Information – Knowledge +
A little more sleep improves concentration, performance
A little more sleep improves concentration, performance
Thursday June 12 2008 15:54 IST PTI
NEW DELHI: An extra hour in bed not only improves performance and enhances concentration, but also helps a person get rid of daytime sleepiness.
According to a study conducted by researchers at Stanford sleep disorders clinic and research laboratory on swimmers, a considerable amount of improvement was observed in their performances after their sleep hours were extended to ten hours a day.
“These results begin to elucidate the importance of sleep on athletic performance and, more specifically, how sleep is a significant factor in achieving peak athletic performance,” lead author of the lab Cheri Mah said.
During the study, the participants were made to follow their normal sleep pattern for the first two weeks and then their sleep hours were increased.
The team noted that after getting an extended sleep athletes swam a 15-meter meter sprint 0.51 seconds faster, reacted 0.15 seconds quicker off the blocks, improved turn time by 0.10 seconds and increased kick strokes by 5.0 kicks.
They also noted a decrease in tendency of sleeping during the day hours among the performers. Also, after getting a sound and complete night sleep, the sign of tiredness in the athletes disappeared and they appeared full of vigour, energy and force.
“Typically, many athletes accumulate a large sleep debt by not obtaining their individual sleep requirement each night, which can have detrimental effects on cognitive function, mood, and reaction time.
“These negative effects can be minimised or eliminated by prioritising sleep in general and, more specifically, obtaining extra sleep to reduce one’s sleep debt,” Mah said.
Similar results were reported by Mah and her team earlier when they studied the effect of sleep on players of basketball, football, tennis, golf, cross country, and track and field teams at Stanford.
Hoping to extend her project to work with professional athletes who are seeking a unique competitive advantage, Mah said, “while these studies focuses specifically on collegiate, they suggest that athletes across all Sports can greatly benefit from extra sleep and gain the additional competitive edge to perform at their highest level.”
The study was presented on the first day of the ongoing three-and-a-half-day annual science meet, sleep 2008, a joint venture of the American academy of sleep medicine and the sleep research society, in which leading researchers and clinicians from the field of sleep medicine will present new findings and discuss clinical developments related to sleep and sleep disorders.
Intelligent people ‘could live 15 years longer
Intelligent people ‘could live 15 years longer’
Thursday June 12 2008 14:32 IST PTI
LONDON: It seems there may be some truth in the old cliché about being old and wise, for a new study has revealed that brainy people are likely to live 15 years longer.
Researchers at Calabria University in Italy have found that longevity is because the brains of intelligent people age more slowly — thanks to the very gene ssadh which makes them clever actually.
According to them, those with the less “smart” variant of the gene, are unlikely to live beyond 85 but those blessed with a “good” version of the same gene could expect to live up to 100 years. The Italian team came to the conclusion after analysing a research involving 500 elderly men and women.
They asked 115 people within the sample, who fell into the 65 to 85 age group, to take cognitive tests. Those with the less intelligent variant of the gene performed significantly worse confirming the earlier pattern.
The researchers also noticed that few of those with the “bad” version lived beyond 85 while those with the “good” form were likely to live to 100.
Sampradaya Bhajans
Sampradaya bhajans is a particular form of bhajans where devotional songs are sung in a systematic order covering almost all gurus and gods. This particular format is lengthy and as I repeat, this is extremely interesting, once you attend the session in full a few times and gradually you will become a fan of it. The tempo gradually created during the session is amazing. The instruments are played in tandom but in a very disciplined manner. There is lots of noise, with bhakti around, but these all may seem to be a disorganised commotion from an outsider (just like a Rock band performance for a country music fan) but for a devotee who has attended these sessions and enjoys the pattern, it will be a wonderful experience traveling through the sannidhi of devotion.
For your further information, I provide below little more detail about Sampradaya bhajans:
Sampradaya Bhajana or Dakhshina Bharatha Sampradaya Bhajana is the tradition of Bhajans in India and as the name suggests particularly in South India. It’s the collection of Kirtanas and Namavalis in a specific order. Mainly the order has been evolved by Sri Marudhanallur Sadguru Swamigal, Sri Pudukottai Gopala Krishna Bhagavathar.
Sampradaya Bhajans Background
The trinity of gurus as far as Bhajans are considered as Bodhendra Swamigal, Sridhara Ayyaval and Marudhanallur Sadguru Swamigal.
The sampradaya bhajana paddhati has mainly evolved due to the tradition and efforts of Marudhanallur Sadguru Swamigal.
The bhajans are typically rendered in the following order:
1. Dhyana Slokam
2. Sangraha Thodaya Mangalam (Thotakam – Beginning with a praise, Mangalam – End)Thodaya Mangalam is different from Thotaka Ashtakam of ADI SANKARA
3. Guru Dhyanam
4. Guru Abhangs
5. Sadhu Keertanas (hymns on Sadhus and sants. It can be abhangs also)
6. Jayadeva Ashtapadi
7. Narayana Teertha Krishna leela Tharangini
Panchapati (Five songs in Telugu (Bhadrachala Ramadas), Kannada (Sri Purandara dasa), Sanskrit (Sri Sadasiva Brahmendral), Tamil (Sri Gopalakrishna Bharati) and compositions of Sri Tyagaraja
1. Badrachala Bhakta Ramdas
1. Purandara Dasa
1. Sadasiva Brahmendra
1. Thyagaraja Swamigal
1. Kabir Das
1. Meera Bai
1. Tulsi das or Surdas
1. Marathi Abhangs on Lord Panduranga
Now comes the turn of Dyana keertanais (hymns on Gods)
1. Vinayaka
2. Saraswati
3. Murugan
4. Shiva
5. Ambika
6. Nrusimha
7. Ram
8. Krishna
9. Vishnu or Dashavatara stuti
10. Venkatesha
11. Vittal or Pandurang (Abhangs)
12. Lakshmi
13. Sita or Radha
14. Anjaneya
15. Garuda
16. Aiyappan
17. Nandikeshwaran
18. Chandeeswaran
19. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
20. Sri Gopalakrishna Bhagavatar (or Guru Keertanai)
Then comes Pooja Sampradaya Kritis
1. Baro murare (welcom)
2. Sharanagata vatsala (request)
3. Kastoori gana.. (pooja)
4. Chita juni… (aarati)
5. Shobane
6. Jay Jay aarati…
7. kanjadalakshiki..
8. Prartana Abhang
9. Rajadi rajaya.. (pushpanjali)
10. Kattiya vachanam (verses from variety of books)
11. Chatur veda parayan
12. Kshetra mahatmiyam (verses on importance of tirta kshetras)
13. Upacharamu.. (upachara sankeertan)
14. Vinnappa gadyam (praying to God – shlokas)
15. Sri Krishna Govinda hare murare.. (naamaavali)
Pooja ends here and Divya namam starts.. (deepa pradakshinam – With lighted lamp in the middle considering the lamp as God, bhagavatas will do sankeertan by doing pradakshinas) This equals going around the earth.
Then comes dolotsavam (making God sleep)
1. Anjaneya Keertanai
2. Mangalam
The Thotaka Ashtakam was composed by Thotakachariyar. It is sung in praise of Sri Adi Sankara of Kaladi. Legend says that Thotakachariya( or Thotakar) was a devotee of Aadi Sankara. Do not combine this Thodaya Mangalam of Bhagavathas with the Thotaka Ashtakam of Thotakachariyar.
You may please listen to these links to get a feel of it and listen a few Sampradaya Bhajans
Anjaneya Keertanai
Ramalakshmana Janaki jai jai bholo re hanuman ki jai
Mangalam
Importance of religious chantings with Bhakthi and Sradha
Importance of religious chantings with Bhakthi and Sradha
Many people say that they are able to excel in the field due to Saraswathi’s leelavilasangal. I am just modifying it and saying that it is all due to Sree Lalithambika’s leelavilasam. Because, it is this Sree Lalithambika who is coming in front of us in various forms in Sree Lalitha Sahasra namamam as Devi, Sarawathi, Lakshmi, Durga etc etc. It’s all different forms according to our own imagination and application of these imaginations at various times. From closely following Sree Lalitha Sahasranamam what we can understand is how we see the various forms of Devi according to our liking and circumstances. It is also the same as to how we create any concept and continue with it with our mind and focus fully involved in it.
Consider a simple example. Many of us like Sambhar. Many times we remember some particular occasion or place or even from our own mother or grandmothers cooking, a particular day’s taste and even after many years we cherish that taste. Same mother or grandmother may be cooking the same quantity of sambhar every day using the same quantity of toovar dal, pumpkin, tomato, onion, brinjals, drumstick, potato, etc. But we may not get the taste which we had on that particular day. It may be either due to the difference in quality of the vegetable we had today and that day or due to the difference in quantity of masala which she included today than that day or due to the difference in adding of the relevant quantity of ingredients like tamarind pulp or salt or may be due to the quantity difference in mustard seeds and curry leaves used in tempering or may be even due to the minute difference in asafoetida added today than that day. As you know and as many others know, making of a good sambhar with unforgettable taste is a systematic process with the right elements and content added at the right time. Even if do take the right elements and contents, may be we do not get it right according to that particular taste which we wanted to have it. Here comes the two most important factors, the first one is attentiveness (sradha) and the second one is devotion (bhakthi). These were the two important factors which our mother or grandmother filled with care on that particular day while preparing it. These are the two, if followed with the right principles, will never miss to take us from our objectives.
Coming to your question of Purusha sooktham chanting or rather, any other devotional chanting, it all depends on our mind set. According to me, there is no harm in chanting Purusha sooktham by looking at printed text and learning from a cassette. This again leads us to the question, which cassette, which style and version of rendering. For each of these there are many different versions available now. For example, I have at least more than 30 different versions of Lalitha Sahasranamam cassettes and CDs and about 100 or more different live chanting sessions from various bhajans. Each CD and cassette projects the vibration which existed on that day and also highlights to some extend the gathering present on that occasion. This leads us to one important factor before chanting these stothrams. This is none other than bringing our mindset to the frame of chanting these relatively long namavalis. This is the reason why before any satsang, they start slowly with repeated Om chanting, followed by other small stotras to invite our mind to the place we are, i.e. the sannidhi of our Devi or Devan. Slowly, we gain the momentum and along with that we would (or the group) would reach and would have started chanting the main namavali and continue to travel in the divine flow.
So, select a version which is convenient for you to play keeping in mind the tradition and sastras. For Purusha Sooktha series, I think, there is one particular series of cassettes and CDs released by Giri Trading (Giri Cassettes) Madras and they strictly follow traditional way of rendering by releasing good devotional CDs and cassettes. I think there is a cassette by Sri Hari Achuta Sastri (if I remember the name correctly) and it is relatively good style of chanting to follow. Here again, there is an element of core pronunciation and rendering style involved in these cassettes by these revered singers who follow mostly Tamil, Sanskrit or Telugu style. So, you may select your own convenient and simple style with comfortable pace, However, it is always good to keep in mind the earlier mentioned two important factors, Sradha and bhakthi. You will see the best way of rendering coming to you right in a gradual and automatic way.
To sum it, our mind is always like a playful little monkey. It is really difficult to focus it in one objectgive as it wander around with various thoughts, especially when one sits to chant a long namavalli like Lalithasahasranamam or Vishnu Sahasranamam or series of Sookthams. This is also the reason why one suggests devotees to attend satsangs and bhajan sessions in group as it prompts or tempts and take his mind to travel to that focal point, which is the divine sannidhi, along with everyone. It is therefore important for us to calm down this little monkey to sit idle for some time and focus on one particular thing, here in this case discussion with the supreme god during our prayer. If we achieve this, whatever format or form we use will have no significance.
More about the basics of Carnatic music
Let us discuss the issue of difficulty in understanding Carnatic music by all. It’s true that initially for a novice, there is always a fear to go near Carnatic music. The phobia is similar to several others, or for instance the most common one, i.e, many people had towards chanting of Sree Lalitha Sahasranamam. The more you put an effort, go nearer to it, see it, feel it and start enjoying it, you will definitely get addicted to it. Therefore, the best possible way is to get to know Carnatic music through movie songs, various forms of it are easily available for us.
There is also another illusion. Many people tend to believe that most of the Carnatic musicians know nothing else. Earlier I too believed the same. The belief changed gradually and it got cemented even further by watching the re-cap shows of Raga Ratnam the other day, in which they were focusing on our little Mahadevan.
Talent comes as a complete package, and that package has to be nurtured every moment. Each moment, if you have a vidhya in you or you know you have an affinity for it, or if you long to learn it, you have to be focused and try to acquire as much information from all sources and polish it in every opportunity available. This is also one thing I learnt long back from an interview of Ustad Zakir Hussain, the Tabala maestro. In his interview, he was asked a question that how and where he practice during his hectic globe trotting schedule? Immediately he answered back by taking a match-box lying in front of him and tapping on it, answered that he practice in his mind and on every object he could lay his hands on during travel.
This belief has further holds the fact that training in Carnatic style, either vocal or instrumental, can lead to later improvisation to any music style around the world. We have many examples and most easy one is Shivamani on the drums. Our own Stephen Devassy is another example.
Talking about continuous practice within mind also bring another very lively example. Recently, I had put on this forum a video upload of a Shiveli melam at Irinjalakuda Koodalmanikyam temple. If you have not watched it, kindly watch. Look at the rhythm, tempo and co-ordination of all the 250 odd artists participating in it. And the devotees who cheer them up in front of them. They all raise their hand rhythmically waving and cheer the artists. Many times, we even get the feeling that the artists perform in such a high tempo, purely because of the highly devoted fans in front of them. When you look at it seriously, can you tell how many of these performers actually get to practice on real chenda or ilathalams or kurumkuzhal or kombu in that tempo which is created live at the venue. Not even one. It all comes from within.
To make an effort to listen Carnatic music takes a bit of getting used to is required. Some knowledge of the theory as well as an appreciation of what goes into it will really help you understand Carnatic music. Unlike other popular music, it doesn’t always have a catchy tune, usually isn’t sung by people in cool clothes and with great hair, and isn’t over in three-and-a-half minutes. Plus, you don’t always understand the words. These are big barriers to learning Carnatic, but some listening and learning will get you started. So, do you have a few minutes to sit patiently and read what is going to be put in here. If YES, is the answer, within few months, I bet you will be in front of a Kacheri, in the front row, enjoying it better than anyone else.
Beware, if you take more interest, soon you’ll be collecting tapes and CDs and MP3s of your own and start to be a true rasika.
Many times, you could be humming a tune, and believe it or not, you’re already understanding Carnatic. The language some times is hard to understand because it is either in one of these languages, usually Sanskrit, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, or Malayalam. Since the languages are pretty different, it’s hard for people to understand them. Don’t worry, sometimes even the singers don’t know what the words mean!
Raga
As for the tune, you can start learning to like it by listening. You can hear a few songs on tape (or hey, MP3), and slowly you’ll start to recognize them, because maybe you can hum them, or maybe you’ve heard something similar before. You’ll notice that each song has a particular kind of tune to it – it tends to stick to the same sorts of notes. That’s what is meant by the term raaga.
Carnatic uses only particular notes in a particular song or section of a song. So you might think, hey, this song sounds a lot like that one I heard last night – and you’d probably be wrong because you were sleeping. But with practice you’d be right a lot, because songs are sometimes written in the same raagas! So they’re supposed to sound similar.
Tala
The other component of a song is rhythm. People on stage and in the audience keep beating their thighs or clapping their hands to the rhythm – no, this is not some strange masochistic ritual or a weird way of showing appreciation (appreciation is usually expressed with shaking of the head as if you’re saying no, closing your eyes, and exclaiming Wa! Aahaa! or Besh!), these people are keeping time. This rhythm or system of keeping time is called Taala.
How can YOU keep time? Watch someone who seems to be pretty good. Make sure the person on stage appears to be going at the same beat (sometimes the audience can be really confident and really WRONG). Now copy their movements. You can do this softly on your thigh or hand without inflicting horrendous pain which will make you scream and make everyone else lose their beat!
Slowly you’ll start to see a pattern arising – usually of 8 beats or 3 beats on your thigh. Each cycle of the pattern determines what taala it is.
If it’s 8 beats (or 16) it’s usually aadi taala, and if it’s 3 (or 6), it’s usually roopakam. The trick is keeping track of the beat even during complicated parts of the music. Learn to do that, and you’ll be a pro! Then, you’re worthy of sitting in the front row.
The notes of Carnatic music are not usually fixed. In this sense they are much like the do re mi fa so la ti of western music. A performer tunes an instrument to the desired pitch (accompanists of course tune to the main performer’s pitch) or sings at whatever pitch is most comfortable. This is called the Kattai. Traditionally, the G above middle C is kattai 5, F is 4, A is 6, etc. Most Indian instruments do need tuning for each performance, according to the main artists’ pitch – even percussion instruments are tuned.
The notes used correspond to do re mi, but are called sa ri ga ma pa da ni. Sa is shadjamam, the basic note that exists in all scales. It is used as a drone note (played on a tambura), along with Pa, pancamam, its fifth. In concerts, you will hear sa pa Sa playing in octaves in the background to allow musicians to stay in tune. The other notes are rishabam (ri), gaandaaram (ga), madyamam (ma), daivatam (da), and nishaadam (ni). These notes are called swaras.
While all scales have sa, not all have the other notes. Though sa ri ga ma pa da ni sa comprise the main vocalized notes of Carnatic music, the actual notes (relative frequencies) that they form number 12. There is only one sa (not counting octaves) and one pa, but there are 2 types of ma and 3 each of the other notes.
Relation between Taalam and rhythm
Rhythm in carnatic music changes for each composition. Songs are set to a specific taalam, or beat. Each taalam comes in cycles of a number of beats, called an aavartanam.
For example, one of the most common taalam is called aadi.
In aadi taaLam, 8 beats (commonly 4 swaras to each beat) make one cycle. Thus, up to 32 swaras may comprise one cycle, lengthened and shortened to accomodate the taalam. Taalam is kept by beating the right hand gently against the right thigh while seated with your legs crossed (“Indian style”).
For aadi taaLam, first beat the palm of the hand (1), then tap the fingers pinky (2), ring finger (3), middle finger(4). Then beat palm (5), turn the hand over and beat the back of the hand (6), palm (7), back 8. This is one cycle.
This cycle will repeat throughout the song. Although often the number of swaras per beat will change during a carnatic song, the actual beat changes within a song VERY rarely, and even then, it is a fixed change, not a slowing down or speeding up of the beat itself.
A Carnatic classical Concert and compositions
Compositions are composed in a fixed raga. This means that they do not deviate from the notes in the raga. In carnatic, there are no “accidentals” or variations in rhythm (there are exceptions but rarely). Each composition is set with specific notes and beats, but performers vary widely in their presentation. Improvisation occurs in the MELODY of the composition as well as in using the notes to expound the beauty of the raga.
As you enter the hall, you will notice the main performer(s) sitting in the middle. The musical sound you hear first is the drone (tambura) playing sa, pa, Sa. Accompanists like violin and veena sit to the main performer’s left (your right), and percussion instruments are usually to your left. All performers sit on the stage without chairs or stools.
A concert (called as Kutcheri) will usually begin with a piece called a varnam. This piece is composed with an emphasis on swaras of the raga. It is lively and fast to get the audience’s attention. Varnams also have words, the saahityam.
After the varnam, compositions are performed called kritis or keertanams. Most often, these compositions are religious in nature. These stick to one raga, although a few have sections composed of different ragas (a raagamaalika).
Let us wind our study (reading) class here today and enjoy some good music.
A knowledge which is not shared has no value
Dear friends,
Curtain down for the music reality shows. I believe and repeatedly remind myself, Music is Magic, Music is Divine and the whole WWW is ours. So much to learn, listen and enjoy. Time, i.e. is the only constraint. So, whenever you have a few minutes or whenever you wanted to listen some good music, do not miss an opportunity. Wherever you are whatever you do.
With this in mind, and to give company to our online news journal, I am opening a new thread, Sapthaswarangal in Amrita TV web forum. Each day, presenting to you one or two music videos, which I hope you will love to watch and enjoy. To start with, I am focusing on Carnatic classical music. As it progresses, I hope to include many different styles, varieties and languages, as music has no barriers.
With each one, I would also try to include, as much information I could collect with regards to each presentation.
I am sure there are more experienced and knowledgeable members here in this forum, who has bigger and better collection. I invite them to participate and share their knowledge so that our interaction become more beneficial by each day.
Sincerely looking forward to your whole-hearted participation.
With this in view, I begin my first dedication today.
Pranams and regards to all my forum friends.
Ramesh Menon
Email id can reveal your personality
Email id can reveal your personality
28 Apr 2008, 0412 hrs IST,PTI
LONDON: Think twice before you pick an email address — it can reveal your personality.
Researchers at the University of Leipzig in Germany have found that an email address may speak volumes about the character of the person who created the unique online identification.
According to lead researcher Mitja Back, even the thinnest slice of communication via the world wide web — the mere email address — contains valid information about the personality of its owner.
In their study, the researchers asked a panel of 100 students to guess the personalities of 600 young adults simply by looking at their email addresses.
The panel’s guesses agreed mostly with a personality survey the teenagers had completed when it came to qualities like openness, conscientiousness and narcissism, and diverged most on the trait of extroversion.
Addresses that gave away personality often contained full stops, numbers or a name that was obviously not genuine, the researchers found.
Level of accuracy was explained using lens model analyses — the students made broad use of perceivable email address features in their personality judgements, features were slightly valid and the observers were sensitive to subtle differences in validity between cues.
The study has been published in the latest edition of the Journal of Research in Personality.
The 64 Kalas (art forms)
The 64 Kalas (art forms)
The 64 Kalas is the classical curriculum of sacred sciences, studies, arts and skills listed in various Hindu shastra.
1. Histrionic Talents, Drama, story telling techniques, mnemonics etc.,
2. Making musical Instruments, simple mechanical devices etc.,
3. Playing Musical Instruments (i.e.) Instrumental music including jalatarangam- creating music with water, percussion and string instruments.
4. Decorating, Dressmaking, costume making, artful dressing and personal grooming.
5. Ornaments and head adornments
6. Singing and Dancing , practicing fine arts
7. Making beds, Bedroom decorations
8. Garland making, flower arrangement, designs with grains on the floor like Rangoli
9. Playing games like dice
10. Mastering eroticism as per Vatsyayana, erotic devices and sexual arts
11. Making honey, liquor , beverages and desserts
12. Plucking out arrows and healing
13. Cooking, eating and drinking skills
14. Horticulture, forestry
15. Breaking and pulverizing hardrock, mining
16. Making Medicines from herbs
17. Sorting, Mixing, Isolating Ingredients
18. Making and using Astras and Sustras
19. Wrestling, Boxing, Gymnastics, physical culture, body building etc.,
20. Making ICBM
21. Parades , Army Bands and Dharmic warfare
22. Ratha, Gaja, Turaga wars ( Chariot, Elephantry and Cavalry)
23. Asanas, Postures & Mudras
24. Training elephants, horses, birds
25. Making Vessels of clay, wood, bronze
26. Drawing
27. Making Paints & Painting
28. Architecture, Sculpture, house and temple construction, mosaic tiling
29. Mixing air, water etc (Air Products and Water Products)
30. Boats, Ships, Chariots etc
31. Making threads, ropes etc
32. Weaving and Spinning
33. Diamond , Precious Stones and gems-distinguishing them from ordinary ones.
34. Alchemy, Chemistry , preparing ointments, unguents for charm and virility
35. Jewellery making including artificial jewelry
36. Gold Plating, metallurgy
37. Skinning and Preserving bodies
38. Leather Technology
39. Dairy Farming
40. Tailoring, Sartorial skills and Embroidery
41. Swimming and water sports
42. Cleaning houses and vessels
43. Laundering and Washing
44. Hair dressing and Shaving
45. Managing Oil Resources
46. Having control over others’ minds, spells, charms ,Omens
47. Tilling and agriculture
48. Handicrafts including Carpentry, furniture making and furnishing
49. Making Vessels of glass , ceramic and pottery
50. Drawing water & resources
51. Gardening and Fencing
52. Caporisoning elephants etc
53. Child rearing & Pediatrics including doll making and toy making for kids
54. Punishing guilty appropriately by Law and Order
55. Learning Languages / dialects (both native and foreign), literary excellence, semantics
56. Preparing ‘Tambool’ etc.
57. Composing impromptu poetry
58. Preparing perfumes, cosmetics, playing poetry games, oratory, elocution, prosody, rhetoric
59. Sorcery, Conjuring, Sleight of hand, Magic, Illusions, Impersonation
60. Composing Riddles, Rhymes, Verses, Puzzles, Tongue twisters and involved recitations
61. Making swords, Staffs, Archery
62. Training fighting partridges and rams, Cock fight, Bull fight etc.,
63. Teaching parrots, mynas to talk and training animals, Veterinary science
64. Writing in cipher codes and languages, secret mantras, coding and decoding.
Eight mistakes to avoid while investing
Eight mistakes to avoid while investing
26 Mar, 2008, 0358 hrs IST,Dhruv Agarwala & Kartik Varma,
Investing is not just about picking winners, but also about avoiding mistakes. Retail investors can be better off if they avoid making the following mistakes.
Overconfidence – Don’t be unrealistically optimistic
A bull market makes retail investors believe that they are geniuses – after all, anything they put money into goes up. This overconfidence in their own abilities leads to a complete disregard of the risks involved. Every new generation that invests in the market ignores past experience. These new investors wrongly believe that stock prices only go up.
Don’t be overconfident and don’t start believing that you have superior skills compared to the market. Recognise that in a bull market you are benefiting because the whole market is going up. If those around you are getting unrealistically optimistic, start managing your risk accordingly. Remember that sometimes markets do come crashing down.
Over enthusiasm to trade – Not every ball should be hit
Good batsmen realise that some balls outside the off-stump should be left alone. Similarly, professional investors realise that sometimes its better to just stand still than to rush into a stock. Retail investors often make the mistake of “flashing outside the off-stump” because they cannot resist the temptation to trade in every opportunity. And, like an inexperienced batsman, they suffer the same fate.
Too much trading will lead to a lot of churn, extra commissions to your broker and huge tax implications for you. Some of the world’s best investors follow a buy and hold strategy – you should too.
Missing the benefits of compounding of capital – Learn from Einstein
Albert Einstein is reputed to have said that compounding of capital is the 8th wonder of the world because it allows for the systematic accumulation of wealth. Even though any one in class 5 could tell you how compounding works, retail investors ignore this basic concept.
Compounding of capital can benefit you only if you leave your money uninterrupted for a long period of time. The sooner you start investing, the bigger the pool of capital you will end up with for your middle-aged and retirement years.
Don’t wait to start investing only when you have a large amount of money to put to work. Start early, even if it’s with a small amount. Watch this grow to a very large amount with the passage of time.
Worrying about the market – But there is no answer to your favourite question
Smart investors don’t worry about the direction of the market – they worry about the business prospects of the companies whose stocks they own. Retail investors are obsessed with the question “Where do you think the market will go?” This is a wrong question to ask. In fact, no one knows the answer.
The right question to ask is whether the company, whose stock you are buying, is going to be a much bigger business 10 years from now or not? Don’t take a view on the market, take a view on long-term industry trends and how your chosen companies can create value by exploiting these trends.
Timing the market – Around 99% of investors will fail in this strategy
Its very difficult to time the market, i.e, be smart enough to buy at the absolute bottom and sell at the absolute top. Professionals understand that timing the market is a wasted exercise.
Retail investors always wait for that elusive best opportunity to get in or to get out. But by waiting they let great investment opportunities go by. You should use systematic or regular investment plans to make investments. You’ll have to make fewer decisions and yet can accumulate substantial wealth over time.
Selling in times of panic – You should be doing the opposite
The best opportunity to buy is when the markets are falling and there is fear in the minds of investors. Yet, many retail investors do exactly the opposite. They sell when the markets are falling and buy only when the markets are high. This way they end up losing twice – by selling low and buying high, when they should be doing exactly the opposite.
If nothing has changed about the long-term outlook for the company that you own, then you should not sell this company’s stock. Use this opportunity to buy more of the same stock in falling markets. Some of the world’s biggest fortunes were made by buying when others were selling in panic.
Focusing on past performance – Its like driving forward while looking backwards
It is a very common perception that because a stock has done well in the past one year, it’s the best stock to invest in. Retail investors do not realise that often the best performers will underperform the market in the future because their optimistic outlook has already been priced into the stock.
Don’t go after hot sectors that are currently producing high returns. Don’t let greed drive your investment decisions. Look forward to see whether the gains produced in the past can get repeated or not. Short-term trends of the past might not get repeated in the future.
Diversifying too much will kill you – Investing is all about staying alive
Beyond a point, having too many names in a portfolio can be counterproductive. You might end up duplicating, or end up taking too much exposure to a sector. Over-diversification can upset your portfolio, especially when you have not done enough research on all the companies you have invested in.
If you are an active investor in the stock market, maintain a manageable portfolio of 15-25 names. Instead of adding new names to this portfolio, recognise ideal ones. Then back them with more capital. In the long-run, this will produce better returns for you than adding another 20 names to your portfolio. Investing is all is about patience and discipline. By avoiding mistakes you can improve the long-term performance of your portfolio, whatever the economic conditions prevailing in the market.
Courtesy: http://www.iTrust.in / The Economic Times
10 tips to get noticed in your GD
10 tips to get noticed in your GD
Kshipra Singh | March 25, 2008 | 11:19 IST
In the last article, we discussed eight things that you should not do in a group discussion (GD). This week we look at tips that can help you in succeeding in the GD. Your soft skills definitely come into picture here. Here are some of the things that you can do to make a winning impression in your GD.
~ Read voraciously: Make a habit of reading voraciously on every subject. This will keep you ready for any topic for a discussion in GD. Your knowledge is your most important weapon in a discussion.
~ Initiate the discussion: Most of us have a misconception that initiating the discussion would give you an advantage over others. It does give you an advantage but only if you know the subject well and have something relevant to start the discussion otherwise it is a disadvantage.
For instance, when a group was given the subject “Is capital punishment right?” some members of the group heard the word punishment and jumped at starting the discussion with out understanding the meaning of capital punishment. The evaluators kept listening for two minutes after which they intervened and asked the group if they knew the meaning of capital punishment. The members who initiated were quiet, looking at each other’s faces. That is when a silent member of the group got up and explained the meaning of the topic. From this, you can easily tell who must have succeeded in the GD, the ones who initiated the discussion or the one who explained the topic and gave it a right direction.??
They say, “Speaking just for the sake of speaking is noise”. So, don’t create noise in the GD, instead make some useful and resourceful contributions to get noticed in the discussion.
~ Speak politely and pleasantly: As you speak make sure that you do not talk at the top of your voice. You should be audible and clear. Remember?that you are participating in a discussion which is different from a speech given out by the leaders in their rallies. Even if you disagree with the other’s point of view, disagree politely. Use phrases like, ‘I would like to disagree a bit here’ or?’I am sorry, but I think I have a slightly different point of view’.
~ Be precise: Abstain from using irrelevant information and data from your talks during a GD. Speak precisely so that others also get a chance to put across their point of view.??
~ Acquire and apply knowledge: Stay attentive to the ideas put forward by other group members and keep writing the important points discussed during the GD. As you get a chance to speak, put forward your views about the topic. You can also agree or disagree with other’s ideas, based on your knowledge about the subject.?
~ Agree with the right: Don’t take a stand on either extreme when the discussion begins. It might happen that you get convinced by other’s argument and want to change your stand. Respect another’s opinion as well and agree with what is right, even if you initially had a different opinion.
~ Speak confidently: Maintain your confidence as you speak. Establish eye contact with other members of the group and do not let your voice tremble.
~ Moderate: Try to moderate the discussion if any arguments arise. This is necessary to ensure that the group doesn’t wander from the goal of the GD.?
~ Use positive body language: Your body language should not demonstrate dominance or low self confidence. Show your interest in the discussion through your gestures like bending forward a bit, nodding your head.
~ Be a team player: Last but not the least, be a team player as this is a group activity. Be comfortable with the group members and vice versa.
The author is a contributor to http://www.CareerRide.com, a website that addresses technical and personal aspects of an IT interview. CareerRide also provides sample CVs and answers to questions asked in a personal and technical interview.
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