Telecom - a viewpoint

Reliance's 50 paisa for all calls announcement and TRAI's per minute tariff suggestion have brought down all the telecom stocks . The leader Bharti is down almost 23% in 3 days and idea is trading below it's issue price. So, is it an end of all situation for the telecom world?.

Telecom has the widest reach of customers and no one can beat them in reach ( bottom of pyramid). There is a lot of rural penetration left . 3G, Net usage over phone are in their intial years. Banking opportunities are also foreseen for the telecom operators in rural areas ( may be in urban India too).

Tariff war, reduction in ARPU and more competition waiting to jump in are definitely negative factors. But some how I see a great future for telecom.

With reduction in tariff over the years, my bill has never come down and Internet usage over telephone network is going up. So, I see a huge opportunity in these big falls of telecom stocks.

In the long run these companies ought to bounce back strongly. Let's keep our fingers crossed till then . Such chaos mostly provide great opportunities.

should I buy bhart, rcom, idea, MTNL, BSNL at this level? is it a good buy. what returns will telecom give

The attitude of Indians towards Indians

We went on a short trip to Pushkar (Near Ajmer, Rajasthan) and were shocked by the behaviour and attitude of the shopkeepers in the market area. Except for 2 or 3, all the others were indifferent towards Indian buyers. Everyone seems to be focussing and trying to attract the foreign tourists. There are "Namaste", " Good Morning, " Welcome" everything that the shop keepers feel would attract the foreign tourists to their shops. However, at the same time the Indian tourists are ignored in their own country. Even if we showed interest in buying something, they were not ready to speak and sell their goods to us..Is it because they can extract more money from foreign tourists or that the vendors feel that only Indians are fond of window shopping..Irrespective of the reasons, we felt like expats in our own country..Why arent the Indian tourists treated well in such a holy place like Pushkar in India ?? A look at 90% of the garment shops in those small lanes are even more shocking..they are full of western clothes..Why this discrimination in our motherland ??

Television - Make a big decision

Whether you call the television an idiot box or a source of information, did you ever think how much it has influenced your relationship with your family members and also your social life...

Try answering these questions -

When was the last time you decided to spend some quality time with your family rather than watching television ??

When was the last time all the family members had dinner together on the dining table without watching television ??

When was the last time you decided to go out with your family to some park for some fresh air rather than watching some movie/awards function on the TV ???

How attentive are you to what your kids are doing or some important matter is being discussed by your spouse when you are watching your favourite program ??

When was the last time you felt that it is better to meditate/exercise or pursue your hobbies or do something constructive rather than watching some programme that wouldnt benefit you in anyway ???

Well, if you dont have answers to any of these questions then probably the television has penetrated into your life in such a manner that it is controlling your life in some way or the other..

Television is a source of entertainment and there are no doubts about the number of interesting programs and channels that increase your knowledge and widen your perspective in life..However it is really important that we dont let go small pleasures and memorable moments of our life for the sake of television..

So, it is crucial that we make this big decision of not letting television rule over us. Lets ensure that we watch TV during free time and not all the time..

Are you really balancing your professional and personal life

This is the age of working women balancing their professional and personal life. Most of them claim to be successfully doing this balancing act, but are they really able to give sufficient time to their relations..Many of them give more importance to their professional life and spend very less time with their family..Have a look at this situation in reality-

Some of the working women feel she should give more importance to her career and high paying job and so has a maid to clean the house, a cook, a driver, a full time maid to take care of kids, tutions for kids to ensure they study well...Many of them put up their kids (including few month old babies) in creches for the full day. But what about the love, affection and time that the kid expects from parents..

So many kids find it difficult to cope up with such situations and some of them even resort to wrong path in life

How far will the kids be attached to their parents..will they have good childhood memories with their parents..Later when parents become old and feel that their kids dont take proper care of them and stay busy with their lives - who will be responsible for the situation??? If you are not able to give time to your kids when they need it the most, they can in no way be blamed for ignoring you in your old age

Some of them even get their parents / in-laws just to take care of the kids. At that age when they themselves require care and affection from their kids, they are forced into bringing up their grandchild..

Let me clarify that I am against only those working women who feel their job and career is everything and ignore their family responsibilities. This doesnt include those women who are left with no option but to work to meet ends meet

Tradition and Solar Eclipse

Yesterday was a Solar Eclipse..Some of us were viewing the eclipse with safe lens while some were busy with traditional rituals like having bath at the particular time in religious ponds..

From my childhood I have been hearing that one should not consume food starting 5 hours before the eclipse till you finish a complete bath including washing hair after the eclipse. Also, a kind of dry grass called darbey is put on all food items before the eclipse starts-the reason being given is that the food will turn into poison had it not been for the small piece of grass.

But there are so many people who dont follow any of these traditions..so what happens to them..nothing at all..I dont have access to the dry grass since the past four years..After my marriage, we have not been using it on food items before the eclipse starts due to its unavailability and also a constant thought to overcome this fear of what will happen if it is not used. However we continue to have the traditional bath after the eclipse..

Another interesting thing is that some Indians in other countries follow the timings for the eclipse as in India rather than the country they stay in..

Any ideas as to the origin of the customs of having bath and the dry grass ??

The woman in your life

Tomorrow you may get a working woman, but you should marry her with these facts as well.

Here is a girl, who is as much educated as you are;

Who is earning almost as much as you do;

One, who has dreams and aspirations just as you have because she is as human as you are;

One, who has never entered the kitchen in her life just like you or your Sister haven't, as she was busy in studies and competing in a system that gives no special concession to girls for their culinary achievements

One, who has lived and loved her parents & brothers & sisters, almost as much as you do for 20-25 years of her life;

One, who has bravely agreed to leave behind all that, her home, people who love her, to adopt your home, your family, your ways and even your family ,name

One, who is somehow expected to be a master-chef from day #1, while you sleep oblivious to her predicament in her new circumstances, environment and that kitchen

One, who is expected to make the tea, first thing in the morning and cook food at the end of the day, even if she is as tired as you are, maybe more, and yet never ever expected to complain;

to be a servant, a cook, a mother, a wife, even if she doesn't want to; and is learning just like you are as to what you want from her; and is clumsy and sloppy at times and knows that you won't like it if she is too demanding, or if she learns faster than you;

One, who has her own set of friends, and that includes boys and even men at her workplace too, those, who she knows from school days and yet is willing to put all that on the back-burners to avoid your irrational jealousy, unnecessary competition and your inherent insecurities;

Yes, she can drink and dance just as well as you can, but won't, simply
Because you won't like it, even though you say otherwise

One, who can be late from work once in a while when deadlines, just like yours, are to be met;

One, who is doing her level best and wants to make this most important, relationship in her entire life a grand success, if you just help her some and trust her;

One, who just wants one thing from you, as you are the only one she knows in your entire house - your unstinted support, your sensitivities and most importantly - your understanding, or love, if you may call it.

But not many guys understand this......
Please appreciate "HER"

A BRIDGE TOO FAR

Got a mail fwd. with the aforesaid title. A good one...last paragraph is hilariously true.!!


The Lord surveyed the Ram Setu and said "Hanuman, how diligently and strenuously you and your vanara sena had built this bridge several centuries back. It is remarkable that it has withstood the ravages of the climatic and geographical changes over centuries. It is indeed an amazing feat especially considering the fact that a bridge at Hyderabad built by Gammon using latest technology collapsed the other day even before they could stick the posters on its pillars."
Hanuman with all humility spoke "Jai Sri Ram, it is all because of your grace. We just scribbled your name on the bricks and threw them in thesea and they held. No steel from TISCO or cement from Ambuja or ACC was ever used. But Lord, why rake up the old issue now."
Ram spoke "Well, Hanuman some people down there want to demolish the bridge and construct a canal. The contract involves lot of money and lot of money will be made. They will make money on demolition and make more money on construction. "
Hanuman humbly bowed down and said "Why not we go down and present our case? "
Ram said "Times have changed since we were down there. They will ask us to submit age proof and we don't have either a birth certificate or school leaving certificate. We traveled mainly on foot and some times in bullock carts and so we don't have a driving license either. As far as the address proof is concerned the fact that I was born at Ayodhya is itself under litigation for over half a century, If I go in a traditional attire with bow and arrow, the ordinary folks may recognize me but Arjun Singh may take me to be some tribal and, at the most, offer a seat at IIT under the reserved category. Also, a God cannot walk in dressed in a three-piece suit and announce his arrival. It would make even the devotees suspicious. So it is dilemma so to say."
"I can vouch for you by saying that I personally built the bridge."
"My dear, Anjani putra, it will not work. They will ask you to produce the lay-out plan, the project details, including financial outlay and how the project cost was met and the completion certificate. Nothing is accepted without documentary evidence in India. You may cough but unless a doctor certifies it, you have no cough. A pensioner may present himself personally but the authorities do not take it as proof. He has to produce a life-certificate to prove that he is alive. It is that complicated."
"Lord can't understand these historians. Over the years you have given darshan once every hundred years to saints like Surdas, Tulsidas, Saint Thyagaraja, Jayadeva, Bhadrachala Ramdas and even Sant Tukaram and still they disbelieve your existence and say Ramayana is a myth. The only option, I see, is to re-enact Ramayana on earth and set the government records straight once for all."
Lord smiled "It isn't that easy today. Ravan is apprehensive that he may look like a saint in front of Karunanidhi. I also spoke to his mama Mareecha, who appeared as a golden deer to tempt Sita maiyya when I was in the forest and he said that he won't take a chance of stepping on earth as long as Salman Khan is around."