DUM MAARO DUM

Before you let your imagination run wild and speculate about my premise here, let me clear the air. Well, this has nothing to do with the timeless classic featuring Zeenat Amman – Asha Bhosle. There is nothing in it for tobacco aficionados either. And certainly it has nothing to do with the forgettable Abhishek Bachchan starrer that sunk without a trace in the box office.

This is an excerpt from one of my lazy afternoon cooking endeavors. Ladies and Gentlemen: Welcome to Raj’s kitchen again! I have heard a lot about Dum Aloo but I had never taken a stab at it. So I dragged myself out of boredom into the kitchen to something more worthwhile. It wasn’t that difficult and didn’t take too much time. And more importantly didn’t taste bad either! Well.. so without any further ado, let me introduce you to Mr.Dum!

Ingredients:

v      Baby Potatoes – 10

v      Onion (finely chopped) - 1

v      Green Chilies – 2

v      Yogurt – ¼ cup

v      Red chilli powder  (ask your taste buds for quantity)

v      Coriander powder - a pinch

v      Turmeric powder - a pinch

v      Garam Masala (ask your taste buds for quantity)

v      Salt (ask your taste buds for quantity)

v      Coriander and lime to garnish

Grind the following into a Paste:

v      Onion – 1

v      Dry red chillies - 2

v      Garlic – 5 flakes

v      Ginger – a pinch

v      Cumin Seeds – 1 tsp

v      Coriander Seeds – 1 tsp

v      2 small tomatoes

v      Cashews (Cashews are my secret ingredient here and they give a unique flavor to the paste)

Aloo Pre-Preparation:

ü       Mildly Boil the baby potatoes (don’t over cook it though)

ü       Prick them all over with a fork (don’t feel shy; just go for it)

ü       Heat oil in a pan and deep fry the potatoes by adding a pinch of salt, turmeric powder and chilli powder. Take them out when they are golden brown.

ü       Now in a cup add a bit of curd, add a tsp each of coriander powder and garam masala powder and mix well

ü       Now soak the fried baby potatoes in this mix for half an hour. This gives a very nice flavor to the potatoes

Dum Aloo Preparation:

ü       Heat oil in a pan and fry the onions until they are golden brown; Add the green chilies too

ü       Now add the ground paste and keep stirring at a low-medium flame for 5 minutes

ü       Make sure the raw smell of the paste goes away

ü       Now add the soaked baby potatoes and sprinkle some Garam Masala (or any other special secret masala you have) and let it simmer for 5 – 10 minutes.

ü       Wait until the masalas have covered the potatoes well

ü       Then garnish with coriander leaves. Add some lime juice if you want to.

ü       Yum Dum Aloo is ready.

So.. if your taste buds are itching, go and try it for yourself. I am sure you will like it!Slurp! Slurp!!

MAXIMUM (ABUSED) CITY

On Wednesday, July 13th, terror struck Mumbai once again when 3 powerful bombs rocked some of the most crowded places killing 19 people and injuring several others. I was shell shocked and it instantly brought back memories of pain, anger and despair when I watched Ajmal Kasab and his friends hold Mumbai hostage for 2 days in 2008.  Nothing has changed! Once again, the events that transpired after the blasts were a complete déjà vu. PM and other politicos urged Mumbaikars to stay calm and united. Home Minister claimed they had no Intel on attacks. Rahul Gandhi had the guts to even say that not all terrorist attacks could be prevented. And all that the opposition did was to use this incident to gain political leverage. The morning after Wednesday's terror attacks, Mumbai was back on its feet as people went to office and children attended schools. A week from now, media will move on to the next hot topic and it will be business as usual for politicians. Only Mumbai will be left with another eternal scar!  

This is the umpteenth time I have heard about the famous Mumbai Spirit and it scares me. “Blasts cannot kill the Mumbai spirit” read a famous tabloid. Agreed! With all due respect, do they have a choice? On July 11, 2006, 7 powerful bombs ripped through local trains in Mumbai killing 181 people. So did the Government create an alternate mode of transport after that? No. People still had to take the same train to go to work the next day. I shudder when I imagine what would have gone through people’s minds when they took the train days after the blast had occurred. I am sure they held on tightly to the chain in one hand and to their heart in the other. So many lives completely uprooted in a flash. And then life becomes normal once again the very next day. But no one realizes that life is never the same again. The fear and agony have been tattooed into their hearts forever with metal shrapnel.

Why is Mumbai such a soft target? Agreed, it is the financial and economic capital of India. It represents the fault line between practitioners of different faiths and languages, who are often at loggerheads and are so ignitable. The city offers an anonymity which, many a times has proved to be its Achilles heel. It literally is the Gateway to India offering easy access to one and all. But beyond all this, there is a much more compelling reason. Mumbai is not just a gateway to India, but its alter-ego. It symbolizes everything that is good about India. And everything that is bad about Mumbai is equally true about India. They share several common adjectives: Multi-religious, cosmopolitan, warm and welcoming, poly-cultural, enterprising and industrious.

Truly Mumbai is India’s heart. It is here, among the city's grime and dust, that the great dream of India enunciated at the midnight hour of August 14, 1947, is being lived every minute. Mumbai is India in miniature; destroy it, and the larger picture falls apart. Mumbai has been chosen for the exact reasons that New York City was chosen on September 11, 2001. Both cities embody their respective nations; gut them, and the dream of a fabulous nation could be destroyed.

So how are we handling this open threat to the very identity of India? Well, honestly I haven’t seen too much done so far. No doubt we see a few rallies, candle marches, panel discussions human chains and a lot of angry tweets. Well, that’s all a common man can really do. No one will have the guts or means to do a Naseeruddin Shah in “A Wednesday”. It is up to the people who run this country to create a system that can save Mumbai from the clutches of terror. I have always been bamboozled by our politicians’ reactions to terror attacks. All they do is go in circles in their blame game. Why can’t the Prime Minister just appear on National TV and make a strong statement to the people. A small gesture like that can go a long way in reassuring the people. All that the politicians have done for Mumbai is the famous (or rather infamous) name change from Bombay to Mumbai. Well, the only legitimate reason that could have been given was that the name itself was jinxed: “Bomb”ay and changing names might bring better luck. Yes. Luck! That seems to the only hope for the city which still refuses to believe that luck deserted Mumbai long time ago. And certainly Mumbai deserves much better than that!

Then there is Bollywood! In 1993, Dawood Ibrahim coordinated a series of 13 bomb explosions which remains to be the most destructive in Indian history resulting in 250 fatalities. And what does Bollywood do about that? It came out with movies celebrating him as a fallen hero. Ram Gopal Varma even visited the attacked site at Hotel Taj to search the story for his next movie. There have been thought provoking movies made out of the subject too but they are too few in comparison. It is a shame to look at these tragedies as an opportunity to make a few bucks. So much for lack of creativity! Media and film industry should do more than just using these incidents to increase their TRPs or to come up with real life dramas!

The Government needs to do much more if they have to erase the fear and doubt from the minds of Mumbaikars.  An effective intelligence infrastructure has to be incorporated. In order for intelligence to be most useful in preventing attacks, it must be actionable, combining precise, tactical level warning with decision makers who are receptive to it. This is most likely to come from on-the-ground local and domestic intelligence gathering. This should be incorporated in all states and tremendous importance should be given to effective communication and coordination between the intelligences of different states. Only if we unite our intelligence infrastructure, can we thwart the terrorists who always have the element of surprise to their advantage. I think in a country of intelligent people, this should not be difficult to implement. Only if we have the willingness and focus to make it happen!

Here is a message to one and all. Laud the Mumbai spirit, but don’t use that as a shield to mask our incompetence against terror. A lot has been said about the Mumbai spirit. It is high time that something was done to keep it alive. Otherwise, it will not just be Mumbai’s spirit that will be lost, but an entire nation would lose its soul. Enough is enough!

THE CITY I COULD NOT LEAVE

This is not the first city that has made me nostalgic. But it certainly is the most recent and one that will remain extremely close to my heart. It is the city that made me appreciate life once again. It is the city that woke up my colorful alter ego from a deep slumber. It is the city that brought out the child in me once again. Bloomington (popularly known as B-town) gave me the 2 most amazing and eventful years of my life!

I came into this city with so much going on in my mind. When I arrived, it was pitch dark outside and I couldn’t see anything. May be I didn’t even want to. Such was the burden of starting life all over again. But Bloomington magically changed everything for me in a jiffy. We do not realize the importance of the place we live in our daily life. It becomes an invisible family member whose presence we only realize when the time to say good bye comes. Bloomington freed my mind of all its worries and gave it a generous dose of fresh air! It helped me “rediscover” myself.

There is a simple elegance to this city that appeals to me the most. This was the city where I grew young again. Well I wish literally, but you cannot change the laws of nature, right! But certainly my mind went through a transformation from a cautious adult to a carefree youth whose desire to admire and enjoy the small pleasures of life was rekindled. How many times have I forgotten everything about the exam next day and taken a walk through the woods breathing in nature and losing myself among the trees! Sipping a coffee in the balcony and watching the blue skies suddenly became a routine! Getting drenched in the rain became a fantasy once again! When I looked into the mirror, I could catch glimpses of the 10 year old I once was. And in these 2 years, I watched myself grow up once again!

I had heard about 4 seasons only in books. Bloomington introduced me to spring and autumn. If watching Fall Colors was magical, then seeing leaves wither was heart breaking. But then.. white magic arrived. Snow! My first ever Snow! I was thrilled to be outside star gazing when the first snow-flakes descended. Sitting near my window and seeing every single damn thing covered in snow would make my evenings exciting. Not to forget: White Christmas! You cannot ask for more. It was small pleasures like these that made me appreciate life so much and I think made my supposedly hectic MBA life a breeze!

Bloomington is home to the Indiana University. Oh yeah.. that is where I was supposed to spend my 2 years of MBA: studying. I did spend most of my 2 years there alright: not necessarily studying though! Boy: the campus is a work of art. It is named one of the 5 most beautiful in America and deservedly so. Take a stroll along the campus, pass through the various school buildings enriched with a unique limestone architecture and you will be transported to 19^th century English countryside. And if you are a fan of music and arts, then you will be thrilled to know that Bloomington is home to the world famous Jacob’s school of Music. A musical concert or an opera is a “must-do” and a visit to the Arts Museum would certainly be time very well spent.

Bloomington is not called the “Tree City” without a reason. The region has a generous décor of beautiful trees which add to its glamor quotient. Stop at the “Sample Gates” and make sure you have an extended photo shoot there. Then it will be time to spend your evening in a very colorful downtown. Enter Kirkwood Avenue and you will not feel like coming back. Restaurants from every part of the world can be found here and you can whet your appetite with some mouth-watering entrees cooked to perfection. A true connoisseur’s delight!  And of course.. Bloomington is called the “Crazy Party town” and you don’t need me to explain more than that I guess. Bloomington has something for everybody. But it had everything for someone like me!

But again.. no city is complete without its people. Bloomington has the typical Mid-West culture and people here are caring, friendly and extremely helpful. I have hardly heard a honk on the road in these 2 years. Says a lot! But more than that.. the people who I spent my 2 years with: my friends.. they are the ones who made the Bloomington experience truly fascinating. Night outs, cook outs, eat outs, hang outs, black outs (oops.. that one just rhymed).. you name it. It was just fun unlimited! I cannot forget those lovely potlucks, late night tea sessions, treks and trips, poker nights or sequence fights! They will be etched in my memory as “Bloomington memoirs”. And for this one single reason, Bloomington will always be missed!

It will be an irony if I say that the child in you is more mature than the adult “you”. But I think it is true. At least I discovered so. Being carefree and jolly made me more mature and successful. I have never felt so “complete” ever before. And I have to thank “Bloomington” for that and much more. As I finally drove out of Bloomington with a heavy heart and a desire to come back, 2 fabulous years of my life flashed through my memory. Suddenly I felt my drive was more beautiful than ever. I guess there are no “Good-byes” here!

THE AGONY OF IRONY

This is a feeling I am sure most of us experience on a fairly regular basis as we navigate through the mysteries of life. It is that shift in emotion from a plain indifference towards anticipation for something good to happen which turns into frustration as time passes on and finally culminates in abandoning all hope and calling it quits. But then comes the killer! The much awaited event or outcome materializes but alas we are no longer there to witness it, enjoy it, feel it, live it or be a part of it. The only thing you can do is to feel happy that it happened. But the irony is that you were just a minute or an hour or a day short of experiencing it. And the agony is that you spent hours, days, weeks or months waiting for it to happen!

Well, by now you would have guessed that I was a recent victim. I am not a baseball enthusiast, but in the middle of a devilishly crazy work week, I will gladly take that. So here we were, on our company afternoon outing, in Chicago downtown to watch the Cubs play the Giants. Okay.. for the benefit of people like me, Cubs are the hosts and the Giants have come all the way from San Francisco. The Giants are the better team and defending champions and the Cubs are a good team too.

I had reason to cheer very early in the game as a run was scored and I was really happy that the Cubs had taken the lead so early. After about 2 minutes of cheering I noticed that the scoreboard seemed to suggest that in fact the Giants had scored. Well.. you can’t blame me. The noise was close to deafening when the run was scored. Either the audience was really sportive or extremely sarcastic. Either way, I wasn’t too upset as I got to see a run scored. And I was hoping to see an equalizer from the Cubs to make the match exciting!

But I was in for a lot of disappointment and eventual boredom as hours went by without any hint of either team scoring. A game has 18 innings (9 for each side) and sitting through 16 of them without seeing a single run getting scored was painful to say the least for a first timer. But I spent the time well, as my good friend Melvin explained me the rules of the game with some tips and fun facts. He is from Dominican Republic and a very nice guy. I learnt that baseball was the most popular sport there and a lot of baseball players in US are from Dom Rep. I gave him some cricket gyan in return and that kept him fairly excited.

Come last inning of the game: and guess what: The Cubs equalize. And I get to see the other highlight of baseball: a home run! The guy just creamed it. The stadium erupted! Now you may ask: “Okay.. so where the hell is your agony?” Relax guys… I am almost there. Now the game is tied. And I think naively that the points will be split. Melivin enlightens me: “The game goes on until a team wins”. Well.. now all my excitement fizzes out. Now I might again have the predicament of watching endless innings without any run scored!

And I did! Another 8 innings went by and everyone got restless. Our team was aiming for a 5 o’clock return. We were about to leave when it happened. Yeah… the smart ones, you guessed it right: The Giants scored! 2 – 1 Giants with 1 Cubs innings to go. Well, that seemed like the nail in the coffin and we had all the more reason to leave which we did.  I guess my story has become predictable now. So, as you may have guessed, I came back to office and casually checked the scorecard.

It read: Cubs 5 – Giants 2

What on earth happened? How come they score 4 runs in the 1 inning which I missed and just 2 in the 25 I sat through? That is some irony with a lot of agony! Probably less for me and more for the other baseball enthusiasts in my group. Anyways, that was my first major baseball experience. A mixed bag really. But nevertheless good fun and a little bit of agony! Sums up life, doesn’t it??

THE DAY THEIR GODS DIED!!

We all live glorified lives without ever realizing how real pain, suffering and sacrifice could be. We are so self-indulgent that nothing can completely satisfy us. We crib at not getting a pay raise, we frown when gas prices go up and we are crest-fallen if we are not able to take that big summer vacation. We request God to fulfill every small (and silly) wish we ever have and more often than not complain that he doesn’t do enough for us. But many of us do not realize that there are people who live in such despair and misery that would make our lives look trivial. Once we hear their stories, we will be grateful for the wonderful lives that we were blessed with and hopefully angry for the lives that were stolen from them.

Girl trafficking in Nepal is one such heinous act that rips apart the lives of so many young girls and women.  Gina was sold into sexual slavery at the tender age of 7. She was raped by 14 men and beaten with sticks and aluminum rods. Anita was lured by a friend and sold to a brothel at 12. She was threatened with being buried alive and forced into compliance. Maili was seized at the age of 19 with her infant daughter who was used as “insurance” to prevent Maili from fleeing. Jyoti was trafficked at the age of 12, raped, choked and forced to drink alcohol to break her resistance. There are so many such horror stories that you will need a lifetime to listen to all of them.

The child sex trade in Nepal is a highly organized syndicate that rivals the drug trade in profitability. There is a well-developed supply chain which runs from recruiters and smugglers who catch girls from villages in Nepal and transport them all the way up to urban brothel owners in Nepal and India who enslave them and corrupt policemen who help legalize the business. Heartless hungry men who rape and infect these girls complete the chain. And everyone else in this chain profits except these poor girls who pay the price with their bodies first and then later with their lives (80% get infected by HIV). For most of these girls, their Gods deserted them at a very early age.

I have always been amazed by people who dedicate their entire lives for the cause of others. How many of us can live one selfless day? Imagine doing that your entire life and you will realize the value of such a life. One such crusader is waging a battle against these traffickers and its corrupt nexus to save innocent girls from an experience that is worse than death. Ms.Anuradha Koirala started Maiti Nepal in a small house in Kathmandu with her own savings. Today she is a widely recognized activist and lecturer who has dedicated her life to combating the sexual exploitation of women and children. She is supported by her volunteers in Maiti, Nepal most of whom are rescued young women. They watch borders and prevent pimps from crossing over with innocent girls. They collaborate with local officials and others inside brothels to rescue girls. They create safe havens for these girls and slowly heal their physical and mental scars. The rescued girls spend their time in the healing center where they learn skills and participate in arts programs that rebuild their spirits. And the lesser fortunate AIDS-infected girls have a place where they can die with dignity. 

But sadly, this small movement still is no match to the powerful criminal elements and their political connections. There are still so many girls who live in a world seldom known to outsiders and suffer death every single day. Sad indeed when so much more could be done by all of us for their cause. Anuradha says, "Society rejects me and my girls, but they are the most important thing in my life." It is high time that we all embrace Anuradha and Maiti, Nepal and join her crusade to help young innocent girls live their lives the way they deserve to! 

DELICIOUS THAI VEGETARIAN GREEN CURRY

I love cooking and more often than not, something edible comes out of it. I tried making Thai Green curry the other day and it turned out pretty good. It was actually an experiment of a stir fry combined into a green curry. Here is the recipe for any takers. Guess this picture will help to ignite your taste buds!

INGREDIENTS:

ü  2 cans coconut milk

ü  1 small onion

ü  3 green chilies

ü  Red, green and yellow peppers – 1 cup

ü  Vegetables: Broccoli, cauliflower, eggplant, zucchini, shitake mushrooms, bamboo shoots, beans, carrots and peas – 2 cups

ü  3 cloves garlic and a thumb size of ginger (very finely chopped)

ü  Fresh basil leaves – ½ cup

ü  Fresh tofu – 1.5 cups

ü  Thai green curry paste – 2 to 4 tsp depending the spice quotient of your tongue

ü  Olive oil -  3 tsp

ü  Soy sauce and chili garlic sauce

Stir fry:

v  Heat oil in a frying pan. Add the onions, peppers, green chilies and basil leaves and sauté for a few minutes.

v  After that add all the vegetables and stir fry them for 5-10 minutes with soy sauce and chili garlic sauce.

Preparing tofu:

v  Cut the tofu into small cubes and shallow fry it in oil.

v  In a bowl, take half a cup of coconut milk and add soy sauce and chili garlic sauce and mix well. Soak the fried tofu in this mixture for 10 minutes.

v  This gives a good taste and flavor to the tofu.

Thai Green Curry:

v  Once you are done with the stir fry and the tofu, it is time for the finale.

v  Heat oil in a wok and add the green curry paste (2 – 4 spoons depending on how strong your palette is) and fry for a minute until you get a good fragrance.

v  Now add the remaining coconut milk to the wok and allow it to simmer for around 5 minutes. Adding basil leaves here will give you more fragrance.

v  Now add the soaked fried tofu to this mix and allow it to simmer for a couple more minutes.

v  Finally add the stir fried vegetables and cook it for some more time.

v  Check for salt and spice and adjust with more Thai green curry paste, salt, soy sauce or coconut milk until you get the desired taste.

v  That is it and yummy green curry is ready. Serve it with hot Thai jasmine rice.

And do let me know if it turns out well and more importantly do not curse me if it is not edible. I am sure you will do well.

BORN TO BE FREE

What comes to your mind when you think of the lion? Yeah, King of the Jungle strikes us as a majestic, powerful and awe inspiring behemoth. And what about the tiger? Swift, charismatic, lethal, solitary. Both of them evoke contrasting emotions in all of us: Fear and jealousy. We are terrified by the fact that they can crush our neck by just a friendly pat. Yet at the same time we admire their beauty and their superiority to stake their place at the top of the food chain.

That was why it was so difficult for me to even think that they could be abused. The Exotic Feline rescue center in Indiana is a place where big cats are given a second chance to live! Seriously! I couldn’t believe that they could have such a predicament until I saw it for myself. I saw lions and tigers that were abused, abandoned and had nowhere to live out their lives. They had been left to die in filthy cages, rusted and abandoned circus carts without any sanitation, hygiene, food or water. They were kept as pets and walked on leashes by soul less men with king size egos. They had been traded in parking garages for just $300. They had been starved, tortured, physically deformed and had endured great suffering throughout their lives.

Man is a funny animal. One hurts and the other heals. Those at the Exotic Feline Rescue Center take extreme pains in discovering such abused and abandoned cats, rescue them, treat them for their illnesses and provide them a permanent habitat for living a peaceful life. It is not the jungle but it is an asylum where they can rest and lick their wounds of the past and recuperate and discover life. A second chance it is!

When I look at these majestic cats, I can still catch a glimpse of pride in a corner of their eyes. Declawed or not, they can still send a shiver down your spine with one glance. But there is also a longing in their eyes. The longing to rule the jungle again, to run wild and free, to hunt and to live life the way it was meant to be. They know that they will never be able to experience freedom as a wild cat would have. Have you ever thought how a painter would feel if he lost his eyes one day? The agony that he would not be able to see and reproduce the beauties of this world cannot be explained or expressed. And so is that longing in the eyes of these cats! They would continue to haunt me for a long time.

The people at the Rescue Center feel proud that they are able to bring some light into the lives of these abused cats. They deserve a lot of credit for putting their lives on the line and in spite of suffering losses they are still dedicated to giving these cats a place and a life to live.  But there are still those who relish caging these animals, overpowering them, incapacitating them and rendering them unfit for their natural habitat just to feed their egos. Is that a matter of pride or is it something to be ashamed of? Well, it is certainly something to think about!

THE ANTI-DOLLAR

For years now, US dollar has lived a decorated life. It has been the globe’s reserve currency and nearly the whole world has had tremendous faith in the value of the US dollar. It has been considered a powerful currency to possess and its demand has always been very high. But the latest financial crisis has struck the dollar a devastating blow and has sent it on a downward spiral. The US debt scenario doesn’t help the cause either. The government has to borrow about half of what it spends. And printing more money is definitely not the solution even if policy makers manage to find fancy names like “Quantitative Easing”. As a result, over the last 4 years, dollar has been slowly but steadily depreciating against many currencies and hence faces the predicament of losing its cult status.

You may ask: “How does that matter to me?” Well, if you are earning in dollars or any of the other depreciating currencies, then it does! As dollar depreciates your purchasing power becomes lesser and lesser and so does the value of your savings. What can you do? One solution is you can identify stronger currencies and starting investing in them.

Now this leads us to the interesting concept of anti-dollar. These are currencies that are stronger and are going up in value while the dollar depreciates. For long, gold has been considered an anti-dollar as it has a value trajectory exactly opposite to the dollar. But gold is a low risk and more importantly low return investment. It is just for the safety lockers and fancy weddings.

Naturally you will instantly think about the world’s second largest economy. China! The Chinese might not even know that the world is coming out of a recession. Such is the growth of this country. But sadly this growth doesn’t show up in its currency. The Chinese have defied laws of monetary physics and have smartly managed to peg their currency to the dollar and have managed to keep American imports of Chinese goods relatively cheap. Alas, this is bad news to you as an investor because you have just lost the biggest potential anti-dollar. The Swiss Franc comes to my mind next. It has been a steady and safe currency for years. No wonder Swiss banks are so famous (notoriously!) But I feel that it has lived its upside potential and hence can be a safe investment but not a highly profitable one.

That brings me to the Singaporean dollar. This is a currency that has steadily and stealthily appreciated against the dollar significantly over the last 5 years and is going strong. If you don’t believe me take a look at the chart below which shows SD’s appreciation against USD over time! 1 Singapore dollar has appreciated from $0.59 in 2004 to $0.81 in 2010.

Well, how is this possible? One word: Governance! Singapore has an open business environment, is relatively corruption free and has one of the highest per capita GDPs in the world. It has a highly developed state capitalist mixed economy (famously known as “Singapore Model”) that combines economic planning with a free market to position Singapore as the fastest growing economy in the world. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Singapore grew by 22.5% in the first quarter of 2011 over the previous quarter in stark contrast to America’s 2.3%. It easily surpassed China’s impressive GDP growth of 9.7% too. From 2007 until 2010, Singapore's average quarterly GDP Growth was 6.09% reaching an historical high of 44.50% in March of 2010.

With its challenges as one the smallest sovereigns in terms of the area and lack of natural resources, Singapore relies on something called “Entrepot” trade: purchase raw goods and refine them for re-export (wafer fabrication and oil refining). Having the busiest port in the world and a skilled workforce form the icing on the cake! And who can forget that Singapore is becoming the Financial hub of the world. The business supportive environment and political stability has attracted many multi-national banking and investment firms and almost all of these have their Asian headquarters in Singapore.

Singapore is also a country that lives within its means with the Government promoting high levels of savings and investment. If the US is characterized by borrowing and spending, then Singapore with earning and saving is its polar opposite. A wonderful measure to consider is the current account balance. It is the difference between the country’s savings and its investment. Singapore has a current account surplus of $26 billion while US has a deficit of $420 billion. Now you know why the US debt crisis is not a far-fetched thought! Singapore on the contrary has very low debt, high government revenues and its foreign exchange reserves work out to approximately $40,000 for every person which is a pretty good piggy bank for a rainy day.

But beyond all this, Singapore’s biggest advantage is that it sits in the middle of the busiest shipping lane in the world: Asia which has many many years of rapid economic growth ahead of it. All this means that the Singapore dollar would continue to gain value against the US dollar and hence promises to be a wonderful currency to invest in. And who knows, it might soon take its place as the elusive “Anti-Dollar”!

TEXAS SAVE'EM

In the last 2 years of my MBA life, I have had the good fortune of having so many wonderful friends and I won’t even attempt to count the number of times we have gotten together and have had an absolute blast. But food and games are always at the center of every such fun evening. (Arpana and Abhijit would want to include gossip as well though!). Several games come to my mind: Taboo has always been a favorite (especially after Manny gave it a cult status); Mafia has recently become popular (with Ayushman’s basic instincts, Abhijit’s persuasion skills and Shalini’s silent killer cameo); and who can forget Garima’s obsession (and Sid’s helpless look) with Truth or Dare and Ganesh’s proposal to Ayushman. But one game has become a rage off late and has aroused the gambler in all of us: POKER.

When we got the poker set, we had no idea it would become such a hit. We started playing it on random occasions and with all our amateurish inputs we customized it into good evening fun. Shine then gave some final touches to it (well he basically corrected some of the rules which I had made of my own) and it has now turned into an addiction which keeps us awake at nights providing us with moments which we will all remember for a very long long time.  

Poker has created some interesting characters among us. Introducing Mr.Ayushman Dutta aka James Bond. Nowadays he is seen walking with the poker brief case and is even pursuing alternative careers in Bollywood. Don-3 might see a new star! He is the official dealer and is more often not, cursed by Swati for bad if not horrible cards. Swati is the “chupa rustam” who is expert in silently accumulating wealth while she is busy killing pigs simultaneously!

Shine comes in as the official Poker expert. He knows every nuance of the game and is extremely canny. Sometimes he too succumbs to the daredevil risk takers we have in our group. But he is the master enticer who quietly folds most of the time and focuses all his energy into coaxing people to go ALL-IN and in the process manages to create Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers out of Chases and Bank of Americas.  

Shalini is the surprise package in every game. She is the ultimate risk taker who can even bet on nothing and manages to catch many a bluff in the process. She can be a Brazil in a recession and at the very next moment do a Greece too!  But beware: Don’t give your money to her after dinner as she believes in wealth redistribution if you know what I mean.

Arpana adds a new dimension to the game with a complete grasp of all the rules! She is the one who refused to look at her own cards because she thought it was a new rule that Shine suggested. She can fold when she is the little blind and do check when the person before had bet a 100. She also takes a long look at the rule book to check the best winning combinations and then think for long before eventually saying: “I fold”. Alas, everyone just thought you had a straight flush!

Monica will be remembered as the one who only deals in 100s even if she was the big blind and the minimum bet was 20. Who else will raise bets by 50 in first 2 rounds and fold in the third? She is the self-proclaimed confidence player!

Neha and Abhijit complete the pack as the “UNPREDICTABLES” and add to the excitement of the game. They bluff with ease and play high stakes. Abhijit has the proverbial “bring it on” look and he gets into interesting duels with Neha who always thinks he is bluffing! Neha also has the Poker best line (To Abhijit of course) till date to her credit: “I will do a 9/11 on your Poker chip towers”! That is some serious threat! Poker is so much fun when you have such diverse skillsets on the table. All in all, it is Paisa Vasool!

But the best part is that we are always treated to some mouth-watering delicacies by Neha or Monica. Ayushman chips in with his delicious cakes. This last time, Abhijit’s mom was the co-conspirer in giving us all a food coma. We hog and then we go again. Of course, food calms some nerves while it pushes the adrenalin levels high in others who end up losing not only their money but also others’. But whether someone gets a straight or a flush, it is always a FULL HOUSE!

Starring in Alphabetical Order: Abhijit, Arpana, Ayushman, Monica, Neha, Shalini, Shine, Swati et Moi (Raj).

Cameos (not in any order): Wake up Sid, Garima, Abhijit’s mom, Mani Singh

XMU3 PSPICE!

My graduation cap and gown are here but it still hasn’t sunk in. I don’t know if and when it will happen. But while I was ruminating about the past 2 years of my MBA life, my memory pushed the rewind button a little further and took me to a time that could probably be called as the best phase in most of our lives: COLLEGE DAYS. There are some moments that remain in our hearts forever and there are a few people who however distant they are will still be part of our lives. This post is about one such happy bunch of friends.

Almost 12 years ago (seems like yesterday), we came to BITS Pilani with different motives, ambitions and dreams but with an anxiety and excitement deep inside. We were all put to test immediately in different ways: some missed their loved ones, some cracked to ragging, some couldn’t take the heat of classes and others couldn’t stand the cold outside. But all of us responded in our own unique ways: some made 2 phone calls a day to their moms, while others switched to gate-calls. Some did night outs and others skipped classes for a chai. Some bathed at 6 in the morning while others went 31 days without a shower. Some fell in love, some thought they were in love and others didn’t know Meera Bhavan existed. But one thing we all did: we made friends; we all came together. We bunked classes together, we tried to study together, couldn’t and hence ended up crashing together. We sledged each other in a game of cricket and then bonded over a “sam-chat”. Classes were empty while ANC’s cash registers and Nagar Redi’s account receivables shot up thanks to us. We became friends for life. We became inseparable.

About 10 years ago, we decided to call ourselves: “XMU3 PSPICE”. That might be the geekiest name you would have ever heard, but we are still the coolest bunch you could ever imagine. We had cricket stars, a rock star, sheer entertainers, a could have been politician, an electrician, an artist, an architect, a compere, a director, an orator, some prolific singers, many bathroom singers, geniuses and an Albert Einstein. And all of us had the time of our life. 4 years flew by and there was never a dull moment. Well, all good things come to an end. Words cannot describe the emotions that engulfed me when we parted. I wondered will life ever be the same again.

All of us left college to make a mark in this world and are still at it. Some became what they wanted to be and others loved what they became. Some settled down, some are still looking to mingle while others prefer to keep their status top secret. Spread all over the world, we do different things and have different lives, but not a single day goes by without a small thought or a quick chat or a long yap with one another. And every time we meet, we reminisce and relive those wonderful days of our lives all over again. Life is not the same anymore and it won’t be. But I am sure we will all have time to share each other’s little moments of joy or grief, chat on a Saturday afternoon about the ridiculous things we did in college or catch a movie together. That is all we need to take a trip down memory lane!

Ant, Bogsie, Chicken, Dino, Dipon, Dobhi, Ganda, Harish, Jaggi, Jty, Kaluvi, Karadi, Kath, Keetu, Kela, Kuja, Malli, Pku, Rangu, Rbha, Rod, Saip, Sesh, Shaathu, Shanki, Sprayee, SSS, Truc – This is for you guys. Love you all!

Zimp.

RAINY DAYS!

What does rain mean to us? Well, different things to different people and nothing to a select few. I think rain reminds us of our very existence. No, I am not trying to be dramatic or poetic here. It detaches us from our frenzy lives and makes us enjoy the smaller joys in life to which we have become ignorant of. It makes some of us bunk school or work to sit next to the window and gaze for hours. It makes a few of us (the crazier bunch) go out in the rain, come back absolutely drenched, change and then head out again.

I knew I was missing something. Filter coffee! (Okay… the not so lucky ones can go to Coffee Day or Starbucks). Sipping filter coffee on a rainy day is pure bliss. And it is damn simple. All you need is a coffee filter and some finely ground fresh coffee roast (45% chicory!). Put 3 spoons of coffee powder into the filter and add 1 glass of hot boiling water to it. Once it filters, add the decoction to a cup of milk and throw in a generous dose of sugar. (Diet watchers use sugar free and diabetics make sure that your spouse is not around!) And voila! Elixir for a rainy morning is ready. For people in love: make one cup, head to your balcony, hold hands, sip some coffee, experience rain and celebrate life!

When rain comes, the earth wears cologne, sun takes a nap, clouds clap to celebrate and trees dance in joy to a composition of the wind. A rabbit makes a run to its hole. Then it changes its mind and slowly pops its head out to enjoy the rain in installations. A peacock shows its moves. The deer looks impressed. Flowers turn greedy and try to collect as many rain drops as possible. Leaves beneath them take the left overs. Everybody seems to want a piece of rain. So, why exactly do you hide in your living room or run for an umbrella? Come out and watch the leaves share a kiss with the rain drops.

I cannot tell you enough about rain. Nobody can. But I just have a few parting words:

Rain lovers, have you tried having ice cream in rain? It is divine. Try it the next time Mr.Rain comes to visit.

And skeptics, try the 1 minute rule! Shed your fears or inhibitions or whatever it is, go out in the rain, close your eyes, spread your arms and let the water droplets shower you with kisses for a minute. I am sure you will thank me after that. You may think it is insanity. I agree. But trust me; it is the most beautiful form of insanity you could ever imagine!