My school days - Part 1

           Hello ! My name is Hiren Shah. As you can make out from the title itself what you are about to experience in this post. Actually, if anything is close to my heart from my childhood days, it is my school memories. I would like to mention the class teachers of all my class. I studied in two schools.

           Gurukul school : 

           Jr.Kg. - Violet teacher , Sr. Kg. - Bakula teacher , 1st - Ranjana Ghumre teacher ( that was also the first year for her in the school ) 2nd - Sangeeta Khaitan also Vikas Sir (because teacher got pregnant ) Std 3rd - Sangeeta Khaitan teacher , 4th - Saritha teacher , 5th - Pragna teacher ( sad to hear she is no more ) , 6th - Pragna teacher , 7th - Sharmeela teacher , 8th - Sujata teacher , 9th - Kishore sir , 10th - Binita teacher  

           St. Xavier's school 

            Std 11th - Aashu teacher , 12th - Pawar teacher

           Although, I liked St. Xavier's school but I did not spend much time so its not close to my heart.

           Tuitions I went to : Kindergarten - Bengali teacher ; 1st to 6th - Saritha teacher ; 7th to 10th 2000 plus ; 11th - 12th - New Heights.

           My behaviour :

           Since childhood, I was very superstitious. I liked to do certain things the certain way. This habit of mine I have still carried with me. To be very frank, I was and am not a very logical person. From my mom, I got the lessons of being a religious person. To ignite the lamps & worship the lord were the lessons taught by my mom. My father taught me to work hard at every moment of life. 

            If I talk about my study habits during my school days, it was quite simple. To do the work at home given by the school teachers and tuition teacher. I ensured that I did not receive any complaints from my school. I was flawless in the sense that I got only a single remark during my entire journey @ Gurukul. Talking about  remarks in St. Xavier's, I got a couple. 

            During my school days, I was very moody person. When I used to wake up in the morning, I always used to cry. By the time, I reached school I was in a good mood. Also, I was eager to answer all the questions asked by different teachers. I wanted to be the favourite of every teacher. But,  unfortunately that didn't happen.

            In my next blog, I would delve more deeper into my childhood days. Do comment as to how did you like this blog of mine.

             

           

       

    

     

       

Air : Why this Hollywood movie is a must watch !!!!

        The story is about " Perseverance, secret of all triumphs". The magical pair of Ben Affleck and Matt Damon shines once again on the screen. The movie teaches you the lessons of not to give up until the last minute, persistence and dont leave any stone unturned. That's what Matt Damon did and other people also joined him although off late in the pursuit of making Michael Jordan the ambassador of Nike.

        The movie starts with Nike about to shut down its basketball shoe division due to dwindling sales. However, Matt Damon had other plans. Firstly, he convinced the team of Nike to hire Michael Jordan which was a daunting task for him. 

         Secondly, Damon had to create a powerful speech in front of Michael Jordan & his family which he did.However, it wasnt that easy. He persuaded his mother first which was very challenging because he had to break the rules to meet her. He also explained her the problems @ Adidas and Converse. By the way, Adidas company was personal favourite of Jordan.

         "A shoe is a shoe until someone steps into it " is the paramount line of this movie. The movie also showcases and teaches us the important lesson of how we behave in the vicissitudes of life. Another important line which is also very emotional was " We all will be forgotten when our time is up but you, Michael Jordan will never be forgotten. Somethings are eternal."

                                                  https://youtu.be/e0wZB56TdbE

         The above is the link of that scene which is poignant. Click on the link and mark my words you will watch this scene day in day out. You might forget the story of this movie but not this scene. This is the beauty of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. The same thing happened with "Goodwill Hunting" movie whereby Ben Affeleck persuaded Matt not to do menial jobs. In case, you are not getting what I convey, here's the link for you to revisit your memory :

                                              https://youtu.be/Xv7eeMikM_w

        Hope you will enjoy watching this movie !!!!

         

               

        

 

Economy : Post Corona virus

                Let me make it very clear in the beginning, I am in favour of PM Modi's step of the first lockdown for a day and then, stringent measures for another 21 days till 14th April 2020. This, I mentioned at the beginning of my blog because some people might find it offensive looking at the heading of the blog. They might ponder about thinking of an economy during a pandemic is sheer nonsense. But, I feel it is equally important to draw our attention in the near future. 

                   The state of the economy post coronavirus will be worse than demonetisation. If we consider the time we will take to have complete control of this disease, it should be around 1.5 months-2 months from this date. I took this time-frame looking at how much time China took. The normalisation phase should begin around 15th May 2020. 

               The situation will look normal only in the sense that people will be able to move on the roads freely. But the real problem will be of the cash. There will be a liquidity crisis much worse than demonetisation. This is so because during demonetisation people had the money in their bank accounts or cash with them. There was a time-frame given by the government within which they would exchange the old currency. No fear was prevalent in the minds of honest people. Only corrupted people were afraid. But the times will be different now. I know some people might think of comparing apple to apple meaning the two events cannot be compared. However, we can at-least predict and plan well in advance for the future after taking some cues from the past.      

                  Since there is a lock-down in the whole country, the earning members of the family are not able to go to work-place. Assuming, every business-owner heeds to the advice of PM Modi of providing salary to every employee during lock-down. However, I feel that they would pay only for March. For this statement, I am assigning a probability of 0.70. This attitude will cause a chain reaction and affect other sectors of the economy in May. People won't have money in their pockets around 1st May 2020.
                  While I was writing this blog, CCEA under the leadership of PM Modi decided to provide food-grains at subsidised rates to the people living below the poverty line under the PDS system during the lock-down phase. A populist yet remarkable decision taken by the PM. Another important question is only during the lock-down period. But, once the lock-down period ends, it won't be easy for them to find jobs easily.
                  On the other end there are people who are living above the poverty line but they are jobless at the moment or might lose the job in the near future. They will find it hard to meet their ends. Since such class of people have a decent standard of living which is very difficult to forego. They have compulsory expenses which they have to pay such as government taxes, rent of their shops and their houses, EMIs of bank loans.             

                   Once this spiral of losing job starts, it will have its ripple effects. For instance, earning member of a middle-class family loses his job, all the discretionary expenses will be foregone by him. Such expenses include stop paying the rent of a cable connection, consuming less amount of milk, stop sending their kids to tuition, reducing the expenses on grocery items, telling no to maid etc.
                   As we all know, the economy functions in two ways. Either by spending or saving. There is no question of saving since savings are done when there is a surplus left.  Expenses will be done by the people only when they have income.

My suggestions for PM Modi would be to reduce the pain of people post coronavirus:

1. Exempt the people from paying all kinds of taxes about the lock-down months.

2.  If point number one doesn't make any sense, then such taxes should be collected in the form of EMIs from the citizens.

Made in China : A movie that should have been made differently

               "Made in China" a film based on a theme : entrepreneurship and  sex education. However, it failed to deliver the requisite messages to the audience. Additionally, the audience got confused whether this film teaches them to be an enterprising entrepreneur or makes them aware about the sex education. "Hotchpotch" would be an appropriate word for the movie.

                 

                  Cast and crew of " Made in China":

1. Raghu                 -      Rajkumar Rao

2. Rukmani             -      Mouni Roy

3. Dr. Vardhi           -      Boman Irani

4. Abhay Chopra    -      Gajraj Rao

5. Tanmay Shah      -      Paresh Rawal
6. Devraj                -      Sumeet Vyas

                   Plot of the story:

                  The film starts with Rajkumar Rao being portrayed as a businessman who wants to pursue the business of his will and not his father's business.  Moreover, he was changing his businesses with each changing day.However, he soon got succumbed in front of his uncle who mocks him for not making robust earnings. This showed that the character was lacking conviction in the business which he was choosing. 

                   

                   What should have been included in the film:

                  

               Rajkumar Rao should not have succumbed in front his uncle. He should have sought his own way. A real struggle of a businessman should have been portrayed. That too, Rajkumar Rao should have stuck to one business from beginning till the end. In this manner, youth should have been inspired to choose what they love. Moreover, success comes in persistence and not by changing tracks which Rajkumar Rao kept on doing.

                  Plot of the story:

              

               Then, Raghu goes with his cousin to China obeying his uncle . There, we are shown, even his cousin does not get the funding from Paresh Rawal. This meeting ends in few minutes. Raghu gets a chance to speak with Tanmay Shah, after his cousin leaves the restaurant. Paresh Rawal, tastes  Thepla which Raghu had brought. He also shares the same with other Chinese people. Lastly, Tanmay Shah wishes him good luck for future. 

                What should have been included in the film according to me:

         

               Tanmay Shah,being Gujarati too, should have branded "Thepla" and started selling in China. He should have provided the funding to Raghu  for facilitating him sell "Thepla" in many states of China and also other parts of the world. Paresh Rawal was not  used appropriately in the movie.He made a cameo.

                 Plot of the story: 

             

               When Raghu was about to leave China, Devraj's former secretary meets him.She convinces him to portray as Devraj (his cousin) in front of her former employer. Only then she can get the commission from him. At first, Raghu denies but then he accepts. The employer shows Raghu, a medicine to increase sexual pleasure in men.

                Blunder in the story:
     
             Where in the world have you seen that the owner or employer readily accepts whosoever comes to meet him? The employer's guards at-least should have asked for the I-card from Raghu. On top of it, he also briefs him about the product.     

                                          

                 Plot of the story:

                Then the story progresses with the arrival of Raghu in India. He first tries to establish nexus with the sexologists and chemists. But, doesn't find success. Raghu then hits a jackpot in the form of Dr. Vardhi who agrees after many efforts made by Newton's actor. They also include other people who undertake the tasks of packaging the product, distribution channel, marketing the product.
           
              On one fine day, Devraj comes to know about the product. He scolds his cousin for indulging into such a cheap business. There, the audience also comes to know that Chopra is also the partner in one of the businesses of Devraj. Accidentally, Chopra is the same person who is also the role model of Raghu. Rajkumar Rao daily hears Chopra's motivational videos.

             Devraj,then tells Raghu to meet Chopra. Chopra wanted a stake in Chinese Soup, the product launched by Raghu. However, Rao rejected the proposal.

             Blunder in the story

            I don't think Chopra should have approached Rajkumar Rao. Chopra's behaviour with Rao was as if his company was the only one that was making money in the entire country. Being an investor, he had many options. So why to depend only on Rao? Abhay Chopra was behind Stree's actor like anything. Also, he told Devraj to commit suicide if Rao doesn't agree. In practical world, this is impossible when we don't get a stake in one company. We try our hands at various companies or take over that entire company in a hostile manner.

             Ending of the story
           
            Finally, a commission was formed to investigate the ingredients of "Tiger Soup" being sold by Rao & his team. The inquiry was conducted since it resulted into the death of Chinese General. Again, the commission changed the tracks with "Sex Education" being discussed.

          Lastly, Rao is freed from all the allegations courtesy of Dr. Vardhi. We were showcased that sex problem is 70% psychological. The ingredients which were used to prepare "Tiger Soup" were herbs and no animal part was used.

            Biggest Blunder

            The police caught hold of Raghu. They kept on torturing him. Being, an entrepreneur, Rao should have hired a lawyer. Also, without testing the ingredients how can police keep a person in custody? The commission was also called without any basis. In between the inquiry, the lab reports were released. And finally, it acquitted Rao and Dr. Vardhi of all the charges. 

           The film lacked a pragmatic approach. This is evident from its box office numbers.

         
                      

Movie Review : Joker

           "Joker" movie is created on the theme as to how an ordinary person turns into a criminal. It's a  movie which portrays  the journey of the most famous villain of all. 

           Two situations that happened in the life of "Joker" that made him commit a series of murders were:

Situation 1 : A group of four to five men snatched a sign-board "Joker" was holding. When he ran after them, they all started beating him up brutally.

Situation 2 : When "Joker" was fired from the job, he was commuting a metro-rail. In that very same coach, three men were teasing a woman. "Joker" instead of helping a woman , for no reason started laughing which made three men very angry.When "Joker" was attacked by these men, in self-defense, he killed them.These three men worked for "Wayne Investments". "Wayne Investments" was owned by Batman's father "Thomas Wayne".

     Thomas Wayne's statement after the murder of three businessmen, was in favour of those three men which added fire to the fury in the city of Gotham. Thomas Wayne considered the act of "Joker" as cowardly without going deep into the matter. Thereby, many men which formed a part of "Disenfranchised" also known as poor people of Gotham city supported "Joker". 

       Every time, the situation became worsened for "Joker" because he was suffering from a condition in which he would start laughing and he had no control over it. This condition is known as "Delusional". People were unaware about it and therefore, they got angry on him whenever he used to laugh for no reason. He was also carrying a card which stated about his condition. But, it was not possible for him to explain every time his laughter came to surface.

       This movie also raises the problem faced by US since decades which is gun-violence. Since, guns are easily available in US, Joker's companion "Randall" lent him the same. After he started keeping the gun with himself, whenever any person misbehaved or ill-treated him, he would raise a gun and shoot that person.

    Another reason for "Joker" to become a criminal was that he led a lonely life. He had too few friends. He spent most of his time in front of the TV besides his mother. Thereby, anxiety, worry increased for him. The work he loved the most was that of a  stand-up comedian but he was not at all accepted by the people of Gotham city. In fact, he was mocked by one of the famous comedian of his city. This led to another murder committed by "Joker".

   Thus, looking from the bird's eye, we feel pity for "Joker" but at the same time, the means he adopted was not correct. Although, the disenfranchised people joined the revolution started by "Joker" against the rich people, killing someone is not at all acceptable.

   Lastly, being a Hollywood film, it was expected to be more rational than a Bollywood movie and on that parameter it fulfilled the expectation.
         
   Critics are equally divided. Some say that it is a good movie but some didn't like the movie since it showed a lot of violence.

    As the per the article published in "The Wrap", the movie is going to touch the worldwide box office collections of $800 million.


             



                                 

Business Model of a tea stall

         No venture or business should be disrespected by its mere scale. Be it a lemonade shop, a newspaper shop or for that matter a tea stall. Every business in its inception is small and it should be  because the loss would also be minimal in case it fails. And once an entrepreneur gets hold over it, it slowly and gradually grows.

           
             Before getting hands-on experience over any business, it is essential to gain knowledge of the same. Therefore, following points, in my mind, are worth noticing:
                                       

1. Location - The place where you start your business is very important because you need revenue and that comes from customers. By customers, I mean 'repeat customers' or ' new customers in large numbers'. So, any area which is in the development phase of a city would be an ideal location for a tea business or a tea stall near commercial complex would be best suited.

2. Price - This business comes under the category of perfect competition, so obviously the owner cannot decide the price. He is the price taker and not the maker. So, the price will be determined by the city and area in which the owner operates.

3. Employees - Depending on the scale of the business, the number of employees will be determined. Assuming that the business will be started on minuscule, one will be needing a maximum of 2 employees. It would be great if the family members or relatives step up and fulfill the role of employees. This way, the recurring cost can be reduced to a large extent.  

4. Assets - The capital expenditure or the capex which we call in the finance world, will be a lorry, a gas cylinder, stove, vessels ( to fill sugar, milk, tea) cups to serve the customers and a battery to supply electricity.

5. Creditors - One needs to have good contact with the suppliers of tea ( raw material of this business) so that it can be fetched at a reasonable price. By reasonable price, I mean not to compromise with the quality. Also to have a contact with the dairy guy who can provide sufficient quantity of milk on a daily basis.

6. If the tea quality is superior which obviously the customers footprints will decide in due time, soon the tea vendor might get a contract to supply the tea in nearby offices or a bank. In that case, he will have to increase the number of employees to finish the task in time.

7. In the initial stage, the objective would be to reach at-least break-even point. Being a small venture, it is not expected that we can burn out the cash and expect something good will happen in the future. One needs to be pragmatic.

8. Cash business - This is a cash business. So, the owner will have to arrange only for the capex in the initial stage. Later on, recurring expenses can be met from the revenue generated on a daily basis.

9. Municipal Corporation - It may happen that a tea vendor will have to satisfy the needs of municipal corporation guys. He needs to keep cash in reserve to that extent.

Following data shows the initial investment to be made by a tea vendor:

1. Table ( on which he will conduct business)   -          Rs.   800

2. Vessels                                                            -          Rs. 1000

3. Ingredients ( to make tea )
    

                                                     Sugar (5kg)   -          Rs. 200                     

                                           
                                                     Jivraj 9 Tea    -         Rs. 370   

                                                     (1 kg)

                                                     Milk ( 500 ml) -       Rs. 27

 
                                                     Gas cylinder   -        Rs. 700
                                               (Non subsidized)
                                                     Stove              -        Rs. 600

                                    Salary of an employee    -        Rs. 10,000 p.m.

4. Municipal Corporation officer                       -         Rs. 600 p.m.
                                               
* The above data has been fetched from websites and also by having a chat with a tea vendor in Surat.

* Depending upon the city where a tea stall would be deployed, rates can vary.

   ( website source : Amazon.com)

CID T.V. Series - the commercial side

                     "C.I.D." T.V. series is a very popular program that is telecasted on Sony television. This series is created by B.P. Singh and is based on Mumbai Crime Investigation Department. This is the longest running serial on Indian television which completed  its 21 years.

                                                       Main Characters :

                                              ACP Pradyuman as Shivaji Satam
                                              Abhijeet as Aditya Srivastav
                                              Daya as Dayanand Shetty
                                              Fredricks as Dinesh Phadnis
                                              Dr. Salunke as Narendra Gupta

                 Reason for its popularity

•  The immortal dialogues of ACP Pradyuman " Daya kuch toh gadbad hain " 
•  Daya breaking the door of villain's house to find the evidence or trace the culprit.
•  Comic scenes of Fredericks which proves that even crime cases can be solved with an     element of laughter. 
•  The amazing laboratory wherein Dr. Salunke and his/her assistant doctor performs various   experiments to find the reason of a person's death,at what time he died ,to find the antidote etc.
•  It was aired when no other tv series based on the same theme was introduced on the Indian television.
•  Most obvious reason is also that serial has sufficient audience  even after 21 years which can be known by the commercials it gets in between the breaks.

                  Apart from these distinguishing features of this T.V. series, it has also got humbug elements such as Pradyumna & his team finding a tiny evidence even in the dense forests , the team gets a clue from no where,none of the cast gets killed ( typical bollywood masala).
                  However, we need to accept the fact that even after these humbug elements, it is inching towards its 1500th episode. We all need to applaud for this & give full credit to the whole cast & crewof CID.
                 
                  TRP & Poularity Metrics
                      
                   1. Peak Viewers - 22,00,000
                   2. Popularity Index - 15
                   3. Facebook Fans - 19601
                   4. Average TRP - 2.2 
                                                                      ( Source : bestoftheyear.in )

                 Of the above financial metrics, I think Facebook Fans & Popularity Index are more reliable measures than others. This is so because peak time of any show depends on the script & acting of the cast, TRP may also rise & fall. However, Popularity Index & Facebook Fans shows loyalty of audience towards the show.