Esperanto to the Rescue!

We often hear words such as 'fantastico', 'perfecto', 'classico'. We know similar sounding English words and hence, can easily arrive at the meaning. But do you know that these words are not just colloquial or slang, they actually come from a language. This language is called Esperanto.

Esperanto is interesting and forward looking in many ways. It happens to be one of the youngest languages in the world. It came into existence in 1887 and is recognised as a constructed international auxiliary language. This means that the language was deliberately designed. Zamenhof, the creator of Esperanto wanted there to be a politically neutral language which everyone could understand and which would be easy to learn.

He lived during a time when the relations among Russians, Poles, Jews and others were caustic. Europe was divided by language and political turmoil. Esperanto has a lot of words from Spanish, English, French, Greek, Latin and many Slavic tongues as well. It is written in the Latin script, which most of us can read without much trouble. We even have braille versions for texts in Esperanto.

Learning foreign languages is the latest fad

Esperanto is yet to become any country's official or even second official language, but it is recognised by UNESCO as the 32nd language of Europe. Most of Esperanto speakers are from Europe. San Marino even offers a course which is delivered in Esperanto. Most of the speakers learn this language on their own through online material. It is said that about two million people actively speak Esperanto and almost 2000 have been learning this since birth. Isn't that fantastico? :-)

My first interaction with Esperanto was through a cartoon series on Cartoon Network. I would watch roadrunner and the coyote for hours on end and hear the coyote exclaim a lot of words in Esperanto. I used to think he was speaking Spanish, but I found out later (when I actually went to Spain) that Spanish was quite different. I heard this language many times on different shows - mainly on Nickelodeon and Star World and Zee Cafe. A lot of the English sitcoms would regularly pepper the dialogues with Esperanto words.

My friends and I also started sprinkling our conversations with a nice doze of Esperanto. We thought it sounded cool. Besides, it was incredibly easy to form new words. For adjectives, we would only have to append an English adjective with the letter 'o'! Fantastic would become fantastico, drastic, drastico, and so on.

If your resolution this year is to learn a new language, and you are struggling with French, Mandarin or Russian, give Esperanto a shot. You will certainly have learnt an entire language before the year ends! I think the idea is absolutely fantastico! :-) Don't you?

How many languages do you know? Is Esperanto one of them?

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

CSR - Jest or Just?

CSR stands for Corporate Social Responsibility. The Indian laws make it mandatory for companies with a net profit of 5 crores or more to spend at least 2% of its profits on CSR. This came into effect in April 2014, and ever since, companies have been scrambling to meet this guideline in any way they can. This directive has proved to be a bonanza for NGOs as they can now access corporate funds without lobbying too much.

I have been in the working committees of the CSR groups in both of the firms that I have worked with, but I have been disappointed by the kind of impact we have had until now. So far, the trend among corporates has been to on board a bunch of NGOs, do the due diligence checks and get them approved by the legal department, and start doing whatever the NGOs recommend.

Three years ago, I participated in a railway station cleaning campaign in association with one of our empanelled NGOs. I thought we were going to do a spectacular job and inspire all the commuters and vendors to keep the Andheri Station clean. But alas, I was wrong. We spent most of our energy organizing the AC bus that would take us to the spot, fretting over how filthy the situation actually was, and complaining that the food ordered from McDonalds was not enough. Many colleagues just wanted to get their pictures clicked in aprons and gloves.Very few actually held a broom or did any real cleaning. The rest just turned up their noses and thought they were wasting a Saturday.

Do companies really wish to make a difference?

Even when the situation does not require us to get down on our knees an scrub, we (the corporate lot) are lazy. I now arrange volunteering activities with schools so our colleagues can go over and teach the kids a thing or two. Here also, most people worry about how many CSR-hours they can book. If they can count the commuting hours too. They want to have the entire class plan and material pre-designed for them. They also worry about the questions they may get asked by the students and insist that a teacher be present. And when we provide them all of this, they simply forget to show up! All because they woke up late or had a splitting headache or their cat vomited on their shoe.

If this is the sort of impact CSR is having on society, then it is farcical! We might as well just donate money and do nothing else. We need to stop measuring CSR performance of companies based on the money they give out or the number of people they impact. Impact should be measured on quality. If a company volunteers to teach students. Do not rate them based on the number of students or classrooms reached, but the test scores of the very students they interacted with.

Our approach to CSR must be just. 

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

Some Tastes are Cultivated

Do you remember the first time you had beer? Did you like it? I hated it. I couldn't think of one reason why anyone would put up with something that tasted so horrible. My friend who was already a year into beer told me it took him some time to get used to the taste. I wanted to know why he wanted to get used to that in the first place.

Today, I love trying out craft beer. I make it a point to sample the locally brewed alcohol of every interesting place I visit. This transformation has taken time. But I have realized in this process that some things need time. Some tastes have to be cultivated deliberately. This is true not just for beer but for other alcohol as well.

How many people do you know who identify wines as red and white only? They do not know the discernible difference among wines produced from different wine regions or from different variety of grapes. Even the cask you store your wine in makes a lot of difference to the flavour. This sort of appreciation comes only with time and experience (with wines). You must be patient. You will not be an expert at identifying flavours or enjoying the bitterness in your drink the first few times. But you will certainly improve.

Not many like alcohol the first time

This cultivation of tastes is not limited to alcohol, but also applies to other beverages such as tea and coffee. The ordinary person likes to mix milk and sugar in his hot beverage. He tastes only what he has always known. He does not know the real flavour of the tea leaves or the coffee beans. An experienced tea drinker, on the other hand, never adds milk. She adds very little or no sugar. And she sips her tea like she would her wine. She does not gulp it down in one shot.

Liquids are not the only things which ask you to have an acquired taste. The same goes for solid food too! Not everything tastes peppy! As kids, we are taught to enjoy sweet, salty and tangy tastes. Our taste buds develop this way. But this peppiness is not sufficient to enjoy many other kinds of food. As we grow older, we start enjoying blander varieties of dishes. I remember how I grew up tasting the masaledar peppy food, spiced with a lot of chilies. But today, I like cheesey and more neutral flavours. I do not miss spices in my meals when I travel abroad. I love their salads and bland rice preparations. I absolutely adore mushroom dishes - especially risotto. I certainly have acquired a taste for blandness. I still retain my love for those peppy flavours though.

Have you cultivated a taste for something new?

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

5 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die

This won't be another listicle on how to enjoy the world outside. This one is for your inner pleasure. You do so much to keep your body fit. You exercise, you control your diet and take appropriate rest. You also know how to look good. You follow fashion trends and buy new stuff almost everyday. You know how to travel the world, what to eat where and which activity to pursue. But how do you take care of  your mind? Do you know how to relax? How to unwind? Today, I will share with you my personal list of songs from my music collection that help me feel better.

Some songs should relax your soul

Song #1: Set Fire To The Rain by Adele

This is the ultimate breakup song! When your wound is still fresh and you are longing to go back to your ex, you feel one with Adele's song. You are reminded of the pain and the love you lost. What makes this song so beautiful is the powerful music and the strong voice of one of my favourite singers.

Song #2: Party For Two by Shania Twain

This is my favourite hot date song! The tempo of the music is upbeat and Shania and Billy Currington do a great job with the singing. This song should ideally be played when you are a few dates down and are hoping to get to the next level. A nice number to play if just the two of your are going to dance.

Song #3: A New Day Has Come by Celine Dion

Celine has been one of my favourites since childhood. She taught me to love music. 'A New Day Has Come' was released when she had a baby. This song is so uplifting, it is perfect for when you learn to love again after your heart has been broken. The song's redeeming factor is the power in Celine's voice.

Song #4: Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus

This one came out way back when Miley was still a teenager. The song is a perfect party track and excellent if you want to create a club atmosphere at home. The song sends out a signal of courage. Listen to it when you are about to try something new or when you have to go a new place on your own.

Song #5: My Sacrifice by Creed

I love the amazing combination of chords and drums in this song. The lead singer of Creed is also a guy I have a slight crush on. He gets bonus points from me for his sexy baritone. This is a love song, and one of my favourites again.

What are you listening to at the moment? Don't forget to share your playlist with me!

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

Navigating Through Risk

When people find out I work at an investment bank, they assume I am a high roller and my job involves attending a lot of fancy parties. My mum thinks all I do is dress up for office, spout jargon all day at work and come home to plan my next foreign vacation. Only an insider knows my plight and how taxing it is to have a job like this! We don't lift heavy weights like masons do, but the kind of brain-work that is extracted out of us day in and day out, is enough to tire us. This is why we need so many vacations to recharge our batteries!

Big banks deal with lots of money. But they also navigate through a lot of risk. You are probably not interested in knowing how a bank works, but will you listen if I tell you I can help you better manage your money by applying the methods of the biggies?

Banking is not all about lavish parties and disco-lights

Whether your corpus is big or small is irrelevant. You are exposed to some amount of risk even if you do not invest in the stock market. Did you know that inflation erodes your wealth over time? India's annual inflation hovers around 6-7%, but retail inflation is much higher. Think about it. If you spent a thousand bucks on a formal shirt a couple of years back, you will be paying two thousand for something similar as of today! When you plan for your retirement, you tend to calculate most costs at present rate and save up accordingly. But if you account for inflation, the reality will hit you. Most of our grandparents are poor because they simply did not expect inflation to persist, or chose to ignore it. But you must be smarter.

Institutions have different methods of analysing capital risk. One is to classify them into credit risk, market risk, liquidity risk, funding risk, etc. On a personal level, do not dismiss this step. You might argue that you have no credit risk as you don't lend money. But think again. The money you put in your provident fund is money that the government owes you. You are exposed to sovereign risk here. If your country defaults, you will lose your money. Sovereign risk happens to be the safest among all risks, as the chances of a country defaulting is rare. But the Greek debacle will warn you that such cases are not impossible, even if rare. Countries can often print more currency to pay back its dues. But that again stokes inflation and reduces the worth of that same money.

If you have fixed deposits, recurring deposits or simply a savings balance with a bank, you are exposed to credit risk on that bank. Now, if you invest in the stock market, you are really dealing with the world of risk! Market risk becomes immediately prominent in your collection of risks. Investment banks measure their risks on a daily basis and set aside sufficient capital to tide over these risks more often than not. Take a leaf out of their book and start a contingency fund of sorts, especially if you are a high roller in volatile markets.

Risk is only something you are unaware of and do not understand. If you know it, you will do something to deal with it. Do not be scared of the financial markets. This is where a lot of money is made. Master the tricks of risk navigation instead.

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.