Quo Vadis?

If you read the financial dailies you will not miss large reams of paper being devoted to the financial crisis that is sweeping across the world. So much so that it is become the topic of discussion during coffee breaks replacing reviews on the new movie that is giving headaches to its viewers. (note: head in tamil is thala). Opinions they say is like your backside, everyone has one. I have a backside and so here is my opinion on the financial crisis. I would like to use a few references from various sources to construct my opinion, here it goes: 1) From the Bible (pity people use holy books for only one side of life) Luke Chapter 6: 48 -47 : That one is like a person building a house, who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock; when the flood came, the river burst against that house but could not shake it because it had been well built. But the one who listens and does not act is like a person who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the river burst against it, i...

“If it can’t get any worse it can only get better” “If you fall, fall on your back that you may see the sky and rise again” In the midst of the financial crisis that is sweeping the world these two statements may be a band aid to many bruised, battered and wounded souls. Crashing markets, sub prime crises, pink slips, pay cuts, layoffs, downsizing… the list of taboo words are growing. In the middle of this carnage, I remember seeing an article where people have started reading Marx again and another in which better the west is slowly accepting that the Indian banking system was not a bad thing after all. What goes around comes around… Sub prime crisis to the unknowns is simply giving a loan to somebody who is not credit worthy. When I joined work in lending, the two basic principles of lending were clearly laid out to me by my first boss: Before you lend check 1) The ability to repay and 2) The intention to repay, common sense tells you that ONLY if 1 AND 2 are right the client general...

Wasteland, did you inform your house that you are making your last journey? Death-seeker (not the Death Eaters from Harry Potter), have you no other vehicle but mine to kill yourself? Buffalo! See how it goes… Foreign stranger, don’t know who taught him to drive? Spoilt brain, having no clue what he is doing… He is who is going to get ruined....will he never learn? (every time, a bad driver crosses my path, I swear)

The following is an essay that I wrote for a contest in our church for the annual parish feast. I did not win anything for this, but would like to know your feedback. "The St. Paul I know" As the fires burned around them and bodies fell many Christians like you and I huddled in the shadows of a village in Orissa. These people feared the loss of their limbs, their goods, their loved ones or even their lives from the marauding mobs before them. Even as they peered through the haze they could vaguely see the faces of their tormentors even as the smoke cleared their horror increased as the faces of their neighbours were in the forefront. The very same shopkeeper, milkman, vegetable vendor, who had been an in separable part of their lives are now threatening to end their very lives. Even as the persecuted wondered at the sudden change of events, several questions arose that went abegging for answers. What had happened in the space of a few days to tear a community apart? Can somet...

Being a teetotaler, bars and other watering holes have no appeal for me except for the fact that they are sources of great entertainment. You just cannot imagine the crazy things that inebriated people do; well everything except puking all around their antics are a whole lot of fun. However the main reason I stay away from night spots is that the smoke kills me. Did I forget to mention that I don’t smoke too? The divine forces intervened to give me an allergy to smoke especially the carcinogenic kind, so smoky places are a big no, no. I met up a couple of friends in Escape, the bar (ok pub if you please) in Green Park, Hyderabad. I was so happy to find that I could actually breathe easy Thanks to Mr. Anbumani and even better see other people in the darkness. The turn off though was the music dished out by the resident DJ. It ranged from “Heal the World” to “The reason” and even when we were left pondering if Escape was a gay joint considering that we could not see a single member of th...

The following is an extract from The Times of India Chennai edition dated 13/10/08. Animal manners Dogs seem to better understand the plight of the starving. On Sunday morning, an old lady with tattered clothes came begging to a teashop. When the tea shop owner shooed her away, she pleaded for some biscuits, but he could not be moved. Seeing the dog outside the tea shop eating biscuits, the old lady tried to pick them up. The tea shop owner chased her away, saying the biscuits were for the dog. When the woman turned and started walking away the dog pranced up to her with a biscuit in his mouth and dropped it at her feet. The woman picked it up and walked away. Humbled by the dog’s act, the teashop owner called her back and gave her tea and biscuits.