Blog of Parag

Back from India - III

Negotiating traffic on the roads of Mumbai, while at the wheel has become more difficult compared to what I remember from my last trip in 2000. Maybe, because I have been away from all the crazy traffic of New Jersey and New York, and I have forgotten how to drive. A few observations made during 1000+ kms that I drove in 4 weeks.

• The number of cars on the roads must have increased by at least 100%
• The number of rickshaws must have tripled. All the rickshaw drivers are basically BAD drivers. They have no regard for traffic rules. I doubt if they even know that any traffic rules exist. They are a pest and there should be a hunting season when people are allowed to shoot at rickshaws that don't obey rules.
• The lane markings on the roads have no meaning. They are there just to provide employment for people who make them.
• Dividers in the middle of the road are not to be taken seriously. At a traffic light, if you are going to make a right turn, it is OK if you go on the other side of the divider.
• Although the road signs suggest you to be in the the rightmost lane if you are planning to make a right turn, it is OK if you start a second or a third lane for turning.
• The passing lane is actually for people who drive the slowest. If you want to pass you should stay to far left. (actually, this is true in US too)
• On a big divided highway with 3 lanes going in each direction, if you want to go to a place on the other side of the road, you should not concern yourself with going ahead and making a U-turn to get to your destination. You should cross over whenever you want as you get to the desired location, drive on the wrong side of the road and get there.
• If you stop or slow down to let someone make a turn in front of you, people look at you as if you are mad.
• All these bad things that I saw this time in Mumbai have been a norm in other parts of the country for a long long time. One could easily see the effect of people moving into Mumbai from all over India and bringing a little bit of their habits and their 'own' traffic rules along with them.
• In Jaipur, I was amazed at the dynamic nature of traffic. There is no left side or right side of the road. Vehicles going in one direction just take up all available space on the road. Depending on the volume of traffic going in each direction, the width and number of lanes going in each direction changes.

But, it is not all bad. The condition of roads is generally better everywhere. All the flyovers in Mumbai have significantly improved traffic conditions. On the afternoon of 31st Dec., I could go from Thane to Fort in less than 45 minutes which was unheard of a few years ago. Even after the monsoon season, all the highways were in very good shape. Mumbai-Goa highway was excellent and so was Delhi-Agra and Jaipur-Delhi highway.

Mumbai-Pune expressway is just like a dream come true. It takes only two and half hours to make this trip that used to take anywhere from 4 to 12 hours a few years ago. I could drive comfortably at 65-70 mph (not kmph). People actually follow lanes. There are no interruptions. Beautifully landscaped road with entrance and exit ramps all the way through. It feels like driving on I-80 somewhere in Iowa or Nebraska. I am sad to say that 'Khandala ghat' is no more. The beautiful scenery is still there, but, the road condition has changed dramatically. All the traffic congestion with trucks climbing at less than 5kmph due to the steepness of the road is only a memory from the past. The whole journey on the expressway is worth every paisa of Rs. 100 that they charge in tolls.

Largest consumer products company

P&G to Buy Gillette for $55.6 Billion

This fall when the merger goes through, you'll be able to buy products for almost every daily need that are made by just one company, P&G.

I'll be in good company as a P&G stockholder.

The deal has the key support of billionaire investor Warren Buffett, whose Berkshire Hathaway Inc. has a 9 percent stake in Gillette.

Buffett said he would raise his holding in the combined company by 7 percent, to 100 million P&G shares, a $350 million investment at current prices.

General Motors

If one wants to add a auto-industry stock to their long-term portfolio, General motors looks like an attractive choice right now. At current stock price of $36.54, it is closer to the bottom of its 52-week range and P/E ratio for trailing 12 months is 5.68. GM pays $2.00 dividend per year. The dividend yield is more than 5%. The company is in trouble due to reduced market share leading to loss of revenue. It also has a huge number of retirees drawing pensions and healthcare costs for current employees and retirees are rising. But, the company should be able to work out these issues in the next few years and would make a nice long-term investment.

Disclaimer: These are just my thoughts. Don't take this as qualified professional financial advice. Do your own research or find another advisor. I am not responsible for your investment losses.

Back from India - II

If you check out the US government's guidelines about traveling to India, you would think that it is a germ infested, diseased country and you shouldn't travel there unless it is absolutely necessary. I spent 6 weeks in India in perfect health without any additional vaccination or medication. All through the trip I enjoyed all the roadside food (mostly vadapav, bhel-puri, pani-puri, paav-bhaaji and tea) that I could get.

Now, 3 days after returning to "clean and disease-free" USofA, I am starting to get a bad cold.

The food in India was excellent. I got back into a habit of eating a big breakfast along with a big lunch and bigger dinner. All the sweets were very tempting and I easily gave in to all temptations without much resistance. Five days in Hyderabad were the best. I was eating idli, vada and dosa for breakfast everyday just to start off the day. After my brother's wedding and travelling around with friends and all the food at the conference, I was pretty sure that I must have put on 15-20 lbs during those 5 weeks. But, to my surprise, my weight is exactly the same as it was before we left for the trip. I am getting suspicious about the scale at home. I should go somewhere else and check the weight again.

Thankfully, V and Ashwini were in good health too. Hoping that this will continue on our future trips too.

Brilliant minds at work...

White House Cuts Hubble Servicing Mission from 2006 Budget Request

Bush Wants $80B More for Iraq, Afghan Wars

Cut $1 billion for something useful and spend $80 billion on something unnecessary.

Yup! Yessiree! That is the way to do it.

via canyoncat

Back from India - I

Left 85F weather in Mumbai on Sunday and arrived in frigid Detroit at 13F with a foot of snow on ground. Thankfully, my neighbor's kids had cleaned our driveway and I didn't have to pull 6 bags through all that snow.

We didn't want to leave India after this long break and come back, but, finally arriving at our home was very comforting even with all the snow and cold around. During the 6 weeks, Ashwini had forgotten many of her books and toys and was looking at them as if for the first time.

Ashwini was a model child on the airplane. She slept for more than half the duration of flight even while other kids were screaming their lungs out. Other time was spent in drawing and generally socialising with other passangers around her. We were glad to have bought a seat for her. That gave her enough room to lie down with her head in my lap.

It is hard to get back to work after all the fun. Am trying to remember where I left things off before leaving. I was so completely out of it that I had forgotten my password for work PC. Had to call helpdesk to get a new one assigned.

Today is our wedding anniversary. We completed 9 wonderful years together. Hoping to spend at least 90 more.

Here is a photo taken on the day of my brother's wedding (one of the reasons for our India trip) last month.

Help the Tsunami victims

Easiest way to make a donation to help the Tsunami victims. Go to the this link and please donate generously. There are millions who really need all the help they can get. Considering all the money eaten by the corrupt government middlemen, we really need to donate a lot to help the victims.

Sun and Sand

V and Ashwini enjoying the beach at Guhagar, on coastal Maharashtra, India.

This is why we have been away from the internet.