Author: Anil Malik

When I look back on my early 30s, there are so many things I could have done differently to put myself in a better financial position at the time of my retirement. Let us face it when you are young, saving for retirement or budgeting are the last thing on your mind. There are some financial tips, I wish I had known in my youth. Here are some tips for all but especially for the younger generation: 1 Build Your Financial Literacy It is generally said that knowledge is power. Then it should come as no surprise to you when people say that wealthy people are more financially literate than less wealthy people. So you must take some time out of every day and build your financial literacy by learning about earning, saving, investing, borrowing money, etc. When your children grow please tell them to follow this habit also. 2…

For the last few weeks, we have all been hearing about the disease called Monkeypox, and this disease is slowly spreading across the world. Yesterday 4th case was detected in India, which was in Delhi. What is Monkeypox? It is a rare disease caused by the monkeypox virus. It leads to rash and flu-like symptoms. Like the better-known virus that causes smallpox, it is a member of the family called orthopoxvirus. It was discovered in 1958 when two outbreaks of pox-like disease occurred in the group of monkeys being used in research. It can spread mainly through coming into contact with an infected animal, and can sometimes spread through skin-to-skin contact with an infected person. There are two types (clades) of the monkeypox virus-one that originated in Central Africa and the other that originated from West Africa. The current world outbreak (2022) is caused by a less severe West African…

In today’s weekend blog, it is Bollywood again. Friends you all must be watching Hindi films, and there are certain films where the story takes a twist at the end, which is not envisaged by any viewer. A plot twist is not as simple as it sounds. The “surprise ending” ending cannot afford to be a random leap of faith. It has to be an earned moment, not necessarily something that is designed only to trick the viewer. The best of such films fool us in broad daylight, not only offering an element of shock but also a sense of closure. In Hindi cinema, there have been some memorable plot twists, that no one saw coming. Here are a few such recent films: 1 Kaun (1999)- directed by Ram Gopal Verma. It still stands as perhaps the most inventive psychological thriller. Imagine a serial killer on loose on a rainy…

MOTIVATIONAL QUOTES People who are working spend a great deal of their time engaged in work where motivation is a necessary force to propel them towards expressing their full potential. Whether you intend to improve your productivity at work, wake up earlier to begin your work day, master a new skill, or survive a tedious task with a smile on your face- for doing all such things you need some motivational force behind you. Motivation itself is not static-it changes all the time. When you want to achieve your goals it, therefore, makes sense to build new habits slowly into your existing routine and use positive self-talk to associate your efforts with pleasure. Given below are a few motivational quotes from celebrities, 1 Roger Federar– recognized as one of the greatest tennis players with 20 Grand Slam titles and more than 100 ATP titles, his quote- “You always want to…

For the last two days, one news item is highlighted by the media, and that is some girl students who were appearing for the NEET-UG examination in Kerala’s Kollam district, were made to remove their brassiere before being allowed to sit for the examination. These reports have led to outrage across the nation. It was the National Testing Agency (NTA) that was entrusted with the job of conducting this examination. The issue came to light on Monday (18/07/22) when the father of a 17-year-old girl told the media that his daughter, who was sitting for her first-ever NEET exam was yet to come out of the traumatic experience wherein she had to sit for over 3-hour long exam without a brassiere, although she was dressed as per the dress code mentioned in the NEET bulletin, which did not say anything about innerwear. The complainant’s father told the TV channel on…

DISAPPEARING JOBS Artificial intelligence experts (AI) are of the opinion that 40% of the world’s jobs will be replaced by robots in the next 15 to 25 years. It is inevitable that the large sectors of the workforce will face mass employment, mainly in jobs that involve manual or repetitious labour. One expert narrated an incident that goes like this – “ My grandfather was trained as a blacksmith before World War I. When automobiles and trucks replaced horses, the company sent him and his fellow blacksmiths to mechanic’s school. This transition made sense, as blacksmiths were already adept at working with tools and basic machines”. But today, the employees that AI and automation are replacing will not be able to shift their skill sets. Many of the new jobs are extremely technical. So here are a few jobs which are likely to disappear or reduce in numbers in India…

There have been big discussions in the media about the changing names of the roads, cities etc, by the present NDA government at the centre. During the regime of earlier governments at the centre, there were changes of names, like Bombay became Mumbai, Madras became Chennai, Calcutta became Kolkata, Bangalore became Bengaluru, and many more. There was no uproar at the time because the earlier name was given by the British rulers. Recently the name changing is happening in those places whose names were changed by Mughals and other Muslim rulers, and they are being changed to their earlier names. This is not liked by a certain section of media and some so-called secular parties. Let us go back to the history of changing names. As per the information available, the politics of changing names is more than seven hundred years old. Let us see some examples In the year…

One of the common problems of aging is INDIGESTION, it is a known fact that as we age, gut health does take a toll. Heavy meals, overeating, greasy or spicy food, late meals, etc., are likely to have much more effect on the stomach, as compared to when young. Indigestion can be felt in many ways like stomach ache, bloating, discomfort, gastric issues or passing gas, heartburn, fullness in the stomach, belching, etc. When indigestion happens, the usual temptation is to reach out to some over-the-counter (OTC) medicines like Gelusil, Eno, or some tablets. While these may be effective in relieving the symptoms, it is good to avoid the causes like overeating and others mentioned above. Also taking OTC medicines on regular basis may not be good as well. There are some natural ways to counter indigestion so that you don’t end up with more problems. Stay hydrated It will…

In today’s world, you can find many alternative medicines and therapies other than those prescribed by Allopathic science. One of the therapies which are getting popular is Craniosacral Therapy (CST). This therapy is done via gentle touch. The work happens in the Craniosacral system which comprises Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and membranes. The founder of CST as we know it today, is Osteopathic Physician John E Upledger, a Professor of Biomechanics in Michigan State University, USA. CST improves the functioning of the automatic nervous system thereby balancing the outflow from sympathetic and parasympathetic systems resulting in the harmonious balance of the body & mind. The techniques are done with CST to help wash toxins causing the pain and discomfort and administer permanent relief from the disease. CST taken regularly improves the resistance to contracting various diseases. Working with CST, aids in optimum functioning of the central nervous system and spinal cord…

In this weekend’s blog, I am writing about cricket. The One Day International (ODI)  World Cup is an important milestone in a cricketer’s career. Every player aspires to win World Cup for his/her nation. However, since cricket is a team event, this dream might sometimes not materialize. This is notwithstanding the individual brilliance that the player exudes. Even players like Sachin Tendulkar had to play six World Cup tournaments to win the cup. So far we have witnessed twelve World Cup tournaments, and in this blog, I  will write about the all-time best XI of players who never won a World Cup: Openers- Graeme Smith & Saurav Ganguly (Captain) Although he was more influential in the five-day format, Smith was not far behind in ODIs. In just 197 games, he scored 6989 runs at a strike rate of 80, and he was one of the legends of South Africa. While…