Mediocre Perspectives

It has been more than a decade since the idea of a holistic indirect tax was pitched. After a considerably long time of deliberation and significant compromises, a newly envisioned Goods and Service Tax (GST) will make its way into the records from the first of July. The last one year has witnessed a significant amount of literature devoted to the phenomenon what is now GST. But as happens usually in India questions which ought to be asked was never raised and when sounded was drowned in the clamor of what should be the right tax rate for GST. Fundamentals: To understand the right questions we are obliged to revisit the fundamentals of taxation. Tax is a compulsory levy by the government for the services it provides to its citizens from security to sanitation. The government decides the different levies through which it can raise its revenue. The fundamental classes of taxes are two – direct and indirect taxes. Direct taxes are progressive in nature they are levied in proport...

Photo Courtesy:   Mark Jensen The more I devour you the more you become, Isn’t there a way to swallow you whole? I envy your brightness and rightly so. A moment you are in, and then out, To put it simply you are everywhere. I scale the mountains you dwarf me You know deep trenches to sink me I soar in the sky to be blinded by your light Darkness is no respite as you own the night I droop at your vastness and rightly so. Why am I crude? Though I sharpen my weapons, Can’t I beat you good? As I follow my sessions. Maybe I get it all wrong? Maybe I will never get it right. I wow at your knots and rightly so. Romancing you is way beyond joy Which I desire Till my last breath Trailing you is a never-ending ploy The sole reason I postpone my death I love your flatness and rightly so All times I feel  I am too small I lift my heel, Yet too short. The Firefly has no answers to the Sun When you tease, I don’t ru...

Photo Courtesy: Randomthoughtstome The heart brims with anger My face covered in blood The night sky calls to me But how will I fly? The palm feels the hammer Chain link is cold Stars await my sheen I can’t simply glide I aspire to leap From the decaying heap To fulfill myself Or try dying one self My will is too weak And the chain wouldn’t shriek I lie here in tears Felled by my fears Will there be will Would the chain unshackle? Or would wings wither feigning? With not enough trying Will I be my saviour Will there be a saviour? Photo Courtesy: (External Link) Randomthoughtstome

This was not the first time I am being introduced to the character Wonder Woman. I was pretty familiar with her from Justice League since school. And Gal Gadot was not new to the screen either. She has already made an appearance in the global franchise Fast and Furious. This wasn’t the first time when Gal Gadot was playing Wonder Woman either. She adorned the role with panache in the movie Dawn of Justice which released earlier. She was simply reprising the role which she had done earlier. But walking out of the theater it would be hard to deny the fact you definitely saw something spectacular, or should I say wonderful. It took me a few moments to realize what had brought about that sense of awesomeness on screen. It was neither the character sketch of wonder woman nor the stellar performance of Gal Gadot alone but a symphonic fusion of both which left you with the sense of wonder. Official Poster (from Forbes website) The innocence of the superhero defined the movi...

The last three years has seen many incidents of turmoil in many domains. A significant portion of them arose from the inconceivable impatience of the government to impose the principle of the Hindutva in the garb of pseudo-nationalism. The most recent being the new set of regulations for choking cattle slaughter. Getting the facts right The new set of regulations neither bans cattle slaughter nor prevents the consumption of beef. But they are framed in a way so as to significantly affect both. The rules say that cattle traded in the markets must not be used for slaughter. The people involved in the trade have to provide an undertaking regarding this. Hence from now on cattle have to be sent directly to the slaughter houses from the farmland. The regulations derive their power from the Prevention of Cruelty Act 1960 which is a Central Government Act. Even if states come up with a new legislation they have to be in accordance with the Central law. The Constitution The pri...