Dear friends
We're all feeling the shock of the awful attacks in Mumbai. All our hearts go out to the victims and their families.
The attacks were aimed at our people, our prosperity and our peace. But their top target was something else: our unity. If these attacks cause us to turn on each other in hatred and conflict, the terrorists will have won. They know that hatred and chaos feed on division. As radical extremists, their only hope of winning is by turning the rest of us against each other.
Let's deny them that victory. We're launching a message to extremists on all sides and all our political leaders, one that will soon be published in newspapers across India and Pakistan. The message is that these tactics have failed, that we're more united than ever, united in our love and support to each other, determined to work together against terror and call on our leaders to do the same. If millions of people sign it, our message will be unmistakable........ sirf Hangama khada karna hamara maksad nahi Koshish hai ki ye surat badalani chahiye... Indian people

DANSH______A STING

Ohhh...Victims...what I have done...!!!
Someone...Somewhere
Ignited a fire and started a riot
Everyone was involved in the fight
Barring,Cast,Creed,Race or Breed
And outrageous religious fanatics
Only following a nonsensical lead

I, too was a part of it
what was the reason ?
No one knows...
Why was the WAR or RIOT ?
For someone's Greed
Who is not even a human
If he is, then why so inhumane ?

It was only his ambition
That, made us fight...
Friends...I made a mistake...
I've committed a sin,done a heinous crime
Now , I realized it...I am your culprit
But now its late...too late

It was his dream, but my nightmare
My guilt is following me everywhere
What should i do...?
Where should i go...?
How can i overcome my guilt ?

Is there a way ?
No...It won't leave me alone...
Never...Ever...Forever...
I have to live with it now
Forever...Forever.............

ajay rohilla

Bad Karma catching up with MNC and Private Banks

A news report today in leading newspapers in Mumbai talks about CitiBank planning to sell its swank headquarters in BKC.

It is a typical case of bad karma catching up with the bank.

For years, Citibank and similar foreign and private banks lobbied with the mandarins in the law making institutions to offer products and services whose cost was way prohibitive for the common man.

They set up honey traps by offering easy credit through credit cards, personal unsecured loans and other such instruments where the interest rates were portrayed to be unregulated by the central bank. They charged interest in the region of 35 to 85% all in the name of unsecured credit.

These bank employed bright kids fresh off the MBA mill to sell these products and services. These kids were offered heavy salaries and pushed into achieving sales targets for the bank’s dubious products. To recover the small loans issued to masses, these banks hired dubious agencies purely on commission basis thus transferring the cost of their entire operation on the poor borrower.

Stories of mental, physical and financial harassment abound. Bank managers and officials ruthlessly went around first distributing money and then recovering these small loans.

Small borrowers, people who borrow 40,000 to 50,000 rupees (1000 to 1250 US Dollar) could be easily browbeaten into submission. Armed with a central bank looking the other way and legislators not bothered about the rape of the common man, these banks systematically looted the common man. Many were driven to commit suicide, many marriages went bad and many people’s families were destroyed.

All this has created a lot of ill will amongst the people and it is now translating to these very same banks facing collapse for deeds done by the managers who were supposed to make the bank grow. The sub-prime crisis in United States and its fall out on the world financial system is having its echo here in India too. These banks are now left holding the baby.

Soon these bank managers who were getting fancy salaries and perks will be also laid off. Banks like CitiBank will have no option but to cut all the flab. With share prices of the bank falling to 16$ from a high of 65$, it has already seen an erosion of 75% of its value. There is more to come from where all this came from and boy am I happy!

It is the bank’s bad karma that is catching up with them.

For a change Left is Right

Global oil price rise has lead to oil marketing companies seeking an increase in oil prices of Petrol, Diesel, Kerosene and LPG and the Government of India has obliged them. Petrol prices have been increased by 10% and similar price hikes have been done across the spectrum.

The Left Parties have been vociferous in terming this price hike as a loot of the common man. Are they right when they make this accusations.

Let us remove the wheat from the chaff.

India imports 70% of its oil requirement. 30% of the demand is met locally.

But you will be surprised to know that ONGC sells the 30% of the local crude to the oil marketing companies at International Rates. Thus we are paying ourselves a higher price for buying oil from ourselves for ourselves. Does that make any sense to you? If it does not, it does not make any sense to the Left Parties too. When ONGC charges the full international price, it makes insane profit at your expense and later on pays the profit to the government as dividend. But in the process ONGC gets access to funds that do not rightfully belong to it in the first place. It has the liberty to spend these funds as it wishes as these are its profits.

Secondly, Petrol costs 20.16 at the refinery gate, oil marketing companies, dealer profits, taxes, duties and commission add another 25.36 to it before it is sold to consumers at 45.52. (Source Hindustan Times, Business Pages 5th June 2008).

Can someone explain how the oil companies are losing money when the cost of Petrol to them is just 20.16 at refinery gate?

If all the taxes and duties were to be removed from Petrol, it would become available at let's say 27 rupees per liter.

If Petrol was available at such a price you can imagine the boost the economy will get. In effect when oil prices rise, economies suffer leading to lower tax collection and lower living standards.

For the government it is a catch22 situation. And for the moment I firmly believe that the Left is Right unless someone can show me otherwise.

Tips on Saving Petrol as you drive

Tips to Increase Your Mileage

Don't go over 60 Kilometer Per Hour Speed. For Every 8 Kilometer Per Hour over this speed you lose 10% of your fuel economy. Slowing down saves petrol.

Maintain steady speed. Do not accelerate unnecessarily especially when you know the route and know that very soon you will be reaching a signal. Keep coasting at a steady speed.

When going down hill or on a slope led the vehicle travel in Neutral. You can also turn off the engine, but be aware that doing so can be risky if power is required to control the vehicle. For example you may be having a power assisted steering that may not work when vehicle is switched off.

Take a longer route if you are sure of a smooth ride. Avoid stop and start traffic. Taking a longer route saves petrol even though you have taken longer to travel and clocked more kilometers rather than getting stuck in traffic.

Keep a close watch on your tyre pressure. Under inflated tyres lead to higher fuel consumption.

Keep changing Engine Oil more often than recommended. Use thinner oil as it promotes engine efficiency. Replace oil as it ages to maintain low viscosity.

Do a car pool where ever possible.

Now Government wakes up to credit card fraud

An article that appeared today in the Mumbai Mirror, edition dated 22nd June 2007 talks about MRTPC getting into act to probe the wrong doing of Credit Card companies.

It is a known fact amongst people who watch this industry that this kind of skimming has been happening for year. The Credit Card Industry is so loaded with money that they have been able to buy silence from the authorities.

My question is, when a person commits a robbery by snatching a chain on the street, you first beat him up, then haul him to the nearest police station, then the police extracts their pond of flesh from the thief. Later he is consigned to the legal system where the reason why he did the act in the first place is ignored and he is sent to prison.

How many such cases can you remember of corporate thieves going to jail? Not many I believe. Therefore it becomes all the more important that this industry is reined in and the MBA's who head and manage these schemes be sent to jail. Only then the white-collar people will realize that they can not get away with fraud and larceny.

Imagine a credit card issuing company like ICICI which has 20 Million cards committing a fraud of 100 rupees on 10% of their card base. Do you think this does not happen? Wait for the MRTPC report which will tell you the truth unless these companies are able to buy the investigators from here too.

Article reproduced below for your reading pleasure.

MRTPC orders probe into credit card fees

NEW DELHI: Alarmed by reports that credit card companies have collected over Rs 6,000 crore in a decade from customers by way of fines and late fee, India’s antimonopoly w a t c h d o g has ordered a probe into the fees levied by them.

The Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Commission (MRTPC) has asked the Director General of Investigation and Registration (DGIR) to probe the issue and report back, sources have revealed.

The commission ordered the probe after taking cognizance of reports that claimed credit card issuers extracted more than Rs 6,000 crore as late fee, cash, advance fee, billed finance fee, overlimit fee, cash withdrawal fee, insurance charges, cheque pick-up fee and service taxes during the past 10 years.
DGIR would direct banks to furnish details of their income during last three-four years derived from other than the credit limits (extra charges), the sources added.

As per the MRTPC Act, DGIR has to submit its preliminary investigation report before the commission within 90 days.

The commission has already initiated judicial enquiry against Citibank, HSBC, ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank for adopting unfair practices for selling credit cards, as the DGIR submitted its preliminary report in which it suspected these organisation to have violated norms.

In its report, DGIR had found that these banks were making false promises to their credit card customers and caused loss to the general public by violating the rules framed by the Reserve Bank of India. It also alleged that the banks were delaying delivery of bills and realisation of cheques toward payment just to charge increased interest rate, late fee and fines, etc.

The commission had initiated judicial enquiry against HDFC on November 10 last on the same grounds.

The sources added enquiries against American Express Bank, ABN Amro and country’s largest lender State Bank of India on the same issue are also going on. PTI

we-the women

I am here to write about the common problems faced by the "common woman"
No doubt that we all need basic amenities (decent ones) to be able to lead a good life. But there is something more than that a woman would want from the society. Before I venture into that, lets just chalk out what the present woman's life style is all about.
She rushes in the morning to college/work, spends the whole day slogging over her assignments, travels back home in local buses (and reaches home stinking with others' sweat, not to mention other bonuses that come with the package of boarding a local bus).
This is just the goodie-stuff.
Now lets explore what lies beneath the surface......
While on her way to the college/work, she has to either wait for a bus or an auto...neither being an easy job. To get into a jampacked bus and come out intact is a struggle. Its a struggle to find a seat, another one and the tougher one is to safeguard oneself from protruding eyes, wandering hands and cynical smiles. Somehow or by sheer virtue of everyday practice she manages to reach her destination. In the college, she faces competition. There are challenges at every step. Devils in disguise are there too... She often has to work in an unfriendly environment, amidst lechers, cut-throst competition and of course boss's boot-lickers. safeguarding herself from all these and more...she tries HARD to rise up the ladder. step by step she moves up.
but is it all worth it? at the end of the day, she has to come home and face the music for getting late from work, for not being able to be a domestic goddess(just a euphemism for a housemaid).
her husband expects her to be the obedient servant that his mother has taught him to expect from his wife; the mum-in-law wants her to take all the responsibilities; to top it all they make it more and more difficult for her to work, whether at home or outside. and then they want her to look stunning and smiling 'coz she's a prized possession that the husband would want to flaunt at parties.....
if she has children, she's made to live with a guilt of not paying enough attention to them.
in such circumstances, anyone would crumble and give up her career. but she fights and fights hard(silently though) to save her identity....
again i ask, is it all worh it?
by the time she's a mother of a daughter, she's scared and apprehensive and pushes the daughter to the same life that she herself had lead so far.....
can anyone rise up and do something about this?
doesn't a woman need love,encouragement, appreciation for all that she does...?
i seriously need comments and discussions on this topic....