horrendous terrorist strikes, quite a few in 2008) we have been happy enough simply to put a bold, tough stance early on only to soften our "tough" stance as time goes by. We have been waving our "List of 20 most wanted terrorists" in front of Pakistan for several years -- yet have we done anything beyond mere demonstration to show that we are serious about what we want. I think not.

What will it take to wake up the Government and get them to swing into action -- actions that will not let terrorism rear its ugly head again and again? How many more lives need to be sacrificed for us to see some justice being done, our security being enhanced, our lives being secured? For how long do we carry on like this? It's good that Mumbai and along with it, the rest of India, has an indignant streak, a get-on-with-life spirit -- else how will we survive and continue our struggle in the city of dreams, the city that never sleeps, with a sword hanging perpetually over our heads?

Preaching about what is wrong with our system is a thing taken for granted these days -- heck, I do it, you do it, the news channels do it all the time, with or without any due reasons. Now what can we do to show that this time, yes THIS TIME, we mean action! Action that is not only immediate but also long-term -- while we are used to live under the lengthening shadow of fear and insecurity, let us make an effort to ensure that the next generation does not need to put up with the atrocities like we did.

Thinking of what the radio stations did made me think of what more could we do. A possible idea doing the rounds in my head is this: Could our newspapers join hands and launch a major campaign directed against terrorism? Times of India has in the past taken the lead and launched campaigns like "Lead India" (2007) and "Teach India" (2008) initiatives. Now can the newspapers come together, join hands and announce a war on terrorism? They say that a pen is mightier than a sword -- time to put the old proverb to test, what say India??

Even as I'm writing this piece, I've received a mail from Network 18 announcing the launch of a platform "to express our frustration and helplessness". Check the site here. I'm withholding my comments on this new endeavor for the time being.

Movie Review: WANTED - Some Kickass Action!

Varun P — Tue, 2 Sep 2008 08:35:35 EDT

Not since Iron Man came out earlier this year have we seen such kickass action - I am certainly not taking into account The Dark Knight which came out a couple pf months ago!

If you thought only Bollywood could think up weird storylines, then you need to watch WANTED where the storyline is staler than the morbid Bollywood script we have become so familiar with.. But what stands out in the movie (apart from Angelina Jolie's butts ;-) ) is the sheer graphics and action sequences which leave you gasping for breath! The standout moment was obviously the car chase in the beginning of the movie when Angelina manages to beat the crap out of her sports car!!

Don't worry, I am not going to give much away, just don't go looking for a svelte story line guys -- because there ain't one!! But Hollywood being Hollywood, the cool cats easily blindside the audience with tattoos all over AJolie's lithe body; it's a good flick where they trace how our hero has to undergo the rigorous of trainings to find what he was born for (I am growing kinda bored of this type of a storyline) ... The movie somehow reminded me of Jumper though I'm still trying all feasible permutations and combinations to connect the two movies!

Go catch this movie if like me, you too couldn't get tickets for Rock On!! Even if you do get the tickets for Rock On, take out a couple of hours and watch this great flick!

Movie Review: Kismet Konnection

Varun P — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 13:14:10 EDT

“It’s amazing how you can speak right to my heart ...

Without saying a thing, you can light up the dark...”

It’s amazing how you can aptly use these lines to describe the expression in the eyes of Vidya Balan. Her eyes light up the scenes in Kismet Konnection. Like Jaane Tu ya Jaane Na, Kismet Konnection too moves on familiar lines. There is nothing new in the story line – in fact, the story is somewhat predictable in the way it twists and turns.

However, two notable things about the movie are the chemistry between Raj Malhotra (Shahid Kapoor) and his best friend, Hiten Patel and of course between, Raj and Priya (Vidya Balan). However, I was left feeling disappointed with the characterization of Haseena Bano Rani (a special appearance by Juhi Chawla). While I do believe that Juhi was perfect for the role, I think that the Director should have worked harder on this character rather than let Juhi act out her Kurkure-act. Still, the character eked out a few laughs from the audience but frankly, I believe Juhi was wasted in this role.

Those of you who went to watch the movie expecting another Jab We Met would have been left severely disappointed – I went in with a fresh mind, harbouring no expectations from the movie (all due to the average reviews of the movie) and I was left pleasantly surprised at the end of this 2hr, 45 min flick! I liked the movie – it had a nice, feel good factor about it! And of course, Neeraj Shreedhar rocked with the title track.. The music was decent, with Bakhuda Tumhi Ho and Kismet Konnection (ae pappi) being the highlights! Go watch it, it’s pretty decent stuff and especially, if you can’t get tickets for The Dark Knight

Downtime, Uptime: 10 Suggested Activities

Varun P — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 12:01:59 EDT

Off late, I've found myself with plenty of time on hand and not much work to do. Not being used to sitting idle, I indulged myself in a host of activities to ensure that I keep myself busy. So, here is a list of 10 things to do during your free time in case you too end up idle like me:

1) Think of ways to earn money - more & more money:

Ha ha, this is the best way to put your skills to test and use - in case you are a blogger, you can try and enhance your blog with additional features that help you retain visitors and get regular readers. Some of these features can also help you improve your site's visibility - check here or do a google search for features/articles that inform you on ways to increase your reader base.

An alternative case could be for you to think of ways to spend money: one such thing could be going bungee jumping or maybe parasailing!

2) Read a book:

This is one of my favourite past times - when faced with the option of no work, I simply head over to Crosswords, pick up a book whose title / cover catches my fancy, grab a comfy seat and simply lsoe myself into the book. The latest book that I've picked off the shelves is Karen Rose's Scream for Me.

Alternatively, you can buy a book and head home, make yourself cozy and then proceed to immerse yourself in the book. You may also go bargain-hunting in the second hand bookshops. A couple of places in Kolkata like the Free School Street or the book stalls under the Gariahat flyover are great places to get an awesome bargain!

3) Head for the gym:

Most of the times, we have plenty of excuses lined up for not workng out and staying fit - hence, this will be one of the best ways to ensure that all you workout-phobiacs put your idle time to some fat-burning use!

4) Pamper yourself:

Idle times have a bad way of coinciding with times when we are at our wits's ends or are feleing a bit under the weather. Your greatest asset (or atleast the second best one) is YOU - so why not throw a treat in your honour? Who needs another reason to celebrate life - say cheers to life for who you are! Go shopping else go binging on ice creams or cakes!

5) Hunt for a job:

There is nothing more depressing than going on a job hunt and not finding a single job that suits your profile! This will in turn make you go back to the rest of the activities to occupy your time.

6) Make all those phone calls that you had been avoiding - catch up with long-forgotten acquiatances, old friends, relatives and all those aunties, uncles and cousins.

7) Grab a bunch of friends and go partying:

Well, I rather prefer to sit down with friends and recount tales of our times spend together, indulge into arguments, trade knowledge of the latest happenings in town or in someone else's life - all while sitting around a few hot cups of coffee and some soothing music in the background.

8) Do something special for your family, loved near and dear ones:

Give someone special a surprise, take your family out for dinner or a movie or simply express your gratitude for their support, love, care - Do not hesitate to tell those who matter to you that THEY MATTER! Some things are better left said than assumed - oops, sorry if I didn't get the phrase right but I know that you get my drift.

9) Switch off your phone, draw curtains across your windows and lock yourself up in your bedroom and doze off to glory:

So many of us are running low on sleep, so simply take a day off and recharge those old batteries.

10) Go & enroll yourself in a langage/computer/martial arts course - Dude, do somthing to kick some butt man!

Basically, don't just sit twiddlign your thumbs and wonder what you should do - do what you want to, what you haven't had time to off late (like practicing your guitar); more than anything else, do something close your heart, something therapeutic like playing with kids (word of caution: some kids can send your blood pressure soaring - avoid such kids at all costs!)!

Well, there must be a lot more activities that I may have missed in my short post here (e.g. watching movies) - so why don't you go ahead and update me with the activities that you do in your idle time. Looking forward to your valuable suggestions...

Taking Stock of The IPL Effect

Varun P — Wed, 4 Jun 2008 09:52:30 EDT

What lull! What happened? What is the time right now? 8:30 pm, right?? So why aren't the TV on? Where have all the screams and shouts disappeared to? How come we have saas-bahu serials on TV again at this hour? What's wrong? No match today? An off day for the IPL?

These were some of the questions that I was bombarded with as I entered home last evening, and then reality dawned on the ignorant me: The IPL extravaganza had come to a conclusion; the festivities, the celebrations had all reached a dramatic crescendo on Sunday, June 1, 2008. Life is expected to return to normal now that our daily dose of the 3-odd hour long sports+entertainment show is over. And it is unlikely to stage a comeback at least till October 2008 and that too only if the Champions T20 cup takes off as planned.

The success of the IPL can be gauged by how much the IPL had become a part of our daily life! Look at what the IPL has achieved - thank god for the instigation provided by the ICL else IPL might never have been conceptualized, despite whatever Lalit Modi might claim. The IPL has proven to be successful beyond any of our wildest dreams! A hit with the masses, the stadium sales, the advertisers, the sponsors and the TRPs, all bear fruit to the unprecedented success that the IPL has enjoyed! Lalit Modi has even suggested holding the tournament twice a year from 2011 onwards - what option does ICC have but to make room for the IPL in the Future Tours programme! The game is attracting viewership across all age groups and geographies and it's not only the organizers who are happy with the success - the players too are reaping benefits of performing in this niche tournament! With their salaries likely to go through the roof from next year onwards (when the cap of $5 million may be removed), the ICC had better take proactive measures to ensure that players do not cut short their international careers to participate in the IPL.

The inaugural edition of the IPL has enjoyed unprecedented success and had become a daily ritual where we finished work in time and ensured that we were seated in front of the TV sets by 8 to cheer and egg our franchises on! The next day, at work, was obviously spent in lauding this format and analyzing the game, with expert views coming from both genders! The format and unpredictability of the game has stumped everyone - some have had a pleasant experience while others are fuming at the surprises coming their way! The least we have seen is an unearthing of the talent that abounds in India - if not for ODIs or Tests, we at least got a healthy pool of youngsters to choose from for the international Twenty20 matches.

The IPL had also freed us of the daily overdoses of the saas-bahu serials, albeit a temporary respite! Now that the IPL is over, we need to return to the normal grind of life and ensure that we sleep-walk thorugh the days till the T20 games are back on TV. The soaps are back at the top of the TRPs chart - yet another proof of how the IPL had an impact on our daily routines.

P.S. The cap on players' salaries is unlikely to be lifted next year. This is likely to ensure that all franchises have equal purchasing power.

Reliance Communications - Go, India Go

Varun P — Mon, 19 May 2008 07:47:06 EDT

Reliance Communications or RCOM (formerly known as Reliance InfoComm) is India’s largest private sector information and communications company with a subscriber base of over 48 million subscribers. Founded in 2002, RCOM has established itself as a dominant service provider in the CDMA segment. The company is now looking to grow via acquisitions and expansion of service offerings under the wireless and non-wireless service offerings. The next 12-18 months will see the introduction of plenty of new growth drivers for the company. Below is a brief look at some of the drivers:

1) Wireless Segment:

RCOM is gearing up operations to commence with one of the biggest roll-outs of GSM operations, aiming to achieve 90 percent population coverage within 12 months of the launch in India. The company is confident of rolling out its GSM services from the fourth quarter of 2008. The company has already established its presence in the CDMA segment and its dual-SIM enabled CDMA handsets will aid the company in retaining subscribers as well as easing the switch from CDMA to GSM. The company has secured a loan of $750 million China Development Bank for this purpose.

The company is also planning to introduce a net-enabled phone at a price of only Rs. 480/- per handset. This marks a steep discount to the currently available internet browsing phones at a cost of Rs. 1,400/-! The company intends to place an initial order for 12 million handsets. It will target the 600 million rural population and expects to sell around 1 million pieces a year in the rural and semi-urban areas. The company is also looking at roping in the labour ministry that is looking at digitisation of communication technology and making mobile phones affordable to farmers.

Reliance Infratel, RCOM’s tower arm, currently has 37,000 towers. Infratel is looking to increase to tower count to 60,000 by 2009 and 70,000 by 2010. The increase in the tower count will result in a higher transmission capacity. The increase in the tower count coupled with the GSM launch will drive higher revenue from the company’s wireless segment. Additionally, RCOM is seeking possible listing of Reliance Infratel on the Indian stock markets. Infratel has received the SEBI approval to proceed with the IPO which will witness the dilution of 10% stake in Infratel for a sum of Rs. 50,000 crore – Rs. 60,000 crore. Listing of Infratel’s IPO will result in significant unlocking of value for RCOM’s shareholders.

2) Non-wireless segment:

One of the most significant components of RCOM’s non-wireless segment is Reliance Globalcom. After Reliance Infratel, I believe that the company stands to gain significantly from the significant expansion activities being undertaken at Globalcom. From increasing the private undersea cable system to 137,000 route-km (r-km) (at an estimated cost of Rs. 1.5 billion) and landing ports to 64 to presence in 60 countries in 2010, Globalcom will enable RCOM to not only post strong margins (since a major part of expansion will take place in emerging markets) but it also help the company to maintain a higher growth rate compared to national as well as global peers. The expansion in the undersea cable network is expected to address the global connectivity needs of 90% of world population. Some news report also state that Globalcom is in talks with banks and mobile operators for setting up a global backbone to enable interbank money transfer on mobile platforms.

RCOM is also ready to begin with the roll-out of its Direct-to-Home (DTH) services, known as Big TV. I expect the company to corner a significant share of the DTH campaign based on its superior service offering (over 240 channels) and presence in over 4000 towns. The higher market penetration will in turn enable the company to derive higher revenue from the non-wireless segment.

RCOM is looking to increase its presence in Wimax with the acquisition of a majority stake in eWave world in April 2008. The company will invest $500 million in this service by 2012. RCOM estimates the revenue potential in emerging markets at $10 billion; the company expects to capture 10% of the market share in the next 24 months which will translate into revenues of $1 billion by 2010.
RCOM is also aiming to double its market share in the US in managed Ethernet. Acquisition of Yipes in July 2007 provided the company with 5% market share in the US in managed Ethernet. By 2010, the company has guided to revenues of $200 million - $250 million with a market share of 10%. In the Internet Data Centre (IDC) space, the company has set itself a target of being among the top three providers by March 2009. Additional expansion into the area of global conferencing will lead to further upside.

My entire argument for an investment in RCOM is based on the factors listed above. I’ve purposefully not taken the company’s base business (the CDMA segment) into consideration. I’ve also deliberately made an attempt to stay away from discussions on the company’s cash position or the net debt on its balance sheet. I believe that while the underlying business of the company’s remains strong, the next wave of growth could be derived from one or more of the above factors. But I must sound a note of caution: Although the company is very confident of delivering on its promises, I believe that the company is exposed to significant execution risk. Most of the company’s plans are highly ambitious and aggressive and require significant upgrade in operational efficiencies. Additionally, changes in government regulations may hamper the company’s plans and possible slow-down the execution ability of the company. Another concern is the amount of financing which the company will need to successfully carry out these expansion activities.

While the Indian Telecom industry is recording one of the fastest growth rates in the worldwide telecom market, the growth path is not without its share of obstacles, with the raging war between the CDMA and the GSM operators over spectrum allocation being one of them. However, despite the likely hurdles in its path, I expect RCOM to reap the benefits from the aggressive strides that the company is looking to make in both the wireless and non-wireless segments. The company is looking to drive incremental growth in India with the roll-outs of the GSM operations and Big TV while internationally, Globalcom is expected to provide a major thrust to the company’s top- and bottom-line growth by 2010. Besides the incremental revenue from these expansions, IPOs for Globalcom and Infratel will also unlock significant value for shareholders. Given the current market conditions, I believe this is the right time to accumulate shares of RCOM.

This article does not recommend any investment decisions. Readers are strongly urged to do independent research and make their own conclusions. Desicritics does not review or verify any of the information presented by our authors. The article is presented for your reading pleasure only.

Emerging Markets And The Decoupling Myth

Varun P — Mon, 19 May 2008 00:22:08 EDT

Significant increase in cross-border trade, foreign direct investments, spread of technology and migration led to the coining of the term “globalization”. Globalization opened up the world’s economies - both domestically and internationally – and resulted in the setup of an international industrial and financial business structure. The pace of globalization was such that ripples felt in one part of the world easily found their way to other parts of the world, regardless of geography.

The most recent example of such a rippling effect is the ongoing U.S. crisis, brought about by a severe housing slump and simultaneous credit crunch, that has resulted in a waterfall effect on the economies of the rest of the world. And to think that some very influential people were discussing the decoupling of the emerging markets from the rest of the world, or to be more specific, from the United States of America.

Now before I go into a discussion of the last statement, let me first briefly describe the decoupling theory and emerging economies. According to the decoupling theory, economies of emerging markets and the U.S. can grow at the two different ends of the growth rate paths. Simply put, the decoupling theory argues that even if the U.S. economy falls into a recession, the economies of the emerging markets will remain untouched and continue their sharp upward growth curve. Emerging markets are defined as world economies which are in a transitional phase between developing and developed status. The four biggest emerging markets are Brazil, Russia, India and China, collectively known as the BRIC economies.

Now coming back to the topic, I would like to state that in this globalized world, no market may remain insulated from global shocks. With the USA accounting for 20% of the global demand, any shocks felt in this economy will have severe repercussions on most of the markets around the world. Despite emerging markets enjoying good fundamentals and strong domestic demand, the shortfall in exports (courtesy the worsening credit crunch in the USA) will need to be replaced by an exceptional (and sustained) increase in domestic demand for these markets to continue growing the way they have done in the past.

Additionally, consider the fact that owing to the opening of world economies, increasing amount of FDI investment has occurred in emerging markets. Most of these FDI inflows are coming in from the U.S. – now with most banks and financial institutions facing severe credit crisis in the USA, investments made in the emerging markets are being liquidated and used to fund the financial needs of the firms back in the USA. This resulting decrease in investments in emerging markets, if not made up by a subsequent increase in domestic investments, will result in loss of liquidity, accompanied by a sharp correction in the valuations of these emerging markets. And this is precisely what has been witnessed.Stock markets in these emerging markets have corrected by a greater margin than the ones in the USA.

Now if we were to even accept the assumptions of the decoupling theory for an instant, how do we then explain the resulting flight of liquidity from these emerging markets without first dismissing the basic assumptions of decoupling? Decoupling suggests the shift of economic power from the USA to the economies of the emerging markets, most notably the ones in Asia. While I do not expect the economies of the emerging markets to follow that of USA’s into recession, I do expect a moderation in the growth rate at which these economies will grow in the coming years. While I do expect the good fundamentals and strong domestic demand in China and India to shift the balance of power from the USA into the hands of these emerging economies in the long-term, I do not anticipate this shift to occur suddenly or in a short span of time.

I believe in the adage that change is constant but I also believe that only a gradual change in the underlying dynamics of the world economy is sustainable. While the emerging markets growing at an exceptional rate, they need to increase the domestic demand and consumption in their markets. This in turn will reduce their dependence on revenue from the USA. To boost domestic consumption in these markets, I believe that their currencies need to appreciate significantly to enhance the purchasing power of the people of these markets. For long we have seen the USA driving the growth for the world markets and hence, it is only justified that the shift of growth drivers occurs gradually. Decoupling is not expected to happen overnight and hence, my belief that emerging markets have not really decoupled from the rest of the world – Yet.

Why do Women Get More Tax Exemption Than Men?

Varun P — Fri, 9 May 2008 13:28:47 EDT

While I was busy catching up with my work and those rare, few friends of mine who missed me, one of them asked me a very common, sometimes unnoticed question: Why do women get greater tax exemption than men??

Here is my reply: Historically, women have earned less than men on average. Plus, their working life-term is shorter than men, hence they are given more tax-breaks to enable them to save a higher amount over a comparably lower working life period.. Does this sound reasonable?

The question gave me a pretty weird idea and so I decided to conduct an in-office poll of the same.. Here are some replies which deserved special mention!!

--- because they deserve the best in all areas of life (a feminist..)

--- I think women are better than men and should have some privileges enhanced. (a thoughtful feminist)

--- they already have so many extra expenses (Definitely a shopaholic!)

--- because they have two letters more than we do!! (Wise-ass!!)

--- because men are better managers than women!! (This seemed like such a chauvinistic reply.. Does this even answer the question?)

--- because men keep asking for money from us!! (Certainly a lady-in-command. I wonder about the asking for money phrasing -- doesn't it go vice-versa?)

--- because they are the best in every way, and the best people get the best reward. (Hmm. I wish this person had elaborated further -- "best in every way.. which way?? how many ways?? Okay, okay, Censor Board calling!!)

--- because P Chidambaram (and FMs before him) seem to like women more than men ;) (What a sad truth! Sigh. No comments on this one!)

So, dear readers, I would love for you people to come forward and express your opinion on this question

While you are at this task, do check out this article which appeared in the Times of India in 2005. "All's Fair in Love and Tax"

For women seeking emancipation from the clutches of a male-dominated society, this year's Budget by finance minister P Chidambaram takes the first definite step not only towards gender equality, but gender empowerment. Like a Times of India editorial recently argued, finally it is the woman on top.

For generations, man-woman relationship in India has been defined by the contours of a woman's role in the family and, thereafter, by extension in society. And I dare say that these contours have been drawn since the time of Ramayana by male guardians of civil society, first with Lakshman's rekha and finally with Sita's banishment from Ayodhya on grounds of staying in Ravana's Lanka, far and away from her husband.

You will agree that our role as women is first defined by the duties we perform as somebody's daughter, then as somebody's wife, and then again as mother, grandmother... We are never really expected to be ourselves.

So in a small way, this year's Budget gives Indian women the chance to stake greater ownership over her 'real' streedhan. In terms of the income-tax benefits offered to women income earners, the Finance Minister has taken a small step towards gender equality and a giant leap for womankind. It makes a fine distinction between incomes earned by men and women and the need for women to retain a greater control over their earnings by way of providing an income-tax exemption limit of up to Rs 1.25 lakh against a limit of up to Rs 1 lakh for men.

...

Let us hope that we all move towards less taxing, more relaxing times - and make this world a better place to live in.

The author's wish sure seems to have been answered, with Mr. P. Chidambaram hiking the tax exemption limit for women from Rs. 1.45 lakhs earlier to Rs. 1.80 lakhs in the budget for financial year 2008-09!! Rock on gals!!

Sometimes I do wonder that when women all around us are fighting for equal rights, then why do we even have this reservation quota/preferential treatment for women? If you want equal rights, then shouldn't you be allowed to stand up for it and fight? Why this discrepancy? Why is it in some office places/educational institutes that they strive for a healthy male:female ratio? Why is a comment against a women by a man considered sexist while a women can get away with anything she says to a man, sexist or non-sexist? This society, which is now increasingly getting behind the female side of human beings, needs to reconsider some of the shortcomings in the justice which is meted out these days.

While I am all for females having equal rights, I certainly am amused by the fact that women in all spheres of life get preferential treatment over men in most cases. A woman's word is given more weightage than a man's word: now many of you might disagree with this generic statement but those of you who have been at the receiving end of just such a thing will know how it feels like!

Sigh! I think I have just sowed the seeds of a major debate here and while I would love to rationalize and explain my stance more elaborately, I believe in listening to the most primal and urgent calling in this world: that of your body's and mind's telling you to put all rubbish, garbage and dumpsters aside and climb into a sweet, inviting bed for a good night's rest!

But hey it's just me who needs to listen to my mind and my body -- you merry fellows go all out and rage a huge debate among yourself over what ever I have said. However, I would like to add that I do not hold any grudges against the females -- I love my Momma, I love my sisters and pretty, single girls, I am crazy about you all! :-)

Movie Review: Iron Man Packs a Punch!

Varun P — Sat, 3 May 2008 13:27:03 EDT

To tell the simple truth, I simply went ga-ga over Iron Man! Yes, the Other Man of Steel, yet another comic book hero (this time from the Marvel stable), made his on-screen debut worldwide on May 2. And what a debut it was!

Though the climax felt a bit underdone compared to other superhero movies, the most likable part of the movie was the way the director essayed the making of Iron Man. I simply loved this part and I am sure those of you going to watch the movie are going to come out of the hall smiling! Paisa Vasool guys!

Before I move into the details, let me draw a brief sketch for those of you who have not grown up on a staple diet of such superhero comics.

Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), a.k.a. Iron Man, is the owner of Stark Industries, the leading manufacturers of weapons and a major supplier to the U.S. Army! In Afghanistan to show off his latest missile system, the convoy carrying Tony is attacked and he is kidnapped. His abductors want him to build the exact replica of the missile system he test fired for the US Army prior to his abduction. In return, they will set him free.

However, instead of building them a missile, he builds a powerful suit within which he stages his escape. Once back in the US, he decides to shut down his weapons manufacturing unit and instead concentrate on making the world a better, safer place by modifying the design and properties of the suit he built under captivity. Such things are easier said than done and the problems and adversities faced by Tony Stark in building the new suit is something that the viewers are surely going to enjoy!

While this was a superhero movie, the movie still had a real feel to it — something similar to what I experienced when I first watched Batman Begins (2005). I mean, the characters are more real, especially the SUPERHERO! T

hey have problems, like the rest of us mortal beings, and the depth in which both these movies chronicle the making of the superhero is something I quite enjoyed watching! If we relax the definition of superhero to include a super-agent, then we may also add Casino Royale (2006) to the mix as that movie gave a good rewind on how James Bond came to acquire his trademark signature moves.

With good, in fact rocking, background music and a running time of just under 2 hours, the movie is a real delight.

In addition to the crisp screenplay, I liked the subtle shades in the movie a lot. Special highlights in the movie are interactions between Tony and his secretary, Pepper Potts, and the conversations between Tony and his U.S. Defense friend, Rhodey. And of course, the gadgets and the technology will please all die-hard techies and gadget lovers! And to borrow a girlie expression, the robots were soooooooo cute! Yes, indeed I agree, the robots were intelligent, smart and humorous!

I hope in the years to come, we can see some good sequels of Iron Man, however, I do hope that the director makes the hero a bit more slimmer; a paunch on a superhero is not desirable. And, of course, some added depth and unpredictability to the characters would be great! Develop more suits, like they have done in the comics, maybe? At least a suit for everyone — that would be fun!

But that's then, this is now. Go watch Iron Man. It's a movie you should IRON out some time for!