Sunday, September 21, 2008

The Importance of Being the DRUNKEST!!!!!

Many of things in life we ignore because they are real or we ignore them because they are funny. But one activity which is rarely ignored satisfies both the criterion. Yeah, consumption of Alcohol is real and it is funny at the same instant (at times though). I think that it was the commodity due to which only some freak came out with the Law of Demand and Supply.And, I don’t know how good it holds for other goods, but it still holds good for Liquor. And, it will certainly hold good for liquor as long as there is any kind of trade on earth.

To prove my point I will be going back to the 1st half of 20th Century. A few countries like America (developed now and developing then) enforced the prohibition in 1930s and it is still illegal in some countries to sell and consume liquor (our own neighboring countries for instance). It is a proven fact that the great visionary like Al Capone made a lot of Money in this era, unlike other honest and hardworking Americans. But, one must note that it is only after few years the prohibition ended i.e during and post 2nd world war, America became the new superpower ending the great depression (which I think was primarily caused because of prohibition only). You may object with the stance that why it took a few years after prohibition to emerge America as a superpower, but u must take into consideration that for a product sales to be stable, it has to be sold thro a sales network. So, it took a few years for the beloved liquor to penetrate with the network and in the lagged age which followed the depression it was very difficult for liquor to establish the network overnight (despite the huge demand). So, it began the cheerful journey and after the 2nd world war ended, it was the most sought drink in America, which made the occasions more cherishable and the world started to discover a new set of etiquettes which was entirely different than what a British butler can teach you.

Now, a recent survey conducted in India tells that the no of young individuals (irrespective of Gender) consuming alcohol is rising not only in metros but also some B-class cities and so is the development in these burgeoning towns. Now, if we see the rate at which the Investors are dying to enter into these markets, it is obviously evident that these towns are growing faster than the previously existing Metros. Also, when it comes to my city, one of the surveys also tells that despite of the depreciation in real estate market last year in India, Nagpur is not also one of the three cities which have taken a positive growth( Lucknow and Jaipur are other two), but it is also regarded as the fastest growing cities in Asia. Courtesy…….

http://specials.rediff.com/money/2008/aug/11sl7.htm

http://www.rediff.com/money/2004/jul/15rich.htm

And for correspondence, many a few will know that Nagpur holds the record for most no. of Permit rooms per square kilometer in
India. So here we can deduce that liquor does contribute to the economic prosperity of the city and in turn nation as a whole. Also, what is prevalent in few recent years that per capita Alcohol consumption in US has gone down by 15 % in past 4 years and the currency rate has taken a revision in a downward manner. Also, we can see that the things like the Tragedy with Lehman Brothers and banning of short selling in the US which can be taken as one more proof for my stance. Now, we can definitely see that there is a lot more to Alcohol than just a drink. US economy blossomed mainly after world war II and that too most in 70s and 80s which two decades are also regarded as the age of ROCK music and a few mention them as DRUNK decades.

At this juncture, we can see that in the current slowdown Germany(hit low in past 3-4 months) is now recovering in a big way, courtesy October Fest.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_fest

Now we can see that the per capita consumption of Liquor in India is enhancing and so is the Economy. I know that you all will differ that this statement does not hold good for past one and half months, but remember that according to Indian Calendar it was the time which witnessed the month of “Shravan” which is now followed by “Pitrupaksha” will be ending on 30th Sep 2008. Again it will be followed by “Navratri” which again is a low tide period for Liquor but a high tide one for more sinful acts (most of you must have read between the lines). So for the economy to be stable and consistent we have to wait for the winter and as soon as it does I am sure that it will boost the Liquor sales as well as the Economy of the nation.

So, if you follow the rituals imbibed by parents as religiously as I did, then you better go for a toast this evening not for the sake of drinking but to improve the National Economy before it hits its low in Navratri.

Cheers guys and toast for Dr. Mallya, the Visionary for besotwing us with his miraculous sense of Business and his concern for the “Delight Quotient” of the youth and last but by no means the least the National Economy.

CHEERS!!!!!!!! :)

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

My City and Its Cuisine.......


There are somethings that money cant buy. I know that this is not a very good line to start with, but there are many right things in the world which may not sound good. Master card people could have never thought that the idea which was put into words by them was the feeling of millions of souls especially people in my country and city to be precise, and especially for me, to be more precise, I have been on the face of earth over 26 years now and 25 of them can be considered in to my elements. I forced all my will to think the other way round and rightly have been thinking for so many of little fragments of calendar, but in these 25 revolutions which mother earth made around the Helios, I had developed a very strong feeling about my city of residence. They are bright as well as pale in a few aspects.

For instance, would u ever see a brigade of 20 something guys with all branded attire (Mont Blanc and likewise) entering into a highly atrocious looking place which can be taken for a restaurant only by an overly optimistic fellow. But, yes it happens here in the Ex- Capital of The Central Provinces the queen ruled once. But, the astonishment is yet to be over. If one expects these 20 something guys to leave the place as early as they enter there as entering there was just a Faux Paus then ur thinking this way is the one. Yes, they come out of it almost an hour after their entry and the look at their faces is what Sharif and Zardari must had after Mush declared to step down. To further to your fantasy in an upward direction, these guys now discuss among themselves the savor which they feasted over a few moments back and make the first thing on their list to visit there once more before they return to their city of employment which sadly is not the one which has just now witnessed the whole phenomenon described. So, they plan the same and head for the most sought (or preferred, to be precise) Pan Shop where they have been visiting from time immortal. They will go there and there only even if it happens to be in the remotest end of the city from where they are right now. And after having this grub, they will spend an hour or so praising the city for being blessed with such joints and places to cherish on. They will again repeat the process on the day they have planned and sadly a few days later they will leave the city with half hearted will and planning their next leave (in the transit itself) so that they can once again come down to “NAGPUR” and cherish the place and their beloved cuisine “NAGPURI SAOJI”.

So, in this entire narrated series of events (Cuisine and Pan), the expenditure occurred on the entire commodities is not more than 125 INR, but it is this 125 which makes the entire expenditure of lets say 7000 worth. And the aura in which they experience this all is absolutely free and cannot be recreated in any other part of the world even by spending the entire reserves of The Federal Bank. So, in a nutshell, the most valuable thing experienced is the intangible one and that is the air in which the entire happenings took place. And, to experience this air time and again these guys come down to Nagpur as and when possible (though it may not be reasonable to their employers always) which one can say is not costing a single rupee or one will be ready to buy it at any said price, but it is absolutely free and is most cherishable. Towards the end of the day, the one who experiences this all says that "These are a few things that Money REALLY cant buy…….."