"...ek number ka dhakkan hai tu..." remarked a very close friend.

"...ek number ka dhakkan hai tu..." remarked a very close friend. ["you are an idiot of the first order"]

It was around 2005-06 when I began my career, armed with a modest salary and savings. As a Gujju, delving into the stock market was inevitable. I started investing based on recommendations from friends and calls in the Economic Times. Though I had my share of ups and downs initially, a clear trend emerged:

- If any stock ran up a bit, I would sell it off thinking "Bahut badh gaya hai, ab girega..." [It's risen too much, a fall is imminent.]

- If a stock remained stagnant for 5 to 6 months, I'd sell, believing, "iska kuch nahi hoga" [This one's going nowhere.]

- If a stock started declining, I'd hold onto it, convinced, "Bahut gir gaya hai, ab badhega..." [It's fallen too much, it'll bounce back.]

While I made some profits, I often sold good stocks prematurely, missing out on further gains. The gains were overshadowed by unrealized losses from falling stocks. Eventually, I realized my friend was right, and the stock market wasn't suited to my psyche.

This principle probably applies to many aspects of life, including careers. One needs to continue when times are good, hang on when the action momentarily pauses, and know when to cut losses and move on when things take a steep downturn. Often, we exit promising roles or firms due to perceived lack of opportunities or stagnation, when patience might have yielded rewards. Conversely, we sometimes cling to unfavorable situations hoping for a turnaround, ignoring underlying issues.

Recently, I watched a 3-minute (hindi) interview of Pankaj Tripathi discussing the concept of 'Thehrao' (stability) in the final 50 seconds of the video ( link to youtube video). 'Thehrao' is often both underrated and understated in some aspects of our lives.

On that note, I'm delighted to announce my "Presidential" journey progressing from 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗩𝗶𝗰𝗲 to 𝗩𝗶𝗰𝗲 and now 𝗘𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗩𝗶𝗰𝗲 President with Marsh McLennan & Marsh India. I've navigated growth and plateaus, recognizing that learning never stops and that solid fundamentals always pay off.

This time, I'm certain I've found a multibagger stock, and I'm holding onto it ! :)

"...somebody help me!!..." cried the little boy

"...somebody help me!!..." cried the little boy in pain as he recovered from the tumble.

I was waiting in the school compound for my daughter to finish her classes and come down. The ground floor lobby of the school connected to the school compound via a short flight of stairs. After a while, a child, approximately 6 to 9 years old, came running down the lobby and leaped from the lobby onto the compound, jumping over 3-4 levels of stairs. The landing probably wasn't as smooth as he anticipated. He took a tumble and likely sprained his leg in the process.

He immediately screamed for help, and a couple of boys nearby came to lend him a hand. "No, wait, it's painful. Stay away!" he yelled when they tried to pull him up. There was a lady security guard standing there who rushed over. "Why did you run and jump?" she asked, furrowing her brow. "I wasn't running," declared the child in a loud tone. A few moments later, a class teacher passed by and inquired about what happened. "Teacher, I slipped on the stairs," said the child, probably knowing he couldn't confess about his daredevil act of jumping over them. The teacher consoled him and asked him to try to get up, but the child remained on the floor.

A minute later, a gentleman with a mustache arrived at the scene. He wore a cap and the back of his jacket had the word "Coach" printed on it. He also inquired about the situation. "Sir, I was coming down the stairs, and someone plonked their foot, making me fall," claimed the child now, as I stood there like a helpless third umpire whom no one was going to consult to know the actual facts. Coach sir was firm, like any other coach would be. Without engaging in any conversation, he held both hands of the child and asked him to get up. Eventually, with some encouragement, the child limped out of the ground.

The behavior the little kid exhibited wasn't totally unexpected for his age. "Lies" would be too strong a term for what he did. The manipulation of the scene was probably done by his mind as an act of self-defense from possible reprimanding he would have received had he stated facts each time. The degree of fact manipulation increased based on the authority he was interacting with.

While such manipulation by adults is definitely not appreciated and is looked down upon, it's not all that uncommon either. When one is cornered (for a mistake they committed, for underperforming, or for something they know they could be reprimanded for), one starts defending their position by resorting to manipulation of facts, sometimes harmless and at times grave. Some get away with it sometimes, and some don't, based on the gravity of the situation and authority involved. Usually, the degree of manipulation in facts increases with rising authority as well.

Staying silent or accepting the deed, rather than getting sucked into such a spiraling web by resorting to manipulations, is probably difficult but the right thing to do.