IT Industry Novel in Tamil

My novel based on software industry, Borrowed Girlfriend, is coming up in Tamil through Uyirmmai Publication with the title Iraval Kaathali (இரவல் காதலி).

It will be available in 2014 January Chennai Book Fair ..

How to make money in Stock Market in India

- Chellamuthu Kuppusamy

Whenever I meet people who happened to know about my book, I am invariably asked set of questions.

a)      How do you get time? What makes you to write?

b)      What company can be bought now? What share can I buy now?

Handling the first question is relatively easier. Second one is as embarrassing as the queries involving how many copies are sold and how much royalty I earn etc. These questions come from people who are aware of the fact that I am not into the stock broking business and that writing is not my full-time profession. It is very difficult to say no to these questions, read requests, seeking stock recommendations. It takes a lot of politeness and courage to encourage them to do their own analysis and stock selection.

Firstly, vast majority of friends who seek stock recommendation advice know little about the fundamentals of capital markets. Asking for a share market tips is like asking, ‘How to hit a sixer?’ without knowing the rules of Cricket. To quote from the 9^th chapter ‘Analysing the Stocks’ introduction from the book The Science of StockMarket Investment - Practical Guide to Intelligent Investors:

//We discussed about the structure and functioning of the stockmarket in previous chapters. They can be compared with the description, “Thereare two sets of three sticks are fixed at 22 feet distance. You have a pair ofbatsmen in the middle, a bowler bowling at them, a wicket keeper and then ninemore fielders” that introduces the basics of the game of cricket. Everything wehad gone through so far is nothing but a similar description about theinvestment game – kind of ‘know what’.

Which deliveries to defend? Which ones to go after? Whichone to leave to the keeper? – Intricacies like these are yet to discussed. Nextsix chapters should serve this purpose as they aim to present such techniquesand approaches. One should develop his own rules and selection criteria beforepouring in his money into the stocks. That is what we are going to share, learnand unlearn, if needed. In short, we can term these as ‘know how’.//

Books like these only help in understanding the rules of the game and various shots such as cover drives, hook shots, inside out shots, helicopter shots, reverse sweeps etc. I do recommend and encourage friends to read this book, for that matter any other good investment book, before trying their fortunes in the marketplace. I also personally vouch to refund the money if they are not happy with the book.

While getting an idea about ‘know what’ and ‘know how’in Cricket does not make a person the next Sachin Tendulkar, we don’t have such limitations in share market. No one selects or drops us from team unless we chose to do so.

RBI Governor Subbarao's last public speech

Outgoing RBI Governor Subbarao delivered his last public speech in his capacity as the head of India’s central bank. It will go down in the history as one of the important speeches. It sounded much like his appraisal discussion, in front of a large audience J

His finishing touch was fabulous:

A final thought on this issue of autonomy and accountability. There has been a lot of media coverage on policy differences between the government and the Reserve Bank. Gerard Schroeder, the former German Chancellor, once said, “I am often frustrated by the the Bundesbank. But thank God, it exists.” I do hope Finance Minister Chidambaram will one day say, “I am often frustrated by the Reserve Bank, so frustrated that I want to go for a walk, even if I have to walk alone. But thank God, the Reserve Bank exists.”

I only quote a section of his speech related to current problem about CAD and exchange rate crisis.

//Remember, I began my speech with the old Chinese saying - “May you live in interesting times.” So, as inflation began to moderate yielding space for monetary easing to support growth, we got caught up with external sector strains over the last two years and a sharp depreciation of the rupee over the last three months. There has been dismay about the ferocity of depreciation; there has also been a growing tendency to attribute all of this to the ‘tapering’ of its ultra easy monetary policy by the US Fed.

Such a diagnosis, I believe, is misleading. Admittedly, the speed and timing of the rupee depreciation have been due to the markets factoring in ‘tapering’ by the US Fed, but we will go astray both in the diagnosis and remedy, if we do not acknowledge that the root cause of the problem is domestic structural factors.

What are these structural factors? At its root, the problem is that we have been running a current account deficit (CAD) well above the sustainable level for three years in a row, and possibly for a fourth year this year. We were able to finance the CAD because of the easy liquidity in the global system. Had we used the breathing time that this gave us to address the structural factors and brought the CAD down to its sustainable level, we would have been able to withstand the ‘taper’. In the event, we did not. We therefore made ourselves vulnerable to sudden stop and exit of capital flows driven by global sentiment; the eventual cost of adjustment too went up sharply.

But what drives the CAD so high? Basic economics tells us that the CAD rises when aggregate demand exceeds aggregate supply. There is an argument that this logic is not applicable to us in the current juncture given the sharp slow down in growth. But we need to recognize that the CAD can increase substantially even in a low growth environment if supply constraints impact both growth and external trade as has been the case with us.

The only lasting solution to our external sector problem is to reduce the CAD to its sustainable level and to finance the reduced CAD through stable, and to the extent possible, non-debt flows. Reducing the CAD requires structural solutions - RBI has very little policy space or instruments to deliver the needed structural solution. They fall within the ambit of the government. Structural adjustment will also take time. In the interim, we need to stabilize the market volatility, a task that falls within the domain of the Reserve Bank.

It is the avowed policy of the Reserve Bank not to target a level of exchange rate and we have stayed true to that policy. Our efforts over the last few years, particularly the last three months, have been to smoothen volatility as the exchange rate adjusts to its market determined level so as to make the near-term cost of adjustment less onerous for firms, households and banks.
  
There has been criticism that the Reserve Bank’s policy measures have been confusing and betray a lack of resolve to curb exchange rate volatility. Let me first of all reiterate that our commitment to curbing volatility in the exchange rate is total and unequivocal. I admit that we could have communicated the rationale of our measures more effectively.

But our actions were consistent. Our capital account measures were aimed at encouraging inflows and discouraging outflows. Also, we tightened liquidity at the short end to raise the cost of short-term money so as to curb volatility. At the same time, we wanted to inhibit the transmission of the interest rate signal from the short end to the long end as that would hurt flow of credit to the productive sector of the economy. So, we instituted an Indian version of “operation twist”.

I must reiterate here that it is not the policy of the Reserve Bank to resort to capital controls or reverse the direction of capital account liberalization. Notably, the measures that we took did not restrict inflows or outflows by non-residents.

Why is Indian Rupee falling against Dollar

- Chellamuthu Kuppusamy

If you are a software professional deputed to an onsite assignment anywhere around the globe, you are happiest person in the world today. One GBP is almost equal to Rs 100 now. Anyone who is making money abroad or in the business of exports have reasons to cheer. But for others the situation is gloomy, as the media projects it.

Firstly the RBI and the union government of India are the most concerned parties - that too at a time when the country is preparing herself for the next general elections. Money exists India at a faster pace especially from the debt market. To quote from capital market: “Since June 2013 till 7 August 2013, FIIs have sold debt worth US$ 8.4 billion. Between January 2013 and May 2013, they had invested US$ 7.7 billion in the debt market. “

India is the worst affected country due to increase in the lending rates from the United States. Debt investors have been taking their cash back to inject into the greenback for it provided safety and cofort feeling. Despite India offers higher returns, exchange rate risk and other political cum policy risks are to be discounted. In order to keep foreign money intact in India, rates should be kept high which directly affects our already bleeding economy. Many sector will feel the heat.

On the stock market, it is unlikely to see hot and quick money to get be pumped in because risk free return from the banks seem more attractive than the uncertainties associated with the stock market. Many scripts trading on Indian bourses are expected to languish. Perhaps it may be a bad time for Indian Rupee and Indian economy. But for seasoned stock market investors many stocks are available at reasonable price. It is perhaps a good time to hit some boundaries as prescribed by Rahul Dravid school of investment as articulated in the Stock of Science Market Investment.

Borrowed Girlfriend novel free download

Borrowed Girlfriend novel is available for free download on 2^nd & 3^rd August

The special FREE offer will start at 02-Aug-2013 12:00 am PST to 03-Aug-2013 11:29 pm PST.

In other time zones:

Indian Standard Time: 02-Aug-2013 12:30 pm to 04-Aug-2013 12:29 pm

Central European Time: 02-Aug-2013 09:00 am to 04-Aug -2013 08:59 am

UK time: 02-Aug -2013 08:00 am to 04-Aug -2013 07:59 am

East Coast Time: 02-Aug -2013 03:00 am to 04-Aug-2013 02:59 am

How to attract a girl in India

A woman wants to be touched, felt and teased. She wants to be heard but not judged. She wants to you listen to her but don’t expect you offering solution to her problems. She wants you to pay attention to her – pay attention to details. 

She wants to complement on her looks, her makeup, her dress, her body spray etc. She wants you to make her feel beautiful.  She wants to be valued and cherished. She wants you to say that you are lucky. She wants you to laugh at the silly jokes of her, even though they are not really funny. She wants you to demonstrate trust. She wants to feel secured in your presence. She wants to sleep without any worries when she leans on your shoulder. She wants you to take solace from her. She does not want you to keep any secrets unknown to her. 

She does not want you to talk bad about her parents and family, while she is not governed by the same rule. She wants to exchange little hugs and kisses every now and then. Woman wants your closeness to arouse her sexual feelings towards you whereas you want sex to get closer. She wants you get into arguments, even if it is for fun sake, but she wants to win that by making you accept that she is right. You should not concede for her, but you should be convinced despite being right. She wants you to be interesting. She wants you to make her laugh. She wants your presence to make her happy. She wants you to play pranks with her. 

She wants you to know how to please her on the bed (or on the sofa or under the shower).

From Borrowed Girlfriend  

Borrowed Girlfriend - IT industry based novel

- Chellamuthu Kuppusamy

I am very happy to share the news about my fourth Kindle book, this time a software industry based novel, Borrowed Girlfriend.

As you may be aware Kindle books can also be read on personal computers and smartphones by installing a small application from link specified here.

Beauty Queen Rosy Senanayake

Rosy Senanayake is not as close to us, the upper middle class Indians,  as Hina Rabbani Khar of Pakistan or Carla Bruni of France. Remarks made at her in Sri Lankan parliament by a Minister in Mahinda Rajapakse’s Government last year has found a place in top 10 sexist moments in politics. Rosy is a former Miss World.

Transport minister Kumara Welgama said he was "choked" by her beauty. "I am so happy to answer a question by a beauty queen," he said. "You are such a charming woman. I cannot explain my feelings here. But if you meet me outside Parliament, I will describe them … My thoughts are running riot … I don't want to reveal [them] to the public."

A different kind of riot from SLFP.

More encounters at the guardian link. What I liked the most was from the Chilean president Sebastián Piñera:

“When a politician says yes, he means maybe, when he says maybe, he means no, and if he says no, he's not a politician. When a lady says no, she means maybe, when she says maybe, she means yes, and if she says yes, she's not a lady."

Beware .. US spy agency is watching you

- Chellamuthu Kuppusamy

The movie Enemy of the State is about the National Security Agency of the United States. The recent news item indicates that the personal details of people around the world from google, facebook and the likes are accessed by NSA’s spying program PRISM that has direct access to customer personal details. CEOs of Google and Facebook have denied the charge.

The US agencies, any intelligence agency for that matter, is capable of accessing data from the servers lying in that country. There is no wonder if the news is true. In fact it should be shocking only if it is found to be a false allegation. But what makes it interesting is the ruthlessness and efficiency with which US is able to achieve it. On the same notes, countries such as India are struggling with the data collection of its citizen and the ambitious program of adhar card is attempting to bridge the gap.

Perhaps facebook (and therefore the US surveillance agencies) have more personal data of Indian citizens than few government agencies in India. This is perfectly vouched by Barack Obama, ‘ "You can't have a hundred percent security and also then have a hundred percent privacy and zero inconvenience. You know, we're going to have to make some choices as a society.’

Street dog principle in stock selection

- Chellamuthu Kuppusamy

Street dogs are very astute. They reveal enough facts or behaviours worth many PhDs. If an unfamiliar street dog crosses the border and enters into different territory, resident dogs of that territory furiously bark and chase that poor guy away - back to his street again. Interestingly, these brave soldiers turn submissive if they happen to visit areas outside their border. As a whole, street dogs precisely know their circle of control.

 Majority of the stock investors don’t possess this obvious quality from dogs. Investors should try to assess their strengths in terms of cognizance about a particular industry or companies, and more important they should be able to tell the areas they are not aware of. For example, you might understand the business dynamics of steel industry. But pharmaceutical companies operate under different environment where you cannot deploy same approach. As a whole, we should define an imaginary ‘circle of competence’ and precisely know its boundaries. Under no circumstance, you should dare to cross the periphery of this circle and get bitten strange dogs. If you really need to explore new horizons outside your circle, you should work very hard in acquiring necessary knowledge and courage to expand this border. But for that, I repeat, you should work very hard. 

From 'Behavioural Finance' chapter in the book The Science of Stock Market Investment - Practical Guide to Intelligent Investors

Free ebook on stock market investment

The Science of Stock Market Investment - Practical Guide to Intelligent Investors is available for free download on 27th and 28th May`

The special FREE offer will start at 27-May-2013 12:00 am PST to 28-May-2013 11:29 pm PST.

In other time zones:

Singapore Time:  27-May-2013 03:00 pm to 29-May-2013 2:59 pm

Indian Standard Time: 27-May-2013 12:30 pm to 29-May-2013 12:29 pm

Central European Time: 27-May-2013 09:00 am to 29-May-2013 08:59 am

UK time: 27-May-2013 08:00 am to 29-May-2013 07:59 am

East Coast Time: 27-May-2013 03:00 am to 29-May-2013 02:59 am

To download it free go to the book like at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009XUI1X6

Imran Khan on Nawaz Sharif

From the biography of Imran, the cricketer turned politician:

Just before the World Cup in October 1987, when I was captaining Pakistan, we played a warm-up match against the West Indies at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Moments before the match, the secretary of the cricket board, Shahid Rafi, informed me that the Chief Minister of Punjab, Nawaz Sharif, was going to captain the team that day. I was taken aback but then assumed that he would have a non-playing role and waned to watch the match from the dressing room. Therefore I was shocked to see him walk out to toss the coin with Viv Richards, the West Indies captain, dressed in his cricket whites; but there was a bigger shock to come. He won the toss, and returned to the dressing-room and started putting on his pads. None of the team could believe what we were seeing; he was going to open the innings where with Mudassar Nazar against the West Indies, one of the greatest fast-bowling attacks in cricket history. Nazar wore batting pads, a thigh pad, chest pad, an arm guard, a helmet and reinforced batting gloves, while Sharif simply had his batting pads, a floppy hat and a smile

For those who are not conversant with cricket history, it is important to know that this was a fast-bowling attack not seen before or since in the cricketing world, such was West Indies' blistering place, with four bowlers bowling above 90 mph. It was the sort of attack that had destroyed the careers of many a talented batsman. International batsmen, professional cricketers would have sleepless nights when they were due to face the West Indies. And here was Nawaz Sharif, who had no experience of playing at this level of cricket, walking out unprotected, to face this deadly attack. Clearly he would not have the reflexes to defend himself if a short ball was aimed at his body, so there was a risk of a serious injury. I quickly enquired if there was an ambulance ready.

As we watched the ball - by a six feet, six inch West Indian fast bowler - hit the wicketkeeper's gloves even before Sharif could lift his bat, the team sighed with relief that it wasn't straight. Mercifully for Sharif, the second ball was straight at the stumps, and before he could move, his stumps lay shattered. For those who don't understand cricket, Sharif was trying the equivalent in academic terms of a child, having just finished primary school, attempting to write a PhD thesis.

Prabhakaran: The Story of his Struggle for Eelam book free download

- Chellamuthu Kuppusamy

The Kindle book 'Prabhakaran: The Story of his Struggle for Eelam’ is available for free download on 17^th and 18^th of May 2013.

The special FREE offer will start at 17-May-2013 12:00 am PST to 18-May-2013 11:29 pm PST.

In other time zones:

Singapore Time:  17-May-2013 03:00 pm to 19-May-2013 2:59 pm

Indian Standard Time: 17-May-2013 12:30 pm to 19-May-2013 12:29 pm

Central European Time: 17-May-2013 09:00 am to 19-May-2013 08:59 am

UK time: 17-May-2013 08:00 am to 19-May-2013 07:59 am

East Coast Time: 17-May-2013 03:00 am to 19-May-2013 02:59 am

(preview version of Prabhakaran biography in pdf format)

'The Science of Stock Market Investment - Practical Guide to Intelligent Investors' Free download

The Science of Stock Market Investment - Practical Guide to Intelligent Investors is available for free download on 15-May-2013.

The special FREE offer will be from 15-May-2013 12:00 am PST to 15-May-2013 11:29 pm PST.

In other time zones:

Singapore Time >  15-May-2013 03:00 pm onwards

Indian Standard Time > 15-May-2013 12:30 pm onwards

Central European Time > 15-May-2013 09:00 am onwards

UK time > 15-May-2013 08:00 am onwards

East Coast Time > 15-May-2013 03:00 am onwards

To download it free go to the book like at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009XUI1X6

Drastic Dicsount on Stock Market & Warren Buffett ebook download

The prices of the following books is now reduced to less than Rs 99 ($1.78)

The Science of Stock Market Investment - Practical Guide to Intelligent Investors

www.amazon.com/dp/B009XUI1X6

Warren Buffett - an Investography

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AFVBLA2

Bollineni Hillside Problems

Bollineni Hillside is a township proposed in 92 acres in Nookampalayam village, 5 km from Sholinganallur in Chennai. It is promoted by Bollineni Krishnaiah, a politician from Andra Pradesh. In the 92 acres, only 50% is getting constructed now. In this first half, known as phase I, about 1300 houses are planned. This land and building plans are said to have been owned by a famous Tamil film personality, who subsequently should have sold it to Krishnaiah’s company, known as BSCPL.

Back in 2009, BSCPL advertised that the township is situated adjacent to a crystal clear lake. They also promised to build 7-storied clubhouse with tennis court, half Olympic sized swimming pool and many other amenities, which would easily fill 7-8 lines. RO water was also promised.

The owners who bought their dwelling units allege that they are in a fix now. The builder delayed the delivery of flats and villas. In one example, a software engineer booked a flat in October 2009 and the builder promised to deliver it in December 2010. But his key was given to him only in February 2011. The residents allege that every individual has a story to share.  

The residents were hoping that the builder will honor his commitment one day. The clubhouse, which was advertised way back in 2009, had not taken any signs of coming up. The residents claims BSCPL had cheated them, by luring them with some false promise with something in 2009 while it was yet to be approved in 2013. The builder had advertised their ‘clubhouse’ as a prime facility for many months. After sufficient number of houses were sold, they stopped highlighting the clubhouse and continued to advertise ‘join and enjoy the luxury that 500 families already enjoy’.

The builder claims more than 500 residents started occupying their units. On top of failed deliverables and false promises, many of these 500 + residents are in a state of shock due to exorbitant maintenance bill that BSCPL started charging them. There are people who are charged Rs 5,000 as monthly maintenance – akin to paying rent for his own house. One residents has confirmed that his water bill alone is Rs 880 per month. (His canned water expenses are extra because of BSCPL’s cheated him by not building RO water plant)

The builder claims he is buying water in tanker lorries, despite Nookmpalayam area being surrounded by paddy fields and a hill. People allege BSCPL is using the water for its ensuing construction work. Some people have taken the matter to consumer court and one individual is said to have taken criminal case route for cheating. The court is understood to have asked the police to file FIR on the builder.

As a climax, on 20^th April, a person responsible for recharging piped cooking gas at the Facility Management Office of the builder assaulted a resident breaking his nose and left arm. The resident received multiple fractures and recovering from the bone injury. This atrocious activity has angered many home owners at Bollineni Hillside.

To top up the prevailing dissatisfaction level with current customers and negative news floating around, few builders have come up with projects at Perumbakkam – just adjacent to Sholinganallur. Considerable units in Bolllineni Hillside are not sold and what is said to be 'phase II' of this proposed 92 acre township.

Now, you know why we see TV commercials for Bollineni Hillside showing up in Vijay TV for the past few days !!

Prabhakaran's Biography

The biography of Prabhakaran, titled Prabhakaran: The Storyof his struggle for Eelam,  is now available as a kindle book.

It can be read with Kindle device. Otherwise it can also be read on your desktop or laptop by installing free ‘Kindle for PC’ application that can be downloaded from http://www.amazon.com/gp/kindle/pc/download.

For detailed information about how to read kindle books in PC, please refer to this previouspost.

Though the Sri Lankan Tamils began the struggle for their rights in Sinhala dominated Sri Lanka well before Prabhakaran was born, Prabhakaran’s life is inextricably linked with the struggle. This book provides an account of the life of LTTE chief Prabhakaran, who led an armed struggle against the Sri Lankan state to create Eelam, a separate nation for the Sri Lankan Tamils.

The book on Prabhakaran’s biography begins from his childhood days in the aftermath of India’s and Sri Lanka’s independence from Britain. The Sri Lankan Tamils were following Gandhi’s non-violent methods to fight for their rights as citizens of Sri Lanka. Prabhakaran, an ardent fan of Bhagat Singh and Subhash Chandra Bose, felt that non-violence would not work against a Sinhala dominated government and began experimenting with violent acts against the Government to send a message. His initial success became the nucleus for the formation of LTTE, which became the quintessential guerrilla organization fighting the State.

The book details various incidents of Prabhakaran’s life including terror attacks, assassination of politicians, heads of States and militant leaders; India’s role in the Sri Lankan ethnic conflict; Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka; the Eelam wars, negotiations, betrayals and elections; through to his killing in May 2009.

Stammering Cure in India

- Chellamuthu Kuppusamy

I have no hesitation in admitting that I am a stammerer. Of course, there is a no denying that it is an impediment, embarrassment and a block in freely mixing up with people. It is a like serving a prison sentence for a crime someone did not commit. Very recently it has dawned on me that it is curable and it is gradually getting overcome.

Everyone of us might have come across a person, be it a friend, classmate, colleague, neighbor, known contact or a popular person,  who stammers. Many people think that it is a disease. Some suggest to take medication to get rid of it. If you know anyone who is suffering from this speech impediment, just tell him or her that it no a disease or disorder.

Indian movies always ridicule stammerer, next only to transgender. If you stammer – don’t worry. You are not alone. It is estimated that almost 1 % of the population has this problem. Mostly men have this problem – men account for 80% stammerers.

Here are some famous personalities who stammered.

Actress Marilyn Monroe, British emperor King George VI and Prime Minister Winston Churchill who led UK during second world war, film star Hrithik Roshan, first communist Chief Minister E. M. S. Namboodiripad, US president Theodore Roosevelt, Charles Darwin who presented evolution theory, great English writer Somerset Maugham, scientist Isaac Newton, French emperor Napoleon, Greek philosopher Aristotle

Stammering usually occurs when speech muscles and organs become stiff. This happens when the person becomes tensed and filled with anxiety. You might observe that the same person who stammers would sing flawlessly. Usually stammerer are fast thinkers. Their speech system does not match up their speed in thought process . They think very fast and try to deliver it at the same pace.

Stammering is after all a bad habit strongly programmed in mind. The happy news is, habits can be learnt and unlearnt – with effort and consistent focus and self direction. 

If you are looking for stammering cure, here are some suggestions to overcome stammering

• Talk slowing – reduce the speed
• Do slow reading practice
• Never user techniques to hide your problem (such using alternate words, giving a pause)
• Always say your name while speaking on the phone
• Hum a song or try to drink a glass of water when you are tensed
• Take a deep breath before talking
• Try to listen to your voice while speaking
• Ask your friends and family members to stop you whenever your speed increases or you talk tensed

These are only a few suggestions. Most important is to develop a self direction that you can overcome this problem. You may also join some stammering cure center, where all these therapies are conducted. Please approach The Indian Stammering Association(TISA) for any further information.

A similar post in Tamil at www.tamil.chellamuthu.com

Dhanushkodi Photos

Dhanushkodi was a coastal town in Rameswaram island, hosting a railway station, a pier that ran ferry across to Sri Lanka. Now most of it is under the sea and the rest is only seen as a collection sand dunes, due to the total damage caused by 1964 cyclone.

In 2004 December tsunami, the sea around Dhanushkodi receded about 500 metres from the coastline exposing the submerged part of the township for a while.

Some picture from Dhanushkodi, the tip of India & mid point between mainland India and Sri Lanka..