Pandemic has taken huge toll on economic activity, especially on retailers. A prolonged lockdown ensured that people remained indoors and shops shut. People were mostly ordering – initially only essentials but subsequent all kinds of goods – from the comforts of their homes and e tailers and those delivering at homes managed to survive and in fact, a few of them increased their sales. Stand-alone shop owners and those having shops within the malls bore double brunt – no sales due to closure and zero footfall and overheads in the form of rental and staff cost. Many retailers laid off their staff and started negotiating with their landlords for relief in rentals. But closure of large number of shops all across bears testimony of the above steps making only limited impact.

Some of the marquee names have survived this onslaught and one of the explanations being offered is their premises being on ownership basis rather than on rental. This took my thought process to the age old commerce lesson on capital versus revenue expenses. Capital is not free but comes at a cost – in fact, even if it’s acquired free or is available to be used, it has a carrying cost or the loss in the form of income that it would have otherwise fetched if invested in other classes of assets. On the contrary, revenue costs are met out of generated revenue and in that sense it appears more prudent as long as revenue is sufficient to cover the cost.

In the end, the only conclusion is that as long as the business is flourishing, it doesn’t really matter whether you are paying rental or servicing capital. This pandemic has shaken businesses again to think about merits and demerits of rented versus owned. In pandemic, those operating businesses out of rented premises clearly seem to be suffering more, but it’s not all hunky dory for owners too! They may not have any outgo on account of rental, but a locked premises is like a white elephant – only eating without delivering anything in return!

Sent from my iPhone

Today a very revered and respected senior friend of mine, who encourages a lot to me to write more and better, suggested the captioned topic to me.

He has lived the life to the fullest but on his own terms. He has also stayed away from the rat race of chasing materialistic goals. Therefore, coming from him, I mulled over the topic throughout the day and towards the end thought it best to express my views on this very challenging but topical theme in the form of a Hindi poem. It captures the essence of not only my life, but that of many of us and the reality is that in our effort to assess how much is much, we end up sacrificing the most precious thing that our life offers us – happiness! Inspired by my own poem, may be I will change gears now to chase happiness in the remaining part of my life rather than amassing materials which may never seem too much!

बचपन में ख्वाहिश थी एक छोटी खिलौना कार की

और भरपूर माँ बाप के प्यार की

तब छोटी सी कार भी बजट से बाहर थी

समय कुछ ऐसा था कि प्यार से ज़्यादा फटकार थी

जैसे उम्र बढ़ी चाहते बढ़ती गई

ज़रूरतें ठीक थी, ख्वाहिशें बढ़ती गई

कमाई हज़ारों से लाखों में पहुँच गई

लेकिन ख्वाहिशें कमाई से एक कदम आगे रहीं

मारुति से जी न भरा मर्सिडीज़ की चाह रही

फ़्लैट तो अच्छा था पर नज़र बंगले की राह पर थी

अफ़सर तो मैं काफ़ी बड़ा हो गया

पर टाप पर पहुँचने की होड़ में दौड़ता गया

भाग भाग के अब थोड़ा थक सा गया हूँ

पर करोड़ों की चाह है कि थकती नहीं

How much is much के चक्कर में ऐसा फँसा मैं

इतना पाकर भी यह चक्री रूकती नहीं!

Thanks Malik Sahab for provoking me to write on this topic.

75 years into our independence, we have progressed well by becoming a nuclear, a space, an industrial, a military, an IT and an agrarian power. But are all the problems behind us? The answer is “No”. While we might have resolved the problems of hunger, child labour, gender discrimination, electricity and drinking water, the journey continues to be replete with unresolved issues, including the new challenges. Pandemic has already hurt the entire world deeply and we in India are wishing away a possible third wave with bated breath. Terrorism and expansionism in our neighbourhood keeps us on our toes at all points of time. This year’s flooding and landslides expose us to the challenges of global warming and there are issues around inflation, joblessness, agitations and population explosion!

Our curve is an upward curve; from 1947 to silver in 1971 to Golden in 1996 to platinum in 2021, we have made a great headway and that’s matter of pride of all of us! Let’s resolve that the diamond anniversary of our independence in 2046 will see a supremely confident, powerful, benevolent, unified, prosperous and most advanced India that will ensure that our problems of caste, religion, gender and linguistic biases are rendered to the history books by then !

Vande matram and Jai Hind to all my readers and countrymen on the 75th platinum independence anniversary of our beloved nation.

God is invisible but omnipresent. There are permanent non- believers, though each one of us have moments of scepticism about the almighty, especially when we are at the receiving end. But I must admit that there are certain inexplicable events that cannot be explained without the existence of an omnipresent and omnipotent superpower.

This is the season of sports as olympics have just ended in Tokyo and our Indian contingent has returned with the best ever medal tally comprising an individual gold in athletics, one silver each in weight lifting and wrestling and one bronze each in badminton. Boxing, hockey and wrestling. While P V Sindhu was already a household name and a proven achiever, we suddenly have new icons- Mirabai Chanu, Ravi Dahiya, Bajrang Punia, Lovlina Borgohain, Manpreet, Rani Rampal, Aditi Ashok and of course, super darling of the entire nation, Neeraj Chopra.

India’s best ever performance, super show by our daughters, revival of hockey and first ever individual gold in athletics, an achievement that fulfilled a long standing wish of the Flying Sikh, albeit posthumously, deserve a dedicated blog. My readers must be wondering the connection between the first two paras of the blog viz. Omnipresent god and India’s super show in olympics!

The reason is the thought that I came across as I passed Mahim church that read – “ If god propels your spear, you can win a gold. Congratulations Neeraj”. As in the worst of times, we cannot but remember the almighty at the peak of success too. After all, what’s there to choose between the winner and the runners up and the loser – a fraction of a second or a few centimetres or few grams! Efforts are must, because we all have been told that God helps those who help themselves. And we cannot take away even an inch from all the above winners who put in untiring effort in attaining the excellence. But the thought of the omnipotent and omnipresent power automatically comes to our mind. In fact, Neeraj has been humble enough in acknowledging his success. He has been very charitable towards other competitors, including the Pakistani athlete, who also showed sparks of brilliance.

This also brings to my memory another famous incident that the sports enthusiast would readily recall – “ Maradona attributing the World Cup winning goal to the hand of god.” Man proposes and God disposes is therefore something that we end up believing in spite of any amount of scepticism.

Well done Indian lion hearts! Work hard for next olympics and the medal rally can be much larger than this! If we work hard with honesty and sincerity then God will be there to propel our spears, strengthen our legs and shoulders, magnetise our hockey sticks, pack power in our punches and bestow confidence in our hearts!

Sometimes one liners can create a deep and lasting impact on one’s mind. I received a post from one of my WhatsApp group acquaintances that was meant to bring out a laughter or two, but ended up making an impact on the heart and mind. Let me loosely translate these one liners that are originally in Hindi:

कल सैलून वाले क़ी दुकान पर एक स्लोगन पढा़ ..
“हम दिल का बोझ तो नहीं पर सिर का बोझ जरूर हल्का कर सकते हैं “..🤣

Yesterday came across this slogan at hair cutting salon that read – “ We may not lighten the load of your heart, but can definitely make your head lighter.”

It’s a nice interpretation of reducing the burden on one’s head – literally speaking from one’s head!

लाइट क़ी दुकान वाले ने बोर्ड के नीचे लिखवाया ..
“आपके दिमाग की बत्ती भले ही जले या ना जले,परंतु हमारा बल्ब ज़रूर जलेगा “.. 🤣

A board at the electrical shop, “ your mind may not flash an idea, but our bulb will flash in your room and light it up.”

Dimag ki batti is typical Hindi saying, having no literal equal in English, but flashing and idea and light do go hand in hand.

चाय के होटल वाले ने काउंटर पर लिखवाया ..
“मैं भले ही साधारण हूँ, पर चाय स्पेशल बनाता हूँ।”🤣

Written at a tea shop read, “ I may be ordinary, but my tea is special.”

This one is a take on special tea that all our tea stalls have on offer.

एक रेस्टोरेंट ने सबसे अलग स्लोगन लिखवाया ..
“यहाँ घऱ जैसा खाना नहीं मिलता, आप निश्चिंत होकर अंदर पधारें।” 😃😟

Slogan outside a restaurant, “ Walk in with confidence; we assure you that we don’t serve home like food. “

I found this to be the best. We always get fascinated by the cafe round the corner claiming to be offering homely food. But do we go to restaurants to replicate the experience of in-house dining?

इलेक्ट्रॉनिक दुकान पर स्लोगन पढ़ा तो मैं भाव विभोर हो गया ..
“अगर आपका कोई फैन नहीं है तो यहाँ से ले जाइए “..😂

An appliance shop had a notice, “ if you have no fan (as in admirer or follower), take one from us.”

This is typical example of an English word having multiple usages.

गोलगप्पे के ठेले पर एक स्लोगन लिखा था ..
“गोलगप्पे खाने के लिए दिल बड़ा हो ना हो, मुँह बड़ा रखें, पूरा खोलें” ..🤣

A Panipuri vendor had an interesting slogan on his cart, “ Even if you are not large hearted, keep your mouth open large so that our panipuris can go inside smoothly.”

Big hearted is a positive quality, but big mouthed is not- but I liked the subtlety.

फल भंडार वाले ने तो स्लोगन लिखने की हद ही कर दी ..
“आप तो बस कर्म करिए, फल हम दे देंगे “.. 🤣

A fruit vendor had a beautiful interpretation of the core message of Bhagvad Gita that read, “ you perform your karma ( duty) , we will give you fruit! “

This is another superb example of interpreting the core message of Bhagvad Gita in a contrarian way. Gita’s message is not to crave for the fruit of our action, but this fruit vendor is rewarding us with fruits !

घड़ी वाले ने एक ग़ज़ब स्लोगन लिखा ..?
“भागते हुए समय को बस में रखें, चाहे दीवार पर टांगें, चाहे हाथ पर बांधें…”..🤣

A watch shop had this statement on its walls,” Keep time in your control – either by hanging it on your hand or wall! “

This is difficult to translate as time bhaag raha hai is typical though in English we do say that time flies.

ज्योतिषी ने बोर्ड पर स्लोगन लिखवाया۔
“आइए .. मात्र 100 रुपए में अपनी ज़िंदगी के आने वाले एपिसोड देखिए …”🤣

An astrologer’s placard read, “ Watch the future episodes of your life for Rs100.”

When OTT’s are offering anything in episodes, episodic viewing is more in vogue rather than the entire picture.

बालों के तेल क़ी एक कंपनी ने हर प्रोडक्ट पर एक स्लोगन लिखा ..
“भगवान ही नहीं, हम भी बाल बाल बचाते हैं।” ..😂😀🤣

A hair oil manufacturing company’s UDP, “ Why only God, even we save you from a close shave!”

This was a real tough one though bal bal bachna and close shave do have a salon in common!

Hope you all enjoy these interesting one liners that have a nice interpretation around them.

Elements viz air, water, earth, fire and space have no use in themselves till they are sought by plants. Plants draw sunlight, breath in air, draw water through their roots in the earth to nourish themselves. These plants are then sought by herbivores who eat plants for their food. Herbivores are useful for carnivores or animals that eat other animals to satisfy their hunger. You call it life cycle or food chain, this is the reality of life as it exists in nature. In fact, this is the law of the wild and jungle.

A man is a civilised animal. He, in fact, disturbs the nature and its balance. He clears forests to create farmlands, where he sows seeds and grow crops to satisfy his hunger. Unlike jungle, where the mightiest rules ( might is right) and there’s no ownership of the area, in a civilised world, the man becomes owner of the farm and that too in perpetuity, because after his death, his inheritors become entitled to his estate. And as you extrapolate the above thesis, you very well understand the cause of all the negativity we see around ourselves – pollution, global warming, territorial claims, social malaise etc. it also stems from the man’s ownership instinct and his greed to own and possess more.

How does one relate the above two scenarios ? On one hand, nature has very fine balance; there’s no concept of ownership or perpetuity of ownership. It’s about survival and use for others – elements for plants , plants for lower animals, lower animals for higher animals and higher animals amongst themselves based on animal instincts. What about man and his greed to make everything his?

It’s beautifully explained that it’s for nothing that the God has made a man to be superior to all other beings. He’s expected to understand this and become useful for others – his fellow beings, society, country, world, environment by understanding the futility of amassing material objects or Maya! Every existence matters if it’s of use to others!

It’s not for nothing that Bhagvad Gita, which is the word of Lord Krishna himself, is called the mother of not only scriptures but also treatises and management books! The above is beautiful interpretation of this particular aspect of Bhagvad Gita by redoubtable Devdutt Pattanaik in his book My Gita!

India’s last hockey gold was in 1968 ( India won hockey Gold in 1980 Moscow Olympics , but that was a watered down version of olympics in view of boycott of the games by large number of nations) and thereafter new strong powers in the form of Germany and Netherlands emerged. European style of hockey was power game replete with long passes and fierce hits. Change in the rules of the game also helped the European style power game. However, there was a crescendo in the form of India’s World Cup victory against arch rivals Pakistan in 1975. Led by redoubtable Ajit Pal Singh, the team had icons like Govinda, dribbling expert Ashok Kumar ( son of all time great Dhyanachand) , Harcharan , Michael Kindo, who became overnight heroes. Pakistan had lightening fast forward Samiullah, another all time great and Islahuddin . 1975 was probably a year of blockbusters. Apart from Indian hockey team’s World Cup victory, it was also the year of the release of Bollywood’s all time hit Sholay. Like we all remember Sholay dialogues line by line, many of us hockey aficionados remember the entire line up of our teams 2-3-5 formation of our 1975 winning outfit ! And now after 41 years, led by midfielder Manpreet Singh, we re-wrote history by winning bronze after defeating a formidable Germany in the playoff. Coming on the heels of great show by Rani Rampal’s girls, this great achievement by Manpreet’s boys has elated the nation. Suddenly, all the roads are leading to Mithapur, a non – descript village in the outskirts of Jalandhar, Manpreet’s home.

This is truly what India and its hidden potential is! It’s soil is full of raw talent such as Lovlina, Mirabai, Mary Kom, Phogat sisters, Ravi Dahiya, Manpreet, Rani Malik, Dutee, Neeraj Chopra and PV Sidhu etc. We just need to invest in them – by giving our mind share, providing them with facilities, diet, training, making them financially secured and encouraging them the way we encourage and applaud our cricketers. And state of Odisha has set an example by sponsoring National hockey team. Other states, corporate, social organisation should follow Odisha example and then we will see a different India- a sporting powerhouse!

Let’s invest in our players and talents instead of wasting it on things that weaken our nation to fulfil our resolve to be a general powerhouse – a superpower in real sense! For the time being let’s celebrate the victory of Manpreet’s boys and other great performances by our boys and girls!

I just finished a rather difficult book, H for Hawk. The book is about solitude and loneliness and how an untamed beast, a Hawk, provides company to the protagonist. The book is full of falconry and literature thereon and there’s a parallel track on certain Mr White, a split personality, whose attempts at falconry, which he takes to overcome the complexities in his personality, actually pushes him deeper into the quagmire.

And I am happy that I finished this book on the friendship day, as it highlights the importance of company in one’s life and who else but the friends provide the same!

Lucky are those who enter into lasting friendships. Just as I am penning this blog, I have finished exchanging greetings on the occasion of birthday of wife of my school buddy. And it’s a matter of great pride that a few of these friendships commenced not towards the end of the schooling but right at the very start, which was way back in 1968! And now many of us are on the verge of retiring from the active careers and are grandparents!

More luckily, the process of making friends didn’t stop with the school. The list has only grown with friends from college, first job, subsequent jobs, neighbourhoods and on social media like Facebook and Instagram embellishing my life with experience and happiness!

While parents occupy Supreme place, siblings are lifelong companions, relatives provide social support and one’s spouse is expected to be one’s best friend, a friendship is more unique a relationship in the sense it’s bereft of any expectations, formalities or rituals.

Let me complete this eulogy to friendship by writing an ode that says:

A friend is no ordinary thief

For he steals our tears, sorrows and miseries

And he never gets caught

For his love runs in our arteries!

And a friendship is a relationship

Beyond the cast, religion or creed

He’s always there for us to justify the adage

A friend in need is a friend indeed!

Happy friendship day to all my friends.

We Indians were never known to be much of travellers till the economic boom raised the income levels and foreign travel became a fad. In one of my earlier blogs, I had mentioned about my father never owning a passport and his much of inland travelling also happening after his retirement. And here I am not including those who have their children abroad. Travelling to them can hardly be described as tourism though our children do take us out to the most cherished spots of the region when we visit them.

Of course, we do have a section of society that’s known for not only travelling but also making their travels knowledge trips. Bengalis distinguish themselves in this field and even if some of the middle class families can’t afford exotic locations abroad, they do travel extensively within the country.

The provocation for suddenly writing on this theme arose from two recent developments – one pleasant and one none too pleasant! Space travel by two of the most maverick business persons, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos and their intent to open it for discerning and ultra rich section of society was covered extensively by media. It’s indeed a big achievement and I am sure like everything else, as the technology progresses, this is likely to become more commonplace with more and more people fulfilling this wish of seeing our beautiful planet from the top and experiencing zero gravity.

Second news was unpleasant and cause for concern. It was around the public, frustrated by repeated and stretched lockdowns and travel restrictions, crowding the popular hill stations and making mockery of social distancing and other Covid related protocols! It was rightly termed by certain learned commentators as an open welcome to the third wave.

It’s really a mystery that when we are repeatedly coming across cases of even fully vaccinated people getting affected by Corona, delta variant raising its ugly head in large number of countries, including advanced nation and large sections of the society yet to be vaccinated, still we are simply throwing caution to the winds and trying our best to invite third wave. While the first wave caught the world by surprise, it’s surprising that we are refusing to learn any lessons from extremely virulent and lethal second wave! We all understand that health workers, sanitary workers, law keepers, essential service providers and daily earners do not have option of sitting and working from home. But the fun seekers, party animals, travel bug bitten and other outgoing types must restrain themselves if we are to collectively defeat Covid .

Hope good sense prevails over the people! Ultimately , like the crowd has no face, the suffering also comes without seeing any face and this face could be yours or mine!

On the auspicious occasion of Guru Purnima, I have composed a few lines to pay deference to all those from I have received knowledge and guidance. The composition reads as under:

We are born with a belief

Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh form a holy trinity;

But the Guru enjoys a position as important if not more

By his comparison to trinity, we give him divinity.

As goes the another saying,

I bow before Guru ahead of the God ;

For had my Guru not shown me the path,

How would ever I would have realised the God?

And if such is the place of Guru in our scriptures,

I rather be a student perpetually than be a Guru

Bow today in front of all those who taught me

And thank those who have placed me on the high pedestal of a Guru!

A very happy Guru Purnima to all my Gurus and to my friends and well wishers who have placed me on such a pedestal of which I am not worthy of.