Middle Class to Upper Middle Class thinking? - Madurai Thinking

When I used to live in Hyderabad city in India, I used to think when I become well-off I should have one mid size car and one SUV. Currently I am in a different part of the world, and I have Honda Accord. Now, I am looking at Honda Pilot as my SUV addition.

When I think about it - Honda Accord was and is my necessity. But Honda Pilot is not. It is a comfort and it is a luxury.
My heart is saying go and buy Honda Pilot, but something else is stopping me and saying - Don't buy it, since it is not a necessity. May be it is guilty conciousness??

The way we are brought up in the middle class and lower middle class is that don't buy anything for luxury. Always buy it for necessity. I think that feeling is pricking me!

There are two different sets of thoughts knocking me. There are so many people in the world struggling for even basic necessities and you are trying to get a second car?! In another hand, you are working hard and you are treating yourself with a luxury of a Sports Utility Vehicle!!

Is it a time when we have to transition from middle class thinking to an upper-middle class thinking?

Send me a private note, if you have any comments.

My Madurai Brother

My Madurai Brother

While I was in the reminiscent mood, I thought of one more incident, which happenned when I was 5 years old and I was studying in first standard in a Big school in Madurai. My brother was studying second standard in the same school. His age was ofcourse 6(six). There was one guy in my class always disturbing me and torturing me. I was so pissed off. Remember I am 5 years old:).

I informed my brother about this and he had few friends. Remember - his age was 6 years. My brother - my madurai brother got frustrated and got together his friends in a lunch session. These lunch sessions in school are the real play time for many of us, if you remember your days. There will be two much running around by all boys and girls and no one would notice what is going on. That was the correct timing by my brother and his friends.

They got together and nailed and sketched "this guy(my classmate)" and brought him to a building wall. two guys caught this classmate and one guy kept punching at his stomach:). I keep on smiling when I think about this incident.

Lunch session was over. When I was in my first session, post lunch. My brother was called to my class and my class teacher was pinching my brother's stomach.:)

You see what has happenned? My brother is unfortunately caught and he is getting his punishment for what he did to help me:):)
Quite interesting!! I usually don't have a great memory and remember everything, bu this incident is fresh in my mind, even though it happenned at my age 5.

Rememering my Madurai Village Vadivelkarai - satti karugiya smell - Madurai Experience

While I was preparing dosa yesterday at my home kitchen, due to my vessel darkening(satti karugivittathu), I experienced a "satti karugiya smell" and I got remembered of Madurai and my sontha ooru Vadivelkarai.

My grandma gets excited when we visit the village. I am referring to "we", to my brother, cousin and myself. We go near the nearest railway tracks and do the required and get cleaned in a running water creek nearby - I am sure you know what I mean!! My Grandpa and us take bath in the lotus pond near this village(karuppu kovil) and come back to home to have nice tiffin(breakfast). The special breakfast items include panniyaaram, idly, dosa, idiyappam. All these are never equivalent in quality to what my mother makes, but definitely it has its own speciality of the rustiness and country side smell.

At this point, I smell all the "satti karugiya smell"!!:)

I love those days, where in we enjoy each and every moment and there are no responsibilities:)!
Even reminescence is FUN. I wish I close my eyes and get more remindings like this.

Shri Balaji Agencies - LPG Distributor in Madurai

If you have lived with your family sometime during last 25 years in Madurai, you might have definitely used Shri Balaji Agencies's service.

Yes, they are the leading pioneering distributor of LPG (Cooking Gas) for households in and around Madurai.

Read about Shri Balaji Agencies here -

We are the leading LPG Distributor in this temple town of Madurai. For the past 23 years we have been rendering yeoman service to the LPG consumers in and around Madurai. Today we stand tall because of your unstinted support and patronage.

We earnestly thank all our customers who have been with us all through our trials and tribulations.

We solicit your continued support and valuable feedback to continually improve and upgrade our services to meet your requirements.

Here is the contact info

Madurai Mom - My Madurai Mother - Part I

I am somewhere else in the world, than Madurai. My mother is in madurai.

She lives with my father, my brothers and their family. She has been striving throughout her life for my benefit. I am sure it is the same case with all the mothers.

My mother has not thought anything for her. She has always been living for me and my brothers. She thinks good for us, all the time.

I asked her once, what do you want, so that I can fulfill your desires. You know what she said? If you will live well, happy and prosperous - that is enough for me. That is what she said. I am always impressed by her life, who lives just for us.

I remember, when she used to work. (She is now retired). She used to work very hard. She worked for the same school(big school) in Madurai all her life - around 35 years. She is a great hard worker. She has got awards from the school.

She always wants her kids(myself and my brothers) to be no.1 and she is highly motivated. She wants us to come to a big level and prove to the world. If I am in a decent position in my career, healthwise and financially - then all the credit goes to her. She had been seeing lot of studious students and she has always dreamt to make us to be ambitious and achieve heights. And she definitely did achieve what she dreamt of.

She has to live longer to see her sons growth and achievements.

Will be continued...this never ends...

Employment News - Government - Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India

When you were out of graduation, and when you were searching job - have you gone to the nearest magazine or tea shop in Madurai to buy the Employment News?

Here you go guys...

You can access the same newspaper - The Employment News...

Tirunelveli City Municipal Corporation

Tirunelveli – the eight year old infant among the Corporation of Tamil Nadu, is a land which has so many laurels to her credit.

This is a land of sages – much evident from epics and puranas. Christening of this place itself bears testimony to its antiquity and divinity.

This is a land of freedom fighters as evidenced by the participants from militant patriots like Shri Wanchi Nathan , Veera Pandiya Kattabomman and revolutionists like Shri V.O.Chidambaram, Shri Subramaniya Bharathiyar, Shri Subramaniya Siva and others.

This is the birth land of industrialists like T.V.S. Simpsons, Easun, India Cements – and also the origin of great News Papers like Thina Thanthi etc.

This is the land that has pernnial water supply through “Tamiraparani” – the only virgin perennial Indian river supplying water to the undivided Tirunelveli District.

This is the land that is famous all over India for its “Halwa” production and even known as Halwa City.

This Corporation is farmed by merging three municipalities i.e Tirunelveli , Palayamkottai and Melapalyam – and few Panchayat areas.

Madurai Tourism: Golf Carts around Madurai Meenakshi Temple

In a few months, battery-powered ‘golf carts,’ in which VIPs and foreign dignitaries are often seen, can be spotted on the four Chithirai Streets that surround the Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple here.

Madurai Collector S.S.Jawahar told The Hindu that golf carts would be around soon. This project was delayed, due to Chithirai Festival.

Please read more at the hindu

Gold Future: Madurai Live Gold Prices: Gold Rates in India

As the world demand for gold has absorbed quite large quantities of Central banks gold stocks over the past decade, with only a fairly small downward effect on prices, we believe that gold prices are more likely to increase over the next few years than to decrease. Certainly the upside potential must now be considerably stronger than the downside potential.

See Live Gold Rates in India

See Live Gold Rates and Prices in international(US) dollars market

CII Madurai Zone welcomes and suggest TN Government for Tier-II cities

CII Confederation of Indian Industry Madurai Zone Chairman R. Dinesh says -

Further development of Madurai-Tuticorin corridor,focus on Madurai tuticorin airports,and linking madurai tuticorin and Madurai Tirunelveli corridors would support the industry.

Dinesh requested the government to frame a new IT policy in such a way that it helped IT companies look at investments in Tier II and Tier III cities.

CII Madurai welcomes government initiatives to develop southern Tamil Nadu.

Tamil Nadu CM Mr.Karunanidhi's son MK Azhagiri acquitted in murder case

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi’s son M K Azhagiri was on Thursday acquitted in the Kirutinan murder case. Azhagiri was one of the accused in murder of DMK leader Kiruttinan in Madurai in May 2003.

This case was moved to Chithoor, Andhra Pradesh - so that the judgement would be unbiased. Party men are very happy and celebrating the liberation.

Madurai Akshaya Tritiya: Gold Investment: Buy Gold

Madurai Akshaya Tritiya: Gold Investment in May 07th and 08th 2008 - Buy Gold in Madurai

If you want to diversify your portfolio, invest in gold too. It is even expected that gold would go to $1650 per ounce.

Some views from bl on net.

As per the forecast of gold's future, there are mixed views. While experts believe prices will steadily come down eventually, and forecasts suggest gold rates shooting to $1,200 by Diwali or even before. “But as long as there is propensity to buy, there will be confidence in jewellery. Gold is still a viable investment option,”.

Financial Health Check: Madurai Finance

Add 10(ten) to every "Yes" answer. Add zero(0) to every "No" answer.
You will get a percentage of your FINANCIAL HEALTH out of 100.
Determine yourself...

Financial Health Check

Q1: Do you have 6 months' salary handy for an emergency?
Yes No
Q2: Do you know exactly how much you spend every month?
Yes No
Q3: Do you save at least 20% of your household income every year?
Yes No
Q4: Do you invest that sum regularly?
Yes No
Q5: Do you know what you earn on your various investments?
Yes No
Q6: Do you review investments at least twice a year?
Yes No
Q7: Do you invest beyond what you have to save taxes?
Yes No
Q8: Do you know how much you will need every month to live on when you retire?
Yes No
Q9: Have you enough life insurance?
Yes No
Q10: Do you have medical insurance?
Yes No

Allotment orders to the Top IT Companies - HCL, Satyam, Sutherland, Scope, Tessolve, Honeywell etc., in Madurai IT Park

Madurai IT Park was in PAPER and DOCUMENTs so far.

Now, it is becoming reality.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Kalaignar M Karunanidhi had allotted lands to the top IT companies from HCL, Sathyam, Sutherland, Scope, Tessolve and Honeywell in Madurai IT Park in Vadapalanji.

Madurai is on the IT revolution right now. Karunanidhi granted allotment orders for 160 acres in Madurai, Tirunelveli, Tiruchi and in Chennai, to top 8 companies that have come forward to set up shop in IT Parks being set up by the state owned Electronics corporation of Tamil Nadu (ELCOT).

The IT companies have surely realised that they stand to gain by moving to the IT SEZs in Tier II cities, like the ones in Madurai, Tirunelveli(Nanguneri SEZs) and Tiruchi. As the STPI benefits will last only till 2010, the IT SEZs are the preferred destinations as companies can enjoy benefits for 10 more years.

Reliable Source for Madurai Machan.