E@zyVG’s Vichar::World Connected

Here are the figues:

All we hear round the clock is how motion picture industry keeps on complaining about the piracy hurting their revenues. Now look at the latest figures from Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA):

The confusing part is the link in the “Latest News” section of MPAA that claims an all-time high in domestic and global box office sales. The global market grew 4.9% to $26.6 billion, claims the MPAA, and the U.S. domestic market grew roughly 5.4%, passing the $9.6 billion mark.

It is surprising to see the MPAA claim that the motion picture industry is taking a beating from piracy when their own data shows that the market is producing better than before. This is not to say, however, that piracy doesn’t have an effect on the film industry.

So please stop complaining as you yourself just proved that even though the film industry is taking some large hits from piracy, the industry is still raking in quite a sum of cash. And btw, with getting rid of DRM agenda I am quite sure that there is even more money to be made.

The Indian rupee (Hindi: रुपया) is the currency of India. The issuance of the currency is controlled by the Reserve Bank of India. The most commonly used symbols for the rupee are Rs, ₨ and रू. The ISO 4217 code for the Indian rupee is INR. The modern rupee is subdivided into 100 paise (singular paisa). India has been one of the earliest issuers of coins in the world (circa 6th Century BC). Among the earliest issues of paper rupees were those by the Bank of Hindustan (1770-1832), the General Bank of Bengal and Bihar (1773-75, established by Warren Hastings), the Bengal Bank (1784-91), amongst others.

The current series, which began in 1996, is called the Mahatma Gandhi series. Currency notes are printed at the Currency Note Press, Nashik, Bank Note Press, Dewas, Bharatiya Note Mudra Nigam (P) Limited presses at Salboni and Mysore and at the Watermark Paper Manufacturing Mill, Hoshangabad.

These notes are truly work of art:

Modern Indian Rupee Notes

Each banknote has its amount written in 17 languages (English & Hindi on the front, and 15 others on the back) illustrating the diversity of the country

Secutiry Features of INR:

• Watermark — White side panel of notes has Mahatma Gandhi watermark.
• Security thread — All notes have a silver security band with inscriptions visible when held against light.
• Latent image — Higher denominational notes display note’s denominational value in numerals when held horizontally at eye level.
• Microlettering — Numeral denominational value is visible under magnifying glass between security thread and watermark.
• Fluorescence — Number panels glow under ultra-violet light.
• Optically variable ink — Notes of Rs. 500 and Rs. 1000 have their numerals printed in optically variable ink. Number appears green when note is held flat but changes to blue when viewed at angle.
• Back-to-back registration — Floral design printed on front and back of note coincides when viewed against light.

Here are pictures of older Rupee issued by respective colonial rulers:

British Indian Rupee (1917)

Portuguese Indian Rupee (1924)

French Indian Rupee (1938)

BTW, did you know that the Indian rupee is also accepted in towns of Nepalese side of Nepal-India border and some Indian shops in the United Kingdom.

As of today, the economy of India, when measured in USD exchange-rate terms, is the twelfth largest in the world, with a GDP of US $1.25 trillion (2008). It is the third largest in terms of purchasing power parity. India is the second fastest growing major economy in the world, with a GDP growth rate of 9.4% for the fiscal year 2006–2007. However, India’s huge population results in a per capita income of $4,542 at PPP and $1,089 at nominal (revised 2007 estimate).

In the period 2000-2007, the Rupee stopped declining and stabilized ranging between 1 USD = INR 44-48. However in the mid-2007, the rupee has started gaining strength and for the first time in more than a decade broke the 1 USD = INR 40 barrier. As of today for 1USD you get around INR 38.5.

Tip, especailly for those who will in future deal with INR (business or travel): As is standard in Indian English, large values of Indian rupees are counted in terms of thousands, lakh (100 thousand = 10⁵ rupees, in digits 1,00,000), crore (100 lakhs = 10⁷ rupees, in digits 1,00,00,000) and arawb (100 crore = 10⁹ rupees, in digits 1,00,00,00,000). The use of million or billion, as is standard in American or British English, is far less common.

For a Indian audience/readership, the correct grouping would be:
INR 2,31,51,423.10 ( Two Crore Thirty-One Lakh Fifty-One Thousand Four Hundred Twenty-Three rupees and ten paisa).
For US/Europe and most of the world audience/readership, the correct grouping would be:
INR 23,151,423.10 ( Twenty-Three Million, One-Hundred-Fifty-One Thousand, Four Hundred Fifty-Three rupees and ten paisa).

In 2007, a Currency bill tracking project (TrackGandhi) was started to track the spread and usage of Rupee banknotes. There you go with a small introduction to Indian Rupee. Also, it is my B’Day today ….

Related posts on my blog:

• India’s GDP Touches $1 Trillion Mark
• India and its Role in Future World Economy

10:08, 8 minutes past 10, is roughly the time to which analog watches are set in most advertisements, though actual times shown vary between about 10:08 and 10:10. There are several reasons offered by watch companies, many of them psychological, and none of them verifiable as the actual origin of the practice:

• The position of the hands does not obscure the date on watches with a date function at 3 o’clock or any other functions at 9 or 3 o’clock.
• The position of the hands does not obscure the company logo, which is often printed under 12 o’clock. In fact, it highlights the logo by underlining it and placing it at the center of the delta formed between the clock’s hands.
• The hands are nearly symmetrically balanced on the face of the dial at 10:08. The minute hand is 48° right of vertical, while the hour hand is 56° left of vertical. Exact symmetry would be achieved at 120/13 minutes past 10:00, approximately 10:09:13.8. Other symmetrical times would not meet the needs above.
• The form of the hands has a positive effect on the viewer: the short hand pointing at 10 o’clock and the long hand pointing at 8 minutes is reminiscent of a check mark, which commonly means “ok” or “fine.” Some observers further identify this appearance with a smiling face.

Oddly enough, 10:08 is also the time at which a 12-hour digital display will have the maximum number of digit “segments” turned on. However, digital watches in commercials are more often set to 10:58. Early (mid-1970s) LCD clock ads would often show 12:08, which has a large number of “on” segments (one less than, oddly enough, 10:08), showcases four different digits, and is not 10:08—a virtue in its own right, as digital clocks were marketed as a break with the past.

The watch that I have been wearing for the past few years - Tissot “TXL Chronograph”.