Sipra's Diary: "ENIGMA OF THE FINANCIAL WORLD "

 

Sipra's Diary :Enigma of the Financial world.

 The financial world is a giant gambling place almost like a casino in Las Vegas. But far more complicated to apprehend, far more fatal. Because it is planned and operated not by any lifeless mechanical machine but by the Frankenstein's brain-in-human and affected the lives of all people in the country; no matter whether people are willing to join or not,, they become 'part 'of the gambling game and not as mere 'viewers' but receivers or victims. 

With the advent of globalization, the after-effect is not limited to one country but affects globally. As it has been a cliche that if the butterfly flutters its wings in one corner of the sky, it may cause a tornado to other parts of the world.
In Casino game, there is an option for the people to choose whether they wish to take risk of playing or sit to enjoy as viewers ..

Financial World strides with pride differently; it is not based on any strict Principles of ethics or scientific method. Perhaps no scientific formula works! The target of the Financial world is only to create wealth. It is not based on the formula of 2 +2 =4. When  2+ ever-oscillating behavioural psychology of customers are added to the power of 2, then the outcome might be 40  or only 0 instead of a' definite 'result of 4. There is no way than to watch patiently for the future.  That is why this zone is very volatile, and uncertain.' Boom and Bust' is their banner; Resembles true character and fate of bubble! This is the tragic paradox where we have to live and survive!

 
In 1950s Carlos Ponzi, an Italian swindler became a billionaire  by following a theory like "Rob Peter, pay Paul ".It became popular as' Ponzi-scheme', not only in the western world but in other parts also proliferated. Multiple bonds of similar type were sold. In India, there were Peerless company, "Sonchoyita", "Sarada'. 'Techno-India'"  Money-Matter, Rose valley and many others, It benefitted the middle-class and low middle class as well as the founders who became a millionaire  in a short period.  But "Sonchoyita' "Sarada "no more exist. They melt down suddenly with scandal. 

Some of the founder father ended life with suicide. Those who were efficient they escaped by changing their skin or colour by swiping money to another field Best way for these swindlers to escape is to align with some non-profit organization, a hospital for destitute, Old Home etc. Peerless is still reigning with prestige by investing in hotel hospital real estate and another philanthropic field.

It  is really confusing to me to understand  the relationship between 'corruption' and the booming economy of a country."

India is rising,"China is rising"!  All the so-called "rising" countries are known as "BRIC" notoriously dishonest and full of criminal activities.
In my limited experience, I noticed that since 2005 the people we knew as 'poor' suddenly climbed a higher economic ladder. Many house-maids in our neighbourhood borrowed money from householder they worked,  for making houses on the land got from the government in the outskirt of the megacity.........

Is the mathematical formula of uprising economy is based on corruption?

Sipra's Diary: ***@--- " VISION "....

 

      Vision-                                                                                                                                                      word= 764.

I can't take any decision easily or quickly. Even in simple everyday life whether I will go for morning walk or grocery shop or library or watch T,V or not; -or deciding what shall I take today in breakfast :-toast  with butter, or oatmeal with milk and banana?  I think I lack the power of decision.  Is it for weak self-confidence?

Even I don't look the list of menu in restaurant . My children chose my food on behalf of me. Is it for weak self -confidence?

 I am not sure.  

 

May be, I did not have to struggle or meet challenging obstacles in life; obstacles and adversity help to build character strong and generate self-confidence.  I was brought up in protective environment. Many a time seems me to be enigmatic to myself for contradictory traits in my character.  

Again, in many matters I feel myself  that I am strong as a woman . 

….Another shortfall in me is procrastination.

 

Anyway I was thinking how VISION trigger exceptionally and equally : whether in individual case or in corporate company. Let us observe the following  companies:

 HINDUSTAN LIVER CO, PROCTER GAMBLE, COLGATE -PALMOLIVE CO:

…Just   as   ants or rats search food   by smelling, visionary entrepreneur enter the emerging country with the pre apprehension of what business they can pitch   successfully.    

They noticed that in poor countries   clay  around the   pond  was  used as substitute  for  detergent . Hindustan Liver company first acquired the "brand" by introducing "Lifebuoy" soap for cleansing body and be afresh after day -long  labor in dirt and humidity .      

They stepped first to NGOs and kids'   schools; they researched that it would  be easier to convince the mothers  and via them ultimately full family and then the  community also !Thus  it  helped them to create awareness of health and  hygiene  among the kids through  school!.  

Right was their assessment! Once the mothers were convinced, variety of detergent  powders as Surf, liquid soap ,  tooth-paste   one by one, occupied     stable place   as  necessary commodities of  daily livelihood  in the  community. 

Next the sanitary napkin was launched  after  much  prudence and observation.  It had been noticed that the graph of women education and sanitary napkin developed    simultaneously in the village-girls' school. .  

The number of dropped -out girls from  schools  increased as they started period.  Because the girls felt discomfort as those village- schools have no proper toilets. Some NGO company did awesome job in Rajasthan villages and won award  by arranging sanitary toilet not only to school  but in neighborhood houses  also. All these products were new to India and many other developing countries.

Procter Gamble   kept eyes in which village the girls started going to school; it reached there promptly with Colgate -Palmolive and sanitary napkin !

[Detergent, tooth-paste, sanitary upliftment prove educational   upgrading as well as financial!] 

So far my knowledge goes, the base of above  companies were owned by UK. But now all have become global. 

A country is thought to be more civilized than others as it promptly accept the “change and embrace to modernity.

The competition became brutal as soon as we stepped to the global village, where financial trading turned to be heart-throb! 

*Many parent companies of America have been lost before this new  millenium .There were Companies like Zerox and Research  those are owned by wealthy 'Family companies' who manufactured highly regarded electronic instruments. 

Steve job and Bill gates purchased the companies... .

Rest is  history !  I.B.M and Microsoft created storm in the information technology.

They had vision and mission to :  'sky is the limit'!

Kodak  company of Japan which once monopolized throughout the world was lost as it failed to embrace or fathom the modern digital age. I got a Kodak box camera, the first gift from my husband. I shall put some piece of photo, if I find out that old one . Now we hear no more of Kodak. Only for their lack of vision !...For the same reason Ambassador car of  Hind Motor became obsolete. They had no vision or perspective of in which direction the future was heading !

 

Narayan Murti of I.I.T, Mumbai glorified Infosys. 

Sunder Picchii  is taking 'Google' forward in that  ”potentially  enlightenedcircle“ which would startled the  future world  like sudden geyser arising from the depth of ocean!

 

Many bright students from I.I.T, Mumbai are driving the American digital world towards glorious future.

Only those who are Visionary can understand and predict who will reach first to target the right spot -- which is ‘invisible’ presently, but will be ‘visible’ after ten years just like  amazing  geyser !

                                           end

…………………………………………………………………………………

Sipra's Diary: TRIBUTE TO FOURTH JULY

  Thursday, July 4, 2024

       

             Spirit Of 4th July in  America      

       'Oh  say, can you see':what lie ahead,

       Standing under  the pressure

       Of undesired piles of crises

       Are you perturbed or Afraid?

              

      Oh America, what a great test

      Now, that  you need to select

      whether  you would chose  to be hunchback

      Bankrupt father of the opulent immigrants

      Or, a solvent capitalist leader of the Nation,

     To take care of the country with allround vision?

     At the dawn of your young   days

     You famed as a 'nation of immigrants'!

     But long back,you achieved to ride on

     By your own; stood up as savior with valour !

     The  asylum is  too overburdened

     Now to shelter   anymore!

    Oh, Time summons you to pitch deeper

    In the heart of the Nation

    The star spangled banner

    That waves with reminder:

    Each bright star is the symbol

    For each state  that was rescued

   At the cost of blood and 

   Lives of  the  ancestors,

   Who sailed  through the stormy ocean,

   Crossed the desert and mountain,

   Marched bruised,on prickly thorn,

   To bestow peace and freedom to the Nation!

Oh Nation !

What treasure  do you restore

For the ancestors  as tribute?

Can you  promise  to retain

Their pride, power, prosperity and peace?

How much to expect

From this 'Humpty Dumpty' diverse nation?

Are they willing to chant  together

 In chorus tune again:

 'God  bless  America!' 

     

Sipra's Diary: "SHOOTING STAR"> [True Story ]photo

                                                                                                                     

photo of shooting star [but not able to attach, sorry.

 

                                  SHOOTING  STAR ( True Story ) Sipra Roy

 

W: 735

Ever since I was a little girl, shooting star always remained in me,  still now, as awe and wonder, simultaneously  the automatic music  is played  in mind, following the star:

"Twinkle twinkle  little star/ How I wonder what you are / Up above so high/like a diamond in the sky."

 The moment we used to see a shooting star in childhood, we always impulsively pointed at it and screamed "look, look at the shooting star! "

 

Most of the kids of my age believed one must close eyes to wish which might be granted by god. Star was thought as symbol of magic, dream and fulfilling wish and hope. Shooting star gives a certain glow to the night sky. when a speck from its body come down to the earth.

 I could never close my eyes for "wish" as my friends ; instead I gazed and arduously wish to get  that particle, to own that particle,  which never happened. With much pain and wonder I asked my mother, "Ma, why that shooting star always lost in the midway of the sky and never reached the land?"

Mom answered," because it burns and become ashes which mixes with air .It looks like a star falling but actually a piece of rock and dust, metal known as meteor. When two heavenly bodies  collide their tracking, small part is separated, then like a spark it comes downward but through the airy layer the spark often burns out to ashes before touching the earth's ground. It is not a star at all , but an illusion. "

 

I was never happy with this answer.

 

"Ma had you ever seen it to touch the earth  in your childhood  ?'

 

'Yes not me, but my grandmother witnessed it.'

 

 'Really? Then tell me  ma ,   please! '

 

  It is a true story told by my mother.  She came to know from her grandma.

 

 Great Grandma had a habit of taking bath at night before going to bed in their family owned  pond, adjacent to their house .One night she saw some bright flashing particle  (a shooting star) dropped near by their pond at the time of taking her bath. 

 

She was terrified; the night was dark the pond was surrounded by tall palm trees and low mud wall. She was extraordinary courageous. She watched it for at least half an hour. She noticed some flickering light; at first golden yellow and  then bluish light was prominent .Within half an hour gradually it began to dim. 

 

Great -great grandmother dragged a huge clay bowl from her near-by cow-shed and dropped over  to cover that dimly flamed matter. She did not disclose it to anybody at night. 

 

Next day in early morning she told first to my grandfather who was a doctor. Great great grandma with my grandfather and his attendant, named Haru came to the spot; Haru lifted over that clay-bowl curiously, as he was asked  to do. They saw something look like a lump of meat, still flickering light( like fire-flies )  was  coming out from the pores of the lump. 

 

Haru  brought a long iron spear and shovel from the cow-shade. He tried to move it ; but it  was too heavy to move. he pierced it with the spear; it looked like oily glossy lump of dark brown colored  flesh and still flickering fade blue  flame from the scattered pores. Finally it was covered again with the same bowl. 

 

Grandpa sent an urgent message  to  the superintendent of Calcutta Museum.  Within 10 Am. a special team of British scientists  from Calcutta reached by a zeep and a car. 

By the time the news spread over; a huge crowd from the adjacent villages  gathered around the pond; many  children  and  villagers climbed on the trees to get  a better view. 

The scientists told that they thought it to be  a speck of meteor, made of metal but still not hard enough to be rock With the help of shovel their team laborers  put it on their zeep-car. They left                                                                                                                                                                                    after congratulating  my grandpa a lot for informing them   ..

 

Curious villagers were excited  more to see the team of white British people  which was a rare sight in the village, in addition to that ugly dung dropped from the sky The adults began to discuss   gravely about that odd piece  fromthe sky as inauspicious and went towards the temple to consult with the priest.

"There must be sin ;we should do some 'yagna' to save the village "

  

I learnt from my mother that it was kept in the Calcutta Museum with written history at the bottom. 

My great grand mother kept it secret  at night because the ignorant villagers might relate it to ghost spirit and might claim their own decision under the guidance of ignorant orthodox priest ,instead of calling scientist for research. I appreciate my  courageous great -grandma with such advanced scientific mentality, more than 140/45 years ago! 

Although most of the meteors burn up but some do survive and reach our ground ; they are all journey from space to earth.

As my childhood was over, the myth of wish or hope related to shooting star was lost from memory but it remained still as a piece of beauty, love and wonder. 

It is amazing to think how wonder is the life of shooting star to witness the majestic universe in its journey from space to earth.  !!

---I am really jealous;   I wish strongly  to be  a  shooting star next life.

*************************************************************************************

 

Sipra's Diary :.......MEMORABLE MEAL>>>[..Feast of Fasting], 2026

 #(9)Memorable Meal> :( Feast of Fasting!)by Sipra Roy

Words=1065

 What a crazy prompt to some  septuageneration,

To write  about the' memorable  meal?  In this long 

Way of journey lots of meal have been taken  and forgotten!

Now for the sake of this prompt I need to walk in back gear,

And  successfully dig the memory of 'memorable meal';

It was on the eve of winter vacation when  I was in grade ten ,

Only Five  friends of us decided to arrange a picnic 

On the river bank which was not far from  the school.

We overcome the biggest issue to get permit from parents.

 "Picnic with only five friends?"moms commented:"so aberrant!" 

"What is your menu ,who knows cooking   among you?" 

Raka  answered "Simple menu of vegetables-KHICHURI

We will manage  ourselves, don't worry!"

We  collected  rice, lentil,  vegetables from our houses

Our  excitement knows no bound before the day of feast !

On the early morning we  set out with carry bags.

Renu's sister hailed "hey, wait!" came running to give us a match-box.

We joyfully kept the matchbox inside  the  bag, full of wood .

"Thank you. dear sister!"you are really cute .

 

 We reached the white sand-y beach of the rivulet.

 We began  to sing and dance, releasing the bags from hands 

Keya and Nina made a hearth with bricks collected nearby banks 

I and Raka went with bucket to fetch water from the river.

We five bent  to see our reflection on the bucket of crystal  water!

 Nina  as the eldest of the siblings had to help her mother.

She was little better than us to manage household affair

She called us to wash and fetch the rice and food staff to her.

First she put the rice and lentils in the boiling water of the pot

While we were busy in cutting cauliflower  peas and potato ;

We screamed  together to notice  the grains dancing in boiling water.

 Pushing the rest of log in the hearth Nina informed worriedly,

She needed some more logs for preparing the KHICHURI edible.

"O  not to worry! there are plenty of branches under  the trees " 

Keya, Raka and  me  started running to. bring the branches ;but those branches  were not dry. So they gave only  smoke to make us blind with running enough tears. The fire was about to extinguish; To re-ignite, all    sticks of the match box except three  were  finished .

  We went again in search of fuel . Finally Raka got a  big and heavy log; We three girls  brought  it  by dragging . 

Raka declared : "this log would be enough to  cook something   more ."

Nina:"watched the log mindfully and asked"wherefrom you bring it  ?"

Raka: "just near the bank of the river!"

Nina: "this log is from the 'burning Ghat'; it is used to push the dead body in the fire ;that's why one end of the log is burnt and black."

We all cried out ,"Phew, throw,  throw away.! We have to take shower in this winter  after   going back home!"

Nina: " let us take our meal ,we are all hungry" 

We washed our hands and feet well and sat surrounding the pot of khichuri.

Nina : 'Though. not fully cooked , but still edible ".

As  Nina opened the lid,  we exclaimed ,

"ah, the smell  is exactly like Khichuri.  Throwing hands upwards we sang "Khichuri, delicious Khichuri !....Three cheers for Nina the culinary goddess....  

[perhaps Hestia, the virgin  Greek goddess  smirked for these naive girls]

...Nina's face became bright with pride .  Keeping  a big spoon in the pot.  she declared,  "let  us start by  self-service .".

....hmm.. but we forgot to bring our spoons. Next time we must add spoons for everybody in the list .

We were so hungry that we forgot completely our contempt about  that  eerie log used  for dead body!

..Khichuri was steamy hot to eat by hand.  We tried  small gulp by picking little portion from the side of the plate ;small gulp . 

Nina threw cryptic eyes to survey everyone's face, (after her first gulp!)

I whispered  to Raka ,"it is tasty but salt is less,I need to add salt."

Raka replied  outrageously "not 'less'! It is utterly saltless!    

Hey Nina !you forget to add  any salt,   it is too  tasteless for me to eat; when Renu proposed to include her sister who has cooking experience, you opposed  her."

"Be cool"We searched all the bags  for the packet of salt but not found in any bags.

Looking at our helpless faces Keya  commented  "In my house my mom uses less salt in all preparations for the high pressure of my grandfather.  So I don't feel too bad to eat .  Looking at Nina directly 

she continued "after all we have  some new experience ,isn't ," nudged Nina with elbow  to bring back normal atmosphere,

Two stray dogs were loitering around us ;We ate very little ; as soon as we  emptied  left-over  from the pot they rushed and finished the stuff.

 They finished the food stuff in a way which gave me  satisfaction.  It was only 1:00pm. after pack up we started to return home.  The dogs waged their tails joyfully to say us 'goodbye" .

 Face of Raka was red in anger and hunger  while Nina's face  was red  out  of shame or guilt. All the way we tried to console  both........ 

Raka grumbled  : " I hate to confess at home that it was a feast of -fasting!"

  Me:  "Yes, that's the hardest part of the story for me too."

I slipped. into the house like a cat through backdoor; I heard the chat and lough of my mother and sister from  the kitchen;  I wished to hide myself in the drawing room .Before that   I  was. interrupted " who is it? Who is there? "

"me'.   

"You? so early?  did you eat or starved?  Come,.. come here to share little of your picnic  adventure!...  We have still enough left over which you  can  take  if you wish ."

I heard them to giggle .

"Nno I'm full,I tried to sound 'fake burp' and rushed into the bathroom,  avoiding to confront  them .

From bathroom I slipped under the quilt  of my bed and pretended to sleep so that nobody could interrupt me further ; but it was hard to sleep as hunger was  painfully  kicking my empty stomach,  and squeezing  my intestines .......  

***********************************************  

Sipra's Diary : Excerpt from the novel "MONOLOGOUE"

   

Wednesday, January 18, 2023

                                       Title:  Monologue     

Michelle: ( present age 73):

Sitting with a photo frame which bears the   group   photo of  High school   students  on the last day of graduation. when I  was 17 years old and most of the group were   almost  more or less  of same range.   It was late afternoon when the last rays of setting sun through the window illumines   miserly a small section of  the half-dark studio room ;

 She was sitting  on the  corner of  her  bed  near the window ; there are some more photos scattered  on  the bed beside her and a beautiful large album  which resembles a piece of art .She looked lost in  the photo frame  and roaming in her memory lane ;her  cheeks bears  dry stream of tears .She was looking at her friend ,Sylvia who left to the other world few hours ago.

 Michelle:(.  (Monologue):>>>>>>>>>>(in Flash-back...)

   .......Sylvia , you too left me alone  in  this vast  world , while I came back alive from nursing home   after  critical  heart surgery! You   were always runners up to me , not only in sport and game ,  but in study , drama , music or  art, but   in every field   in the  game  of life you beat me , kick me .....

Gazing at the photo of closely- knitted four   friends I was  roaming through my memory lane throughout the day ; we four were really soulmates ;we had never  any quarrel.

   ..Remember? The class mates nicknamed us with  a funny title "Misy-patpy"seaming  the   four names together  'Michelle, Sylvia, patty and poppy' like a  bouquet. 

Look , how bright we were,  eyes of each were full of dream& hope glittering   like glowing stars.You and I started our school life from   nursery  in Midtown Brooklyn High school;  Patti and poppy joined us in grade nine. 

  We were the prominent "so-called "Pop students in the class.  We get attention from teachers as well as from students . The first stage of  our  initial life spent well .  I was strong in literature; my aim of life was to be writer-cum -film director; Sylvia excelled in photography  : you took your passion as your  profession too.  you got job in some trade magazine as  assistant photographer. Patty became  a very successful entrepreneur   of event-management , and Poppy ?

 She   always wanted a handsome rich man to marry and to be a loving wife and mother ; she used to say that  she was raised by single mother and felt tired   and pity of hardship of mother's working-life  for herself ;She had no wish to get job  . She did not    even take admission to any college .

She met her future husband first in the Brooklyn Garden during Cherry Blossom festival. Poppy was 'black beauty' of our school.  she looked like a statue of black-stone ; some  boys had  crush on her and called her  as beautiful as Nefartiti. 

Poppy got married within six months of her High school  graduation  with  the man of her first love . Remember ?   how much we  the 'Misy-Patpy' enjoyed the ceremony  in Charleston as bride's maid ! Her husband was the owner of some four star luxurious hotel of  Charleston . We spent a whole week  at the insistence of the couple ! 

Yes,  She led a happy married//conjugal life  for 11 years with two children .Then she fell sick with slow fever and caugh.  She neglected it initially ;  her husband forced her  to visit a doctor .She was diagnosed lung cancer  and  in quite  advanced stage!  I  visited  her  last only five days before her death. ...I spent with her whole day in the nursing home .  As I got ready to leave her she  burst into tears  embracing  me and said whispering ,

"do you know(struggling  a long  breathe) that   not  the  disease but what  pinched me bitterly --is that  Mark  is dating    a woman  who is a Dr of this nursing home , as he came to know  my days are limited..." a second wave  of louder cry made her body shiver like seizure. 

"Please pray god to take me  quickly, and take care of my children.  She released me and looking straight to me in tearful eyes vomited  from poisonous voice ,

" never believe a man nor his love!" 

I took my flight with sad shrouded mind .All. these years I wished her children on their birthday . They were sent to boarding  school  after their  father's  second marriage. I used to wish them in their birthday and Christmas Day ;but I stopped it as Poppy's husband didn't like it .

Story of Poppy ends in tragedy.

************************************

Sira's Diary: Canine Fable Episode-2

 Episode -2

 

 

In the evolution of civilization, there are some distinct landmarks. Among the most remarkable was shifting to agricultural life from  that of hunter-gatherers': a giant leap;  men became settler which in course of time, created the ownership of land:( the root of all complications.)

Status of the dog also changed accordingly with the lifestyle of man. So long the pack of dogs moved with their tribe. Later on, some of them happened to belong to different individual masters, while some became stray dogs. But whether domesticated or stray, all of them were loyal by nature and adjusted in the community. A sense of duty 'to guard' and 'to protect' their masters' cause flowed in the DNA of their blood (no matter whether for individual or for the community).

    In the old days, keeping dogs as a pet was popular mostly in European countries first and not in Asian countries, at least in India. In old picture or movie, it was very common to see a sophisticated woman and a man with a suit, boot, tie, hat, stick and holding a dog in the chain on street or park or a dog peeping its head from the window of a car. The royal family of Britain were very much fond of the dog as a pet and still maintaining the tradition. Queen Elizabeth-11 has favorite four pugs.

 

 In Europe, people could not take a shower throughout the cold season. There was no sunshine. People suffered from skin diseases. Dogs were kept to clean their bodies by licking; and relieved them from worms, itching and skin diseases. Dogs used to give the comfort of warmth and relief by licking with a soft tongue.

From the English literature, we can know how old was this tradition.  As the British set up colonies in various places, they influenced their culture also in those territories. But only wealthy and fancy people used to keep dogs as pets.

 In India, still, now, a number of stray dogs are random compared to pet dogs. These stray dogs survive on the left-over food from their neighborhood; they are night-guards, more loyal than salaried human beings. In my neighborhood of India, I have noticed from the balcony the dogs lying idly but started howling and chased after, if any stranger, especially hawker passed through the lane. I am amazed to notice their sixth sense. The same type of behaviour, if any dog from another zone come near to them. They are very much territorial.

Anyway, my focus of this article is how the people,s outlook has changed the status of the dog. So far the dog has been humanised what will be next?

 

Will they be "divinized" also in the coming days? Egyptian sculpture portrayed god with the head of a dog and (also with the head of an eagle.)

Is civilization taking us backwards?

 

Last week Newyorker cartoon page presented an image of a man sitting on a chair, like an emperor in the throne, surrounded by few dogs devoted in his service.

Ah-h, an enticing reverie!

Human now has fancied the option to be 'underdog'; Is it self-banishment?

My article is propelled by the photo in the top: "Dog's evening walk in a fancy red toy-car", pampered by a man..

Pavlov's theory of saliva with the ringing of the bell is now redundant. Perhaps pet dogs now need 'appetiser' before lunch and dinner; maybe digestive tonic too, after each meal; lastly, why not a nap?

The modern trend is going towards 'divinizing' the dog. I saw two Hindi movies where dogs acted as a superhero.