Plunging Oil prices & Japan's Recession; Impact on India

The two major events that seem to have rocked this quarter are 1- the falling oil prices and 2- Japan's recession. One would only naturally ask if these events are related to each other or if one is a consequence of the other. We shall attempt to ascertain just that by looking at some related aspects of these events. We shall also attempt to understand the potential impact of these scenarios on India and its economy.

 

The implications for India are many and quite varied at that, but before we plunge into the effects on India, lets go over some of the attributes that have been responsible for the present state of affairs shall we? in particular we shall be looking at Japan's recession, the shale oil productions in the US and the woes of the OPEC and GCC in the face of diving oil prices.

 

Recession in Japan

Japan has been in a state of continuous low growth and deflation for quite a while now. In 1985 Japan along with five other governments signed the 'plaza accord' with the US to depreciate the USD in relation with the Japanese Yen (JPY); this step backfired almost instantly due to Japan's trade restrictions specifically concerning its imports.

Japan's internal debt rose to a staggering 2+ times that of it's GDP. In April 2014 Prime Minister Shinzo Abe came about with a policy to increase the taxes in an attempt to reduce the government Debt; this may have triggered the current recession that has hit Japan. There are many that believe this recession will be short lived and that @ 2% levels, the inflation will actually stimulate consumption demands.

But Japan had some weird asset allocations in this matter; the country has witnessed near zero interest rate for quite some time now, and ideally, established wisdom would suggest that this would foster a rise in consumption. But Japan has an ageing workforce and quite the retiree population and although the stock market has seen some recovery, it hasn't been enough to translate into any actual wealth upshot or increased consumption. For over two decades this has been the plight of the stock markets and as a result the investor sentiments have been indisposed.

 

How exactly does this impact India and her economy as of Q4 2014? We shall come to that, but before we do, let us examine another important news that seem to be rocking the financial world lately.

 

Crude Oil Prices, Shale Oil and the OPEC

 

Oil, the one thing that drives prices and investors all around the world. it's an international 'Financial Product' in it's crude form isn't it? The prices have dropped to an all time low of less than $83 per barrel ! The implications of this are just tremendous and they affect everyone all around the world. I know your heads are just spinning at all the possibilities that this would open up and indeed it should be. But let's also examine how this drop in prices came about to be yeah?

It had its start somewhere in China's decrease in import of this hydrocarbon. Being one of the largest importers of crude, a significant drop in consumption levels by this nation could spell disaster for the oil revenue dependent countries. Then on top of this already growing turbulence, Japan slumps into a recession and the USA which has so far been a prominent member among the oil importing countries has shifted away to the indigenous shale oil production. As a result Oil prices that had been at $100+ a barrel suddenly fell to $80 per barrel.

 

Under such circumstances there are only two things that the oil revenue dependent governments can possibly do that conventional wisdom would suggest. 1- Cut down on production. 2- Reduce the price of Crude oil. But as the scenario stands, the OPEC headed by Saudia have decided not to cut down on production and instead continue with the current output; while leaving the prices to the influence of the market forces of Demand and Supply. Now, although this will have a toll on the economy of some countries in the Middle East, nations like Saudia are well buffered by their cash reserves to survive this slump for sometime. Other countries who are not so well buffered have decided to take on economic reformation to battle the falling oil prices and reduce their dependence on the revenue from the Gulf Oil. (refer to the below for more information on the state of affairs in the Middle East)

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/25/us-kuwait-finmin-idUSKCN0IE0AH20141025

http://gulfnews.com/business/economy/kuwait-s-emir-says-oil-price-fall-shows-need-to-diversify-economy-1.1405119

The newly discovered shale oil reserves in the US and it's production within the US soil has led to a drop in demand for the Arabian oil. The US had long been one of the biggest importer of crude. This drop in imports combined with the impact from China and Japan have caused quite a bit of turbulence within the GCC and the OPEC countries. 'Brent Crude' fell to $80 a barrel. Current trends however indicate that the Middle East hopes to combat the US shale oil production with sustained low prices. This is a contrasting irony in itself, as the fear of one would stop the other from breaking boundaries. Shale oil is expensive to produce and the identified reserves are not large enough to justify low cost production. Therefore the approach of the OPEC at keeping the prices of Oil at $80/barrel range seems to be doing the trick for now. As the very idea of expanding shale oil production will keep the crude oil prices in check and the very idea of sustained low prices in the crude market is enough to put off expanding on the shale oil reserves. For countries like Iran and Russia, this $80 per barrel is very bad business indeed. They would require a sustained price of $110 per barrel to balance out their Balance of Payments; but this is of course good news for India.

 

Impact on the Indian Economy

So finally we reach the cherry to the pudding, India is in a unique position to reap the benefits of this unprecedented economic turmoil, at least while it lasts. Japan's recession means a devaluation of the JPY; now although it means that India will be in no position to receive the $35Mm FDI inflow that PM Modi and Shinzo Abe had agreed to, it does not mean that we are at the loosing end.

The devalued JPY will mean that it is an attractive means for Investors to buy foreign assets and risky ones at that, in other countries. India in this regard hold the unique advantage in the Asian markets. With China and Japan out of the picture and the rest of the prospective nations weakening amid inflation or turmoil; making India the ideal market to invest in. The market is large enough to absorb the capital inflow that will come in and receptive of the FDI inflow as well. Although the debt market in India has been attractive in terms of return, it still has a long way to go before the average middle class can begin to invest in it. For now the sentiments run high on savings deposits and low risk investments including insurance products. This is also one of the reason why the economy has remained quite strong and shielded from the impact of the market turmoil that has gripped most of the other Asian markets.

Although it has its own faults and demerits, from an investor standpoint, the inflation is comparatively low and the common household savings are still equity averse. But 2015 could just prove to be the best year for India; if you get what I mean.

The trends in the Oil production seem to favor India as well. Low cost of crude oil means a decrease in the price of Petrol and Diesel. Saudia has every plan to regain the Asian markets by offering attractive incentives; low prices will also see a rise in China's import of oil that had diminished (which was the very reason for the start of this cycle) India being in the middle just has a comparative advantage without even having asked for it. This also seems to comply with Saudi Arabia's decision to leave the price of oil to the forces of demand and supply. Increase in consumption will eventually see a rise in the oil prices and the prices will stabilize at a higher margin than it is now. In the mean while India can squeeze out the best of this opportunity with proper planning and execution.

The ambitions plan to propel investment to 40% of GDP just seems more feasible now. As far as India is concerned this seems to be a blessing in disguise; but of course this does not come without its own risks. The scenario could turn upside down any moment. Indian economists are now closely monitoring the scenario and contemplating all possible situations. But as i would like to believe, 2015 seems very bright for the India's economy.

Hanging in the MIDDLE or on the EDGE?

 

 https://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20141030161902-188462010-hanging-in-the-balance-or-on-the-edge

Why those Feathers Require maintenance

Remember as a child how you wanted to reach for the stars and how the task, atrocious and daunting as it might have sounded for a grown up, to you was seemingly piffling and easy? What happened to that dream today? Chances are that most of us would have all but buried those dreams. Possibly 1% of the lot stood fast embracing their dreams and turning it into reality.

So what exactly is it that happens to strip these dreams of its feathers and eventually make us turn away to those things that we would euphemistically term as more 'realizable'? What makes most dreams unrealizable? I guess to start with, you should dare to dream in the first place. But daring isn't all, it is just a starting step and not an end in itself. But here is something I have come up with, the answer to your dreams lies in its feathers. I guess you’re probably wondering what crap is this guy talking about, that's OK. It will make sense in time.

Most of us have goals and all of us have dreams. Is there a difference between the two? Ideally, confined thinking and 'be on the safe side' thinking have led us to believe that goals are more idealistic to pursue than dreams. Overtime we convince our sub-conscious (knowingly and unknowingly) mind to accept the fact that achieving your goal is a more worthy and nobler thing to do than pursuing you dreams. As a result we have even come to associate ambition with goals rather than dreams. Don't get me wrong, we all talk about dreams and the significance it plays to shape our growth, we give it the due grandness 'on paper'. But when it comes to wishful thinking and actions, we choose goals over dreams.

Lets us, for the sake of understanding compare ourselves to a bird. Picture yourself as a bird, now that wasn't so hard was it? Don't take to the skies thought, not just yet. Your dreams are your wings, the bird's wings. And your plumage is what modifies you to take to the skies. Remember we are talking about 'feathers' here and not just a single 'feather'. Without these feathers, and/or shall we say, with badly maintained feathers, your dreams will just be another skeletal framework that doesn't lift off the ground (impressive as the framework may be).

With me so far? OK great! Now what's the whole deal between dreams and goals right? A 'goal' is a destination you want to arrive at in the future, a highly desirable prospect you fully intend to realize. A goal is-

1- Visual
when you have a goal in mind, you are able to visualize the concept in your mind. You can picture the end result that you want to achieve or the place that you want to be at, as an end to achieving the desired goal.

2- Measurable
a goal is measurable. It is not a vague term or idea; you don't say 'oh I don't know. I have something in mind, not sure how it will turn out. I have no idea if it’s even possible' about a goal. It is well defined yeah?

3- Time bound attainability
Goals are time bound, in that you have a definite period by when you expect to reach your goal. This may be the biggest identification of a goal, the fact that it is measured in time.

Now when you look at the above statements, which seems to delve into all that, a goal 'is' you seem to be left with a sense of all that a dream 'is not'. This is perhaps the biggest turn off for anyone pursuing a dream.

Alright, so I'll cut the chase and come straight to the point, the truly motivated people have scaled this obstacle and integrated their goals and dreams into one. You might think how is this possible? Which is what I will come to in just a bit. We all have dreams and right from the early stages of life these dreams shape in some way our attitude, likes and dislikes perhaps even carving out our philosophy for life. At some point along the way however (and this point in time may vary from person to person depending upon various contributing factors) we must choose to turn these dreams into goals, or simply abandon them and pursue more realistic goals. Therefore it is prudent, that our dreams have been evaluated, weighed out and elucidated into a defined profile by this time. Otherwise, one will have no clue how to turn these dreams into a goal. The reason why most people aren't able to make this smooth transition has to do with what has been fed into the sub-conscious. "You can always pursue your dreams as a hobby, for a living, focus on some well defined goals". Ideally we have been led to believe that the two can never be one



Let’s take a look at the above graph to put things into better perspective. The intention is to showcase three factors that favor goals, or in other words three factors that would tend to make an individual to lean away from dreams. Let us assess each of these factors in detail.

1- Goal Definition
That is to say what makes up for our definition of a ‘goal’? What ideas are worthy of being classified as a goal? What aren't? Dreams and goals don't attain intensive details until the age of 10. From the age of 10 -12 years a child begins to organize and label ideas as goals and starts developing achievable targets. These may be subjected to the environmental factors in play around him. A target could be scoring good grades, so that he/she can get the 'gift' that Daddy promised. Something like this, but your sort of getting the idea now right?

2- External Factors/ Influences
Most of our early goals are set and designed more by small, stupid and immature ideas or dreams rather than any external influence. These become the foundation for later goals that develop in life. But as we grow older, we tend to let external factors influence and shape our goals. The expectation from parents, society, spouse, children keep playing bigger and bigger roles in our goal settings as we cross the 25 year mark. These steadily increase till about when we are 50-70 years of age. Beyond that there is insufficient data to draw any meaningful trend and therefore the graph at 70+ is speculation.

3- Risk Assessment
The concept of a 'risk' factors into our decision making process as early as 10 - 12 years of age. Before that the term 'risk' was rather vague and derived no proper definition in our minds. Once we grasp the idea of risk, it continues to grow as we age and peaks at 35 - 50 years of age where we evaluate each actions and its possible reaction, thereby assessing the potential risk involved.
Now the thing is that as these three factors grow and influence our decision making, we are able to define a goal more precisely and assess all its dimensions with more accuracy. Gone are the days of crude and unrefined dreams that would get us all excited. Things have gradually become more 'realistic'. These factors tend to shift our focus away from Dreams and onto the horizon of Goals.

So we've looked at what constituted a 'goal' earlier, but what are the characteristics of a Dream? It would be a crime to think that one could confine the characteristics of a dream to that of a goal. A dream is unique in that it is bespoke for every individual. More than one individual can have the exact goal in mind, but it is literally impossible for two individuals to have the same dream. A dream is a reflection of your personality and no two individuals have the same personality, not even identical twins. That makes ‘dreams’ more of an ‘out of the box’ concept which has no defined shape or content.

Dreams seem closer when we are not logically reasoning and have left our actions to the control of the sub-conscious, in other words when we are asleep. They seem farther away when we are wide awake and going through the stash of monthly bills, at that time, goals seem more realistic.



Although we can’t define dreams, we can look at some factors that would favor dreams. With our focus on dreams let’s look at two factors that facilitate dreaming the most. Or for lack of better explanation shall we say these are what give colors to dreams. The actual number of factors that are responsible for dreams to take wings are innumerable to mention here and like I said, dreams are bespoke phenomena. No two people can have the same dream, and that leaves us with roughly 7+ billion possibilities, or whatever the actual human population on earth is. Right so back to our topic-

1- Learning Curve
In terms of pure learning or in other words, much of the crucial software that runs our operating systems is imbibed in the early stages of life. The Learning curve is at its maximum potential during this stage- the 0 - 5 years of age. A child scoops up vast gigabytes of information from his environment, translating them into experiences and knowledge. One can only imagine the activity that the brain is subjected to during these years. This vast amount of information finds its explanation and translation through dreams that provide a window into the unexplored possibilities that this wealth of information holds. This is the forming stage of imagination and creativity. But as we progress through life, this curve slopes down, we tend to specialize into a particular field and all our learning from then on is projected in that particular direction. As a rule of thumb, as we learn more and more, there remains fewer things for us to understand and thereby the actual magnitude of learning declines, although the complications and specification may be more profound of the learning gained later on in life.

2- Imagination
The imagination of a person is at its highest when he is a child and to a large extent it is sculpted by what the child observes from his parents and close relatives. Bed time stories for example can open a magical world to 'Terabithia' in the mind of a small child. Simply because he has not come to terms with such things as 'risk' and 'limitations' and therefore the possibilities to him are endless. We adults have this delusion that with age there comes a sense of unparalleled imagination. In reality I doubt this, they may become more experienced at what they are doing, and therefore can be lulled into a false sense of imagination. If you want to know what imagination truly is, try telling a bedtime story to a small child and ponder on the questions that he asks you. But this again is a curve that slopes downward as one grows older. To answer the question as to 'WHY' this happens would require delving into another topic altogether, which we shall save for a later occasion.

As I am writing this, I am listening to a track by 'Yanni' called 'a love for life'. This song is a stimulus and is greatly aiding my attempt to complete this piece of work. But the thing is that such stimuli are increasing harder to come by, unlike when I was 2 or 3 years old when every object I could possibly lay my eyes on could stimulate a response almost instantly. So you see why dreams are more elusive than goals, it is not because they are harder to accomplish, but simply because of what we have wired into our sub-conscious. As we have observed, through life, there are those factors that limit our ability to turn dreams into reality and which lull us into believing that goals are more significant that dreams. Goals might bring you success, but your dream defines you, in order to find yourself you must realize your dreams.

Now it is finally time for me to relate the whole thing with the title of this article- ‘Maintaining those Feathers’. We know, it is the feathers that help take those wings to the skies. In the case of dreams however these feather don't sprout overnight and take time. So whatever dream it is that you may have. Keep adding one feather to your dream (wings) everyday and eventually your dreams will take to the skies. A little bit of perseverance, a bit of hard-work, a bit of research, a bit of planning, a bit of strategy and management, everyday for as long as it takes to cover those wings in feathers. Very often, because of the time period that it takes to realize dreams we abandon the wings and instead replace them with wheels as they seem more 'plausible' and 'realistic'. Over a period of neglect these half done wings often fall apart and when we do come back to the garage to finish those wings, find them in disrepair and have to start from scratch.

Remember I said that truly motivated people have integrated their dreams and goals as one and the same. This means investing time and effort on maintaining those feathers. It simply means to not lose hope in the ability of your wings to take to flight. In time they will, once they have the required amount of feathers to support flight, keep adding feather, keep those already added feather in good condition, replace any where required. (Like I said, Dreams are much bespoke and therefore I can only speak in general terms, the nature of the feathers, the required quantity of feathers and such details, each one has to figure out for himself.)
So ask yourself, if you haven't already; and take a close look at your wings, are they ready for takeoff? In order to truly discover yourself, you need to get those wings off the ground.

Note: all data and graphs in this post are based on personal experience and are not based on real time data collection and analysis. These are merely intended to give the reader a glimpse into the thoughts of the writer.

Why I Don't need to Prove the Bible

“The Bible was written not to satisfy your curiosity but to help you conform to Christ’s image. Not to make you a smarter sinner but to make you like the Savior. Not to fill your head with a collection of biblical facts but to transform your life.” -Dr. Howard G. Hendricks

As a Christian, I have at times been pressed with the most torturing of all questions – is the Bible authentic? As a teenager I had often squirmed at this question when asked by peers of different faiths; especially, Muslims.  Why were Muslims a greater threat? I shall elaborate on that in just a bit. They were often well armed with a trove of facts and information, excavated right from the time of King Solomon’s temple of Jerusalem. My faith was no match for their scientific and archaeological cannon of facts with which they choose to swing at my feeble words of faith like a battering ram, or so I thought. You see what I am writing here, and this is just so I am clear, is not conclusive evidence of anything and especially not regarding the authenticity of the Bible (that is just something you are going to have to take up on faith and your interaction with God). Instead this is just a meek effort on my part to describe what the Bible means to me and of the struggles that I and many other Christians, in the early stages of forging our faith have experienced.

Having been born into a Christian family and raised by my grandparents during the early years of my life, I was almost aware of the Bible and its contents, although not in its entirety but at least in parts pertaining to significant events that mould the Christian beliefs, in the form of bedtime stories recited by granny over and over each night. And when I started learning the Bible at Sunday school, it was no great surprise. I have always wondered what it would be like for a convert to Christianity. How would it feel like to him/her, being able to experience the Bible for the first time, but through the eyes and experience of a grown up person, not subjected to any obligation to believe what is laid before him/her, but having the freedom to question the rationale behind anything and everything?

I realize that ever so often, this is exactly what all of us want, or at least look forward to, being able to find answers and proofs to quench the intellectual thirst for the ultimate truth; much like being able to understand the intricacies of the derivatives market from an article in the wall street journal, or, perhaps the complexities of the ‘god’ particle that scientists have observed in the Large Hadron Collider through some science publication. But even from these, we are not able to wholly satisfy this lust for conviction; are we? Even these phenomenons are drenched in quandary and paradoxes. How audacious then, to think that we can fathom the truths of the infinite by academically studying the Bible from an intellectual standpoint?

During my later teenage years and in particular after I got into college, I was under the conviction that one’s belief is only worth so much as that which can be proved. But here lies a paradox in itself. Proved to the satisfaction of whom? For any statement or fact to be considered as proof, it has to be accepted to the satisfaction of the highest mind; and the highest mind in question here is no doubt the human mind. Now you will all agree that the human mind is a finite one, I mean we can’t even assert with credence about the idiosyncrasies of a 4^th dimension. Our world and our experiences in it are confined to the finite 3 dimensional universe we reside in. Then how on earth can we even begin to comprehend the involutions of the infinite mind. This is of course, only applicable if you are a theist in the first place and acknowledge the presence of God. For the atheist however, everything is left to chance and theories of random selection. They seem quite content at that, so let’s leave them undisturbed.

Now back to the conflict at hand, which is being able to find answers in the Bible that our mortal minds desire so that we can believe with a deep conviction devoid of any incertitude at having found the ultimate truth. As humans we want to perceive this summate and all embracing, infinite wisdom of God, here and in the now. This very quest had led man to some of the greatest discoveries and findings in the field of science, astronomy, physics, mathematics and more recently, the field of particulate sciences. Those questions that even these incredible breakthroughs could not answer were taken on by scientific freaks through string theories. I doubt if even they fully understand the profoundness of such claims.

Let me put it this way, The worst sin that man could possibly commit is to objectify God from a rational, scientific and academic standpoint under the cliché banner of 'quest for the truth' and eventually arrive at the conclusion that God doesn't exist. What they fail to realize however is that a finite medium can only reveal so much finite truths. Trying to confine the infinite within the limits of out finiteness is stark; yeah that's right 'foolishness'. The bible is not your everyday ‘pick it off the shelf’ reference book and yet it is your daily guide. This might seem self contradicting. Much has to do with the fact that we tend to view the book as any other book, with a single contributing and compiling authority- an author. Let me tell you this, the Bible in its present form was not written by any individual human being. Then who wrote it? In its physical form it is the result of a number of great prophets and apostles; and in essence, it is the work of God’s spirit.

Taking the above into consideration it is very easy to question the authenticity of the Bible. In fact even a preschooler can throw muck at the Bible and stand outright convinced at the effort. If facts and information were what it took, then it is much easier to convince someone about the illegitimacy of the Bible than its legitimacy. Which is where my earlier statement comes into picture: Why were Muslims a greater threat? If you were to put an average Christian teenager and an average Muslim teenager into a room and asked the Muslim to prove the Bible illegitimate and the Christian to save the Bible from the allegations, the Muslim would win hands down. This is because in no other religion or religious literature is there a more teeming treasure trove of information all of which is calculated, proposed and directed at proving Christianity to be a desolated and god forsaken cult of disbelievers. Like I said, their facts and entropy of data is irrefutable. Not that there is no such evidence in support of the Bible and its authenticity, but that for every piece of work on the Bible’s legitimacy, there is two regarding its bar sinister in the Muslim religious literature. The most horrific claim they make is that ‘Jesus was never crucified in the first place and that it was a look alike that died on the cross. That in this matter there is no confusion and anyone who believes otherwise is full of doubts, having no real knowledge and following mere conjecture, for surely, they killed him not’. AYAT an-Nisa`4:157- (wama qataloohu wama salaboohu walakin shubbiha lahum wa-inna allatheena ikhtalafoo feehi lafee shakkin minhu ma lahum bihi min AAilmin illa ittibaAAa alththanni wama qataloohu yaqeenan). This is to say that the Christian’s are full of doubts. The acute and ultimate design of such a claim is to undermine the very foundation of the Christian faith, ‘that Jesus, God’s only begotten son, Died on the cross for our sins, and through his resurrection paid the price for our sins, so that anyone who believes in his name might be eligible for eternal life’. John3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, so that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life”. Once you take out Christ and his death, then the very foundation of Christianity is mislaid. As the apostle Paul rightly says in 1 Cor 15:14 “and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain”. To me personally, there couldn’t be a better joke than this!

Which now brings me to the conclusion of my dilemma in this matter and how ‘by faith’ and not ‘by sight’ I am resting assured on divine knowledge that surpasses human understanding. I took it upon myself then, to read up on as much materials as I could get my hands on, regarding the Bible and in particular the events of the New Testament. Only to realize that my Muslim brother was right! There was no way I could win an argument on the Bible’s authenticity. Maybe if I were a Christian scholar I would have a better chance, or, perhaps maybe not. But the pivotal aspect is this, that I have felt the constant and empowering presence of the almighty in my life. And like Dr. Hendricks rightly puts it, the Bible was written to help me conform to Christ’s image, not to make me a smarter sinner or a hypocrite with a brain full of facts and biblical quotes and definitely not to help me win an argument. For all things will be revealed in time. Whatever is hidden will be brought to light. Matthew 10:26 “So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known.”

The only thing that comes to my mind is Psalms 34:8 "O taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him."

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A SOJOURNER’S TALE: THROUGH THE LOVELY WOODS.

Every time that I have had to step out of the campus of Madras Christian College, I always knew that I would come back. And this sense of returning always gave me hope and strength. But this time, when I step out… when I step out for the last time, things will be different, I am not sure of a return. As I trace the footsteps of these familiar paths one last time, all that I know, my world and my time here will fade away to mere dreams and memories.

A dream that saw its origin three years ago, when I first stepped into the lush green campus from the sweltering heat outside. The first thing one would inevitably notice is that the inside is considerably a lot cooler than the outside. MCC is by all means a shelter for all who choose to abide in her. The first walk was lost in awe as I marvelled at the beauty that enfolded my path. The silence my mother observed during that walk seemed to concur with my thoughts. 

And then as you take the first left that comes your way, you see it. Way ahead, lost in the shrubs that arch the roads, a structure that marks the destination of your journey. As you walk the distance and come closer, you see it emerge, from the foliage and finally; standing tall and humbly in the 365 acres of history, she is an awesome sight that I can never forget. But please don’t be misled; my first impression of Selaiyur Hall was nothing more than ‘just another residential facility’. I’ve been in boarding schools since 8^th standard and this SELAIYUR HALL seemed nothing more.

 

Over the span of three years, she wrapped herself around me, as anyone who loves this place will confess. I lost myself in this place, and in that process I FOUND myself as well. Food, fun and friendship became a way of life. Strangers became friends, neighbors became close buddies and life just got a whole new dimension to explore. From nothing we learned a lot of things, and most of all we learned to differentiate, to accept what was required and to reject what wasn’t. To find out our true self through obstacles and to hold on when faced with challenges.

Initiation and Terminal dinner were taken seriously and held very close to the heart. I remember sitting in class holding sheets with hall facts written on them and trying to memorize them as my accountancy professor took his lecture. Those were the days indeed. 

The first night in Selaiyur hall is a memory etched in rock. As a senior came to me and asked “do you know the ARC convenor’s number? I replied in the negative and he gave me a number and asked me to memorize it and feed it in my phone. And next day morning I get a call from the “ARC Convenor” asking me to come to room 145. It was then that I realized that it was his own number that the senior had given me. He had called me to iron his shirt. Whew that call actually scared the hell out of me. 

It is said that memories make a life-time.They definitely made mine in this place. I had always questioned the restrictions imposed on the juniors, like wearing full-sleeve shirt, bathroom slippers. Being sent out for “odd jobs”, sure the freedom of choice was there, but it was more like take it, or walk out the door. But I realized that one can never truly value the freedom unless he has a taste of restriction imposed for some time. And because of that I fully enjoyed the freedom and the privilege that came with it in my 2^nd and 3^rd year; the room on top and being able to walk around in just boxers. Those were Wonderful memories indeed. Sneaking out at night and paying a visit to the lake, road marking for cross country races and cycle race. When you ask yourself where else in the world do you get a 400 acre forest of a campus to roam about at mid night? Nowhere else I assure you. 

This is a place with 75 years of heritage and traditions, where victories are celebrated in unison and the efforts undertaken as a hall. Where fruits are reaped as a team and celebrations conducted without inhibitions. Where every block, ever stone has a tale to recite. Where the people come in as … well I wouldn’t know what all they came in as but they definitely leave with the essence of Selaiyur in them. They leave as gentlemen. This is the place where people walk with heads held high and proclaim themselves as SELAIYURIANS.

So dear Selaiyurians, enjoy this gift, don’t question and try to find answers that will qualify as ‘intellectual’, cause you will never find such an answer. Instead let the experience and transition speak volumes for themselves. Give it a chance. I am now at the dying moments of my Selaiyurian life, but like they say ‘once a Selaiyurian. Always a Selaiyurian’… right? So till we meet again, best wishes guys. Keep up the name and the traditions. Take care of the hall. ESSE QUAM VIDERI.

Yours truly,

Forever a Selaiyurian

Nidhin George.

This was something I wrote during my final few days in Selaiyur as a student. Although I don't exactly remember why I wrote this, I do know that this was an emotional spilling of my inner thoughts. Perhaps I wrote this as a letter to the future cabinet, or maybe as an article for the magazine. It brought back memories as I read it, almost 3 years later, thought I should publish this.

A Tale of the Soul

I don't believe in first sight love...
and yet i do not know how.
what could i possibly say,
the truth which could portray..

          To make you believe
          that its true from within,
          not the thoughtless drama
          of infatuation thats  therein.

That moment one should re-live
if what i say, one were to believe.
the risks so many, so nearby lure...
yet,I say from my heart what is pure.

          If a moment you would spare....
          and into my thoughts just stare,
          You will most certainly behold....
          and know the truth of what I've told.

 
This is just to say how I feel....
nothing more,
my attention I have let you steal.
maybe this story ends here now,
I shall not pursue it as a tale of love.

          and yet sometimes i kneel and pray
          our love by the sea, we might portray.
          Wish Cinderella and fairies were true,
          then maybe, I could forever be with YOU !!