Amader Gaan

Amra Bangla Bhasa-bhasi
Mora chash-bash baro bhalobasi

Moder jami falai je dhan
Se dhan khabe Chin o Japan

Chori na gari
Paribesh niye chinta moder
Bejai bhari..
Paramanur satheo ari..
Chal ar vote dui darkari..

Kalidash mora
Je daal kati
Sei dale bosi
Shilpo-tilpo "Sanande" hok
Sanonde boli..

Mora Nirananda
Pithe kather lang(n)al tuli.
Mukhe lamba-chowra buli..
Chhera kanthai suye kori
Bush er baap-bapanto..
Moder pran ta je chash-anto!!

An Oily Affair!

Inflation is hurting us all.
So is the oil price! Last time I checked mustard oil is 94Rs/L! And my "Rannar Lok" [Glorified title is "Cook"] thinks I am related to Sultan of Brunnei! She generouly puts oil in everything she cooks. I was terrified to eat her "Elish Bhapa"[Steam Hilsha]! It was like boiled fish in raw oil!

I am trying to forget my favorite dish "Aloo-Posto"[Potato with Poppy seeds]. Posto-bara[A snack from poppy seeds] is a distant dream. "Posto" is 560Rs/Kg! Somebody somewhere has gone crazy! Are they mixing gold dust with poppy seeds?!! I wonder!

And what about petrol? At 56-58 Rs it's making the decision to buy a new car very tough!
Did a little research on fuel prices around the world:

Country____________$/L__________ Rs/L

Australia ___________1.52_________ 64.3
Bahrain (Manama) ____0.27 _________11.4
Belgium (Brussels) ____2.48 _________104.9
Brazil (São Paulo) _____1.59 _________ 67.3
Brunei _____________0.39 _________16.5
Canada ____________1.324 _________56
Chile ______________1.27 __________53.7
China _____________0.806 _________ 34
Colombia ___________1.07 _________45.26
Croatia ____________1.95 _________82.5
Cyprus ____________1.87 _________79.1
Denmark (Copenhagen)_ 2.46_______ 104
Dominican Republic ____1.51 ________63.9
Egypt (Cairo) ________0.32 ________13.53
Eritrea _____________2.53 _______107
Estonia _____________1.79 ________75.7
Finland _____________2.35________99.4
France _____________2.13 ________90
Germany ___________2.43 _______102.8
Greece _____________1.95 ________82.5
Guatemala __________1.95 ________82.5
Honduras ___________1.07________45.3
Hong Kong __________ 2.20 _______93.06
Hungary ____________ 1.985 ______83.9
Iceland _____________2.25________95
India (NOIDA) ________1.36 _______56
Indonesia ____________0.65 ______ 27.5
Iran ________________0.11 _______4.653
Ireland ______________2.13 ______ 90
Israel _______________1.9 ________80.37
Italy _______________2.32________ 98.14
Japan ______________1.60 ________67.68
Kuwait (Kuwait City)____ 0.21 ________8.88
Malaysia ____________0.84 ________ 35.53
Mexico (Mexico City) ___0.62 ________ 26.23
Moldova (Chisinau) _____1.24 ________ 52.45
Monaco _____________2.20 _________93
Netherlands __________2.67 _________113

New Zealand _________1.62 _________68.5
Nigeria (Lagos) _______0.595 ________25.17
North Korea _________1.19 _________50.34
Norway (Oslo) ________2.73 _______ 115.5
Pakistan ____________1.22 _________51.6
Peru (Lima) _________1.609 _________68

Philippines (Cebu) _____1.22 __________ 51.6
Poland (Krakow) ______2.06 __________87.14
Portugal ____________2.42 _________102.4

Qatar (Doha) ________0.22 ____________9.3

Romania (Bucharest) __1.78 ____________75.3
Russia (Moscow) _____1.08 ___________ 45.6

Saudi Arabia (Riyadh) _0.12 _____________5.076

Sierra Leone ________4.87 ___________206
Singapore __________1.82____________ 77

Slovenia ___________1.92 ____________81.2
Sri Lanka__________ 1.46 ____________ 61.7
South Africa ________1.47 ____________62.18
South Korea ________1.95____________82.48
Spain (Madrid) ______2.14 ____________90.5
Sweden ____________2.30 ___________ 97.29
Switzerland (Zurich)____1.88 ___________79.5
Thailand ___________ 1.21 ____________51.2
Taiwan ____________1.05 ____________44.4
Trinidad and Tobago ___0.48 ___________20.3
Turkey ____________2.68 ___________113.4
Turkmenistan ________0.08 ___________ 3.38
UAE ______________ 0.37 ___________ 15.65

Ukraine ____________1.38_____________58.4
United Kingdom ______2.33 ____________ 98.56
United States ________1.03 ____________ 43.5
Uruguay (Montevideo) _1.6 ______________67.68
Venezuela (Caracas) ___0.03_____________ 1.269
Vietnam ___________1.13 _____________47.8

In some countries oil price is amusingly low!! Like Venezuela it's 1.269Rs/per L !! Those countries like Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Qatar, Kuwait, Brunei, Bahrain etc are big oil producers. They have kept oil price low in their countries. But in other countries who have to buy oil, why there is so much difference? Export costs are different. But the main reason is the tax system.
Also another fact is, oil price is 43.5 Rs/L in USA. That is much lower than India and Europe. Though US is the one of the biggest oil producer, it's the biggest oil importer and user!! Approximately it produces 8.3 million barrel oil and consumes 20.58 million barrels per day! Compare it to India, India needs about 2.53 million barrels per day! US use about 8 times more oil than India!!
China uses about 7.27 million barrels per day. So in near future India will need that kind of amount and China's oil consumption will be near US.

So where is oil price heading?

The Madness For Mobile!

How much are we dependent on electronics goods?
Five-six years ago when I got my first mobile, it was luxury!
Everybody told me, why they don't need a mobile and things like that!!
I had to keep it hidden from my parents!
Now everybody in my family has a mobile, some has more than one!
In less than six years time, I had to buy more than four mobiles.
I have seen average life of a mobile set in less than two years!



Still people buy very expensive sets!
A friend of mine in Mumbai lost a very expensive one.
A friend of mine in Kolkata dropped the set in street and it was broken!
My one and half year old expensive set has problems in LCD, still I haven't repaired it. I never had that time, and
I amn't sure if it's a good idea to try to repair a mobile!
One of my senior colleagues has the same set with same problem! He hasn't repaired that either! One day he just
smashed it in floor in desperation and bought a new one!!

A few days ago I realized the importance of a second mobile, for back up.
I narrowed down a utility set, it has everything, i.e camera, Bluetooth, mp3, fm; still it's cheap. It's cheaper
than the first black and white Nokia set I bought, which had nothing!

I was very determined that this time I will buy the cheapest one, which has Bluetooth.
I can't live without Bluetooth! But I don't need camera, fm or music in it!
I went to the shop; saw the sets and........the greed! The enormous greed to consume!
Now I understand why people buy expensive sets!

The greed to consume...more, more and more!
Whether we need it or not, the greed to have the best is overpowering!
I gave myself 24hours, to try to fight with myself!

In my dream I saw the big flap phone, with 8GB internal memory!
Which looks so good, may be the best looking set! And with futuristic cordless Bluetooth headset.....oh!
But I don't need mp3 in mobile! I never listen to music from mobile! When I am out working, I need 100%
concentration. Music distracts me. I need to think constantly! I don't even pick up a call!!
When I am home, I either switch on the music system for FM, or listen to music in my laptop or desktop!
But it looks so good; it feels so great...the 8GB set...!!!
I don't need it, but I want it!!!

Next day when I went to the shop, I wasn't sure which model I am going to buy!
I entered the shop; the 8GB model wasn't available then! Thankfully!
I bought the cheapest one which earlier I have selected!!!

I won the war!!



Note: Right now, I am watching ad that Airtel is bringing iphone to India!
I am already thinking hard whom can I give the mobile I just bought, as a gift, so that I can buy that
iphone!
Sadly no body near me needs a mobile!
Oh the greed! God help me!

Fortune and Fraud

Random thoughts:
Read a curious news in Ananda Bazar Patrika, Kolkata edition, on 26th June, 2008.


An astrologer has been cheated by a hoax mail! He has lost 7lacs!
It's nothing but a common cheating mail with different formats...
1. Sometimes it claims that you have won a huge lottery and need to deposit some fees to get the money transferred to you!
2. A wealthy person has died and you are the inheritor, to get the money you need to deposit this and that!!

These frauds operate from Nigeria. Again it's a common knowledge. Nigerian frauds are rampant in India!!
I have got those mails so many times in the past three years! One was hilarious, it claimed I had won a Toyota Car and they need my contact details!

This astrologer got the bait, encouraged by his son who is studying in South Africa who actually got that mail.
They exchanged 100 mails between them and deposited money 7 times before realizing they had been cheated!!

The point is astrologer tells our fortune. What it's in there in our future! What should we do and don't do!
And see here, he has been duped! He can't see his own future!!

-Kousani