Rammohan Susarla
Bio
Writer seeking metaphysical fulfillment by publishing meditations and ruminations about the world.
I am a Techie turned Business Analyst who found his true calling as a writer this journey spanning 12 years has been incredibly rewarding.
Stories (60/0)
As Expected, Joe Manchin "Killed" Biden's Transformative Spending Bill. What Is Next For Democrats and Joe Biden?
As the news from the United States is all about the Democratic Senator, Joe Manchin, announcing that he would vote against President Biden’s “ambitious” spending bill, there is a sense of Deja Vu and much “we told you so” reactions from Democrats and other progressives, who along were predicting this outcome, and warning against “humoring” Manchin beyond a point. Indeed, if not anything, this “blindsiding” of the Democratic agenda by “one of their own” fits into a broader pattern of American politics, where anything remotely to do with helping the less privileged immediately is shot down as “socialism” and raising the bogey of profligate Democrats, as opposed to fiscally prudent Republicans. Never mind that the same Republicans have consistently voted to pass Tax Cuts and other such laws, with the presumption of the failed Trickle Down Economics and Supply Side Economics.
By Rammohan Susarlaabout a year ago in The Swamp
Evergrande Defaults!! Now, What?? Market Crash, Or, Managed Implosion?
News reports indicate that the troubled Chinese real estate developer, Evergrande, has defaulted. Hopefully, this should pave the way for an orderly restructuring, especially after this long running drama has kept markets on tenterhooks for the last two months. Indeed, it is high time the Chinese powers that be put a full stop to the never ending saga surrounding Evergrande.
By Rammohan Susarlaabout a year ago in Trader
Why Does The Common Person Feel So Screwed In India?
Why does the person on the street feel so screwed? The GDP (Gross Domestic Product), a measure of the economic growth of a nation is soaring and the equity markets continue their “dizzying” climb to more and more highs. Moreover, India is supposed to become a 5 Trillion Dollar Economy pretty soon and this euphoric feeling of taking a “place on the global high table” should be cause enough for celebrations and cheer all round. However, despite these “stellar” accomplishments, the lives of the poor and the less privileged continue to languish, with fantasy gazing at the glitzy lives of the rich and the famous substituting for the missing happiness and joy in their lives. While it is commonsense that high economic growth would invariably lead to higher incomes for all in the long run, the present situation in India resembles the Victorian Gilded Age, with the gains going to the Top 10% or worse, the Top 1%, leaving the rest in the doldrums. As the graph below shows, India is among the most unequal countries with the share of the total income showing wide divergence between the rich and the rest. Worse, the pandemic has made matters even more dire for the Indian middle class and the poor, as the bulk of the Millions of jobs lost have been from these classes.
By Rammohan Susarlaabout a year ago in Journal
The 9 To 5 Workday Is A Relic Of The Industrial Revolution. The Post Pandemic Digital Age Needs Us Reorient Our World For Anytime,Anywhere Work
The Industrial Revolution of the 19th and the early 20th century gave us the 9 to 5 workday. We built our societies around the morning to evening workdays and our parents ordered their lives around the 8 hour workday. From public transport systems that functioned from dawn to dusk and schools and daycare centers that remained open in a way that parents could drop their children on the way to work and pick them up after office hours, to the restaurants and other support systems which catered (literally and figuratively) to their clientele according to the working hours, modern societies functioned according to the 9 to 5 clocks of the traditional workday.
By Rammohan Susarlaabout a year ago in Journal
Mukesh Ambani's Succession Plans And Why They Matter To All Of Us
Last week, there were news reports that Asia’s richest businessperson, Mukesh Ambani ha been drawing up succession plans detailing how his immense wealth would be divided among his wife and three children. These plans, reported by several news portals indicated that Ambani plans to follow the model of inheritance of wealth in family businesses that Walmart’s Walton family is known for. Among other things, Ambani’s plans include placement of his children on the boards of the many businesses in the sprawling Reliance empire and drawing up a “clear” succession plan, leaving no room for ambiguity, as to who gets what after he retires or after he is no more. In other words, the whole idea is to ensure a “smooth” transition to the Next Gen of the Ambani clan so that there are no unseemly squabbles and internecine family fights over his wealth.
By Rammohan Susarlaabout a year ago in Journal
Beyond #MeToo: What Ghislaine Maxwell's Conviction Means For Victims of Sexual Harassment
Ghislaine Maxell, the socialite and long time associate of the financier, late Jeffrey Epstein, has been convicted of recruiting underage girls for the latter. This high profile and keenly watched trial is also notable for the effect it would have on the #MeToo movement and its impact on other victims of sexual harassment. Indeed, the conviction of Ghislaine Maxwell should spur other women to come forward and more importantly, pursue their perpetrators till justice is served. The last point, for me, is the most important takeaway of this case involving the high and the mighty i.e., not letting the momentum generated by the #MeToo movement dissipate as well as ensuring that cases go to trial and bring closure to the victims and their families. While the case involving Ghislaine Maxwell generated prime time media attention as it involved the Who’s Who of American elite, there are countless other cases which do not receive the same kind of coverage and hence, there is a reason to feel hopeful that victims of sexual harassment can draw inspiration from this case and fight for justice.
By Rammohan Susarlaabout a year ago in Viva
Women At The Top: Does Having More Women CEOs Lead To More Inclusive Workplaces
The announcement of Leena Nair, as the CEO (Chief Executive Officer) of fashion major, Chanel, was greeted with much joy and fanfare. The fact that Ms. Nair was of Indian origin and that too from a different industry (she was among the execs in Unilever), as well as being appointed a CEO of a non tech firm was noted and welcomed by both industry veterans and the laypersons alike. Indeed, the congratulatory posts on social media were indicative of the significance of her achievement and the respect accorded to her appointment resembled adulatory overtones, normally reserved for celebrities. Of course, leading Chanel would make her a celebrity in her own right, given that Ms. Nair would be heading a firm that counts on such figures for its success.
By Rammohan Susarlaabout a year ago in Journal
Technology Was Meant To Liberate Us. Instead, We Have Become Its Slaves
Back in the 1990s, when I was in college, I remember the euphoria surrounding the emergence of the Internet and the new wave of technologies, which was exhilarating for anyone who had their first brush with such tech only in their early twenties. Indeed, unlike the Millennials and the Gen Zers, who are born Digital Natives, my generation (Gen X) embraced technology only well into early adulthood. I still remember the day when I created my Email account through the then “hot and happening” Hotmail. Moreover, Email was something that we checked once in a while, like every week or month, depending on where we lived and how much access we had to the then mushrooming Cyber Cafes. These were named so because the original or the first one in Bangalore (which I visited to open my Hotmail account), served Coffee alongside the Internet browsing facilities.
By Rammohan Susarlaabout a year ago in Journal
Global Markets Are In Free Fall!! What Is Driving This Correction? Panic Or End Of Easy Money?
The global markets are in “free fall” with most indices down by more than a percentage point. As of now, the Sensex has crashed by almost 1500 points and it looks to extend the losses by the end of the day, today. The Nifty too has breached its “psychological” level of 1650, leaving many traders worried about this market crash. Though the Indian markets have been tracking the falls in the broader global indices, nonetheless, this selloff comes at a time of heightened anxiety about the global economy and concerns about the Omicron variant “scuttling” the fragile recovery underway. Moreover, investors are also keen to offload and book losses, which means that today’s bloodbath is a correction, rather than a panic response. However, I would not be too sanguine about the prospects for markets going forward, due to the many converging factors that have created a Perfect Storm that would continue to rattle the economies worldwide.
By Rammohan Susarlaabout a year ago in Journal
The Pandemic "Forced" Us To Go Digital. Here's How This "Shift" Is Playing Out
If there was one consequence, intended or otherwise, of the pandemic, then the “shift” to the Digital Age is perhaps the most consequential of the many ways in which that the pandemic has impacted us. Right from WFH or Work From Home arrangements, with Zoom calls for meetings, and a completely virtual mode of working, to ordering everything from groceries to everyday essentials as well as luxury goods online, to even attending virtual Zumba dance classes, the Digital Age is well and truly upon us. Indeed, without the conveniences offered by our Smartphones and other gadgets, even getting vaccinated would have become difficult, considering the very important role that Apps have played as far as registration and booking appointments for vaccinations, testing, quarantine, and other aspects of this health emergency were concerned. Maybe, The Only Good From The Pandemic Is That It Has Ushered In The Digital Age.
By Rammohan Susarlaabout a year ago in Lifehack
India Is Bringing The Third Wave Upon Itself, Risking Chaos and Implosion
It would be an understatement to say that India is not prepared for the Third Wave of Covid infections, caused by the Omicron variant. On paper, both the central and state governments say that they are well prepared. However, much like the brutal Second Wave that caught the nation off guard, the Third Wave would arrives at a time when the country is in the midst of madness and mayhem. With its political elite caught up in campaigning for the next round of the elections in various states, which looks unlikely to be postponed, the chances of super spreaders in the form of election rallies and door to door campaigns remains high. Moreover, the images of people thronging markets and flocking to large gatherings, raises fears about spread of the virus. That too, when the Omicron variant eludes antibodies due to vaccinations, which renders any gains from them useless and leads to breakthrough infections.
By Rammohan Susarlaabout a year ago in FYI
Its High Time We Addressed Mental Health Issues Among The Under 30 Generations
It would be an understatement to say that the Covid pandemic has had a deleterious impact on our physical as well as psychological well being. Some of us lost our loved ones and most of us have had at least one or more of our relatives, peers, coworkers, or college maters and professional contacts succumb to the virus. This has led to grief and trauma amongst us as the “loss” of our near and dear, coupled with the circumstances in which they left us, made its mark on our mental health. Added to this is the endless restrictions on physical movement, including travel both domestic and foreign, that limited our ability to visit immediate and extended families, as well forced us into “isolation” hampered our innate sense of connection.
By Rammohan Susarlaabout a year ago in Psyche
