Dear Friends,
I thought I should share this incident with you all today before I forget it altogether.
I used to travel a lot between Hyderabad and chennai as my kids were studying in Chennai while my husband was working at Patancheru, near Hyderabad between the years 1987 and 1991.
In one of the train journeys two men from different backgrouds and I were talking about life in general. One gentleman who worked for the railways, was narrating how his life took a positive turn even while at school.
His granny had to bring up him and his sister as his parents died one after another when they were just around 5 and7 years old. He being the eldest had to do chores to be able to live with his grandma who was too old to work anymore. They were very poor. she could not afford to send him to school. But he was so much interested in going to school that he would go and sit outside class II and hear the lessons going on inside the class. Soon the headmaster caught him sitting there and upon enquiry found out that he was not a pupil of his school.
He took pity on this poor child and allowed him to sit inside the class for a few years until middle school. This boy studied very well.
His life was not easy either during non-school hours.
He recalled how he used to fill water from a well into a huge container in a rich man's house in the village from 5.30am. Those were days of no tap water.
The lady of the house would then give him the previous night's leftover rice and buttermilk. He would take it home so that his granny and sister could also share what little he got to eat.
Then he would have just enough time to have a bath and rush off to school. Come evening he would to odd jobs at some other houses and get to eat some food in the evening too.
When he reached 7th standard he had to pay fees and he had no money. His headmaster called him aside and told him he cannot help him anymore unless he paid his annual fees to attend his classes from then on.
A miracle then happened when he got money order to pay the annual fee each and every year without fail. The kind donor never revealed himself to this boy at all till the very end. He passed his 12 standard with good marks score.
Through an anonymous donor yet again he enrolled into college and finished his degree successfully, all the while working to keep the home fires burning through jobs at the village houses.
He then had an ambition to work in the railways and his joy knew no bounds when he got selected for a post in the signals department. His job was to teach and train workers on the signal systems in the department.
He said he got married and had kids. He got his sister married to a decent guy and she also had kids.
He said he never knew till date who was the donor of the fees every year. I said i guessed his head master could be the benevolent soul yet he was not so sure who did it and why he/she did it without taking any credit for such a noble act.
He was settled in life yet there was not a single day he would pray for this invisible, unheard and nameless soul.
This inspired me to think that there are so many good people around who just help out and dont bother about getting recognized or rewarded for such acts of kindness. May their tribes increase and make our world a loving and caring place to live.
Take care.
Mahalakshmi
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Marriages Are Made On Earth!
Dear Friends,
Yesterday my cousin conveyed the happy news of our nephew's daughter selecting her own life partner and of plans to get married to him this year end.
India is a land of different castes, caste within caste, of sub-castes! These things come into play in most Indian families when its time to look for marriage alliances.
With the information explosion, the IT sector booming and many going abroad, are factors which are responsible for our minds thinking progressively and accepting people from other castes and nationalities often into the family fold as brides for sons and grooms for daughters.
The trend is largely seen in youth who go abroad for studies, and/or settle down for work there itself. They take a lot of decisions on a day to day basis, make mistakes, rectify them through experience, they get a chance to mingle with different people who also may have come from some other country to study at a foreign university. The liking part comes when one finds another person useful or sympathetic, understanding, helping out in times of distress or crisis such as ill-health, financial problems, helping get the other a job, etc. There's a good impression formed due to a caring attitude which perhaps grows into love at a later stage to prompt marrying that person.
What a far cry from the process of selecting a groom or a bride even 10 years back from now! Then there is this business of exchanging horoscopes and matching them to see if the couple will be happy after marriage, have children, accumulate wealth, be healthy, etc. Slowly these things are taking a back seat. But horoscopes are never forgotten that easily. It is revived when one faces a turmoil from within and without at a later stage.
In a way it is good for one to select one's life partner if one comes across a suitable person who also reciprocates similar feelings for the other.
Many parents are still struggling to cope with this sudden change in countries like India which is yet to go a long way in this aspect. Many are not able to accept it fully. It will take more time. It will take mind sets to change to accept this new phenomenon. We have no clue that our children will decide for themselves. We left it to our elders to select our life partners through the usual search in the conventional way in the past and it is difficult for us to imagine that our kids will want to decide for themselves in this major area of life and living.
With internet and info boom youngsters have the advantage of seeing a prospective partner with the click of a few keys. And there are so many sites which facilitate such interactions.
Finally we should be happy if they are happy as a couple. They have their lives to live and we ours. Live and let live. We should cultivate hobbies for our old age where we keep ourselves busy with not much time for worries or complaints. I had the fortune to meet a wise and elderly woman in the neighbourhood recently. She summed it all up saying she has taken care of her children on her own without leaving them in anyone's house or under anyone's care. When they got married she visited them for some time but made it clear that they should take care of their children on their own as she herself did for her own. Though a strong opinion yet this works out in the long run to everyone's advantage. This way decisions are not forced by anyone on anyone. It is the dependance on someone which could make matters worse for all concerned (which was never taken as an interference in the past). These are days of so much tension for everything that even a small bit of advice or comment could rip the family apart with no peace for anyone. Make your own choices, make your own decisions but the wise kid is the one who talks to his or her elders and absorbs information which comes through experience and avoiding the avoidable pitfalls. Respect elders. Listen to their well-meaning advice. Live your life but keep the family informed of any important matters as we are humans and need to help each other during crisis times. Being balanced in interacting with people helps a lot. When one is happy one needs no one, when one goes through a crisis one needs people to share and comfort.
The family should meet often and spend time with each other as often as possible but living permanantly with children and their spouses should be restricted. The seems to be the brand new trend in modern times.
I am still the same old-fashioned person. I still have my own mom living with me for years together now. The thought of her living in 'home for the aged' brings tears to my eyes. She too has been very adjusting and I and my husband too have been adjusting. It is the intolerance which is the seed for all disagreements in all kinds of relationships. Beginning with the intolerance for family members, intolerance for neighbours, intolerance for other caste people around us, intolerance for those who are less wealthy than us, the list can go on and on..
If we realise that we have rented our bodies for some time and that shall turn to ashes soon will make us tread the path of tolerance for others.
If we learn to accept and tolerate a few things in life, it would be so easy to live and enjoy our lives to the fullest.
In conclusion, I am glad my nephew agreed to the alliance and did not stand in the way of his daughter's marriage plans with a non-brahmin boy. This is what is tolerance all about.
Cheers!
Mahalakshmi
Yesterday my cousin conveyed the happy news of our nephew's daughter selecting her own life partner and of plans to get married to him this year end.
India is a land of different castes, caste within caste, of sub-castes! These things come into play in most Indian families when its time to look for marriage alliances.
With the information explosion, the IT sector booming and many going abroad, are factors which are responsible for our minds thinking progressively and accepting people from other castes and nationalities often into the family fold as brides for sons and grooms for daughters.
The trend is largely seen in youth who go abroad for studies, and/or settle down for work there itself. They take a lot of decisions on a day to day basis, make mistakes, rectify them through experience, they get a chance to mingle with different people who also may have come from some other country to study at a foreign university. The liking part comes when one finds another person useful or sympathetic, understanding, helping out in times of distress or crisis such as ill-health, financial problems, helping get the other a job, etc. There's a good impression formed due to a caring attitude which perhaps grows into love at a later stage to prompt marrying that person.
What a far cry from the process of selecting a groom or a bride even 10 years back from now! Then there is this business of exchanging horoscopes and matching them to see if the couple will be happy after marriage, have children, accumulate wealth, be healthy, etc. Slowly these things are taking a back seat. But horoscopes are never forgotten that easily. It is revived when one faces a turmoil from within and without at a later stage.
In a way it is good for one to select one's life partner if one comes across a suitable person who also reciprocates similar feelings for the other.
Many parents are still struggling to cope with this sudden change in countries like India which is yet to go a long way in this aspect. Many are not able to accept it fully. It will take more time. It will take mind sets to change to accept this new phenomenon. We have no clue that our children will decide for themselves. We left it to our elders to select our life partners through the usual search in the conventional way in the past and it is difficult for us to imagine that our kids will want to decide for themselves in this major area of life and living.
With internet and info boom youngsters have the advantage of seeing a prospective partner with the click of a few keys. And there are so many sites which facilitate such interactions.
Finally we should be happy if they are happy as a couple. They have their lives to live and we ours. Live and let live. We should cultivate hobbies for our old age where we keep ourselves busy with not much time for worries or complaints. I had the fortune to meet a wise and elderly woman in the neighbourhood recently. She summed it all up saying she has taken care of her children on her own without leaving them in anyone's house or under anyone's care. When they got married she visited them for some time but made it clear that they should take care of their children on their own as she herself did for her own. Though a strong opinion yet this works out in the long run to everyone's advantage. This way decisions are not forced by anyone on anyone. It is the dependance on someone which could make matters worse for all concerned (which was never taken as an interference in the past). These are days of so much tension for everything that even a small bit of advice or comment could rip the family apart with no peace for anyone. Make your own choices, make your own decisions but the wise kid is the one who talks to his or her elders and absorbs information which comes through experience and avoiding the avoidable pitfalls. Respect elders. Listen to their well-meaning advice. Live your life but keep the family informed of any important matters as we are humans and need to help each other during crisis times. Being balanced in interacting with people helps a lot. When one is happy one needs no one, when one goes through a crisis one needs people to share and comfort.
The family should meet often and spend time with each other as often as possible but living permanantly with children and their spouses should be restricted. The seems to be the brand new trend in modern times.
I am still the same old-fashioned person. I still have my own mom living with me for years together now. The thought of her living in 'home for the aged' brings tears to my eyes. She too has been very adjusting and I and my husband too have been adjusting. It is the intolerance which is the seed for all disagreements in all kinds of relationships. Beginning with the intolerance for family members, intolerance for neighbours, intolerance for other caste people around us, intolerance for those who are less wealthy than us, the list can go on and on..
If we realise that we have rented our bodies for some time and that shall turn to ashes soon will make us tread the path of tolerance for others.
If we learn to accept and tolerate a few things in life, it would be so easy to live and enjoy our lives to the fullest.
In conclusion, I am glad my nephew agreed to the alliance and did not stand in the way of his daughter's marriage plans with a non-brahmin boy. This is what is tolerance all about.
Cheers!
Mahalakshmi
Monday, June 14, 2010
Setting Curds In Smaller Cups
Dear Friends,
My mother has always been very fond of curds. She likes it thick and a bit sour. We set it everyday. It’s a must for us as we cannot do without curds in our daily meals - both for lunch as well as for dinner.
It is a ritual to boil milk well. Pour into another pot or container and allow it to cool until it’s a bit warm to touch.
Then we add a few drops of curds in it.
We never use the same milk pan to set the curds in as the containers for milk and curds are dedicated and never allowed to intermingle.
This is done due to the fact that milk could spoil upon boiling if a container in which curd was set previously was not washed or cleaned properly.
A small content of curd sticking somewhere in the pan can spoil the fresh milk when it comes to boil.
In our childhood days, my mom used to pour out warm milk in smaller cups - 6 cups in all - for the entire family. Then she would add a drop or two of curds in each cup and allow it to stand until the milk could turn into curds in a few hours. Then she would hand out a cup each at meal times. It would be so much fun.
Today we had curds in individual, newly bought, colored melamine cups. My mom was so happy seeing them and recalled how we all as kids used to enjoy curds in cups.
This was like tapping a memory from the past.
Curds set in earthen cups are very tasty with a certain richness to it. I think that is primarily because the water in the milk to an extent, gets absorbed by the earthen cup naturally. That leaves only the thick milk to get set into curds. The layer of cream forms a tasty and creamy cover for the curd underneath. It is yummy to taste. In north India this is still followed in many places like Delhi, Mathura, Agra and parts of Hyderabad also. These earthen cups with curds are supplied in running trains and hotels have picked it up. Makes eco sense too to go green this way. Not to mention helping the potter make a livelihood out of making earthen ware.
3 cheers for curds in earthen ware!
Mahalakshmi
My mother has always been very fond of curds. She likes it thick and a bit sour. We set it everyday. It’s a must for us as we cannot do without curds in our daily meals - both for lunch as well as for dinner.
It is a ritual to boil milk well. Pour into another pot or container and allow it to cool until it’s a bit warm to touch.
Then we add a few drops of curds in it.
We never use the same milk pan to set the curds in as the containers for milk and curds are dedicated and never allowed to intermingle.
This is done due to the fact that milk could spoil upon boiling if a container in which curd was set previously was not washed or cleaned properly.
A small content of curd sticking somewhere in the pan can spoil the fresh milk when it comes to boil.
In our childhood days, my mom used to pour out warm milk in smaller cups - 6 cups in all - for the entire family. Then she would add a drop or two of curds in each cup and allow it to stand until the milk could turn into curds in a few hours. Then she would hand out a cup each at meal times. It would be so much fun.
Today we had curds in individual, newly bought, colored melamine cups. My mom was so happy seeing them and recalled how we all as kids used to enjoy curds in cups.
This was like tapping a memory from the past.
Curds set in earthen cups are very tasty with a certain richness to it. I think that is primarily because the water in the milk to an extent, gets absorbed by the earthen cup naturally. That leaves only the thick milk to get set into curds. The layer of cream forms a tasty and creamy cover for the curd underneath. It is yummy to taste. In north India this is still followed in many places like Delhi, Mathura, Agra and parts of Hyderabad also. These earthen cups with curds are supplied in running trains and hotels have picked it up. Makes eco sense too to go green this way. Not to mention helping the potter make a livelihood out of making earthen ware.
3 cheers for curds in earthen ware!
Mahalakshmi
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Gold - 2 (And Its Health Benefits).
Dear Friends,
The Hindu culture depicts almost all their gods and goddesses wearing heavy gold jewellery from top to toe. Is there some hidden meaning to all this?
Yes, I think so.
There are certain medicinal benefits associated with wearing gold in certain places of the body. Accupunture comes to my mind. Piercing the earlobes and nose to wear gold earrings and nose rings are fine examples of accupuncture. These are believed to enhance not only our beauty but also our health.
In ancient times, our wise ancestors recommended the benefits to health by wearing gold on our person and intake of gold in ash form (thanga bhasmam) for strength.
It is not without reason that the famed Chyavanprash, an ancient tonic, a mix of ingredients like gooseberry, gold ash, etc., prepared through a special process into a gooey form and ingested for general health upkeep, strength and immunity from colds and chest congestions. It is a very popular tonic to date in India.
These were the benefits of the precious metal from time immemorial.
The royals had special dishes made by adding ashes of gold to them.
And even to this day, we see sweets garnished with gold foil and silver foil all, perhaps due to its health benefits.
The precious metal's immense benefits both for internal consumption and external wear cannot but be underlined. Perhaps modern medical research will one day reveal the secret curing properties of gold but some say its already there in our ancient books of medicine.
It was perhaps in this context gold had gained so much importance enough to tempt men to hoard it.
Hoard we did and made a such a big business out of gold.
Cheers!
Mahalakshmi
The Hindu culture depicts almost all their gods and goddesses wearing heavy gold jewellery from top to toe. Is there some hidden meaning to all this?
Yes, I think so.
There are certain medicinal benefits associated with wearing gold in certain places of the body. Accupunture comes to my mind. Piercing the earlobes and nose to wear gold earrings and nose rings are fine examples of accupuncture. These are believed to enhance not only our beauty but also our health.
In ancient times, our wise ancestors recommended the benefits to health by wearing gold on our person and intake of gold in ash form (thanga bhasmam) for strength.
It is not without reason that the famed Chyavanprash, an ancient tonic, a mix of ingredients like gooseberry, gold ash, etc., prepared through a special process into a gooey form and ingested for general health upkeep, strength and immunity from colds and chest congestions. It is a very popular tonic to date in India.
These were the benefits of the precious metal from time immemorial.
The royals had special dishes made by adding ashes of gold to them.
And even to this day, we see sweets garnished with gold foil and silver foil all, perhaps due to its health benefits.
The precious metal's immense benefits both for internal consumption and external wear cannot but be underlined. Perhaps modern medical research will one day reveal the secret curing properties of gold but some say its already there in our ancient books of medicine.
It was perhaps in this context gold had gained so much importance enough to tempt men to hoard it.
Hoard we did and made a such a big business out of gold.
Cheers!
Mahalakshmi
Gold As An Investment Option
Dear Friends,
We Indians invest in gold in the form of jewellery which is usually not pure 24 carat gold. It is 22 carat gold with some copper added to give it shape and as pure gold is not so strong.
There was and is such a craze in buying gold all the time irrespective of what price it is selling per gram. Many resort to exchanging old ones for new. Hidden costs are added in new purchases and a few grams hived off from the total weight while selling old gold. Old gold never fetches ready money. These are days of 'exchange of new for old'. In this sense is this really an investment at all? Yes, one can mortgage gold and get a gold loan.
In today’s times keeping gold at home could be risky as it could get stolen and overnight one could become poor. Keeping them at a bank’s safe locker has no purpose and on top, we have to rent a locker which means spend additionally on locker rents every month.
Usually these are gold ornaments - necklaces, bracelets, chains, bangles, earrings, finger rings, etc., which come in various designs. A woman wears them when she goes visiting relatives, friends, to show off her worth at functions such as marriages and other auspicious occassions.
There have been instances where families having worked hard to save and buy up on gold for their daughters' weddings given away as 'stree dhan' which means the personal assets of the bride, had lost it to thieves.
Everyday wear should be simple and minimum as it is cumbersome to attend to household chores with all that jewellery on person. So much of the possession is usually locked away in a safe place like an almirah or wardrobe for easy access at any time.
Since women tend to show off their personal worth through gold ornaments they do attract attention to themselves. Gold is a precious metal having value and the have-nots are tempted to steal jewellery if there is a chance to. Many burglaries get reported in the newspapers day in and day out. In states like Tamil Nadu, Kerala gold jewellery is flaunted at weddings, etc., burglars and thieves are always on the look out for women who bedeck themselves. I see so many women wearing so much jewelley even while travelling on overnight journeys in trains and buses. There is so much risk involved in such acts.
Previously it was only house breaks we used to hear. These are days of daring daylight robbery where chain snatching when women walk on the road alone or even when they are accompanied by men as escorts occurs more often! The chains are jerked off the necks of women. Most times there are minor injuries on the neck due to this. More than the physical injury it is the mental injury which cannot be cured in a long time.
It is normal for ladies to wear a single gold chain, gold ear-rings and a pair of gold bangles as everyday wear. Even these are not spared by gold snatchers these days. It is not safe anymore to flaunt jewellery at all without attracting unwanted attention.
The mistakes women commit is to 'talk' about how much gold they have and where they have kept safe!! Someone who overhears such conversation will know where to find and how much to find.
There was an instance of a couple travelling to some other city out of Chennai. They hired an auto. Since there was heavy luggage the man of the house got the auto home to load and on the way, the couple started having deep conversations about whether the other had locked this and that at home and whether the key was kept in a particular place 'safely, etc., etc. They were blissfully unaware that there was a third and unknown person travelling in the same auto - the auto driver. Now this driver had to just drive back to their home after leaving them at the railway station to clean up their place of all valuables!! He did just that. It was another matter that the police could reconstruct events and caught hold of the auto driver who confessed to the crime and revealed how he came to know about the exact location where the keys and the valuables were kept.
In many households similar is the thing with talking or flaunting wealth before servants at home. Even if she is trustworthy she may be talking about it to someone else innocently.
Some wear lots of jewellery and try to hide it from everyone by covering it all up with their saree ends! Why wear them in the first place at all?
Some like to wear but get fidgety when others look at their jewellery even if it be for admiring the beauty of the gold!
Yet many put their kids to risk by decking them up with gold chains and necklaces while attending functions. Many are instances of the kids getting lost altogether or kidnapped or harmed by thieves. Kids being kids, they get tempted by sweets or chocolates offered by these strangers.
An element of risk is always there in gold and keeping it at home adds to sleepless nights. If kept in a bank safe, when brought home on occassions, many are instances where they get stolen between wearing them out and keeping them at home for a day or two before finding time to go to the bank to lock them up yet again.
There are instances of theives knowing well in advance about the ripe time to target their victims/houses. Festivals like Vishu (Tamil and Malayalam New Year's day), Navratri, Diwali, weddings at home, etc. when jewellery is taken out to be worn and shown around. These are seen as opportunities to make away with valuables by theives.
Is this all worth buying gold? Why this mad rush for this metal? Should we show our worth only by our possessions such as gold and platinum? Is our social standing so much more important than our personal and physical safety at all times? *Why should we wear gold on our person? *(More on why we wear gold in my next blog!).
Men used gold as a measure of their riches by decking up their women in as much gold as she could carry.
Now men have started competing with women in wearing thick chains, finger rings, bracelets, watch straps made in thick gold, etc. Men too have been attacked and their valuables stolen in recent times as prices of gold keep soaring.
When compared to gold as investment, shares are a good option to invest in provided they are long term ones. One can see money in shares and stocks provided we have free money to invest with no future need for locking it up at least for 2 to 3 years. The returns are good, the liquidity is high, you may maintain a low profile too at the same time.
Even then any investment in too much gold or too much in shares has its own risk. Play it safe, never having to feel sorry about losing it what you worked hard to save.
Cheers!
Mahalakshmi
We Indians invest in gold in the form of jewellery which is usually not pure 24 carat gold. It is 22 carat gold with some copper added to give it shape and as pure gold is not so strong.
There was and is such a craze in buying gold all the time irrespective of what price it is selling per gram. Many resort to exchanging old ones for new. Hidden costs are added in new purchases and a few grams hived off from the total weight while selling old gold. Old gold never fetches ready money. These are days of 'exchange of new for old'. In this sense is this really an investment at all? Yes, one can mortgage gold and get a gold loan.
In today’s times keeping gold at home could be risky as it could get stolen and overnight one could become poor. Keeping them at a bank’s safe locker has no purpose and on top, we have to rent a locker which means spend additionally on locker rents every month.
Usually these are gold ornaments - necklaces, bracelets, chains, bangles, earrings, finger rings, etc., which come in various designs. A woman wears them when she goes visiting relatives, friends, to show off her worth at functions such as marriages and other auspicious occassions.
There have been instances where families having worked hard to save and buy up on gold for their daughters' weddings given away as 'stree dhan' which means the personal assets of the bride, had lost it to thieves.
Everyday wear should be simple and minimum as it is cumbersome to attend to household chores with all that jewellery on person. So much of the possession is usually locked away in a safe place like an almirah or wardrobe for easy access at any time.
Since women tend to show off their personal worth through gold ornaments they do attract attention to themselves. Gold is a precious metal having value and the have-nots are tempted to steal jewellery if there is a chance to. Many burglaries get reported in the newspapers day in and day out. In states like Tamil Nadu, Kerala gold jewellery is flaunted at weddings, etc., burglars and thieves are always on the look out for women who bedeck themselves. I see so many women wearing so much jewelley even while travelling on overnight journeys in trains and buses. There is so much risk involved in such acts.
Previously it was only house breaks we used to hear. These are days of daring daylight robbery where chain snatching when women walk on the road alone or even when they are accompanied by men as escorts occurs more often! The chains are jerked off the necks of women. Most times there are minor injuries on the neck due to this. More than the physical injury it is the mental injury which cannot be cured in a long time.
It is normal for ladies to wear a single gold chain, gold ear-rings and a pair of gold bangles as everyday wear. Even these are not spared by gold snatchers these days. It is not safe anymore to flaunt jewellery at all without attracting unwanted attention.
The mistakes women commit is to 'talk' about how much gold they have and where they have kept safe!! Someone who overhears such conversation will know where to find and how much to find.
There was an instance of a couple travelling to some other city out of Chennai. They hired an auto. Since there was heavy luggage the man of the house got the auto home to load and on the way, the couple started having deep conversations about whether the other had locked this and that at home and whether the key was kept in a particular place 'safely, etc., etc. They were blissfully unaware that there was a third and unknown person travelling in the same auto - the auto driver. Now this driver had to just drive back to their home after leaving them at the railway station to clean up their place of all valuables!! He did just that. It was another matter that the police could reconstruct events and caught hold of the auto driver who confessed to the crime and revealed how he came to know about the exact location where the keys and the valuables were kept.
In many households similar is the thing with talking or flaunting wealth before servants at home. Even if she is trustworthy she may be talking about it to someone else innocently.
Some wear lots of jewellery and try to hide it from everyone by covering it all up with their saree ends! Why wear them in the first place at all?
Some like to wear but get fidgety when others look at their jewellery even if it be for admiring the beauty of the gold!
Yet many put their kids to risk by decking them up with gold chains and necklaces while attending functions. Many are instances of the kids getting lost altogether or kidnapped or harmed by thieves. Kids being kids, they get tempted by sweets or chocolates offered by these strangers.
An element of risk is always there in gold and keeping it at home adds to sleepless nights. If kept in a bank safe, when brought home on occassions, many are instances where they get stolen between wearing them out and keeping them at home for a day or two before finding time to go to the bank to lock them up yet again.
There are instances of theives knowing well in advance about the ripe time to target their victims/houses. Festivals like Vishu (Tamil and Malayalam New Year's day), Navratri, Diwali, weddings at home, etc. when jewellery is taken out to be worn and shown around. These are seen as opportunities to make away with valuables by theives.
Is this all worth buying gold? Why this mad rush for this metal? Should we show our worth only by our possessions such as gold and platinum? Is our social standing so much more important than our personal and physical safety at all times? *Why should we wear gold on our person? *(More on why we wear gold in my next blog!).
Men used gold as a measure of their riches by decking up their women in as much gold as she could carry.
Now men have started competing with women in wearing thick chains, finger rings, bracelets, watch straps made in thick gold, etc. Men too have been attacked and their valuables stolen in recent times as prices of gold keep soaring.
When compared to gold as investment, shares are a good option to invest in provided they are long term ones. One can see money in shares and stocks provided we have free money to invest with no future need for locking it up at least for 2 to 3 years. The returns are good, the liquidity is high, you may maintain a low profile too at the same time.
Even then any investment in too much gold or too much in shares has its own risk. Play it safe, never having to feel sorry about losing it what you worked hard to save.
Cheers!
Mahalakshmi
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