widespread agitations between 16th July 2012 and 28th June 2013

Will the Lokpal movement breach the banks or turn to a trickle, Ganesha finds out

The accomplice to the crime of corruption is frequently our own indifference- as quoted by Bess Myerson. How true! We mooted a law ' the Lokpal bill' to stem the tide of corruption in our country way back in 1966; 44 years hence, it is yet to be formalised and adopted. This is the level of indifference amongst us ? Indians. The Lokpal Bill provides for filing complaints of corruption against the prime minister, other ministers, and MPs with the ombudsman. The Lokpal Bill was for the first time presented during the Lok Sabha in 1968, and was passed there in 1969. However, it was pending in the Rajya Sabha while the Lok Sabha was dissolved. The bill was revived in 1971, 1977, 1985, 1989, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2005 and most recently in 2008. After 42 years, the Lokpal Bill is still pending in India. Meanwhile the activists of India Against Corruption (IAC) have prepared a draft for the bill called Jan Lokpal Bill. The Jan Lokpal Bill is a draft anti-corruption bill drawn up by prominent civil society activists seeking the appointment of a Jan Lokpal, an independent body that would investigate corruption cases, complete the investigation within a year and envisages trial in the case getting over in the next one year. In this context Anna Hazare, had started a fast until death to demand the passing of the bill. Since the Government has responded positively with some minor changes in his demands, Hazare on 9 April 2011 called off his hunger strike bringing to an end his 98-hour protest. The Lokpal Bill is likely to be passed by 15 August 2011. At this crucial juncture when the world is witnessing mass protests around the world, Ganesha tries to analyse the cause that jolted us out of stupor and foresee the course of action in the coming days.

The placement of Rahu in the Ascendant of India's chart points out that the corruption is woven into the nature of our country. Rahu indicates double standards, loose moral values, selfishness and hypocrisy. India entered the sub-period of Rahu in the major period of Sun on 3rd November 2010. Rahu is the planet of scandals and frauds. Rahu sub-period has brought to the fore the 2G spectrum scam, CWG scam, Adarsh scam, housing loan scam, etc.  India is passing through the major period of Sun and, Sun is placed in the 3rd house(Upchaya sthana) with four planets. This indicates that the common people of the country would not wake up until they are completely disregarded and  humiliated and pass through extreme pain, sorrow and tragedy. The five planets in the 3rd house form an extraordinary yoga in India's chart, which infact is the driving force of the movement against corruption that the country is witnessing at the moment. 

The Saturn-Jupiter opposition is also an important factor of this mass movement. Jupiter always tries to expand and mobilize and  Saturn wants to structure and confirm Jupiter's expansive ideals. So Jupiter and Saturn cycles play an important role in  societal cycles of growth. It effects areas such as economics,  politics, law, social issues, education and religion. From 6 December 2010,  Jupiter is transiting into Pisces, opposing Saturn, ruining whatever is left of dignity and idealism in the strife torn world we live in.  But the frustration created by this opposition will have positive impact on country's health when the Saturn enters Libra.

Rahu sub-period will remain in force till 28th September 2011. Rahu's placement in the Ascendant of India's country chart and in the star of Sun will continue to expose the government and influential politicians. They will try subterfuge to defuse the people?s movement against corruption from gathering storm. Saturn transiting through Virgo will not allow major constitutional changes till mid November 2011, indicating that it will not be easy for Anna Hazare and his team. The whole process may have to face many a road blocks and sure-shot constitutional challenges.  However, the  Anna Hazare movement will prove to be the catalyst, which allows rage to be expressed freely and unreservedly on the Indian streets. It will definitely help shake-up the entire socio-political structure of India. The Ascendant Lord of Varsha Kundli, Venus is in the 5th house, indicating an uprising by students and youth against corruption.  The politicians will be working extra hard to tone down the ruckus by the common people of India. The efforts will be clearly seen between 28th September 2011 and 16th July 2012 during the sub-period of Jupiter.  The role of Indian Judiciary will be more prominent after 15th of November 2011, when the transiting Saturn enters Libra. As the planet of justice, Saturn will bring about significant constitutional changes related to corruption and other sensitive issues. However, it may not be enough to pacify the anger and frustration of people, and hence, we may see widespread agitations between 16th July 2012 and 28th June 2013 in the sub-period of Saturn. It could be a time when people take charge of our democracy!

With Ganesha's Grace,
Tanmay K.Thakar
The GaneshaSpeaks Team

28 April 2011 09:44:36 GMT

China maps Brahmaputra, Indus

Ananth Krishnan

Chinese scientists have completed a first of its kind study to pinpoint the sources of the Brahmaputra and Indus rivers using satellite images, and have found that the length and drainage areas of both rivers exceeded earlier estimates.

Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), an official think-tank in Beijing, used remote-sensing satellite images and data from several expeditions to the Tibetan plateau to map the sources of the Brahmaputra, Indus, Salween and Irrawaddy rivers.

They located the source of the Brahmaputra, or Yarlung Tsangpo as it is known in Tibet, on the Angsi glacier on the northern side of the Himalayas, in the Tibetan country of Burang. The source of the river was earlier thought to be on the Chemayungdung glacier, further south.

The CAS study has mapped the river's length at 3,848 km, while earlier studies had estimated its length at 2,900-3,350 km. It also measured its drainage area at 712,035 sq km, with earlier estimates ranging from 520,000 sq km to 1.73 million sq km.

“Previously, the sources of the four rivers were never clearly designated, and differing accounts regarding their lengths and drainage areas confused researchers for many years due to restrictions of natural conditions and surveying and mapping technologies,” Liu Shaochuang, a researcher with the Institute of Remote Sensing Applications at CAS, was quoted as saying by the State-run Xinhua news agency.

Mr. Liu said the Indus river's headstream was mapped near Mount Kailash in Tibet, 30 km away from where its source was earlier thought to be. He said his study calculated the river's length at 3,600 km, exceeding earlier estimates of 3,200 km.

Mr. Liu's team used remote-sensing images provided by the U.S. Landsat satellite and the French SPOT satellite to map the Qinghai-Tibet plateau. He said the study would be “of great significance” to environmental researchers.

It, however, remains unclear if CAS will make the studies available to Indian researchers. Chinese institutes have been reluctant to share glacial and hydrological data citing strategic reasons, and have, in the past, balked at entering into agreements with Indian institutes.

India and China will, in coming months, hold talks to renew an agreement on sharing flood-related hydrological data on the Brahmaputra. Last year, the two countries signed an agreement to share data from June 1 to October 15 until 2012, based on an earlier MoU signed in 2008.

Indian officials have also called on China to release more information about its plans to develop hydropower projects on the river's upper and middle reaches. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said earlier this month India “trusts” China's statements that “nothing will be done that affects India's interest”, but would also “verify” Chinese claims.

In November, China started damming the middle reaches of the river to begin construction of a 510 MW run-of-the-river hydropower project.

The dam at Zangmu is the only one of 28 proposed hydropower projects on the river that has been approved by the Chinese government. Chinese hydropower groups have been lobbying the government to give the go-ahead for other dams.

source:The Hindu

Mumbai, the capital of the state of Maharashtra has the glory of being the financial capital of the country. Maharashtra is also one of the busiest business hubs in India. However, on the flip side, it boasts of having the highest number of dormant firms. Three states and one Union Territory: Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Delhi together account for almost 70% of the registered companies suspected to be dormant or defunct in the country. Maharashtra leads the way with over 35,000 firms which are completely non-operational.


Data source: Business Standard

Data source: Business Standard and equitymaster

Branding Engine Oils

By Anindya Bera | Aug 22, 2011

Castrol India Ltd (CIL) is the second-largest player in the Indian lubrication industry. From just 6 per cent market share in 1993, the company now commands approximately 20 per cent of the lubrication market. It was the first to advertise and promote engine oils. CIL’s innovative and attention-grabbing advertisements have over the years strengthened its brand image. Its business can be classified into three categories — automotive, industrial, and marine.
History
CIL commenced operation in India in 1919 as a trading unit of C C Wakefield. In 1983 it went public, with 60 per cent of its equity being held by retail investors. In 1994 Burmah Castrol increased its shareholding in the company to 51 per cent. Following the takeover of Burmah Castrol by BP in 2000, the latter took control of the company with 71 per cent shareholding. After the amalgamation of Tata BP Lubricants India Limited with CIL in May 2003, BP now holds 71.3 per cent stake in the company.
Industry dynamics
The Indian lubricant industry is around Rs 17,000 crore in size and is growing at approximately 5 per cent per annum. It is the fifth-largest lubricant market in the world. The top four players — Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), CIL, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) — control 70 per cent of the market. The rest is shared by both regional and global players. CIL commands approximately 20 per cent market share, which it has gained at the expense of the market leader, Servo of IOCL (which has 40 per cent share).
Sources of moat
Brand. The credit for transforming lubricants into a fast moving consumer good, where branding holds the key, goes to CIL. With its tagline, “It’s more than just oil; it’s liquid engineering”, the company has been able to establish an unprompted brand awareness of 92 per cent (according to AC Nielsen Brand Tracker).
Despite as many as 27 brands vying for the same set of customers, CIL has been able to hold its own. Customers in this industry look at the value proposition (price to performance ratio) of different brands and then make an informed decision. Customer awareness of brands is high in this industry. In such a market, CIL has been able to demonstrate to its customers that its engine oil is more effective and also results in cost savings for them.
Around 2002, CIL found that sales of CRB Plus, its tractor engine oil (its flagship brand which in 2007 completed 75 years), were dropping. To re-establish its position, it offered live demos to people to visually demonstrate the heatproof technology of CRB Plus.
Moreover, CIL has strong tie-ups with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) like Tata, Maruti Suzuki, Ford, BMW, Volvo, Volkswagen and Audi in the automobile segment; Mahindra & Mahindra and John Deere in the tractor segment; and JCB, L&T Komatsu, and Telcon among commercial equipment manufacturers. It was the first to bring out an engine oil for Maruti 800. This engine oil was endorsed by the company, Maruti Suzuki.
Product differentiation. A lubricant is not just a commodity but a blend of base oil and chemical additives. Its functions are to reduce friction among mechanical parts, protect them from wear and tear, keep them clean, control the heat generated, and reduce energy consumption and emissions. Hence a perfect blend is essential to enhance the performance of engines. Over the years, CIL has been able to demonstrate to its customers that using its products enhances engine life.
The company has a full-fledged R&D centre in Mumbai. With its in-depth understanding of the Indian market, it has been able to launch products that satisfy customer needs. It has about 100 automotive lubricants and 300 industrial lubricants in its arsenal. In addition, it has access to BP’s 5,000 products.
Pricing power. After the decontrol of the industry in 1993, CIL concentrated on cost effectiveness rather than on volume growth. Its superior technology has enabled the company to maintain an edge over its competitors. Its 12-month trailing (till March 2011) operating margin stands at 17.10 per cent. Over the last five years CIL’s margins have improved consistently. It has been able to leverage its brand to pass on increases in the prices of raw material to its customers. Moreover, its focus on the premium segment has also aided CIL in maintaining a healthy margin.
Distribution. In India petrol pumps are still the fiefdom of PSU oil marketing companies like IOCL, HPCL and BPCL which have their own lubricant brands. Hence, early on CIL understood that trying to push its products through petrol pumps wouldn’t go a long way, Instead it adopted the “bazaar route”, wherein it employed distributors who would directly cater to shops selling lubricants. It has around 270 distributors who service 70,000 plus outlets. Servo, on the other hand, has access to about 40,000 outlets.
In 2007, the company set up Castrol Authorised Service Associates (CASA) who service independent workshops. Till date with 400 CASAs CIL has been able to reach 12,000 workshops.
Could the moat be breached?
Competition. As we mentioned earlier, this is a very competitive industry, with strong domestic and international players. Domestically there is competition from IOCL’s Servo (the market leader), BPCL’s MAK, and HPCL’s HP Lube. Among international players there is Royal Dutch Shell, the global market leader. Therefore, there is no shortage of contenders wanting to usurp CIL’s position. However, till date nobody has been able to match CIL on strategy. In terms of brand recall or products so far no one has come close to CIL. In distribution only Servo comes close.
Undercutting. In spite of the cut-throat competition that prevails in the lubricant sector, no rival has resorted to undercutting so far. Even though the public sector oil marketing companies have the distribution muscle to undercut CIL, their existing losses from selling petrol and diesel have kept them from posing a serious threat to it. Moreover, as long as customers are prepared to pay a premium for quality, CIL will be able to retain its moat.
Financials
CIL has shown remarkable financial performance in the past five years. Between CY05-10, its sales grew from Rs 1,430 crore to Rs 2,735 crore at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14 per cent. Its profits grew at a much faster rate of 27 per cent over the same period, which demonstrates the company’s ability to manage its expenditures. Efficient capital management has enabled the company to post an impressive five-year average return on capital employed (RoCE) of 98.23 per cent. Over the past five years, the company has grown at a faster rate than the entire industry. If it continues to do so in future, CIL could well snatch the market leader’s crown from Servo. Currently the diesel engine oil business contributes 80-85 per cent of sales. However, its share of overall sales has been declining over the years. As more new generation trucks get launched, which require less frequent refills, sales of diesel engine oil are expected to fall, while the share of premium engine oils is expected to rise.
Valuations
The stock has earned the reputation of being a good downside protector even in the most trying times. It fell just 4.55 per cent in 2008 compared to the 52 per cent fall of the Sensex.
Despite the high returns of recent years, the stock can still be called a value pick: it is still trading at a price-earnings to growth ratio (PEG) of 0.92 (in addition, it also offers investors an attractive dividend yield of 3 per cent.) But compared to its five-year median price to earnings ratio of 18.59, it is trading at 25.10, a premium of 35 per cent. In order to enhance your margin of safety, buy this stock on dips and hold it for at least three years.

source:Value Research

Data source: Ritholtz

Don’t worry, be happy

By MAJORIE CHIEW

star2@thestar.com

A spiritual leader expounds on his ideas for finding true contentment in life.

HAPPINESS has to come from within us. When a jolly monk says this, people tend to listen.

Gharwang Rinpochea, a Tibetan Buddhist monk from Sikkim, India, who heads the Zurmang Whispering lineage, was in Malaysia recently to talk about joy and how to achieve it in our busy modern lives.

In an interview after the talk, he jovially declares: “I’m happy with who I am now, with my life. I try my best every day, give my best shot and have low expectations.”


Jolly monk: If you want to be happy, look within, advises Zurmang Gharwang Rinpoche.
So when things turn out better than expected, he says, “I rejoice. I feel so happy! It’s better than I expected.”

The Rinpochea, 46, shares how the small nation of Bhutan was once one of the happiest countries on earth.

“The Bhutan government declared that the Gross National Happiness (GNH) index, not the Gross Domestic Product index, would be the measure of success in their country.

“In an attempt to preserve GNH, the government restricted tourism and didn’t even allow television or Internet services. For a long time, happiness levels were very high.”

In 2000, Bhutan’s king allowed television and Internet services into the country and the Bhutanese discovered an entire world they had never known before.

Since then, says the Rinpochea, happiness levels in Bhutan have declined severely as the people continually compare their meagre existence with the materialistic lives of people in more developed nations.

It’s unrealistic to have high expectations, he says, to impose a lot of standards in your life and compare your situation with other people’s.

“That’s the biggest problem. It will always make us unhappy because someone, somewhere, will always be better off than us.

“There are people who do not have anything, they have nothing – and they’re happy.

“When you visit workers from Nepal and India (the Rinpochea visited some construction workers at his monastery) at night, you find that they’re singing, drinking and dancing.

“They are enjoying their life so much. They don’t have high expectations, they are living for today and from moment to moment.”

Besides, having a lot of things isn’t guaranteed to bring you contentment. Says the Rinpochea, wealth, power and fame contributes only a fraction, “5%”, towards happiness: “In the United States, salaries have steadily increased since the 1940s but the happiness level hasn’t.

“Wealth doesn’t bring happiness. Happiness comes from within you,” he repeats.

And you can find that joy inside by learning to love yourself: “When you truly love yourself, you don’t want to be anybody else. You stop comparing with others. You will be happy at any income level and you will have true confidence without narcissism.

“When you truly love living, you’re able to find beauty and happiness in even the smallest moments. You’re able to enjoy life on a moment-to-moment basis.”

And when you truly love others, the Rinpoche adds, it comes through in your words, your actions and your smile.

“People will naturally like to be around you and forming social connections is easy.”

This in turn will further feed your own happiness.

All this advice comes from hard-earned experience – for Gharwang Rinpochea himself had to learn to accept his lot in life and love who he is.

He was born into an aristocratic family in Gangtok, Sikkim. His mother was Princess Sonam Peden Namgyal, but he was recognised as the next reincarnation (the 12th) of the Zurmang Gharwang lineage while in his mother’s womb.

The Rinpochea thinks his mother was not happy when she learnt that she had to give up her son to the monkhood.

“When I was seven days old, my parents reluctantly surrendered me to the monkhood,” says Rinpoche, who recollects that he was sent to live with his paternal uncle.

He still had a regular childhood and could play with his uncle’s five sons. But he also had a “personal trainer monk”. When he was 11, Rinpoche entered the monastery; at 15, he took his vow of celibacy as a novice monk.

He went on to study under many great Buddhist scholars and travelled extensively in Asia, America and Europe, expounding on Buddhist teachings. He was awarded the keys of the city by the governor of Los Angeles in recognition of his works in promoting harmony and humanity.

In 1992, Gharwang Rinpochea founded the Zurmang Kagyud Buddhist Foundation, a non-profit international charitable organisation that has been involved in setting up homes for the aged and building roads, schools and clinics in deprived areas. The foundation has also established various Buddhist centres such as institutes for higher learning, retreat centres, monasteries and nunneries. Over the years, Rinpochea has set up centres in Singapore, Hong Kong, Taipei, Kuala Lumpur and (in Indonesia) in Jakarta, Medan, Surabaya and Pekan Baru.

Rinpochea also writes in his free time. He has authored 10 books, including Seven Points Mind Training (on meditation), Essence Of The Buddha, Opening The Door To Dharma and Teaching On Bardo (teachings on living and dying).

Currently, while lecturing in America, he is taking an intensive English Language programme at Harvard University in preparation of eventually gaining a degree either in comparative religion or environment studies – yes, the monk is green! He plants “a few thousand trees every year” and educates the monks at his monastery on not throwing garbage everywhere, using less plastic, and saving trees.

Parents bring children to witness ‘second freedom struggle'

Staff Reporter

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 BACKING ANNA'S BILL: An unprecedented crowd rallies in support of a strong and amended Lokpal Bill at the India Gate in New Delhi on Sunday. Photo: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar

 Lokpal

“I will go and tell friends that Anna Hazare is a very good person. He wants a corruption-free India with no fighting and no violence,” said 10-year-old Mayank Jaswal, who helped distribute pamphlets among the crowd at the Ramlila Maidan here on Sunday in the scorching heat, along with his mother and six-year-old sister.

The excitement in the air was palpable even before one actually entered the grounds where the social activist continued his indefinite fast to bring in the Jan Lokpal Bill. Revellers and supporters marked the way to the site, beginning at the New Delhi metro station, where hundreds of young people were seen wearing “Main Anna Hu” Gandhi caps, holding the tricolour, wearing badges with Mr. Hazare's picture, and faces streaked with the colours of the tricolour. “Anna tum aage badho, hum tumhaare saath hain [Anna you move forward, we are with you]”, was the resounding cry leading right up to the entry of the Maidan.

Volunteers ensured disciplined movement of the throng waiting to enter the ground, offering food and water to the needy. The volunteer desk offered plain paper to people to write down their personal messages to Mr. Hazare.

Inside the Maidan, the crowd that included a considerable number of families, seemed to converge towards one focal point — the stage — waiting to catch a glimpse of the septuagenarian.

Several parents suggested that the present struggle by Team Anna was the “second freedom struggle.” “The children need to see this. They need to see, as well as we do, how the fight for freedom was fought,” said Ghaziabad resident Rajneesh Suri, even as his wife and three sons stood clutching the tricolour and craning their necks to see Mr. Hazare behind the speaker on stage.

“Anna is the second Mahatma Gandhi,” said Mayapuri resident Rajinder Sharma, an idea that was shared by most people, especially children.

Speaker boxes and loudspeakers put up at the Maidan continued to carry voices and music supporting the Bill and Mr. Hazare's stand against corruption. A rendition of “Raghu pati Raghav” caught the mood of the crowd, reaching a crescendo as it neared the end, even as people, as diverse as university professors, doctors, volunteers and 11-year-olds reciting poetry spoke in support of Anna's stand.

“While I support the Bill, I am personally not with [all] the speakers. This platform should not be misused by people for their personal ends,” said Atul Gupta, who is the vice president of a travel company.

The Jan Lokpal Bill, which lies at the heart of the protest, came up several times during the speeches on stage, on the slogan-bearing placards, and in idle conversations in and around the venue. The Commonwealth Games, the accused Suresh Kalmadi, and inflation were among the other ideas people associated with Mr. Hazare's “fight against corruption.”

“It is great to see the huge numbers here, but I do not think most people here understand the implications of the Jan Lokpal Bill and the government's version of the Lokpal Bill. The volunteers and speakers are trying to get it across through speeches, but there has got to be a better way to educate people about the Bill so that we can make an informed choice,” said 22-year-old Delhi University student Priyanka Sharma.

“The people involved in drafting the Jan Lokpal are all educated, experienced people — Arvind Kejriwal, Kiran Bedi. We have read and understood the Bill, and fully agree with it,” said Madhu Nitin Bhalla, who has supported Team Anna's campaign since April.

Though most supporters agreed that discussing the Bill with the government was important, Ms. Bhalla raised the question, “But why is the government not coming forward for discussion?”

Source: The Hindu