DK Kapila The Oracle

When will we ever learn. In North West India. A Punjabi by roots (and proud of it) I have written subtly about the ingrained need in many of us to some how bring up the issue of wealth or possessions or status, it could be rudely or straightforward or indirectly but say it we must. This quality I find in our brotherly state of Haryana too. Today a friend of over twenty five years came to meet us. He is settled in Canada and we chatted away on children and the antics.of a.certain section of migrants there. Around  830 pm a couple of his friends came to pick him up. Our goodbyes took some time. We went out to see him off and got introduced to them. I remembered we had met briefly once and said cordially you could have just.walked in. I meant it. So did.the wife as she said the same. The lady responded " actually this is not our actual car, this we will dispose off, our actual car is a sedan parked.at our old house while we have moved to a new larger house".  I saw a.perfectl...

GM. As we endeavour to move to card based transactions or rather digital transactions, I am still thinking how it will be implemented, specially the card based systems. The card based systems run on a fees levied by Banks on merchant establishments.  At Chandigarh I find that many establishments levy a 3 % charge if a card is used. At some it is 1.5 % to 2.00 % with maybe a smaller fees for using a debit card. Any discount is off the table if a card (debit or credit) is used. Just as an example I had to pay a doctor the consultation fees  and certain specialized medicines (I am fine, for someone) and the doctor said 3 % extra for the credit card. So I took out the debit card. It was still 3 % as the banks charged 3 %. I tried my skills in explaining the use of cards and it's benefits in the larger context but found it was being met with irritation. It was a large amount and I went out to an ATM to draw cash. I have had retailers state the same, specially discounts are at ti...

A few centuries ago we wanted peace. So we lost what is today Baluchistan. We really  eloved peace. So we lost Sind. Then we lost Afghanistan~ and lakhs were butchered. We so loved peace and the belief that it was a sin to fight that at Somnath Temple the priests and others threatened the invaders with the wrath of God. Everything was looted. Then as inherent peace loving people we became slaves. In this age we lost half of Kashmir and Ladakh as peace loving people. Then as peace loving people we accepted all the terrorism from across the border at a tremendous cost to ourselves (economically and human lives) and in addition loss of national morale. Now even a small sharp riposte is being debated endlessly and breathlessly as though mountains have moved. And the DGMO indirectly or directly~ alongwith the JS MoEA portrayed as liars or economic with the truth. Infact BBC is the reference~ forgetting it's the Brits who supported Kashmir and contributed to the problem. In any case o...

Fear                          Dinesh K Kapila Years ago, there were how many, let me count, yeah, ten of us cousins (all guys) walking down to my maternal grandfather’s mansion in Jalandhar late at night. It was a short walk from my grand uncle’s house post a wedding.   We came to a narrow alley opening onto a square. An old building, with windows open on the first floor, once a small hospital, overlooked the alley. We walked past, till one of us said that people who died in the hospital came out as ghosts (Bhoot) at night and that the place was haunted.  We ridiculed the idea, after all ten of us were walking down. Then one of the windows creaked, (surely the wind, but it was not windy, that much I remember still), it moved slowly outwards, we ran, just ran. We were from class six to class ten or eleven or so. Well, all ran, rather sprinted, and s...

Financial Literacy~ The local  papers carry a story of a farmer being duped of Rs 1.47 crore by conmen promising to double his investments.through insurance policies, well the guy stays in Sector 2 Chandigarh, so he would be more of a landlord. One would not expect a man of this position to be so unaware but then that is being  financially illiterate. There are many such.misinformed individuals looking for assured high returns with safety and trusting slick paperwork and apparently wealthy owners. Another newsclip is of investors demanding their money back in the Pearls Group ~ said to be an only Rs 45000 crore scam. Again what could be the.so called assured.returns, I don't know but seems to have been doubling in five years or less. The con in chief and his lieutenants had deep links obviously to the political and administrative echelons and benchmarked their so called returns.above the Bank FDs.and Small Savings Rates. Now would it not be better to invest in Mutual Funds ...

A friend asked what should the main political parties in Punjab state in a line in the run up to the elections. My stance. As I belong to this state. Congress ~ We promise to stop infighting and focus on governance and the economy only. Akalis~ Five years more needed to undo the undue interference of our local incharges in districts  and focus on the economy and employment. AAP ~ we assure a healthy relationship with the Centre and a well governed state with a focus on progressive policies BJP ~ An enduring partnership with Akalis to focus this time on reviving industry and agriculture with progressive governance Communists~  The time of the oppressed and the deprived to rise has come. Hopefully all will keep Religion for the home and home only. And minimize  interference and.advise in the State  from NRIs or rather more correctly citizens of other nations with origins in this State. I only hope less influence of the clergy and a deeper understanding of the e...