Monish Asher

[Karti P Chidambaram @KartiPC]

It took a child to say that the Emperor has no clothes!

[Muthukrishnan Dhandapani @dmuthuk]

Though the ruling party’s ecosystem praises Nirmala Sitharaman as the best finance minister, I have explained many times, with details, why she is the worst finance minister in post liberalised India.

I was not surprised when she said that the NEET re-exam gave students an opportunity to prepare further.

She has always been insensitive, arrogant, and completely detached from the reality of day to day India.

[Sabeer Bhatia @sabeer]

Instead of passing a bill to punish people for offending the singing of Vande Mataram, I would encourage Amit Ji to pass a bill making it illegal to throw trash, garbage, or human waste into the Ganges.

That would protect both our national pride and one of our most sacred rivers. Two birds, one stone.

[Anirudh Kejriwal @AnirudhKejriwal]

Got stuck in BKC today.
750 metres. 1 hour.

In case you don't know what BKC is - it's a 3.7 sq km area in the center of Mumbai that contributes ~3% to the country's GDP.

Absolutely world-class infrastructure.
Very inspiring.

[Anupam Kher @AnupamPKher]

Asked my driver,"Why r u late?""Sir. Came by Cycle.""What happened to motorcycle."His reply,"Sir, it is kept at home now as a showpiece.":)

[Vishal Bhargava @VishalBhargava5]

Raj Bhavan, Malabar Hill: Whenever govt tells you that they need to sell public land to fund infrastructure or grab open spaces to make a “exhibition center” - do remember that there is almost 50 acres of ₹30,000 crores here that is a better alternative.

[Vir Das @thevirdas]

Just woke up. Has trump declared the strait opened, closed, reopened, re closed, partially opened, opening with a closing, closing with an opening, wide open, side open?

[Nirupama Menon Rao 🇮🇳 @NMenonRao]

The #ceasefire (US-Iran) announcement marks a pause, but more importantly, it reveals where each actor now stands.

The United States has stepped back from the brink it created. A deadline backed by threats of overwhelming force has given way to a conditional pause built around negotiations. That signals not strength alone, but recognition of limits: military objectives may have been met, but political end states remain elusive.

Israel, for its part, finds itself in a more ambiguous position. Having driven escalation, it is now tethered to a process it does not fully control. Its objectives, particularly around regime change or long-term degradation of Iran, sit uneasily with a negotiation track shaped elsewhere.

Iran emerges with a measure of strategic resilience. It has absorbed strikes, retaliated, and then shifted the frame from ceasefire to conditions for a broader settlement: sanctions relief, security guarantees, and regional de-escalation.
In doing so, it has moved from target to negotiating actor without conceding core positions.

Pakistan’s role has unfolded not as architect, but as conduit and catalyst. It has provided the channel through which messages travelled, deadlines were softened, and a narrow diplomatic opening created. That is not mediation in the classic sense, but it cannot be dismissed with stray witticisms either.

What we are witnessing is not resolution of conflict , but repositioning.
The war has not ended. It has entered a different phase, where coercion and negotiation now proceed together.

For India, the implication is clear.

Do not read this as de-escalation alone. Read it as a system under strain, where outcomes are still fluid.
India should state its position with clarity:
support de-escalation, safeguard maritime flows, and resist alignment with any one narrative of this conflict.
This is not a moment for silence.
It is a moment for calibrated voice.

#WestAsia
#IranUSConflict
#MiddleEastCrisis
#StrategicAutonomy
#IndiaForeignPolicy
#Hormuz
#MaritimeSecurity

[Ronit Pereira @CAronitpereira]

Raghav Chadha making full use of CA Degree 👏🏻

“Income Tax Act allows carry forward market losses for up to eight years. This should be increased up to 12 to 15 years"

"Investors should be allowed to carry forward capital losses for an extended period"

[Ganesh S. Nagarsekar🇮🇳 SEBI Regt RA-INH000008835 @bharatbetpf]

F&O wale sattebaaz hai (STT)
Long term investor sattebaaz hai (STCG, LTCG)
Entrepreneurs sattebaaz hai (30%+ slab rate)

Only babus & politicians are not sattebaaz - because they risk neither their labour nor their capital.
We should all be grateful.🙏

[SUHEL SETH @Suhelseth]

Am I missing something? Why are Indian Government leaders going to Davos to sign MoUs with Indian businesses. Does the ink dry up whilst doing the same thing in India or is it just the snow and the weather? Haven’t figured this one out!

[Kevin Dahlstrom @Camp4]

Today I turn 55.

I’m the fittest, sharpest, and happiest I’ve ever been.

If I’m an outlier, it’s not because I’m built different or discovered a secret formula. The truth is far less glamorous:

It’s a million tiny choices, compounded over decades.

Here are 55 of them:

1. Walk 15+ miles a week, even if you do other exercise. Humans are uniquely made to move slowly over long distances—it’s critical to longevity.

2. Develop a writing practice. It’s the single best way to sharpen your mind. And remember, you don’t have to be a good writer to write. Start with 10 minutes a day.

3. Swap out your toothpaste, deodorant, lotions, soap, shampoo, and other personal care products for natural versions. Here’s a rule of thumb: Don’t put anything on your skin that you couldn’t safely eat.

4. If you have a positive thought about someone, don’t keep it to yourself—share it immediately. Encouragement defies the laws of physics: When you give energy, you also receive it.

5. Wear shoes with a wide forefoot (I like Topo Athletic) and wear toe spreaders around the house (search “yoga toes” on Amazon). Spine health begins with the feet.

6. Get sunlight regularly. Moderate sun exposure (without sunscreen) is hugely important for overall health.

7. Do a 3-minute deep (“ass to grass”) squat every morning. Deep squats are often called the anti-aging exercise. It’s been said that, “It’s not that you can’t do deep squats because you’re old, it’s that you’re old because you can’t do deep squats.”

8. Explore minimalism (it’s not what you think it is).

9. Set boundaries on toxic relationships. We tend to cling to relationships past their expiration date, and it takes a bigger toll on our health than we recognize.

10. Eat real food. Not too much. Don’t eat garbage. Binge occasionally. Fast occasionally. That’s the diet.

11. Learn about FIRE. It’s a great framework for financial success.

12. Don’t take antibiotics except in emergency situations. They’re massively over-prescribed and aren’t needed in most cases. Antibiotics have done untold damage to our guts, which is where health begins. Great natural alternatives are out there.

13. Get 8 hours of quality sleep each night. To optimize sleep:
—Don’t eat after 6pm
—Get blackout shades and cover LEDs with black tape
—No screens 2 hours before bed
—Try ashwagandha (an herb) to calm the nervous system

14. Stop drinking, even in moderation. People find all sorts of ways to justify drinking, but there’s no escaping the simple fact that alcohol is a toxin and it limits your potential.

15. Travel as much as possible. Nothing expands the mind like seeing the world. And travel doesn’t have to be expensive—the best experiences happen outside of fancy resorts, when you live like a local.

16. Let go of resentment. When you forgive someone, you release the prisoner, and the prisoner isn’t them… it’s you.

17. Show up on time, every time. Poor time management limits success more than most people realize. If you struggle with punctuality, stop everything else and fix that first.

18. Spend lots of time in nature and touch the earth. Humans evolved over 300k years to live in harmony with nature, and only recently have we retreated indoors. If you don’t spend time outside, you’re fighting biology (hint: You won’t win.)

19. Stop doing dumb things. As Leo Tolstoy said, “People try to do all sorts of clever and difficult things to improve life instead of doing the simplest, easiest thing—refusing to participate in activities that make life bad.”

20. Find your happy place and (eventually) move there. Most people live where they live because... that's where they live. We are products of our environment—choose yours carefully.

21. Find a hobby and pursue mastery. You can’t have a happy life without a passionate pursuit that isn’t your vocation. Your work—even if you enjoy it—isn’t enough.

22. Avoid mainstream medicine except as a last resort. The results are in—our healthcare (or more appropriately, sick care) system is badly broken and only makes people sicker.

23. Have a mindset of abundance. There is no advantage to being a pessimist—even if you’re right, it’s a miserable way to live. In a very real way… whatever you believe, you’re right!

24. Do hard things. Choose courage over comfort. Everything you want is on the other side of fear and hard work. As Jerzy Gregorik said, “Hard choices, easy life. Easy choices, hard life.”

25. Ignore haters. Hurt people hurt people. Negative/toxic people live in a prison of their own design. Don’t join them!

26. Say no. Protect your time and energy like it’s your most precious asset… because it is.

27. Become a water snob. As an alien said on Star Trek, humans are “ugly bags of mostly water.” You are what you drink—literally! We have Mountain Valley Spring water delivered in glass 5-gallon jugs and also have whole-house water filter (Aquasana Rhino).

28. Stop drinking sodas and sugary energy drinks. After a few weeks you won’t miss them, and a few months later they’ll seem disgusting. Refined sugar causes inflammation, which is the root of most disease.

29. If you’re over 35, find a good functional/longevity medicine doctor and start tracking your hormones. Modern life is hell on the endocrine system and restoring healthy hormone levels can change your life. As we get older, we either accept a slow decline in performance or we do something about it—choose the latter!

30. Develop a morning routine and follow it faithfully. Win the morning, win the day!

31. Invest in experiences, not things. People frequently regret buying things, but rarely regret investing in great experiences (especially when shared with loved ones). Remember, there’s nothing you can buy in a mall that you’ll remember in ten years.

32. Explore spirituality. It’s arrogant and small-minded to believe there’s nothing going on in our universe that is beyond our comprehension. We know less about our universe than an ant meandering on a sidewalk understands about this planet.

33. Have a strong bias toward action—doing rather than talking. If you ask a bunch of old people about their regrets, they’ll talk about the things they *didn't* do—the shots they didn’t take—more than the things they did do (even if it went wrong). As Wayne Gretzky famously said, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” Most people don’t take enough shots.

34. Stay lean. Men in particular are obsessed with muscle mass these days, but bulk doesn’t age well. The goal is to be strong but lean. The fittest guys in their 50s and beyond aren’t meatheads, they’re lean guys who are serious about a sport.

35. Curate your inner circle carefully. Surround yourself with people you admire and who challenge you to grow. Remember, we’re the average of our 5 closest relationships.

36. Be the fittest version of yourself. Your body is your only vessel for experiencing life—so treat it as such. Fitness isn’t working out a few times a week, it’s a lifestyle. The older you get, the more time you need to devote to your health.

37. Take the time to appreciate art and beauty in all its forms.

38. Think globally, but act locally. Too many people put their energy into far-away problems they don’t understand and can’t impact, while ignoring problems right under their nose. Want to change the world? Start at home.

39. Try psychedelics. It’s one of those things everyone should do at least once, and it might be the breakthrough you’ve been looking for.

40. Limit bad habits, including unhealthy thought patterns. We all have them—practice avoidance and find substitutes. Get professional help if needed.

41. Be a lifelong learner. Your brain is just like a muscle—if you don’t feed and flex it regularly, it will atrophy.

42. Find your purpose. People with a strong sense of purpose are happier and live longer. Lack of purpose sucks energy and magnifies depression.

43. Only take advice from people who embody the traits you want to have. Talk is cheap—emulate those who have DONE it.

44. The goal is not to retire and do nothing, it’s to build a great day-to-day life that you don’t need to escape. A life of leisure is a slow death. Happiness isn’t possible without a little struggle, uncertainty, and skin in the game.

45. Have fun! Do frivolous and silly things that make you smile. As George Bernard Shaw famously said, “We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.”

46. Whatever you want to do or achieve in life, start NOW. Don’t fall victim to “someday thinking” because someday never comes.

47. Accumulate assets—things that grow in value over time. It’s the #1 habit of rich people, and it can be done in tiny chunks. Instead of spending $100 on an impulse purchase that has no lasting value, put that money into an index fund or Bitcoin. It becomes addictive (in a good way).

48. Don’t ignore the big 3 canaries in the coal mine for health:
—Low libido (and ED)
—Frequent sinus & respiratory issues
—Depression
These usually aren’t medical conditions in themselves, they’re symptoms of an underlying problem. Find a good doc (outside of the mainstream) and figure out the root cause.

49. Have a clear vision for your future. How can you decide which direction to go if you haven’t clearly defined the destination? It sounds obvious, but 95% of people haven’t defined their “Ideal End State” in detail and in writing. (Check out my thread on this topic.)

50. Make your own decisions. We live in an era where most of what society tells us is wrong. Don’t be afraid to break from societal norms—if people say you’re crazy, it’s a sign that you’re doing something right.

51. Get hardcore about mobility exercise. As you age, it’s usually the knees, hips, and lower back that limit physical performance. 30 min a couple times a week can spare you a lifetime of pain. YouTube is a great resource.

52. Go all in on family. Get married, stay married, have kids. Burn the boats. In the end, family is all that matters.

53. Be ruthless with your time. Money comes and goes. Time only goes. Audit your calendar ruthlessly—cut the trivial, double down on the meaningful, and spend your hours like your life depends on it. (Because it does.)

54. Have a strong bias toward action. Be curious, try things, meet people—it’s how you increase your surface area for serendipity, the most powerful unseen force in our lives.

55. Reinvent yourself every decade. Over time, we slowly drift off course from our priorities, values, and true identity. Take stock and don’t be afraid to hit the reset button. Bold, calculated moves made for the right reasons almost always pay off—usually even more than you can imagine.

🎁 P.S. If you enjoyed this post, would you give me a birthday gift? Repost or comment with the item number(s) you liked best?

[Anuradha Tiwari @talk2anuradha]

Clean water → Buy Water Purifier
Clean air → Buy Air purifier
24/7 electricity →Buy Inverter
Quality education → Expensive Private schools
Decent Healthcare → Expensive Private hospitals
Safe paneer → Do iodine test at home

Why the hell are we even paying taxes?

[Monish Asher @MonishAsher]

@VishalBhargava5 Add to it the speed cams placed every 500 meters as if it’s a driving license test.

[Gabbar @GabbbarSingh]

Every monsoon is the season of anti-incumbency. The rain washes away the cosmetic layer to reveal intense corruption every year, people whine, loyal supporters shake their heads, opposition is out on the streets, a month passes, rains subside. Festive season begins, everybody is happy, people forget. Repeat every year. As a rule, Democracy survives on an average voter’s short term memory loss.

[Monish Asher @MonishAsher]

@Viraaj_AKS_ For a second I thought it was dolly chaiwala

[Punit Pania @Punit_Pania]

Worli Metro Station has served its primary purpose, inauguration and photo-op with Supreme Being, now whether it gets flooded or closed down completely is inconsequential. Some anchors may even claim calling it 'Aqua Line' was a masterstroke!

[Neeti Palta @neetipalta]

If comedians can be held accountable for jokes, why can’t news media be held accountable for misinformation?

[ManishChokhani @chokhani_manish]

Strong, stable currencies and quality products lead to exports… not a constantly depreciating currency as we keep getting told. Sadly India doesn’t even figure on this table despite its continental size.

[Akshat Shrivastava @Akshat_World]

India is the only country on earth: where if you speak to bring in low taxation (as a Citizen), many people will make it a political issue. And, start bashing you.

Some arguments:-

1) Previous government also did that, so why change now?
2) How will the poor in the nation survive?
3) You need to contribute to nation building.

Rather than demanding more efficiency from the government, we load them up with more money.

As a result: roads are rebuilt almost every monsoon. Multiple layers of taxation is collected.

Despite the Oil prices falling by 50% from top, petrol/diesel doesn't even go down by 5Rs.

Think about it. How stupid is all this?

- If the taxation is low, it pushes the government to become more effective.
- If the taxation is low, everyone builds more wealth.
- If the taxation is low, everyone has the incentive to work harder. And, create more growth.

Low taxation and a small government should be a ideological convergence point.

But, brainwashing at scale has destroyed people's ability to think.