Finance – Page 19 – Take off with Natarajan

Flipkart… Answer to US Giant Amazon …Amazing Performance !!!

March 9, 2014March 9, 2014NatarajanLeave a comment

Flipkart, India’s answer to US online giant Amazon, said Saturday its sales would cross the milestone $1 billion-mark this year, ahead of schedule, in the country’s exploding e-commerce market.

Founded in 2007 by two ex-Amazon.com employees and university friends, Flipkart.com has become India’s biggest shopping portal hit and has drawn backers such as New-York based venture capitalists Tiger Global Management LLC.

“In March 2011 we announced by 2015 we wanted to hit $1 billion” in sales when they stood at just $10 million, said founders Sanchin Bansal and Binny Bansal, who happen to share the same surname but are unrelated.

Now the privately held firm expects to hit $1 billion in sales “one year before our target” which means “we’ve grown 100 times in the last three years,” the pair, who pool operational responsibilities, said in a statement.

The figures reinforce Flipkart’s leadership position in the Indian e-retail market.

The founders, now both 32, said they were “happy and proud” at the progress of Flipkart in which they invested an initial $10,000.

The Bansals are seen as typical of the new risk-ready breed of entrepreneurs that has emerged in India amid years of fast economic growth, relying not on inherited wealth but their own-start up talents to launch businesses.

“E-merchandise retailing sales stood at $1.6 billion in 2013. By 2018, we think they will be $14 billion and in 2023 they will reach $60 billion,” Saloni Nangia, president of leading consultancy Technopak Advisors, told AFP.

While there were already Indian online sellers, Flipkart helped sales take off by allowing customers to pay cash-on-delivery, a move Nangia calls a “game-changer”.

An increasing number of Indians are going online but they are uncomfortable giving credit card details over the Internet. Others do not have a credit card and the Flipkart method allows them to place orders.

“This cash-on-delivery system helped consumers gain trust in online shopping — they saw products arrive,” Nangia said.

Flipkart began selling books but then expanded to mobile phones, televisions, cameras, computers and home appliances.

It has yet to report a profit in the fiercely competitive market with its nearest rival, eBay-backed Snapdeal, targeting $1 billion turnover by mid-decade. The world’s biggest online retailer, Amazon, also entered the market last June.

More retailers are seen going online as real estate is costly “so it makes it hard to have bricks-and-mortar stores”, said Nangia.

India’s vast young population, rapidly embracing the Internet, would “drive the e-tailing story”, she added.

Now, months after putting retail store plans in India on hold, the world’s largest retailer, Walmart, is readying a major e-merchandising push in the country based on the Amazon model, media reports say.

source:::::google news site

natarajan

Singapore …. Now the World”s Costliest City …

March 5, 2014March 5, 2014NatarajanLeave a comment

The soaring cost of cars and utilities as well as a strong currency have made Singapore the world’s most expensive city, toppling Tokyo from the top spot, according to a survey Tuesday.

Tokyo’s weakening yen saw it slide to sixth place, the position previously occupied by Singapore, in the 2014 Worldwide Cost of Living survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).

“Singapore’s rising price prominence has been steady rather than spectacular,” said a report accompanying the survey by the research firm.

It said a 40 percent rise in the Singapore dollar along with “solid price inflation” pushed the country to the top of the twice-yearly survey from 18th a decade ago.

The survey, which examines prices across 160 products and services in 140 cities, is aimed at helping companies calculate allowances for executives being sent overseas.

The report said Singapore’s curbs on car ownership, which include a quota system and high taxes, made it “significantly more expensive than any other location when it comes to running a car”.

A new Toyota Corolla Altis costs $110,000 in Singapore compared to around $35,000 in neighboring Malaysia.

Overall transport costs in Singapore are almost three times higher than those in New York, it said.

“In addition, as a city-state with very few natural resources to speak of, Singapore is reliant on other countries for energy and water supplies, making it the third most expensive destination for utility costs,” the report said.

It also noted that Singapore is the priciest place in the world to buy clothes, as malls and boutiques in its popular Orchard Road retail hub import luxury European brands to “satisfy a wealthy and fashion-conscious consumer base”.

Singapore has one of the world’s highest concentrations of millionaires relative to its 5.4 million population. Its per capita income of more than $51,000 in 2012 masks a widening income gap between the richest and poorest.

In Europe, Paris rose six places to become the world’s second most expensive city, a trend the EIU said was indicative of recovering European prices and currencies.

“Improving sentiment in structurally expensive European cities combined with the continued rise of Asian hubs means that these two regions continue to supply most of the world’s most expensive cities,” Jon Copestake, the editor of the report, said in a statement.

The report said European cities were among the priciest in the recreation and entertainment categories, reflecting “a greater premium on discretionary income”.

New York, which serves as the base city for the survey, was ranked 26th, while Sydney and Melbourne came in at fifth and sixth respectively owing to a strong Australian dollar.

Caracas was tied at sixth with Melbourne, Geneva and Tokyo, but the EIU said the Venezuelan capital’s position was largely due to the imposition of an artificially high official exchange rate.

“If alternative black market rates were applied Caracas would comfortably become the world’s cheapest city in which to live,” it said.

India’s financial centre Mumbai was ranked the world’s least expensive city, joining other South Asian cities including Karachi, New Delhi and Kathmandu in the bottom of the pile.

The five most expensive cities were judged to be Singapore, Paris, Oslo, Zurich and Sydney in descending order. Caracas, Geneva, Melbourne and Tokyo were tied at sixth place while Copenhagen was tenth.

source::::Business Insider India

natarajan

” வாடிய பயிரை பார்க்கும் போது வாடும் ஒரு மனிதர் …”

March 1, 2014NatarajanLeave a comment

ஜோலார்பேட்டை ரயில் நிலையம் அருகில் வாணியம்பாடி செல்லும் சாலையோரத்தில் இருக்கிறது ஏலகிரி ஓட்டல். அங்குச் சாப்பிட்டுவிட்டுச் சிலர் பணம் கொடுக்காமல் வணக்கம் மட்டும் தெரிவித்து விட்டுச் செல்கின்றனர். கல்லாவில் இருந்தவரும் காசு கேட்பதில்லை. பணத்துக்குப் பதில் வணக்கம் செலுத்தினால் போதுமா? விசாரித்தபோதுதான் மேலே தொங்கிக்கொண்டிருந்த சிலேட்டுப் பலகைகளைக் காட்டினார். விஷயம் புரிந்தது.

‘முதியோர், ஊனமுற்றோர்களுக்கு காலை 8 முதல் 11 மணி வரை இலவச உணவு’ (100 பேர் வரை), ‘பால் வாங்கப் பணமில்லையென்றால் குழந்தைகளுக்கு இலவசமாகப் பால்’, ‘வாரம் 100 மாணவர்களுக்கு இலவசமாக பேனா அல்லது பென்சில்’, ‘1 முதல் 8ம் வகுப்பு வரையிலான மாணவர்களுக்கு காலை முதல் மாலை வரை பாதி விலையில் உணவு’ இந்த அறிவுப்புகள் சிலேட்டுப் பலகைகளில் சாக்பீஸால் எழுதப்பட்டிருந்தன.

ஆச்சரியத்துடன் கேட்டால், “பணத்துக்காக வாழ்றதில்லிங்க; வாழ்றதுக்குதாங்க பணம்” பெரிய தத்துவத்தை எளிதாகச் சொல்கிறார் இந்த ஓட்டலின் உரிமையாளர் நாகராஜ். அவர் இந்தச் சேவையை 25 ஆண்டுக்கும் மேலாகச் செய்துவருகிறார். ஒரு நாளைக்கு ஏறக்குறைய 100 பேர் வரை இந்த ஓட்டலை நம்பியே காலம் தள்ளுகின்றனர்.

ஜோலார்பேட்டை ரயில் நிலையம் வட மற்றும் தென் தமிழகம், கர்நாடகம் மற்றும் ஆந்திரத்தை இணைக்கும் முக்கியச் சந்திப்பு. இந்த நிலையத்தைக் கடந்ததுதான் அனைத்து ரயில்களும் பயணிக்கின்றன.

பயணத்தின்போது காலி தண்ணீர் பாட்டிலை ஜன்னல் வழியே வீசுவதைப்போல குடும்பத்தில் பாரமென கருதப்படும் மனிதர்களை ரயிலில் அழைத்து வந்து இங்கே இறக்கிவிட்டுச் சென்று விடுகின்றனர். அவர்கள் பெரும்பாலும் முதியவர்கள் மற்றும் மனநிலை பாதிக்கப்பட்டவர்கள். மாதந்தோறும் குறைந்தபட்சம் 15 பேராவது இப்படி அனாதைகளாகத் தனித்து விடப்படுகின்றனர்.

திக்குத் தெரியாமல் தவிக்கும் அவர்கள் ஜோலார்பேட்டையிலேயே சுற்றித்திரிகின்றனர். இவர்களுக்கு இந்த ஓட்டல் ஒரு அன்னச் சத்திரமாக இருக்கிறது. “பசி என்ற உணர்வு மட்டும்தான் சுயநினைவு இல்லாத வருக்குக்கூட உணவு நமக்கு தேவை என்பதை உணர்த்து கிறது” என்கிறார் நாகராஜ்.

இவர்கள் தவிர சுற்றுவட்டாரங்களில் வீடுகளில் கவனிக்க முடியாத நிலையில் இருக்கும் முதியவர்களுக்குத் தேவையான உணவை அவர்களது குடும்பத்தினர் வந்து இலவசமாக பார்சல் வாங்கிச் செல்லலாம். நாகராஜின் மனைவி சுஜாதாவும் தன் கணவரின் இந்தத் தொண்டுக்குப் பக்கபலமாக இருக்கிறார்.

மிகச் சின்ன வருமானத்தில் இதையெல்லா எப்படிச் சமாளிக்கிறீர்கள் என்ற கேள்விக்கு, “இவர்களுக் கென்று தனியாக உலை வைக்கப்போதில்லை. வழக்க மாக சமைக்கும் அளவோடு கொஞ்சம் கூடுதலாக சமைக்கிறேன். 5 கிலோ மாவு புரோட்டோ போட்டாலும் 10 கிலோ மாவு போட்டாலும் மாஸ்டருக்கு ஒரே கூலிதான். எரிபொருளும் ஏறக்குறைய ஒரே அளவில்தான் செலவா கிறது.

சில ஆயிரம் ரூபாய் வருவாய் இழப்புதான் என்றாலும் எனக்கு குடும்பம் நடத்தத் தேவையான லாபம் கிடைக்கிறது. மனதுக்கும் சந்தோஷமாக இருக்கிறது” என்கிறார் வாடிய பயிரைக் கண்டபோதெல்லாம் ‘வாடி நிற்கும்’ நாகராஜ்.

Keywords: இலவச உணவு, அன்னதானம், மனித்நேயம்,

Topics:

சமூகம்|பதிவுகள்|பார்வைகள்|பொது|

source:::::The Hindu….Tamil

natarajan

Facebook “Likes” ‘WhatsApp’ !!!

February 20, 2014NatarajanLeave a comment

The frenzy to acquire fast-growing technology start-ups reached new heights on Thursday as Facebook announced its largest acquisition ever, saying it would pay at least $16 billion for WhatsApp, a text messaging application with 450 million users around the world who pay little or no money for it.

The hefty price signals the lengths to which Facebook’s co-founder & chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, will go to protect his company’s turf as the dominant social network on the web, and is sure to fuel the debate on whether consumer internet companies are overvalued.

Facebook, based in Menlo Park, California, will pay $4 billion in cash and $12 billion worth of shares for WhatsApp. But the ultimate cost of the deal could rise to $19 billion, with WhatsApp employees and founders receiving an additional $3 billion in restricted stock units, which would vest over the next four years.

By any measure, Facebook is paying a steep price for a service that is widely used internationally but is less known in the US. WhatsApp does not sell advertising and has very little revenue. It charges users a flat fee of $1 a year to use the service, and the first year is free.

The purchase price dwarfs the $1 billion Facebook paid for photo-sharing service Instagram. At the time of that deal in 2012, critics assailed Facebook for overpaying, and this megadeal is sure to attract similar scrutiny. And, the price is also much higher than the $3 billion Facebook unsuccessfully offered to acquire Snapchat, another messaging service, late last year.

But Zuckerberg is clearly willing to spend big to acquire hot messaging technologies, which typically attract younger people more than Facebook does.

“Facebook is constantly working to not lose anybody,” said Nate Elliott, an analyst with Forrester Research. “Sometimes that’s them innovating on their own, sometimes mimicking competitors, and sometimes buying competitors.”

The acquisition also reflects a new strategy at Facebook: The company intends to acquire or build a family of applications instead of simply buttressing its core social network.

Now a 10-year-old social network with 1.2 billion users globally, Facebook has become so ubiquitous in many countries that it risks losing some of the attention of users.

In buying WhatsApp, which is growing faster than its rival Twitter and other social services, Facebook gains access to customers who prefer communicating one-on-one or with very small groups rather than sharing information more widely.

source::::Business Standard

natarajan

Will China”s New High Tech Airport Take Off ? …Nobody Wants To Fly There !!!

February 19, 2014February 19, 2014NatarajanLeave a comment

Vast: The £612million travel hub opened at 6am yesterday with much fanfare as a Shenzhen Airlines flight took off to next-door Mongolia

It’s been hailed as an architectural masterstroke and symbol of China’s explosion onto the world stage of global travel.

But Shenzhen International Airport’s brand-new terminal has a problem: nobody seems to want to go there.

The £612million travel hub opened at 6am yesterday with much fanfare as a Shenzhen Airlines flight took off to next-door Mongolia.

Smiling staff handed out commemorative model planes to passengers on the flight as dozens of golf carts circulated the lounge to give free rides for anyone in need.

But despite claims on its website that tourists can be spirited away to far-flung locations including Sydney, Dubai and Cologne, no airlines actually appear to offer services to or from any of these cities, The Independent reported.

Quiet: Despite claims on its website that tourists can be spirited away to far-flung locations including Sydney, Dubai and Cologne, no airlines actually appear to offer services to or from any of these cities

In reality, flights only seem to go to regional destinations such as Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.

The only US destination is Anchorage in Alaska – and those flights are all cargo deliveries by UPS and Federal Express – while there is only one direct flight to Europe from Chongqing, and that’s Finnair’s service to Helsinki.

Unlike the largest Chinese cities, Shenzhen does not allow a visa-free stopover.

Local travel: In reality, flights only seem to go to regional destinations such as Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore

+11

Eco-port: The terminal resembles a giant white aeroplane covered in a perforated, honeycomb-like skin of metal and glass that admits maximum sunlight, reducing energy consumption while rainwater is recycled in toilets and used to water indoor plants

+11

Hi-tech: Designed by the Rome-based architect Studio Fuksas, Shenzhen Bao¿an International Airport covers a staggering 4.3 million square feet and is capable of handling 45 million passengers a year

It is also the first airport in China to feature a 10-megawatt solar power plant, which cranks out enough power to support 10,000 US households per month.

+11

Solar powered: It is also the first airport in China to feature a 10-megawatt solar power plant, which cranks out enough power to support 10,000 US households per month

‘One has to wonder who will fly here from outside China, given the choice of flights to Hong Kong and to Macau, both actively promoted in the UK, both nearby and both visa-free,’ Neil Taylor, whose travel firm Regent Holidays pioneered travel to China, told the paper. ‘Shenzhen had its appeal as a small village when China first opened up in the late 1970s, but tour operators will find it hard to promote now.’

Designed by the Rome-based architect Studio Fuksas, Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport covers a staggering 4.3 million square feet (400,000 sq m) and is capable of handling 45 million passengers a year.

Among it’s tourist attractions is a former Soviet aircraft carrier (complete with fighter jets) called Minsk World. Another is Dapeng Fortress, a battle site during the 19th-century Opium Wars against the ‘British colonial invaders’.

+11

Re-usable toilet water: The airport’s design reduces energy consumption while rainwater is recycled in toilets and used to water indoor plants

+11

Boom years: The airport’s lack of commercial interest is in stark contrast to other travel hubs in China where, in the first 10 months of 2013, passenger traffic rose 11 per cent to 297.6 million

This is in part down to the industrialization of domestic travel but also thanks to increased interest from overseas.

+11

Foreign interest: The boom is in part down to the industrialization of domestic travel but also thanks to increased interest from overseas

The terminal resembles a giant white aeroplane covered in a perforated, honeycomb-like skin of metal and glass that admits maximum sunlight, reducing energy consumption while rainwater is recycled in toilets and used to water indoor plants. Features also include stylised white “trees” that serve as air-conditioning vents.

It is also the first airport in China to feature a 10-megawatt solar power plant, which cranks out enough power to support 10,000 US households per month.

The airport’s lack of commercial interest is in stark contrast to other travel hubs in China where, in the first 10 months of 2013, passenger traffic rose 11 per cent to 297.6 million.

Secondary city: But foreign interest mostly concerns the country's major cities and tthe expected surge of connections from Europe to large 'secondary cities' in China has not materialised

+11

Tree vents: Features also include stylised white ‘trees’ that serve as air-conditioning vents.

+11

Secondary city: But foreign interest mostly concerns the country’s major cities and the expected surge of connections from Europe to large ‘secondary cities’ in China has not materialised

This is in part down to the industrialization of domestic travel but also thanks to increased interest from overseas.

Last week the French airline, Aigle Azur, announced a new link from Paris Orly to Beijing while British Airways this year added a link from Heathrow to Chengdu.

But foreign interest mostly concerns the country’s major cities and tthe expected surge of connections from Europe to large ‘secondary cities’ in China has not materialised, reported the Independent.

source::::::::::::mailonline.comUK dated 19 Feb 2014
natarajan

This ” Nigerian Scam ” email Offers Compensation for Scams !!!

February 4, 2014February 4, 2014NatarajanLeave a comment

We don’t know if this guy was scammed, but we do know you shouldn’t trust an email that includes the words ‘bank’ and ‘Nigeria’. Source: Supplied

THEY’RE the scourge of the internet (well, as well as cat videos and angry conversations about chemtrails) – but surely this Nigerian scam email has to be the worst.

Not only does it claim to come from the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, himself – but it has the audacity to offer monetary compensation FOR SCAMS.

No, you didn’t win a lottery you didn’t enter this time. And no, someone isn’t trying to smuggle gold out of a strange African country by using your bank account.

You can receive $300,000 – US – for being scammed. From the United Nations, no less. Who just finished a seven-month-long meeting period to agree to this mass-cash payout to the entire duped world. And no proof required!

But it gets better. Are you a foreign contractor that hasn’t been paid? Then here’s $300,000, from the UN. Did your international bank transaction just fail? Don’t worry, the UN has $300k just for you.

Or maybe your international business failed because of “Government problems etc”? You’re up for a handy slice of UN cash too.

There are a few different versions of this one floating about – and have been for years – but this one at least spells the name of the UN Secretary-General correctly.

And no, it doesn’t actually come from Nigeria. This one allegedly comes from Benin, a small African country. Right next to Nigeria. It does, however, reference one Gwen Abiola Oloke, who Google suggests is the boss of a bank in Nigeria.

Also, this could be the first time an email address actually includes a person’s honorific – the ‘Mrs’ in Mrs Gwen Abiola Oloke is PART of her email.

The full, unedited text of the scam is below.

Attn:

How are you today and hope all is well with you and your family?You may

not understand why this mail has been sent to you but i will implore you

take your time to carefully go through this mail.

We have had meetings for the pass 7 months which ended 4 days ago at our

office head quarters in New York(UNITED NATIONS). This email is to all

the people that have been scammed in any part of the world,the UNITED

NATION has agreed to compensate them adequately with the sum of US$

300,000.

This includes every foreign contractor that has not received their

contract sum and people that have had unfinished transactions as regards

international bank transfers or international businesses that failed due

to Government problems etc.

We found your name on our list and that is why we are contacting you.This

has been agreed upon and has been signed. You are advised to contact Mrs.

Gwen Abiola Oloke of ZENITH BANK Benin Republic PLC as she is our

representative in Benin Republic, contact her immediately for your

Cheque/International Bank Draft of USD$ 300,000. This funds are in a Bank

Draft for security purpose,so she will send it to you and you can clear it

at any bank of your choice.

Therefore you must ensure to send her your full Name and telephone number

current mailing address as regards receiving your draft.

Contact:Mrs. Gwen Abiola Oloke immediately for your Cheque:

Person to Contact Mrs. Gwen Abiola Oloke

Email: mrsgwenabiolaoloke@accountant.com

Thanks and God bless you and your family.Hoping to hear from you as soon

as you cash your Bank Draft.

Making the world a better place.

Regards,

Ban Ki-moon

Secretary-General(UNITED NATIONS)

source::: news.com.au

natarajan

Last Gift … A Story with a Lesson !!!

January 12, 2014NatarajanLeave a comment

They tell of a very rich and smart man who lived many years ago in a city far away. He had a big family, a wife, children and grandchildren, and was beloved by all. He was generous to his family and friends.

One day his wife passed away and he was left alone in his house. After the mourning period, his children came to him and said he shouldn’t live all alone in the big house.

“Sell your house and possessions,” they said, “give it to us and you can live at the elder son’s house, and will never want for anything.”

The man agreed, sold all he had and divided it between his children, moving to the son’s house.

At first, he needed for nothing, and his children visited him often. But slowly, the children and grandchildren stopped showing. At the house, his elder son’s became resentful, and he was often passed on for food, his clothes weren’t fixed properly and he was ashamed to walk outside in them.

One day, the old man said to his son, “gather everyone and the mayor, I have something to tell you.”

When everyone gathered, the man said: “I have told you I sold everything, but that wasn’t the truth. I still have a suitcase filled with gold and jewellery. Since my day is coming fast, I want you to have it. It is locked with 2 keys, one I will give the mayor and the other my elder son. It’s buried under the big tree in front of our old house, and when I am dead you can open the suitcase and divide what is in there.”

Everyone was very excited to hear this, and from that day the man wanted for nothing again, surrounded by children and given food, clothes and money. He lived the rest of his life in peace.

After his death, his family gathered around the big tree as the men began digging. And indeed they found the big suitcase and with great ceremony opened it with the 2 keys.

But inside, all they found was the edge of a donkey’s tail and an envelope. The envelope contained a letter with only one line.

“Only an ass gives everything away too soon!!!

source::::babamailsite

natarajan

” We Have to Play a Different Game At Times ” !!!

December 21, 2013NatarajanLeave a comment

“There once lived a great mathematician in a village outside Ujjain . He was often called by the local king to advice on matters related to the economy. His reputation had spread as far as Taxila in the North and Kanchi in the South. So it hurt him very much when the village headman told him, “You may be a great mathematician who advises the king on economic matters but your son does not know the value of gold or silver.”

The mathematician called his son and asked, “What is more valuable – gold or silver?” “Gold,” said the son. “That is correct. Why is it then that the village headman makes fun of you, claims you do not know the value of gold or silver? He teases me every day. He mocks me before other village elders as a father who neglects his son. This hurts me. I feel everyone in the village is laughing behind my back because you do not know what is more valuable, gold or silver. Explain this to me, son.”

So the son of the mathematician told his father the reason why the village headman carried this impression. “Every day on my way to school, the village headman calls me to his house. There, in front of all village elders, he holds out a silver coin in one hand and a gold coin in other. He asks me to pick up the more valuable coin. I pick the silver coin. He laughs, the elders jeer, everyone makes fun of me. And then I go to school. This happens every day. That is why they tell you I do not know the value of gold or silver.”

The father was confused. His son knew the value of gold and silver, and yet when asked to choose between a gold coin and silver coin always picked the silver coin. “Why don’t you pick up the gold coin?” he asked. In response, the son took the father to his room and showed him a box. In the box were at least a hundred silver coins. Turning to his father, the mathematician’ s son said, “The day I pick up the gold coin the game will stop. They will stop having fun and I will stop making money.”

Moral:

Sometimes in life, we have to play the fool because our seniors and our peers, and sometimes even our juniors like it. That does not mean we lose in the game of life. It just means allowing others to win in one arena of the game, while we win in the other arena of the game. We have to choose which arena matters to us and which arenas do not….!!!

source::::input from a friend of mine.

natarajan

” என் ஆசி உங்களுக்கு என்றும் உண்டு ” !!!

December 16, 2013NatarajanLeave a comment

வடநாட்டைச் சேர்ந்த பெரிய தொழிலதிபர். பிரபலமானவர். அவர் தன் குடும்பத்தாருடன் ஆசாரிய ஸ்வாமிகளைத் தரிசிக்க வந்தார். முன்பு ஸ்வாமிகள் வடநாட்டு யாத்திரை சென்றபோது ஸ்வாமிகளின் குழுவினருக்கு மிகவும் உதவியாக இருந்தவர். புன்னகையுடன் அந்தத் தொழிலதிபரைப் பார்த்துக் கொண்டிருந்தார் ஆசாரிய ஸ்வாமிகள்.

என்ன சொல்லப் போகிறார் என்பதை முன்கூட்டியே ஸ்வாமிகள் புரிந்திருப்பார் போலும்.

“இப்ப பெரிய தொகையை தர்ம காரியங்களுக்கு உதவப் போகிறேன். இனி வருடா வருடம் எங்கள் கம்பெனிகளின் வருமானத்தில் கொஞ்சம் பணத்தை தர்ம காரியங்களுக்கு உதவ முடிவுசெய்து இருக்கிறோம். அந்தப் பணத்தைத் தங்கள் இஷ்டப்படி தர்ம காரியங்களுக்குக் கொடுத்து விடுங்கள் ஸ்வாமி!” என்று பெரிய தொகையை செக்கில் எழுதிக் கொடுத்தார் தொழிலதிபர். அவரது மகனும் மனைவியும் “ஆமாம் ஸ்வாமி, நாங்கள் சம்பாதிப்பதில் ஒரு பகுதி தர்மத்துக்குக் கொடுக்கணும்னு முடிவு செஞ்சு இருக்கோம். இதுக்கு ஸ்வாமிகளின் அநுக்கிரஹம் வேணும்” என்றார்கள்.

செக்கைப் பார்த்தார் ஸ்வாமிகள். மிகப் பெரிய தொகை குறிப்பிடப்பட்டு இருந்தது செக்கில். பிரமித்தார். சிலிர்த்தார். மகிழ்ந்தார். அந்தத் தொழிலதிபரின் மனம் ஜாதியைக் கடந்து மாநிலத்தைக் கடந்து விரிந்து இருப்பதைப் புரிந்து கொண்டு அந்தக் குடும்பத்தின் மீது அருள் பார்வை செலுத்தினார். மௌனமாக ஸ்வாமிகளைத் தரிசித்தவண்ணம் இருந்தது அந்தக் குடும்பம்.

“உங்க தயாள குணத்தைக் கண்டு ரொம்ப சந்தோஷம். உங்க கம்பெனிகள் நன்னா இருக்கும். வருடாவருடம் லாபத்தில் ஒரு சிறு பகுதியை தர்ம காரியத்துக்குக் கொடுக்கப் போறேள். உங்க கம்பெனிகளின் லாபத்தில் சிறுபகுதி என்பது பெரிய தொகையாக இருக்கும். நான் சந்நியாசி. என் பொறுப்பில் இவ்வளவு பணம் இருக்க வேண்டாம். நீங்களே உங்கள் முன்னோர் பெயரில் ஒரு தர்மஸ்தாபனம் அமைத்து இந்தப் பணத்தையும் வருடா வருடம் லாபத்தில் சிறு பகுதியையும் அந்த தர்ம ஸ்தாபனத்தில் செலுத்துங்கள். அந்த தர்மஸ்தாபனம் மனிதநேயத்துடன் மக்களுக்கு உதவட்டும். நீங்களே ஒரு குழு அமைத்து அந்த தர்ம ஸ்தாபனத்தை நடத்துங்கள். என் ஆசி உங்களுக்கு என்றும் உண்டு” என்று சொல்லிக்கொண்டே அந்த செக்கைத் திரும்பக் கொடுத்தார் ஸ்வாமிகள்.

ஸ்வாமிகளின் செயலைக் கண்டு சிலிர்த்தார் தொழிலதிபர். முற்றும் துறந்த முனிவர் என்றால் இவர்தான் என்று எண்ணிய தொழிலதிபர் “ஸ்வாமி! தாங்கள் சொல்வது போல் தர்மஸ்தாபனம் அமைத்துச் செயல்படுகிறேன். முதல் காரியமாக தாங்கள் சொல்லும் திருப்பணியைச் செய்கிறேன். உத்தரவு வேணும் ஸ்வாமி!” என்று கேட்டார் தொழிலதிபர்.

சற்று நேரம் யோசனை செய்தார். சிதிலம் அடைந்த புராதனமான ஒரு கோயிலைச் சீரமைத்துக் கும்பாபிஷேகம் செய்யச் சொன்னார். அதைச் செய்ய ஒப்புக் கொண்டார் தொழிலதிபர்.

source::::www.periva.proboards.com

The Song ” Happy Birthday ” is Copyrighted !!!…Read Further …

December 13, 2013December 13, 2013NatarajanLeave a comment

Today I found out the song “Happy Birthday” is copyrighted and brings in about $2,000,000 per year to the copyright holders (currently an investment group that purchased Warner Music who in turn was the most recent owner of the copyright for the song).

The original tune for the song was created by sisters Patty Hill and Mildred J. Hill in 1893. The title to the song they created with that tune was “Good Morning to All”, which was a sort of classroom greeting song for Kindergartners (one was a kindergarten teacher and the other a former kindergarten teacher and at that time, principal).

The copyright for the words and music of “Good Morning to All” has since expired and the song is part of the public domain. Interestingly, this tune was almost exactly like popular songs of the day “Happy Greetings to All”; “Good Night to You All”; “A Happy New Year to All”; and many others.

So how did “Good Morning to All” become “Happy Birthday to You”? Nobody knows, but this didn’t stop a lot of people in the last 100 years from making a boatload of money on the simple song.

The tune itself, with the lyrics “Good Morning to All”, was originally published in a songbook “Song Stories for the Kindergarten”. The tune combined with the lyrics first showed up around 19 years later in a 1912 songbook, without including any credits or copyright notices. It is thought that the song predates this songbook and perhaps was commonly sung at this time, though no print references have been found before this.

Fast forward to 1935, where the Summy Company registered for the copyright for the song Happy Birthday, crediting authors Preston Ware Orem and Mrs. R.R. Forman. This was the same company that originally published the “Good Morning to All” song for the Hill sisters and at the backing of the surviving Hill sister, applied for the copyright. Previous to this, Happy Birthday was published in numerous song books throughout the country with various composers being referenced and no copyright stated. Once they received the copyright, the Summy Company then formed a separate company, Birth Tree Group Limited, to protect the song’s copyright.

Now, it should be noted here that neither of the Hill sisters had any children and, at the time of the copyright, the one who wrote the simple music tune itself was long dead. Currently, the proceeds of the copyright are presumed to be all profit for the company that owns the copyright, though it is rumored that perhaps the Hill sisters nephew (from their other sister) receives a portion of the annual income from the song, but this has never been publicly confirmed.

So here’s where the legal fun begins. The company that currently owns the song, Warner Music, which is owned by an investment group, claims that the song is still copyrighted, even though most legal experts say otherwise; indeed, many say that it should have never been copyrightable due to the fact that no one knows who put the words to the tune and the tune itself, or an extremely similar version, was very common at the time when the Hill sisters used it in their “Good Morning to All” song. The exact tune, as applied to “Good Morning to All”, is also in the public domain. So if the tune is in the public domain and nobody knows who put the words to the tune, then nobody should hold the copyright. That’s the argument.

Warner music, however, still insist that the copyright doesn’t expire until 2030. Through this, they make a couple million per year collecting revenue from any film, tv show, radio, or public performance of the song. This includes if you were to sing Happy Birthday to someone in a restaurant, for instance, which is why restaurants that have their employees sing a Happy Birthday song make their own.

Basically, the only legal way you are allowed to sing Happy Birthday to anyone without paying is if it’s a small gathering of family and/or friends and not in a public setting. You also aren’t allowed to have someone not a family or friend be the lead performer of the song in these small groups. Any other place you want to sing it, you have to pay or you are violating their copyright, according to them.

Professor of law Robert Brauneis disagrees, “It is almost certainly no longer under copyright. Many question the validity of the current copyright, as the melody of the song was most likely borrowed from other popular songs of the time, and the lyrics were likely improvised by a group of five- and six-year-old children who never received any compensation.”

source::::today i foundout .com

natarajan