ART OF MOTORBIKING & INVESTING

Zooming out of a traffic stop, once the lights turn green, gives ardent bike enthusiasts like me a lot of pride and satisfaction. It feels like you have the fastest machine among the rest.

Strange but true is the fact that, to be the first one to zoom out of traffic signal just a big and powerful machine is not the only requirement. In fact, one can very well achieve the same feat with a comparatively less potent engine. The requirement is of a good bike rider with excellent biking skill, expertise in maneuvering, proper positioning among the crowd so as to allow one to zip past the others, regardless of their bigger or smaller machines.

The art of making big profits in the stock market is similar to bikers waiting for a signal to zoom ahead. Here are a few similarities:
1) Each biker occupies a different spot on the road. No two bikers can occupy the same co-ordinates on the road simultaneously. Similarly no two investors can have exactly the equivalent equity portfolios at the same point of time. Similar they might be.
2) Each biker has an engine of different capacity. They might have the same brand motorcycle, with the same cc engine, but wear and tear and proper or improper maintenance does play a factor enough for these machines to perform at varying levels of efficiency. Similarly, no two investors have the same risk taking appetite or investing capacity.
3) Every biker has his own driving and maneuvering style and thus the performance of the same bike will differ in the hands of two bikers. Similarly, every investor has his own style of interpreting and understanding the value of stocks, own style of investing, every investor has different investment requirements and portfolio churning schedules.

I don’t get intimidated if I have a 150 cc bike and another biker with a 180 cc engine parks his bike besides me at the traffic stop. The success or failure of being the first to zoom out after the lights turn green is absolutely independent of the size of engine.

Hence, we should take cues from this practical day by day experience of ours and learn to visualize our strengths and plan and invest accordingly. Not follow the big Indian investors or the trends followed by FIIs. Following them or listening to analysts is like parking your mean machine behind a queue of trucks waiting at a traffic stop for clearance. We all know how long queues of trucks are formed and how slow moving they are.

It’s for you to decide then.

MAHARASTRA GOING THE QUEBEC WAY ???

Quebec is the largest province in Canada. In early 17^th century Quebec was mapped by French explorers Jacques Cartier and Samuel de Champlain and since then it has drawn vast number of French settlers mostly from the region of Normandy.

In 1763, the French lost the Seven years war for domination of the region to the British and the French immigrants were subjugated by the Scot population of the region. For generations the French speaking population was oppressed. They earned a third of what the English speaking worker would earn for the same job.

But, between 1960-75 came a revolution, popularly known as the “Quiet Revolution” which brought parity and a sense of joy and pride to the settled French population in there. Along with this new sense of identity came an unmitigated prejudice of political and linguistic righteousness. The secessionist bloc Quebecois came to power and imposed French language as the official language of Quebec. With it an institution was formed by the name “Quebec’s Office de La Langue Francaise” which polices the usage of French language on all labels, signage and instruction boards through-out the province.

In 1996, the Jewish were infuriated when an over-zealous language inspector disallowed the entry of kosher matzos into Montreal, for the Passover festival as the labels were in English. This incident is commonly described as the “Matzo-gate Affair”.

Quebecois French protectionist practices have all but sealed out the world’s winds of change and it cultural and linguistic influences. It might very well lead to a moribund state, similar to that of “Walloon”, a French dialect colloquial of southern Belgium. Quebec currently grapples with religious and social problems, rising divorce and abortion rates, declining church attendance and a withering attachment of people towards age old traditions.

It’s now for the people of Maharastra, to think do they want a Quebec instead of the prosperous state it is. It’s time for the people to tell the prevailing politburo what is their desire and not just follow the biased and egocentric banter of the self proclaimed saviors of Maharastra.

WORLD'S FIRST MISSILE

No its not Germany or Britain. The world’s first missiles were “Made in India”.

Tipu sultan, the Muslim ruler of Srirangapatnam, and his father Hyder Ali, were the men behind the pioneering of world’s earliest rocket technology and used it successfully in their war against the British.

The initial ground work was done by Hyder Ali. He brought into action, iron cased rockets weighing more than 12 pounds each, specifically custom made from Guntur, in Andhra Pradesh. A 10 feet long bamboo pole was mounted on it, with a long sword fitted at its front. These had a range of half a mile.

Tipu Sultan had a battery of men trained to fire these rockets from a lunch pad attached to the ramparts of the Srirangapatnam fort, with 40 feet high walls on three of its sides.

The above picture shows the ruins of the site where Tipu Sultan had his rocket launch pad.

Incidentally, some of the paintings of the era, notably by Holmes, whose works were based on his observation and are preserved in London, highlight Tipu's men stretching themselves to fire rockets from the ramparts of the fort.The use of rockets and missiles won the Mysore army a temporary reprieve against the British.

When Tipu was killed at the battle of Tipu Khanahally in 1799 the British captured more than 700 rockets. These rockets were taken to England by William Congreve and subsequently "reverse engineered."One of his rockets is still preserved at the Woolwhich museum London, with the name "India's War Rocket".

REASON BEHIND WAR

Wars may happen due to several reasons like greed of a nation, abundant natural resources, wealth, manpower et al. These wars obviously cause a lot of mayhem, ruthless destruction and devastate each other but such wars generally come to an end. They have a time frame.

 But the most dangerous reasons behind a war is ideological differences, the very nature of human thought process. Thoughts are the most potent weapon and when thoughts are directed onto thinking in a particular narrow direction they are devastating. When ideology is the reason behind war…. Such wars never end. There might be a slight lull for some time but these are indefinite war.

The war between Arab world and Israel is an example. Some might argue that the dispute started when Israel was carved out as a separate nation. But, if one digs a few more gravel, there has never been a state of peace there. The BIBLE clearly states of umpteen wars of Israel against Syria (Assyria), Iraq (Babylon), Palestine and Egypt (Mishr). The root of these dates back to the Abraham. The controversy being who is Abraham’s wife? Sarah or Haggai. From Sarah came the Jews (Israelites) and later Christians. From Haggai came Islam. And the war has raged on since then.

India and Pakistan: When Pakistan lost 2 wars two India, it was quick to realize the low morale among its defense forces and citizens. It needed to motivate them, direct their action against India and a reason that they believe should be bigger than the daily problems. A reason “Bigger Than Life” as some call it. So they looked to the Arab world and the Holy Crusades (around the time of Saladin) and came out with the concept of “JIHAD” (Holy War) and the entire territory issue of Kashmir turned into something very different. And obviously like the Crusades which lasted for decades and the Middle East crisis which has kept dragging on, the conflict between India and Pakistan shows no sign of seceding.

KAFIR !!!

Tinka tinka jod ke humne jo aasiyana banaya tha,

          Kuch kafir aa ke use khandhar kar gaye,

Pyar muhabaat se jis aangan ko seencha tha,

          Use bahan ko wo banjaar kar gaye!

Kaise kaise khuab humne firoya tha,

          Wo saare pairon se kuchal gaye,

Khuun pasine se jo haasil kiya tha,

          Use pal main hi fanah kar gaye!

 

Busdili aur kayarta ka wo namuna tha,

          Khud to jehhadi wo keh gaye,

Dharm aur imaan ke baat karte the,

          Janwar se bi wo battar ho gaye!

Unhe kosh ne na maan karta tha,

          Apni hi zubaan ganda hoga so hum chup ho gaye,

Kuch bol bhi de te to kya farak padta tha,

          Un ke andaar ke insaan ko to wo kab ka hi maar gaye!