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By:

Kaustubh Kale

10 September 2024 at 6:07:15 pm

Akshay Tritiya and Gold

As Akshay Tritiya arrives, gold once again takes centre stage in Indian households. For generations, buying gold on this auspicious day has been considered a symbol of prosperity, purity, and good fortune. It is not just a purchase. It is an emotion, a blessing, and a tradition passed from one generation to another. But beyond tradition, gold also carries an important financial lesson. Gold is not just jewellery. It is an asset. Gold During Uncertain Times Over the years, gold has proved its...

Akshay Tritiya and Gold

As Akshay Tritiya arrives, gold once again takes centre stage in Indian households. For generations, buying gold on this auspicious day has been considered a symbol of prosperity, purity, and good fortune. It is not just a purchase. It is an emotion, a blessing, and a tradition passed from one generation to another. But beyond tradition, gold also carries an important financial lesson. Gold is not just jewellery. It is an asset. Gold During Uncertain Times Over the years, gold has proved its worth not only during festivals, but also during uncertain times. Whenever the world faces wars, inflation, currency weakness, economic slowdown, or financial panic, investors across the globe look at gold as a safe haven. This is because gold has a unique quality. It is trusted across countries, cultures, and generations. It does not depend on the promise of one government, one company, or one currency. Why Gold Holds Value Unlike paper currency, gold cannot be printed endlessly. Unlike businesses, it does not depend on profits or management quality. Unlike real estate, it is globally accepted and easily valued. This is why gold continues to remain one of the oldest and most respected stores of value. It has survived centuries of change, economic cycles, wars, and financial crises. The Right Role in Your Portfolio That said, gold should not be treated as a shortcut to wealth creation. Equities and equity mutual funds still remain essential for long-term growth. Gold plays a different role. It brings balance, stability, and protection to your portfolio. When equity markets are volatile or global uncertainty rises, gold often provides comfort. A sensible allocation of around 10-20% to gold can help reduce overall portfolio risk.  So basically, while stocks and equity mutual funds play the lead role in your long-term financial goals, gold plays the supporting but essential role. Physical Gold Has Limitations However, the way you invest in gold matters. Buying physical gold during festivals may feel emotionally satisfying, but it comes with practical challenges. There are making charges, purity concerns, storage issues, risk of theft, and liquidity problems. A necklace may be beautiful, but you cannot easily sell only a small portion of it when you need money. Also, when gold is bought as jewellery, the investor often forgets to calculate the actual return after making charges and deductions. Smarter Ways to Invest This is where Gold Mutual Funds and Gold ETFs become useful. They allow you to invest in gold without worrying about lockers, purity, theft, or storage. You can invest flexible amounts, start SIPs, track value easily, and redeem conveniently when required. For investors who want gold as part of their financial plan, these options are far more practical than buying jewellery purely as an investment. Tradition with Financial Clarity Akshay Tritiya is a beautiful reminder that wealth should be built with faith, patience, and clarity. Buying gold is auspicious, but buying it in the right form is financially wise. This Akshay Tritiya, celebrate tradition - but also upgrade your financial thinking. Because true prosperity is not just about owning gold. It is about owning it smartly. (The writer is a Chartered Accountant and CFA (USA). Financial Advisor. Views personal. He could be reached on 9833133605.)

Bold Stand

The Oxford Union, synonymous with intellectual freedom and robust debate, has long prided itself on tackling some of the world’s most contentious issues. Yet, this storied institution’s commitment to provocative discourse has led it into the minefield of insensitivity, blurring the line between intellectual exploration and political provocation. This tension came to the fore last week when a debate titled ‘This House Believes in the Independent State of Kashmir’ ignited a fervent response from the Indian diaspora in the UK.


A bold and vocal challenge was mounted by INSIGHT UK, a movement representing British Hindus and Indians. Their protest outside the Oxford Union decried the event’s featured speakers - Muzzammil Ayyub Thakur, president of the World Kashmir Freedom Movement, and Zafar Khan, chairman of JKLF – and their associations with extremist organizations.


The protest also reflected a bold assertion of India’s right to sovereignty and the diaspora’s growing influence in challenging narratives that have long been seen as the preserve of Western academia. The Indian diaspora organisations in the UK are directly confronting what they perceive as biased, outdated and provocative discourse in institutions like Oxford.


The protest highlighted that the debate on Kashmir transcends the technicalities of international law or historical disputes. It touches on deeply emotional issues: the safeguarding of sovereignty, the protection of minority rights and acknowledgment of historical injustices. INSIGHT UK’s letter to the Oxford Union articulated this sentiment which said that staging such a debate questioned the very essence of India’s territorial and moral integrity. The forced exodus of over 500,000 Kashmiri Hindus during the 1990s due to Islamic militancy remains a searing wound.


This episode serves as a wake-up call to institutions like the Oxford Union. The landscape of intellectual debate is shifting as global voices demand that discussions grounded in historical and contemporary conflicts acknowledge their real-world implications. The rise of the Indian diaspora’s assertiveness marks a new chapter where the echo of nationalist pride resonates beyond borders, challenging established narratives and insisting on greater sensitivity in discourse.


The question, then, is why the Union continues to offer a platform for speakers whose views are often not just controversial but actively harmful or divisive? The Union’s penchant for controversial topics may well continue, but it must now reckon with the fact that India’s voice, often muted or misrepresented in Western fora, is being amplified by a new generation of advocates who are not content to let their country’s narrative be shaped by external forces. This is a moment of transformation as the Indian diaspora demands that India’s sovereignty be recognised and respected on the global stage. The new India, emboldened by a new sense of unity and purpose, is not merely content to defend its territorial integrity but is now actively challenging the narratives that have long sought to undermine it.

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