DK Kapila The Oracle

Entrepreneurship and The Indian Scenario Specially Agribusiness (Based on Notes for the Address at MMU, Sadopur Campus, Ambala District) - Some Inputs, Some thoughts (includes notes fifteen odd years old) By Dinesh K Kapila I have always advocated the concept of entrepreneurship. This is one economic activity which is open to entry, on merit, to a large extent. Concerns of access to finance are certainly there, as specially in rural areas, banks are the only source of finance. However of late, NBFCs and NBFC MFIs have made a presence. Plus the projects are mostly basic and do not attract glamour or attention. Yet they are the foundations of small rural areas and as they add up in mass and scale, they evolve as vital cogs of the economy. Facilitative Government Policies over the years have created a huge core of entrepreneurs across all communities and are leading to many young citizens exploring the option of entrepreneurship. I feel during my interactions a tremendous hunge...

Just sharing. Do people even know how loud they are on mobile phones in public places. There is this guy we sort of crossed paths with a few days back. This was in the park where we go for walks, mostly in the late evenings. He was really loud on the phone and I bet quite a few of us walkers who managed to hear or rather had to hear his conversation went away very amused. The gist is he was telling a friend in Punjabi that he would certainly attend a happening party but would be unable to contribute financially. He actually wanted to contribute financially as he used to earlier but now would contribute in the enjoyment part. He loudly stated he made the mistake of asking for a debit card in his wife’s name and handed it over to her. He planned to get rid of all the domestic chores (Syapa Ghar da) by giving it to her. He always had Rupees Four Lakh plus in his account. But when he checked his account after a couple of months of handing over the debit card to his wife, well the bala...

The Boy Alone. By Dinesh K Kapila This refuses to go away from my mind. I thought perhaps writing it down would help me move on. Its nearly a month since   we travelled on the Sapsan Train from Saint Petersburg to Moscow. The train (Sapsan – a Russian word - is a type of Falcon which flies the fastest) covers the distance of 700 kms in nearly four hours.    We, my wife and I, were ushered in most politely though I was surprised that the luggage of all passengers was passed through the baggage check machines twice. As we settled down, we got chatting and watching the passengers coming in. This particular compartment had seats both ways, starting from each end, at the centre there was a common table with four seats around it, two seats on each side facing each other across the table. We were seated just on the row behind, on the opposite side and could see the table clearly. A young boy walked in, cap pulled tightly over his head, looking for his seat. He realised ...

The Newlyweds Have settled down. DKK I was walking in the park. Very Late. Actually first I slept in the evening. Then after feeling fresh I thought I would exercise but gave up the idea. Then I thought why not go for a walk. Then revised it to a walk cum jog. Then thought some more and ultimately decided the normal long walk was in order. However precious time passed while deciding about the fitness Regime to adopt today. Now to the park. It is quite expansive and lit up at night. I was close to a sharp turn when I heard loud voices. The girl was laughing loudly though in a friendly manner about her husband panting in just one round. As I came closer I realised she was wearing the Chura -the set of bangles traditionally worn by a bride on her wedding day and for a period thereafter, specially in Punjabi weddings. And yeah, I googled the description ! Then she turned serious and simply said in Punjabi, “who eats parathas at night, from today it is dry Chapattis for you and don’t you ...

The Slowdown and GST - One Micro Version Dinesh Kumar Kapila This is rather interesting. I have just been asking around and mostly the small timers, not the small shop keepers but the guys who would have a turnover in the crores range but below Rs 10 crore maximum. Just to know what they say, this is not a study. I just picked up what many such businessmen say, over a period of time. As one worthy explained, with a lot of tired looks (must be his daily talk show with friends) Earlier if you paid tax upfront for say a truck load of cargo, the tax paid upfront would be normally around 4 %. Now the tax as regards GST, if taken as an average of 12 %, means that much more cash is paid upfront while the stock, say a truck load, would be sold over the next three months to four months. The natural course to adopt for many traders / stockists was to scale down orders and in any case minimise over stocking. The trucker, used to loading up a truck for one customer, now finds himself havin...

My Varied Laws Dinesh K Kapila Kapila’s Law of Gardening On a hot day when you water the lawns, the probability of sudden rain or thundershowers within 12 hours goes up by 70 %. Kapila’s Law of Walking When you are out walking, with clouds yet to build up overhead, always remember distant thundering clouds are only to mislead us. If you don’t believe this, then be ready to be wet to the bones. Kapila on Trees to shelter from the rain When you hide under a tree to take shelter from the rain, you will still get wet. Only gradually rather than suddenly. The choice is yours. Kapila’s Law of Offices – Lean Periods Actually there is no lean period. When you feel there is a lean period and sit back to relax and take it easy, multiple tasks or a mini crisis will soon descend upon you.   Or God Forbid, a Video Conference. Kapila’s Law of Good Looking Women at Airports It’s a fact. If a good looking lady enters an airport at the same time as you did, has the security...

Just Stories from some Farmer Producers Companies Dinesh K Kapila It’s been a long lazy day.   I had a rather long walk, found it most refreshing and idly watched the birds fly by ever so effortlessly across a blue sky. While walking (you must realise that walking can be boring, the mind has to focus on an issue) I just suddenly realised that the farmers, specially the section of astute leaders of farmer producer companies, we can or rather we do address them as directors are gradually but certainly   picking up the norms and various intricacies of the business end of the agriculture sector. There is a change in the offing, maybe slow, maybe scattered, maybe just evolving but on some fronts the changes are there and it is encouraging. Ofcourse I write with a limited exposure in terms of geography and interaction.    I would not like to share names or locations but certain incidents which indicate the changes as above I plan to share today. I heard an interes...