Abstract

• Sometimes trying is succeeding.
• The greatest leap is the leap of faith.
• When your heart wants something badly, you can’t listen to the mind.
• I live to enjoy the journey; because the destination will last but only a moment, whereas the journey lasts a lifetime.
• God, give me the courage to do what I must; and the intellect to not do what I shouldn’t.
• Pink Floyd: Don’t give in without a fight.

My favourite sports personalities

In this post I will talk about the people in sports that I have most admired in my life. I will divide the list of people I like based on the sport they belong to. As an Indian, it is obvious that I should start with Cricket.

Cricket:

Sachin Tendulkar- I started watching cricket from the 1992 world cup. That was the first world cup for the young star Sachin. Those days, Sachin was called “The little big man from Bombay”. He was the favourite among the commentators. Though India didn’t do well in that world cup, Sachin’s performance was well noted by the world. He was marked as a star for the future. And what a star he has been since then..

Mohammed Azharuddin- Despite the match fixing allegations and other scams, I have always enjoyed watching Azhar play. Not just his batting, but also his fielding. He was India’s best fielder for a very long time. I would really love watching him run between the wickets- he was such a wonderful judge of runs. He would almost never get run out.

Steve Waugh- I like Steve Waugh for his never say die attitude. He is one man you can trust to bat for your life. I cannot remember having seen a better fighter in world cricket.

Sourav Ganguly- To me, The prince of Calcutta was the best ever captain of India. The 3-4 odd years that Dada and John Wright were together, was the time I loved watching Indian cricket most. It was a time when the Indian team was characterized by determination, courage and a bit of arrogance. The Natwest Trophy final will remain etched in my memory. Apart from his captaincy, Dada is a fine batsman too and is a delight to watch when in full flow. If there is something more remarkable than his batting and his captaincy, it must be his grit & determination which he showed in ample quantities by making a successful comeback to the national side against all odds.

Tennis:

Michael Chang- He was never a very successful player. I think he won a couple of grand slams, but that was about it. I doubt if Chang ever made it to the No.1 spot in the ATP rankings. What I loved about this guy is that he never gave up. He would chase down every ball. You would hardly see any winners hit by his opponents. Chang would invariably reach every ball in this side of the court.

Formula One:

Frank Willaims- Though he is not a driver, I have been really impressed by this guy’s passion for racing. This has not been the easiest of times to lead an independent team in F1. The past decade has seen more than half a dozen independent teams exiting from the sport as manufacturers started to show their money power. At the end of 2006, most F1 pundits wrote Williams off, stating that it was only a matter of time before the team was sold off to another manufacturer. But old Franky stuck it out though the bad times. Today he has been finally rewarded. His team is fighting in fourth place in the world championship and also has one of the most promising stars of the future- Nico Rosberg- in its ranks.

Fernando Alonso- His reputation may have taken a beating after his unceremonious departure from McLaren last year, but Fernando Alonso remains my favourite driver on the circuit. 2005 & 2006 were the best years F1 has had in a long time. The battle of Alonso Vs Schumacher was just too good- especially in 2006. Even the mathematically closer 2007 championship did not match the intensity of the 2006 battle. If one were to ask Michael Schumacher to tell off the record, who is the best F1 driver at present, I am sure he would say its Alonso.

Basketball:

Michael Jordan- I watched basketball for 2-3 odd years around the years 1996-99. It was Bulls Vs Jazz in the NBA playoffs finals. It was my introduction to basketball, and I loved this guy, Michael Jordan. He was in complete control of whatever he did. He was cut above the rest. And the commentators were saying that this guy was actually making a comeback after a few years of sabbatical from the game. It was amazing. Come crunch time in a game, and Jordan was the man to give the ball to. His fadeaways and slam dunks are legendary. Unfortunately for me, my love for the game faded away as soon as Jordan left the Bulls and the game itself for a few years.

How about a world without cellphones?

Hypothetical situation:

Scientists in one the most advanced European research centres have finally gathered enough evidence to prove conclusively that communication waves generated by mobile communication devices including cell phones are harmful to the human body. A ten year old research has yielded a result that states that exposure to such signal waves increases the chances of cancer by 50% and brain tumour by up to 20%. In other words, if the world stops using mobile communication devices, the occurrence of cancer might come down by as much as 50%.

Back to Reality:

Almost since the beginning of mobile phones usage by the general public, debate has raged about their impact on the health of the users. Mobile phone manufacturers claim that there is no conclusive evidence that cell phone usage causes any physical harm. Today, it is generally accepted that cell phone usage should be restricted; long calls should be avoided; and usage of handsfree is being encouraged. People know that cell phones can be harmful and hence the above measures to reduce one’s exposure to the waves. But no one knows for sure as to exactly how harmful these waves really are.

Now let’s imagine that the hypothetical situation stated in the beginning of this article actually happens. For some people this might be reason enough to ban all cell phones in this world. But it is highly unlikely that such a discovery will ever be known to the world at large. There is simply too much at stake for the corporates that are in the business of mobile communication – manufacturers, service providers, software providers, et all. And it is not just the greedy corporates so to say, who would ignore such a finding. What about people like you and me and what about the way businesses function the world over today? Will today’s CEOs be ready to part with his Black Berry? Or would the Dalal Street trader retain his sanity if his mobile phone service provider were to shut shop?

Aren’t we all so very dependent on mobile technology today? Imagine two worlds- one is the present world with cell phones and another one without cell phones, but you will have 50% less chance of getting cancer. Which one will you choose? Well, I know it s a tough choice!

I like

Formula one, cricket, ar rahman, pink floyd, smirnoff, pink floyd+Smirnoff, kids- especially little girls, strategy computer games, relaxing at home, sipping beer in goa, mani ratnam, chilka, people who appreciate my sense of humour!, mom’s innocence, my unicorn, businessline, Frederick forsyth, Fernando Alonso, colour of the dawn sky, bawarchi briyani, wangs kitchen, besant nagar beach, mani’s, playing TT in GR Jani, IPO listing gains, rajnikanth, choosing a book from the library, ilayaraja

Mallya's leap of faith

Vijay Mallya is undoubtedly the most flamboyant businessman in India. In the Indian press, he is often compared with Richard Branson of Virgin. He leads a colourful life and is a successful businessman. His spirits group- United Breweries- is an industry leader. He also owns ‘Kingfisher Beer’, which is a reasonably known international brand. More recently Mr. Mallya has entered the airline industry. Doing well in this segment will be much more of a challenge as the competitive landscape is extremely tough right now, and the stakes are much higher.

When Mallya’s Kingfisher airlines entered Formula One earlier this year as a sponsor to Toyota F1 team, it seemed to be a good, measured move which would enhance the brand visibility of his airline just as it was about to start services in international routes. But Mallya’s latest move to buy the Spyker F1 team is a much bigger move and an extremely ambitious one. It is to be noted that Mallya will use his own money - rather than involve any of the shareholders of his publicly listed company- for buying and running Spyker. The kind of money involved here is huge. Buying the team will cost around 80 – 90 million euros (450 crore Indian Rupees). In addition to this, the operations of the team will have to be financed. Considering that Spyker is presently a loss making entity (it made a loss of around 30 million euros in the first half of this year), this will be a very costly affair. Moreover, Mallya will be hoping for a turnaround in the team’s fortunes in another 1-2 years. This will be the most difficult part. Teams like Toyota and Honda have proved that money cannot guarantee success in this sport. And anyway, Mallya can never hope to match the budgets of the manufacturer-backed teams.

My guess is that, having entered the deal, Mallya will stick on with Spyker for 2-3 years and control the financial bleeding of the team. He is smart enough not to believe in miracles. He will try and minimize the bleeding of the team financially. He will utilize the 2-3 years to build a well-known brand out of his airline. He will try and bring in an Indian driver and use him to endorse his company. He will also try and make sure that an Indian Grand Prix happens- latest by 2009. At the end of these 2-3 years, Kingfisher Airlines will be known world over and Mallya would’ve achieved his objective. At the end of this period, Mallya will start looking for a good price at which to exit his ‘investment’. Inevitably there will be another corporate entity somewhere which would want to utilize Spyker’s (or whatever it will be called then) services for achieving its own corporate objectives, and the story will continue thus…

Things could go wrong though, if Spyker’s financial bleeding cannot be stopped without severely hampering its competitiveness. Mallya is rich, but he is not stupid. He is not a Roman Abramovich, who is spending his personal fortune on a soccer team to simply amuse himself. Mallya’s move is strictly business oriented. This is a calculated gamble that he is making. He is hoping that the money that he will bleed in Spyker will be compensated by making Kingfisher the airline of choice for flying in and out of India. But this is a risky move since Mallya is totally inexperienced in running an F1 team. I doubt if he has ever owned any motorsport team.

Mallya is going for all or nothing here. He is entering untested waters and the only reward that will justify his risk is if his airline becomes the number one Indian carrier in international routes. Here’s wishing Mr. Mallya best of luck in his leap of faith!

Click Here for more of my views on Formula One

LIC's MoneyPlus Scam

The image you see here is the brochure used by LIC agents across the country for fooling middle-class people into investing their hard earned money into an investment product through fraudulent means. I am talking about LIC’s Money Plus. It is a highly successful ULIP instrument.

Not for a moment am I questioning the legality or quality of the product itself. What I am appalled with is the ethical standards of LIC’s agents. Typically what happens is that the agent shows this brochure to a prospective customer and talks to him about the ‘indicative’ returns. The brochure seems to suggest that his expected returns will vary from 20% to 30% on an annuated basis. This would mean that an investment of Rs. 30,000 will give you returns in the range of 7 lacs to 34 lacs.

In most cases the prospective customer will not think beyond the boundaries of what is being shown in the brochure. Of course, the agent can back his claim by showing LIC’s record in the past 3 years when the stock market grew exponentially. The possibility of a loss is not suggested anywhere except in the statutory warning about Market Risk which is present in a corner in the finest of prints.

A 20% yearly growth in assets over a 20-year time frame is the kind of growth that hasn’t been attained by the likes of Warren Buffet and Peter Lynch who are among the greatest investors in the world. If ever these guys come to know about the claims made by LIC’s agents…

Only last week, one of my friends fell in the trap of a LIC agent and subscribed to the Money Plus policy. This guy works in a top IT company and is a very intelligent person. If such people can be fooled, then think about people from the lower economic strata like auto rickshaw drivers and the likes. Rs. 10,000 is a significant amount for these guys. But the lure of getting Rs. 30 lacs from an investment of just Rs. 30,000 will be very difficult for them to resist.

The most worrying aspect is that this kind of sales tactics is not an isolated event. I now know atleast three agents who have used this trick. I must say that this has been a very successful method albeit unethical. It seems that whoever knows about the MoneyPlus scheme seems to have a favourable opinion on it, thanks to the lucrative figures mentioned in the brochure.

Needless to say, something needs to be done to stop this unethical practice. The regulators can do their bit by imposing strict restrictions on the commissions paid to insurance agents. More importantly, the LIC should rein in its agents.

The MoneyPlus scheme is now closed for investors and hence no one will now fall for false promises of the LIC agents- but I hope that this article gives investors more wisdom in future when one can expect more such schemes in the market.

Colleges or Schools?

People who are aware of the situation will appreciate how an increasingly large number of engineering colleges in Tamil Nadu are being run like schools. One can find these colleges enforce strict and in many cases ridiculous rules and regulations which often infringe on some of the basic rights given to an Indian citizen. One should not be surprised to see engineering colleges in chennai that do not allow guys and girls to talk to each other. Yes, you heard me right. It may be tough to believe, but this actually happens in many places. Yours truly can bear evidence to the same, having spent four years in one of the strictest engineering ‘colleges’ of the country. Of course, its an irony that this was followed by a 2 yr stint in one of the most lenient and ‘chill’ b schools of the country!

Coming back to the topic of discussion, I believe that the 3-4 years of college life completes a person’s journey to adulthood. These years are crucial for a man in shaping his personality, which will be his asset for the rest of his life. College life is the time when a boy encounters a lot of new things in life. For the first time he realises how close he is to adulthood. He gets the perks that come with adulthood and also the responsibilities. He experiences freedom- it is exciting and sometimes scary too. The experiences at this age- the friends he makes, the enemies he makes, the situations he encounters, the first love, the second love, the college strike, the secret drink sessions with mates, the third love, the leaked exam papers, the ragging sessions, etc- determine the kind of man he will be for the rest of his life.

South India, especially Tamil Nadu is well known for its ‘intellectual’ tradition. The educational footing is strong in these states and as a result the region is a favourite with the industry. This positive environment has resulted in a virtuous cycle where the people have a strong faith in the power of education as a means to reach prosperity. This has resulted in a large number of higher educational institutes based out of the south. The number of engineering institutes is astonishing. Tamil Nadu alone has more than one lakh (100,000) engineering seats to offer every year. Of course, the quality of most institutes is very questionable. Nevertheless, the economic environment in the state and the country at large is such that any half decent engineering graduate gets a well paying job. People from rural regions of Tamil Nadu have suffered for a long time with an unreliable monsoon and an unfriendly neighbour when it comes to sharing of water resources. After years of a downhill ride in the state’s agricultural fortunes, many people have lost faith in agriculture as a means of livelihood. People want their sons to go to the city and enter the industry and see prosperity. An engineering seat is a very good means to achieve this.

The opportunists have capitalised on this opportunity by opening engineering colleges in every nook and corner. But the most important ingredient to lure students to a college is by having a credible placement record. The colleges try to ensure that they achieve a good academic record (read examination results) every year. There are regular exams and assignments. Failing in these will result in heavy impositions and other punishments. Academics is not just the most prominent issue in the agenda, it is the Agenda for these colleges. Things like sports and cultural activities are given only a cursory treatment. They also enforce strict rules like 100% attendance, no interaction between the sexes, formal wear (I heard that there is one college in chennai which requires students to wear ties 5 days a week! Now beat that… ties in chennai!!), no funky haircuts allowed, clean-shaven faces becoming mandatory. Such measures usually convince parents that here is a good college which will ensure that their son will not end up going in the wrong path and will get a good job in the end. The thing about no interaction between the sexes is a major selling point with parents of girls who are usually more worried about leaving their ward in a hostel far away from their hometown.

Things have come to such a turn that colleges are now competing with each other to impose stricter and more ridiculous rules. And these rules are actually enforced with a high degree of success. The end result is that at the end of four years you get a boy- not a man- who is seemingly bright chap with 80% in his engineering degree, but doesn’t know the fundamental engineering concepts. This kid is a very disciplined person, is used to formal wear and a can talk English. This is enough for a recruiter from an IT company to come and recruit him.

These ridiculous rules will not only cause students to forget about the fun element in college life, but it will also result in producing men of inferior quality. Men who are bound by the system. Men who believe that the system is insurmountable and do not even wish to change it for the better. Men who are cowards, because they have never gone through a ragging session where you learn to tackle bullying. Men who can never respect a woman because they never interacted enough with them. Men who cannot tolerate a rebel because they could never be one. Men who loathe optimists because they were never allowed to be one. Of Course there will be a few exceptions who come out of the system unscathed as normal human beings, but those numbers are unsignificant.

The situation can be rectified only when the mindset of parents change. This change can only happen in the coming generation of parents who have grown up in relative prosperity and who realise that there is more to education in life than can be obtained in text books and class rooms. I hope that this happens sooner than later.