The giants that made a mark

There are many Indian companies which rose from scratch and later became household brands with loyal customers. If I remember my Father used to purchase only Hamam soaps when many other brands were available. Most of these brands were later acquired by MNC's either to make a quick buck or when they could no longer hold against the tough competition. Some of them continue to survive inspite of tough competition.

Nirma washing powder

Nirma is a group of companies based in the city of Ahmedabad in western India that manufactures products ranging from cosmetics, soaps, detergents, salt, soda ash, LAB and Injectibles. Karsanbhai Patel, a well known entrepreneur and philanthropist of Gujarat, started Nirma as a one-man operation. Today Nirma has over 15000 employees and a turnover of over Rs. 3550 crores. In 2004, Nirma's detergent approached 800,000 tonnes – one of the largest volumes sold in the world – under a single brand 'NIRMA'.

In 1969, dr. karsanbhai patel{2}, a chemist at the Gujarat Government's Department of Mining and Geology manufactured phosphate free Synthetic Detergent Powder, and started selling it locally. The new yellow powder was priced at Rs. 3.50 per kg, at a time when HLL's Surf was priced at Rs 15. Soon, there was a huge demand for Nirma in Ruppur (Gujarat), Patel's hometown. He started packing the formulation in a 10x10ft room in his house. Patel named the powder as Nirma, after his daughter Nirupama. Patel was able to sell about 15-20 packets a day on his way to the office on bicycle, some 15 km away. By 1985, Nirma washing powder had become one of the most popular, household detergents in many parts of the country.






Goodnite Mosquito Coil
 
 

The Goodknight brand was launched by Transelektra Domestic Products Limited (TDPL) in 1984. Having tasted early success,TDPL targeted the lower-end of the market, launching a brand called Star priced at just Rs. 36 (US$ 0.75). Godrej Hi Care took over TDPL in August 1994. A year later the new company had acquired and merged brands like Jet and Banish. This was followed by a strategic alliance with Sara Lee, a Fortune 500 consumer product giant to create a formidable combine.

Boroline

This octogenarian brand from Kolkata-based G D Pharmaceutical Limited has invigorated and inspired the entire over-the-counter (OTC) antiseptic cream market in India commanding an annual sale of 2.8 million litres valued at more than Rs. 180 crore (US$ 37.50 million). In this evolving segment Boroline, with its traditional quality and an unswerving commitment to consumers is the eminent front-runner with a market share of 21% (Source: ORG-Marg).

Boroline's history is inextricably intertwined with the dawning of India's nationalistic pride and struggle for independence. Founder, Gourmohan Dutta belonged to Calcutta's merchant class. He was already an established trader of imported goods, when the patriotic Swadeshi movement sweeping India, gnawed at him. He was convinced that the best way to help his country was to contribute to her economic selfsufficiency. To realize this goal, he decided to manufacture products of a quality equivalent to their foreign counterparts.

It was a daunting task. Manyinthe- category status, Boroline was portrayed as ‘The Original’. In the later half of the 1990s, it stood for ‘Boroline skin, healthy skin’. In early 2000, the brand values were summed up with

‘Boroline – works wonders’.

Keeping these values in mind, Dutta chose the elephant as Boroline's logo, hoping that it would bestow luck and spell success, for what was still considered a reckless venture.The logo caught on instantaneously. In the rural heart land and for the millions who cannot read, Boroline is still known as the 'hathiwala cream' (cream with the elephant logo). Boroline's brand image is the brain child of the founder's son, Murari Mohan Dutta. A marketing genius, he pioneered concepts that were years ahead of their times. In the late 1950s, Boroline

had surged with concepts like brand image, rural marketing and event sponsorships.

Cinthol

In the early 1900s, Ardeshir Godrej, a lawyer steeped in principles and ideology – a man passionately committed to delivering India from colonial rule – made a decisive contribution. He created India's first toilet soap from indigenously available vegetable oils instead of imported animal fats. The mantle passed on to his nephew, Dr. Burjor Godrej, a mechanical engineer, with a prestigious doctorate in technical chemistry. He pioneered manufacturing soap with germ-killing ingredients. Cinthol Deodorant & Complexion soap was born on Independence Day in 1952.

 

Enriched with a unique Fougere perfume the soap received an extraordinary welcome. Cinthol Deo & complexion soap has remained unchanged in design, perfume, shape and packaging since its launch in 1952. Briefly replaced in 1986 it was brought back to its original form in the face of popular demand.

Crocin

In India the history of Crocin goes back more than 40 years when it was first introduced in the market by Duphar Interfran Limited (now DIL Limited) – a Mumbai-based pharmaceutical firm. In its early days, Crocinl like several other drugs, was a prescriptive and was marketed through the ethical route.

In 1996, Duphar Interfran sold the brand to SmithKline Beecham.

Hindware

Hindware The Somany Group’s flagship company, HSIL was set up in 1962 in collaboration with Twyfords of the UK. By pioneering the vitreous china line in India, it gave the very concept of sanitary ware a bold new definition. Over the last four decades, HSIL has earned respect in the Indian and international markets with itscommitment to innovation, unwavering quality and customer satisfaction.

Hindware’s manufacturing facilities at Bahadurgarh and Secunderabad are state-of-the art projects, credibly certified ISO 9001:2000(E), ISO 14001:96, as well as OHSAS 18001: 1999 for safety and health consciousness.

To meet the growing demand for Hindware products, the annual production capacity of the plant at Bibinagar, near Secunderabad, has been recently enhanced from 12,000 to 18,000 tonnes at a cost of more than Rs. 26 crore (US$ 5.50 million). This plant now has the distinction of being the largest single-location manufacturing facility in Asia.

Hero Cycles

In every crisis, says a Chinese proverb, there is an opportunity. Forced to abandon their lives in Pakistan by the traumatic fall out of the partition in 1947, four brothers Dayanand Munjal, Brijmohan Lall Munjal, Satyanand Munjal and Om Prakash Munjal did not dwell on the crisis but looked for the opportunity.They surmised accurately that people in newly independent India were in need of a cheap and convenient means of personal transport. In 1956, they established a modest manufacturing unit and made an even more modest beginning.

 

That year they manufactured 639 bicycles. By 1963 – in seven eventful years – they had become a household name.

To ramp up capacity, the company acquired Gujarat Cycles Limited in 1987. Renamed Munjal Auto Industries Limited, the unit was earmarked to manufacture and export state-of-the art bicycles and allied products from its fully automated plant at Waghodia.The company further scaled up capacity by establishing a second unit at Sahibabad, Uttar Pradesh in 1988.

Kissan

The preserved food division of United Breweries Group (UB Group) was not doing well as compared to its liquor division. So, UB Group sold its food section along with Kissan brand to Hindustan Unilever Limited. Now Kissan is another of HUL’s Indian brand. HUL has revived and added more desi flavor to Kissan brand. Also, more items such as salt, rice, spices, chilli powder, atta, etc were added to Kissan brand and hence taking this Indian brand to another level.


Hamam









Hamam, one of the oldest Indian beauty soap brands, has created itself as a trustworthy brand in the market. It is a natural soap category with low pricing. It was owned by Tata Oil Mills Company (TOMCO). It was taken over by Hindustan Unilever Limited when it acquired TOMCO in the year 1993. Hindustan Unilever Limited continues to keep this brand alive as it is one of the trusted brands with strong brand loyalty in soap segment in Indian market. HUL did try to repackage and modify the brand but they found out that by changing the composition of the soap they were loosing the loyal customers, so HUL have gone back to old composition and is using ‘trust’ and ‘quality’ as this brand’s salient points in marketing it.

Thumps Up

 
A cola drink introduced in 1977 to offset the expulsion of American Coca Cola Company, an Indian brand by Parle Group gained a near monopoly in India with government closing the door to foreign companies/brands. When Government of India again opened its doors to multinationals, Thumps Up lost its will to fight with its resource packed international brands vis Pepsi and Coca Cola. It sold out to Coca Cola Company in 1993 in order to make quick money after enjoying a near monopoly for almost 15 years. As Thumps Up had a huge market share, Coca Cola Company decided to keep the brand alive rather than kill it to give competition to Pepsi.


Limca

 
Coca Cola Company bought Indian brand Limca along with Thumps Up when the Indian government opened its door to foreign companies. It tried to kill this brand as well but found out that lemonade is a favorite of Indians during hot sweltering summers; it was revived as a tangy and refreshing drink. Limca is still one of the top brands in soft drink segment in lemon flavor. With better marketing by Coca Cola Company, this brand is still going strong.


Lakme

 
Lakme started as a subsidiary of Tata Group in 1952. This Indian cosmetic brand was not making any profit. It had two options after perennially losses, one to close this brand and second sell it to another company. Tata Group took the second option and Lakme Limited formed a joint venture of 50-50 with Hindustan Unilever Limited in 1996 and later in year 1998 sold this brand to Hindustan Unilever Limited, a conglomerate in consumer goods sector. And today Lakme is a household name in cosmetics in India as well as abroad.


Kwality Ice Cream

 
This brand of ice cream found in every nooks and corner was a pioneer in the field of ice cream manufacturing in India. Kwality later ventured out from ice cream sector to restaurants. In 1995, Kwality tied up with Hindustan Unilever Limited, move that took this Indian brand to international market. Hindustan Unilever Limited introduced Kwality Walls ice cream to India and the world beyond, a very profitable venture indeed.


Viva and Maltova

 
This favorite Indian heath drink was brought by GlaxoSmithKline Beecham Consumer Healthcare Linited from Jagatjit Industries in the year 2000. Now with well known brands GlaxoSmithKline – Horlicks, Boost, Viva and Maltova – it has become a market leader in Indian health drink market. Viva has been repositioned as a traditional family health drink and Maltova as a tasty chocolate based health drink for the kids.


Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nirma

http://www.nirma.co.in/consumer_products.htm

http://www.superbrandsindia.com/images/brand_pdf/consumer_3rd_edition/

http://www.buzzom.com/2010/01/top-indian-brands-that-have-gone-to-foreign-hand/

ttp://www.scribd.com/doc/75347638/Kissan-Brand-Dossiure

Abide with me...

We all have our favourite songs and hymns. It can lift you up and comfort you. There are some songs which can make one cry with it's verses and it's redition. Below is one such song and I cannot help crying each time I hear it. Maybe it is age which is taking it's toll :). It may sound a little sad and is also sung during funerals. But somehow, it also comforts while one travels the never so smooth road of life.

It's Malayalam version is sung during most evening prayers. It was sung almost daily at my maternal grand parent's place. I loved the way King's College Choir - Cambridge sung this song.

"Abide with Me" is a Christian hymn written by Scottish Anglican Henry Francis Lyte.

He wrote it in 1847 while he lay dying from tuberculosis; he survived only a further three weeks after its completion.

1. Abide with me; fast falls the eventide; the darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide. When other helpers fail and comforts flee, Help of the helpless, O abide with me.


2. Swift to its close ebbs out life's little day; earth's joys grow dim; its glories pass away; change and decay in all around I see; O thou who changest not, abide with me.


3. I need thy presence every passing hour. What but thy grace can foil the tempter's power? Who, like thyself, my guide and stay can be? Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.


4. I fear no foe, with thee at hand to bless; ills have no weight, and tears not bitterness. Where is death's sting? Where, grave, thy victory? I triumph still, if thou abide with me.


5. Hold thou thy cross before my closing eyes; shine through the gloom and point me to the skies. Heaven's morning breaks, and earth's vain shadows flee; in life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.

Utterly, butterly delicious - the taste of India

It is indeed utterly and butterly delicious. When I first landed in Kuwait, it was Amul butter that I missed a lot. There were many other great brands in the market but for me nothing would come near to Amul. Finally it started appearing in this market too and now I make sure we never run out of this great one. Not sure how my kids aquired the taste since they refuse to eat nothing else but Amul butter when needed.

Thought I shall collect a few of those pertinent adverts that appear. Someone sure has a great humor! There are lots more....

Someone please answer...

http://www.iocl.com/Aboutus/FinancialPerformance.aspx
Someone please explain how these companies are churning out profit year after year/ quarter after quarter; yet they want to pinch more from the common man.  They say they want to increase the price of oil yet again. Why? Where are they siphoning this profit? If they were in loss, it should reflect in their financial statement.

The products obtained from 1 barrel of crude oil


Petrol - 73.8 1ltr
Diesel - 34.82 ltr
Jet fuel - 15.5 ltr
Furnace Oil - 8.7 ltr
Liquid gas - 7.19 ltr
Steel Gas - 7.19 ltr
Coal - 6.81 ltr
Bitumen - 4.92 ltr
Petrochemical feedstocks - 4.54 ltr
Lubricants - 1.89 ltr
Kerosene - 0.75 ltr
Others - 1.13 ltr
 
Is the government using the oil companies to take money for their own use?

Is this how they are worming out off every scam that they face?

Is this why no probe seems to bother them?

I had raised this doubt in one of my earlier post but I find no answers.

Forgiveness = 1 crore

Yes.. that is the price for forgiveness in God's own country. Until then, they were hell bent on getting justice. They wanted the Italian marines to be jailed and given maximum punishment. But 1 crore changed everything. The boat owner has even changed his stance; he says he is no longer sure if it is the same ones who killed the fishermen.

The relatives of the dead fishermen has heard a good earful from the court. They rightly said that they shall no longer entertain such cases and that their time has been wasted.

It required only 1 crore to evoke Christ's style of forgiveness. For sure they were tutored by their well meaning priests but the Keralites were ridiculed enmass when they wanted the Italians to go free. They could have just accepted the compensation and let the case run it's course but instead they went ahead and told the court that they wanted the case against the Italians cancelled. And since the government itself was looking forward to the same, it has become easy.

Methinks, GOC can become a sought after tourist destination for trigger happy beings. You can shoot to kill if you have enough money to pay for it!

And who knows, these Italians may soon be on their way to become saints too. After all, how else would these family have ever seen 1 crore. The Church may have been praying hard for these poor Italians, if not for the fishermen's family.

Girl or gold?

The latest advertisement for gold/diamond shows the birth of a baby (a girl I presume) and the next shot, the birth of a diamond or a diamond necklace! It ends up with a necklace worn by a beautiful girl with the tag "There is a diamond for every woman" . Wow! Are they giving it free?


Such advt may frighten the wits out of parents having a girl child. Why in the world do we associate girls with gold? Why do we let the media treat girls as a burden? In my opinion such adverts needs to be banned altogether specially in the backdrop of increasing female foeticide.

Let the girl child be looked upon as a normal child; not as a liability until she is flung into another’s home.

Let her be treated with dignity; not as an object to be adorned with gold and precious stones.

She is only a normal human being capable of looking after herself if you will let her be. Instead, you have a worrying father and later a brother only to transfer this gold or diamond from one bank locker to another. Look at her! How ridiculous she looks!

Then you have other adverts which implore you to invest monthly in these shops so that once your girl is grown, if nothing else, she will have bags of gold to catch a husband! Yes..it seems these husbands have only eyes for this gold and not the girl! But why should that matter? Hasn't she been finally pushed from her home? The work of a lifetime! No wonder cowards and weaklings kill them before they are born!

Have listened to many advising me to buy gold since we have a girl. They have this frightening tone and you almost succumb to their fears. But luckily I have a hubby who continues to maintain that it is a dead investment. 

Let us invest in our girl in other ways. If someone worthy of her comes along, let him take her only for her and not for the gold!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JDQ1jV9tRU
http://funny-indian-pics.blogspot.com/2011/12/funny-indian-girl-wearing-tons-of-gold.html

I am over 40

Unless I am filling an application or am with a doctor or a lawyer, I need not disclose where exactly this 40 stands, not unless I reach 50!

For women, life starts at 40. At least for me this is true. This is when she is the most confident and I would not trade this age with any other age, not even the teens. Of course, if one had the same self confidence then your teens or your twenties would be nice. But it is seldom so. You are so full of doubts and worries to have self confidence. Not so at 40. This is the age when you accept yourself. No more crying for what will never be yours. No more yearning for stars. This is the age when you wake up and thank for one more day. This is the age when you stop to smell the flowers.

This is the age when you have that all elusive quality; patience! During my growing up years, it was patience that I lacked most. I was that girl always worried that life would pass away if I don’t grab it. On a car ride, one wanted to reach the destination and failed to enjoy the ride. And after a while life did pass in slow motion and all one could do was watch as a spectator. But after 40, one starts enjoying the slowness. One also starts appreciating others. One realizes that everyone is doing what they know to be is the best. It may be higher or lower than the standards that you keep, but they are doing what they can.

Though I am over 40, I have not moved a single year beyond 30 :). This is another paradox of life. My MIL is 83 years old, but in her mind she has never moved beyond 40. At times, it scares me and sometimes it fascinates me. She is seldom satisfied with her appearance and is very happy to preen in front of the mirror. She will never pass by a mirror without admiring herself. Yes..I may find myself in her shoes (not the obsession with looks though) if I ever come anywhere close by to that age.
After 40, one can be also more bitchy! This is one area where you should keep watch. With self confidence comes the urge to say what comes in your mind. It could be the truth but it can hurt.

Here is to every woman over 40…. Enjoy your days and never think you are a day older than 30.. not until you are ready to face your maker.

Love them

Our neighbor’s daughter keeps visiting us whenever she can. She is going to be 2 years and is a very smart and loving girl. She was brought up by her grandparents since her mother came back to Kuwait after her birth. She joined her parents only recently. It is great to have her around but the other day only I was in the house since my children had gone for tuitions and hubby to cut his hair. I tried entertaining her but she was much attached to my daughter whom she missed. And then while I was sitting next to her, she took a cushion, placed it on her stretched legs and made me place my head on it. Then she started gently tapping me and saying “ba ba”.. It was such a happy moment for me. Later when I tried placing a chain on her, she removed it and wanted to dress me up! She is rightly named “Jewel” and she is being looked after like a precious jewel. Her mother leaves her with me only when she is tied up with some housework. Since I have passed that stage, I am aware how hectic it can be for her. But somehow these days my thoughts refuse to leave Afreen. As you might know she left this world which failed to love her.

Being a mother to a daughter, I know how loving they are. They need just a bit of love to blossom. They need only a bit of love to return the love in manifold. They would even be ready to die for you.

Even Afreen would have grown up the same way. But she was not allowed to. My heart cries for little ones like her who are born in the wrong place and into wrong hands. My heart weeps for her mother, who must have tried her best. I saw her crying yesterday and hope her tears won’t be in vain. The nation needs to act for future Afreens. There is no way we can hope that such monsters will not do their act. They have already been given birth are in this world and must be getting ready to marry, to hope for boys, to hope for a huge dowry and hoping to kill until they get what they want.


In India, we have the The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR):

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) emphasises the principle of universality and inviolability of child rights and recognises the tone of urgency in all the child related policies of the country. For the Commission, protection of all children in the 0 to 18 years age group is of equal importance.

This commission acts when they receive complaints on behalf of a child. I am sure Afreen’s mother was not in a position to complain or she did not know where to seek help. It is time this commission made every parent register as soon as a baby is born into this world. The Panchayat needs to keep track of these children too. I am sure there are enough funds. The commission also need to place cradles in every panchayat so that such unwanted babies are not killed. Maybe it is time the government started foster homes like those found in the US. From the cradles they can go into those who hope to adopt them.


There are many schemes under NCPCR one being the The Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS) All States and UTs except   J&K have signed MoU to implement ICPS.

They also have monitoring schemes:

Monitoring Formats for ICPS


1. Monitoring Formats for the Central Level Monitoring


2. Monitoring Formats for the State Level Monitoring


3. Explanatory Notes


4. Online Submission of Monitoring Reports

They also have a childline service.

CHILDLINE SERVICE

This Govt. of India launched Childline Service during the year 1998-99. The child line is a 24 hours free phone service, which can be accessed by a child in distress or an adult on his behalf by dialing the number 1098 on telephone. Child line provides emergency assistance to a child and subsequently based upon the child’s need, the child is referred to an appropriate organization for long-term follow up and care.

The Kerala state has also done much in this aspect under the KERALA STATE COUNCIL FOR CHILD WELFARE.

Other than the various programs for women and child they also have a Creche Programne which takes care of children.

CRECHE PROGRAMME


The Kerala State Council for Child Welfare took on the task of setting up crèches for children of working and ailing mothers from the lower socio economic strata of society in 1975. The programme caters to children between the age group of 0-3 yerars. There are 250 creches under the control of the Council, financed by Indian council for Child Welfare These crèches serve the purpose of providing a safe, secure and healthy environment to babies, allowing older children to attend school instead of dropping out, for taking care of sibling and helping mothers to work as they are assured of the safety of their children. The services provided in these crèches include health care, supplementary nutrition, immunisation recreation as well as non formal education. A maximum of 25 children are taken care in each crèche by a trained crèche worker and a helper.

They also have electronic cradles. This needs to be in every state.

SUPPORTIVE SERVICES OF KERALA  STATE COUNCIL FOR CHILD WELFARE

ELECTRONIC CRADLE

Every Child has a right to live. Unfortunate occasions (!) compel persons to discard their babies. Such abandonment in public unhygienic places threaten their lives. To save these kids Council have established an Electronic Cradle (Ammathottil) on 14th November 2002. Now there are Electronic Cradles in all the districts in Kerala.

These babies if lucky might find a good and loving home from adoption centres. One such called Journeys of the Heart Adoption Services sources kids from India.

Journeys of the Heart Adoption Services (JOH) is passionate about adoption – we truly believe that adoption is a win-win situation for the child and the adopting parents and playing a role in it is a tremendous joy

Let the girl child live. She will never let you down.


Edited to add:

Maxwell Pereira, a former Joint Commissioner of Police for the New Delhi Range of the Capital City, says that female infanticide happens at a larger scale in affluent societies than in underprivileged neighborhoods.



“In Delhi, again South Delhi has the highest percentage”, he said in an interview with CNN IBN

http://www.firstpost.com/india/female-infanticide-affluent-south-delhi-tops-capital-chart-273279.html

http://wcd.nic.in/
http://wcd.nic.in/icpsmon/st_mf.aspx
http://www.hindu.com/2009/02/11/stories/2009021151940300.htm
http://journeysoftheheart.net/india.html

Born at the wrong place!

If they are not killed in the womb, they are tortured while under their care!

How can a father beat, bite or posion a 3 year old helpless child only since it is of a gender that he never wanted? Did he not have a mother of the same gender or did he just fall from the sky? Oh you weakling!

The Bangalore Police arrested a man on Sunday on charge of battering his three-month-old daughter as he wanted a son and was allegedly unhappy with the delivery of the baby girl instead. Sustaining serious head injuries, the infant has since been battling for life in the intensive care unit (ICU) of a city hospital.

The police said the accused, Umar Farooq, had attacked the baby girl, Afreen, twice in the past. The incident of the baby's suspected torture by her father came to light when her mother Reshma Bano took the infant to government-run Vani Vilas Hospital for treatment

Hope this man is jailed forever.

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/bangalore-father-batters-three-month-old-daughter/1/183622.html
http://obehiokoawo.blogspot.com/

A good move

Kerala has made a good initiative.


It has stated that henceforth, PSC applications as well as various job applications for government jobs which do not mention religion will not be rejected. One can also leave the column for religion blank in your school leaving certificate, in case you do not want to take the benefit of reservation.

Let the state spend towards free and compulsory education so that no one lags behind. Just this shall give the nation the most benefit. Let religion not be the basis for giving financial assistance.

This needs to be emulated in the rest of the country too. This will stop politicians from dividing the people and twisting them in their hands for the sake of votes.

While in Kerala, SM Krishna also mentioned that Haj subsidy would be scraped since Muslim organizations have requested so. Even otherwise such subsidies do not reach the deserving candidate.

Source:
http://malayalam.deepikaglobal.com/News_Cat2_sub.aspx?catcode=cat2&newscode=208186

The 5 Principles to Unlocking Wealth

The following is an excerpt from a book:


These principles are a key to unlocking amazing cache of wealth, abundance and success. They are all centered on our true innate qualities, which as a matter of fact are universal and have a spiritual basis. These principals are:



Beautiful Munnar



 Truth


 Righteousness


 Peace


 Love, and


 Non-violence

The practice of these virtues will enable anyone to progress in life without any doubt.

The reason is simple.

These universal principles are all attractive and needless to say, they form the cornerstone of the code of ethics. You cannot go wrong practicing the importance to moral values, codes of conduct and obeying the Law of Nature in your pursuit of wealth.

Pessimism

While pessimism warns us of dangers lurking before our very own eyes, optimism may propel us into false security. Pessimism should only be considered initial and not a final predicament in any situation - this is the first step to success.

The Basic Steps


The following guidelines will help you pave a wonderful path to your ultimate success.

The steps are very simple to implement in your daily life.

1. Do what you love and what you are good at.

2. Be prepared to learn and to be positive (motivation and enthusiasm)

3. Be an innovative individual.

4. Be prepared to invest not just money but your time, effort and resources too.

I mentioned money - this does not mean that you have to incest a large sum to become wealthy.

5. You must be disciplined in having set goals and targets. Remember that persistence is the key to success.

6. You must be prepared to manage your time effectively.

7. As you evolve, learn to give back what you amass to society. I call this philanthropy.

You must have a solid vision - one in which you "see" yourself having attained success. Great people of the past and present see to it that they reach this coveted position by employing these basic steps.

Action is incredibly important and highlights success - the two are synonymous to be quite honest. To succeed action is needed but the essential ingredient is how serious you are. Being too serious can ruin your business venture, so the point is to have FUN.

Our inner also environment plays a huge role. A calm relaxed individual is far more likely to come out a winner in a trying situation that his/her counterpart - a person who is nervous, frustrated and erratic. The former has his senses fully identified with the environment in which he places himself.


However, the restless individual does not understand the environment and consequently gets into trouble. The keywords are focus, concentration and care in whatever you do in life.

1. Develop a definite and a clear-cut goal/aim.

2. Draw up a wise workable plan/program.

3. Guard your health. Without health there is no real wealth.

4. You must conserve your energy.

5. Be honest in your life (in words, deeds, thoughts and actions)

6. Stick to virtues and adopt good principles.

7. Reflect upon ideal personalities and seek strength from their philosophy.

8. Seek divine guidance and be truthful.

9. Endeavor to help and serve others with gratitude.

10. Always think positive and believe in the power of God.

Transformative thinking is indeed the way to success. Set out a plan to achieve your goal and deliberately ruminate over the meaning of this plan and make it happen.


But if the above is overwhelming then all you need is join Indian politics :)

We weep for you..

One weeps for the ant amongst the giants.....

Please resign if you are overwhelmed since this is not the time to procastinate or put your hands on your head.

Murderers, Rapists and Looters

Murderers, rapists and looters sitting in Parliament: Arvind Kejriwal


This statement from Kejriwal seems to have hit a raw spot but is there any truth in it?

Let the following speak for itself.

Source; A Report by NATIONAL ELECTION WATCH & ASSOCIATION FOR DEMOCRATIC REFORMS

The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) was established in 1999 by a group of professors from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad. In 1999, Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed by them with Delhi High Court asking for [or requesting] the disclosure of the criminal, financial and educational background of the candidates contesting elections. Based on this, the Supreme Court in 2002, and subsequently in 2003, made it mandatory for all candidates contesting elections to disclose criminal, financial and educational background prior to the polls by filing an affidavit with the Election Commission.

Now we know that even one rotten apple can spoil the whole barrel....

The report confirms our worst suspicions. MPs with criminal records are more numerous in 2009 (162) than in 2004 (128), and so too those involved in heinous offences such as dacoity, rape and murder (76:58).

But all is not lost:

Of the 608 candidates with the most serious criminal cases against them, only 76 won. The remaining 532 were rejected by the voters.

As for looters, we know that it would be very difficult to find MP's who have not increased their wealth after coming to power.

Let us look at the crorepati's:

MP crorepatis have doubled in number in 2009 (315) compared to 2004 (156). And the chances of winning an election in 2009 progressively improved with the value of their assets (0.43% with assets under Rs.10 lakhs to 32.65% with assets over Rs.5 crores). Yet election expenses continue to be absurdly under- reported. An MP from Arunachal reportedly spent only Rs.10,000 while the freest spenders anywhere were reportedly well within the Rs.25 lakh limit. Obviously in fear of admitting to a corrupt practice under the law, and rendering their election liable to be declared null and void by the High Court.

So when people like Congress spokesperson Rashid Alvi say that it was an insult to Parliament and people of the country who elect MPs and MLAs, it is not entirely correct. Those winning the elections are those with most cash. This cash is used to influence the voters and most media help the candidates and not the voters. While the looters gain, the voters cannot be entirely blamed for their wrong choice.

• The number of crorepati MPs has increased from 156 in Lok Sabha 2004 to 315 in Lok Sabha 2009.

• Out of 315 crorepati MPs in Lok Sabha 2009, 146 are of INC, 59 are of BJP, 14 are of SP, 13 each are of BSP and DMK, 9 of SHS, 8 of JD (U) and 7 of AITC.


• Among major parties, the average asset per MP for INC is Rs. 5.9 crores and for BJP is Rs 3.4 crores.

Now is there any problem if they become corepati's?

There seems to be a problem since only these elected ones seems to have increased their wealth but not the voters.

Compare the above with the state of affairs with the voters.

Rural MPCE

The NSS concept of MPCE, therefore, is defined first at the household level (household monthly consumer expenditure ÷ household size). This measure serves as the indicator of the household’s level of living.

 
Arvind Kejriwal's statement needs to be noticed.

Do read: http://under-the-tree-of-tranquility.blogspot.com/2012/03/chin-up-indians-we-have-reasons-to-be.html

28 Rs per day

Our planning commission still doesn’t get it I think. They insist that a citizen in India should join the group of privileged or the rich if they earn 28 Rs per day! Guess the only way to make them see the truth is to force them to show it to the nation. Let our media also have a field day in airing their woes live to the nation while they try subsisting at 28 a day for at least a month.

It was for this same reason that two youngsters, Tushar Vashisht and Mathew Cherian  tried this experiment.

Late last year, two young men decided to live a month of their lives on the income of an average poor Indian. One of them, Tushar, the son of a police officer in Haryana, studied at the University of Pennsylvania and worked for three years as an investment banker in the US and Singapore. The other, Matt, migrated as a teenager to the States with his parents, and studied in MIT. Both decided at different points to return to India, joined the UID Project in Bengaluru, came to share a flat, and became close friends.

Rs100aday is an attempt by two friends to bring to light the issues affecting the common man in India through direct experiences.

This blog has its beginnings in an effort to live on India’s average income - Rs. 100/person/day without rent – to observe and understand the constraints that come with life at a monthly income of 3000.

However, after the Planning Commission came out with the proposed poverty line of Rs. 32/person/day, we decided to spend one week living at that income level in addition to three weeks at Rs. 100/day. Besides coming to the realization that the Rs. 32 figure is nonviable, we also gained some key insights into the lives of the poor

While they were at it:

Hardly a day went by during the past month, in which we didn’t think of food. And no, it wasn’t because we couldn’t get our minds off of planning the first meal we would have at the end of our experiment. Rather, it was because, food was the largest component of our budget at both Rs. 100/day (50%) and Rs. 32/day (68%).

  States like Kerala had a well set up PDS system much earlier than the rest of the country.

It is well known that Kerala had one of the best run and most effective PDS networks in India. Prior to the introduction of targeting, Kerala was the only state in India with near-universal coverage of the PDS.

If these youngsters had a tough time in a state like Kerala, it would be even tougher in other states. Since APL (Above poverty line) and BPL(Below poverty line) is fixed as per the planning commission’s figure of poverty line, the poor of India is yet again squeezed.

Planning Commission on Monday further reduced poverty line to Rs.28.65 per capita daily consumption in cities and Rs.22.42 in rural areas, scaling down India's poverty ratio to 29.8 per cent in 2009-10, the estimates which are likely to raise the hackles of civil society.

It is not as though India does not have enough to distribute through it’s PDS scheme but this very important “Poverty Line” determines who shall get it, even when half of it rots away.

According to information revealed from a RTI petition filed in Delhi, the FCI has spent crores of rupees over the past decade in just disposing off the rotten foods lying in the go-downs.

Will those at the Planning Commission, specially Dr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia dare to take up this experiment?


Source:http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/india-poverty-line-now-lowered-to-rs-28-per-day/1/178483.html

http://rs100aday.com/about/
http://planningcommission.nic.in/news/index.php?news=prbody.htm
http://ccs.in/ccsindia/downloads/intern-papers-08/PDS-in-Kerala-204.pdf
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/columns/Harsh_Mander/article2882340.ece

The state that spends the most...

A glance at the NSS consumer expenditure survey made me copy down a few points more as reference since one fails to reach a conclusion when it comes to Kerala.

The NSS consumer expenditure survey aims at generating estimates of average household monthly per capita consumer expenditure (MPCE), its distribution over households and persons, and its break-up by commodity group, separately for the rural and urban sectors of the country, for States and Union Territories, and for different socioeconomic groups. These indicators are amongst the most important measures of the level of living of the respective domains of the population. The distribution of MPCE highlights the differences in level of living of the different segments of the population and is an effective tool to study the prevalence of poverty and inequality. These numbers enable the apex planning and decision-making process to allocate the nation’s resources among sectors, regions, and socio-economic groups, and assess the “inclusiveness” of economic growth.

Among the major States, Kerala (Rs.1835) had the highest rural MPCE. It was followed by Punjab (Rs.1649) and Haryana (Rs.1510). In all other major States, average rural MPCE was between Rs.750 and Rs.1250.



Average rural MPCE year 2009-2010

 Maharashtra (Rs.2437) and Kerala (Rs.2413) were the two major States with the highest MPCE in the urban sector, followed by Haryana (Rs.2321). Urban MPCE was lowest in Bihar (Rs.1238).

In the major States, the share of food in rural MPCE varied from 46% for Kerala and 48% for Punjab to 64% in Assam and 65% in Bihar. In the urban sector it varied from 40- 41% in Kerala and Maharashtra to 52% in Jharkhand and 53% in Bihar and Assam.

The share of cereals in total expenditure in rural India varied across the major States from 7% in Punjab and Haryana to 21% in Assam and Bihar. In urban India, the share varied from 6% for Haryana, Punjab and Kerala to 13% in Assam and 15% in Bihar.

How is Kerala spending?

Kerala spends equally on cereals and intoxicants! :)

The percentage of rural population with MPCE above Rs.1000 exceeded 70% in Haryana and Punjab, while in Kerala 80% of the rural population had MPCE exceeding Rs.977

 At the all-India level only about 0.4 percent of rural households had access to internet at home compared to about 6 percent of urban households. Among the larger States, Kerala had by far the highest proportion of households with internet access in the rural sector (about 3 percent), followed by Himachal Pradesh (about 2 percent). In the urban sector Maharashtra (about 10 percent) reported the highest percentage among the larger States, followed closely by Kerala and Himachal Pradesh, and Haryana. While States like Goa and Arunachal Pradesh (rural) and Chandigarh (urban) clearly had greater internet access compared to most major States, larger sample sizes would be necessary in order to estimate the percentages of households with internet access in these small states and UTs with reasonable accuracy.

Why is Kerala showing these figures?

NRI remittance?

Migration?

Keralites migrated to different places including states in India much earlier. This meant that at least one member (more in some places) in every family was not depending on the state for his sustenance, instead in most cases he became a major or a minor contributor.

According to the latest studies done by the Centre for Development Studies, the diaspora's remittances account for 31.23 percent of Kerala's net state domestic product.

The link between migration and poverty is complex and dependent on the specific circumstances in which migration takes place. Migration can both cause and be caused by poverty. Poverty can be alleviated as well as exacerbated by migration. In Kerala, India, for example, migration to the Gulf States has caused wages to rise, reduced unemployment, and improved the economic situation of those left behind.19 In
other situations, migration does not lead to economic or social improvement. Research on the impact of labour migration in tribal Western India found that for poorer migrants ‘many years of migration have not led to any long-term increase in assets or any reduction in poverty’. However the study also noted that migration offered poor migrants ‘a short-term means to service debt and avoid the more extreme forms of dependency and bondage’.

http://www.migrationdrc.org/publications/other_publications/Moving_Out_of_Poverty.pdf

100% literacy

For the Keralites, 100% literacy also meant that they were better equipped to benefit from migration. Migration itself could be an off shoot of education. If the state could absorb only a part of the educated ones, the rest had to find a way out.

Guess, at the end of the day it is EDUCATION which plays a major role.

But if migration had not happened, would Kerala be in the present state? I doubt since the state has not much to boast in terms of job creation in the state itself.

The current government barely exists but Kerala has been lucky to have two parties governing one after the other. A strong opposition party always existed.

Kerala shall remain as a consumer state and hence the sector which can be improved is the tertiary sector. Since Kerala has already found a place in the tourist map, it needs to urgently improve the roads and other infrastructure. Higher education is another area where it can do much. It also needs to do much more in conserving water by encouraging rain water harvesting and it’s likes. It also needs to clean up its water sources.

The recent budget proclamation made some of us want to rush back to Kerala :) but since Keralites are the worst cynics, we know that these shall remain in paper only. God’s own country needs only a little push from the government be it the center or the state to live up to it’s name but will that ever happen?



Source:
http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/Level%20and%20Pattern%20of%20Consumer%20Expenditure.pdf

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8546952.stm

http://www.mathrubhumi.com/english/story.php?id=121592