VAT is the news ?

No liquor here, it’s all about taxation !

The proposal to initiate the VAT regime from 1st April has thrown the entire business and trading community (all intermediaries, as also consumers like me) in confusion (and panic) << Watch-out for the annoying pop-ups on the Times Of India links >>

i understand, VAT will rationalize the existing Sales Taxes structure, stop double-taxation and widen the tax net, thereby reducing tax-evasion and containing the parallel “black” economy. Transactions worth crores of Rupees done on "kachchaa" receipts now threaten to become history.

But then we Indians are renowned for our ingenuinity. My vyapari friends and their financial consultants (with all due respects to this tribe of true professionals !) will soon invent an elegant route to beat the system (if you can't beat 'em, join 'em - is not for them !). So, my white-collared fellow countrymen, toil hard, earn more and pay your taxes... chug along in our Maruti while our friendly neighbourhood business tycoon flashes by in his shiny new Chevrolet (the year-end addition to the company assets) !

Introduction of the VAT regime has been stalled for more than 10 years, by various interest-groups and powers-that-be. Even now, the BJP-ruled State governments (the BJP is now the Opposition in the Parliament) have decided not to implement the VAT regime from 1st April.

the holi weekend

Travelled to Mumbai Friday evening to spend the Holi weekend with friends.
Though the beginning of the H-day was tentative, inhibitions were dunked by Saurabh taking to painting faces silver-green. i had the good sense to change into Holi gear early-on (read... faded clothes and a liberal application of aloe-vera cream !). No pictorial records here for posterity...

A glycerine-soap bath - post lubrication with tequila and Heineken - left me squeaky clean. The colours have become either too good or too adulterated - not a streak of red at the end of the day !

Returned to Pune Sunday late evening to well-earned sleep. Thanks Ashis / Pooja / Abhijit / Debjani for hosting the good times !

Got acquainted with Prasad Shukla on the way back to Pune. Prasad is a scientist (a polymer encapsulation specialist ...sustained releaser !), knows a thousand kanji and is an Indian classical music fan! Combinations for an interesting friendship here!!

On an entirely different note, continuing observations on the Terri Schiavo case, here’s an some reading from David Shuster. Who's David Shuster anyway ?

Canaries and Coal Mines

Canary Islands - calls for a musical holiday ? Or a trip under Her Majesty's meadows to hear her song birds ?

Minor Song - The Miners' Song

(like) the canary
in a coalmine,
trudging on the thin line...

taking you down
the strawberry fields,
for ever...

(even) though
the lunatic
is still not in my head...

this song
in A Minor
i presume it's time to call the police...

Nature and Messier Objects

Interesting report in Nature - Surprise Finding Shows That Plants Rewrite Genetic Code. Opens up the floodgates of imagination and throws up immense possibilities!

An online version of Nature is available at news@nature.com. Try the Columns and Blogs. Plenty of interesting reading in the stem cells page.

i was an avid skywatcher. An activity which, unfortunately, i can't indulge in anymore. i still do continue to watch the night sky whenever i travel - away from the city lights and pollution. i used to be fascinated by Messier's List and i had viewed more than 30 of the Objects. The venerable Google helped me. Some nice plates in the Messier CCD Gallery

Learnt about the Annual Messier Marathon - to spot as many Messier Objects as possible, in one night. Read reports on the Marathon and checkout Swapneel Kore and Girish Vaze’s observation reports in the 2003 Messier Marathon and the Sky Watchers Association of Pune’s report in 2005.