The Indian Marathon season has kicked-off in a grand style, with the Mumbai Marathon becoming one of the most publicised event both in terms of media-coverage and sponsorships that flew in for this event in addition the immense popularity exhibited by the spirited city-dwellers of all classes. The Marathon events are capturing the imagination of one and all in the country with the Span India Marathon taking off in every major Indian city.
I have been a witness to the Hyderabad half-Marathon in December, the most popular event being the 10k run round the scenic Hussain-Sagar lake, with lots of participation from the corporates and local enthusiasts alike. Compare the event to full marathon in a bigger city like Mumbai its un-imaginable.
History/Factoids
The marathon is a long-distance running event of 42.195 kilometres that can be run either as a road race or off-road.
The name marathon comes from the legend of Pheidippides, a Greek soldier, who ran the distance of nearly 40km from a town of Marathon to Athens to announce that the Persians had been defeated in the Battle of Marathon.It is said that he ran the entire distance without stopping and burst into the Senate, exclaiming "nike!", the Greek word for victory, before collapsing and dying due to exhaustion.
An interesting Video book - Spirit and Expereinces
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
All alone
As I scribble this blog, today is day6, all alone at my home. For the first time in my life and my mom's life, shez gone on long trip. Never ever before there was an instance that she took leave, packed and went of on a trip, that too a 10 day trip. My mom is on touring South India with her collegues, she fears that this being her retirement year, she wouldn't be entitled to such travels later.
The tour package will take her on bus tour of all moajor tourist and pilligrimage spots in South India, names of which I haven't heard till date. Will take the list of places once she is back.
For me this is a new experience too, taking care of the house entirely on my own. Firstly mom has discontinued the milk supply for the period and I need milk for my curd, difficult for me to inform the milk-walaa as I would not wake at the time the milk packets are dropped, so sad, I had to fetch it from my cousins or buy it separately as I did yesterday and had to set it up for making curd. All the more cleaning of the floor, washing of clothes (alternate days), utensils, cooking for my self, watering the plants all on the part of the agenda. One day I forgot to water the plants, fortunately I happen to notice them dropping due to lack of water and fortunately had enough of water stored to water the plants before I left for office, Mom & Dad would have definelty batted me out if they were to have sapped dry. For these plants are very dear to both of them, and fancy of taking care of the same.
Am kindaa getting up at 8.30am, freshen-up, bath and along with my rituals sit to have breakfast, two days I made dosa's, 2 days I had Ooats, a day with bread-butter-omlette. Let me see what will I manage in next few days. For lunch managed a bit from my guys in the apartment.
Scariest thing is when come home at 1 - 1.30 am there is no one and I had to freshen-up and head to my bed all alone. That's scary for a while when you realise that in your 2 bed-room apartment you are the only person alive. Have a had a strangest of dreams that I've had a call to visit Tirupati. Very strange as I see there myself with the entire family running accross but unable to make it to the darshan, at the Vyikuntam complex and queues are held up at afternoon and am hungry for food and thirsty too. Strange dream I can't decipher the dream as yet.
Another one I discovered in my shelf beside the window was a turmite mound. The turmite mound made through mud and water engulfed all the books and plastic material stored in the shelf. I happened to accidently discover this when I was trying to trace a MP3 CD which I replaced it somewhere. I used all kinds of pesticides I had but to no use, the turmites refuse to give-up, the next day morning I had to clean up the entire junk to get rid of the colony of white turmites. Yucky work !! Had goosebumps all through this cleaning process. I don't even know what all books and material went out in the 8kgs of stuff I dumped. Hopefuly Mom on her return is not annoyed at the clean-up. See the mess of the turmite mound in the pic below.
Days at home this year been spending a lot with myself, except on a few occasion where I got to venture out with the family on Sankrathi.
The list of the movies for this Month is long
Bourne Identity, Bourne Supremacy, Bourne Ultimatum - Good movies but not meant for Indian Audience for it lacks the action though it has good plot and conspiracy and covert operations of CIA in this
Rush hour 1, 2, 3 - all three back to back
Aliens Vs Predator 1 , 2 (Requiem) - Didn't like the second part at all was mostly on lines of Resident Evil 2, where the entire city is nuked with little or no-coperation between humans and predator species.
Telugu - Na Upiri (schizophrenia based movie), Operation Dhuryodhana, Tulasi, Aadavari Matalaku ardhale verulee (both Venky starrer)
Goal, Golmaal, Jab We Met from the hindi movie front. Liked "Jab we met" a lot from which I have taken a few cues for my personal life.
Might want to watch Ek Chaalis ki last local and Shootout at Lokhanwala shortly.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Indian Vedic Astrology - Stars(Nakshatras)
There are 27 stars under the Hindu Astrology. The star that prevails on the day a person is born is called their birth Rashi. The life of a person depends a lot on the Star under which they are born.Persons born under the influence of a particular star have certain characteristics specific to that star. Though they are general in nature, they offer certain clues about one's personality.
- Aswani: This is number one personality vast learning, well developed brain power, faith in religion, sacrificing tendency, ambitious, philosophical and social.
- Bharani: Magnetic personality, changing mood, business minded, influential, high position.
- Krittika: Vast learning, logical, doubting mind, creative ability, unsteady fortune, hot body, enthusiastic, engineering brain, brave.
- Rohini: Well learned influential, travel minded, artistic, business-like, spiritual, changing affections.
- Mrigasira: Vast learning, likes research, high position, noble views of life, attraction, mystical.
- Aridra: Religiousness, responsible positions, artistic, brave, litigations, laziness, leader, passionate.
- Punarvasu: Good-natured, trials in life, cultured, helping nature, vanity-minded, failure and success often.
- Pushyami: Devotional, wealthy, doubting, soft nature, jack of all, well placed.
- Aslesha: Moody, short temper, harsh speech, wealthy, religious, slow.
- Makha: Capacity to command, wealthy, devoted, social worker, weak moral standard.
- Pubba(Poorva Phalguni): Learned, business-minded selfish, saving tendency, philosophical, learned in sastras, impure mind.
- Uttara: Faithful, greedy, proud, administrative, wavering, needy.
- Hastha: Talented, wealthy, materialistic, fluent speaker, quarrelsome, sacrificing tendency.
- Chitta: learned, sickly magician, superstitious, tactful, hard mind.
- Swathi: Cultured learned, famous submissive to ladies, passionate, wealthy.
- Visakha: Dreamer, fond of astrology, administrator, brave, strong, charitable.
- Anuradha: Learned, religious minded, soft, musical talents, royal position, quickness.
- Jyesta: Artistic, lover of ornaments, costly dress, dreamer, brave, agriculturalist, philosophically- minded.
- Moola: Ambitious, learned, wavering, writer, proud, talkative, is fond of traveling, helpful.
- Purvashada: Clever, helpful, brave, conspirer, selfish, evil-minded, wealthy.
- Uttarashada: Preacher, respected, noble, boasting, wavering mind, short-tempered.
- Sravana: Brave, administrator, adaptable, tactful, wealthy, evil company, slow.
- Dhanista: Patient, suffering, royal life, enduring, revengeful, brave, social.
- Satabisha: Cultured, artistic, writer, sacrificing, submissive to the fair sex, soft-hearted, religious.
- Purvabhadra: Spiritual, unattached, helpful. Unknown, patient, boasting, quarrelsome, famous.
- Uttarabhadra: Soft, helpful, suspicious, learned, devotional, religious planning.
- Revathi: Artistic, divine qualities, noble, successful, respected
A bit about my Star ..
11. Poorva Phalguni(pubba) nakshatra (Leonis) (133:20’ to 146:40’ )
Those born in this nakshatra are experts in love making, strong and handsome but extremely fearful. They help others, and carry out works, which cannot be done by others. They are angry, frauds, cruel and candid. They are bright, wealthy, givers, and experts in music and dance. They are wise and are in the service of kings. They are long lived and beget few children. They are learned, reserved, love women, enjoyers, prominent amongst the learned, handsome, love their brothers, endowed with soft hands and feet, born of Rajamsha, endowed with attractive eyes, idle and possess kingly signs.
http://www.mysticboard.com/planets_and_houses/2088-your_moon_-_your_secrets-6.html
Compatibility Chart -
http://www.westgodavari.org/matrimonial/SeaByStar.asp
http://www.planetarypositions.com/chartmatch.html
http://www.ganeshaspeaks.com/freehoroscopes/gunamatch.jsp
For Pubba
Best : Uttare, Magha, Arudra, Pubba, Punarvasu, U.Ashada
Worst : Dhanista, Chitta, Pusyami, Aslesha, UttaraBadra
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Hyderabadii to the core....
Well I wanted to do a comparitive study between Hyd and a city which I am aspiring to build my career, but thought its too early for me to comment on the same. So decided to post in what being a Hyderabadi would entitle a person to be.... Well if you had read my previous 2 articles there is much funnier side to it, guess this is more serious narration of life, well with a Hyderabadi lingo into it..
A Hyderabadii like me who works in a mast company which is one of the largest 3rd party pure play BPO company gets up at Subah Subah not before 9am and 11am still Subah aram se fresh-up hooke nikalthahoo, gumne ke waasthe, hatth mein zabardasth time hain naa. If lost on road I don't bother to ask how to go xxxpet or xxxguda,xxxnagar,xxxpalli because you always get seedha chale jao or seedha cutlo xxx aajayega. Go to a numaish are wohi re All India Industrial exhibition during this month i.e Jan and call up at least one name Srinivas, Prasad, Raju, Rao or Venkatesh you would be surprised if not more than 70% of the people turn to identify you within six square feet. At the same numaish I find it extremely funny
If you are hungry don't worry one can always drop in at any of the dozens of Your street has at least one roadside mobile hotel that serves Chinese delicacies such as " Vegetable soft needles", "Navrotten Kurma", "Chicken Manchewurea" or "American Chompsee". If thats not it you a dozen more selling Chat items, a dozen more selling hot mirchi bhaji's. You never fail to pass a road without smelling fresh Irani chai, something unique to the older parts of the town. One can hang out in a Irani cafe the whole day after ordering one cup tea and a empty saucer for oneself and dear friend of yours and chat like thats the last day with each other. But as any South Indian Rice is a very stable food If you do not eat rice at least once a day you will die.(Nothing other than Rice is considered as a meal), very true for me I get migraine and headache if I miss my afternoon rice item. Hyderabadii's have an additional angle to the Rice saga, for which they will swear to die for and thats the famed "Hyderabadii Biryani", and very true its closest to dil of Hyderabadii. Very true that my favourite dish at any wedding is biryani(Veggie), and feel at ease at the smell of it. Bawarchi, Paradise, Golconda, Madina to name a few offer the best in this. Haleem is also a very special dish which is made during the holy month of Ramazan. Then also you have a very special natural flavours hand-made icecream stalls at Mojamzahi market, very delicious, original and cheap. I loved gulping down tons whenever I went there. And quite opposite to this is the great Karachi Bakery where the fruit biscuits are made, grab it as a souviner for your dear ones.
Hyderabadii's to that extent people in Andhra Pradesh have a craze for going abroad and its not surprising that one would have atleast one cousin, friend, colleague or acquaintance in the US in software. As a matter of fact my mom starts counting how many families in the apartment floor don't have their children in US, the answer is nil.
Work culture of a Hyderbadi is quite unique, people working at PSU's can be see spending a lot of time chit chatting with lots of Pan and Pan-masala, zarda in their mouths with Chai in their hand. Woman spend a lot of time talking about what went on in the serial last night on ETV, Gemini or more recently a Maa TV or a Visaa. Lots of topics around their children, studies, tutions, IITs and medicine EAMCET.
For a person in Ameerpet you could listen someone commenting on the latest upgrade or technology which is creating ripples and talks on how to put on some experience in the same. Quite amazing on the number of training centres you can come accross in this area. It would be probably be more than the total such centres in a city like Delhi. Next in the count comes the number of silver screens that the city offers and that too at a rate which is quite affordable, not surprising why the largest number of regional movies get produced here which also create good moolah. Good thing about the city is that piracy is not tolerated and people get their pirated versions either from a neighbourhood parlour or outside of Hyderabad. Favourite mode of travel for students seems like hanging over the footboard of the city bus flauntng their student bus pass, well for 5 years I did the same and trust me it was fun then but also a pain if travelling for more than an hour. People feel free and take it as their Nizami right to put up their hand and stop vehicles zooming so as to cross the road, if not one is a verbal witness to all the Hyderabadi gaaliyaa's of Hyderabad. Leaving a passer-by even the vehicular mannerism are to the extreme in Hyderabadi, rules are meant to be broken thats what a Hyderabadi says is," nahi to life mein kya mazaa hain". One wont be surprised to see a 6 wheeled bus, a state run-one going on a wrong side of the road to avoid a long route, gosh heights but what can I say, thats Hyderabadii.
After stepping in the corporate world my typical Hyderabadii laid bac attitude still survives, though my language (Hinglish so to say) is much refined, but other habits die hard. Nizaami, sounds syncronous to laid back lazy attitude. At office I feel its my right to come late typical behaviour. If you are hungry you might not find it odd to drive back home to eat, to go for loo or to have a nap and come back, its all part and parcel of work culture. Who complaints its easy travelling on roads if you don't mind bending a few norms. Hyderabadii are not good at marketing though they are very good at talking, for they like to break barriers and tend to be free birds rather than stick by the book. Mostly laid back they prefer working at their own pace rather than the other way.
Women in Hyderabad are very conservative, and doubt the looks at every onlooker. For every female on the road from a 13 year-old to a 60 year-old is gazed by every onlooker on the road, that they are s concious that they don't feel like lifting their heads-up. Talking with the male species is somekind of a sin, thats the feeler one sets in Hyderabad. But the girls are still charming and good-looking. Conservatism still continues in terms of behaviour, looks and dressing in Hyderabadii culture and I love it that way.
Accha mai chaltoon ... Syed bai ka pilane ka tame hora ... usko chodne 'pilane stop' jaana re bai , wo pilane ka dilaver hai nai ... wo apna dost ich hai maloom ... wo apana Anwar hai na ... Jaafar ka bhai re ... uneech chalara Syed bhai ka pilane aaj ... accha aatoo main !! kal phir miltoon yaneech ! kal kain bhi akko jaa re howle !!!!
A Hyderabadii like me who works in a mast company which is one of the largest 3rd party pure play BPO company gets up at Subah Subah not before 9am and 11am still Subah aram se fresh-up hooke nikalthahoo, gumne ke waasthe, hatth mein zabardasth time hain naa. If lost on road I don't bother to ask how to go xxxpet or xxxguda,xxxnagar,xxxpalli because you always get seedha chale jao or seedha cutlo xxx aajayega. Go to a numaish are wohi re All India Industrial exhibition during this month i.e Jan and call up at least one name Srinivas, Prasad, Raju, Rao or Venkatesh you would be surprised if not more than 70% of the people turn to identify you within six square feet. At the same numaish I find it extremely funny
If you are hungry don't worry one can always drop in at any of the dozens of Your street has at least one roadside mobile hotel that serves Chinese delicacies such as " Vegetable soft needles", "Navrotten Kurma", "Chicken Manchewurea" or "American Chompsee". If thats not it you a dozen more selling Chat items, a dozen more selling hot mirchi bhaji's. You never fail to pass a road without smelling fresh Irani chai, something unique to the older parts of the town. One can hang out in a Irani cafe the whole day after ordering one cup tea and a empty saucer for oneself and dear friend of yours and chat like thats the last day with each other. But as any South Indian Rice is a very stable food If you do not eat rice at least once a day you will die.(Nothing other than Rice is considered as a meal), very true for me I get migraine and headache if I miss my afternoon rice item. Hyderabadii's have an additional angle to the Rice saga, for which they will swear to die for and thats the famed "Hyderabadii Biryani", and very true its closest to dil of Hyderabadii. Very true that my favourite dish at any wedding is biryani(Veggie), and feel at ease at the smell of it. Bawarchi, Paradise, Golconda, Madina to name a few offer the best in this. Haleem is also a very special dish which is made during the holy month of Ramazan. Then also you have a very special natural flavours hand-made icecream stalls at Mojamzahi market, very delicious, original and cheap. I loved gulping down tons whenever I went there. And quite opposite to this is the great Karachi Bakery where the fruit biscuits are made, grab it as a souviner for your dear ones.
Hyderabadii's to that extent people in Andhra Pradesh have a craze for going abroad and its not surprising that one would have atleast one cousin, friend, colleague or acquaintance in the US in software. As a matter of fact my mom starts counting how many families in the apartment floor don't have their children in US, the answer is nil.
Work culture of a Hyderbadi is quite unique, people working at PSU's can be see spending a lot of time chit chatting with lots of Pan and Pan-masala, zarda in their mouths with Chai in their hand. Woman spend a lot of time talking about what went on in the serial last night on ETV, Gemini or more recently a Maa TV or a Visaa. Lots of topics around their children, studies, tutions, IITs and medicine EAMCET.
For a person in Ameerpet you could listen someone commenting on the latest upgrade or technology which is creating ripples and talks on how to put on some experience in the same. Quite amazing on the number of training centres you can come accross in this area. It would be probably be more than the total such centres in a city like Delhi. Next in the count comes the number of silver screens that the city offers and that too at a rate which is quite affordable, not surprising why the largest number of regional movies get produced here which also create good moolah. Good thing about the city is that piracy is not tolerated and people get their pirated versions either from a neighbourhood parlour or outside of Hyderabad. Favourite mode of travel for students seems like hanging over the footboard of the city bus flauntng their student bus pass, well for 5 years I did the same and trust me it was fun then but also a pain if travelling for more than an hour. People feel free and take it as their Nizami right to put up their hand and stop vehicles zooming so as to cross the road, if not one is a verbal witness to all the Hyderabadi gaaliyaa's of Hyderabad. Leaving a passer-by even the vehicular mannerism are to the extreme in Hyderabadi, rules are meant to be broken thats what a Hyderabadi says is," nahi to life mein kya mazaa hain". One wont be surprised to see a 6 wheeled bus, a state run-one going on a wrong side of the road to avoid a long route, gosh heights but what can I say, thats Hyderabadii.
After stepping in the corporate world my typical Hyderabadii laid bac attitude still survives, though my language (Hinglish so to say) is much refined, but other habits die hard. Nizaami, sounds syncronous to laid back lazy attitude. At office I feel its my right to come late typical behaviour. If you are hungry you might not find it odd to drive back home to eat, to go for loo or to have a nap and come back, its all part and parcel of work culture. Who complaints its easy travelling on roads if you don't mind bending a few norms. Hyderabadii are not good at marketing though they are very good at talking, for they like to break barriers and tend to be free birds rather than stick by the book. Mostly laid back they prefer working at their own pace rather than the other way.
Women in Hyderabad are very conservative, and doubt the looks at every onlooker. For every female on the road from a 13 year-old to a 60 year-old is gazed by every onlooker on the road, that they are s concious that they don't feel like lifting their heads-up. Talking with the male species is somekind of a sin, thats the feeler one sets in Hyderabad. But the girls are still charming and good-looking. Conservatism still continues in terms of behaviour, looks and dressing in Hyderabadii culture and I love it that way.
Accha mai chaltoon ... Syed bai ka pilane ka tame hora ... usko chodne 'pilane stop' jaana re bai , wo pilane ka dilaver hai nai ... wo apna dost ich hai maloom ... wo apana Anwar hai na ... Jaafar ka bhai re ... uneech chalara Syed bhai ka pilane aaj ... accha aatoo main !! kal phir miltoon yaneech ! kal kain bhi akko jaa re howle !!!!
Monday, January 07, 2008
Flipside of a Coin - Wealthy vs Rich
A topic thats been burning me to put some structure around for quite many years today I decided to key it down. . Just a few minutes back I finished watching my weekend quota of my movies. Watched Rush Hour 2 & 3 back to back, and tried to retire bac, but the itch in my mind was so high can't sleep and here I am keying in my 4th blog in 24hrs, actually would be my 6th, as I 've cleared a few post-dated drafts too.
I wanted to touch upon the topic of wether one needs to be rich or aim to be weatlhy, Had been reading a few similar article from jpmartin and rediff and decided to add my own & perspective ofcourse, I will be adding the same commentory too for few defintions and stories from a few of those sites.
Rich or Wealthy
What is the difference between being ‘rich’ and being ‘wealthy’? Is there a difference? If so, what is it? And how do we become rich or wealthy?
I always had this in my mind and sit over it brood and arive at a conclusion and sense of direction for me to achieve but after a few days everything is Status-Quo, so its high time I put my thoughts together and execute.
Defintiions first!! From a pure financial point of view, richness got to do with a potential of a person to buy nearly everything you want today as well as in the future. However, you are wealthy if you have enough money to buy everything you want today as well as in the future, and still have a great deal left over.
The other day a collegue at my office was talking about the Saree his sister bought for her engagement. The attire was predominantly designer wear and I fell out from my seat when he told the cost of the saree.
"These people must be fabulously rich." This statement was made by someone to my right and this made me a bit depressed, for I was well-off from a to-do good family, but never think of spending that much.Back home my cousin grinned and pointed out a few successful looking people who he claimed were earning well but swimming in debt, talking about his own case, on how people manage credit, and how a country like USA operates on ever mounting credit and debt.The point he was making: they may be rich but they were far from wealthy.
Is there a difference?
Sure there is. If you don't believe me, look at the antonyms.The opposite of rich is poor.The opposite of wealthy is broke.
Being rich is just a function of how much you earn. But being wealthy is a function of how well you manage your money.
An example a little down south, Kanchi in TamilNadu. One might run accross an average person clad in Dhoti, walking on the street simple and humble. A by-passer like me wouldn't even bother to look out. But thats until one where to be told that he runs his own weaving firm which earns him a Gross profit (profit after taxes) of Rs 1 crore per annum. That's shocking and one needs to learn a lot on how he has managed to save and invest wisely enough to build on these earnings.
He is not just plain rich. He is wealthy.
Digging Deeper
The rich become flush with money in a number of ways. They may inherit it, earn it in a few short years as a professional sports player or entertainer, or invent a new technology that is worth millions, or simply earn it over many years as a professional or a business owner or in because they are lucky make it in real-estate, gambling or stocks. So with all this money, they buy assets, generally those that depreciate fast.
On the other hand, wealthy people buy assets that can be converted to other assets i.e. value-creating assets. Those assets can be tangible like your business, your second house and intangible, like your knowledge, skills or even peace of mind!
The difference between a wealthy person and someone who is simply rich is that a wealthy person has sustainable wealth. A wealthy person will always be wealthy, because he is planning for generations, whereas someone who is just rich will only be so for a short period of time until the money is exhausted.
Reality Check
Is one wealthy?
One may be earning a lot but what one does with the money is what matters. In fact, a person earning comparitively lesser might be wealthier simply because they know how to manage their money and you don't.
The first step is to how the cash flows are (Cash flow statement not required here!!)
Let's say one is earning Rs 50,000 a month. Definitely, you will be considered rich.
But what if 50% of that is spent on servicing your credit card debt, personal loan and home loan? And the balance is blown up on petrol, eating out, buying expensive gadgets and hectic socialising?
With all the earnings channelised towards loan repayments and lifestyle maintenance, one certainly is not wealthy; neither one is heading in that direction.
If one is spending the bulk of earnings, they are certainly not on way to being wealthy.
Wealthy people know how to make money. Once you have the know-how, you can build sustainable wealth. Wealthy know that money comes and money goes - it’s not a big deal. But they also know how to generate wealth, when it’s gone.The best example is written down in history, by the richest man who ever lived. He obtained his wealth through knowledge and valued knowledge more than wealth or money. That man was none other than King Solomon. He was extraordinarily wealthy, even by today’s standards. But he was also extremely wise, the wisest who ever lived.When he first became king, when God asked of him what he wanted, he asked not for riches, but for knowledge and wisdom. And throughout Solomon’s writings, he lists wisdom and knowledge as the two most important gifts to ask of God. God gave wisdom and knowledge to help create Solomon’s great wealth.
What will make you wealthy?
Understanding time value of money, depreciation of assets and a good understanding of asset classes is of outmost importance.
Millionaires focus on building wealth, not consuming goods. They are also frugal, a quality that most non-millionaires don't possess
Rich or wealthy?
I figured I am neither :)
Being rich is having money to burn (which I don't have).
Being wealthy is not wanting to (and I do so badly want to!).
I wanted to touch upon the topic of wether one needs to be rich or aim to be weatlhy, Had been reading a few similar article from jpmartin and rediff and decided to add my own & perspective ofcourse, I will be adding the same commentory too for few defintions and stories from a few of those sites.
Rich or Wealthy
What is the difference between being ‘rich’ and being ‘wealthy’? Is there a difference? If so, what is it? And how do we become rich or wealthy?
I always had this in my mind and sit over it brood and arive at a conclusion and sense of direction for me to achieve but after a few days everything is Status-Quo, so its high time I put my thoughts together and execute.
Defintiions first!! From a pure financial point of view, richness got to do with a potential of a person to buy nearly everything you want today as well as in the future. However, you are wealthy if you have enough money to buy everything you want today as well as in the future, and still have a great deal left over.
The other day a collegue at my office was talking about the Saree his sister bought for her engagement. The attire was predominantly designer wear and I fell out from my seat when he told the cost of the saree.
"These people must be fabulously rich." This statement was made by someone to my right and this made me a bit depressed, for I was well-off from a to-do good family, but never think of spending that much.Back home my cousin grinned and pointed out a few successful looking people who he claimed were earning well but swimming in debt, talking about his own case, on how people manage credit, and how a country like USA operates on ever mounting credit and debt.The point he was making: they may be rich but they were far from wealthy.
Is there a difference?
Sure there is. If you don't believe me, look at the antonyms.The opposite of rich is poor.The opposite of wealthy is broke.
Being rich is just a function of how much you earn. But being wealthy is a function of how well you manage your money.
An example a little down south, Kanchi in TamilNadu. One might run accross an average person clad in Dhoti, walking on the street simple and humble. A by-passer like me wouldn't even bother to look out. But thats until one where to be told that he runs his own weaving firm which earns him a Gross profit (profit after taxes) of Rs 1 crore per annum. That's shocking and one needs to learn a lot on how he has managed to save and invest wisely enough to build on these earnings.
He is not just plain rich. He is wealthy.
Digging Deeper
A bit deeper thought as I also would do, the word ‘rich’ refers to money, whereas ‘wealth’ refers to something more than just money i.e. all the essentials in life - a total package of love, good health, good living, good job, great friends and loving family, spirituality, joy, peace of mind, plenty of time, combined with money and contentment with yourself and what you have. Being wealthy depends on what YOU believe is enough to make you happy, the amount is not the key.
Relativity Theory
This is something which happened on my way from Vizag to a small place in coastal Andhra, added some commentary from a similar article- As an educated person from a city, a well-paid professional. Say on the trip to a rural place to set eyes on the un-spoilt surroundings and one meets an elderly person, revered by all the locals
During the conversation, the leader shows interest to know more about you, the city and how wealthy one is - a matter of curiosity for him - a person from such a far off place to come and see him must have a lot of wealth!
One would probably flash one's E-services Nokia mobile, and digitl SLR, a Timex watch, nike shoes and all the designer brands one fancies. Then probably start talking about ones assets, cars, an excellent job. The elder nod’s his head in acceptance and then frowns in disappointment and looks to the other elders sitting beside, and starts a discussion with them. He comments on how many people he knows in his city and enquires about his social stature. For him we are extremely poor, because one's deprived off all he is revered for in his small village.
Now try to project the same to the millions of people who go to USA/UK or to that matter any country abroad for the making it big in life . They would be living the life facing lots of hardships, working it out in the toughest of conditions to earn those few extra dollars, back home they project themselves to be filthy rich. For example smaller cities in Punjab have the maximum number of Luxary cars in India, and these are funded by people who probably lived a tough life but show off a lot in there own back-yard. Owning a Merc is not a big deal abroad but is in India
Wealth is measured by everyone differently; each person has his/her own way of deciding how wealthy they are. Across countries and economies, what might be a luxury for some is not for others.
Someone once very rightly told that the difference between the rich and the wealthy is that the rich need to impress and the wealthy need to be impressed. In a way it does seem to be true. I've noticed many people who in order to keep up with the crowd or stand apart - try to impress by owning and driving a fancy car, live in a fancy house, wear fancy clothes and eat at fancy restaurants - anything to show that they are well off.The rich become flush with money in a number of ways. They may inherit it, earn it in a few short years as a professional sports player or entertainer, or invent a new technology that is worth millions, or simply earn it over many years as a professional or a business owner or in because they are lucky make it in real-estate, gambling or stocks. So with all this money, they buy assets, generally those that depreciate fast.
On the other hand, wealthy people buy assets that can be converted to other assets i.e. value-creating assets. Those assets can be tangible like your business, your second house and intangible, like your knowledge, skills or even peace of mind!
The difference between a wealthy person and someone who is simply rich is that a wealthy person has sustainable wealth. A wealthy person will always be wealthy, because he is planning for generations, whereas someone who is just rich will only be so for a short period of time until the money is exhausted.
Reality Check
Is one wealthy?
One may be earning a lot but what one does with the money is what matters. In fact, a person earning comparitively lesser might be wealthier simply because they know how to manage their money and you don't.
The first step is to how the cash flows are (Cash flow statement not required here!!)
Let's say one is earning Rs 50,000 a month. Definitely, you will be considered rich.
But what if 50% of that is spent on servicing your credit card debt, personal loan and home loan? And the balance is blown up on petrol, eating out, buying expensive gadgets and hectic socialising?
With all the earnings channelised towards loan repayments and lifestyle maintenance, one certainly is not wealthy; neither one is heading in that direction.
If one is spending the bulk of earnings, they are certainly not on way to being wealthy.
Wealthy people know how to make money. Once you have the know-how, you can build sustainable wealth. Wealthy know that money comes and money goes - it’s not a big deal. But they also know how to generate wealth, when it’s gone.The best example is written down in history, by the richest man who ever lived. He obtained his wealth through knowledge and valued knowledge more than wealth or money. That man was none other than King Solomon. He was extraordinarily wealthy, even by today’s standards. But he was also extremely wise, the wisest who ever lived.When he first became king, when God asked of him what he wanted, he asked not for riches, but for knowledge and wisdom. And throughout Solomon’s writings, he lists wisdom and knowledge as the two most important gifts to ask of God. God gave wisdom and knowledge to help create Solomon’s great wealth.
What will make you wealthy?
Understanding time value of money, depreciation of assets and a good understanding of asset classes is of outmost importance.
- To be wealthy, one should invest in assets that generate money.Land, homes, art, equity are all wealth building assets. One can get phenomenal returns from them over the long term.
- The value of assets like cars, bikes, televisions and electronic goods decreases over time. They are assets that depreciate in value. While one will spend some amount of money on them, one should also look at assets that appreciate in value over time.
- Other investments like bonds and fixed deposits will ensure money is returned but neednot be the best grosser.
- Gold, these days has seen imense appreciation and is also liquied. With a lot of gold locked in the lockers, Indians are a fag wealthier than many of their western counterparts.
Golden Rules
~ Live below one's means.
~ Budget the spending.
~ Save on taxes.
~ Have a planned, disciplined approach to investing money to maximizse value creation
~ Invest in future, knowldege and wisdom.
~ Value relationships they always pay, are intangible & invaluble of all the assets
Millionaires focus on building wealth, not consuming goods. They are also frugal, a quality that most non-millionaires don't possess
Rich or wealthy?
I figured I am neither :)
Being rich is having money to burn (which I don't have).
Being wealthy is not wanting to (and I do so badly want to!).
But I sure know where I am headed. Have you !!
Sunday, January 06, 2008
"Barriers Break When People Talk" - Airtel's new Ad
Airtel has decided to ‘express’ itself in a different way.
In an ad that broke in Dec 2007, Airtel has shifted away from its usual ‘Express Yourself’ brand premise, which has been a part of it for a couple of years now. Instead, the brand has dug a bit deeper and questioned the whole process and the need for communication itself, and the resultant thought, "Barriers Break When People Talk", has become Airtel’s new mantra.
In an ad that broke in Dec 2007, Airtel has shifted away from its usual ‘Express Yourself’ brand premise, which has been a part of it for a couple of years now. Instead, the brand has dug a bit deeper and questioned the whole process and the need for communication itself, and the resultant thought, "Barriers Break When People Talk", has become Airtel’s new mantra.
What's it about Satya Swaroop?
| What Satya Swaroop Means |
Knows what I wants, how to get it, and that I will get it. Well rounded, with a complete perspective on life. |
A Type A Personality |
 You are hyper, energetic, and always on the mood You tend to succeed at everything you attempt And if you don't succeed at first, you quickly climb your way to the top! You could be called a workaholic, but you also make time for fun As long as it's high energy and competitive, you're interested You have the perfect personality for business and athletic success |
Direction Check for New Year - Blogthings (Fun)
| You Had a Fantastic Year(2007)! |
 Compared to most years, last year was definitely great. Overall, you're living a much better life than you were twelve months ago. And nothing is a better mark of a good year. Here's to hoping next year is even better! |
| You Are In a Good Mood |
 Starting this year, you're feeling pretty together and happy. While not everything is going you're way, you're keeping things in perspective. And it seems like things are looking up for you! |
| Your Job Satisfaction Level: 33% |
 Your job is definitely a bummer, and you probably should get a new one. Make sure you know what's getting you down. Is it your co-workers? The work environment? Your boss? Getting a new job is important, but so is not repeating the same mistakes. |
| The Part of You That No One Sees |
 You are balanced, peaceful, and sincere. You're the type of person who goes along to get along. And you're definitely afraid of rocking the boat. Underneath it all, you fear your world falling apart. You'll put up with a situation that you don't like in fear of changing it. Disruptive and forceful people intimidate you - and sometimes exploit you. |
What's the Part of You That No One Sees?
| You've Changed 44% in 10 Years |
 You've done a good job changing with the times, but deep down, you're still the same person. You're clothes, job, and friends may have changed some - but it hasn't changed you. |
I Belong in London/Kolkatta |
A little traditional, and a little bit punk rock. A unique soul like you needs a city that offers everything. No wonder you and London will get along so well. |
| Almost Ready to Date |
| You're over her... well, mostly. Truth be told, you still think of your ex on occasion. Enough to effect any new relationship you may start. Give yourself time and space - you are 90% there. And don't swear off Women, just make sure to play the field. |
| Ready to Get Married?? |
In fact, you spend a good deal of your time thinking about what makes a relationship work And from your answers, it looks like you have the skills to say "I Do" and mean it You've dated enough, learned your fair share, and you're ready to settle down. |
| A 89% Tortured Genius |
 You totally fit the profile of a tortured genius. You're uniquely brilliant - and completely misunderstood. Not like you really want anyone to understand you anyway. You're pretty happy being an island. |
| Your Love Life is Like Pretty Woman |
 "I want the fairy tale" You believe that love is truly blind, unpredictable, and surprising. Two very different people can easily find true love. At least, that is how it will happen when you marry a gorgeous billionaire someday ;-) Love style: Sensual and flirty Your Hollywood Ending Will Be: Surprisingly happy |
| Your Life is Rated PG-13 |
 Your life isn't totally scandalous, but you definitely don't shy away from adult themes! |
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