Blog@GraceJunction

Hey Freddy,

I reached Mumbai a week back in search of a better job and opportunities. But I have been missing those beaches and the time that we used to spend watching those beautiful waves, sipping lemonade, our hangouts near D’Souza restaurant and those football fields.

Here you get the real taste of city life. The huge population, the busy streets and stations, rush hour, the confluence of the rich and poor, skyscrapers overlooking hutments and slums, brightly lit buildings hosting glitzy and glamorous events and the hungry man who begs on the roads and sleeps on the streets. (more…)

A couple of months back, I was sitting on the porch with my son. A heavy spell of rain had just come to an end. There was water all over in the parkway and both of us sat down to enjoy the freshness that the rain had ushered in.

Suddenly my son spotted some movements in the water, that had collected in the parkway. He immediately questioned me,  Dada what’s that in the water ? I realized that there were ripples and bubbles’ springing up in the water as rain was still drizzling. I replied to him, Son its rain. He immediately sprang back and replied, but Dada, there’s no rain. He was true in one sense as we really couldn’t see the rain drops. (more…)

Barack Hussein Obama II, born on August 4, 1961 to a Kenyan father and White American mother has become the President of the United States of America, the first African American to do so. This news flashed on every news screen in the first week of this month. The President elect of the United States is all set to officially take over from George Bush on the 20th of January, 2009. (more…)

The news that I read today was the second of its kind coming out of the U.S as a result of the Global economic crisis. Another one of the non resident Indian brutally killing his family, this time it is Lakshminivasa Rao Nerusu. Originally from Andhra Pradesh, Lakshminivasa had lost his job a few days ago and was in a state of depression. He brutally killed his 37 year old wife, 14 year old daughter and 12 year old son. He had inflicted grievous injuries to the head and neck areas of his victims, sadly they were also his loved ones.

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The Ahmedabad Mirror (TOI) reported today news on the Delhi High court’s stand on a matter regarding the Center’s move on banning gay sex. Chief Justice A P Shah incidentally has asked the Centre, Quote: “show us some scientific report which says that gay sex should be criminalized”. Unquote Now that’s the Chief Justice demanding science, to prove that Gay sex is wrong and is an evil that is detrimental to the society. Apparently the Centre quoted some religious text condemning the act and had requested criminal provision against homosexual acts stating it is required to curb the spread of HIV infection. It further said that homosexual behavior is a reflection of a perverse mind and it could not be allowed in the society, things which are quite easily & intuitively perceivable, without a PhD in Science. (more…)

This is how the 63rd session of the General Assembly began this year. The Secretary General, as usual, addresses the gathering.

“Mr. President, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen: Welcome to the opening of the general debate of the 63rd session of the General Assembly. It is customary for the Secretary-General, on this occasion, to assess the state of the world and to present our vision for the coming year. We all recognize the perils of our current passage. We face a global financial crisis. A global energy crisis. A global food crisis. Trade talks have collapsed, yet again. We have seen new outbreaks of war and violence, new rhetoric of confrontation. Climate change ever more clearly threatens our planet. We often say that global problems demand global solutions. And yet … Today, we also face a crisis of a different sort. Like these others, it knows no borders. It affects all nations. It complicates all other problems. I refer, here, to a challenge of global leadership.”

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Mumbai police swooped down on a bunch of party goers and detained 231 people for possession or consumption of Drugs under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act on Sunday night. This included some drug peddlers who were in possession of narcotic substances like LSD drops, ecstasy tablets and cannabis. They all were part of what many call as ‘rave parties’.

Most of them who were arrested were young boys and girls between the age of 18-25 and some sources say that some were minors. This is something that we don’t find very common in India and definitely not widely reported in the media. But many parts of the world such parties are routine and often closely surveyed by police, paramedics and sometimes even counselors. (more…)

Saturday night drive back home almost became a horror. I was driving home on an unusually busy stretch as people were rushing to celebrate the yearly Navratras. The traditional dresses and well lit buildings were trying to remove the otherwise gloomy situation in the stock markets and the peoples psyche.

Well, it does not matter much though for youngsters who were just out to have a good time and they want to make it a memorable moment of their lives. Boys and girls, in the most happening years of their lives, do not know what struggling in life means, their pocket money and trendy gadgets and accessories is all they want to have and desire for. (more…)

(Re-post from March 17th, 2008)
Read carefully. I wrote ‘Great Suppression’ and not ‘Great Depression’.

1929 is etched in world history as the year that caused a great and dramatic meltdown or downturn of the world economy. The depression had devastating effects in both the industrialized countries and those which exported raw materials. International trade declined sharply, as did personal incomes, tax revenues, prices, and profits. Cities all around the world were hit hard, especially those dependent on heavy industry. Construction was virtually halted in many countries. Farming and rural areas suffered as crop prices fell by 40 to 60 percent. Facing plummeting demand with few alternate sources of jobs, areas dependent on primary sector industries such as farming, mining and logging suffered the most. Though the slump started in many countries much before 1929, it was the US downturn that really brought it down. (more…)

Lehmann Brothers is not the only people to be facing the brunt of the economic slowdown but rather it’s also the layman on the streets who is equally suffering. One of the major reasons of this worldwide financial crisis is the piling delinquencies and defaults on loans which have left all major financial institutions reeling under the pressure of mounting losses and the increasing pressure from the investors and management to salvage all that is slipping out of their hands.

The effect of the monster sub prime crisis has lifted its ugly face in India as well. Most of the financial institutions are going through a tough face, cost cutting at its peak, hiring freezed and firing and laying off employees seem to be the way forward. The only people who seem to be keeping their jobs are the Collection and recovery agents, the nightmare for any defaulting customer. (more…)