The Blaft Anthology of Tamil Pulp Fiction - Review

Recently read this book from a lending library
I remembered pulp fiction Tamil novels were very famous during 80s and 90s.
I thought they would've died by now, what with the advent of regional TV channels and Internet.
Also its no longer fashion to read a Tamil book.
Even I myself seldom read Tamil.
So here I'm a tamilian reading a translated work of Tamil pulp fiction.

What i noticed about the story is the narration is very abstract, the authors don't describe each character well. If there is more than 4 characters you don't know which one the author is referring too. You will not be able to connect.
Also the stories are like draft, there is this carelessness of the author, he has to complete this work by today, this story is just 1 of his thousand stories. This will be published in a magazine and may be never republished later.

The stories reminded me my own stories, it made me realize that my narration is also as poor as these stories, at the same time i knew that some day under the sun, if those stories were published and are now part of an anthology. My stories can definitely see the light.

Here are some stories which are
excellent
Ripples
The Rich Woman
Dim Lights, Blazing Hearts
Sweetheart, Please Die
GLory Be to the Love that Kills!


Okish
The Rainbow
FLR


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Hospital for Profit

I have been to Fortis Malar and also Apollo and noticed the buzz of activities, the processes followed, world class infrastructure, foreign country patients, cutting edge technology, high skilled doctors and the cash ringing offices.
What a beautiful growth story! Fortis and Apollo are trying to make an organized health care sector. They not only focus on multi-specialty hospitals, but also are having a chain of clinics as well. People coming to these hospitals are surely going to increase, what with raising income level, sedentary and stressful life leading to chronic diseases and a booming health insurance.
So are Hospital stocks looking like stable, defensive stocks?
Well almost! Let’s have a closer look. You have a heart disease, do you go to Apollo/ Fortis. For me which hospital is not important? I want the best doctor. Who is the best doctor? You choose a doctor because he is recommended by your physician/friend/relatives. If the doctor visits a Hospital then you go there. You don’t go to a Hospital because it’s a good brand. The brand of Hospital is not really as important as the doctor’s brand.
A doctor will have to pay more % of his income to a branded hospital than an unbranded one. Usually a good doctor with decent money in his pocket will open his own clinic and ppl throng to those clinics.
Hospital really make the mark in in-patient services like surgery, monitoring of patients and using of cutting edge technology for treatments, which cannot be provided by a doctor in a small clinic. Here a good corporation can ensure quality process, reliable service.
Hospitals can charge any amount of money and the patient cannot bargain and Hospitals can generate profit, but it just doesn’t make sense. Hospitals (just like education institutes) are for serving people. They should really be a Not For Profit organization. In some fields, charity and service mentality should be the focus, Hospital is one such field.
Fortis and Apollo are improving standards of the Hospitals in India and those professionalism is really necessary in this unorganized sector. These companies will sustain and generate enormous amount of profit.
But there is this eternal dilemma, if I go in as an investor I want them to make all possible tests for the patient, let him undergo a big surgery, let him be put in a monitoring unit for 3 days. Should I entertain a patient who is seeing a Physician or a patient with rare disease, let me go to the second one he will give me high margin. But the patient in me always wonders, are they doing this test because its best for me, or is it best for the shareholder!
What should be the agenda for these hospitals, to increase the revenue 3 folds in 5 years! Hospitals should really pray that their income should reduce, that they should close some of their hospitals (meaning Healthy nation)
‘Hospital for Profit’ is an oxymoron.

FMCG - no Pharma - Yes

FMCG, Pharma are both defensive stocks. But I frown at FMCG stocks and prefer Pharma for the following reasons:

1. FMCG has easily duplicatable products. All biscuit manufacturer have cream, marie, butter buiscuits and also take for eg huge player like HUL, which has several soaps. If Liril’s share is increased, it might be eating the Pears

2. Heavy.. very heavy Adv cost in FMCG and brutal price wars

3. People need new products or improved products every week

4. In Pharma the doctor chooses the best product and ppl don’t mind paying price

5. In Pharma even though we’ve generics, Doctor knows whats the best and they choose the leader

6. Unlike FMCG in Pharma there are fewer ppl who decide what to buy, its easy for the Pharma companies to sell to them

Change in my Investment Style

Initially I was investing in bulk per month say 5k/month in a single share – now I’ve changed it to 1k per week – different shares every week
I was initially worried about the loss, I was like if I invest in a share @100 and now it’s is 80, I’ve to invest in a lot more, so that I can average my money. That’s a dead trap, now I’m comfortable looking at the loss and if I believe that the fundamental is still fine I still don’t worry about keeping my loss low. If I find the share interesting I still buy only once a week that too only for 1k, so even if I’m wrong my loss is not substantial.
If the fundamental of the company changesor of the loss is huge – then I book my loss
I’m reasonably good in booking loss, but have not yet booked gains. I believe in staying long term (many many years and exiting only when I need money or if the fundamental changes)
I’ve to work on exit criteria. Should I make 10% stop loss a rule? I’m worried about unnecessary selling and again buying the same share, it will increase my transaction cost. My philosophy is don’t try to manage short term. A good stock even if I bought in 52 week high will still be a good appreciation after 5 years

PSU Stocks

Long long ago I used to travel in my company bus and I had a companion and we would speak about shares and mutual funds, at that time I was not into shares.
He once said, “Sundaram has launched PSU find”
I replied, “But how can anyone buy a PSU, it’s Govt company and they cannot really work only for profit”
He replied, “PSUs have good cash flow, stable business and many are monopoly”
Then why should Govt sell it, Govt was initially planning to sell sick units but now they are selling just about everything.
There are many star performing PSUs with Navratna, maha ratna status, but its still a govt company and it will have bureaucracy and they will not be as nimble as pvt company.
Govt is still a major stakeholder and they will be taking decisions based on what is good for nation, lets say the profit is low, they will not restructure the organization, they will not lay off. Lets say 1 of the vertical is a losing business, they might not shut it down. Govt will be worrying about communist and vote banks.
But, PSUs are still giving dividend, yes they are, but its may be because of the pending FPOs
Its good to buy Govt bonds, but not PSUs.

Disturbing Dialogue

In one of my previous projects, I was working on a proposal. I was not very much interested in working on that proposal, I already had a project in hand and I was asked to do something extra.
As things progressed, there was a delivery pressure on that proposal and there was this news going around that we may need to work over the weekend to complete that. I never liked the idea of working in a weekend that too for a proposal which I was not passionate about. I was like, “that’s not my main responsibility, why should I stretch for this?”
That Friday I met my manager and said, “I’d completed this and this and the proposal is in good shape.. blah.. blah.. tell me if I’ve to come over the weekend?”
“You tell me”, he said
I looked at him baffled.
He smiled and said, “You are working on this proposal and you know how much needs to be completed. If I want I can ask you to come over the weekend, but there is no glory in me doing that. You decide”
I silently walked back to my cubicle.

This particular dialogue was the most disturbing I ever heard. This incident never changed me, but as I look back this is the reminder on what I was lacking.

What’s the difference between ownership and just doing your work, caring and just trying to be politically correct?

What would you do?

“What! Your father is in hospital!! Don’t hesitate to call me if you need something”

Or

Do you just show up?

The Dance of Fire - Blurb

The Young man moved across the mountain ranges with sheer determination. He was on the move for many days, he knew that he was moving in mountains which were never visited by men, except may be for the Maker of Fire. He wanted the knowledge; he wanted to know how to make the fire. This single skill, this single technique would decide the survival of his clan.

Wrote this story recently. Please drop me a mail if you are interested in reading this story.