Citizen Responsibility
Franklin Templeton Evoting :The nitty-gritty
Franklin Templeton has some good news this Christmas .Sometime back I wrote about the mysterious case of six Franklin templeton funds which were being wound up.
It was unprecedented.A lot of things in 2020 continue to be that. But what’s unprecedented in a good way is they seem to be walking the talk to make things better .
The Good news from Franklin Templeton
Once the unit holders vote, the process of giving back their money will kick in place .
I have forever felt the need for investing in a planned manner to keep my portfolio well diversified and still making money.COVID 19 kinda crashed us all.But our economy is resilient and four of the six funds are already cash positive.You can read about the timeline for that here.
Mr.Sanjay Sapre(President ,FT India) is confident that other two will swim to shore soon.
When asked about how they are going about rebuilding the trust back in their brand,Mr.Sapre said ,
“Whatever I say will make no effect till the investors get their money back in their banks. We understand that.That’qs why we are working towards exactly that.”
The intentions and words are on track .But as Mr.Sapre said ,they need to walk the talk and that’s where this bit of news is definitely on the right track.
But nothing like that happens easily. The right to wind up the funds were challenged in court and now the Supreme Court has given the go ahead to organize the e-voting. The first step to formally wind up is notify the unit holder about voting .
Must know Facts about the Evoting
- Voting will happen online.Evoting dates 26-28 December (timing Indian standard time).
- Unitholder meeting on 29th December :Video conference.
- The second unit holder video meeting will only be for those fund owners where the majority vote is yes vote.
- Information sent online through the registered phone number or email address for the unitholder.
- One fund one vote
- You can vote yes or no
- If you are not able to vote its a null vote and not counted in anyways.
- Simple majority means more than half (50%) of votes cast will determine voting results.
- E-voting entire process conducted by Kfintech now.
Details :All that you want to know about FT E-voting
What happens if you vote yes?
Bottomline:You voting yes would pave the way forward for Franklin templeton,to get your money back .
The nitty gritty –
You vote for an orderly winding up with a chance of getting a fair return from the assets.During the e-video meeting a trustee will be appointed for oversees process. No distress sales at all.The schemes are wound up in an orderly manner without hurrying.
You can find the FT update for each of the six funds and e-voting link below.
https://www.franklintempletonindia.com/investor/market-insights/winding-up-of-specific-schemes
What happens when you vote no?
Scheme is opened up.Sales and redemption options are possible.Human tendency will be towards the obvious.
Rush of redemption will cause emergency liquidation of portfolio securities.
Free fall of NAV possible
Loss possible .
- Important to note that without a registered email id or phone number with kfintech or Franklin templeton, you will not be qable to vote.
- Login credentials will be sent by registered email or phone number .
- You will get separate email for seperate schemes.
- One PAN one vote per scheme .More folio doesn’t mean more votes.Eeach unit holder one vote.
- Votes once cast can’t be changed
- Email to primary holder for jointly held schemes .
- Email will be sent to minors who own funds.
- If investors face technical error in casting vote they may reach out to K Fintech on 18003454001.
Hoping the new year will help the Fund owners get more good news .
Sharing is good Karma!
Counting Blessings on Kojagiri Purnima
This 2020 is difficult for everyone. My mom was hospitalized recently and my daughter was very ill in the early part of 2020.
Through all this,what keeps me going is praying hard and trusting good doctors including my Pediatrician husband.
I realized how blessed we are to have a network of professionals whom we know and can vouch for.
That’s not easy for most people.That’s the reason I share about people and places which helped.
Shout out to Dr.Tirtha Pratim Purkait Physician for excellent care.
Ruby hospital Kolkata.
Medinova Kolkata and Sonoscan Malda for giving excellent help and support when we needed it.
Praying, counting blessings, is another thing that helps me when I have done everything I can ,then need to be patient.That’s where one of my favorite Goddess to pray to is Goddess Laxmi.
The Bengali Laxmi puja falls on Sharad poornima or Kojagari purnima which falls on the 30th of October this month.
That’s tomorrow and my daughter is excited to help out with all the puja preparations.
Whatever be your faith,having kids pray along with you, is the best way to give them the inner strength to stand strong even in troubled times.
A few days back I was telling my daughter a few tips for praying.Sharing them here.Maybe it help when you need it-
Pray continuously .It’s a part of life.Your relationship with your God is personal but praying will always help it.
It should be focused.You should concentrate.
It should be playing at the back of your mind like a prayer audio track.
Have faith .
Avoid negative self talk.Pick them up and throw them out of your brain.
I am a Doctor and believe that man can only do his best.Rest is in the hands of a higher power .
Always praying to God but rowing for the shore .
Sharing is good Karma!
The Maha Saptami Durga Pujo and the Bhog
Today is Maha Saptami when Devi Durga’s pran pratisthan is done.The Mother Goddess comes as a clay pratima and human faith and ceremonial rituals help to draw the universal life forces into her. It’s said that the Kala bou has a big role to play in this, before the real puja can start.
I told you about Mahalaya and my Durga puja memories.
Today’s post is a little bit about the Kala bou,and my love for all things Prasad and bhog.
The Kala bou is the Young banana tree with leaves of the turmeric tree ,wood apple,pomegranate, jayanti,arum, ashoka,colocasia,paddy, all tied together,taken for a bath and then draped in a saree .
All these plants are also embodiments of various Gods and Godesses . Its also called naba patrika and Kala bou is dressed up in a red bordered white saree with vermillion and married with Lord Ganesha before Maa Durga can officially start battling Mahishasura.
The stories about the why and what behind Kala bou are many,but important thing to note is the female embodiment being crucial for the real fight to begin.
It’s on the seventh day of Navratri that Maa Durga’s epic battle against the buffalo headed demon king Mahishasura started.
Now because of the COVID 19 situation everything happened low key,but the puja made us happy.
But guess what made us even happier?The Bhog.
Growing up the neighborhood pujo had a system of bhog which somehow never reached those of us living a little farther away.
But by God’s grace for the last several years,having the blessed bhog is like a wish come true.
What’s not to love about the bhog?
It looks great,smells great,tastes sublime and always makes you happy
So what did the Maha Saptami bhog consist of?
Fragrant Basanti pulao with dried fruits and nuts.
Assortments of vegetables fried in ghee.There were pumpkin fried,sweet potatoes,potatoes,Pointed gourd and bitter gourd.
A mixed vegetable mash ,lightly spiced and delicious.
Payesh (fragrant rice cooked with creamy milk and cooked to a perfection.)
Sweets
The beautiful part of the puja bhog has a lot to do with the sights , sounds and emotions than with the actual food.Even if you follow the recipes to a T ,they never taste the same when it’s not offered during Puja ,but just made at home.
So while every year I document a little bit about Durga pujo ,my love for the puja bhog is a recurring theme.
P.S The bhog was eaten at home after being heated for one minute in the microwave for safety concerns.
Sharing is good Karma!
Square pegs and Round holes: Elearning Problems
Do you like free size dresses?Do you like the idea of one size fits all shoes?
Would you want custom options for your child’s education?
If you answer no,no, and yes,then you are exactly like me.An advertising magnet for all things expensive .Online education has just reached a new level of crazy .Edutech companies are falling over themselves trying to run to the bank first.Their advertising budgets are limitless. It’s a billion dollar business, having no ethical responsibility and misrepresentation seems to be the only rule.
Are you tired of those ads?You know the ones I am talking about ,right ?Atleast if you are reading this in India ,you will.
The brand advertising’s are boring,unsubtle and reeks of manipulation,low authority and insincerity. Shocking considering the clout used and money they are spending.
In India we are trying to go digital with educational resources. The problem is it’s a big country with a very big population.
The resources of Mother Earth are limited.So are the resources of the Government. Since free is unsustainable, the quality suffers.
The lower economic strata have limited options and I am clueless about how the super rich decide.What I do know is what a parent like me thinks.
You are a typical parent if you are constantly worrying about the possibility of your child missing out due to COVID.Your peers have thousand and one online options lined up as study/extracurricular /Genius level activities.
You will spend all your hard earned money to give your kids that extra chance to shine.
Then comes the targeted advertising everywhere. They use random celebrities who have never used their educational qualifications to earn a living promoting all sorts of stuff,guaranteed to make your child a certified genius.
Trying to fit a square pegs in a round hole ,again and again!Using your aspirations.Use it,manipulate it ,make money from selling dreams.
The question about education being about learning gets lost in the wind.
So how are we coping?
I fell for one of the platforms.But luckily sense returned mid way.Read about it here.
We are now teaching her school curriculum and as much fun stuff we can find in extra curricular books,free online resources.
Since schools are online,no other screen time other than school and a twenty minute fun cartoon watch with me.The biggest benefit of this is the little one is reading more.She is reading her story books and revising them too.That’s the cute part.She also finished the entire Famous Five series and is constantly talking about Timmy the dog.
We draw together every day.
We have nature walks in our balcony garden.
I tell her about history and we explore the globe.
We do yoga,play tennis (a version of ot),walk on the treadmill,have storytelling sessions too.
All this happens without stress .I choose to believe that wellbeing is crucial.
What do I want my daughter to be ?
I want her to be healthy, happy to learn and create.I can take care of that now,rest we can do later.As for those advertising , I always switch channels.
What do you think about advertising misrepresentation? Have you ever fallen for them? Let me know in the comments below.
Google Camp 2020 read all about it here.
About square pegs and Round holes
This post is also part of my CauseAchatter initiative with Blogchatter to spread the cause of quality Digital education. Equal opportunity for a better world.
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Sharing is good Karma!
Remembering Vidyasagar and eLearning
Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar was a famous Bengali scholar, humanitarian, social reformer, and teacher. He was born on 26th September 1820.
Today on Creating cornerstone content I had to write about evergreen content. Stories are evergreen and stories about inspiring men and women more so. Today I will tell you about “Vidyasagar“.A man without whom, women in India may have never started on the road to literacy.
Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar: Inspiring generations
His story is told to children far and wide in India. Growing up he struggled to get educated. Despite many hardships he stuck to it.He had started studying in the small village school of Birsingha where he was born to Mother Bhagavati Devi and father Thakurdas Bandyopadhyay. At the age of eight, he traveled to Kolkata with his father to study. He was very studious and intelligent.
There is a popular story that he used to sit studying under a street lamp, because come evening the light at his home was too feeble to read in. He came first on completion of his studies at Sanskrit college and was given the title of Vidyasagar meaning an ocean of knowledge.
Vidyasagar believed in the power of education and tried his best to promote the cause of female education. He wrote the book Barnaparichay,to teach the Bengali letters to those who wanted to learn.
His famous books include Barnoparichay, Bodhoday, Kathamala,Shakuntala Sitar banobas etc.
He established the Metropolitan Institution which is now known as the Vidyasagar College. He started several Girls school in the small villages and started a charitable hospital. He also started his own publishing press to promote the power of education. He was also a vocal supporter of widow remarriage and social upliftment of women in Hindu society.
The reason I am telling you all this is simple. He was a man who believed in the power of education. That words have power. He believed education could lift the girl child out of poverty and pain.
When you remember him, you remember how hard he worked to get educated. You remember that all over the world equal opportunity and the right to education are still not a reality.
You also remember that COVID 19 did one good thing. It pushed the cause of eLearning faster than you, me or anyone had ever imagined and for that I am grateful.(But companies like Byjus showed us what shouldn’t be done.)
Every cloud has a silver lining and eLearning the right way can open gates of opportunities like nothing else can. Access to teachers, courses, and books from across the seven seas. With access to the internet, anyone can access them. But even here you need to choose to learn. Because that’s something no one can gift you, teach you, or donate. You alone can.
What are you going to choose?
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