DK Kapila The Oracle

A CIVILIANS TRIBUTE. By DINESH K KAPILA. Mom dear, My units on the move, We are of to Doda, to fight the militants there. Son, son, don’t go, Your mom’s afraid, Let me warn you, this country’s not worth dying for. Mom, its my men, My units ‘izzat’ Our country’s honour, I shall fight for it all. Son, son, don’t go, Your mom’s fearful, Let me entreat you, This country’s not worth dying for. Mom dear, do understand, This ancient land, our people, We fight for them. Come on, just Bless me. Son, son, don’t go, Nobody is bothered, Except this old woman, This country’s not worth dying for. Mom, you will be so proud, Dense jungles, nightfall, snowfall, Marches, ambushes and firing, Not a man did I lose. Confusion, conflicting orders, men sweated but stood firm, we fought and killed, proud at a job well done. Son son, Listen you will not, Be cautious, be afraid, Here a man’s worth is his money. The streets of...

I wonder should I invest or stay away, The markets do seem to have bottomed out, But then some said it could be a double dip, And my heart just skips another beat. I have this huge urge to invest, To average my losses at the least, The markets are now so confusing me, My heart keeps going one long way But the brain says its now or never. The losses do compound day by day, The long term loses definition day by day, From a trader an investor I have become, The profits still don’t seem to come by. A love I had for over 12 % compounded annual returns, So why trade in bonds or NCDs or ULIPs, Equities give best returns said the market gurus’ But my portfolio just suggests otherwise. Diversified mutual funds are in free fall, The Indian growth story goes one way, The markets and NAVs just go another way, I the investor am still confused as ever. I now sit on the sidelines, Flipping business channels and surfing guruspeak, Excitement eludes my shrunken portfolio, A bor...

The Park is Romantic in the Hot Afternoons . I am normally a late evening walker, walking for an hour or so in the Fragrance Garden of Sector 36 Chandigarh on weekends or when on leave. Now a days the heat and humidity result in all walkers looking alike, whether old, young, male or female, heavy set or thin. The common look is sweaty, reddish faces, handkerchiefs in hand, shirts drenched in sweat, faces grim and eyes focused on getting the walk done with. Not a pleasant spectacle, this is for sure. Last weekend, guests phoned that they would be coming over in the evening. Scared of my doctor and his advise to control my weight and blood pressure, I wondered about the fate of my walk, specially as I knew I would not be able to resist the eats. The better half was sure to be grim faced about the lack of exercise on my part while I enjoyed the snacks. So on a sudden thought while driving by the park during noon, I decided to...