Look at world through my lenses

The Anatomy of Loneliness

2011-12-28T08:45:00.000-08:00

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Insights from Greeks: The Evolution of Morality and Religion

2011-11-30T21:28:00.000-08:00

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Thought Provoking : Indian Women Are the Most Stressed Out

2011-10-03T21:41:00.000-07:00

Women's issues are a subject close to my heart, and recently I came across a study that was though provoking enough for me to take a break from the blogging hiatus. A research survey done by Nielson of 6500 women across the world found that Indian women – especially the educated professional ones – are the most stressed out in the world. Indian women balance career ambitions while shouldering a

Limitations to beating the market

2011-02-26T13:42:00.000-08:00

One of my professors (yes I am back to school again, minor detail) is the reason I read a lot of research about the investing process and strategy. Since I have learnt that most academicians who are practitioners too are averse to public profiles, I will stay away from names and stick to the issue. One of the limitations to generating abnormal returns is the size of portfolio. As your portfolio

Contrarian Viewpoints: The positive economic opinions

2010-08-26T10:29:00.001-07:00

Since May of this year when the Greek debt scare coupled with woes of the Euro region rattled the world markets, most experts have been talking about a double dip in the developed world. In these constant forecasting of doom, two articles with a contrarian viewpoint on the editorial pages of yesterday's Wall Street Journal captured my attention. The editorial titled, "The Housing Mirage,"

Warren Buffett's philanthropic pledge

2010-06-23T14:26:00.001-07:00

Was reading Warren Buffett's philanthropic pledge in the latest Fortune and the following passage stood out. My luck was accentuated by my living in a market system that sometimes produces distorted results, though overall it serves our country well. I've worked in an economy that rewards someone who saves the life of others on the battlefield with a medal, rewards a great teacher with thank-you

Dealing with failures

2010-06-21T16:15:00.001-07:00

Disappointments and failures – both professional and personal – are a part of anyone's life. How you deal with them shapes your life and that of others around you. People handle disappointments in a many ways ranging from inability to control their emotions with behavior such as stomping feet, shouting and throwing tantrums, to complete denial and building a shell around them so that failures

Book Review : The Trillion Dollar Meltdown

2010-06-08T12:28:00.001-07:00

I just finished Charles Morris's The Trillion Dollar Meltdown which was published in January 2008. Since the book is based on an area of professional interest, I think it deserves a detailed review and not just an update. Morris' book was one of the first texts on financial crisis to come to the market. In less than 200 pages the book covers a huge breadth of topics. Starting from the

Why Do I Volunteer?

2010-04-15T13:39:00.000-07:00

The most important of life's lessons do not come to you while you are managing P&L's and fretting over project schedules. They often land in your lap when you take the time (or are forced to) to sit back and reflect. Nice Guy is this American teenager I met during one of our outreach sessions. The weather was biting cold and we were distributing hats, gloves and sweaters. He told me he didn't

The Wharton India Economic Forum: Healthcare (India versus US)

2010-03-28T15:06:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, March 27, 2010 I attended the 14th Wharton India Economic Forum. So I believe the event started in 1996 marking five years of liberalization of Indian economy. There was an impressive list of speakers. You had people from Private Equity, Information and Technology, Social Sector, Healthcare, and Education and Training. There also was panel of woman leaders talking about issues of

Canadian Impressions: February 2010

2010-02-07T12:08:00.001-08:00

Recently, I was in Canada for a few days. It was my first visit ever to the country, and left me desiring for more. Canada may not appear foreign if you are an American, because you don't need a visa to travel there. But I did find Canada to be very different from USA. And, since I am comparing apples to apples - Toronto to New York - I think my impressions are representative. First, the

HOPE 2010 New York: A lesson in involving volunteers

2010-01-30T10:17:00.001-08:00

Last week, I got an opportunity to lead a team for New York's annual HOPE (Homeless Outreach Population Estimate) survey. I didn't know what to expect while entering the public school near 33rd street. But there was anticipation because we were there to help the Department of Homeless Services (DHS) plan out their services. Outreach itself didn't scare me much. I have been doing that for three

Google vs China: Lessons in good corporate communication

2010-01-14T12:39:00.001-08:00

Right when I am in the middle of Googled by Ken Auletta and, fresh after reading how companies in China are improvising, expanding and acquiring to make the country a manufacturing super-hub, comes the Google China standoff. What better time? The first thought that comes to mind about this story is that it is unique. A company versus a government? There maybe a few cases involving Russia and

Globalization & FDI: The winds of change

2010-01-07T10:28:00.001-08:00

I have been interested in the phenomenon of Foreign Direct Investment for a while. Till a few years ago, FDI implied the flow of foreign funds into a developing country. The direction was almost taken to be granted and the thoughts of India investing in Europe or Americas didn't cross my kind. Money flowing into the economy was an important indicator of the country's standing and opinion in

Why those who are too big to fail should be charged ? !

2009-12-10T17:19:00.000-08:00

There has been ample debate about need for greater regulation of financial firms. Am sure with so many people employed with financial firms and so many other blaming their unemployment on the same firms, there are opinions on both sides. There are two points on which I have a definite thinking. The consumer protection laws and need for such a agency and the second, the subject of this post, that

The huge difference in work-cultures

2009-11-11T14:23:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, I was at the office of a non-profit I am involved with here in New York. I noticed something that made me think and compare the working styles and, the so called open door policies. It so happened that a gentleman whom I recognize by face as the Executive Director, the senior-most person in the organization, walked over to a door in the hallway. Standing outside the room he asked, "

Strategies in a Recession - Proctor & Gamble

2009-10-06T08:20:00.000-07:00

Business school cases often consist of how companies adapt their strategies for different times. By that benchmark last one year has provided a life's worth of learning for managers. I have read and observed numerous instances of companies changing strategies to adapt to the consumer's spending habits and changing priorities - the new normal. Lately, P&G, known for is investment in R&D and known

Credit Bubble in a Slum ?

2009-08-14T10:50:00.000-07:00

Far away from the credit boom of USA from 2004 - 2007, both in distance and in time.A front page article in the Wall Street Journal states that the micro-finance push maybe creating a credit bubble in India. What started as a social initiative, caught the eyes of investors due to higher returns. Micro-finance loans have interest loans to the tune of 24% - 39% and are generally given to women (

New India Film Festival and Interview with Nandita Das (MoMA)

2009-06-16T21:23:00.001-07:00

I had my fill of Indian Cinema at the New India film festival at Museum of Modern Art. Five movies (so far) with three of them introduced by actors/directors. The souvenirs include autographs of Nasserudin Shah and Nandita Das.Nandita Das, an actress I greatly admire was here to talk about her debut as a director in Firaaq (Search/ Quest) which showcases the aftermath of riots in Gujarat. Here

Reviewing India's election

2009-06-16T20:51:00.000-07:00

You may call this an optimistic take on the Indian election but it seems logical that after quite some time this year's election results favour someone who has been out of focus of the business of governance for a while, the Indian voter. Read this article explaining how the Indian voter is the real winner of the lastest Indian National elections. My take may might sound unusual yes, but I am

The Talibanization of Pakistan - II

2009-06-10T14:34:00.000-07:00

The concluding part of the the my article at desiclub.com explores the consequences of a talibanised state and the future of the country. Read it here

Lessons from Jim Rogers' life - a gift to us & US

2009-06-05T11:30:00.000-07:00

Take a guess as to which country is being mentioned in the following paragraph.The country X enjoyed a huge bubble in the _____. When it burst in _____, prices collapsed, sending the economy tumbling. Regrettably, the government and the 'central bank of the country X' kept trying to halt the natural, cleansing effects of this recession by propping up many of the companies in trouble. Just as a

Indian winner at Spelling Bee: A story without a happy ending

2009-06-01T11:30:00.000-07:00

Last week, in a repeat of last year a child of Indian origin won the Spelling Bee, a contest among American school going children, yet again. Infact of the 11 children who made to the final, 8 were of Asian origin, of which definitely 6 and probably 7 were Indian.Its easy to be tempted and say Indians or Asians are a smarter race and overlook the logical and more rational conclusion that most

The Talibanization of Pakistan-I

2009-05-26T20:23:00.001-07:00

Read my take on the past and the present of the Talibanization of Pakistan published here. The next article in this series will explore what future may mean for the country.Book Update : Gone with the Wind (Margaret Mitchell). I had always wanted to read this one. A wonderfully written love story against the backdrop of the old south, the Civil War and the abolition of slavery. A tale of survival

Are Sri Lankan Tamilians children of a lesser God Pakistanis?

2009-05-14T12:38:00.000-07:00

Maybe they are. Sri Lankan Tamilians are children of a lesser God because their country does not share a border with Afganistan. The discrimination and the quiet are horrifying. UN wants greater aid for Pakistan's refugees where the military offtensive against the Taliban is less than a few week old and it ignores what has been happening in Sri Lanka for months now. Thousands, probably millions