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July 27, 2008
It’s that extra intelligence you are blessed with!
Our mental conditioning focuses on obedience and non-violence. And the society has already succeeded in making us utterly obedient and thoroughly non-violent. In fact to the extent that we have become docile, and have accepted our defeat without even thinking about fighting. No wonder – the latest drama in the parliament of the biggest and the most complex democracy was talk of the town only for one day - thanks to the serial bomb blasts – the attention of people got diverted in no time. And if a train mishap follows – we would have already forgotten about the bombs too!
Incident One
I happened to meet my sister’s friend once who wanted to consult me. She was very upset about her life, and also a particular incident that kept her under tremendous depression for couple of weeks.
She is married, her husband works in an IT firm, she has a younger brother who lives with her, she has a 3-year-old daughter, 1 watchman who guards the house, and 2 German Shepherds. She lives in a place, where most people have sold their residential plots for industrial purposes, and her husband doesn’t want to sell their place for sentimental values. Her only query was – when would they change their house? And she mentioned an incident that made her ask this question.
Just a couple of days back, during late evening when the hubby was at work, 3 huge guys who called themselves policemen barged into their house. They pushed the watchman aside, yelled at her brother to tie the dogs, and came inside to ask few unnecessary questions. Like – their names, how long have they been living here, how they are related etc etc. Later they took the brother to the police station and let him go after a while.
The whole incident came as a nightmare to my sister’s friend. Many questions crossed her minds – how can these buggers barge in, how can they order them to tie their dogs, how can they take her younger brother (just 21 years of age) for a general inquiry without any formal papers or orders, and how can we just be so helpless at the hands of power? As a normal middle class family – they didn’t take any action against the policemen.
Incident Two
Another client of mine met me recently. He wanted to ask whether if his father would win a case that he has registered against a local politician. I asked him about the whole episode and he divulged. His father had bought some 40 grounds of land paying Rs 500 some 40 years back in Chennai. And today it surely will be valued at few crores. A local politician captured that land, and also made few people to build their huts on it. When my client’s father met the politician to ask about the land, the politician gave an interesting answer.
“You got it for Rs 500, so now I will pay you Rs 500 and take the land!” They have filed a case in the court against him. I really wish they get judgment before Bal Thackeray gets his for the 1992 Mumbai riot.
Incident Three
One of my uncles owns few acres of land in AP. There was a sub-inspector who would come just like that, create minor problems, and then take money and go. It became a habit as if my uncle was indebted to pay him.
One day when the sub inspector visited his farm house in causal dress my uncle - who has some 50 people working under him - asked them to catch hold of the bugger and tie him to the tree.
They took the boss’s order, and thrashed the sub-inspector left, right and center. When all the thrashing was over – my uncle ran to the scene, and yelled at his workers, “what the hell do you think he is? He is the sub-inspector!” And my uncle apologized to the sub-inspector for the mistake already committed. That was the last day that sub-inspector met my uncle!
Posted by Kenni at 04:37 PM | Comments (0)
July 21, 2008
‘India shining’ in the dark?!
I belong to a small town, which happens to be the largest exporters of knitted garments in India. I was born there, and I have seen people toiling to bring that extra dollars into our country since 1975. Since then Tiruppur has grown from a small town to the largest exporter of T-shirts, vests and briefs. Someone once commented that Tiruppur is the only place in India, where you can never find ‘NO VACANCY’ board outside any unit. There is job for everybody, any time – whether you are educated or not it doesn’t matter really.
My mom stays there, and I visit Tiruppur once in a month. For the last one-year or so –I found funny things happening in Tiruppur. No electricity for 8 hours for 2 days in a week, and every day 3-4 hours current cut without fail. The companies don’t stop functioning, they immediately run their units on generators. It is by the sound of generators we come to know whether the current has come back or not.
The profit margin any small unit takes is about Rs 2 to Rs 3 per T Shirt. Recently the dollar rate fell, and Tiruppur suffered the most. They had to incur Rs 5 loss on per T Shirt. None bothered – neither the people nor the government.
Child labour was banned when the government wanted children to grow up with zero skills, and make them beg for jobs when they are 22-23 years of age. And now this frequent power cuts has only pushed businessmen to make the minimal profits – may be it is the price they are paying to have generated employment for the people.
The plight someone goes into - just to bring profits to the nation and to give employment to her own people - is tumultuous and also torturous. He might as well, close his export unit, and become a corrupt government employee instead – he surely would make more money than that he makes by exporting garments. Many industrialists (including Ratan Tata) feel that – doing business in India is very difficult due to expensive infrastructure. And now people are pushed to do business with zero-infrastructure.
Just yesterday there was a news report that said, even Chennai (one of the metros of India, and the IT hub) will have to face frequent power cuts from now. In fact I am typing this particular blog fast, as my laptop’s battery is getting over, and there is no current at home.
In early 90s one of my friend’s 4-year-old niece - born and brought up in the US visited Kerala. And that was the time when Kerala was under severe load shut down process. The current went off, and the people at home casually said current has gone, and the niece innocently asked – where has the current gone? Everyone burst out laughing, but then they didn’t realize that we are laughing at ourselves.
We cannot blame our population for this power cuts now. Something has seriously gone wrong somewhere – may be they have provided license to too many companies and industries, without understanding the aftermath. Is again corruption the main reason for this particular problem, where in tax paying ‘Aam Janta’ is deprived of this basic necessity called ‘electricity’?
Posted by Kenni at 09:15 AM | Comments (0)
July 19, 2008
When actor Sharath Kumar appreciated my blog!
I was at a salon – a well-known elitist place – where most celebrities come to improve their looks and hairstyle. Out of the few prominent people I saw were Tamil Super Hero Sharath Kumar, and comedian Chinni Jayant. Both of them were busy getting a lift to their personalities, and I thought it would be a nice experience for me if I could break the ice with Sharath Kumar – who probably could act in the movie - which probably I would make some day!
Sharath Kumar was through, and as I had wished I got an opportunity to talk to him. I started off by saying few things he would be happy to listen and know about himself as an actor. I told him how good an actor he was, who still wasn’t used properly in Tamil film industry. And how I started liking him after watching his performances in Patchaikili Muthucharam (a remake of Hollywood flick Derailed). He was happy about my feedback.
I know I am nobody in the movie industry as yet. But still had this gut feeling that he might not mind listening to few movie plots I always carry on my mind. After the initial cajoling, I was about to tell my stories to him that would persuade him to say an OK. I am sure if he were convinced, getting producers would not be tough. But to my dismay, he snubbed me saying – he has not time to listen to my stories now.
Totally disappointed, I shook hands, and said goodbye. We parted ways. And I was already heading home, when suddenly Sharath Kumar came running to me, and said, “Kenni, your blogs are good. Keep up the good work. Especially your hatred-filled blogs are good, which would even make a dead person alive.” My happiness knew no bounds, and I told to myself – if not movies, at least people appreciate my thoughts on my blog.
When I was enjoying this new feeling of overwhelming excitement – I suddenly found my chest completely wet with sweat. The current had gone. And having an afternoon nap without a fan in Chennai is completely impossible!
Posted by Kenni at 03:43 PM | Comments (0)
July 16, 2008
Stock market touches 12,000 and odd points – as predicted!
In the blog dated October 19, 2007, when the stock market was at 19,000 points – I had predicted that it will come down to 10,000 to 12,000 at a fast phase. Yesterday it reached 12, 600 points. Not that I am happy about the prediction coming right – but I am happy to have understood the functioning of life pattern. So will it fall more? Yeah it surely will. The whole of year 2008 will be bad for the stock market – so keep your hands off!
I had also predicted that the situation would go to the extent of people committing suicide. When the stock market fell, police were posted at rivers to prevent any mishap from happening. And also I got calls from people – who got into heavy debt from being crorepathis. The first sentence they spoke was, “Kennedi I feel like committing suicide.” I am glad they didn’t commit suicide – they are very much alive now.
So what went wrong? Here is the answer. In fact we believed the illusion the politicians and the media created among people. And the illusion they successful created was – “India is developing.” The truth is India isn’t developing, it is only moving towards destruction.
So will India be a developed country in the year 2020 – not at all. It will take another 300 years for India to develop – that is prediction too!
We have leased out every state to the World Bank taking heavy loans, and have invested in projects that would have very well been rejected by developed countries. And how did the World Bank succeed in giving out loans. Simply by corrupting the top officials – both politicians and bureaucrats.
We have given out lands to MNCs – like Coke and Pepsi, they sucked all that water affecting Indian farmers, which in turn has affected our natural resources. No wonder a tender coconut in Chennai costs Rs 20, while Coke costs only Rs 10!
Any Islamic country doesn’t have tax system. I think most part of UAE (United Arab Emirates) is tax free. They are tax-free because they have strong natural resource, and they have understood the importance of it. Like Mahatma Gandhi said – India is a country of agriculture. Hence until and unless we concentrate on agriculture and on our natural resource, and make that particular industry the top most – India will never develop. End of the day you cannot eat CDs, and Linux for breakfast and lunch.
India needs a people’s revolution, where in every middle-class individual join hands to put an end to corruption completely - right from – educational system to the employment office. Till then for sure we will remain a developing country for centuries to come!
Posted by Kenni at 05:18 AM | Comments (0)
July 14, 2008
Mayajaal – motherfuckers!
This time it was completely my mistake. A couple of days back I called the same Chennai-based multiplex a group of cheaters. And this time I call them a group of motherfuckers. My mistake isn’t in calling them what they deserve to be. But my mistake is to have gone to the same multiplex once again to watch another movie!
The movie was ‘Subramaniyapuram’ directed by the assistant director turned director Sasi. The movie is completely set in the 80s, where you notice all the cast in hippy hairstyle wearing those funny bell-bottoms. I think even Mayajaal wanted to take their viewers to the 80s.
After the tickets got over, and the movie house was full this bloody Pentamedia asshole sold extra tickets off the record and made latecomers to sit in the corners of the theatre by pulling extra chairs from the cafeteria!
So there were some 50 people more in the theater than the allotted number of seats, completely blocking all the pathways – even the emergency exit! I really wished that there should have been a fire emergency, and few people got charred to death so that press came into the scene and made this human folly known internationally! We still haven’t learnt anything from Kumbakonam school mishap or Delhi theatre mishap.
Last time I had fought enough with the fucking Mayajaal’s manager, hence this time I didn’t wanted to see his ugly and irresponsible face. Instead I walked towards a guy who was more than happy to have gotten ticket on the sides. I told him, I am from the press, and how come you are sitting here? He said we had a friend who booked it for them, as they were late for the movie. I asked which firm are you from? And he refused to tell me. From the face it was visible that he was educated, and also should be working for some MNC. I told him we are educated, and we should not be doing this. And he smiled at me – and I never understood what he really meant by that smile.
I went back to my seat, watched the movie silently. Came home, thought about it for many hours, and took a decision. I will never visit Mayajaal again in my life – and it is a complete fullstop. In fact I think I will stop visiting any multiplexes - till people stop talking in the theatre as if it is their drawing room, till people stopped fiddling around with their flashy mobile phones being least bothered about the person sitting next to them, and till multiplexes stop selling stuff at more than MRP prices.
Posted by Kenni at 08:36 AM | Comments (0)
July 11, 2008
Subtitles – a blessing!
In spite of being educated in English medium institution right from childhood, I never understood most Hollywood movies for the simple reason that I never understood what they tried to converse. It remains the same till date. Today probably the only difference is I can understand 10 per cent of what they mumble. For this very reason, I never had any inclination towards Hollywood movies, and thought watching Jackie Chan’s would suffice. I could have never understood the power of Hollywood movies if I had not met this client of mine.
In the very first conversation about Hollywood movies we had - my friend (client) warned me not to watch Hollywood movies. Out of curiosity I asked why, and he replied – you will lose respect for vernacular movies. I refused to agree then.
I am a movie freak myself, and should have watched 70 per cent of all the Hindi and Tamil movies that have released so far in India. And I thought we make good movies.
I told him, I never understand their dialogues, and he said sub titles are for people like me. I asked him a list of Hollywood movies, and he sent me one. And from that day, I collected one movie everyday from a DVD library, and started watching it.
He was very right. After watching them I have lost a lot of respect for Indian moviemakers. I am not saying they are bad. They are in fact too good. They are good at copying, they are good at lifting the plots as it is and say they got influenced, they are good at not acknowledging the source, and they are good at taking home credits and awards by using someone else’s original idea.
Our movies don’t win Oscar Awards - not because we make bad movies, it is because we don’t make original movies. We don’t experiment. We always want to work with plots that are used and that which are safe to handle. Moreover 90 per cent of Indian movies are tailored made to target the unintelligent auto drivers. No wonder actors like Vijay in Tamil Nadu is a star now, with zero potential or ability to perform.
I happen to watch 1983 release Al Pacino’s Scarface yesterday. And I didn’t like the movie. Not because the movie was bad, but because it was like watching some 15 Hindi movies, and some 20 Tamil movies together. Scenes, plots, sub plots, and dialogues have been picked so many times in so many Indian movies, that the original movie looked so boring, and guessable.
Here are few well-known Indian movies, which went home with credits after being lifted from the West. I have discovered very few, and I am sure I will find many in days to come…
Remembering the Titans - Chak De (if you watch both compare Shahrukh and Denzel you will know the difference yourself)
Godfather – Sarkar, Sarkar Raj, Nayagan (I know it is an old comparison)
Scarface – Agneepath, Nayagan
Memento - Gajini
And if you watch them closely you can see many plots, and sub plots being lifted as it is. Kaka Kaka, which made waves in Tamil Nadu has a scene which is lifted as it is from the movie Se7en of Morgan Freeman. And I thought Guatam Menon was original.
So I pass on the warning to you. Don’t watch Hollywood movies, you will only lose respect for Indian moviemakers.
Posted by Kenni at 03:09 PM | Comments (0)
July 08, 2008
There is a thin line!
Someone called me businessman recently. And honestly I hated to be called one. I think I am not a businessman and would never want to be one either. If I were, then I would have sold gems (with a certificate saying it is original), I would have sold rudraksha (saying it is directly imported from Nepal), I would have sold yantras (that are available in market for Rs 30 and sold it for few 1000s saying it is charged with prayers), and I surely would have sold remedial measures saying I can solve your problems and change your destiny. I don’t do that.
Of course I am mean sometimes. I don’t do reading before getting the funds into my account – and I especially do this with my new clients. This meanness has come through a lot of experience with new clients. A couple of weeks back someone named Sonia mailed me from California saying she needs a consultation on Saturday evening. I gave her the time forgetting that I had my music class. I bunked my music class only to know that Sonia got up late, and could not call me at the chosen time.
I hate bringing the money factor into discussion always because I feel uncomfortable doing so. I told her once, and she promised me that she would pay me through paypal. She called me on Sunday evening, and the consultation was done. And she never paid. Now if I mention this particular incident – do I sound like a businessman?
Well the guy who called me a businessman is based in Chennai, works for IT firm, and wanted a free answer to his query through yahoo messenger. And when I asked him to come over and meet me, he complained that the fuel prices have gone up. I wonder who is a businessman – he or me?
Only the intelligent people understand that there is a thin line between business and service. Service is where you charge for your time, and business is where you think only about profit maximization!
A simple example -
A doctor is not a businessman, but then the hospital owners are.
Posted by Kenni at 06:20 AM | Comments (0)
July 04, 2008
How to get rid of debts!
This blog might sound a lot like a self-help book. The content was neither lifted from any of the books nor from the Internet – it has come from a lot of personal experiences, insights and also through meeting many people who still are under few crores of debt. Sometimes I might even sound like a criminal but then it is up to you to interpret the inference.
Insight
All love money, and all want to make more money. But in the process of generating more money and multiplying it people face few unforeseen events that leave them bankrupt eventually. Debt and stress follows them and they start running and hiding. These unforeseen events aren’t self- propelled - they are part of destiny. I have seen people in huge debts only when they are running a bad period astrologically. And when they are running a good period – they usually do well. So the people aren’t to be blamed for their failures.
The changed society
People still think about a debt free life, which isn’t possible now. Things have changed and also the society. It is a credit run society now, where in you have all the fun now, and pay up later. I wouldn’t say it is wrong. But then it is very different from what our parents or grandparents did. They had a house and car much later in their lives, and they never had any loans or debts when they retired. These days you retire with huge loans on head. It is good. The only thing you can do is, borrow as much as possible and die without any mention of your lineage!
Which money to use
To start a business you take money from various sources – pawnbrokers, personal PF, personal savings, wife’s ornaments, friends, parents, private banks and lastly the nationalized bank. The order should be in the reverse to be honest. Never invest your money into your business. And always take loans from nationalized banks – because in case you cannot pay, they won’t send eunuchs and abusers to your house. (And as much as possible NEVER borrow money from pawnbrokers – it is a curse in itself).
The common mistake
You started a business, you made a loss, and there are many EMIs on head. Stop for a while, and think. Talk to yourself – you started a business, you made a loss – meaning there is something wrong. And 99 per cent of the times it is your time. These 2 examples will make you feel good about your present state – even Michael Jackson and Amitabh Bacchan went bankrupt – so there is nothing new or nothing wrong in going bankrupt – it is just part of life.
You are running a bad time, and you have already done a loss – now DO NOT BORROW from others on high interest to pay the previous LOAN. This is what 99 per cent people do, and get into a never-ending cycle.
The moment you know you cannot repay a particular loan, meet the people concerned and tell them that you cannot pay. I would be a fool, if I said that they would accept your stance and give you a hug. They won’t accept, and they would want their money back in any case – that is pure logic. Making them understand wasn’t your motto either. The motto was to make yourself sound clear.
I spoke to a lawyer and she said if you are unable to repay your debts you need to spend 22 days behind bars, and you can come out clean. I am not advising anybody to go to the jail. I am just letting you know what’s the maximum that can happen to you in the worst scenario. And also no lender is interested in seeing you screwed by homosexual behind bars. They just want their money back. Take time to repay – because lending money is their business, and they are ought to make some losses too.
When times change
Life is a cycle. If you go down, you surely will come up. If you go down fast, you will come up slow. If you come up fast, you will go down faster. So when you are bankrupt, and you have stopped repaying your loans, a day will come that will show you a new horizon. Money will flow in. And now don’t rush. When the money flows in, don’t rush to the repay your loans. Take time to multiply it, and then repay.
Important things to note
*It isn’t bad karma to start a business
*It isn’t bad karma to make losses in business
*It isn’t bad karma to go bankrupt
*It isn’t bad karma to stop paying EMIs
*But it surely is bad karma to deliberately delay payments to someone who isn’t doing well because of you!
Posted by Kenni at 03:01 PM | Comments (0)