It was a long, long time after which my friend Swami and I met my broker friend Jigneshbhai over coffee yesterday. Like always, it was Swami who started while Jigneshbhai and I were sipping our coffee. “This Modi sarkar is useless. It only talks. Nothing has changed on the ground.” I looked at Jigneshbhai to … Read more
“Swami uncle, how do you know that Ganpati Bappa goes to his home elsewhere after we immerse him?” asked Jigneshbhai’s son as we were returning after immersing the Swami’s Ganesh idol after this year’s festival. It was Swami’s turn to be at the receiving end of questions this time from our broker friend’s son. Jigneshbhai … Read more
“To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow” said Audrey Hepburn. I realized the truth in it over the past few months. The wife has been venturing into gardening – a small beginner home garden – for the past few months, and as an observer, contributor and co-passenger, the ride has taught me a … Read more
“What was your motivation? Can you give us a few tips?” asked one of Swami’s friends to my broker friend Jigneshbhai when we met him last weekend. It was a slightly different coffee meet last weekend as some of Swami’s and my friends had also joined us for a coffee session with our broker friend. … Read more
I recently read about the ‘Emu business’ that had apparently led to ‘investors’ losing major capital in the four Indian Southern states over the past few years. (More here) The story was this: the Emu is the next big thing after Chicken in the Poultry business. And it was much more profitable. There was major … Read more
“So finally this is the happy ending we were looking for!” said Swami, in an especially exuberant mood today, as we met for coffee this weekend. Swami’s smile knew no bounds today. “I wonder what took them so long!” he exclaimed. My broker friend, Jigneshbhai, obviously realized that the reason for Swami’s impish glee was … Read more
“It’s a bit like Karma. Every entry on the debit side has an entry on the credit side. There cannot be a single absolute good or bad” said the old man in the sprawling bungalow sitting next to our table while Jigneshbhai, Swami and I were enjoying our coffee. Today while we were silent, the … Read more
Either I am a completely outdated, antique piece who doesn’t get it, or I may be a very calm composed person. I tend to give myself a positive spin with a benefit of doubt thinking it is the latter, but I suspect the former is perhaps closer to the truth. The last week has seen me pose … Read more
“Indians have a love hate relationship with stock markets” said the CEO of the Bombay Stock Exchange a few months back. And he goes on to add “We have a market that is not safe for investors to a large extent.” Further he adds “Only 2% of India i.e. 20-25 Million people invest in shares … Read more