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By:

Kaustubh Kale

10 September 2024 at 6:07:15 pm

The Umbrella Mindset

In Mumbai, July is the month when the monsoon is no longer a possibility, but a full-blown reality. Over the last week or so, the city has seen heavy rains. One minute the rain slows down, the next - the skies open up again without warning. And yet, most of us carry an umbrella. Not because it is raining every single minute, but because we know it can start again anytime. The Umbrella Mindset We don’t wait for the first drop to go shopping for umbrellas. We keep them ready in advance, knowing...

The Umbrella Mindset

In Mumbai, July is the month when the monsoon is no longer a possibility, but a full-blown reality. Over the last week or so, the city has seen heavy rains. One minute the rain slows down, the next - the skies open up again without warning. And yet, most of us carry an umbrella. Not because it is raining every single minute, but because we know it can start again anytime. The Umbrella Mindset We don’t wait for the first drop to go shopping for umbrellas. We keep them ready in advance, knowing full well that even if this moment looks clear, the next could be a downpour. The umbrella becomes our silent weapon - a simple tool that saves us from chaos. Oddly enough, this very logic is often forgotten when it comes to our finances. Timing the Market Most investors want to “time” the market. They wait for the perfect entry point. They follow headlines, economic predictions, even astrological forecasts, hoping to invest only when the conditions are ideal. But markets, like weather, move on their own terms. They rise without notice. They fall when you least expect it. And the biggest gains often come in short, unpredictable bursts. If you miss even a few of those good days, your long-term returns could take a serious hit. Discipline beats Prediction This is why seasoned investors don’t obsess over timing. They focus on discipline. Just like carrying an umbrella during the monsoon might seem unnecessary when the rain pauses for a few hours, investing through monthly Systematic Investment Plans (SIPs) might feel boring during flat markets or downturns. But the magic lies therein. This very habit - regular, automatic, and emotion-free - helps you achieve financial goals and financial freedom. Financial Umbrella A good investor doesn’t predict the market. They prepare for it. Think of your SIPs as your financial umbrella. You may not need them to perform immediately, but when volatility hits, they shield you. When markets recover, they make sure you are already in. And just like Mumbaikars would never step out in July without checking for an umbrella, serious investors never skip their SIPs. Lumpsum Investing Importantly, besides SIPs, it is also necessary to keep doing lumpsum investments frequently, without worrying too much about markets. Just ensure your time horizon is long term, ideally 5+ years. So, the next time someone asks, “Is this the right time to invest?” - just smile and point to the umbrella in your bag. The goal isn’t to wait for the rain. It’s to be ready when it comes. Conclusion Don’t wait to invest. Invest and then wait. The best time to invest is as soon as you have the money to invest. Don’t try to time the market - your time spent in the market, meaning remaining invested, beats timing the market. The pessimist bear may sound smart, but the optimist bull creates wealth. Keep deadlines. Execute. Don’t indulge in analysis-paralysis. Scared money never wins. (The author is a Chartered Accountant and CFA (USA). Financial Advisor. Views personal. He could be reached on 9833133605.)

Why is Mamata Seeing Ghost of Bangladesh?

Updated: Oct 21, 2024

Why is Mamata Seeing Ghost of Bangladesh?

Mamata is seeing a ghost of Bangladesh behind the massive outrage and waves of protest over rape and murder of the trainee doctor. And the reasons are many.

It’s been over a fortnight. Yet with each passing day the voice of protest is getting louder and stronger. From the streets of Kolkata it’s pouring into roads of hinterland. The cry for justice for a rape victim has consolidated into a wail of demands to set a lot of wrongdoings right. Here in lies the fear and trepidation. Wasn’t the issue that brought the youth of Bangladesh out on the thoroughfares a simple, innocent one of quota reform?

The chief minister of Bengal, known for understanding the pulse of people better than many, was quick to read the signages floating in the political horizon.

The most obvious reason for her to be tensed is that both the regime change in Bangladesh and the mass protest in Bengal, were student-driven to begin with. The two incidents---end of 15 year old Sheikh Hasina government and turbulence in West Bengal, over the heinous crime, falling back to back, the first on August 5th and the latter from August 9th onwards, give natural scope for comparisons. More so, because in both the cases the movement strayed beyond an affected constituency to include aggrieved people at large, cutting across socio-economic demography. If the quota reform protest started by students in Bangladesh became a mass uprising against an autocratic regime, the campaign demanding justice for the rape victim and overall safety and security of women in Mamata Banerjee’s Bengal soon snowballed into a movement of no-confidence against the government. Slogans--”Mamata must resign” also got floated in social media much in line with the call for ouster of Sheikh Hasina. In fact “Resignation of Hasina” became the single point agenda into which all other fringe demands coalesced.

Incidentally, even before people started drawing parallels, that there could be a thread of commonality in the way the upheaval in Bangladesh and Bengal played out, Mamata was quick to point out that the Opposition were trying to pull off a Bangladesh by politicizing the tragic incident: “A coordinated approach has been executed by the BJP and the CPIM with support from the Centre to defame Bengal and exploit the situation....They want to make a Bangladesh here. They are taking cues from student unrest in Bangladesh and are attempting to capture similarly. I have no longing for the chair. I came here to serve people.”

Not only Mamata, her political lieutenants are consistently equating the turmoil in Bengal with the mayhem in Bangladesh. Cabinet minister for North Bengal development Udayan Guha threatened to take stern action against those, who would be trying to exploit the situation by emulating a Bangladesh like movement. “ Even after the hospital was vandalised, the police did not open fire on anyone. The police will not allow a Bangladesh type situation. We will not allow Bengal to turn into Bangladesh, Guha thundered.

Is the government’s fear unfounded?

Apart from the similarities on ground zero, as to how and where the future course of events are heading to, there are ample reasons for Bengal to mull on-- as to what led to a Bangladesh like boiling point. To begin with, it’ll be appropriate to talk of Bangladesh and the prevailing situation, that made the students’ protest become big in magnitude. The students were out on the streets because of a high reservation in public jobs. Unemployment and stagnant job market in private sector coupled with a high rate of inflation drove the educated youth to rebel against the government.

But soon the students found enormous number of sympathisers, who were equally at the receiving end. According to Bangladesh citizens, the last two terms of the Sheikh Hasina government were a mockery of democracy. Even elections would be compromised. As Hasina grew from strength to strength, she politicized institutions. The rank and file of police owed allegiance to the ruling dispensation. Extortion, harrassment and raids by police and people in power became rampant. An atmosphere of fear and repression reigned and people got restless to overthrow the government.

Politicization of institutions has been happening in Mamata government too. Allegations are quite strong that police in Bengal functions at the beck and call of political bosses. The lapses and alleged loopholes on the part of police in handling the rape and murder of the young doctor have yet again revealed a sense of confused or misplaced loyalty.

But above everything else both Hasina and Mamata governments allegedly seem to have twined in accepting corruption as a way of life. In Bangladesh jobs of primary and secondary teachers got sold at premium, Rs 10-12 lakh in the Hasina regime. Even police had to pay up for prized postings and transfers. In Bengal busting of the teacher’s recruitment scam has revealed how unsuccessful and ineligible candidates got government jobs in schools in exchange of bribes.

Similarities are multiple and inescapable. Mamata has good reasons to be apprehensive. It’s not only she, who can see and connect the dots. People, out on the streets, clamoring for justice, can see a providential pattern somewhere in the unfolding of future events in these two places-- Bangladesh and Bengal. True, they share more than 2,217 odd km of border. They share the same umbilical cord, other than language, culture, ethos, icons. Even emotions are the same. So she cannot take any risk.

(The writer is a senior jounalist based in Kolkata. Views personal)

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