Old age people's creche similar to Creche for small babies.

My mother said that staying with you is very comfortable, but i don't see any people around to talk or to listen or share some things.  She used to go to my sister who stays in a village from this point of view for few months. Power cuts were very often, yet she preferred that place.  She was very active, and could write, read the spiritual texts, sing bhajans and keep her self busy.  Her routine was very perfect, and she wanted to meet her relatives and friends, pay a visit to them at least once in a month.  

I often faced a situation where leaving her alone at home i did not like.I also have a colleague  whose wife is sick, and two maids have been employed to look after her.  Maids very often take long leave, or suddenly absent themselves.  He is forced to take leave or go to office late.  When i discussed that would you like her to take  to a place similar to a creche but for old people. and leave her there during the day time, and pick her while returning from the office.  He replied, i was doing this with a Hospital when she underwent physiotherapy, but idea of creche for the elderly is really welcome.

Anand Dham the old age home, near Nutan college, run by Seva Bharati   could be the right place.  They can arrange few beds say 10-20 beds for them to rest.  Charge a nominal fee per day basis or monthly basis.  Provide Snacks, Tea etc on payable basis.  Sponsors also can be contacted to arrange for Medical check ups on chargeable basis or free depending on the individual's paying capacity. Since it is for day hours, so no permanent arrangement is required.  The old aged people can also contribute to the Old age home, in the form of providing training in cookery, handicrafts or whatever skills they possess. 

Most of them who would use this facility will love to see their parents, elderly people engaged in a better way with more security for them.  They can take up their jobs without any guilt feeling.  They should be willing to pay an amount of Rs. 100 to 150 per day basis. 

Thought of sharing this, is to reach all with similar view.  Other philanthropic, community centres / organizations can also think of this.  Not that this idea is very unique, but most often we neglect our elders and pamper the younger ones.  It is our responsibility to the Society in general and elder  people / parents in particular.

If a facility of this kind is already existing then, others also can avail it.  If not, earlier we can create this the better it is.  Bhopal has set an example in many areas, and this could be another.

Road side vendors, shops, religious places.

We were travelling back from our college to home the other day.  My colleague said, good fresh vegetables are being sold, i wish i could buy them.  This thought appears to many of us, because:-

1. It saves botheration of making a special visit to markets for buying them.
2. You get them cheaper
3. You save parking the vehicle, and walking a long distance to buy and other incidental costs
4. You are motivating a new entrepreneur or shop keeper
5. supporting a good cause, by helping them to stand on their own; otherwise they would also be begging or stealing or doing such petty crimes.

Just ponder over the following issues involved in  most of the road side vendors or shops:

1. They very often are at spots or places which are unauthorised 
2. they result in road blocks, because of people who buy and/or park their vehicles blocking the road
3. Since, it is an unauthorised place; the vendor could be paying bribe to local leaders,  policemen, corporation employees; which we later crticise sipping tea or coffee.
4. When encouraged by us, these vendors grow in size and will encroach the Government land.  To evict them, government may willingly give another location at a low  prices.
5. This happens more for religious places like temples.  If you find a banyan sapling, surely you will see a temple in its life time.  
6. The bus stops recently erected for passengers have allowed place next to them for such vendors.
7. Eventually these vendors who start to serve tea, snacks, or vegetables or clothes or goggles will help other vendors to start new ones and slowly banned tobacco items like pan masala, cigarettes etc will be sold.
8. These vendors could be the handiwork of few corrupt people in government agencies related to this.

Therefore, i appeal to all those concerned including the Government agencies the following:

• Citizens not to buy or encourage unauthorised vendors or shops.  They should stop buying from them.
• Stop from praying at these religious places irrespective of which ever religion they belong.  It is difficult because emotions are involved, but some solution has to be found for such religious places.  Supreme court alone cannot reduce this.
• Some of them, could be desperate and they need support of society; such cases Government should identify or invite people to open their places at hawker corners.

I  render my apology in advance, not because i am wrong; but because i know few of them who really saved themselves from starving by doing such small businesses, and in places where new colonies/offices just started.  But these genuine ones are few in number, otherwise vast majority are only there to grab such costly land free of cost.

Change of existing movie time from 3 hrs to short length movie of 90 minutes

I really wonder why not we have variable formats in movies too.  With changing times, in cricket in addition to  5 day tests, one day, and later 20 overs format was introduced.  This changed the game very much.  Now, we have specialist players for each format.  World cup, IPL and several such matches are held in different parts of the world.  It increased both number of viewers, supporters.  More good talent is now available as alternate etc which most of us know.

It is now becoming increasingly difficult to watch such lengthy movies of nearly 3 hours or 180 minutes duration. After PVR, and similar such movie theatres have come into India; there was a talk of few movies being specially produced for such theatres, which allow viewer to buy tickets and watch movie any time.

Reduction of duration of movie from 180 min to 90 minutes, will have many benefits:

1. You will have more number of movies in any cinema hall, so increased turnover due to more viewers.
2. More choice of timings instead of 4 now.  (morning, noon, 1st show and 2nd or night show.); may be 8  shows
3. One can utilise the rest of the time better, because he will save nearly 90 min and need not get hammered by unwanted stuff like forced comedy, confusing plots etc
4. Producers can produce more movies, and better quality movies like overseas ones.  Their quality, content and variety is far far better than our Hindi or regional movies.  
5. Chances of winning international film awards
6. One more unexpected benefit could be the reduction of entry ticket fee, which is now sky rocketing.
7. More people would  go to cinema halls instead of watching them on TV, or watching the pirated ones.

That's all, i wanted to share.

Launch of a tax saving mutual fund with a capital protection option

The Equity linked savings seheme enjoys tax benefits both on investment and redemption as most of us know.  But recently, when stock markets fell, those who wanted to redeem were in a shock, when they found their funds NAV, below their purchase price.  In few cases, it was -20 to -30%

This definitely has impacted the decision of few investors, to keep them away from investment in ELSS funds of any AMC.

Many insurance companies launched highest NAV schemes, to allay the fears in the form of capital protection.  Why such schemes cannot be considered by Mutual fund companies (AMC) is the question.  Can SEBI force few of them, to protect investors hard earned money.

Buying any equity share at a monthly average price

I remember purchasing copper for our company at monthly average price for coming months. Say in June, i could buy for July, Aug, Sept maximum 3 months ahead.  That option existed.  You do have to pay a premium like we do in futures and options. There was an option  to cancel the contract also, but i do not remember the exact terms.

I was exploring whether the same could be possible in equity markets also.  How it will help the investor?  Will he be buying at lower prices than the current ones, if he opts say for July monthly average price.  Well, there is some amount of speculation involved. 

More on this idea, i would like to hear from others too.

Major Project ideas for MBA Finance IV Semester Students

I wanted to share the following Major Project Ideas with IV Semester students. They will help in enlarging the knowledge gained in specialization subjects, and also help in practical applications. By doing them, the process of gathering information, analyzing it will help in having insights of Mutual funds, Stock markets, and how to take right decisions for investing, managing the portfolio, and balancing it etc

Some of these ideas may be known to many of the readers, still i thought of mentioning them because as students majority would be benefitted, by having a clue where to start. Those of who, have liked these ideas, if have doubts or suggestions then feel free to comment.

1. Mutual funds are a good choice for investments. In this project, we study how investment made as lump sum amount performed vis a vis investment under systematic investment plan in the same scheme say for 3 years / 5 years. Review of the investment will be done at the end of 3,4 and 5 years for 3 years SIP investment and for 5,6 and 7 years for 5 years SIP investment.
2. To study investment in Tax equity saving schemes (ELSS) vis a vis Post office NSC's. Choose 4,5 star funds rated by value research online for this purpose. Period of study should be at least 6-8 years. Investment should be lump sum like NSC's. Plan options Dividend reinvestment or Growth like NSC's
3. To study investment in Tax equity saving schemes vis a vis Public Provident fund or PPF & NSC's. Duration of the study for review should be atleast 6 years or more by which sufficient accumulates.
4. We can do similar studies of ELSS schemes with Money back policies of any one insurance company. Duration for review should be more 6 years and upto 10 years atleast, to get good conclusions.
5. Instead of Money back policies we can compare with Unit Link Insurance Policies with insurance cover such as endowment or child plans.
6. To study the balance sheet of companies which have recently issued bonus shares. analyse their performance in terms of EPS, Dividend declared, changes in Stock Market prices. Based on this identify companies which may come out with bonus issue.
7. Investing for long term or short term what should be the approach is what many investors like to know. This study will help in making the decision by selecting 5-10 stocks from 30 sensex stocks, which have performed best in a year, preferably of different sectors. using different basis for picking the stocks will help draw better conclusions.
8. Hindustan lever has recently announced about buying back of its shares, ET says about 40 odd companies are likely to exercise this option.  So, we can take this as an idea for our major project, and study the impact on stock prices say 3 month before and 3 months after the  announcement of such a decision, 

Devotees checklist before leaving for Puttaparthi - Bhagwan Sri Sathyasai baba's ashram

Recently with grace and blessings of Bhagwan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, i had an opportunity to be in the Ashram for a week. During the period, i observed that many of visitors including devotees were not fully aware, and if they go through this check list, they will definitely be more happier and satisfied when they visit Puttaparthi.

Many of these could be there in the website

www.srisathyasai.org.in,
www.srisathyasai.org.in/Pages/AshramInfo/prasanthi_intro.htm

and in their monthly publication Sanathan Sarathi, but i found 40-50% devotees have not accessed them or donot know how to access them.

I owe the thought of writing these in the blog to Bhagwan Baba only, and i sincerely thank him for allowing me to do this. Any mistakes in these are mine, and i would be happy to correct them if they are made known to me.

Short and brief Check list :

1. Visit local Sri Sathya Sai samithi's office they will brief most of these things, and participate in bhajans, and other programmes if possible
2. Devotees/Visitors who reach early hours in the morning or late would be allowed entry during specific hours, so one has to check these timings. The accommodation office works from 0600 hrs to 2000 hrs.
3. Carry a photo identity card in Original for every member of the group. At time, they relax this condition, and allow photocopy too. PAN Card, Driving Licence, Pass port, Voter identity card, Ration card are few. Others may also be allowed but it should be photo identity card.
4. Normally it was found in the group of 5 and more only one or two used to have this card. They said, it is enough for us to travel in trains, so we had only two. It is not acceptable.
   
5. However, if let us say a male member has identity card, then his children, wife and his parents are allowed on single identity card.
   
6. Children below 18 normally do not have identity cards, in that case carry Xth or XII marks sheet, Exam Hall ticket etc
7. But do not take chances, carry as many photo identity cards as possible.
8. Regarding accommodation, most of the devotees will get Dormitory, Hall or Shed accommodation, which is like a general waiting hall, with asbestos roof, ceiling fans, common bathrooms, toilets. One has to make his/her own arrangements like bedsheets to put on the floor and also cover oneself. No cots are there, so one has to sleep on the floor.
   
9. To ensure that devotees are having the minimum needy things, those who only carry a polythene bag or a brief case without these things are not allotted shed normally in the interest of devotees itself.
   
10. Mosquitoes may be found too, so preferably carry some suitable cream to protect.
11. Few of the visitors who were patients and who had come for treatment at their Super speciality hospitals and other who are very old, have difficulty to sit on the floor etc had tough time to manage in these sheds.
    
12. Those, who wanted good conditions to rest, take bath also had to look for accommodation out side.
13. Among these, those who wanted to somehow have atleast one night spent in the divine surroundings of the Ashram, where Bhagwan Baba's blessings could be experienced, and be able to attend to early morning functions like Omkaram, Suprabhatam, Nagar Sankirtan at least one, were accommodated in the rooms which were few in number in comparison to the visitors reaching Puttaparthi.
    
14. The alternative available to sick, old, and those who can afford was renting a hotel, which was available for Rs.70 onwards for a double room, as informed by some visitors near to the Hospital. The room rent is subject to demand supply but being a small town, should not be very costly.
15. Another area which visitors normally expect is a cloak room for keeping the belongings. In the Ashram, there is no separate arrangement for Cloak room except for keeping small hand bags, mobile phones and electronic equipment which is not allowed during the darshan. However, in the Bus stand outside ashram there is a cloak room. One has to follow their norms such as having lock on the bags, suitcases etc
16. Other than the above, devotees will really find very good arrangements say for breakfast, lunch, evening tea, or dinner. Different types of canteens are there to suit to the taste of individuals like South canteen for South Indian food, North Canteen for North Indian food, and West canteen for western food. Bakery stores, cool drinks snacks are also available. Timings are displayed, and mostly suit the disciplined visitor. Food prepared is taken as Prasad by most of the devotees.
17. To the devotees/visitors there is a Shopping Centre inside, where all needy things are available. Timings for Women: 0830 - 1130 hrs, Men: 1700 to 1930hrs
18. Information about other places of importance, and other institutions is given in Prashanti Nilayam - Information Booklet, which all visitors/devotees much buy or posses in the very first instance.

Wishing you all a very Happy Darshan of Bhagwan Babaji. Also I pray for his blessings, love be showered on all who visit this holy place, or even make a wish to do so also. It is said, that a visit to such holy places can take place only with blessings of presiding deity there, so our duty is to make a sincere, ardent and whole hearted wish to be there, to serve, to follow and seek blessings.