When you work, just see your growth, not the output of the work, because it is meaningless.

You get what you give and what goes around comes back. That is Karma. Of course the result need not be immediate. But always know that, what goes around comes around. You get what you give to the world. The sooner you realise this the better off you are!

Keep smiling!

Investments… What!?

Unfortunately, most of us think that investing money is only for the rich. However strange it might sound, the truth is that even a person who earns  10,000 rupees a month can invest smart and get good returns in the long run. The earlier you invest, the smarter you are. If you would like to know why, see this page. Investments can be considered as passive income, that which makes money even without you doing anything! The more passive income you have, the more financially free you are.

How much to invest?

It is ideal to invest at least 50% of the money you earn. If you cannot invest that much it is best to invest as much as you can. Here are a few tips that will help you invest more.

1. When you get your income, invest first and then spend the rest. Unfortunately, most of us spend first and then have nothing much left to invest.
2. Live on 90% of your income. There is no doubt that you can eat food everyday and pay off your rent within 90% of your income. This way you ensure at least 10% is left for investing.
3. If you have a credit card, stop using it. Pay in cash and you will become more aware of how much you spend.
4. Have at least one long term goal. What is that one thing which you want to do 15 years from now? If you have an answer for this, definitely you will be inspired to invest.

Where to invest?

Assuming you are in your mid twenties, you should be looking to invest money that will enable you to pay off your debts (for home, car etc.) by the time you are in mid forties. Stop thinking about how much you will get in the next couple of years. All investments should be made such that you don’t have to touch them until you are in your forties. Public Provident Fund is one such investment scheme which will pay back in the long run. It is a central government backed fund, so there is absolutely no risk involved. However, the rate of return is low compared to mutual funds, but I believe it is best if you invest a portion in something that has zero risk and the rest in mutual funds or insurance. Even if you are interested only in mutual funds, think long term, at least 10-20 years from now. Starting a PPF is extremely simple, just walk into any SBI bank and they will help you out. For mutual funds and other such investments, you can call up the toll free number on their websites.

Remember, invest first, spend later! The secret to being rich is not how much you earn, it is how you invest. You can be earning a million rupees a month today and still be starving a few years later. Similarly, you can be earning a few thousand rupees, but live king style a few years later.

PS: This is my first such post, if you think this makes sense let me know and I will write more!

I, being an Indian has neither celebrated nor felt patriotic thinking about the Republic day. Like several other Indians, my celebration was limited to watching a few patriotic movies and staying at home. Until now, my sense of patriotism was limited to cricket field and Kaalapani movie. But today it has all changed. As our country celebrates 62nd Republic Day, several Indians including me will be deeply hurt by the pitiful state of affairs in Kashmir and the support of the central and the state governments to the separatists. Call it right inclined thinking, or saffronised sense of patriotism or whatever you may want to, but I will not think twice before calling a spade a spade.

Jammu and Kashmir has always been in the international limelight, sadly for the wrong reasons. I agree there can be no “ideal” state where there is always peace and happiness, but what hurts is the sheer ignorance and indifference of both the Governments and the media. They have succeeded in hiding the tragedy that happened to the Kashmiri Pundits and as an Indian it hurts me to see the same media and Government discouraging a group of people trying to hoist the national flag in the state. Will they tag any Indian who wants to hoist the national flag as a right winged extremist? Unfortunately, the bunch of people here happen to be from a political party. The excuse the government gives is ridiculous to say the least, that a flag will affect the peace and prosperity of the state. Has the law and order of the state deteriorated to such an extend that hoisting the national flag can create insecurity and destabilise the state? Should not such a government be suspended and governance taken over by the army?  Citing reasons such as votebank politics proves the spinelessness of the governments, at both centre and state. Manmohan Singh, P. Chidambaram and Omar Abdullah should feel ashamed that they do not have the will-power to let the Indian flag flutter in Lal Chowk, Srinagar. If they really want the Indian flag not to fly in Jammu and Kashmir, they should probably consider giving the state independence. But, if or when (unfortunately) that happens, we should ensure that the Rs. 40,000 crore that is pumped into the valley every year stops, we should ensure that the lives of the jawans battling severe climate conditions are valued, we should ensure that no tax-payers money is wasted by giving them away to stone throwers. Will Omar Abdullah have the same fire in his words, if his state is granted economic and political independence from India? Will he give the same sermons if suddenly one day his state is no longer a part of India? This makes me wonder, is the national flag more harmful than the army? Applying the same logic that the governments use to prevent the flag hoisting, we should probably remove the army as well.

What an irony it is, the state of affairs in this country. But I am sure, this day will mark a new era in Indian history. Thousands of youngsters (like me) will have a renewed sense of real patriotism. I am happy that the state of affairs in our country is no longer swept under the carpet. The threat from China, the Maoists, the extremists of Kashmir and Kerala, or the threat by the saffron groups? Which is bigger? Which is more harmful? Anyone with elementary intelligence should be able to reach a conclusion. The Indian National Congress, owes a lot of answers to us. From 2G scam to CWG scam, from Adarsh society scam to Swiss bank accounts we have been cheated, repeatedly. The Barkha Dutts, Sagarika Ghoses and Rajdeep Sardesais are clearly not going to do anything about it. The half leaked Nira Radia tapes are more than enough to show the real face of Indian media. It is high time we take the reins in our hands. We have more than enough leaders within our society. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Dalai Lama, Narayana Murthy are the names that come at the back of my mind in a fraction of a second. These spiritual leaders and industrialists have done more for the country than a bunch of jokers called politicians. Who needs to be a politician to make a difference to the society? Let us hope that the sun shall soon emerge from behind the clouds.

Vande Mataram. Salutations to  my motherland.

1. Do not expect anything from anyone. Be it your brother, mom or dad. However offensive this might sound, the earlier you realise this, the better.
2. When it comes to money, do not trust even your shadow. When money comes into the equation, people change colors, pretty fast.
3. The farther you run away from a problem, the farther you run away from life.
4. Life is 90% happiness, 10% unhappiness. But people make the 10% look like 100%.
5. Never wait for anyone in life. If someone says they need time, better do it yourself than wait.
6. The most important one, do not give what you cannot take.
7. Do not give anyone the right to ruin your life. If someone takes away your happiness, you are 100% responsible for it.

Keep smiling.

View the high quality version here. Takes about 10-15 seconds to load.

Keep smiling. Stay hungry, stay foolish!

PS: This took us about 90 minutes to make. Hope you will enjoy this as much as we did making it. But, know that there is a very noble cause behind this. Friends, come back!

I am death,the mighty destroyer of the world. I have come here to destroy all these people. Even without your participation in the war, all the warriors standing arrayed in the opposing armies shall cease to exist.Therefore,you get up and attain glory.Conquer your enemies, and enjoy a prosperous kingdom. I have already destroyed all these warriors. You are only an instrument, O Arjuna.

Keep smiling, stay hungry!

If your uploaded images are not being shown on the gallery but are shown when viewed using FTP, there is a simple one line trick to solve it. Most of the wordpress forum threads on this topic, are never ending and a pain to read. All you need to do is, open the .htaccess file on the root folder of WP MU install. Just go through the WP MU .htaccess file and the one that is on your server and replace the missing lines.

Most probably, you will just have to just replace line seven:

RewriteRule ^(.*/)?files/(.*) wp-content/blogs.php?file=$2 [L]

with this one

RewriteRule ^(.*/)?files/(.*) wp-admin/ms-sites.php?file=$2 [L]

and rewrite the file on the server. Things should start working soon.

I think this is a bug with the update process. Not sure what, but happy that I have managed to find the fix. Until next time, smile!