Show me the "quick bucks"

"You must be very rich lady these days!" said Mrs. Nair, my neighbour, the moment she entered our house.

"?!?!" Alarmed and confused with exaggerated sugary sweet tone from someone who is known to be a snob, I tried to figure out what was coming.

"Stock market has reached 20,000 points na!!" 

"Yeah, it has. So?"

"Tell me, which stocks I should buy? " she asked with glint in her eyes. 

"Auntie, I am not a professional advisor on equities and currently, I am not buying any stocks."

"Oh come on, give me few tips. Don't I know how well you are doing in stock market?" She tried to cajole.

"Investing at current level is irrational and there are many factors responsible for any bull run like sentiment of the stock market, liquidity, FII flows, etc. Investing in direct equity needs good research and it is a risky asset class. Besides, stock market is very volatile these days. I am not sure if it is wise to enter the market at this stage"

"Oh! Don't you worry about that! You see, I don't mind taking risks. One has to take risks to earn money after all hain na?!"she persisted with big grin.

"Maybe, that is true but not before assessing every facet of the risk involved. I am an investor not a trader. My profile as long time investor would be completely different than someone playing the market for a short time."

"Profile??What profile???!!!"

"One needs to understand few basic things like what is the objective of the investment, time horizon one is looking for, risk appetite of the investor etc. before taking the plunge."

"Arre, don't bother about all those technical things dear. Who has got time to get into all that? I just want to take advantage of this teji (strong bull-run) and make some quick money. During last teji, my cousin Rajam earned big money and she now moves in a brand new sedan and has also booked a three bedroom flat in Banglore! And all she did was to consult her friend, who deals in shares just like you." 

"Wish it was that easy auntie." 

The conversation continued for next couple of minutes and I tried to convince Mrs. Nair to participate in stock market through SIP route once the market undergoes correction so that she would get the feel of how stocks behave. But Mrs. Nair left disappointed with some regret on her face for bringing bowl of payasam that did not  earn her any "tip" for stocks.     

Every time the stock market goes up, I end up having similar conversations with lot of people; friends, relatives, acquaintances and neighbours who just like Mrs. Nair, wish to invest in stocks without any prior knowledge or understanding of equity market. The difficult part is to convince them how investing in any asset class is not as simple as it sounds and that one needs to be extremely careful, prepared with thorough knowledge and understanding of every investment option. 

The major blunder people end up doing is to drool over reverie of making fortune in stocks, as if stock market is some magic wand to help them gain quick, handsome returns in short span. I am shocked by the mindless way people invest in 'hot picks" because some friend/neighbour/colleague/relative  recommends it! They invest recklessly as if oblivious to the fact that stock prices are subjected to erratic and random fluctuations depending on so many factors. 

The other day while going for work, my taxi driver overheard my conversation about stocks and he was curious to know how he could participate in the bull rally. It is not only people like him from lower financial strata and less educated class but also people from effluent, educated class make this enormous mistake to jump in stocks lured by greed and end up in financial harakiri.  

I am personally very bullish on equity as an asset class but to expect it to create magic as per my fancy would be a wrong premise. There is difference between creating wealth and making money and to create wealth in ethical way it takes time. Like life, there are no short cuts in stock market! Greed is good but not when it becomes unhealthy!

"One of the funny things about stock market is that every time one person buys, another sells and both think they are astute." William Feather

She is a mother too !!!

The girl looking after her little brother

It was during my visit to NGMA and other art galleries in that vicinity that I noticed this girl, barely ten, playing with a toddler. She seemed possessive about the treasure she had chanced upon; a brand new, good quality paper bag that could be used to hide her valuables. Between the footpath grill and trunk of a tree, a temporary cradle was made with a sari and her baby brother was asleep amidst all the chaos around. Members of her family were lazing around a few meters away; smoking and playing cards, completely unaware and least bothered about the preying glances this beautiful girl was receiving from the passersby.  

A vehicle passed blowing very loud horn that disturbed her little brother's sleep and made him cry but before this girl had time to realize it, a stick was hurled in her direction followed by choicest of abuse. A sinewy looking father figure from the group playing cards barked at her and the girl flinched rushing to the brother. The verbal abuse continued to grow till the baby brother was quiet. Within seconds that innocent girl transformed into a woman with great responsibility on her shoulder. Her smile vanished, her face saddened with the dreadful possibilities of what lay ahead for her.

Every time I happen to witness such incidents my heart skips a beat. As a photographer, there is always a line that I don't wish to cross lest I intrude life of people and that would be unethical. I wanted to click this girl's photograph while she was playing with the toddler, lost in her beautiful little world in backdrop of hustle and bustle on the road. While I waited patiently for the right moment to click, I was left with nothing but a disconsolate picture, wrapped in threadbare of contrived hope. The picture need not necessarily capture and explore depths of her story pregnant within because there comes a point when moral dilemma makes me question myself if I am devouring others' suffering. There is an invisible line which as a photographer, I would never like to cross.

There are millions of girls like her on the roads in India. What is the big deal about this little girl? Well, it was yesterday, on Mother's day that I spotted this girl. Since morning, I had read some amazing tributes to Mother on social networking sites. Here was a girl who herself was just a child but was forced to be a mother because of sheer destiny. There was very thin, amorphous line between her innocent self and her transformed grown up version that I had just witnessed. One question that kept haunting me was how long her innocence would stay intact.

Far too often, twang laden educated air engulfs our collective views about people like this girl and we tend to easily suspend their very existence! An 'educated" air with bloated ego that we often carry is devoid of basic understanding and respect we could accord to fellow human beings. People like this girl don't have luxury of lullabies, birthday parties or throwing tantrums. They are expected to quietly take the path of enduring fate and completely surrender to it. Their life is nothing but sardonic pastiche, a mute testimony to a vicious cauldron of urban destitution. Often, the city is too engrossed to listen to their silent screams of decay in humanity.  

When I left, I had no words to pay tribute to this little mother as all the touching tributes that I had read that morning seemed to pale after I saw this little angel!

Misplaced patriotism !

Since last few days, I have observed something peculiar on Facebook, Google Plus and Twitter. There are several posts with anti-Pakistani and Chinese sentiments. I have received some emails and messages having almost similar content; provocative messages loaded with bitterness for these two countries. Whenever some major event occurs, especially political, digital world goes viral with hatred messages/sentiments. 

I am not going to discuss the recent political developments between these two countries and India or delve on political impact of recent events. My concern is the reaction of people which is often presented, labelled and considered as form of patriotism but in reality, is result of lack of understanding of the real situations and grasp of its implications.

We all have to struggle through our conscious every day, in the times when there is thin line between endorsement of violence as entertainment and power of influence. Our conscience is constantly fed by loads of information. Sadly we are not always equipped to know right from wrong. Often, the truth is twisted in circus of media and the real issues are sidelined. 

Why as nation, we let the old wounds still hurt us and fester in our psyche? History is witness to our complex relationship with neighbouring nations that has been fraught with deep pain, anguish of multiple breakdowns of trust, cooperation and will to resolve the issues. The hostility between India and Pakistan is legendary. But in spite of this deplorable legacy, why do we as ordinary citizens let ourselves be influenced blindly by filthy games of political manipulation and breed attitude of hatred and bitterness? There is enough violence happening all around world and we all have suffered tragedies. How can we still nurse malevolence? 

There are no easy answers to age old complex problems between two nations. Agreed, complete lack of political will to resolve issues and blatant criminalization of power is very frustrating for ordinary citizens to tolerate but does spreading hatred help bring any constructive solution? Whom should we blame for this resentment? It is time to check if our responses/reactions are the result of romanticized patriotism that is creation of media and its mindless rhetoric or cupidity of our own politicians who gain from such genre of politics. 

There are ways to address conflicts. Solution to our challenges lies in considering our real issues with candour and addressing them with maturity. How can we forget that with freedom of speech comes the responsibility to use that freedom responsibly?

National pride is a remarkable sentiment but when it is used to malign other race/country/culture, then it loses its very essence. Patriotism is not about temporary titillation of acrimonious acts of rancour. Unless we learn to value the positive energies of life and offer the respect and considerations to differences, we will be condemned to live in the world that is devoid of humanity, the basic ingredient of life. The onus is all the more on educated class, the enlightened minority to do something constructive about it instead of posting messages of hatred and spread negativity. We can't afford to be a proud nation if we are not enlightened too.

"We may have different religions, different languages, different colored skin, but we all belong to one human race."
-- Kofi Annan

Trepidations and a pleasant surprise at pottery studio

A pleasant surprise that emerged from the kiln in first firing leaving a natural tinge of orange, my only consolation! 

Nestled in my favourite chair; listening to jazz music in my room, alone, is enough to bring complete calm and transport me to a different world on a normal day but since last few days, nothing is working and the calm seems to be fleeting my utterly chaotic cerebrum even before it settles down for a few moments. Well, there is nothing new about my incoherent mind and its convoluted configurations. The reason for this current inner circus is the trepidations experienced at the pottery studio in last few days.

My first batch of pots that I made using hand built techniques have survived first firing in the kiln and as I write this, are being fired yet again with the glaze and that, is making me restless. I am not happy with the way I handled glaze. After working for hours on a single pot, seeing it survive the kiln and watch its beautiful transformation I am afraid if the way I have glazed my pots would retain the soul of what I had created.  I am deeply worried about the destiny of my pots as I know it is likely that they might be ruined in firing due to glaze and that feeling is very painful. 

Since last two months, in my consistent endeavour to learn pottery, there has been constant churning, seething cauldron of emotions, collected in endless moments of strife. Clay has beguiling magic and it is very easy to underestimate how intricate the art and craft of pottery is! Touch of clay can be ethereal experience! There is deep sense of satisfaction derived from giving a form to amorphous lump of clay. One feels sense of integration with the earth, the very source of our material. There is some strange sense of belonging.

A potter’s journey is poignant. It helps one realize timber of one's inner spiritual pulse. Clay, as a material is very difficult to handle at all stages and one has to be constantly diligent from beginning till end, in order to avoid damage or breakage. Patience and unpredictability are imperative to a potter's journey and that is precisely why a restless soul like me is having hard time. There are endless disappointments as well as pleasant surprises. After having invested hours in creating a piece, it requires great deal of  fortitude to cope with gut wrenching disappointment that can cause gleaming stab of sadness of a vaguely and incoherently broken dream. 

I know every potter goes through this whirlwind of frustration. Pots break, fall apart and don't always meet one's expectations, goals or vision. It is a natural and normal part of creative process. While sometimes waiting disconsolate, wrapped in contrived patience for a pot to emerge from the kiln, something sublimely fulfilling happens leaving a creative surge and immense joy of endless possibilities. 

I am trying to remind myself lessons learnt at the pottery studio, that stand true for life and relationships in general;
Don't get emotionally attached to any pot.
Mend the cracks, the moment they emerge so that they don't weaken the pot.

Wish it was easy to really follow it, as I can't stop thinking if my pots would be blessed or cursed?!  

When the despair hovers around

It would not be honest if I said life is hunk-y-dory after what happened in the last few days. Bombings, killings, earthquakes, inhumanly heinous crimes against women have ruled the headlines spreading despair all over. I am thankful  for being alive and kicking life as usual but the subtle impact of the magnitude of such tragedies is difficult to comprehend. Pardon me, if I sound bit riled up today.

Sometimes, despite being a positive person, one gets tired of things that are supposed to make you feel better; like the pep talk I give myself, "look at the brighter side, you are still alive, happy, healthy and far more blessed than so many out there. There is lot to love, explore, experience.” I am generally mindful about not letting any form of negativity seep in as it breeds more negativity. But how can one escape the despair of unfortunate events that have occurred in last few days, one after another? 

Pictures of an illegal building that has collapsed killing many people including children, sight of places affected by earthquake, victims of recent bombings in U.S, and the latest gruesome crimes against very young girls aged five and three make me shudder. How much of hopelessness can one handle? I am feeling sick to the core.

I can be certified for being insanely optimistic person but in last few days there have been instances when I have not been able to hold on to positivity amidst magnitude of loss of precious human lives and the manner in which people succumbed to it. 

I am sometimes perceived as "nut case" for being so sentimental but how can I ignore that subtle and painfully deep corrosion such tragedies create inside me? A five year old child gets sexually assaulted in most shockingly inhuman manner and what does the police do? It tries to convince the victim's family to withdraw the complaint! At some corner of a perfectly peaceful world, some people feel helpless and at mercy of few mindless people who take it upon themselves to end human life causing complete mayhem. People lose their lives in their own homes because the abode they bought with their hard earned money is built on slippery foundation of greed, corruption and avarice. Within seconds, life of victims and their families have changed and destiny has taken a completely different course, forever.     

Sadly, headlines do not always translate into meaningful action that addresses the root cause of the issue. Instead, we fall in to trap of tail chasing scenario of hype and brouhaha the end result of which is nothing except outrage and helplessness. Today, aggression has become our way of life. The frustration of a citizen due to complete absence of  law and order, break down of the system that is becoming chaotic, unapproachable and deeply corrupt is brewing dangerous levels. Who do we, the common people take our complaints to? Considering the way police has handled some cases in recent years shows complete disregard for sensitivity that is crucial factor in performing their duty ethically. Our judicial system that is bogged down by corruption and shrouded personal agendas of the individuals responsible for serving citizens of this country does not provide any hope. 

I go about my life in usual manner but only God is witness how shaken I am from within. NOBODY deserves to die due to terrorism or pay price for someone else's greed. No woman deserves to be used as an object of sexual fulfillment of a deranged man. Shame on us! We, as society have neither learnt to value and honour life nor the women, who gift it. Sad!