Financial Literacy

Sahara's of the world continue to defraud people with aplomb. Collecting Rs 24,000 Cr ( twenty four thousand crore) is no small thing. They claim this amount has been collected from 30 million individual investors. Which means so many people have lost their hard earned money.

A strong  financial literacy program at the grass roots is required so that not only we create earning capacity but capability to save as well.

Being a Banker I feel extremely sad that I have till now not made any difference in this area despite feeling so strongly about it.

http://www.livemint.com/Companies/NDr2vxs5wkAqm3gpg7xUBM/Sahara-claims-it-owes-only-2620-crore-to-investors.html

How Food Got So Big

An interesting article about how one product manager with a movie theater chain in Chicago is responsible for those humongous size portions now almost synonymous with America. The same seems to be soon catching up in India as well. The small bucket of popcorn just got bigger; it can feed three of me!!!!

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-06-17/science/32281316_1_mcdonald-food-sizes-david-wallerstein

Movie Review: It's Complicated
Review contributed by Sonali Agarwal


Written/directed by Nancy Meyers and starring the ever-versatile Meryl Steep in an apt role, "It's Complicated" is a story about Jane - a mother of three grown-ups, who's been divorced for a decade, is content with her bakery/restaurant business and now looks forward to building a house (especially a kitchen) that she always wanted. In her perfectly simple life, all hell breaks loose when she starts an affair with her ex-husband Jake (Alec Baldwin). With Jake re-married, Jane now becomes "the other woman" in his life. Parallely, Jane's architect - Adam (Steve Martin) who is also recently divorced, starts finding her company enjoyable. What follows is a string of complicated situations while Jane tries to deal with her own guilt and protect her children from knowing this fact.

The movie is hilarious and full of situational comedy. Meryl Steep and Alec Baldwin are brilliant in their performance, with Steve Martin following closely in the short screen-time that he gets. For me, the best part about the movie is the message that comes across - it is our decisions that complicate and simplify our lives. No one can help us, except us, if our lives do get complicated.


The movie is a complicated situation, told simply with no over-dose of drama and emotion. Go and watch it for sure!

Movie Review: Karthik calling Karthik

Cast: Farhan Akhtar, Deepika Padukone, Ram Kapoor, Shefali Chhaya.,Vivaan Bhathena, Vipin Sharma, Yatin Karyekar

Director: Vijay Lalwani

Karthik Narayan, played by Farhan Akhtar is a meek young man who is bullied by everyone from his landlord to his boss and even the office boy.. Apparently he has had a troubled childhood which has made him diffident and submissive, a problem he is cognizant of and is seeking medical help.

Karthik’s personality takes a dramatic turn when he starts getting phone calls every morning from Karthik. Karthik calls Karthik to coach him to become self confident and to shed his inhibitions to chase the woman he secretly admires. With these calls the movie also turns dramatically towards ‘trying too hard’ scenes. While the dapper Farhan Akhthar is a toast to the eyes and the audience loves it when he gives it back to his boss, the same cannot be said about his antics to woo his lady love, Shonali Mukherjee.

Dating scenes between Karthik and Shonali Mukherjee played by Deepika Padukone are so clichéd and full of cheesy dialogues that you are left wondering, if it is same Farhan Akhthar who gave us Rock On.

Some of the dialogues are classically bad and need a special mention. Sample these…..

“ Kya tum mera fayda uthaogee agar mein piyoongaa”
“You are a safe guy”

 Shonali has not had much luck with guys and has burnt her fingers many a time so when dude Karthik comes with his cheesy dialogues and 1980 dating style she completely falls for him. So much so that when she sees 1316 unsent email messages for her from Karthik she runs and hugs him. Lady when you see something like that you run away from the guy and not towards him. The second half of the movie is a bit interesting, but the director is unable to unfold the plot properly. The end is almost abrupt and it almost feels that even the director is bored and wants the movie finished soon….

Movie Review: Julia & Julie

Cast: Amy Adams, Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci, Chris Messina

Director: Nora Ephron


Julia & Julie is a journey of two women, living in two different eras and how they find escape and new meaning to life through cooking.


Julie played by Amy Adams is an unsuccessful writer who has to work as a customer service agent in current age New York. To escape the monotony and the stress of her job she decides to write a blog about recipes of her favorite cook book author Julia Child.

Story of Julia, played by Meryl Streep is set in 1950s. She is a wife of an American diplomat who is posted in France. Julia is a food enthusiast and is in love with the French cuisine. She decides to learn French cooking and introduce the flavor to the fast food world of Americans.

The movie transcends between the story of the two women, how each faces the challenges of the time they live in.
The effortless ease with which the movie switches between the two stories helps to effectively bring out the differences between the two eras.

If you love food you would enjoy the movie. The movie is slow paced and at times little boring with recipe after recipe.
Nevertheless the simple narrative and the cozy family make it a nice effortless watch.

Movie Review: Up in the Air

Cast: George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick, Jason Bateman, Amy Morton

Director: Jason Reitman

Up in the Air, touches on the topic of redundancy which is very real for all of us these days.

Ryan Bingham, played by George Clooney works as a professional corporate downsizer. His job is to fire company employees whose bosses are too cowardly to do this job themselves. Well you may say you have never heard of any company specializing in firing employees… neither have I, but that’s ok movies are meant to be creative… and you never know given the current scenario it may catch the fancy of the dud lot!!

Ryan Bingham does the dirty job with a charm and ease which can come only to George Clooney. He is shown as emotionally detached from the real world, happy to be notching up air miles and flying for 322 days in a year to companies across the country to deliver the news.

Despite the grim subject, the film is oddly funny and tickles many a laughter in the theatre.

Ryan Bingham is also a change speaker with a novel Back Pack theory. His delivery of the theory is also quite interesting. He enters every meeting with a Backpack and asks the audience to imagine packing stuff into that. From small stuff in the drawers to larger things like painting, furniture, car and even the house. As you keeping adding stuff, the Back Pack keeps getting heavier until it cannot be moved. He says empty the worldly things and feel the lightness. This theory is akin to the Hindu concept of detachment from worldly possessions. Quite amazingly delivered though.

But he does not stop here. In another talk, he replaces the material stuff with relationships, as they are the most restraining in ones growth and suck a lot of energy as per him. Drop all relationships and feel the freedom and discover yourself.

I agree with his concept albeit in a modified way. What if we don’t empty the “Backpack” but only lighten it. Then neither its too heavy nor one it is completely bereft of the relationships. Meaningful relationships are beautiful and add the necessary weight to keep the Backpack from slipping off the shoulders.

Interestingly towards the end of the movie, Ryan himself feels the tug of the relationships with his sisters and woman he is dating.

Movie Review- 3 Idiots

Movie Review- 3 Idiots

December released 3 Idiots has created quite a furore as a movie of the year. Movie is being hailed for its great story line, excellent performaces of all the actors and above all the social message.


The Protagnist " Rancho" played by Amir Khan gives the message to follow your heart and suceess will follow. Another profound message is directed towards the importance attached to the degree received and not to the learning.This is diplayed by Rancho studying for the love of the knowledge and not the subsequent degree he will acquire. While the message is absolutely profound and correct. This is the change that we need to bring about in our society.


Rancho in the movie is able to practise this with great ease and in bargain sets an example for others. This is ease is what is questionable. When you want something in this case "the degree" it is very difficult to detach form it. Rancho was able to detach himself from any report cards and degree very easily because they were never his. He was attached to what was going to be his " Learning".

Having said that it is a very witty movie release in a long time cheers to that...what say " Siir Ru um"