Presidential Treatment

At a time when the economy is under pressure and is on the downslide - due to slowing economic growth, burgeoning fiscal account deficit and upward inflation, the last thing the country needs is uncertainty in the Finance Ministry. Pranab Mukherjee leaves behind a number of reforms in the field of taxation to his successor. The need of the hour is a shot in the arm of reforms to put the Indian economy back on track.

There is a real concern that if a man of Mukherjee's status, who is generally viewed as a consensus man couldn't push ahead with the reforms, it would be very difficult for his successor to do the same. There are still a number of reforms pending in sectors such as banking, insurance and pension including FDI in multi-brand retail. FDI in multi-brand retail was swept under the carpet at least for the time being mainly due to pressure from UPA coalition partners. The latest to be sidelined were pension reforms because of the Trinamool Congress.

With differences between Trinamool Congress and the rest of UPA on the Presidential Candidate, it will be interesting to see how to reforms go.

A last Hurrah

As I eagerly wait for Kick off at the Allianz Arena tonight, I cant help but wonder how important this game could be for Chelsea FC and its players. None more so than Didier Drogba. Didier has been the Top Drog for quite some time now and this game could be his chance of redemption after several heartbreaks with the national team and with Chelsea in Moscow four years back. Drogba has been instrumental in Chelsea's run to the finals with top draw performances against Valencia, Napoli and Barcelona. So often he has been the battering ram up front Chelsea have so heavily relied on to come up with something special. However, at 34 he is in the twilight of his career and the game in Munich may well be his last in Chelsea colours. Hopefully the sense of the occasion coupled with the thought of his last game for the club will bring out the beast in him that Chelsea need to overcome the final obstacle on their path to European glory.

Keep the Blue Flag Flying High!

Power of ideas

"The unreal is more powerful than the real"


The unreal can be very powerful. Ideas, visions and dreams have shaped civilizations and have always been a source of inspiration and hope to people. While stones can crumble and wood may rot, ideas continue to live on.

Ideas cannot be arrested or captured. Ideas are like seeds, which when planted and nurtured, grow and develop to form deep roots and bear fruits. However, it is through hard work and determination can we make the unreal real.

For example, an idea of a democratic society spawned massive uprisings in the Middle East. Violent protests took place in several countries in the region. Egypt, Tunisia and Libya have already had a change in their governments. Protests continue in Syria, Yemen and other countries. The arrest of political leaders has not helped to stop the protests.

As another example, the idea to provide clean, uncluttered and good quality results to a person's search query prompted Sergei Brin and larry Page to start Google. While questions were raised as to how the company would earn money without ads, users flocked to Google as it gave them exactly what they wanted. Eventually, they came up with a mechanism to show search results alongside a few ads which acted as a source of income for them while maintaining user satisfaction.

Therefore, it is through hard work and determination that dreams can be turned into reality.