Top 5 Shopping Malls in Mumbai

Mumbai-Thane has over 40 malls altogether, however not all are worth exploring. I have prepared a list of top 10 shopping malls/ shopping destinations to check out in Mumbai/Thane. Although I am not a shopaholic person myself, but i like to visit such places once in a while and spend an evening roaming about the Malls. I avoided mentioning the names of brands present in the malls as it would make the article very long and boring.

High Street Pheonix
The best mall of Mumbai as mentioned by me in my previous articles, this place is also the house for the poshest brands of the world. located near the Lower Parel railway station, its as such a compound accomodating two malls : Pallidium and Grand Galleria. Some of the major stores are still under construction. A variety of brands, mostly premium ones are present here in addition to the designer-wear stores which makes for a quite costly shopping experience. I bet you'll find brands here that have just one store in India. Overall the location is superb, ambience and crowd is amazing and brands are nice but costly. You can go to spend an evening here and watch a movie at PVR followed by dinner at several multi-cuisine restaurants. Food-court like other such malls is absent and is replaced by full-fledged resturants.
Website: www.highstreetphoenix.com/ 
Address: High Street Phoenix
The Phoenix Mills Limited
462, Senapati Bapat Marg,
Lower Parel (West)
Rating:
Brands: 8/10
Ambience: 9/10
Overall: 9/10

R-City Mall Ghatkopar
Self acclaimed largest mall of Mumbai is indeed quite large I'd say. Only 70% of the stores and space is in use presently and the remaining 30% is under construction. But the place which is open is developed very nicely. This mall has got the widest mix of the brands and i find it the best shopping destination for everyone as the range of brands present is very broad. Located between Ghatkopar and Vikroli, the mall has revived the area. The mall looks very lively to me because of its nice architecture. A large food court which is mostly over filled on weekends and Deccan City Pride Multiplex are the two places to check-out here. Dining can be quite truobling as you'll have to be really quick to steal a table from the crowd.
Website: http://www.rcity.co.in/
Address: R City Mall, LBS Marg, Ghatkopar, Ghatkopar West
Rating:
Brands:8
Ambience:9
Overall:8.5

In Orbit Mall Malad
I have visited all the Inorbit mall in like Pune, Vashi and Hyderabad and you bet they have an appetite for excellence. This place is no exception. Beautiful architecture and plentiful brands make it the ultimate shopping destination. Food court which houses the maximum number multifrious kiosks is an appetizer for anyone, I bet. The mall is very large and has many stores so you'll sure get what you are looking for here.
Website: http://www.inorbit.in/malad/
Address:Inorbit Malls ( India ) Pvt. Ltd.,
Link Road, Malad (W),
Mumbai – 400 064
Rating:
Brands:9
Ambience:8
Overall:8.5


Atria The Millenium Mall
Its the most popular mall among the people of So-Bo. Located in the posh locality like Worli the brands are obviously expected to be hi-end and expensive. Apart from the retail and fashion outlets it also is the premium auto destination The world's top brands like Ducati, BMW and Rolce Royce have their showrooms here. Also present here is the popular entertainment zone Orama- which has a 4-D theater, an ice skating rink and a gaming zone near by the multi-cuisine food-court. Some stores are not fully operative possibly due to high cost but low turnover.
Website: http://www.atriamumbai.in/
Address:Dr. Annie Beasant Road, Worli
Rating:
Brands:8
Ambience:7
Overall:7.5

Korum Mall
I couldn't resist myself from adding a Mall from Thane.
The most popular shopping destination for the people of Thane is located in the heart of the city. The mall is beautifully build. You can see 90% of the stores from the ground floor and thats the beauty of its architecture. Its like a megastructure with stores fitted into the walls. Architecture is simple and the ambiece is pleasent. The brands are from all ranges and affordable I'd say. So after enjoying the shopping you can go out for a movie in Inox or have a pleasent dining experience. But the food court doesnot house too many stores and hence the choices offered are limited.
Website: http://korum.in/
Address: Mangal Pandey Road, Off Easter Express Highway, Thane(W)
Rating:
Brands: 7
Ambiece:7
Overall:7


More on Malls and Shopping in my next article.

Emotional Independence -2

In my previous article i gave a general idea about emotional independence. Now I am going to take the point further and define emotional independence and tell why is it important.
Emotional Independence can be defined as the ability of the mind to be free from the affect of emotions of others, to feel whatever it pleases without being affected by the activities of other people.
Looking at it practically it looks quite natural and obvious that why should an individual be affected by activities and actions of others. But in real life scenario the case is completely different as we know. Human beings will always continue to be dependent on other people emotionally. The ideal case for emotional independence is very hard to achieve as we are very much attached to our loved ones. But it can be achieved to a level where we can modify own behavior and actions irrespective of the emotions. We can supress our emotions to such an extent that they no longer have an affect on us and we can behave normally even in case of extreme emotions.

The whole idea behind being emotionally independent is to be self sufficient and every sense. An emotionally stable individual will always be stronger than someone who is emotionally sensitive. The sensitive individual will bring in emotions into the situations where logic is required and might end up taking a wrong decision directed by emotions. On the other hand an emotionally stable and I'm afraid to use the word but also, an 'apathetic' indivudual will take a better in case of calamity which gave rise to extreme emotions. Being a living being and furthermore, a human being, emotions are meant to be a part of our life. I don't deny that. But I deny the fact that we need to take support of our emotions while taking decisions. Let alone support, one should not even consider ones emotions while taking decisions lest one regret it later. Yes, emotions can be supressed and by doing so one can take better decisions in life. After all its your decisions that will decide the course the course of your life.
I've heard people saying my mind is saying No but by heart is saying Yes. We know that the mind is the only organ in body capable of taking decisions and thinking. Obviusly, heart can't think. So here in this case, we can say that the person is bringing the emotions into play and I bet most of you will go with what you believe your heart is saying. Nevermind.

Finally i'd like to add that emotions can't be fully annihilated as they arise as a part of hormonal and neural signals, but we can achieve a mastery on them with practise.
 

Emotional Independence

Please don't read if you don't like the subject, because it will only get worse from here.

Human beings are meant to live a life of happiness and enjoyment. Yes, pain and suffering are a part of life,but these feelings don't define life. Pain is never to be taken seriously. Life is defined by the positive emotions. Personally, i always try keeping myself calm and regret the few times I've got angry or frustrated because of some other human being. I regret being perturbed because of someone else and I consider it to be my weakness and inability. Why so?

The expression of negative emotions or the mere existence of it shows your dependence on others. If someone else's actions incite you or cause anger, then you should realize you are weak. Anger is the biggest sign of weakness. Weakness, not physical but emotional. You are weak because you are dependent on others. Your emotions are guided by other people's actions. How can it be left to someone else that what you are supposed to feel. Emotions is what you feel, and what you feel is what you are. So, if you grant another individual the previledge of defining you, perhaps you need to start taking life more seriously now.

I have my own way to keep the emotions under control. Whenever I experience a negative feeling like frustration or anger because of someone else, I make conscious efforts to supress it. I supress it by saying to myself that I can't let anyone affect my emotions. My emotions can't depend on others. I repeatedly say this until I am able to supress the feeling to a lesser significance.

However by saying all this i dont implicate that one should not feel sympathy or empathy towards the loved ones. Here i am only talking about the negative emotions that arise due to others. The positive ones should be lived and enjoyed to the greatest extent, because it is how life is meant to be, happy and joyous.

More on the topic in my next article.

And they call it Freedom

The Indian constitution has listed seven rights, one of which is right to freedom. Although I am against the idea of democracy altogether, but for the time being I will not talk about it. I will just like to write about the Right to Freedom which is a fundermental right of citizens of India.

By definition:
Right to freedom includes freedom of speech and expression, assembly, association or union or cooperatives, movement, residence, and right to practice any profession or occupation (some of these rights are subject to security of the State, friendly relations with foreign countries, public order, decency or morality), right to life and liberty, right to education, protection in respect to conviction in offences and protection against arrest and detention in certain cases.

First of all, I find the definition flawed in itself. I don't think anyone has the authority to grant freedom to someone else. Now, even if you grant a right to freedom, there can be no exception to it. Freedom doesnot come with any chains or chuches. It is absolute. Freedom is the independence to do anything one wishes, whatever be the consequences. Obviously, absolute freedom can be disastrous because world is full of psychopaths and anti-social elements. But this doesnot changes the definition of freedom. If you grant freedom to someone, you can't put conditions on it. Freedom, if not absolute, cannot be called freedom. It can be anything but it.

So now, even if you can't grant unquestioning freedom, atleast fulfill what you claim to grant. You say one has freedom of speech provided it doesnot infringe the National security. But then you ban individuals from Social Media sites like Twitter and Facebook for instance. You ban people from protesting peacefully. Again, not that I care too much about the protests as they almost all go in
vain and are fruitless means of fulfilling ones demands. But even then, if one wishes to protest and feels that by protesting and rallying like this, he will get what he wants, then why block him. Why is he locked behind the bars for a peaceful procession. Aren't they trespassing the rights they have granted themselves?

Right to freedom cannot be granted by anyone. No one has the authority to grant this particular right to anyone else. Be it the government or parents. One is born with it and if it is compromised in any sense then one must fight till he dies for it. Because if you are not free, then life is worthless.


My inspiration for writing this article is the song 'Aazaadiyaan' from the movie Udaan.

10 places you should visit if you are in Mumbai

Top-10 Hotspots of Mumbai you must visit if you are here:

1. Marine Drive - Nariman Point
Location: 10minutes walk from Churchgate Station.
This is by far the best spot of Mumbai. The three km long strech of road is like "jannat" on earth. Its expensively clean and tidy (which is quite unexpected by Mumbai standards). You'll find people from all age groups here. Couples spending some solitary time, old people chattering, college students enjoying a bunked-day, an mid-aged lady jogging, an old man walking his dog are the types quite frequently visible. So as you walk enjoying the skyscrapers on one side and sea on another, you reach Nariman Point, the end of the road . You can spend an evening full of solitude, watching the stillness of the sea and get lost in some random thoughts. Sometimes I wish I could go there everyday.


2. Gateway of India - Hotel Taj Palace
Location: 10minutes ride from CST station.
The place has great historical significance for India. There are two historically important monuments in the area: The Gateway of India and The Hotel Taj, built by Jamshedji Tata. The place is usually crowded by tourists from all over the world. You can stand there all day, just looking at the blend of ethinical diversity. The horse-carts (or Vicoria as it is called here) is a popular ride here for the famalies. However you may not see it the next time you visit this place because of the protests against its use by activists. So while you are busy looking at people and clicking a few snaps, your attention will be caught by a convoy of BMWs and RolceRoyce passing through. The convoy will stop near at The Taj and you'll learn to ignore it the next time. The place is not as clean as Marine Drive but its undoubtedly the most popular tourist spot in Mumbai.

3. Colaba Causeway
Location: 10minutes ride from CST station

The ultimate shopping destination for college students and foreing tourists. Long strech of street shops placed on pavements outside the branded stores make a wonderful shopping spot for everyone. Right behind the Taj hotel the area is the costliest and the liveliest place in the most lively city of India. If you are in Mumbai, you can't go without visiting this place. Here you'll find some famous bars like Cafe Mondegar and Leopold Cafe and amazing street food restaurant like Bademiya and one of the oldest theater in Mumbai- Metro. You can come here with anyone and spend a good evening shopping and have awesome street food.

4. Siddhivinayak TempleLocation: 15mins walk from Dadar Railway Station. Dadar(West)
Although I am not a religious fellow myself but I couldn't resist giong to the most important temple in Mumbai. The temple is devoted to hindu god Ganesh and Mumbai has lots of devotees of him. So whenever you come here, you'll find long queues of devotees waiting for a glimpse of the idol of Ganesha for a few seconds. The place is usually crowded and has tight security provisions just like any other tourist spot here. The temple is large and the ambience is pleasent. The structure is made up of marble and overall the place gives a soothing feeling. Do visit it if you are even a bit religous. Also if you are not.



5. Haji Ali Dargah and Mahalakshmi Temple
Location: 10 mins cab from Mahalakshmi Station

The Dargah is located on a small island and is accessible through a narrow walking lane. The lane will be full of dreadfull looking beggers (who might be earnings by the hundreds everyday). As you reach the dargah you'll get to listen Sufi Music and quawallis. The place is a popular tourist spot among the Muslims. The place is heavly crowded most of the times. But if you are in Mumbai and want to acquint with every aspect of this city, then this place can not be missed out.

About 10mins walk away is the famous Mahalakshmi Temple of Mumbai. Its the second most popular temple here. However I didn't feel so as it was not very large and flambouyant as other rich Indian Temples. The temple has a feeling of serenity and peace which is quite unusual in Mumbai.

6. Essel World - Water Kingdom
Location: 30mins ferry from Gorai Beach or 30mins BEST bus from Bhayender Station

I don't think this place needs and description. We have grown up hearing to the famous Essel World anthem. Its and amazing amusement park streched over more then 50 acres. There are numerous rides for people of every age and I bet no one can get enough of it. You'll spend the whole day arguing over which ride to miss out as you can't enjoy all of it in a single day. You'll have to keep some of it for later visits.

Similarly exiting is the slides of Water-Kingdom. Large pools of water and numerous slides for everyone makes it the best water park of the country. But visiting both the places on a single day may not be a good idea as you won't be able to enjoy either.

7. High Street Pheonix Mall
Location: 10mins walk from Lower Parel Station. I could not resist myself from including a Mall in a list of 10 places worth visiting in Mumbai. Its the best mall of Mumbai in terms of the Architecture, Brands available and Crowd. Located in the heart of the city, its a great place to shop, provided you have a heavy pocket. Actually High Street Pheonix Mall is not a mall in itself but a collection of 2-3 malls and compounds which makes it a perfect destination for shopping and dining. The place is not completely developed yet, but you won't even realize that.

8. Girgaum Chopatty
Location: 10mins cab from CST.
Its more commonly called as chaupatty by people here. Chaupatty is the most popular picnic spot for the famalies in South Mumbai. You'll see lots of famalies and college students enjoying themselves at the beach. You'll get enough space here to run all day long and play. After you are done with roaming about the beach and start feeling tired, you can rent in a 'chatai' floor mat for rs10 and have awesome chaupatti food like pav-bhaji, bhel-puri, chaat and fruit juice sold by the numerous vendors here. Alternately you can also bring in you home made food and spend an awesome day out with your family and friends.

9. Band Stand
Location: 15mins cab drive from Bandra railway Station
Band-Stand is more of a lover's point of Mumbai. You'll find plentiful couples sitting here during evening, spending a pleasurable time together. The sea-shore is primarily rocky here so you can't enjoy the sea at large. But you can always have a nice time with your special ones, with cool sea breeze making the evening all the more pleasent. Not just that, the Band-stand is also home to many bollywood super-stars. SRK and Arbaaz Khan are just the two of many. So you might also get lucky some day to have a small chat with them. Further, another positive factor about band stand is that its not occupied by irritating street vendors and is quite clean. 


10. Bandra-Worli Sea Link
Location: Between Bandra-Worli through the Sea. I couldn't resist myself including this marvel in the list of 10 Places worth visiting in Mumbai. The 7KM long 4lane road is a spectacular man-made structure.As you pass thruogh the road for the first time, you'll get a chance to see Mumbai from a completely different angle. You'll see a beautiful image of Mumbai's skyline in the night. It will look more of a scenery than reality. During rains it looks all the more marvellous. Do take a ride here whenever you get a chance to. Please drive safely.

After one year @ Polaris Financial Technology

I joined Polaris Financial Technology, Mumbai on 25th july 2011 along with 20 more friends from my college and today I had completed one year here. I had joined as a Software Consultant and being a fresher I was quite unaware of the software terminologies and my technical know-how was also not up to the par. But as an year passed by, I got to learn a lot. In every aspect I gained a lot of knowledge, be it technical or professional.We all freshers also got a decent salary in hand which was greater than most of peer employees here and because of which we became the object of jealousy.

On the negative side, employee satisfaction was not the concern of managers or HR here. It was not given importance. Employees are not treated as human-beings but as objects. The project in which I was working seemed to be an unimportant project for the company. It was also not well managed, which is reflected by the high attrition rate. Seven people resgned out ot a team of 18, within six months. So, employee dissatisfaction is emminent. Claims and compensatory-off against work done on weekends are held up and this further caused frustration among the team. Company policies are also not very employee friendly.

There was one incident which caused unrest among batchmates from my college. Some of us were on bench for quite some time and all of a sudden one day, a mail comes from global HR regarding a test to be conducted. It was stated that those unable to clear the test will be asked to leave the company. Furthermore, the conditions to clear the test was to score 80% in a technical and 80% in Apptitude round. Yes, none of us cleared the test and the company indeed asked 3 of my friends to resign as they were on bench for a long time and hence were more of a liability to the company.

My experience here with people was also not very good. I got to meet different kinds of people with different problems. I met talanted people being underpaid and complete idiots being paid heavily. I would say that for a fresher its not a right company to be in.

Rating:
Learning: 6/10
Compensation: 8/10
Environment: 5/10
Overall: 6/10

I - FREE

In continuation of the previous article I talked about different dimensions of independence. Now I'd proceed further with the concept of financial independence which I consider to be the most important from the perspective of an individuals ego. 
Financial independence is the ability to live a healthy life fulfilled with the basic necessities without any financial help from any other human being or institution. 
I always find it acceptable and rather valid, the comparison of human beings with jungle animals. I find plausible the similarities between the two. The animals take care of their young ones, teach them to earn their food and the art of sustainability during their early ages. In the same was a human being is taught, throughout his childhood and adolescence to try becoming capable of earning a living and sustaining in this world. However after a certain age, when the young ones are able enough, the adult animals leave them to sustain on their own. 
My motive of showing such a contrast might be clear. If not, let me help you. Human beings are also animal-like in most respects. So, if one fine day, when an adult animal sets free the young one, isn't it possible and also natural for human beings to follow suite. Is it not the way human are meant to live. 
Well, what i am describing here might be unorthodox and not many will like my idea, I know. People will argue about man being a social animal. Social, i am unable to understand it enough. 
The point I want to state is- Once an individual starts earning, he/she should start preparing to be financially independent. From the day he/she earns their first wage/profit, they should begin their journey towards independence. If the goal is not reached by the time you retire(if at all you wish to retire ever) then alas, you have never achieved this one kind of independence ever. But, again I'd like to say what I had already said earlier (in my last article): During the process of being financially independent, one must not forget his duties and responsibilities. 
I'd further discuss about the same in my next article where I'd talk about real life practices to be followed to achieve this goal- Financial Independence-the most important one for an individual's ego.        

Independence

This article has been written keeping in mind the retired individuals. I am going to discuss a different dimention of independence and not the usual kind of independence as we have always perceived it to be. Independence is the most importance criteria of an individuals existence. I have always beleived in independent living and I think most of us do. But what is independence is what we fail to define. Some say we are independent because India is no longer ruled by Britishers while others have a completly different conception of independence where they live in jungles independent of any other human being's intervention. Well, my definition of independence is rather closer to the latter's conception of independence than former's.
Independence to me is the capablity of an individual to live without the help of another individual in any from what so ever. Here I'd like to further explain that help from others is different from the exchange or trade of values or materials such that both the parties benefit. Help is done without selfish motive but trade is done for mutual benefit. So being independent essentially means that you are not helped by others but trade and exchange of benefits is taking place for mutual benefit. Independence is not limited to Financial independence but has more parameters as Emotional, Social and Spiritual. I'd explain these in my next articles.
Being independent means to be ready to face the worst nightmares alone. It means to have the confidence and capability to live independently without any other human beings intervention. The point I want to state here is that if there comes a day when an individual has no family, no friend to give him a shoulder, he should not be heart-broken, instead he should prepare himself, everyday of his life for such an eventuality. He should always be ready for the day when everyone else would relinquish him and he has to live all by himself. He shuold prepare himself for the day when he need not depend on any other individual for his existence. When that day is achieved, I'll say that he has achieved independence.
But there is another side of it that I'd like to point out. In the process of being independent, one must not relinquis his duties and responsiblities rather he himself must help others dependent on him to attain independence. I'd restate that independence is the most important criteria of one's existence and should not be compromised at any cost.

Prepare your own Retirement Plan

The retirement planning industry is starting to get matured in India or well it has already matured enough with the presence of more than 10 players which offer umpteen products related to retirement planning or pension funds. What surprises me is that how did an industry flourish in a field where none is needed. Yes, precisely none is needed. 

Before getting into the details I would first like to brief about the functioning of these funds:

You pay monthly installments for years till you retire and after retirement they pay back the money. There are two modes of payments offered: 

1) They pay a lump-sum amount after your retirement or 

2) They pay small amounts till you die depending upon the terms and conditions.

The main reason I am writing this article is to make you aware that the preposterous funds like pension and retirement planning funds are not required and unnecessary. Are not we self-sufficient in planning for our own retirement. How can some third person plan for our retirement better than ourselves.

Keeping apart the theoretical part, lets move on to the practical application.
I'll show you how these funds are not actually more profitable then a Fixed Deposit.
Let me explain with the help of a real life example:

There is a fund which asks for 4K/month till your retirement and pays back 1Crore at the time of your retirement. So for investing in this fund for 40 years, you'll have invested approx. 20 lakhs and will get 1Crore in return. Well, looks fair enough. Isn't it?    

Lets check it out: 

Investing 4K/month @ 10%/annum for 40 years compounded annually will give you: 

 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2Crore 68Lakhs 31Thousand 8Hundred and ninety rupees.

So in fact you loose more than 1 Crore rupees.

 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This was an ideal scenario which never exists. Taking a practical scenario:

Investing 4K/month @ 10%/annum for 32 years compounded annually will give you:

1Crore 2Lakhs 6Thousand 8hundred and 88 rupees.

You lose more than 2Lakhs.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have taken the interest as compounded annually but actually it is compounded quarterly. So the interest amount will be further more. Also most of the time the rate of interest offered in not 10% but around 9.75%. So the effect will be negated. But the facts and figures are before you. 

Further there are other risks related to investing in such schemes and until we read the offer document completely and miss out few important clauses, these risks will persist. Some of these funds have market based risks which can never be eliminated. And after all aren't we smart enough to plan for our own retirement.

An abstraction called Success

Over the past few weeks a question has been hunting me. What is success? Different people have different definition for success. To some, success is to achieve fame, popularity and enough money to spend for ten lifetimes. To others success mean to be among the top ten (or one) percent of people in their profession. Others still believe success to be a journey and not the destination. Mind you, here I am not talking about success in a particular venture or expedition, because in these cases success is absolute and not dependent on individual's perception. The success I am talking about is when people talk about individuals and quote them as successful. For an instance, Sachin Tendulkar is an successful batsman or Mukesh Ambani is a successful businessman or Steve Jobs is an successful entrepreneur.
I have some questions here: Who is the one to judge them as successful? How does the judge know they are successful? What is the absolute degree of their success? What are the parameters to measure success? Who decides the parameters and why?

I don't have answers to any of the questions asked above. But if i had, i would have known and regarded at least someone as successful which i don't. Who are we -the people, to judge and classify others as successful or failures. Success is only an relative term. Someone can be successful only in comparison to others and that too only in a few respects, not all and i am pretty sure about that. Yes, I am successful than you in sports but you are financially more successful than me. Or you are more successful than me academically but I can play better poker than you and hence I am more successful than you (but again only in playing poker or may be soccer).

According to me, people can not be successful, only their activities can result in success and failure and that too i believe in not always true and absolute. Relativity is always present. Some might call it my incompetence that i shun the concept of success, but I feel this is the reality. Successful people don't exist.  

Why MBA?

I am writing this post after preparing for MBA entrance exams for one year (i.e. during my final year in engineering college- 2010-11) and finally clearing two exams- IIFT and SNAP and getting through IMT Ghaziabad. Although none of them is equivalent to an IIM, but still, the colleges are prestigious names.

So, finally not joining any MBA college that year, i decided to give exam this year also, thinking that i could do some justice to myself. But again result was the same as that in the last year in CAT (88 percentile). Now again, this is a petty score which would not get me into any good institute. Pondering over my result one fine day i asked myself whether I even need to do an MBA? Pondering further, i decided -no. I contemplated that doing an MBA would be a sheer waste of my time and money. Although i don't know what they teach there, what is fed into the brains of the scholars at those world-class institutes. But i felt, I could learn it by myself. May be at points i will have limitations of resources. But there are numerous ways to learn a particular thing. Ultimately what matters in life is now how you learned something, but what you learned. Isn't it. The one/two years course at an MBA college is meant to teach the students certain subjects, develop certain skills, provide exposure and all that bull shit. But all these skills and subjects can be learnt by self. But again, the blue-chip companies will always prefer an IIM alumni over a simple graduate who is equally smart. The people will always look up at an IIM or XLRI or Harward alumni and also your qualification will be treated as important by others. So, for those people who aim for such companies and who feel their qualification is a gem to be proud of should go for an MBA. But for others who want to open up a business or may be join some start-up, the preferable path should be to develop those skills by themselves, by personal experience, by reading exhaustively rather than wasting two years at some college, where ultimately you might as well end up in a BIG Consultancy firm which will pay you just enough so that you don't leave them.
Learning by self has some advantages. You can learn what you want, the way you want. No constraints, no explanations to others. The only thing is, you should know what you need to learn. Once that is clear, start working. May be you won't be as rich and famous as the MBA degree holders, but you would have satisfaction.

   

Market Prediction for March-April '12 - A different view

Expectations

This article is solely based on the image above.

The image is the movement of BSE Sensex benchmark index of the last one year - from March '11 to Feb '12. I have tried to derive some infrences from the image. However, whatever I have infered is solely based on the retrospective view on the basis of which I am trying to predict the movement of market.

Looking at the image, there are in all six significant hill like structures which i will name as short term peaks. 

Let me name the as A, B, C, D, E and F.

Now from the image we can clearly identify 6 short term (or local) peaks.

Now again, from image 3, corresponding to the 6 peaks, there are respective dips or bottoms or pits.  Lets call them A-, B-, C-, D- and E-.

Giving a thorough look at the image shows us that each peak may be large or small, but always a particular bottom is lower than the previous one, i.e. E- is lower than D-, D- is lower than C- and hence and forth. So A- is the highest pit and E- is the lowest. Now again, looking at F, we find that its subsequent bottom is not reached, and this is what i am waiting for. F-, the local bottom or pit, which is lower than E- and hence will be at a level of 14K-15K. Hence, practically speaking, in the next 2 months, i expect to witness a pit lower than E- i.e. lower than 15,175 points. Hence what i infer here is that the market will fall to al level below 15K over the next two months.  

Taking a look at the present conditions in India, nothing much has changed over the past one year. Inflation has eased a bit and the EU are in a worse condition than before. The currency has stablized somewhat but again, exports and trade balance are not favourable. We have nothing to look forward to in the short term as the government has paralysed and no new reforms are expected before the budget to say the least. However, these points can add to the justification of my theory, but the proof I have provided is sufficient enough. 

This article has minimal factual significance as the assumptions here are many, like all the external factors remain the same. But on statistical interpretation level, it might be useful for inferring.

What might be the right thing to do for India Inc.

With the value of rupee starting to appreciate again (1$=50.30Rs.) as compared to previous low of Rs. 53.40, things seem to be getting back to track. Although this might me a little early to say so, but further signs and stimulus is provided by the increase in FII net inflows.

But among this positive environment two things bother me the most (apart from offcourse the poverty in India) :
1) Our current account deficit
2)Trade imbalances

and i believe the only solution to both of these problems is : To boost our Industrial and Agricultural Production. This is the only practical solutions to most of our problems and this seems quite obvious at first look but I don't understand why the policymakers are oblivious to it.

Industrial production can be boosted if government introduces some revolutionary reforms and acts which had been left in the back-burner. Also the government alone can't do much, help of the big industrial houses is also needed. They should be lured into helping by providing (tax) incentives. Since the EU is under huge debt burden this is particularly the right time to tap the European markets. The crisis doesn't seem to end soon.
Agricultural production can be boosted by revolutionizing the agricultural sector. Its indeed time for the second green renolution. Subsidies must be properly regulated, itroduction of better technology and genetically advanced seeds and crops are few means to boost the production.

Only by doing something that produces result in material form will be helpful and nothing else. We have been making policies for a long time and now its time to implement.  Jai hind!!

Equity investments and trading

Introduction

The primary reason people enter into equity trading is because of its potential to offer huge returns and rewards. Even I was drawn into it for the same reason. It looks all shiny and glittery. But all this shine and glitter comes at a cost known as RISK. Most of the time traders (and not investors) enter market with a short term perspective which has enormous risks associated with it. The only way to avoid or at least marginalize the risk is to research exhaustively and play it smart.

My experience

I am a novice to first-hand equity investing, having just six months of experience but I have been following the stock markets and some specific stocks since the last four to five years. I slowly started to develop my knowledge and expertise in this field by reading newspaper (Economic Times and Financial Express) and books (CFA course material) and of course the internet which is undoubtedly the most informative source.

My strategy

I am a kind of trader who believes in inter-day and medium-term investments and very rarely will I involve in intraday trade. Here are some strategies I apply :

1) Look out for undervalued shares (Value Investing):

Sometimes the markets are not efficient in itself and a stock may be undervalued by the market. So I try to find out such undervalued stocks by looking at the past one year graphs and financial ratios. The information is easily available on hdfcsec.com and others other websites. The comparison of last one year price range and current price of the stock provides valuable information about it. It can be interpreted differently by different people, however while interpreting one must take note of the prevailing market conditions corresponding to the particular value of stock at that time. Eg. When the market (Sensex or Nifty) is at its years highest point and a stock of ABC company is trading at its years lowest levels then there is a possibility that the stock is undervalued.

2) Look out for news and announcements

Reading newspaper and online news reports can provide important information about a company's operations. Lookout for news of mergers and acquisitions, about commissioning of new production facility set-up and other important developments. Now in this respect one must keep in mind that not every merger/acquisition will result in a positive return or increase in price of stock. Here I'd like to share an experience with you. Once, around two years ago, I read in The Economic Times that SAIL is going to set up some new plants in tho locations and the profits are expected to rise etc. etc... The very same day I bought its shares at 220/share. And today the price is howering at 80/share. So this means I had not researched properly about the stock and had invested in vain and had to pay the price.

3)Comparing financial ratios of company with other competitors

Financial ratios of a company like Leverage ratios, solvency ratios etc. are very useful in determining the position of a company and ability to pay debts. Comparing these ratios and other financial statements like balance sheets, profit-loss statements with other peers can help in taking a smart decision for investing in a stock. However, studying and understanding these ratios require some patience but I assure you that once you start understanding them, it will be very useful.

4) Insider information

Insider information is the information provided by some management level employee of a company. It may be about a news about a new deal or merger or takeover of some other company and has not yet been made public. Obtaining such information is very difficult but if obtained from some reliable source, believe me, it can work wonders.

5) Future prospects and expectations from the company

Expectations about sales growth and global scenario. Foresight about how the sales of the company are going to be affected can be helpful.

Conclusion

Trading in equity is considered in of the riskiest business but also it is the business which can bring you from rags to riches in the matter of months (if not days). The strategies followed by any investor cannot be fool proof and should be subjected to continuous evolution. Net theories and practices should be developed, iterated and reiterated. Older theories which have proven wrong should be discarded or modified according to individuals discretion. There is no thumb-rule which can be applied to equity trading for booking profits. Portfolio should be built in such a way such that the risk is minimized and profit maximized. Cheers !!!