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By:

Kaustubh Kale

10 September 2024 at 11:37:15 pm

Fast Today, Prosper Tomorrow

AI Generated Image Navratri is a time when devotion, self-control, and celebration come together. For nine days, people across the country observe fasting, prayers, and rituals with discipline and faith. But beyond the spiritual significance, Navratri also carries valuable lessons for our financial lives - especially in how fasting and sacrifice mirror the principles of investing. Fasting as discipline When we fast, we consciously give up indulgence. It is not just about avoiding food; it...

Fast Today, Prosper Tomorrow

AI Generated Image Navratri is a time when devotion, self-control, and celebration come together. For nine days, people across the country observe fasting, prayers, and rituals with discipline and faith. But beyond the spiritual significance, Navratri also carries valuable lessons for our financial lives - especially in how fasting and sacrifice mirror the principles of investing. Fasting as discipline When we fast, we consciously give up indulgence. It is not just about avoiding food; it is also about training the mind and body to resist temptation. The same applies to investing. In a world full of instant gratification, whether it is the latest gadget, a fancy car, an expensive lifestyle or a luxury holiday, real wealth creation requires the discipline to sometimes say, “not now.” Just as fasting strengthens willpower, disciplined investing strengthens our financial health. Sacrifice for a greater good Navratri fasting involves small sacrifices today for spiritual growth tomorrow. In investing too, we often have to sacrifice some short-term pleasures to secure long-term prosperity. Choosing to invest a bonus instead of spending it entirely, or increasing SIPs using a portion of every salary increment instead of allocating the entire increase towards expenses and new liabilities, may feel like a sacrifice initially. But these small decisions, repeated over many years, can accumulate into significant future wealth and financial security. This is the very essence of delayed gratification. Patience and consistency Navratri fasting is not observed for just one day. The discipline continues throughout the nine days. Similarly, investing is not about one lucky trade or one successful investment. Wealth creation requires staying the course month after month and year after year through regular investing, sensible asset allocation and the power of compounding. There will inevitably be periods when markets test our patience. But just as discipline during Navratri is maintained throughout the festival, financial discipline must continue through both good and difficult market conditions. Balance and moderation Fasting during Navratri is not about starving. It is about moderation, restraint and mindful eating. Investing too should not be about extremes, neither reckless risk-taking nor excessive conservatism. A well-planned portfolio spread appropriately across assets such as equity, debt and gold can provide both growth and stability. Just as moderation keeps the body healthy, balance helps keep our finances resilient. The bigger picture Ultimately, Navratri fasting is also about purification of the body, mind and soul. Investing, in its own way, requires purification of financial habits: moving away from impulsive spending, unnecessary liabilities and short-term thinking towards purposeful saving and wealth creation. This Navratri, as you observe your fast with devotion and discipline, also resolve to bring the same qualities into your financial life. After all, both fasting and investing ask us to give up a little today in pursuit of something greater tomorrow. (The author is a Chartered Accountant and CFA (USA). Financial Advisor. Views personal. He could be reached on 9833133605.)

From Scarcity to Sporting Glory

Writer: Ruddhi Phadke
Ruddhi Phadke
7 hours ago
2 min read

Part - 1

Name: Neeru Dhanda

Where: Jind, Haryana

Neeru Dhanda’s historic Asian Games triumph is not just a story of sporting excellence, but a reminder of the talent India can unlock when opportunity meets determination.


For Neeru, the road to two historic Asian Games gold medals did not begin with sophisticated training facilities, expensive equipment or years of uninterrupted preparation. It began with a borrowed Indian-made gun, a tin used as a makeshift target and a dream that came from a small village in Haryana. Her remarkable journey from those humble beginnings to the biggest podium of her career is as much a story about resilience as it is about sporting achievement.


The 26-year-old shooter has been making headlines after creating history at the Asian Games. She became the first Indian woman to win an individual gold in the women’s strap shooting event. In the final, she hit 28 of 30 targets, smashing the previous Asian Games record of 24.


The next day, she went one step further, winning gold in the mixed team strap event and helping India secure its first-ever gold in the category. Two gold medals in two days made her achievement even more remarkable.


Ten days before the tournament, Neeru had spent three-and-a-half weeks in hospital. She had not trained and had been unable to eat for five days. She travelled to Japan without anything close to the preparation an elite athlete would normally expect before a major international competition.


Yet she delivered when it mattered most. Hailing from a small village in Haryana, her father is a farmer and her mother is a homemaker. Shooting is an expensive sport, requiring firearms, ammunition, coaching, equipment and regular access to training facilities.


Neeru began with an Indian-made gun borrowed from her uncle. With no conventional target available, she used a tin as a makeshift one.


The story of how her family learnt about her historic victory is equally striking. On the day of her match, her mother was on her way to collect wheat under the Below Poverty Line ration scheme when she received the news that her daughter had won gold.


It is a powerful contrast: on one side, a mother collecting essential food support for her family; on the other, her daughter standing on the biggest sporting podium of her career.


And that contrast raises an important question: How many more Neerus are out there? How much talent are we yet to discover simply because the means to nurture it are missing?


Neeru’s gold medals are a moment of pride. But more importantly, they should become a moment of purpose.

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