After coming to Saudi arabia, I started my research on "Use of Carnatic ragams in Tamil Film Music" mainly as an activity to kill time. To my surprise, I could find so many websites extending a helping hand to me, infact making my job easy and my hobby very interesting. Slowly I started associating songs under same ragam reasonably well. But the basic problem is identifying the ragam on my own as I dont know the basics. Unless you know the theory well, like the aaroganam and avarohanam of each raga, to which group it belongs to in the 72 melakartha ragams and all, it is difficult to identify the ragam,though you may identify songs in the same ragam. Maybe I can do that to abt 1000 songs now under say 60 ragams becaz virtually I have memorised the list. Indha seriousness-i C.A padikkumbothey kaatiyirundha may be 1st attempt-laye pass panniyirukkalam. Vidhi yaara vittudhu.
Among the most used ragam in TAMIL Film Music is MOHANAM. Yesterday I got the 50th song in my list of Mohanam songs. And for any music director, tuning in a song in the ragam Mohanam is like anybody, men or women, making UrulaiKizhangu Curry. It is the easiest to make without getting it wrong and so if anybody says his wife/her husband is making Urulaikizhangu Curry well, dont come to the conclusion that she/he should be a good cook.
Among my list of Mohanam songs the best is a song in an old movie - Marudha Naatu Veeran - the song is "Paruvam paarthu arugil Vandhum Vetkamaa" sung by our great TMS. It is in perfect mohanam notes without any outside notes(anniya swaram) with simple Tabla background. Many of you might have born in Illayaraja era(after 1976) and so would have heard mostly his songs. Hear this song of TMS and send your comments. Of course I.R has tuned some wonderful songs in Mohanam and my top 3 of those will be Geetham Sangeetham(Film Kokkarakko), Poovil Vandu Koodum(Film Kadhal Ooviyam) and Idhayam Oru Kovil(film Idhayam oru kovil) and all the 3 songs sung by SPB( who has sung 30000 songs in his 40 yrs - that is an average of 2 songs a day from 1966-2006)

27/05/2007 - Sunday

Today is the 1st time I am away from my daughter who is celebrating her 20th Birthday back home.
Ippadhan parandha - ippadhan school poga aramicha - ipadhan college sendha - adhukulla final yr exam ezhudhi velaikku poga poralla - nambave mudiyallai.
Ok That reminds me - I am also aging.
innum rednu moonu varushathile kalyanam - marakkaama Oru patta paadanum - adhu - "Punnagaiyum Ponnagaiyum Neengadha Selvamai Nalamodu vazha ulamaara Vaizhthugiren" - Indha ad jingle-a pakkum/paadum podhu ellam sirippum azhugaiyum kalandha oru feeling - Happy birthday kittus

Dear friends,
The expected move from the Central bank of China happened over the weekend. They have increased both the deposit rates & the bank reserve ratio to bring down liquidity & cool down the over heated economy and to reduce the investors' risk in case of a bubble burst in their Stock market. Our memeory is still fresh as to how the world markets reacted so much in panic during the last fall in China Stock market 2 months back. Is it going to be the May Month effect I referred to in my last post? Dont Know. But the fact that the exchange regulatory authorities talk of a possible bubble has to be taken seriously, I suppose.
With U.S.dollar weakening, the I.T companies with large dependence on dollar exports are already feeling the pinch. Interest rates are sufficiently high enough to attract lot of money to debts, being risk free.
With so much being talked abt Indian Economic Growth & Stock market Boom, only the early investors(as usual) who got in during 2003-04 & are staying invested till now are seeing big gains. On a year on year basis, from 18th may 2006 to 17th May 2007 - Index has given 18-19% return P.A which is good but nothing extraordinary. And remember the golden rule - The higer the base the steeper can be the fall. So be on the guard & adjust your portfolio accordingly and take only that much risk which you can withstand.
Happy Investing.

Hi Friends,
I have been reading a book "The Little Book of Value Investing" by Christopher Browne. He has been a successful investor for decades now and he gives lot of insights into VALUE INVESTING.
These basically include buying stocks that are cheap compared to either their earning or intrinsic /asset value.

This is nothing new to what most of the Big Time investors including Warren Buffet say. Mr.Buffet specifically mentions of great buying opportunities when a good company faces an one-time massive but solvable problem. Identifying that is where the money is.In fact when "American Express" was in a similar situation only, Warren Buffet bought a huge chunk of its shares which has given him and his shareholders phenomenal profits.

I remember very clearly a similar situation in Indian market. After TATAS decided to go ahead with their Car Project, they incurred a loss of 500Cr's at one point and market was throwing away TELCO shares for as low as Rs.58/- in April 2001. In fact for a whole year from Sept 2000 to Oct 2001 the share was trading below Rs.100/- But in 6 yrs the stock has given a return of more than 1000% as it peaked last May 2006 at Rs.997/- Now all the investment analysts & fund managers are calling it a blue chip but it has given a negative return of 24.4% on a year on year basis.

I have identified few such companies which has a potential of giving huge returns in 5-6 years which I have been recommending to my paid subscribers. Write to me for more details at dailyalways@hotmail.com

Happy Investing & Have a great week end.

Here are some ways to eliminate BLACK MONDAYS in May in future

1. Declare all mondays in the month of may as Trading holidays - but if SEBI agrees NSE many not agree for it and will ask for compensation days as saturdays or even sundays as their revenue thro Turnover Fees will get affected.

2. Put an order that market can only go up & not come down - like JKB singing in a song in Sindhu Bhairavi(tamil movie by K.Balachander) only in arohanam(ascending scale) and not in avarohanam(decending scale)

More suggestions are welcome