Keep Calm and Whatsapp...

" Hey , whatsapp me your number" , "Let's exchange BBM pin" such phrases have become very frequent among people esp. college students.

The world has reached such a point that you are actually considered an outcast if you do not use chatting applications such as Whatsapp BBM messenger etc. Gone are the days of late night calls , goodnight messages , frequent sms .From couples to friends everyone is resorting to these applications for faster and easier communication.Exchanging BBM pins has become more frequent than exchanging phone nos. Internet connectivity coupled with the cost-effective means has made sure that such apps gain popularity worldwide.

Add to that the lucrative offers provided by the producers of such apps. Take for example the 1 year free Whatsapp offer which generated immense response. Infact the no of downloads of the application was a record in itself. These applications have become such a bare necessity that today's smartphones are better equipped to handle them rather than the normal short messaging service. Students also feel it is trendier and posh to use such services to stay in touch with the modern lifestyle which thus pulls in a larger crowd.

Moreover unlike sms , you do not have to refill your message balance every now and then to make sure you are able to text .A simple download is all that is required to start communicating your near and dear ones.

The only constant thing about technology is change. From emails to sms and now to messaging applications catering to the needs of people worldwide. One would be compelled to get used to these so that you don't feel alienated when people talk about these modern softwares. So if the next time someone proposes to text you don't feel shy saying , "Dude , whatsapp me!!! "" Hey , whatsapp me your number" , "Let's exchange BBM pin" such phrases have become very frequent among people esp. college students.

The world has reached to such a point that you are actually considered an outcaste if you do not use chatting applications such as Whatsapp BBM messenger Viber (to make free calls)etc. Gone are the days of late night calls , goodnight messages , frequent sms .From couples to friends everyone is resorting to these applications for faster and easier communication. Exchanging BBM pins has become more frequent than exchanging phone nos. Internet connectivity coupled with the cost-effective means has made sure that such apps gain popularity worldwide.

Add to that the lucrative offers provided by the producers of such apps. Take for example the 1 year free Whatsapp offer which generated immense response. Infact the no of downloads of the application was a record in itself. These applications have become such a bare necessity that today's smartphones are better equipped to handle them rather than the normal short messaging service. Students also feel it is trendier and posh to use such services to stay in touch with the modern lifestyle which thus pulls in a larger crowd. Moreover unlike sms , you do not have to refill your message balance every now and then to make sure you are able to text .A simple download is all that is required to start communicating your near and dear ones.

The only constant thing about technology is change. From emails to sms and now to messaging applications, catering to the needs of people worldwide. One would be compelled to get used to these so that you don't feel alienated when people talk about these modern applications. So if the next time someone proposes to text you don't feel shy saying , "Dude , whatsapp me!!! "

The Schoolboys

This happened during my return to Bhubaneshwar from Kharagpur . The train being delayed I had to wait at the railway junction for an hour and thanks to the schoolboys I wasn't bored :).....

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Dressed in colors of blue and white , a group of young school going lads were the only noticeable thing at Kharagpur Junction. Strictly adhering to the age old tradition , the Janshatabdi Express to Bhubaneshwar was an hour late which meant yet another grueling boring one hour wait.

The schoolboys stood , waving at the trains that went by , smiling at the hundreds of unknown passengers they saw. The most audacious of the lot dared to touch the train when it slowed down and his little heroism was praised by his chums They waited for trains to appear , and watched them till they disappeared into the distance , their voices in chorus louder than the blaring horn.

Seeing them I couldn’t help but compare the innocence of childhood and the vibrancy with the striking maturity and unwanted dullness that accompanies adolescence. Unknowingly this lot did things that even people with the cleanest hearts in the world would find difficult to ---- they made others smile., they made people realise the importance of simple pleasures in life , they were like an intermittent source of joy that gave people , even if for a few seconds , freedom from their daily troubles. The tired passengers waved back and smiled at them and they brought a grin even to the onlookers’ faces. I wanted to take a picture with them, but I was too embarrassed. Maybe that was the difference, they weren’t affected by the hundreds of eyes which looked at them, I always was.

They were like from a different world ( maybe because they seemed to live a hassle-free life). One of them came down at and sat next to me. I asked him his name. He said Shahid , his eyes still lingering on the new train that had arrived. He told me how they often came here after school to watch the trains. We talked for a while and he told me he had never traveled in a train ( and I felt it was like one of those stories about poor children with big dreams) , but he said he never wanted to be in a train … he just liked seeing them. I didn’t know how to react to that but I felt it was a brave thing he did to confront something every day and still not be tempted to have it, to experience it closely or to be a part of it. His favourite was the brand new train that he felt was painted everyday (it was the Duronto Express I believe as it is one of the few trains which has a unique bright green color and covers most of the parts of West Bengal).

I had almost lost track of time but for this gentleman next to me who asked me when the Gitanjali Express would be arriving. I told him I had no clue about it and I heard the announcement of the arrival of Janshatabdi express to BBSR. I took off and scrambled and hurried to reach my compartment. Once there , I watched the children , waving at me just like any other passenger on any other train . I envied their freedom, their non-chalance , their innocence and their ability to gain pleasure out of such small and simple things in life. All I could do was wave back to them and return to the world I belonged to .

Bard Of Avon

My next piece is about one of my favourite authors Sir William Shakespeare ...

Four Hundred years ago in the civil parish of Stratford-upon-Avon (England) was born a legend. A writer whose prowess in English Literature earned him the name-“The Bard Of Avon”.

A writer whose sonnets still replicate every human behavior in its most vivid fashion, whose poems still strike a chord in everyone’s hearts and whose plays are still enacted around the globe – WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE.

Shakespeare’s life is quite a collage of the life of his various characters in plays and sonnets. His father “ John Shakespeare “ was an alderman and quite a nobleman himself like Aemilius in his sonnet Titus Andronicus. Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway at the age of 18. Their relationship have always attracted controversial statements..esp after Shakespeare’s sly mentions about Hathway using his puns in his writings. He uses words like “hate away” which maybe a pun on “Hathway” or “And saved my life” which might be a pun on “Anne saved my life” in his sonnet 145. Whatever maybe their wedded life was definitely not an Antony Cleopatra tryst.

Shakespeare’s command over Latin perhaps had roots in his school “ King’s New School which provided intensive education in Latin grammar and Literature.Infact one of his plays “The Comedy of Errors” bears similarity to” Menechaus “a play which could possibly have been performed at his school.

Then came a mystifying period in his life of which till date no one has unraveled records. Shakespeare left no historical traces quite like his character Henry VIII ( a venturer of the seas) until he is mentioned as part of the London theatrical scene. His first recorded performance was “The Two Gentlemen Of Verona” and then followed a series of plays which made Shakespeare a writer of a whole new banner. Be it Henry or Julius Caesar Shakespeare’s words stirred people to act, changed lives and gave Elizabethan Literature the recognition it deserved.

Shakespeare’s later life are home to a number of intriguing events which includes numerous trials in courts for his family and himself something portrayed pretty aptly in Merchant Of Venice. However, in spite of all the “tempests” he endured in his lifetime he died a rather honourable death and received a noble burial at chancel of Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon

Each year on his claimed birthday, a new quill pen is placed in the writing hand of the bust. He is believed to have written the epitaph on his tombstone.[37] Good friend, for Jesus' sake forbear, To dig the dust enclosed here. Blest be the man that spares these stones, And cursed be he that moves my bones.” The last known descendant of Shakespeare Elizabeth Hall Bernard (granddaughter) died in 1670, thus bringing an end to his family tree. Thus just like the stark end of Caesar’s dynasty, ended the life of arguably the most celebrated writer of all times…WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE.

The Plight of an Economist

Caution:This article isn’t for the faint-hearted,it may even deter you from your future goals i.e if you are planning to become an Economist or a Strategist.

As a first year student of Economics I often found it amusing and inspirational to hear about the likes of John Nash , Keynes , Karl Marx and so many other Economists who shaped the world through their theoretical notions.

Imagining those think tanks sitting down to discuss about myriad socio-economic issues and their viable solutions used to ruffle up my spirits and motivate me to go on and become a part of such agencies that provide avenues to put theories into practice and make the world as we know it a better place . However, thanks to a few books and the universal mentor-Google, my perception about this has undergone a drastic change.

This is not a story about how some bright economist put forward his subtle theory that saved a generation from delving into the abyss of economic debacle, this is a story of how often even expert economists go wrong and how future predictions of top notch think tanks too can turn out to be lame.

"I give them two years before they're turning out the lights on a very painful and expensive mistake," these were the words of David Goldstein manager of Channel Marketing on how well Steve Job’s prodigious firm of Apple was going to sustain in future and we all know and see the market response for Apple .

Mr Alan Greenspan(Federal Reserve Chairman) was quite a symbol of perfection in the US derivatives and stock market. In fact the world presumed him to be an impeccable decision-maker until late 2008(financial crisis stage) that it was figured out many of his vague testimonies were questionable including the 2005 statement on derivatives that went downright wrong. One of his remarks had the following line “ Derivatives have permitted the unbundling of financial crises” Three years later the use of derivatives sent the economy into a tailspin.

Still think economists are geniuses????

In 2007, Joseph Cassano, AIG’s financial product head said, “It is hard for us, without being flippant, to even see a scenario within any kind of realm of reason that would see us losing one dollar in any of these [credit default swap] transactions.” One year later, Cassano’s realm of reason was turned upside down, and a $182 billion taxpayer bailout saved the United States largest insurance company from bankruptcy caused by these transactions. It would have been wise if Cassano and his team had looked a little harder for the worst-case scenario staring them in the face.

Even during the Global Financial Crisis of 2012 the purveyors of theoretical wisdom had it all figured out. Latin American countries wouldn’t manage,countries that relied on their powerful allies could benefit from insurance and ensure stability, the growth rates of East Asian countries wouldn’t grow below the last decade and so on and so forth. Not one of these predictions came to pass.

Latin American countries established stability through efficient macroeconomic policies. Countries such as the Baltic states, which joined the EU in the 1990s, discovered that their embrace of its economic rules and reforms offered little protection from the crisis.

Countries considered models in their transition to advanced economies, like Ireland and Spain, were thought to be immune from the most damaging effects of a global economic crisis. But just the opposite occurred. In Ireland, many observers were misled by the country’s two booms: a “good boom” based on sound economic fundamentals, and a “bad boom” following its adaption of the euro. Even a genius is a crackpot till he hits the jackpot. All these events throw light on how even the best in the business go wrong. One surely cannot question every economist and on the hind side not every answer of an economist can be accepted as well. However with so many weird predictions and theories going wrong one can’t help but ponder if these great economists in their fancy positions actually deserve the importance that is attached to their predictions.