Mumbai Attacks & The Stock Market...

My first reaction on seeing the footages on the news channels on was awe and desperation. Frenetic phone calls to near and dear ones residing in Mumbai on that fateful night. Then the next reaction was, “how could they”!! As the trauma continued through the next 2 days, I remained glued to the News Channels wishing as to when it would be over. Then finally it was all over, leaving behind millions of scarred minds. Things would never be the same. The threshold was crossed this time.
Numerous articles and blogs have been written on the same, but what I intend to write is something different, something that doesn’t actually register in our minds. 2 days after the incident was over, when the whole incident was playing through my mind was, what would be the impact of this whole event on the STOCK Market, NSE and BSE. Both these exchanges remained closed on 27th Nov. and NSE was on highest level of security after that.
Thinking of the Stock Market in a scenario after the attacks made me remember the movie, Casino Royale, which had an interesting incident. So my curiosity rose and next step was to check out the scrips of Hotels and Tourist Companies who where listed on the Exchange. And I hit the bull’s eye.


Even though the stock market remained volatile as it was earlier, but the interesting part was in the scrips of the Hotel industry in particular. Almost all the Hotels share prices where down atleast 10% (as expected), especially those affected directly, Indian Hotels Company, Asian Hotel, Taj GVK hotels and resorts etc etc.

The points to be focussed here is, are these terror attacks just to create more terror among the people of the country or something much more deeper and hidden. The financial systems have become so much complicated that someone having the proper knowledge can exploit it to unbelievable depths and we the middle income groups, the retail investors roam around crying the losses of few thousands on the scripts in our portfolio.
The point I am trying to make here is, think of the gains people (or terrorists) can make by knowing before hand what’s going to happen in next 24 hours. Knowing that 1 group of shares is going to loose Rs.10 each in next 2 days, money can literally be created out of thin air. Thousands of


complicated financial products like futures, options, shorting opportunities, think about the millions that would have moved during the past 1 week, and that too unfortunately by the wrong people. For the terrorist group, it is like killing 2 birds with a single stone, creating panic and generating profits…
For me 1 thing is very clear, a terrorist attack is not just creating panics but as ROI (return on investment) and funding opportunities for further operations for these agencies. Reports have confirmed huge turn arounds during 9/11 attacks on WTC in the Airline Shares.
Is this what happened on the unfortunate Wednesday night, if so things aren’t over yet. That’s what a group of 10 people could do to a Country of more than a Billion of us. Are the financial systems made so that we could build our dream houses or for people who enjoy destroying the dreams? Are we building our own pitfalls where we would be buried in the end? Think about it…..

- From a concerned Indian

Why can’t the super heroes have girl friends??

Ever wondered why.. The question seems absolutely logical… doesn’t it!! The guys always strive for a 6 pack and super strengths, but then one who does have the powers (hypothetically) never seems to have a girl friend(or even if they have,their relationships r running into troubled waters & r on verge of breaking up). Isn’t that ironical. It must be so easy for them to impress girl. Take her to a romantic date to the centre of the ocean on a full moon night, may be draw a big red heart on Taj Mahal(if it is an Indian super hero) or may be cover the Effiel tower with pink roses or may be sketch her name on the moon or something… so easy, but then why doesn’t it happen, more so if he is an Indian Super hero..

The reasons are not just 1 but many (most of these points have been covered in the movie Pyaar ke side effects) but still here is my take on it…

Obviously the 1^st question which a girl friend would ask is about the stupid dressing sense the superhero is likely to have.. U know wearing something which should be worn inside, is worn outside. But just imagine phantom or a superman not wearing an underwear outside. Even if he does manage to do so, imagine how pissed off the gf would be when he gets back home, after maybe saving the world from a comet or something. And if the superhero is not the dominating partner then he is sure to be forced to wear a pink suit that would look something cute may be a bunny with fur on him (he would look more like a PLAYBOY mascot than a superhero) or something. Don’t even think of wearing something purple or so & that too with a stripped under wear. A phantom would kill himself because of the shear amount of insults he would have to take daily from his girl.

Secondly, Imagine how concerned the gf would be about his health. "Why don’t u have timely breakfast and not getting an 8 hour sleep" and stuff like that. The moment spiderman hears a hostage situation and is about to go and help, his gf says, “If u go with out having breakfast, I am not going to talk to u anymore.” And if he dares to defy her and pull out this rescue, the whole time he would be thinking how he is going to get her to normal and make her understand what he really meant and explaining why he did so!!!

Next would be the manipulative nature. Each time the superhero has a narrow escape to death, the girl would be there to explain to him how the people are using him and why he shouldn’t be helping them anymore. "Tumhari apni kuch izzat hai bhi ya nahi, jab dekho muh uthake pahinch jate ho. Aj ke baad meri permission ki bina bahar ek kadam b rakha na, dekh lena phir."

Now, imagine when after a tiring day, superman comes back home and is really in a romantic mood, looking forward to a night full of action (u know what I mean), suddenly the girl asks, “have u ever thought about our future, when do we get married.” Man that would blow his mind off. U know the whole damn world is impressed by u and the only 1 who should reward u is….. I don’t even have the word to describe it. I guess COMMITMENT would be a scary word even for the superheroes, Akhir wo b to insaan hote hai!!

There are many others like forgetting her dogs b’day and not remembering the tunnel in which they kissed for the first time and things like that or what he said for the first time when he saved her. The girl would totally make him feel that he is the biggest ass who ever walked this planet. With regular facts and figures as how he has changed ever since they first made out and how jealous she feels if the superhero saves some other hottie. Also to gain his attention, she herself would start jumping off the cliff and stuff like that.

I tell u, if it happens, superheroes would be the one who would be doing everything from getting the grocery to cooking and cleaning. The girl wouldn’t stop until everything in sight would be pink.

I am pretty sure JOKER would have been a super hero ones, but his know who would have totally cracked him up ;) And then he started saying, "Why so serious"? It would really take a super girl (super heroine) to be a super heroes gf. I guess unfortunately for the super heroes, there exists none!!!

I can’t even imagine an Indian Super hero, coming with the whole bundle of relatives and all, mum constantly nagging about his girl friend who is not from the same caste etc, and why din't he visit his chachi on her b'day and delivering mithae for diwali.. I feel a complete separate blog is required for that.

I miss myself

I don’t even know why the thought came in to my mind. Is it that I am not satisfied with myself or may be I wanted to be someone else who I am not? As time goes by and life seems to get better, why do I miss a part of me? Is it something or someone!! As it is said, you come to know what you had only when you loose it.

What is it that I lost? Even if I try to recollect I cannot. So why am I missing myself. How stupid of me to miss myself!! Isn’t it? But that is the truth. From an outsiders perspective, I might be the happiest of them all, not exactly that someone would envy upon but at least someone who no one would mind being one. The harder I try to reach out and touch my goal, the farther it moves away from me. The more I think of achieving it, the more unachievable it seems to get. Am I chasing a shadow or is it the star that only shines when I dream. I don’t even know if it’s even possible for me to be what I want to be. But then I ask myself why is it then that I chase it, when somewhere in my heart in know I cannot touch it, because it doesn’t exist. Why don’t I just give up, stay down and be happy.

But then… life seems even more confusing. Sometimes going through the day, the routine, I stop for a moment and think, “oh my god, I am actually alive. I can feel things, I can move, I can observe, I can make people smile and cry. I am so potent.” That suddenly makes me feel to push myself harder, to do things I never imagined I could ever do. To touch the sun with a single leap.

May be it’s this never ending dilemma, that makes me miss myself. The moment I feel the life in me, I miss my other part and the moment I meet with a failure, a stumbling block, it drains out everything. Should it happen, why does it happen? I guess it’s only me who could answer it.

May be I did not have such thoughts when I was born, or may be I did, but I was too small and too pure to understand it. Is it what the world has taught me, to be pursuing happiness and to be eternally unhappy? So the question remains, why do I miss myself? I guess everyone has such a thought, or may be it’s just me. Why can’t I just be what I want to be, why do I always have to be someone else? When I look around, I see everyone pretending to be the person they just want to be, but never themself. The person inside you actually dies before you even realize it. And when do you realize it, may be someday you are alone, thinking about yourself or may be when someone dear to you hurts you or may be when you see them happy.

To be so close to your self and still missing it is a thought that seems unrealistic. But then that’s true, the thing that’s too close to you, never ever are you concerned about it and it starts going away from, the day comes when you loose it completely and then the realization. It’s like this watch or a ring that you always knew you have it kept safely, locked in a cupboard, but then one day when you open it, you realise it isn’t there anymore!!! When, how!!! You never understand. That’s the reality. Understand yourself. Don’t fail to recognise the person who looks back from the mirror. Be yourself and leave the rest to the destiny. Nurture yourself, may be that’s the way the almighty wanted us to be.

 

-          From someone who is still trying to find out who he really is