Shivangi -- grown up and in college

This one is something that was started by my wife, Nandita, and I have added a few lines.

My elder daughter, Shivangi, started college this week.

It has made me realize how time flies. It makes me realize how limited that duration is, when we have our children to ourselves. Soon all we're left with is all those mental vignettes and snapshots of events...I feel proud to see her blossoming into a confident young woman. Of course there will be celebrations of achievements and culminations of years of hard work - but, I'd always think of her as my little daughter.

I remember the day she was born, about eighteen years ago. We were all crowded around the doors of the Operation Room in Greater Kailash Nursing Home in Indore. After a long night of pains, my wife and I finally came to the hospital. Dr. Ahilya Mukherji was the doctor and Nandita's childhood friend, Anjali, was the assistant. After several hours of wait, they finally decided to take her in the OR to do a C-section, as the baby was getting under stress. I remember the way my father-in-law sat in a corner in the room and prayed, my dad talked to other doctors in the hospital and I paced around the floor outside the OR. At about 7.20 PM, Anjali came out and announced that every thing was ok and we had a baby girl. My first question was about my wife's health and then I went in to see my wife and my baby. There she was -- all wrapped in a bundle, quiet and sleeping. I picked her up gently and clumsily and gently kissed her forehead.

I remember the anxiety when on the third day, I came to the hospital to find her with tubes and under UV light. But it was a minor hiccup. We brought her home soon and things became a blur of activities. As my wife and I had decided, the first child was to be named with the letter S and we chose the name Shivangi - after the name of Lord Shiva, based on a dream I had had (that is a write up for another blog). Shivangi soon became the hub of all activity. She demanded attention and wouldn't let me talk to anyone if she was in the room -- whether she was eating, or drinking milk from her bottle. She'd make this weird grunting noises when I started to say something to anyone else in the room. I also can't forget the countless nights I spent walking in my room with her in my arms, in the middle of the night, so that she could get some sleep. She was adored by one and all -- and was the apple of my dad's eyes. I could sense the attachment in both their eyes when they spent the time together -- so much so that for a long time, Shivangi claimed him as only her grand-dad and Neha, my younger daughter, called him as Didi's (elder sister) grand dad.

She was smart, sensitive and perceptive even as a baby. I clearly remember her first day at the informal pre-school/Day Care behind my house, where she was the only child who was crying when it was time to come home. Then she started a formal pre-school by the name of Mini Land and once again, she frolicked in without a backward glance at us. Her eagerness to go to school persisted next year when she went to Mini Heights where she continued to amaze us with her brilliance. I also remember, that she went to give her interview for the elite private school for Kindergarten. I was so apprehensive when they took her away in a different room, but she just skipped in to match the teacher's step. When they had finished testing her reading/writing and recognition skills and it was time for her to leave, she was adamant that she had not tried all the stations they had set up. We were told that we could just pay the fees at the office and not wait for the final selection list to be posted.

I believe her endearing nature made her the teacher’s pet. She excelled at everything, sports, arts, singing, studies and making friends. I also remember the time we were called by one of her teachers and told that we should not teach her ahead as she gets bored and sits staring out of the window, chair turned back to the blackboard. When we were skeptical of what she could do, the teacher asked Shivangi to write on the blackboard and she promptly did that , explaining as she did that this was so simple. The day that she boarded the school bus for the first time, is still clearly embedded in my memory. My wife stood there, visibly upset, but Shivangi was beaming as the bus conductor took her in and, by the return trip, had made friends with the driver and was already commanding the seat closest to him. She was super excited as she told us about her fantabulous day, and never once said that she missed home. She loved to go to school so much so that one day she ran out incompletely dressed and actually went to school like that.

I remember the time she visited the hospital when Neha was born -- all of 15 months old. She was awfully quiet when she walked in the room. She just sat near Nandita, looking at her and then the new baby. But she quickly adapted, and when we brought Neha home, Shivangi would often push Neha's stroller when we went for walks. They have grown up together into great friends, talking care of each other and ready to support each other. Shivangi always showed deep affection for her younger sister, she never showed any sibling jealousy and willing shared most everything. Her academic life has followed the same high achievement trajectory laced liberally with arts, music , sports and friends. Though, she has given up formal piano lessons, but I still hear her play. She has given up tennis lessons but luckily has been selected to play in her College Tennis Team. She has given up art as a subject, but just last week, she spent a long time in making an oil painting that she gifted to her piano teacher. She is now driving herself, compared to the previous modes of walking holding my hand, walking by herself, auto rikshaw, school bus, and sitting in my car. I will no longer see her waiting to be picked up by me, rather she will get out from her car and stride confidently in.

The last 4 years were devoted towards reaching this goal and now that it is here, I have several feeling. There is however, no feeling of loss, 'cause I have not lost anything. I feel thrilled to see her just the way I had dreamed her to have grown, and yet I know that this is just a beginning of a new journey. It is just end of one chapter for now. There is more to come....

Solving Nuclear tensions

The wold is currently undergoing another crisis -- the current one being the rhetoric around North Korea making progress in being able to carry out a successful test in its long distance missile program. What has followed has been nothing short of a rhetoric. We had a similar drama when Iran, India and others carried out experiments and explosions. 

So why do we have so much drama every time a third world or progressive nation carries out a nuclear explosion or missile test. Other countries threaten to attack and there is a general brouhaha about the whole scenario that is about as repeatable and impressive as a stale joke. There is so much of negativity generated and such a waste of vibes. the end result will be some sanctions, which don’t really do anything except put the general public of that nation into more dire circumstances.

 Some general questions that come to my mind:

• How can a country manage to get the material required to make the weapons grade material? 
  
• Is there a way by which we can benefit the world by reducing tension?
  

I see that every country wants to be independent in terms of its power generation. The world needs energy. The larger countries want to ensure that they are not attacked. and I am very sure that anybody with brains worth their salts does not  wants small time rogues to land up a catch of nuclear pile and use that to attack other countries -- it could be disaster for all. 

I also realize that nuclear energy has tremendous potential and has the capability of solving the world’s  energy problems. People often have images of Chernobyl’s disaster in the late 80s when they think of nuclear energy plants.  So how can we make this a source of solution to our problems rather than cause more issues and discord  in the world. 

Here is my suggestion:

• Get the UN or another International Agency (like the International Atomic Energy Commission)  to take over the role of a central Energy producing agency. 
  
• Make deals with various countries to establish a consortium. members are entitled to share profits, energy and products.
  
• The consortium should be treated like a business endeavor. 
  
• Acquire land from the member country to set up the plant. 
  
• Security of the plant will be handled by International organization.
  
• The plant will offer job to local population. The resources can also be transferred between various plants.
  
• The technical staff or exerts in nuclear material will be selected from international members.
  
• The surplus energy can be sold to neighboring member countries.
  
• There could be multiple power plants in a country - depending on its size and location.
  

Imagine how many jobs this can create. Contrary to the beliefs, nuclear energy is one of the greenest forms of energy.  It just needs careful monitoring and close coordination.

And most of all, it needs a strong leader who has the will power to do things. I believe the world and US has one now -- and he can lead the world to come together on this issue.

Some advice to kids (and anyone else willing to listen)

My daughter, Shivangi, goes into her college as a freshman later this year. As most parents, I worry about the expenses. As a responsible Dad, I’d like her to be able to stay on the right track from all perspectives – character, health, finance and you name it. So, I thought it would be appropriate if I could jot down a few of my experiences and guidelines for her financial safety.

People make stupid decisions all the time. Some mess up in their retirement accounts, while some take out mortgages they think they can afford, without understanding the full implications. I would like to try and prevent my kids from having a knee jerk response to any issues that come. It is always about planning, planning and more planning for me.
Today’s blog is more about making money – big or small -- and hanging onto it. I learned that doing this comes from combined effects of several factors: education, talent, upbringing, luck, and avoiding scrupulous advisors. It also gives some generic advice based on experience in my life. Few things to remember:

1. We can’t control everything
2. We can only set goals based on what we value most
3. Make plans and take concrete steps to achieve the goals
4. Live within our means
5. Try to manage risk
6. Avoid the bad guys

Of course there are always unknowns that get thrown in the mix. Government policies can change, there could be an environment disaster, stupid and greedy CEOs in Wall Street may wreak havoc on the economy. It is like staying sober, but still getting hit by a crazy drunk driver on an empty freeway.
So, here is sharing some advice and experiences with my darling daughters, Shivangi and Niharika – and many other kids all over the world --- as they prepare to step into adulthood and get ready to face the world. Here are some of the habits (some inborn and some forced) and practices that have helped me in my past two decades.

• 1. Whatever you do, give it your best

It was 1980 and my friends and I were playing cricket on the terrace of Adit’s (a friend) house in Indore (my home town in India). The game was adapted to suit the small perimeter – so things like if the ball hits the side, the batsman scored 2 runs; if it went past the bowler and hit the wall, he got 4 runs; and if the fielder caught it directly or after one bounce, the batsman was out. So, one of my friends hit the ball and I threw myself on the cemented surface to catch the ball. In the process, I ended up getting a little bruised. Someone said that I didn’t need to do play so seriously – but I disagreed. I have always believed in giving my best to the thing on my hand. I have made it a habit to try one more time before I say I can’t. This helped me win difficult matches when I played cricket, and when I designed circuits or applications for my clients. If you really try your best, you won’t have the regrets that you didn’t succeed because of lack of efforts.

• Keep evolving – pick your own skills

After I graduated my high school from Daly College, Indore – I was at cross roads. My high school coaches wanted me to go to Bombay and play cricket there. They felt I had the potential to make it big. My dad wasn’t keen that I leave Indore – so make a long story short, I joined Holkar Science College as a Second year student with Botany, chemistry and Zoology as my subjects. It was a drastic change from Daly College. I did my bachelors (B.Sc) from Holkar Science College in 2 years. Next I did my masters in Organic Chemistry for 2 years - -and then realizing that it was not really what I wanted to do, I decided to switch to Engineering. I joined and completed my Bachelors in Electronics Engineering in 1989 from Pune University. That was a course I really enjoyed and made some very good friends.
My first job was with a small Instrumentation company. I had interviewed at 5 companies and was selected to join all of them. I decided to join Nivo Controls – A Toshniwal Brothers Company, thinking that this will help me learn all aspects of a company. And it did – I enjoyed my 3 years in that company. I managed the development of a Magnetic Flow meter and worked on various circuits. I realized that I had a flair for circuits and reverse engineering. And I had a great memory for circuits that I saw. I also realized that if I had to move up in my career, I had to do a Masters in Business Administration. So I appeared in the entrance exam and was selected to join the IMS in Indore. This was in 1991 and I completed my course in 1994.

In 1992, I decided to start my own business. I took up maintenance contracts of machines and controls for various industries. My first contract was at a friend’s company, which offered me Rs1500/- per month. I eventually added development of customized machines and controllers for them. The company grew from Rs.18000/- per annum in 1989 to about Rs.38, 00,000 in 1999. We were doing job work, manufacturing equipment and machines and a lot more. I consulted for several major lamp filament manufacturers in India, and the Crompton Greaves Phones and IFB microwaves had their electronics PCBs assembled in my shop floor! I was also exporting some controllers. I made things like temperature controllers, Stepper motor drives, power supplies, CFL ballasts, Power conditioners, and a lot more!
And then, in late 1998, I decided to switch lanes and get into software too. So I took courses in Java and other languages. I built websites for companies and also developed software for a community bank. In 1999, I decided to move to the US and joined a company in California. It was a big move, but I decided to go for it, in order to give my daughters a better shot at life. I had to start from scratch, at the bottom of the rug, and reprove myself – and I’d like to think that I have done a fairly good job at it; good enough to now direct and own a team of my own. In 2005, I did my Project Management Professional Certificate from UC Berkeley and learned that I love analyzing human behavior and team dynamics. But, I am still evolving and quite sure that I will soon join another class to learn something new.
Trust me – it will help you stay ahead of the curve. Learn a new language, a new hobby, perfect your current knowledge – whatever … keep doing something every two years or so. Work exceedingly hard, and enjoy harder. Be aware of your competition and realize that your competition is global and you are entirely dispensable. So invest your time and money in developing your distinct abilities and a network that goes with you from job to job.

• Plan A, plan B, plan C

Always plan your moves – have a plan A and a Plan B and sometimes a plan C. Remember that Murphy’s law often kicks in – when you think something is all set, things will start hitting the roof. It never hurts to be prepared for the worst and hope for the best. I am a firm believer in under-committing and delivering more.

• Define rich

I highly recommend that you list a few things that are of utmost importance to you. This list should include quantifiable and non-quantifiable items. I would include items like strong and true friendships, health, freedom, or a home or a Mercedes. Set your priorities and put a dollar figure on them. Build a plan that will give you a view of your tomorrow – immediate, 5-year view and a 10-year view. This will help you plan your next moves.

I have always felt that my priorities are getting my kids a good education, staying healthy and ensuring that my kids stay focused on their goals. I bought my first car in US in 3 months and my first house in 3 years. For me the car is just a means of going from point A to point B. Though I have admired expensive cars -and if I could afford to, I’d buy them - I don’t believe in blocking my money in these items. Remember that the car loses its money as soon as it leaves the Dealer’s shop. A house on the other hand, often appreciates. When you decide to buy a house, I’d suggest buying even a small house in an area with good schools and zero crime rates. Its price will almost always go up in the longer run.

• Mind your credit

Pay credit cards on time and in full every month. If you already carry a revolving balance, get rid of it as quickly as possible, even if it requires living at home (or sharing a dorm) for a period of time.
Don’t borrow more than what you can repay. Understand how the banks operate. They make money off you and you need to figure out how to use their money. They will love to entrap you into their credit schemes. You will get a momentary high, and then you will get so dependent that you will need a cold turkey treatment to get out of the debt trap. Learn to say No – keep minimum numbers of credit cards and you will find that you have a good credit score.
Once you understand the mechanics of the credit system and ratings, and are able to get a good credit rating, maintain it ------ and it will speed you in style to your destination. If you let your guard down, it will damage your ability to get a job, rent an apartment, or borrow money to buy a car or a home or for your kids’ education.

• Take good care of your health

Exercise regularly, eat a balanced diet, and don’t smoke. Avoid alcohol, if you can and definitely avoid it, if you are drinking more than once or twice a week. Get yourself into simple things like Yoga or just walking 30-45 minutes per day.
I took yoga as a subject in my school days and practiced all the asanas and poses that I had learned. Then life got busy and I rarely got a chance to do it. During my 2005 trip to India, I had a slightly high blood pressure so my family doctor suggested that I start some yoga exercises. I did and loved getting back into it. It is very relaxing and helps me immensely. I try to go for a daily walk of at least 45 -60 minutes. If you have a family history (like I do) of diabetes and blood pressure, exercise is best bet.

After you turn 30, get regular check ups. Build a relationship with your physician and nurses. Get to know them and help them get to know you.

• Manage your own money

Learn about options, bonds and stocks. There is a lot to read about these on the web. Understand simple mathematics of interest and Principal. Remember that banks compound interest on your savings. Understand how to minimize tax impacts on your earnings.
My simple rule of thumb is – save at least 10% of whatever you make for your rainy day. Always have at least 6 months of savings, based on your current expenses, as your buffer. Anything more than that can be used for whatever you want to splurge on.

Go for 401k investments in your company, even if the company does not contribute. Try and save 15 percent of your income, from the time you start working, in your 401K and you should be fine when you retire. Spread the allocations and update your allocations frequently based on how the market is doing. Diversify your risk by buying very low-cost index funds or exchange-traded funds. Look carefully at the charges and fees for investing. If you don’t have the 401K options, look towards Roth IRA, where you pay the taxes now, when you are in a lower income bracket, and take the money out tax-free later.

Have at least one account with a good Credit Union, for your day-to-day finances. They pay a higher interest and cheaper loans. Also, consider saving with online banks – like ING. And always check for FDIC insurance of your banks.

• Build a Network

My dad always said – the only real wealth one accumulates in the world is friendship. I have come to realize that is very true. The good thing about friends is that you choose them, unlike with relatives. In my humble opinion, a friend is one who can tell you that you are doing something wrong. And still be around when things are not working well for you. With good friends, you don’t have to pretend – you just be who you are. It doesn’t matter if you haven’t been in touch in years – you always pick up where you last left off. That has been the case with my friends and me.
Even at work, talk to your colleagues. Establish a relationship with your boss and your boss’s boss. Meet your boss for a one on one meting at least once a month to go over what you are doing right or wrong. Meet your Boss’s boss (with your boss’ knowledge) at least once or twice a year. Meet people outside of your work too and build a relationship with them. Meet people at your religious gatherings and get to know them. You never know when you might need a referral and knowing someone may come in handy.

• Be grateful

Finally, always be grateful for what ever you have received. Remember, it could be worst than what it is. Contribute to the community and be involved. Get involved with a cause that is worthwhile. The way to do it is by looking at the expense ratio. If the organization consumes more than 10% of the funds it collects for itself, I think it is wasting money. There are several small groups that are doing very good work but lack the means or don’t feel the need to advertise.

I normally avoid religion-based groups, as I personally don’t believe in converting people’s religion and faith. If someone wants to do social service, they should just focus on that and preserve the local culture.

I think I will stop here. More until next time!

Wheeling and Dealing!!

Just yesterday, my wife and I bought a 2005 Honda CR-V SE for our older daughter, Shivangi. It is a beautiful car – black in color with tinted glasses and about 40K miles on it. We surprised Shivangi with the car and it was fun to see her reaction.

The effort wasn’t easy, by any means. We (I) had to do a lot of research and finally settled on this car. Of course, my daughters just complicated the matter as they kept eyeing different cars. One wanted a Mustang and the other wanted a cute Smart car! I wanted safety as the top priority (and that rules the Mustang out from my list). Finally, I just decided to do this on my own. It helped that one of my colleagues at work was the neighbor of the dealership owner.

We shelled out $5K for the car – roughly about 1/3rd of the asking price, as down payment. The deal went through in under 2 hours and we drove the car back. As my wife and I got talking in the night, we realized the enormity of the situation. Our daughter had grown up and we could now give her a responsibility of driving a vehicle. I’d have never thought of buying a $16k car for my kids in India (that is like a Rs.800,000 vehicle!!).

My wife and I thought about our younger days --- our first vehicles and those of our parents. My first vehicle was an old beat up ladies cycle (Landmark was the brand). I got it as a gift for standing first in my class in grade 5th. I believe my father bought it from a friend for about Rs. 75/- (back then, the USD traded for about Rs 8/- -- so this was like a $9 bicycle). After the initial euphoria died, I realized that all my friends had cool looking racing bikes while I had an old beaten ladies bike. By the time I was in the 7th grade, I found it embarrassing to ride to school on a ladies cycle. When I reached my 9th grade, my dad got me a red BSA SLR, another used cycle he bought for about Rs150/- (by then, the USD was trading at Rs 18 to a dollar, so this was again under $10/-). I loved that cycle and used it till I finished my graduation in Holkar Science College. Only once did I buy a new cycle – in 1983 when I was studying in my final year of B.Sc in Holkar Science College. It was a beautiful red colored Hero cycle. I paid Rs.400 for it and sadly, it was stolen within the first week from the College cycle stand. Fortunately, I still had my old BSA to ride.


When I went to Pune to study for my engineering, I ended up buying a used cycle in my second year (called sophomore in the US), for Rs. 200/-. One fine day, when I was returning to my hostel, my friend Dhananjay Ashtekar needed a ride so we decided to ride doubles, with me sitting on the bar in front. As we rode on a over bridge, the bike hit a pot hole and all of a sudden, I found myself staring at the front wheel of the bike moving to the left and the tar of the road approaching my face. I took evasive action and put my hands in the front to lessen the impact of the fall. That helped and I thought I was fine, until Ashtekar came and landed on my head, hitting it on the tar. Realizing that I was on a busy downtown road, I reacted and quickly pushed him away and rolled over to stand up, just as a car and a scooter screeched to a halt near us. A good Samaritan got us the wheel and helped us get to the side, where I realized that my shirt was soaked in blood – I had a broken nose, thanks to Ashtekar falling on my head. To make a long story short, and to remain focused on the tale of vehicles, I eventually made it to my hostel with a swollen face, a messed up shirt and a broken bike and nose. Raja and Arun, my other good friends, came over promptly and took me to the hospital where the doctors pumped me with injections and wanted to keep me in the hospital to rule out any head injury. Fortunately, I was fine and things got back to normal. But I learned a lesson – never to buy a used vehicle with out proper inspection.

I was able to convince my dad that I needed a Luna (a simple moped) in Pune (it was always Dad – my mom never fell for these. If she had her way, I’d have become an expert in the Pune Bus system known as PMT). So in 1987, I ended up buying a Luna for about Rs. 4000/-. Boy, did I take good care of it – never missed a scheduled servicing or maintenance. That was the vehicle I used to receive my wife Nandita, when she visited me there (yes, for those who don’t know, I married her in 1987, just before starting my junior year). That was the vehicle I used to runaround to complete my projects and run errands.

Once I landed back home, I started using my dad’s Kinetic Honda. When my dad was a kid, the British ruled India. My grandpa was the jailor at the central jail in Indore. They were fairly well to do and eventually even bought a car. But the luck changed when my grandfather succumbed to injuries he suffered while suppressing a jail riot. My dad was then in high school. His first vehicle was a Raleigh bicycle – a beautiful piece with gears and dynamo driven lights. The bike was passionately maintained till the 80s, when he gave it to his friend’s brother. In the 70s, when he and my mom were building our house, it got tiring for him to cycle around from work to home to the construction site. So, they bought a Suvega, a 50 CC moped. When I reached my 8th grade, he sold the Suvega and bought a Hero Majestic, another 50 CC moped, which he rode till 1988. It was a beautiful green colored vehicle that he loved and maintained very well. We also bought a Luna for my mother. It was a very simple living for us – they were simple people and preferred spending their money on the kids’ education. Both my parents were doctors and could have splurged on themselves had they wanted to. So while we (my sister and I) received the best available education in expensive schools, my parent toiled.

In 1988, after my marriage, my dad bought a Kinetic Honda. It was a red colored 150 CC scooter that was built by Honda in Japan and sold by Kinetic, the same company that made the Luna. I still remember the number plate – MKE 3718. I remember the time when I picked it up from the shop and rode it home, along with my dad. Nandita was standing on the terrace and saw us as we turned into the lane towards the house. I could see her get excited and run down to meet us. She then took the scooter for a ride. It was the most expensive thing we had ever bought until then and it cost all of Rs.14000/-. The vehicle was considered to be very fragile – so much so that my cousin quipped if we had receive a matchbox free with the scooter to light it up in case of a fall or accident. ?. He now has two himself.

After my father had his first heart attack, in 1992, we started looking at old cars. I remember spending a couple of Sundays with my father, walking amongst the used cars in the Car Melas in Indore. Our budget was about Rs. 50000/-. However, that was never to be. He passed away in Feb of 1993. Then, his close friend and our neighbor, Dr. Mukherji was selling his Fiat. I knew that dad was keen to buy that car and so offered to pick it up. I ended up buying it for Rs.90,000/- (USD $2200/- back then) . The funny part was that I didn’t know how to drive. But that has been the story of my life ( I bought my first album (Band on the Run by Wings, before I bought a record player, my first CD before I bought a CD player). But that was never a hassle - it turned out that I was pretty good at it. I picked up the art of driving like a fish takes to water and drove around the town with the help of a driver in the local Special Armed Forces Unit of the MP Police, where my older sister was the Superintendent. By then Shivangi was about 2 years old. We drove from Indore to Bhopal in June of 1993 for our first long drive. The Fiat car was called as Premier Padmini and was a fairly decent car. It was, like most cars in India, a stick shift vehicle. The cooling system was water driven and I had to stop after every couple of hours of driving to refill the radiator and allow the car to cool down. But I loved the car.

In 1993, we decided to sell the Kinetic Honda and buy another one. So, we bought a black one (MP-09H-1678) for about Rs 20000/-. The USD was by then close to Rs 50/- per piece, making it about $400/-. I used this vehicle till the day I left India in 2000. Also, in 1996, we eventually grew tired of our Fiat and sold it to a friend for Rs50000/-. He used it for another 7 years after that, for his local commute. We on the other hand, picked up a Maruti Suzuki, a 800CC vehicle from a neighbor for about Rs. 180000/-. This for us, was the ultimate mark of luxury back then. I used this car till December 2000 and sold it to my tax advisor for Rs. 100,000/- in order to raise some money to move to US.

We landed in SFO in November of 2000, when I took up a job with AT&T. We decided to live in San Ramon, about 4 miles from my place of work. For the first couple of months, we did not own a vehicle. We chose a place close to an elementary school, so that the kids would have the convenience of walking to and from school. I found out that the only public transport available were two buses that plied at 7 AM and 7.20 AM, to take me towards my work place and would return back at 3 PM. Since there was no way, I could leave my work at 3 PM, coming back in a bus was ruled out. I did use that bus to go to work, but had to walk several times as the bus wouldn’t show up. The area was too posh for people to use the buses. Then, my wife found that the dad of another kid in the same school worked at Chevron, right across from AT&T and would be happy to give me a ride. So, I’d stand outside my apartment complex daily at 6.30 AM in the winter (it was December/January of 2000 and it was cold ( remember, I was just coming from India!!!) for Jitendra to come and pick me up. He also let me drive around the town in his car to help me get used to the rules in the country.

Then in February, Jitendra, Nandita and I drove around to visit all the car dealerships looking at cars. After spending a couple of weekends, we ended up at Hyundai in Dublin and after spending the entire day in the shop, ended up buying a new Hyundai Elantra for $13000/-. Jitendra put in our down payment of $3000/- (which I later returned over a period of 3 months). It was a stick shift vehicle, much like the vehicles we drove in India (and like Jitendra’s vehicle, that I had used to learn driving in the US and to get my license). The car was simple and cheap but nice. It gave us about 32 miles per gallon.

In November of 2002, a friend’s neighbor was moving to Europe due to the economic downturn here in the US. He was selling his 1997 Honda Odyssey with 57000 miles for $13000. Fortunately, he agreed to my offer of $11000/- and I had my second car. The 1997 Honda Odyssey is a V4 with good miles per gallon ratio ( and it was our first auto transmission vehicle. I still have this vehicle and it has so far been driven to about 122000 mloaded tooiles. I just got new tires on this.

In 2006, we decided to sell the Hyundai Elantra and traded it for a Hyundai Tucson. The reason was to help Nandita who had a fairly long commute and it got difficult and risky for her to drive a low car on the freeway in the rains. The brand new car, cost us about USD $22K out the door, and has been our most expensive purchase outside of the house we bought. It has a 6 CD changer, auto transmission, power windows, power steering and all the works.

So now, Shivangi has a car that is fully loaded too. It comes with 6 CD changer, auto transmission and has power everything. Now when I think of it ( we as parents are trying to exactly what my parents did; give our best to our kids. Help them become much better people and focus on their work and studies.

Here is a comparative chart to indicate how things moved. Note that my vehicle, when I was about 19 years old, cost me about $23/- :)

VEHICLE	Old/New	Year	Rupees	USD $$$$
Landmark Cycle 20”	Old	1974	75	9
BSA SLR	Old	1977	150	9
Hero cycle 18"	New	1983	400	23
Suvega 50 CC Moped	New	1976	4000	235
Luna 50 CC moped	New	1976	3500	220
Atlas Bicycle 22”	Old	1986	200	22
Hero Majestic 500 CC Moped	New	1979	5500	300
Luna 50 CC Moped	New	1979	4500	260
Kinetic Honda Scooter	New	1988	14000	800
Kinetic Honda Scooter	New	1993	20000	700
Fiat Premier	Old	1993	90000	2200
Suzuki Maruti	Old	1997	190,000	4000
Hyundai Elantra	New	2001	7,00,000	13,000
Honda Odyssey LX	Old	2002	6,00,000	11,000
Hyundai Tucson	New	2006	12,00,000	22,000

Frankly Speaking --- the state of US Economy

In his recent speech, President Bush declared that there was a real financial crisis and that US must act to prevent a major crash. A massive $700 billion dollar bail out was proposed.

Is that something that surprised me? No – as a person who likes to keep himself aware of the world around himself, I read the news and on goings. A very simple lesson I tell my kids and colleagues at work is – things don’t fail or crash over night, but they slip a little on a daily basis. It is our job as leaders to keep an eye on the slip and prevent the slide. What bothers me is that no one thought of this bail out in the past one year.

Over the past one year, we heard time and again from the President and his team, that the economy has strong fundamentals. I guess those were the only voices saying that. All financial gurus, news papers, economists were screaming in the other direction. One only has to look at the housing mess around to figure out that there is a serious crisis brewing.

Have you ever compared your grocery bills over the past year? I could swear that my Costco bills have increased by at least 60% for the same items. I used to spend on an average about $70 per visit and now, my invoice reads at least $120. Gas prices used to be about $1.70 about 4 years back. Now they are close to $4. Some idiot starts speculations on these and they start moving like a machine that takes three steps in one direction and one in the other. As one of the former FBI guys said on CNN, these greedy guys at Wall Street have succeeded where the terrorists failed on 9/11 – they have brought the US economy to its knees.

Frankly speaking – I am appalled. This deserves a full fledged investigation and prosecution of the culprits.

Choose Products Assembled or Made in America

I just returned from a vacation that I had taken with my kids to Washington DC. Washington DC is a beautiful place with a lot of history (from a US perspective, a lot means about 300+ years). My older daughter was nominated for the National Youth Leadership Conference and she had the pleasure of being part of 350+ student leaders from all over the country.

National Youth Leadership Council (NYLC) program scholars represent the upper echelon of today's youth in both academic performance and community leadership. Each student is hand-selected for nomination based upon academic achievement as well as by distinguished educators, mentors or NYLC program alumni, ensuring that every participant possesses the drive and determination to emerge as a future & world leader. You can read about the organization here.

The trip gave me the opportunity to move around in Washington DC. I was staying with some friends in Alexandria, Virginia. On the advice of my friends, I decided not to rent a car to move around in DC. In hind sight, it was a great decision. The DC Metro system is extremely convenient for tourists. I’d catch a Metro train from Huntington to Union Station and then catch the trolley tour. The Train ride would cost me about $5 two ways and the trolley tour would cost about $32 for a whole day pass. One can get off and board the trolley at any of the regular stops of the trolley. There are even duck tours very aptly named as they include cruises in the river too, to take you for sight seeing along the river. One can also get to Mt. Vernon, the residence estate of George Washington. You can view the photos of my trip by clicking here.

While in Alexandria, I also had the opportunity to visit Mt. Vernon. This is the estate of George Washington. The estate is a beautiful, right by the Potomac river. George Washington and his wife Martha loved to live a very stylish life style. The splendor of the building is worth viewing. Kudos to the management for maintaining the site so well and keeping everything in a near pristine condition. The only thing that bothered me was that the shops in Mt. Vernon were full of Chinese goods. As an American (and I am not one yet), I’d be embarrassed to see foreign made busts of George Washington, replicas of guns, Salt and pepper shakers looking like soldiers selling in a place of National pride.

However that upset me. It got me thinking (D’uh!!!). Today the US economy is reeling. Jobs are dropping in weekly reports. It is time we took some drastic actions. I can’t expect the government to do anything towards this. The government is probably too busy trying to figure out a way to get out of war and do damage control. The only possible solution that comes to my mind is something that Gandhi practiced in India more than 65 years ago. It was simple solution then and it is a simple solution now. Stop buying things made abroad. Now, I know this is easier said than done. The things are a lot more complicated now. But we can make a start. Let us start buying things assembled in this country first. We need to get some manufacturing back in this country. And I don’t mean just cars. It has to be smaller stuff that is used in daily utilities. And that effort has to start from the public. Once the public refuses to buy good produced abroad, things will change for the better.

I for one have decided that I will try my best to give the first preference to American manufactured items. Even if it says assembled in the US, I will choose that over something that is made in China. What do you think?

What could be wrong with the US business model?

I was recently at a get together with some friends from India. The atmosphere was informal, food was good (Assorted parathas, served with assorted pickles, Kadhi and Raitas can always be a treat). As always happens, we started talking about the business and economic boom in India.

Someone mentioned a very interesting fact -- in one month, the cell phone subscribers in India, had grown to about 9 million -- up 2 million over the previous month. On an average, the customer was paying $2-4 per month in India and the companies were reaping in profits. Compare that with the figures in US -- there are at least ten times more cell phone users, who on an average pay about $40 per month. Yet the companies are on shaky grounds. Some bigger companies have started showing profits lately, but over all the system is a losing model.

The difference lies in the legal system. The legal system in US for criminal cases is probably the best anywhere. But for civil cases, it just doesn't support the business. Any system that ensures a payoff to the tune of $160 million to someone who is being kicked off the post has to have something wrong with it.

Why does the health care cost so much? Just look at the legal cost borne by the doctors and health staff -- it is phenomenal. The rich keep getting richer and it does not bother them to pay a few thousand bucks for their health coverage. It is the middle class and lower income families that have to suffer -- either they can't pay the health benefits or they pay through their noses. It is they who have to support the illegal immigrants, who can't be turned away from the hospitals. It should not take a rocket scientist to figure the logic here. All you need is a strong political figure, who can lay a meddle ground for everyone to use.

We really need to simplify the civil rights laws. Some things are just not legal things. There are things required for business that need to be done. If that helps benefit the country in terms of economy, it is worth it.

Just my two cents -- feel free to share your thoughts on this.