Prabu Karthik’s viewfinder

This post is in honor of my friend and colleague S~ herein after referred to as CCW.

What’s so smart about him? Can you get a loan of Rs. two lakhs at a net interest rate of 9-10% per annum without security, without blank cheques, without any records against your name? And without any due dates to pay?
He still stays within the legal ambit. He does not commit any fraud for sure, I can vouch for that.

He has managed so far with nothing but just credit cards. Please bear in mind that ordinary users in India end up paying as much as 37% for credit cards debts. Also bear in mind that its difficult to get home loans at 9% now in India.

He would like to publish the way it works, but only after he is done with all his commitments lest the banks and card companies change the rules of the game

He is a pucca hacker in positive sense even otherwise. He is junior to me by five years. I wish I had his current maturity and intelligence now, or at least five years into the future. Very smart character.

Finance matter
Forex derivatives and ‘Armstrong’ Palanisamys - a very interesting article by Gurumurthy

Fun matter
Manal Kayiru = Linked list - funny post by Vettipaiyal. English blogs (well most of them) sucks when compared to thamizh blogs. Do check out Gilli for the GPS in Chennai post too. Reminded me of my own traffic tips written two years ago. Total fun

Tech matter
Joel Spolsky regulars would know this was written loooong back. But I read this only last weekWhat is Design?(First Draft)

The last few days have been boring to say the least – like a low score one sided ODI.

Of blogworthy mention is that I got a hike which I honestly do not think I deserve. And at last I made a successful visit to the ration office and I am well on course to get a new ration card in Chennai. I realize that being independent and dealing things alone makes one an SME in a lot of stuff. It can be both frustrating and a liberating experience.

My close friend’s periamma, who was normal when I spoke to in person on Saturday in Coimbatore passed away the same night even as I was returning to Chennai. The entire family is yet to get out of the shock. I spoke to my friend’s father and he completely broke down while talking. Strangely, I could hear Ilayaraja’s BGM in Devar Magan climax even as my friend’s dad was crying to me over phone. I think some BGMs are just embedded in my subconscious.

What is a tragedy? In a way it’s the conflict between the conscious and the subconscious. The conscious would say the person is no more and the subconscious would simply refuse to accept it. We get over it when the subconscious realizes that the person is indeed no more.

Three days have already gone in this week. Nowadays I am taking one day at a time, like the batsman chasing a low score in ODI. Things are under control, but should not do anything silly. The goal is important, no matter how boring the task is. One day at a time is what I keep saying to myself.

With the sensex falling everyday, talking about the market is taboo. But heck, i like this taboo topic at least.
Agreed the inflation is in double digits, the FIIs are selling but the world has not stopped yet. And most likely it will not.
This too shall pass.

I am curious to know the fate of the following in the coming months/years:

Tata Motors
Amara raja Batteries
JK Lakshmi Cement
PNB, Canara Bank and the gang.
India Glycols
ABG Shipyard
Bharati Shipyard
ITC
Idea (possibly a debt free company post spice merger)
Marico
Quintegra Solutions
Wipro
Sasken
ICSA

One can have fun by periodically investing some savings in any of these stocks for the next five years. People who make money are those who buy less and sell for more. I believe that is not going to change because of sub-prime mortgage. Just like irrational exuberance, irrational pessimism do not last either.

PS: I am having lot of fun looking at real estate stocks and Reliance Power everyday. Prajay Engineering is attractive though.

Can someone explain why it should take one hour to travel a distance of 6 kms?

Let’s say you are visiting Chennai for the first time. You know no one here. No friends, relatives, creditors, debtors. You simply took the old rickety SETC (route no:137) from Madurai the previous night hoping to make it big in this bad city. The bus is about to stop near Guindy Kathipara. Where will you go first? Will you head towards the Anna Samadhi because that’s what they show on TV whenever they talk about Chennai? How about Koyambedu because that is the last stop for the bus and that you need not decide right now? Will you go to Ramapuram because that’s where Idhaya Deivam once lived?

Where do you go first?

Confusing isn’t it? There’s no right or wrong. There’s none to guide you. And yet you have to choose the best in the world given the circumstances. And that’s precisely how I feel right now. Lots of touch and go in lots of things. No heuristics to fall back. No God to pray. None to guide. And yet I have to choose the one route among lots of options in life. Suddenly life is offering me too many options and these are as challenging as constraints. Choice paradox, oh yeah tell me about it!..

http://expertdabbler.com/2006/12/19/vazhkaye-alai-poley/

A similar post like this 18 months back! Back to square one…

I was browsing through India’s best known online marketplace for tanjore paintings. I felt the amount quoted was too high. I maybe wrong though. I remember my MD in my first company talking to tanjore painting suppliers for Rs.1500 back in 2001-2.

But there are not many options and sellers to check out in the site anyway. A monopoly is always good for the business but bad for the consumer.

The ancient Indian arts and crafts makers should be taught how to use internet to better their own businesses. Why do we wait for the Ambanis and the Sam Waltons to bridge the gap between the consumers and the farmer / artist/ craftsman? And yet crib that they are killing the small traders?

What have the small traders done to learn to leverage this medium. Why the internet still perceived to be only for the IT pro?
The internet is nothing if not a great leveler. Fundamental yet low cost initiatives like these will be far more potent than writing cheques to NGOs who claim to protect our heritage, culture, idly, vadai, sambhar etc from foreign invaders. The language is not as great a barrier as it was two years ago. The millions of thamizh blogs stand testimony to that fact more than anything else.

Its not so okay to crib about inadequate internet infrastructure and sit on our bum, we do not have road infrastructure either but still we do make use of whatever pathetic infrastructure we have and travel, right?

All said and done, the days of regional language/local internet marketplaces and portals is not far off. This is my hunch.

We might as well have a social networking site where Muniyaandi and Palaniswamy, both small retailers, scrap each other through through their mobile phones about daily vegetable sales, Poppy seed (kasa kasa) being more expensive than cashew nut (its a fact btw), bad weather spoiling the tomatoes in koyambedu market etc. Why not??

nadhaswaram, originally uploaded by expertdabbler.

Who is taller, the nadaswaram or the kid?
The junior was just mimicking the senior. The senior was doubly happy, for obvious reasons

Back from yet another wedding. I should have around 500 wedding pictures by now. Not all of them are, ‘look straight, say cheers!’ kinda snaps. Some are decidedly off-beat and more documentary-ish. Right now the tilt is more towards Tam-brahm weddings. I am looking forward to shoot more mallu and gult weddings. Some chettiar, pillai weddings would not hurt as well. More variety the better. More secular the better too. There are good thinking and reasons behind every community’s rituals, right?

Will South Indian weddings be the same fifty years from now? To what extent have we evolved in the last fifty years in weddings? Who will know the meaning and relevance of the current customs and rituals in say, 2045?
As of now, among my relative circles, there are some specialists ladies who can be safely described as ‘All in all azhagu raanis’ as far as rituals and proceedings go. They know the process A to Z. What if those people get old and/or pass away in another 20 years? I do not see any mentoring happening. The daughters and sons of those “All in all” types are busy with project meetings and conf. calls etc. They could not care less about rituals and customs. Personally, i am sub-zero in my community customs.

I think a ready reckoner in the form of a book or documentary will come in very handy in future to those who care about.

Having said that, I will never forget one of my friend’s wedding album. I was seeing through and I felt something was amiss there.

“Nalla dhaan irukku, aana ennamo kurayudhu da!”

“Ah.. adhu vandhu album fulla naanum en wife mattum dhaan iruppom”

“Oh yeah!.. yenda apdi?”

“Mothamave 10 per dhaan marriage ku..Marriage enga nadandhudhu theriyumo?”

“Enga da”

“Enga veetu hall la dhaan!”

Ahaa! this was “wedding from home” variety. Poor guy, the girl’s side vehemently opposed this marriage. So he did it in-house in true kollywood style. It’s another matter that no amount of wedding ready reckoners will impress this guy. He is the SME ( subject matter expert ) in registered marriages in my friend’s circle

Watched 21 - loved it.
Those who are looking for a good veg. restaurant can also check out ‘Rasam’ a Sri Krishna Sweets venture in Purasawakkam.
Use just dial for more info

But the highlight of yesterday’s outing was the rain and my struggles to come home late night. Anna Salai is the only motorable road in Chennai on a rainy day. We are heading for adventurous times.