Your home is a dream home where you love to go, relax
peacefully, have fun and enjoy with family, relatives, and friends; have
get-togethers; have parties; and have lunch and dinner in the comfort of your
sweet home. People want their homes to be cool, cozy, comfortable, and a
peaceful place to enjoy the company of their full family, children, and aged
parents.
Once you have a ready house, to make it a home, you
need to design and decorate it. It should have a personal touch, almost an
extension of the personality and lifestyle of the residents living there. To
decorate a home, you may hire an interior decorator or do it yourself. Many
believe that interior decorators will do the job for you so that you don't get
into all the minor and major details of decorating your house. But the problem
with most interior decorators is that they tend to give a formal appearance with
a readymade design and a clean look. The house tends to look more like a hotel
room where you stay and move on without bothering about the personal touch.
Apart from that, the cost also escalates as you pay professional charges for
interior decorators' services. The home should look natural and cozy.
Many believe that since you are going to live in the
house, you know your needs and requirements. And in case you have no idea at
all nor are you a creative person, you may consult your close friends or see
their homes and adapt it to your place. Ideally, you should think of a theme
for your house – formal home type, English home type, Japanese home type, country home type, cottage type, traditional
home type, or a purely creative type, or a mixture of all. It's your choice.
Then start working on those lines. Once this is decided it becomes easy to plan
the furnishing, furniture, fixtures and artefacts according to the plan. It’s
no rocket science.
I always believe the residents living in the house
should plan and decorate the house. They know their own choices and have an
idea of the space requirement. You don't have to be a genius to decorate and
design your home. Common sense, a bit of creativity, and a basic knowledge of
matching and contrasting shades and colours will be helpful. Avoid black or any
colour that attracts negative vibes in walls, furnishing, curtains and
furniture. People who don't have the time or are not keen on it can seek professional
help from an interior designer. But I am sure the person will miss the personal
touch, which is essential for a home as the home is an extension of the person
living there.
Take room by room, say sit-out, at the entrance of
your home where any one from delivery boys, repair-men, courier guys and others
come, and can sit, talk to you and leave. They need not come or sit in the
drawing room. Living room, dining room, bedrooms, kitchen and bathroom are your
private areas, make a nice plan. List out the requirements as per your theme,
modern, traditional or antique type. Make a matching choice of the material and
shades, from carpet, furniture, furnishing, curtains, light fittings, fans,
switchboards and other items, including indoor plants. Care should be taken
about proper ventilation and entry of natural light during day, especially
kitchen and bathrooms. I am sure your talent will blossom with new and
innovative ideas, and create something special.
And the best part is that when children see their
parents take interest in designing and decorating the house, they normally pick
up the trait and absorb the nuances of the art, and in later years, when they
have their own home, they would love to do up their place. They too realize
that to turn a house into a good home, they have to participate and take
personal interest. It's said that a home represents you. Looking at a
person's home, one can understand the personality, nature, and choice of a
person. A house becomes a home when the people residing there become a part of
the place.
Designing and decorating your house gives you immense joy and
satisfaction. It brings out creativity in space utilization and décor. It gives
great pleasure to select the color of the walls in different rooms, the
selection of the furniture and fixtures, the material and design of the drape,
curtain, furnishing, bedsheets, and blankets. It even teaches you to improve
your choices and skill in selecting material, artifacts, fixtures, kitchen
items, crockery, and indoor and outdoor plants.
For a house to become a home, it needs to radiate the
right kind of energy. According to a number of traditional beliefs, each home
comes with its own energy type. A person dwelling in a house comes under the
influence of a specific energy field, which in turn influences him in one way
or the other. Therefore, it's very crucial to understand the basic link between
the art of Vastu and our homes in honing positivity and good vibes, and ways
you can bring balance to your home. It shouldn’t look empty or too congested,
nor should things be placed in a haphazard way.
Designing and decorating your home, large or small,
gives you a unique sense of fulfillment—a true satisfaction that your home is a
cozy and protective shelter for the full family, children, and aged parents.
It's said that a happy home is a happy family. And this happiness tends to rub
off on friends who visit you. One can also upgrade the home by seeing or
learning about new gadgets and things you feel are missing or essential for
your home. Don’t buy things at random, it will make your home look crowded. And
when relatives and friends appreciate your work, it gives you a new high! And
you will feel proud that you designed your own home.
This was the heading in one of the prominent
newspapers in Britain. Surrey-born Bashir, a 20-year-old player of Pakistani origin,
was unable to join the rest of the squad flying to India from a training camp
in Abu Dhabi ahead of the series opener in Hyderabad starting Thursday
following a delay with his visa application. They didn’t tell the truth. The
visa was issued but not stamped by the Indian Embassy in Britain, and they
presumed that they can make Indian do the same in a third country; insist the
Indian Embassy in UAE to do it, bending the rules. They simply said no. This
hurt the British and wondered how could the Indian authorities refuse.
Britain has a complex with India and Indians in UK. They
still have colonial mindset and can’t digest India’s economic growth,
development and success of Indians around the world. Britain should realize,
they gave cricket to the world, but it’s an Indian game now.
The England and Wales Cricket Board had hoped they
could count on assistance from their counterparts at the Board of Control for
Cricket in India (BCCI) in resolving the issue but things didn't go the way
they expected it to be. Given that the England squad was announced around a
month before the tour and there was enough time for visa processing, the media
in the United Kingdom lashed out at India.
How dare you? wrote Mail Sport. Shoaib Bashir
returning to the UK amid visa stink is a damning reflection of the state of the
game - was the headline of The Cricketer. They should know, a rule is a rule
for a wise and a fool!
Not Cricket India branded a disgrace after forcing
England spinner Shoaib Bashir to fly home on eve of first Test - wrote The Sun.
England livid with India as Shoaib Bashir forced to fly home and miss 1st
Test" - was the title used by inews.
It was unlikely that Bashir would have made his Test
debut on Thursday but the frustration for England is that the decision has been
taken out of their hands. Those are bygone days, when Britain could dictate to
India. Bashir eventually got his Indian visa late on Wednesday. Now Indians can
tell Britain – how dare you!
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you feel that Aneela Nike Post is making a difference to your life, do take a
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We had posted a blog on vastu a couple of years ago.
The post was popular and read by many in India and abroad. A few readers in
India and abroad, giving reference to that blog, wanted information about the
direction of the prayer room and mandir location as per vastu at home. After
some research and consulting vastu experts and practitioner, we have given below
information on the same. I hope this will answer all your queries on the
subject. We have also given the link to the earlier post on vastu for home. To follow the suggestions is purely your choice.
Vastu Shastra is an ancient guide for a positive home,
right from the entrance of a house to the bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, outdoors,
prayer room, and courtyard. If the house has the wrong vastu, it could come
under some negative influence and energy. This might cause emotional, mental,
physical, and financial problems. However, by following some basic vastu tips
for your home, you can avoid these problems. The important vastu tips for home
include the shape of the rooms, direction of the stairs, furniture placement,
mirror placement, dining table, and ensuring that the center of the house is
empty.
Here is how you can go about designating a
meditation/spiritual area or room. The east or north-east part of your home is
perfect for meditation, yoga, and other spiritual pursuits. Facing east when
you pray or meditate will increase positivity. Create a sacred altar,
preferably made of wood, and decorate it with flowers, diya, and incense
sticks. White, beige, light yellow, or green are great colour options for the
room. The northeast direction, or Ishan Kona, is regarded as lucky in Vastu
Shastra and is the greatest direction to place the mandir at home. Praying with
your face to the east brings good fortune and progress because it is the
direction of the rising Sun and Lord Indra.
According to Vastu, the ideal mandir direction in a
home is the northeast. If the northeast direction is otherwise occupied, you
can go in the east direction. According to Vastu Shastra studies, the northeast
is believed to be the ideal mandir direction because the direction helps in
imbuing the maximum solar energy. This leads to positivity in the home and to the family residing there. Apart from the direction, it also helps to know where
to place your pooja rooms at home. From all the rooms to consider, the living
room is ideal, with the kitchen being a secondary option (if it faces the
north-east direction). Besides with the heat and smoke emitting, and if non-vegetarian meals are cooked, it's not advisable.
Some experts believe a kitchen should be an option only
if you don’t have any other area. Avoid the bedroom, due to the fact that this
is the place for rest and is not seen as a sacred area. A Mandir in your
bedroom can interfere with the positive energy flow there and may have negative
effects on your personal life. In Indian culture, a pooja room or mandir holds
great significance as it is the area where idols of deities and religious texts
are kept, and the entire family prays and worships together. The Mandir is a
sacred place and a source of positive energies.
Lord Ganesha's idol facing towards the entrance of the
house ensures optimistic results in life. Placing the Ganesha idol at the
entrance with the back facing the house should be avoided.
There are seven continents: Asia, Africa, North
America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia. People living in
Asia are known as Asians, people living in Africa are known as Africans, people
living in North America are known as Americans, people living in South America
are known as Latin Americans, people living in Europe are known as Europeans,
and people living in Australia are known as Aussies and Kiwis. Sometimes Europe
and Asia are considered one continent, called Eurasia. No wonder some Asians
behave and dress as Europeans, and some Europeans behave and dress as Asians.
Do you know the Chinese, Koreans, Taiwanese, and
Japanese don’t consider Indians (including Pakistan and Bangladesh) as Asians
because Indians are neither white or black, but brown, nor do they have
mongoloid features and small eyes; while they vary from short and sturdy to
tall and well-built, and their women are pretty and have won many Miss Universe
and Miss World titles? But they accept Indians are well educated, innovative,
skillful, and smart. They just forgot Sri Lanka and the Maldives. The Thais don’t
bother or share their view, as long as Indians come as tourists and spend money
in Thailand.
There is a complaint that they don’t look like other
Asians, and are confused that in north India, the people are fair and tall. In
South India, the people are less fair, on the darker side, and shorter. In the
north-east, they look like Asians but are not fair. So how can they be Asians?
The big confusion about Asia is that we have west
Asia, middle-east Asia, south-east Asia, and far-east Asia. In that case,
Indians don’t fit anywhere. They can’t be from West Asia or the Middle East, as
Indians are not Arabs, nor do they have long noses. So, if Indians are not
Asians – middle-east, south-east, central Asia, or far-east Asia, they are
special and should be called separate race Indians (including Pakistan and
Bangladesh) from the Indian sub-continent. But there lies another problem: the ruling
government doesn’t like the word India, so they can’t be called Indian but
Bharatiya. But Pakistan and Bangladesh will raise an objection.
The world now realizes Indians are special with all
the fast progress and development taking place and ranking them as the fifth
economic power and will soon reach third rank. It's a matter of concern whether
we call them Indians, Asians, or Indians. In a way, the Chinese, Koreans,
Taiwanese, and Japanese are right; unlike them, we are not small, in body size
and eyes. Indians are big and small, fair and dark, well-educated, and
extremely talented, hence they can't be called Asians.
Decades ago, it was believed that God was a white man.
Later during the oil boom in the middle-east, many felt, God was an Arab, and
with the progress and development in China, westerners felt God was Chinese.
Now, with India developing fast and Indians everywhere in top positions,
westerners feel God is an Indian. But other Asians are confused by how Indians
can be called Asians.
In all this confusion, Afghanistan is not sure of
their position, they look like they are from West-Asia but behave like they are
from South-East Asia. The Chinese, Koreans, Taiwanese, and Japanese later
realized the Indians were everywhere all over the world, including their own
country. They are still debating whether we should call them Indians, Asians,
or non-Asians, but one thing is clear: Indians have created an impression all
over, and they are forced to think and clear up this confusion. Indians are no
longer dependent on these countries, and they are keen to trade with India.
India is in Asia, call them Asians or non-Asians, it doesn’t matter, Indians
are creating waves everywhere and can’t be ignored anymore. And most
importantly, an ocean is named after India. They feel this is too much India
everywhere!
If
you feel that Aneela Nike Post is making a difference to your life, do take a
minute to consider a comment or contribution. We would also value your
suggestions as how to make ourselves more relevant to you. Please write to akn929@yahoo.com to give
your valuable feedback.
There are pros and cons to every investment, and only a financial professional can advise on what’s right for you. If you're looking for general information, we’ve outlined some of the advantages and risks associated with investing in property. This will give you an idea whether investing in a property is a good option.
For many, this seems a good option. But a person with
some knowledge of finance, investment, and returns will think twice. When
people retire, we often hear about investing in a property as an investment for
retirement planning. It could be a flat, an independent home, or a condominium.
For long, residential property has been a useful way to generate a sure shot
and inflation-proof regular income in the form of rent. It has also been looked
upon as an asset for later years. Is it true?
With the demand for housing in urban areas going up,
rentals have been soaring. But every house may not provide good rental value.
The neighborhood area, the housing complex, and the amenities accessible in the
locality play a major role in the value and rent. Families wanting to rent are
particular about many things and want to have access to markets, malls, hotels,
schools, hospitals, bus stands, or railway stations. But in smaller flats for
students or working bachelors, their requirements are not great. As long as the
house is comfortable and close to their college or work place, with basic needs
available at a close distance, they are okay. though some may be choosy.
From a financial perspective, rental yields (annual
rent/value of the property) of 2-3% are not attractive. Even with the
appreciation in the property price, investors can expect 7-8% per annum in
returns overall: some. This is because real estate investment in India can
generate both passive income and can be a long-term investment option. An
important motive of many real estate investors is to earn passive rental income
from the property investment. The rental income, however, varies according to
city, location, demand, and property type. Generally, commercial properties
have a higher rental yield than residential properties.
There are pros and cons to every investment, and only
a financial professional can advise on what’s right for you. If you're looking
for general information, we’ve outlined some of the advantages and risks
associated with investing in property. This will give you an idea whether
investing in a property is a good option. It's up to you to decide.
Let’s take a look at some of the biggest pros and cons
of owning a rental property today. Many people invest in rental property for a
number of reasons, such as to diversify an investment portfolio, generate
rental income, and have more direct control over their investments. Potential
drawbacks to owning a rental property include lack of liquidity, dealing with
tenants, and deteriorating neighborhoods. Investors who understand the pros and
cons of owning a rental property can better decide if investing in real estate
is the right move. Some argue investing in financial instruments is less
cumbersome; fixed deposits can fetch around 7.50-7.60 percent annually. Why
invest and block a big amount in a property and get into all the hassles of
documentation, lawyers, paperwork, dealing with society matters, brokers,
tenants, repair, and maintenance? And you are tied down with the property,
while depositing in a bank or investing in stocks or mutual funds keeps you
free to do other things, for example, travel to new places without bothering
about society, tenants, or upkeep.
Properties can represent a short- or long-term
investment opportunity. Investment properties are not primary residences or
second homes, which makes it harder for investors to secure financing. Selling
an investment property must be reported, and may result in capital gains, which
can have tax implications for investors. And this is one major issue for some
who invest to sell it after a period to earn some additional amount. Here, by
selling the property, one expects around 25–30 percent gain, but normally it
works out to around 10 percent depending on how old it is, the condition,
location, and area of the property. Some property professionals suggest
commercial property offers better returns, and property in the form of plots of
land offers still better returns.
Adding an investment property to your financial
portfolio can be a good option to build wealth. However, real estate
investments come with a lot of work, especially if you decide to invest
directly in a property; not everyone is cut out to be a landlord. One has to
deal with society matters, brokers, lawyers, documentation, repair, and
maintenance. These are tedious and time-consuming. Unless you are prepared for
all this, then you should only go ahead and invest in property.
Investing in property, put simply, an investment in
real estate earns just 3 to 4 percent per year historically; on the contrary,
investments in the stock market post about 10 percent annual returns and FD in
banks offer around 7.60% to senior citizens. and that too without the hassles
of all the paperwork, documentation, dealing with brokers, lawyers, repair and
maintenance work, and a nagging tenant.
Also, if you have bought property to live in it, it is
not considered an investment because there are no monetary benefits. Real
estate investment is also more expensive than stocks, as the former involves
making heavy down payments. Many of us buy the second house to earn the rental
income and also to capture the price appreciation. However, there are many
costs that are not taken into account at the time of buying or after buying it
which drags down the returns from buying a house. A layman is not aware of
these costs.
How to calculate real returns from your property:
*Cost of the property *Gross rental income (12 months)
*Property Tax * Net rental income *Rate of return (exclusive of Income Tax) *
Income Tax, will give you the rate of return.
In most cases, it works out to be around 3-5 percent.
It could be less or more depending on the size, amenities, area, and location
of the property.
Investment in a second house is usually done with the
objective of creating wealth, an additional source of income, etc. For many,
this additional source of income comes in the form of rental income, i.e., they
rent out the second house. If you are planning to buy a second house property
for rental income, consider factors like challenges associated with maintenance
of the property, inability to sell a part of the property/investment, inability
to liquidate the asset faster, etc. Further, with the current work from home
arrangement, wherein many employees have gone back to their native places, away
from their otherwise work location, finding the right tenant, especially in
Tier-1 cities, could really become difficult, at least for some time.
Moreover, there are fixed expenses that need to be
incurred on the second or third house, irrespective of whether it is generating
rental income or not, like monthly maintenance charges (in case of flats or
houses in a housing society), property tax, home loan EMIs (if loan is taken to
buy the house), upkeep/repair cost, etc. Hence, while the monthly rental may
sound sweet to the ears and being an owner of more than one house property may
give a sense of achievement, the real returns may not be as expected when one
calculates the returns practically.
Other risks impacting returns would be property being
vacant, tenant not paying up on time, and other repair expenditures, which may
be an additional cost, which may be unanticipated and hence, could lead to a
reduction in the returns expected. The value of the property may not be steady
or as expected. What should one do? Hence, before you plan to invest into a
property to generate a passive income, a deep study or consulting knowledgeable
friends or a professional about the details is very important. One must make
the necessary calculations to take an informed decision about whether a
particular property will be a valuable investment or just another one on your
list. Owning a rental property is an active approach to invest for the future
and requires time, dedication, and involvement. There is much work involved in
identifying, analyzing, buying, and managing a quality rental property to keep
the real returns on the higher side.
Investing in property can be time-consuming,
especially when it comes to finding tenants and keeping the property in good
condition. Some property investors may prefer to hire a professional manager,
who will generally take a percentage of your rental income, thereby reducing
your return.
Rental homes are a popular way for investors to
supplement their income. An investor who purchases a residential property and
rents it out to tenants can collect monthly rents. These can be single-family
homes, villas condominiums, flats in apartments, townhomes, or other types of residential
structures. Income-generating properties don't always have to be
residential. Some investors—especially corporations—purchase commercial
properties that are used specifically for business purposes. Maintenance and
improvements to these properties can be higher, but these costs can be offset
by bigger returns. That's because the leases for these properties often command
higher rents. These buildings may be commercially-owned apartment buildings or
retail store locations.
The main reason people purchase rental property, as
well as any other asset, is to make money and build wealth over the long term.
As with any other market, housing prices and demand for rental property can
fluctuate up and down, depending on the real estate market cycle. However, just
because owning a rental property may sound like an attractive investment,
investing in real estate may not be the right decision for everyone.
What is the best return on investment on rental
property? In most parts of the world, the best return on investment on rental
property hovers around 10% annually. However, in reality, anything between 5%
and 10% is acceptable as most people perceive it to be passive income.
Unfortunately, rental yields are one of the lowest in India. Retired people
planning to invest should be careful before investing. Firstly, they should be
physically fit enough to handle all the hassles mentioned above and need to check
about the returns. If they are satisfied with it, they can go ahead and invest.
Some argue that if the return is not more than 5-8 percent, why get adventurous
and get into all these hassles at old age when banks, LIC, stocks, or mutual
funds give you better returns? It's purely a personal choice, and I hope this
blog has given readers a proper perspective on making a decision.
Henley Passport Index 2024: What is India's
ranking?
Recently, the Henley Passport Index 2024 was released
on Wednesday, highlighting the power of passports in 199 countries. The index,
which ranks countries based on the number of destinations that allow visa-free
entry to their passport, was topped by France, Germany, Italy, Japan,
Singapore, and Spain. Passports for all these countries have visa-free access
to 194 destinations, three more than last year. Japan and Singapore have
continued to top the list for five years now.
South Korea, Sweden, and Finland rose one spot to take
joint second place, with access to 193 countries. Austria, Denmark, Ireland,
and the Netherlands shared third place, allowing travel to 192 places. The UK
and US passports ranked fourth and seventh, respectively, with access to 191
and 188 destinations.
Where does India stand? According to the latest
ranking, India stands at the 80th rank in the list of most powerful passports.
Its passport has visa-free access to 62 nations, including Angola, Barbados,
Bhutan, Bolivia, Djibouti, El Salvador, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Malaysia,
Mauritius, Nepal, Qatar, and Zimbabwe. India shares a rank with Uzbekistan.
In 2023, too, India's passport was ranked at the 80th
spot, up five places from 2022. However, the number of visa-free destinations
has jumped from 57 to 62 this year. India has a lot of catching up to do to
further improve its ranking considering its influence and financial clout.
Surprisingly, China is nowhere on the list.
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at Aneela Nike Post (aneelanike.com), would love to hear from you! Tell us what
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