Think-small mentality is pulling India down

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12eD3K5Peu8&feature=youtu.be

I came across this youtube presentation, in a forum.

I largely disagree with his views. The guy, in my opinion, actually has the audacity to ask the audience to go back in time and think small, and they too sit there, clapping!! I wonder why!! Here are some of my observations on the facts of his arguments first:

1. Unorganized part of the economy contributes 50% of GDP, but employs 90% of labour...     HIGHLY INEFFICIENT. Tells you why the INR value is so low... how will it go up, without any meaningful productivity?

2. The second point of his - that a significant margin exists at the roadside idli shop, whereas in a five star hotel, the management keeps most of the margins..   is not true at all...    the so called gross margin ( revenue minus cost of goods sold) gets eaten up in large establishments by the overheads...  and the profit margins are still miniscule. If that is not true, then the EPS of listed hotel chains like Leela or Indian Hotels should be through the roof. Leela is currently about to hit NCLT !! The hotel business operates in a separate structure across the world, whereas in India, it is viewed as a luxury sector, attracting the maximum taxes. Add to it, the relatively high cost of realty, the sector simply is unviable in India. The same applies to airlien sector too.

3. Transformation happens in small orgs 12 times a year, whereas large ones take 5 years. Again, NOT TRUE. Let me explain below, later.

4. Disabled people are employed by unorganized sector, simply because hire and fire is easier, and they are the cheapest...  not out of any other reason.

5. He argues that India is not progressing because the large companies do not let these roadside guys prosper. Really??   He is contradicting his own position, because, at the start of his discussion, he says that it is the unorganized sector that his shouldering the GDP, and in the second half says that the large companies are not letting it grow. How is the big pie being stymied by the smaller pie??

6. He says "patronize the unorganized sector". Why? Only because of the human element, not because they produce CONSISTENTLY superior goods and services. Let me explain with an example. When bus bodies are built by humans, where they bend the sheet metals, weld manually, fit manually, etc...    the quality of the buses is - THE STATE TRANSPORT BUSES. Just look at how shabby the finish is. Contrast that with a Volvo bus! See the difference? So, do you want a lousy looking bus or a world class bus, even if it means getting it automated in terms of manufacture? Another example is the same ICF - as long as they encouraged only human work, the quality of Indian carriages had been consistently shabby. The same ICF has adopted modernization with a vengeance, and the result is the 180 kmph train.

Take a step back and think. These very same mom-and-pop shops that thrived on individual entrepreneurship, has existed in Europe and USA in the 17th, 18th and 19th Century, from where, they has mechanized, with a vengeance, and the results are there for everyone to see. The average OECD citizen has roti, Kapda aur Makaan, taken care of. The USA was quick to realize that they did not need 80% of the population working as farmers. They up-skilled their workforce progressively, and over time, the labour shortage was acute enough for them to justify bringing in labour from other countries ( It also suited them to upskill, because the menial jobs could be done by others, and these guys stayed on with white collar jobs). They created huge economies of scale, from farming to dairy sectors, to retailing and distribution sectors. The result - the OECS country people are largely out of poverty ( a few exceptions still exist) . Per capita GDP is the highest, and they have more millionaires than the jugaad guys that we are.

What this gentleman, in this video, says effectively is - do not work towards economies of scale; stay small, think small because, in a socialistic setup, that is the most efficient.

India is unable to think and act big simply because of the curse called Socialism that has been foisted on us by the Nehru clan. The laws are distinctly anti-big-establishment. They never allow you to think big. You cannot own more a a certain amount of land, in most states. If you are a non-agriculturist by hereditary occupation, you cannot buy agri land in most states. Most labour unions at the farm level ensure that you cannot employ machines. Which will force you to cough up exorbitant costs for employing inefficient, and often undependable, labour. As a simple case in point , Kerala has the same natural resources as Malaysia. But Malaysia allows large scale mechanization of their palm plantations and rubber plantations. Try doing that in Kerala!!  You undo socialistic nonsense, and encourage the common man towards entrepreneurship in larger scales, and you will see that these very same street-smart street guys will no longer remain street guys, but could give the Ambanis a run for their money. Sorry, but the presenter's thoughts are totally lopsided.

Another point to ponder - China did NOT become a global economic power, lifting most of it's people out of poverty in 30 years flat, by thinking small. They copied, vigoursouly, and then are now beating the whites at their own game, by setting up HUGE economies of scale, and bringing down the cost per unit. In 1979, both China and India had the same % of people below poverty line. And now, look at China, with only 4.5% of its people now BPL, compared to India's 23% !!

In short, the presenter's logic on both micro economic and macro economic fronts, appear to be flawed.

While the roadside guys' street-smartness is to be thorougly appreciated - for their ability to do jugaad under trying circumstances, in order to survive and make a living - do not attempt to eulogize and make that a virtuous working model for a 21st economy !!! You need them not just to eke out a living, but in this day nd age, when technology is helping mankind like never before, to move away from man's basic needs for survival and realize their self-worth, thinking small will only take them back on the path of struggle to even survive.

Think small, and you will remain small. Think big, and you can become the world's economic power house. Our people are extremely smart. But do not ask them to run a marathon with their feet tied!!

can-GE-survive-its-cooked-books?

https://www.forbes.com/sites/petercohan/2018/12/15/can-ge-survive-its-cooked-books/#3b4ac8292841

Firstly - motherhood statement - Accounting irregularities are nothing new to the Corporate World. Technically, many of these "cooking" happens within the SEC guidelines in the USA ( or Companies Act or other applicable governing Acts for Indian companies). History is replete with such instances of Accounting gone awry ( to put in benignly).

Secondly - the USA - that apostle of GAAP Accounting, who preaches transparency to the world, are the major culprits. Remember that giant $54Billion "Accounting error" in MCI Worldcom that took the company under? Andersen Consulting was pulled up by the SEC, for MCI as well as the other major disaster - Enron.  But then , like Amoeba, the firm was absorbed/ bought over, but strangely enough none of the partners went to jail, presumably because it was all within the existing laws. Which is why they tried to tighten it was Sarbennes-Oxley Act and a help of others. So, while systemically, the SEC has been trying to fix this, gaping holes continue, and are exploited by the Managements of many companies in collusion with the external auditors, under the shield of " being within the law".

Secondly, while in paper, the rules are clear, the authorities look the other way, when it comes to risk managment. How else does one explain the Collateralized Debt Securities, which enabled the Financial companies like Lehmann, Bear Stearns etc to leverage the same collateral more than a 100 times over? Unless, of course, the SEC admits that comonsense was not applied to question why a single collateral is leveraged multiple times over, and where is the SLR/ CRR requuirement, if margin calls are made.   I am convinced that the authorities had colluded with Wall Street.  Sending one Raj Rajarathnnam or Bernie Madoff to prison is not the answer. Systemic risks needs to be looked at holistically.

Thirdly, the role of credit agencies is question, to say the least. What were Moody's, S&P etc doing when Enron and MCI happened? What did they do to US sovereign rating when 2008 happened? How come the USA enjoyed AAA+ rating even in the worst time of it's financial history? If they cannot warn prospective lenders about the risks, through fair rating, then aren't they actually misrepresenting facts, and misleading the gullible investors and public at large?? If GE stock is down to less than $10 today, just back in history to see when their corporate bonds were derated last. You will find it shocking.

The same applies to India too. What were CARE, CRISIL, Moody's etc doing when IL&FS happened? Again, if the IBA really had it's way, more than half of Public Sector Banks would be NCLT cases, technically, since their nett worth is completely eroded due to bad debts. The same may apply to entities like Indian Railways, Air India etc ( nearly so) , but since these are government entities, they are not really covered under Companies Act, and are answerable only to the Parliament, and so, that is OK.

Year 2018 saw three small-cap companies in India severely affected by cooked-up books. Manpasand Beverages, PC Jewellers and Vakrangee Software.   If you get time, do a google search and read through the issues there. You will be shocked that the auditors had colluded with the management, to cook up books. PC Jewellers and Vakrangee, in fact , have a maze of cross holding, that is nothing but amazing!!

And if you thought only the USA and India have this, then think again!

In Korea, 2 of the 4 Chaebols have already gone belly-up due to Financial irregularities. If China were to really open up their books of Accounting, the sheer amount of bad debts in their Bank's Balance sheets, whill surely take the country down under. But then, they do not claim to be transparent, in any way, so there is no pretension. In Malaysia, the same is the case with many state run enterprises, including Malaysian Airlines. In fact, government owned airlines in most countries are already belly-up. Alitalia, SwissAir, Air France, KLM Thai Airways, Korean Air... that list is endless.. 

Many contingent liabilities are supposed to be captured there, but they are discretionary in nature, based on what the auditor is given as info. If, for whatever reason, the management fails to document any mattter of material impact, the auditors are not obligated to  factor that in.

Also, If my company has an accounting policy " no liability shall be created without a valid Purchase order", then my Accounting team will technically not be able to provide for the liability. But it comes to revenue/ cost matching, the profits will look bloated to that extent, since no provision has been made. So, Sarbennes Oxley cannot really cover this. This aspect continues to be a gap in GAAP. I am seeing this practically. In response, many companies get the project owner to certify about the impending liability, and make a cost provision, even if no PO exists yet. But many others, in their quest for higher Earnings per Share ( Wall street reporting, on which CEO and Board bonuses hinge), overlook it.

Many such issues continue to exist. If you look at PNB's case in Nirav Modi Saga, you will be left wondering about the role of the internal auditors.

As I said before, the issues are complex. There appears to be no singular solution. On the one hand, companies spend a fortune, these days, on compliance-related documentation. On the other hand, such cooking of books continue, rather unabashedly, and mostly within the purview of the laws.

The catch is the in the auditor's footnote to the B/S.

Many contingent liabilities are supposed to be captured there, but they are discretionary in nature, based on what the auditor is given as info. If, for whatever reason, the management fails to document any mattter of material impact, the auditors are not obligated to  factor that in.

Also, If my company has an accounting policy " no liability shall be created without a valid Purchase order", then my Accounting team will technically not be able to provide for the liability. But it comes to revenue/ cost matching, the profits will look bloated to that extent, since no provision has been made. So, Sarbennes Oxley cannot really cover this. This aspect continues to be a gap in GAAP. I am seeing this practically. In response, many companies get the project owner to certify about the impending liability, and make a cost provision, even if no PO exists yet. But many others, in their quest for higher Earnings per Share ( Wall street reporting, on which CEO and Board bonuses hinge), overlook it.

Many such issues continue to exist. If you look at PNB's case in Nirav Modi Saga, you will be left wondering about the role of the internal auditors.

As I said before, the issues are complex. There appears to be no singular solution. On the one hand, companies spend a fortune, these days, on compliance-related documentation. On the other hand, such cooking of books continue, rather unabashedly, and mostly within the purview of the laws.

Bottomline - I am convinced that balance sheets are cooked up everywhere - mostly within the laws. The regulators look away, and so do external auditors, very often. Thanks to equity culture, which requires the CEO and boards to survive one quarter at a time, these are inevitable.

तुम हो

इस गेहरा समँदर-ए-दिल का किनारा तुम हो 

इन ख्वाब-भरी आँखों का नज़ारा तुम हो

कितना भी कोशिश करूँ तुम्हे भूलने की 

सुबह जब पलक खुलती तो दुबारा तुम हो

गर्दिश-ए-दिल में सितारें कम नहीं - पर 

  मेरी सूनी अफ़क़ में टूटा तारा तुम हो 

तन्हाई में तड़पने की गुंजाइश अब हमें नहीं  

हर सांस में मह्सूस है, अब हमारा तुम हो 

Ramana Balachander

Ramana Balachander (RB)  appears to be a prodigious talent. At 17, he certainly shows great promise of evolving an ace Vainika, over time. I thoroughly enjoyed this concert of his.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVL6hum7WQ8&feature=youtu.be

A few observations:

1. The Suddha Todi Varnam opener stole my heart away. This is one of the masterpiece creations of the late Dr. Balamuralikrishna. RB has done full justice to the rendition. Brought in images of MB himself singing this.

2. The Janaranjani was top-class. One of the nuances of this ragam is that for the "Ni", as a way of gamakam, the Ni should sound somewhere in between Ni and Sa ( and not in either of them). That brings out the beauty of the ragam. RB has handled it exceedingly well.

3. Enta Muddho - Bindumalini - I do not know of any other composition by anyone else, in this ragam. But this one is a masterpiece of St. Thyagaraja, with very deep philosophical meaning.

3. The Bhairavi Thaanam and Kalpanaswarams were special. They show his mastery over both the instrument as well as over the music.

4. Miyan Ki Malhar - an out and out Hindustani Music Raag, has been well adopted by Tanjavur Kalyanaraman, the composer, and handled beautifully by RB. Note that this Raag has many "misra swaras" which are usually not the norm in Carantic music, but are the ones that bring out the beauty in Hindustani style. This Raag was supposedly commissioned by Miyan Tansen, the great musician in Emperor Akbar's court. Hence the name " Miyan Ki Malhar" It's "cousin", Megh Malhar is the equivalent of Carnatic Music's Amritavarshini, in it's supposed powers to bring in the rains.

Why is death terrifying?

The Upanishads, in their deepest trenches, clearly say that there is nothing called birth or death.

Recently, I had read this story about Sri Ramana Maharshi. His followers, who surrounded him, were rather unhappy. Unhappy because, unlike other "gurus", there was no celebration of His birthday. So, they gathered, and went to him.

"Swami, every guru's birthday is being celebrated in a grand manner. Why don't you allow us to celebrate Yours?"

" OK, let us do it. But do tell me, from which Janma do we start, and where exactly in a janma doe we start?"

You can guess how that conversation would have ended.

I fancy that I am entitled to talk about this topic. After all, I had kissed death, and have come back - for now.

Even when I was within sighting distance of Yamadharmaraja, I never felt afraid of death. And I am being ruthlessly honest here. Of course, I was shaken for the first couple of hours, when the news was broken, but that was pretty much it. I gathered myself, and from thereon, decided to witness everything that was happening to my body, just as anyone else would. Of course, at the end of the day, I consider myself lucky to survive. Maybe God has some unfinished agenda that He needs this body of mine to complete, before signing off. Maybe.

Now, this is not to claim that I was more mature than anyone else. Far from it. It just happened to me. Matter-of-factly. When my moment of reckoning finally arrives, will I be mortified, too? Maybe. Maybe not. I do not know yet.

But then, when I see some even elderly people wanting to live on, and surprisingly, rather endlessly, I sometimes wonder - why? Even animals undergo natural death. Towards the end of their lives,  most animals " withdraw" from regular activities, like eating, for sustained periods of time.  And then give up their lives gracefully. Why are humans any special??

The falling of the human teeth is a clear warning sign by nature to indicate that time is up, for the body ( assuming the teeth falls off only due to old age). And our response? No, not any animal response like the above, but dentures! Yes, I agree that if this happens at a younger age, then it may perhaps be necessary to have dentures and carry on for some more time. But for someone who has lived life king-size, and has been there and seen it all already? Even for him?

One of the mantras recited at the time of immersing the ashes of the deceased says " this body came form the five elements, and is now going back to them. We wax eloquent about these great concepts in Hinduism. But then, even after attending the cremation of a friend or a relative, we come back home, have a head-bath, and ask for the next cup of coffee - and behave as if that THAT is never ever going to happen to us!

We keep praying to God " AnAyAsena MaraNam...vinA daityena JIvanam"...   but when if God were to appear in front of us, and say " son! I hear you. Time to go. Come with me"...    chances are we may say " Oh God! Not so soon!! My grand-daughter's wedding is on the cards, as You know!!"  ... 

நாம் கடவுளுக்கே "இன்று போய் நாளை வா" என்று கூறி விடக் கூடியவர்கள்தான்!!

பட்டிணத்தாருக்கு
பட்டிமன்றம்
போட நாம் தயார்.

தலைப்போ "காயமே, இது பொய்யடா!"
ஆனால்
நிஜ வாழ்க்கையில் அந்த
காயத்திற்க்கு சிறு
காயம் கூட பட்டுவிடக் கூடாது!!

The Mrutyunjaya Mantra is another example how badly we have understood our great philosophies, in general. If you have the time, please read my article written on this topic, written a few years ago, here.

https://andhakudi.blogspot.com/2010/12/mrythyunjaya-manthrams-real-meaning.html

 This mantra should have actually been  called " apamrutyunjaya mantra". And there too, the importance of the body is only in the context of the body being the enabler that will take the Atman towards the Brahman - certainly not to be the raison d'etre to look forward to Rajinikanth's 2.0 !

When things are OK, we all pray for Moksha... but when the time of reckoning comes, we flutter " Oh no! I hope Moksha is not coming so soon!" We would perhaps leave no God un-invoked, in order to continue to live on. The story of Markandeya is one of the most maligned ones. We all are told that Markandeya and Savithri won against Yama and got the boon of living forever at 16. If you read the Markandeya Purananam, you will understand how a deep philosophy of the Atman being eternal, is being abused into some cock-and-bull story of living eternally inside a given body.

What really is happening? Why are we afraid of "death", notwithstanding all the philosophies that have been thrown at us regarding this "event"?

Are we afraid of a possible "pain" at the time of the event? Are we afraid of literally going into unchartered territory? Are we anxious not to let go of all the names, places, things and animals that we had so assiduously  aggrandized all these years? Is the name and fame bestowed on us by , at best, a few hundred people that we really know of in this life ( assuming none of us really is a celebrity) so damn intoxicating that we rather prefer to keep hearing encomiums, time and again, than discard this old and ragged costume called the body, only to possibly move on to another? Or, are the bondages that we have created ourselves, in the name of near and dear ones so strong that we hate to let them go, even if we know that none of these bondages are permanent themselves? Are  those souvenirs that we have bedecked the living rooms too good to let go of?  Are those stacks of books that we have collected over our lifetime too compelling? Are those countless saris, churidars and jewels to go with, that clogs a lady's closet, really so good to stay on with, permanently? Or are we really deluding ourselves in these things, anxious to avoid that moment of reckoning?

My aim here is not to delve into some fuzzy philosophy. My only question is - why can't humans accept death more gracefully? Why confront it with a sense of fear and hate?

I am reminded of a ghazal I had written a few years ago, and the last lines would aptly describe this predicament

मेरी मक़बरा को जितना भी फ़ूलों से सजा लें
क्या करूँ , मैं क़ब्र के अन्दर ही रहना चाहता हूँ ।

मत पूछो

जीवन का  सफ़र  की परेशानी  मत पूछो
हर मोड़ पर दिल-ए-ज़ख़्म का नादानी  मत पूछो।
इस दिल तीर-ए-आफ़त से गोलाह बारी है
हाल-ए-दिल इस मख़लूत बेगानी मत पूछो।

प्यार भी , अश्क़ भी बरसे, इन तरस्ती आँखों से
उल्फत से दिल में चल रही  तूफानी मत पूछो।

गुलिस्तान-ए-दिल के फूल क़हत से मुरझा गये हैं
अब और इस ज़िंदा लाश की बेजानी मत पूछो।

நாதஸ்வரமும் தவிலும் .

எனக்குத் தெரிந்த அளவில், சங்க காலம் தொடக்கம், இன்று வரை , மாறாமல், மருவாமல் நம்முடனேயே பயணப்பட்டு வந்துள்ள ஒரே வாத்தியம் நாதஸ்வரம் மட்டுமே!

*************************************

அன்றைய இசையுலகில் மிகவும் பிரசித்தி பெற்ற  நாதஸ்வர கலைஞர்கள்

நாதஸ்வரத்தில் திருவாடுதுரை ராஜரத்னம்பிள்ளை மற்றும் காரைக்குரிச்சி, இருவரும் ஜாம்பவான்கள்.
மற்றொருவர்்நாமகிரிப்பேட்டை கிருஷ்ணன் .

திருவாரூர் தெப்பம் மற்றும் தேர் திருவிழா வருடம் தோரும் ஏப்ரல் மாதத்தில் நடக்கும். அந்நேரம் பல வித்துவான்கள் கச்சேரி செய்ய கேட்டிருக்கிறேன், சிறு வயதில்.

இதில் விசேஷம் என்னவென்றால், அக்காலத்தில் மைக் வசதி அதிகம் கிடையாது. மேலும், ஊர் மிகவும் அமைதியாக இருக்கும், பொதுவாக.  எங்கள் வீடு  கச்சேரியிலிருந்து சுமார் 1 கி.மீ. தூரம் இருக்கும்.

இவர்கள் வாசிக்கும் கம்பீரம், 1.5 கி.மீ. தள்ளி இருக்கும் வீட்டில் மைக் இல்லாமலேயே கேட்கும்!! அப்படியொரு வாசிப்பு.

இதில் , தவிலின் பங்கைச் சொல்லியே ஆகா வேண்டும்.

வலங்கைமான் ஷண்முகசுந்தரம், ஹரித்வாரமங்கலம் பழனிவேல் ,திருவலப்புதூர் கலியமூர்த்தி, மற்றும் வலையப்பட்டி  போன்ற ஜாம்பவான்கள் வளம் வந்த காலம், அது .

மதுரை சேதுராமன் பொன்னுசாமி , எனக்கு மிகவும் பிடித்தவர்கள் . சிறு வயதிலிருந்தே அவர்களை பார்த்து, கேட்டு வளர்ந்தேன் , மதுரையில்.

மீனாட்சி அம்மன் கோவிலில் இவர்களைக் காணலாம். வெளியூர் கச்சேரி இல்லாத நாட்களில் , ஆடி வீதியில் அவர்கள் இருவரும், ரெட்டைத் தவில் சகிதம் உலா வந்தவண்ணம் தங்களை மறந்து வாசித்துக் கேட்டுள்ளேன். அவர்களுக்கு பணம் முக்கியம் இல்லை. மீனாட்சி அம்மன் மேல் உள்ள  பக்தியும், இசைமேல் தீராக் காதலும் தான். வாசித்துக்கொண்டே ஆதி வீதியை வலம் வருவர். தேவ கானம் என்றால் அதுதான்.

பிற்காலங்களில் Leucoderma தாக்கி, மற்றும் பல உடல் உபாதைகள் தாக்கியும் சேதுராமன் மிகவும் துன்புற்றார். ஆயினும், மீனாட்சி தாயார் மீதான பாசம் இம்மியளவும் குறைவில்லை. ஒருவேளை அவரது கடைசி மூச்சுக்கூட நாதஸ்வரம் வாயிலாகத்தான் போனதோ என்னோவோ.

நாதஸ்வரத்தில் இன்னொருவரை தமிழகம் மறந்தே விட்டது . அவர் தான் ஷேக் சின்ன மௌலானா சாஹிப். திருச்சியில் தையல் கடை வைத்திருந்தவர். ஆனால் , ஆந்திராவைச் சேர்ந்த இசை குடும்பம் அவருடையது. 300 வருட இசைப் பாரம்பரியத்தை தன தோள்களில் தாங்கியவர். அவருடைய தேவகாந்தாரி மற்றும் ஹம்சநாதம் ராகம் வாசிப்பு வாழ்க்கையில் மறக்க முடியாது. அவரது மகன் மீர் காசிம் இப்போதும் வாசிக்கிறார்.   

ரெட்டை நாயனமும், ரெட்டைத் தவிலும்  ஈடு இணையற்றவை.

தமிழ் நாட்டின் மிகப் பெரிய சொத்து நம் நாதஸ்வரமும் தவிலும் .

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காலம் மாறித்தான் விட்டது. இன்றைய திருமணங்களில், வடக்கத்திய  Sangeeth, Mehendi, Baarat போன்ற சடங்குகள் புகுந்துள்ளன. அதில் தவறில்லைதான். காலத்துக்கேற்ப நம்மையம் மாற்றிக்கொள்ள வேண்டியதுதான். அனால், collateral damage இதில் நாதஸ்வரம்தான் .

நாதஸ்வர கலைஞர்களுக்கு மன்னர் ஆட்சி காலத்திற்குப்பின் இரண்டே வருமான வழிகள் தான். ஒன்று சபா, மற்றும் கோவில் கச்சேரிகள். இரண்டு, திருமணங்களில் வாசிப்பது. இன்று இரண்டடுக்குமே வழியின்றி நாதஸ்வர, தவில்  கலைஞர்கள் தவிக்கின்றனர்.

தமிழர்களான நாமே நாதஸ்வரத்தை நாதம் இல்லாமல் ஆக்கி விட்டோம் இன்று.

Monkeys, Darwin and Sanskrit

Vānara (Sanskrit: वानर) . This word can be found in many Indian languages, and most commonly refers to monkeys in colloquial meaning.

However, closer examination suggests something interesting.

Vānara refers to a group of people living in forests (Vān - forest, nara - human). Sanskrit clearly seems to suggest that the monkeys, are, in fact, humans, that live in the forest. Why else would only monkeys be referred to "nara"? Let us take some examples of other animals living in the forest and their Sanskrit names.

Lion सिंहः Siṁhaḥ
Tiger व्याघ्रः Vyāghraḥ
Pig वराहः Varāhaḥ

It is clear that only monkeys are alluded to as nara ( human). To me it evident, from this very word, that our forefathers knew, thousands of years ago, that man came from monkeys.

Did someone just say that Darwin was the first, who discovered that man came from monkeys?

PS: There is still a raging debate whether Darwin indeed had said that man came from monkeys

Ragam Revathi and Raag Bairagi

I was listening to Raag Bairagi, by Flautist Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia. Raag Bairagi in Hindustani Music (HM)  is loosely connected to Ragam Revathi in the Carnatic Music (CM)  Style.

Let me give some technical information about the Ragam here.  In both HM and CM sytles, the Aarohanam/ Avarohanam ( ascending/ descending framework notes) are the same.  S r m P n S' - S' n P m r S

In CM, Revathi is considered a Janya Ragam of the 2nd Melakartha Ragam Ratnangi. In HM, Bairagi is considered " Bhairav Thaat ka raag", ie, thought of having been born from Bhairav Raag ( equivalent Ragam in CM is Sindhu Bhairavi). Bairagi is considered a morning Raag ( usually sung between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m.). In CM , there is no formal timezones for ragams, but generally, some ragams like Bhowli, Bhoopalam etc are considered morning ragams.

The similarities between Revathi and Bairagi probably end here. The differences are fairly stark, just as well. In CM, ragams like Revathi, Sindhu Bhairavi etc are sung usually towards the end of a long concert, and very rarely as centre pieces. That is the tradition. Whereas, it is very common to hear a centre piece in Bairagi, Bairagi-Bhairav or Bhairav in HM, in line with the time of the day of the concert ( usually).

Now, why in CM is Revathi sung towards the end? It is very simple. Revathi, Sindhu Bhairavi etc give a calming effect to the mind, after some very intense music earlier on. The mind is made to calm down, and give up any roused emotions, when one listens to these ragams. If you are in doubt, try listening to Sindhu Bhairavi or Revathi, just before you go to sleep. And you will realize how calming the ragam can be, to the mind.

Now, I do not know who named the ragam as Revathi. However, I was contemplating the origin of Bairagi.  And a totally unconnected story from the Srimad Bhagavatham came to my mind. I have picked up this part of the story, as-is, from the Internet.

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This story appears at the very beginning of Bhagavata and is an apt introduction to the theme of the epic,which is bhakti or devotion.

In the story Bhakti, Jnana and Vairagya are shown in the human form for the purpose of an intelligent dialogue with the sage Narada. Bhakti, Jnana and Vairagya may be translated as Devotion,Knowledge and Dispassion respectively. Dispassion is that quality in a human being by which he would view all things(other than the vital) without passion.‘Bhakti’ starts her journey (along with her sons ‘Jnana’ and ‘Vairagya’) down south from the Dravidian land as a young lady, passes through Karnataka and Maharashtra and by the time they reach Gujarat,they become too weak and feeble even to walk. However, the moment ‘Bhakti’ sets her foot on the soil of Brindavan(which is the abode of bhakti),she regains her youth and energy. ‘Jnana’ and ‘Vairagya’,though, remain in the same state of unconsciousness. They continue to remain very old totally sapped of all energy. ‘Bhakti’ starts crying inconsolably at the plight of her children who are looking older than herself.
Sage Narada happens to pass by, sees the wailing young lady and wants to know the cause of her misery. ‘Bhakti’ tells that she is grieving for her two sons who are virtually unable to even move because of very ripe old age, even as she(‘Bhakti’)is enjoying youth. She asks Narada as to what needs to be done to revive her two sons who seem to be in a coma.
Narada,then,explains to ‘Bhakti’ the cause of the malady as follows:
‘O,young lady,listen attentively and understand the cause behind your plight. In the present age of ‘Kali'(kaliyuga)the qualities – jnana, bhakti and vairagya – all have vanished. This is because the Lord Krishna has departed to ‘Vaikunta’ at the end of his ‘avatar’ in the previous yuga(Dwaparayuga). He has, however, sent you(‘Bhakti’) to come down to earth and enter the minds of all true devotees or seekers of Krishna. He has sent you with ‘Moksha'(or Total Liberation) as the maid-servant and ‘Jnana’ and ‘Vairagya’ as sons’.
Having thus elaborated the circumstances in which the three(Jnana,Bhakti and Vairagya)are caught,Narada,then, waxes eloquent on the causes for the downfall of the qualities jnana, bhakti and vairagya during Kaliyuga.
He says as Brahmanas chant stories of the Lord indiscriminately to everyone just for the sake of gaining wealth, the story loses its spiritual worth(‘Katha saarasthato gatah’). Likewise when non-believers also go to holy places, the value of the sacred place is gone(‘Tirtha saarasthato gatah’). ‘Tapas’ and meditation lose their significance too when austerities are undertaken by wicked men with agitated minds pursuing unlimited desires,(‘Tapah saarathato gatah; Dhyanayoga phalam gatam’). To the humanity with such tendencies,only bhakti can be cultivated and this alone can be the saviour.
Narada,then, offers to help revive the sons of Bhakti – ‘Jnana’ and ‘Vairagya’. He chants vedas, upanishads and bhagavadgita into the ears of Jnana and Vairagya in order to revive their youth. However,it has only a marginal effect on them(They get up just once and then get back to the same state of unconsciousness). Now Narada is quite confused. How else is he going to manage to revive the two sons of Bhakti?
He dashes off to Badrikasram on the Himalayas and seeks counsel of great sages Sanaka and his 3 brothers. What, then, follows is a lengthy discourse on the glories of Bhagavata purana by the Rishi, which I will summarize below:
The sages Sanaka and his 3 brothers explain as to why vedas and upanishads alone have not given the desired result to revive ‘Jnana’ and ‘Vairagya'(the sons of Bhakti). Vedas and upanishads teach jnana(knowledge)alone to the complete exclusion of bhakti(devotion). That was acceptable and excellently suited the temperament of humanity who lived during the previous three ‘yugas’ namely ‘Krita’,’Treta’ and ‘Dwapara’ yugas. The present ‘Kali yuga dharma’ demands more of bhakti and much less of jnana and vairagya.
At this stage,Narada raises an important question: If vedas and upanishads are the source of Bhagavata epic, how come the latter is considered superior?
The sage Sanaka gives a beautiful explanation to the above query.
He says: Bhagavata conveys the essence of jnana contained in vedas and upanishads ,while at the same time chanting the sweet names of the lord through devotion filled stories. Bhagavata is the purana which blends all 3 – bhakti,jnana and vairagya(dispassion) – in the right proportions ideal for the kali yuga. It is superior to upanishads and vedas because it is the essence of the latter. Just as a juice in a fruit separated from a tree tastes much sweeter than the same juice in the root of the tree(‘Samprithakbhutah phale vishva manoharah phalakritih’),and butter extracted out of milk is more delicious than milk itself and extracted sugar cane juice is sweeter than the sugar cane itself – Bhagavata extracted out of vedas and upanishads and presented as the story of Lord Hari is much more potent and delicious than its very source.The sources(vedas and upanishads) have only jnana and vairagya component whereas Bhagavata is a rich blend of all three(in the right proportion needed for the kaliyuga) and therefore superior to Vedas and upanishads.

Having got enlightened thus by the sages Sanaka and his 3 brothers, Narada advises Bhakti to listen to the story of Bhagavata along with ‘Jnana’ and ‘Vairagya’. Bhakti follows the advice,listens to Bhagavata with great attention and amazingly ‘Jnana’ and ‘Vairagya’ are revived to youthfulness. Thus the misery of ‘Bhakti’ ends.

End of Story.

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Now, what on earth, is the connection between this story and the Ragam/ Raag that I was talking about earlier?

Well, I had explained earlier, that Revathi/ Bairagi helps to calm the mind, and become dispassionate. The name Bairagi is a morph of Vairagya!

Another interesting observation : When you listen to Vedas being recited, you will observe that there are "ups and downs" in the recitation, in terms of tonal variation.  Vedic chantings typically use 4 tones - Udatta उदात्त(middle tone), Anudaatta अनुदात्त (lower tone), Svarita स्वरित (higher tone) and Deergha Svarita दीर्घस्वरित (High tone extended). These are usually marked with intuitive svara marks - an underline for lower tone, a small vertical line above the letter for a higher tone and two vertical lines for Deergha Svarita.

Bairagi is a pentatonic raag ( 5 notes/ tones). If you observe carefully, with the exception of the Madhyamam/ Madhyam , the remaining 4 notes/ tones match exactly one-to-one with the Vedic recitation!! 

No wonder one gets a very calm feeling, when listening to properly recited Vedas!! 

சொல்லும் பொருளும் - WORDS AND THEIR MEANING

I was reading the Kamba Ramayanam, and suddenly something interesting struck me. I was drawn to a parallel, immediately, in Kalidasa's Sanskrit classic Raghu Vamsam. This article is about how two of the greatest masters of metaphors - Kamban and Kalidasa, have used the same metaphors, to completely different effect, in two of the greatest works - The Raghuvamsam and the Kamba Ramayanam.

The invocation shlokha of Raghuvamsam , goes below

वागर्थाविव संपृक्तौ वागर्थप्रतिपत्तये।
जगतः पितरौ वन्दे पार्वतीपरमेश्वरौ॥ १-१

vāgarthāviva saṁpṛktau vāgarthapratipattaye |
jagataḥ pitarau vande pārvatīparameśvarau || 1-1

vAk= shabda= sound - what is or may be heard; artha= its meaning, import; iva= like; sa.mpR^iktau= nitya sambandha= indissolubly cleaved together, ever embodied two-in-one entity pArvatI-parameshvara; vAk= of speech, idiom; artha= its meaning - import, the process of forming and relating ideas from listened sound; pratipattaye= samyak j~nAna artham= to derive pertinent idiom and ideation, language and paralanguage; jagataH= of universe; pitarau= parents; vande= I adore; pArvatI= pArvati; parama Ishvarau= supreme, lord - shiva.

"For the right understanding (or the proper knowledge) of words, and their meanings, I bow down to pArvati and parameshvara, the greatest of the gods, who are the parents of the universe ( or creation ) and the perpetual relation ( or constant union) between whom is as close as the one subsisting between words and their meanings."      (Translation, courtesy - sanskritdocs.org)

The great poet starts off by praying to Shiva and Parvati, and how inseparable they are, and to illustrate that, he uses THE WORD AND ITS MEANING, as the metaphor. He says, Shiva and Parvati are as inseparable as the word and it's meaning. Every word HAS to have  a meaning. That is what languages are: a medium of communication; a way to denote something through the use of word(s).

Now, Kamban uses the same metaphor of the word and it's meaning- but in an entirely different context.  This appears in the Thaataka vatham part, where Vishwamitra takes away Rama and Lakshmana to kill Thaataka who had been distrubing him.  Let us look at the verses below:

சொல்லொக்கும் கடிய வேகச் சுடுசரம் கரிய செம்மல்
அல்லொக்கும் நிறத்தி னாள்மேல் விடுத்தலும் வயிரக் குன்றக்
கல்லொக்கும் நெஞ்சில் தாங்காது அப்புறம் கழன்று கல்லாப்
புல்லர்க்கு நல்லோர் சொன்ன பொருளெனப் போயிற் றன்றே

ஒக்கும்- போன்ற; கடிய- கூர்மையான ; சரம்-அம்பு ; அல் -இருள்; புல்லர்- கெட்டவர்

In this verse, Kamban, the great Kavi Chakravarthi that he is, uses " word and it's meaning" in a very different Upama ( metaphor). The scene is set for Rama to kill Thaataka, the demoness. Kamban wants to imply that Rama's arrow went really so fast and furious, hit the target, and came out, even faster. Generally, the mind is usually taken as one of the top metephors for speed, since the mind usually travels faster than perhaps anything else. As an example, look at the Isaavaasya Upanishad below, where , clearly, the mind is shown as the fastest possible, and the All-Pervading is faster than the mind.

anejad ekaṁ manaso javīyo nainad devā āpnuvan pūrvamarṣat |

tad dhāvato’nyān-atyeti tiṣṭhat tasminn apo mātariśvā dadhāti ||4||

It is unmoving, one, and faster than the mind. The senses could not overtake It, since It ran ahead. Remaining stationary, It outruns all other runners. It being there, Matarisva allots (or supports) all activities.

But sometimes, there is one thing which is even faster than the mind. WORDS. Quite often, we, in a fit of rage or emotion, say words without thinking ( and then repent later). Kamban uses the word, as the perfect example here.

But then, he does not stop here. He wants wants the exit of the arrow to be portrayed as being even faster than it's entry. So what does he do? "கல்லாப்
புல்லர்க்கு நல்லோர் சொன்ன பொருளெனப் போயிற் றன்றே". His metaphor here is even more beautiful. He says, that the arrow went so fast, pierced her heart, and came out even faster, much like good and advising words given to an uneducated and unfit person  (கல்லாப் புல்லர்) , enters his one ear fast, and the meaning of those words leaves through his other ear even faster ( ie, nothing is retained)!

This is the beauty of our literature. Same metaphor - WORDS AND THEIR MEANING. See how differently ( and equally beautifully) these two great poets have used, in different context!!

Dharani

I have been contemplating on the possible links between specific words in multiple languages.

One such word was the tamil word dharani தரணி .   Which literally means the earth. I liked this word, more than the usual பூமி  ( Bhoomi) , which clearly is a Sanskrit word, and is found in many Upanishads and Vedas. I thought தரணி is the form of pure tamil that I would prefer to use in Tamil.

That is until I realized that there is this Hindi word धरती   ( Dharthi) , denoting the earth. Made me think - did this Hindi word originate from Tamil?

Until, again, I was on a rather unconnected research of the Sanskrit word धर्मः  ( Dharmaha) , which really, coarsely translated , meant "righteousness", amongst many other meanings. I mean it, when I say " coarsely translated", for, I find that for many Sanskrit words, there are no equivalent English words. Languages and culture being Siamese twins, it is quite possible that many words may not find the right equivalent, when translated into another language.

The interesting part comes now. I tried to dig a little deeper, etymologically , into this word Dharmaha. I discovered that the the dhatu (root) explanation for धर्मः  is धरती इति धर्मः   Dharati iti Dharmaha, ie, that which HOLDS or bears is dharmaha..  the word धर Dhara in sanskrit means "holds" or "bears".

The earth bears/ holds us all..   so the Tamil and Hindi equivalents do make snese now...   So, I concluded that the common root for this word, across multiple languages (ધરતી Dharti in Gujarati and Marathi,  ধরণী Dharani in Bengali, etc.)

The more I realize these commonalities, the more I am convinced that the Aryan-Dravidian theory is hogwash.

आपकी इंतज़ार में

आपकी इंतज़ार में सेज को सजाते रहे। 
हर रात उम्मीद के दिये जलाते रहे। 

उस अनजान फरिश्ता तो आप हो 
जिसके नाम लेकर हर ईद मनाते रहे। 

साक़ी ने उन लम्हों को मिठा न सका 
मेरे रात के जो हमसफ़र बनके चलाते रहे। 

मेहँदी की खुशबू बेमिसाल है, यह पता ही था 
फिर भी गुंचा को नाक में लगाते रहे। 

जीना मुश्क़िल हुआ, पर मरना नामुमकिन
ग़म का सहारा लेकर ग़म को भुझाते रहे। 

Intraday Trading Learnings

I saw this write-up in the Internet ( Credit to the original author).  Worth pouring over, for all aspiring intraday- traders

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1. Price is the only thing that matters. Adapt to it, don't fight it. 
2. Don't under estimate the power of desperate money managers in the fourth quarter. They need to beat their bench marks or risk losing their jobs/clients.
3. Mental stops will ensure you an emotional trade. Don’t use mental stops. You are either in the trade or not. Mental stops invite emotions.
4. Mental stops is another way of saying  "I am not sure where to place my stop"
5. Adding to a losing position is one of the best ways to end your trading career.
6. The biggest winning trades normally have big volume driving them higher.
7. Trading triple ETFS will deplete the account over the long term.
8. "Too many eyes" on a key breakout point will most likely cause that pattern to fail first. AKA  fuckery. Revisit the "NEW" setup after the fuckery has shaken out the majority.
9. Sentiment is always more negative on bottom retests than in the FIRST low. Watch out above if the retest is successful.
10. Most double bottoms come with strong MACD/RSI divergences. A powerful event if you see this.
11. Be aware of stocks that take "too long to go". early indication of demand drying up.
12. The best trade setups work immediately after they trigger. They barely give you a chance of to jump on board.
13. The best traders are incredibly nimble. They can be bearish but still capable to taking longs without hesitation.
14. Perma bears and perma bulls eventually get washed out of the market. You have to respect a strong bull market and you have to respect a mean bear market.
15. More trades does NOT equal more profits. LESS IS MORE.
16. The best traders i know, keep their routine very simple.
17. Price charts and volume is all you need. Most indicators are noise the majority of the time.
18. Never confuse YOUR macro views with what is actually happening in the stock market.
19. Economy could be in recession but if the market is rallying, you need to listen to the market. It pays better.
20. Fighting the trend doesn't pay well. In general, trading with a trend, pays off much better.
21. Get aggressive when you make 2-3 good trades back to back.
22. Get VERY defensive when you make 2-3 bad trades. Often times traders will do the opposite. (Self destructive behavior).
23. Trading on margin is the surest way to emotional decision making and eventually will wash you out of the business.
24. Never underestimate the confidence building power of a tiny gain that is booked. Green on the screen helps build confidence for future trades.
25. Big winning streak start with tiny wins. (The snow ball effect).
26. Most losing streaks start because a "basic' rule was broken. Emotions taking over.
27. In bulls markets, if you are to err, err on the long side. NOT SHORT. Short squeezes can be powerful and painful.
28. It's ok to be wrong but it's NEVER ok to "STAY WRONG".
29. Good fundamental analysis and proper technical trading is a killer combination. Think CANSLIM / IBD (investors Business Daily)
30. Too many bullish setups is NOT always a "good thing"/ A plethora of bullish setups normally precedes a big down day. Aka: Fuckery.
31. Trading stocks is a lot like a beauty contest. What looks best, wins.
32. The best technical patterns is the BULL FLAGS. It comes in many varities. Learn to spot them.
33. Candle stick patterns don't mean anything WITHOUT follow thru. A Hammer or a DOJI means nothing unless it gets follow thru the next day.
34. Very hard to short a market when the financial stocks(XLF) are strong.
35. Trading with 'conviction' is great BUT trading with 'arrogance' is a sure way to the poor house.
36. You have to understand, you cannot impose your will on the market. The market is bigger and smarter than you and you need to adapt to it. Not the other way around.
37. Sentiment polls are worthless for the most part. Focus on price action.
38. More market bottoms take place in October than in any other month. A simple observation that i made over the years.
39. Always be aware when short interest on the NYSE starts to hit record highs. Normally means we are getting close to a major bottom.
40. In December, small caps and micro cap stocks(junk stocks) come alive. many will double or triple in a few days.
41. Keep your approach as simple and basic as possible. Can you explain it to a 10 year old?
42. The market is master at forecasting events well ahead of time. by the time, the actual news hits, the market has already discounted it.
43. Never short a market in momentum mode.
44. Never short a market that is "quiet" or "choppy".
45. Trading in choppy market is one of the most difficult and frustrating things to do.
46. Shorting over the long run pays very poorly. Odds are heavily stacked against bears over the long run.
47. Many strong forces are constantly working against shorts: PPT, short sales bans, government intervention etc.
48. Every stock will go thru a period of accumulation, topping out, distribution and bottoming and a new cycle begins. Rinse, repeat.....
49. Big long candles on big volume are often the start of something bigger. Scan and track those stocks. Many will end up being big winners.
50. Trust your gut, if something doesn't 'feel' right, sell it. Analyze it from the sidelines (emotion free)
51. Chat rooms are the best learning tool but be aware of what is noise and what is quality actionable, tradeable information.
52. Be ware of trades that "fill easily". The best trades barely give you a 'good price'.
53. It takes a brave soul to admit a trade is not working and sell it at a loss. The 'easy' thing to do is carry the position and "hope" it turns.
54. Your 'hardest' work should be done while the market is closed. So that when the market opens, you will be prepared once your setups become active.
55. Surround yourself with POSITIVE people. haters are hating for a reason. They are LOSING. pure and simple. Positive people are winning or on the right path to winning.
56. Work HARD and work SMART. Both are equally important if you want to make a profession from your trades.
57. The character of the person will be tested when things are going horribly bad. Will you be the phoenix to rise from the ashes?
58. Don't brag, beat your chest when things are going well. Eventually mother market humbles us all.
59. The harder you force trades, the more likely to lose. Allow the natural process to happen...naturally.
60. Lucky breaks normally come when you are trading well. Unlucky breaks come when you are trading poorly.
61. Wining and losing streaks come in cycles. Be aware which cycle YOU are currently in. Be aggressive when winning and confidence is high.
62. TOPS are a long process, rarely a single day event.
63. Failed breakouts and deterioration of stocks under the surface are the first warning signs. Fewer and fewer stocks left holding up the indexes.
64. BOTTOMS are a process, rarely a single event. Many stocks start to bottom well ahead of the indexes.
65. Always be aware of what is going on in the "MARKET OF STOCKS", not just the "stock market". Indexes will always react to what is happening to stocks under the surface.
66. In bull markets, you buy dips and trade breakouts when momentum is clearly UP. In bear markets, you short weak low volume bounces and short breakdowns when momentum is clearly DOWN.
67. Don't be a bull, don’t be a bear: Be a predator. constantly lurking and stalking the "easy prey".
68. Perma bulls and perma bulls are dangerous, lazy and arrogant. Don't take their views too seriously if you care about YOUR account.
69. It's not about being 'bullish' or 'bearish'. It's about being RIGHT. Please understand this. It's vital to long term survival.
70. It's not about being 'bullish' or 'bearish'. It's about being RIGHT. Please understand this. It's vital to long term survival.
71. It's not about being 'bullish' or 'bearish'. It's about being RIGHT. Please understand this. It's vital to long term survival.
72. Catching falling knives will sooner or later land you into a mine field. Big difference between buying a dip and catching a falling knife.
73. Swing trading triple ETFs will give you insomnia. Is it really worth it?
74. Professional traders know strength begets more strengths. Weakness begets more weakness.
75. Anticipate "now" what you think will be 'popular' later.
76. Most traders are never "happy" with their trades. Understand that no trade will ever be "PERFECT".
77. When a stock breaks out on big volume. The first dip will normally bought up very quickly.
78. If you have no solid plan(i.e. Setup, proper entry, stop loss, exit strategy, target), then why are you in the trade?
79. Often times, the best trades require you to buy high and sell higher.
80. Learn to be patient once in a winning position. Learn to be very impatient when in a losing or questionable position
81. Lowering a stop loss is the first sign of trouble. You are breaking the rules and emotions are starting to creep in. Careful when u see that.
82. Never ever, get into a position that is "too BIG" for the account size. All it takes is a bad trade, to cripple you beyond repair.
83. It's ok to say " i am wrong and what do i need to do now?"
84. Always be aware of which stocks are exhibiting STRENGTH in a weak tape.
85. Always be aware of which stocks are exhibiting WEAKNESS in a strong tape.
86. Boredom trades costs add up and can hurt you. Be aware of when you are simply bored and looking to trade something "JUST TO TRADE"
87. You will never buy the exact bottom and you'll never exact sell the exact top: Don't beat yourself up if "you left money on the table"
88. EMOTION is what causes most traders to break their rules.
89. It's NOT the news that is most important, it's the REACTION to the news. Respect the price action.
90. Have a list of setups READY for the following day. Know the trigger prices ahead of time. Have plan: setup, position size, entry, exit, max loss and targets.
91. NO plan? NO TRADE!
92. 10 times out of 10, Traders who carry BIG losses wishes they had respected their "ORIGINAL" stop. So, respect the ORIGINAL STOP LOSS, ALWAYS!
93. Over trading is the POISON for your trading. LESS IS MORE!
94. Never chase GAP UPS. Allow the first 45-60 minutes to pass by and then see what is setting up best intra-day.
95. You want to enter stocks that have the BEST bases on ALL TIME FRAMES. Weekly, daily, 60 min, 30 min, 10, 5 min. << the more time frames align, the higher the probability the trade.
96. Focus on finding "GOOD BASES" : The longer a stock bases, the more meaningful the breakout.
97. Keep a balanced life. It's not all about the screens. Spend time with family, friends: They deserve more attention.
98. Stay humble, stay grounded, remember where you came from and where you want to go. What is here today, can easily be gone tomorrow. Respect what you have yet shoot to achieve more.