THE GOODNESS & FAVORMINDEDNESS OF A LIVING GOD: a testimony

Note: Testimonies come out of A Personal Experience.  Posting A Testimony is fraught with danger cause the person sharing the Testimony is often made fun of and mocked at. Be that as it may as a soldier of the Cross I am HIS slave forever and hence this post.

GROWING UP in Bombay, India as a 6-year-old onward, I knew of One American City: NASHVILLE.  It was a city well etched in my mind in my early formative years. 

Awareness about New York, California, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Chicago came much later in life.

Why, you may ask?

Well.....I grew up on Late Jim Reeves & Elvis Presley music as a kid.

My Dad had Vinyl Records and I typically developed a reading habit very early on and I used to read the Notes on the back side of the Jacket of these Vinyl Records of Jim Reeves and Elvis Presley and two sets of words would stand out:

RCA & NASHVILLE

The Music of the above two Artists held its own fascination of course for me and the fact that all this wonderful music was produced in Nashville bore a fascination for America from early childhood.

I Never Dreamed of ever getting to America as in my mind America was for Indians who were Scientists, Doctors or Engineers or Students who were pursuing A Science Education and I was just an accountant.

Little did I know back then as a child that there would come a time in the late 90s’ & a day would come when I would board a flight from Dubai to Chicago to be involved with SAP/R3 ERP Implementation & that would be my ticket to the United States of America on an H-1 Visa in circa 1996-’97.

Well even after coming to the USA and being here for close to two decades, some how the Dreams and Passion about Nashville took a back seat. 

BUT GOD in who I believe & trust and I am always tracking or trying to track as much as I am reminded to, NEVER forgets our Dreams and Aspirations. That is the GOD I have come to know time and time again ever since I embraced HIM as my personal savior as a young teenager back in New Delhi, India.

That does not mean that I had a easy ride through life so far.  There have been plenty of bumps and upsets throughout my Christian Journey.  Christian Life is NOT easy.  Perish that thought.  You follow The MAN wholeheartedly due to what HE has accomplished for you and for me on that wooden cross 2000+ years ago.  Period.

I am just in Awe of how HE has worked it out in HIS Time!

Here I am going to NASHVILLE, TN on a Speaking Engagement speaking to more than 100 Finance Professionals in Nashville and with my Ticket and Stay paid for.

How Wonderful is HE!  HE is An Amazing God!

We live in an Age and Time when RAGE Against the Jewish Carpenter, that Famous Nazarene who caused the Divide of Time between BC and AD is One of the Most Hated Person the World Over.

One just has to be on Social Media or YouTube to know All the Spite and Hate that is directed at The HOLY ONE.

That may continue ad-infinitum and as far as I am concerned its water over a duck’s back whether Richard Dawkins, or Late Christipher Hitchens or any Atheist or Agnostic mocks at HIM.

HE is who HE is to those who are Awakened and Stirred by the CROSS at Calvary.

It has been A RELEVANT FACT well before HE took on human form and continues to nudge at the human mind and tug at the human heart and Knocks at their door even today and will continue to do so till the end of Age.  That is HIM.  HE is unstoppable at that and HE will carry on.

I am just a Soldier of The Cross and Because HE Lives, I can Face Tomorrow.

I know, that My Nashville Trip would Never Have Happened if HE did not wish for it to.

Everything happens IN HIS TIME. This is why I Testify & I am NOT  Ashamed of The Cross & Acknowledging who HE is to me in the face of the Stiffest Opposition. 

HE IS MY SAVIOR.

Note: The Christian is not like the Snake Oil Sales Men who are out there peddling the Gospel & make it out to be to fool gullible masses to help them buy their next supersonic Private Jets for their escapades. As long as Christianity is on the face of earth, there will be Snake Oil Sales men and women on the world platform who have interests like Judas did in MONEY.  For those types Gospel is A Business.

One Thing we must Remember what The Nazarene Said: “Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves.’ ◄ Matthew 10:16 ►

BRAHMINAAL MATTAM (Only Brahmins can eat here) & AGRAHARATHIL KAZHUTAI (The Donkey in the Elite Village Agraharam)

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agraharathil_Kazhutai

This Blog is still in the works, however I felt the need to put it out, in the light of the Rampant LYNCHINGS going on in India in these Contemporary Times.

[A TRUE STORY about an incident in my Dad's life during the early years of Indian Independence]

My DAD has often told me growing up in his home that ‘he is a self made man’ & that I need to be One too.

TODAY when I reflect over What my Dad means by that statement is that One must get educated & if needed work to earn & get educated, as well as be bold in this World & have Opinions too.

Few Days back when Swami Agnivesh was brutally beaten up by the RSS Gangs, my memory was stroked & I remembered an incident from my Dad’s past that he had told me about & My Dad has told me many stories. That is Him. Always Communicating & meaning well. Today moving towards 92 years of age he is old & more feeble and his memory is not as strong as it used to be. He has also gone Very Quiet. That is Very Unlike the Dad I experienced growing up. He was always full of wisdom, joking enjoying fine food, talking about & describing fine food, good Restaurants, fine attire, fine fountain pens, books & of-course Politics, Movies & Music Too. That’s the Dad I grew up knowing & Dad was STRICT. I know it’s tough to understand how a man given to a Jovial Spirit & Bonhomie could be STRICT!

But he was Strict with me. Ram Rod Strict with me but Immense Palpable Affection & Love towards my Two Sisters.

I do not know how to distribute that kind of Strict Love & Affection, as I have only one:-))) So I Shower it all on that One: Strictness & Love.

Anyways let me Move on to the Main Matter that is the Reason for doing this Piece.

It was the year 1947 & around the time of Indian Independence & my Dad was in Calcutta studying for his Bachelors in Commerce during the evening & during the Day working for A Jewish & Armenian Shipping Company as an accountant. The large shipping company was called Pillman Agencies Private Limited.

Those were scary days to live in Calcutta or any where in West Bengal as Hindu Muslim Riots would break out frequently & lots of Property etc would be damaged & Killings Too.

Dad kept himself fully busy & engaged with Work during the Day & Night College studying for Bachelors & then his Masters.

Well post Indian Independence the Jews determined to leave India & the Management Of The Shipping Business was shifting to An Indian Marwari Family & Tycoon.

The Jewish Management offered Dad a choice of a Golden Handshake or continuing on with The Marwari Company.

Dad opted for the Golden Handshake & got INR 5,000. His plan was to pursue Chartered Accountancy.

Getting admission into Chartered Accountancy with Ford, Rhodes & Parks a top Chartered Accountancy firm those days meant shelling out INR 5,000 in Bombay or Calcutta.

Dad being the Self Made Man that he is preferred to move to Madras (Chennai) where the asking rate was INR 3,000. Which meant he could use the balance towards stay etc.

So he bid Goodbye to his favorite Calcutta & headed for Madras & pursuing Chartered Accountancy. This was in the mid 1950s’.

He was hungry one day afternoon & stepped into a Vegetarian Restaurant to eat.

The Owner Of The Restaurant came up & asked him his name & after hearing Dad’s name went on to ask him if he knew the type of Restaurant he was in?

Dad responded Vegetarian & The Owner said ‘Well Yes, But You are not supposed to enter or eat here’.

Dad had a quizzical look on him. The Owner said come with me & took him outside & showed him a Board that read:

“BRAHMINAAL MATTAM”

Which meant that Only Brahmins could eat there.

The Owner then told Dad that he was never supposed to step in to this restaurant because of who could eat there.

He then went on to point to a different section of the restaurant where people were sitting on the floor & eating.

The Owner said ‘you are expected to sit & eat there’.

The Restaurant Owner went on to say: “Since this is your first mistake we are sparing you. The next time you enter a Brahmin Restaurant you will be dealt with”. Meaning Dad could be physically harmed.

For Dad it was A SHOCK!!!

He had Never Experienced something like this in Kerala growing up or in Calcutta.

Madras was different back then & he experienced DISCRIMINATION for the First Time in Independent India.

I wrote it as my Dad had told it to me long back & I was reminded about it when I read about the ill treatment meted out to Swami Agnivesh]

With RSS & BJP in Power in these Contemporary Times in a Sense “BRAHAMINAL MATTAM” is Back. You could say APARTHEID is Back. Modi has left many trails in these last 4+ years through incidents through out India & ripple effects abroad among Indians. So much so that it is Scary. This is The Primary Reason I am Opposed to Modi & The RSS. They leave very little to imagination not to feel Despair in the years to come.

John Abraham made a film to expose many such similar matters through A Movie titled “AGRAHARATHIL KAZHUTAI” (The Donkey in the Village Agraharam)

The piece I wrote & published here last night is NOT meant to stir up hate. Far be that & perish that Thought.

I was Stirred to write 
it ‘Cause I come from The Land Of Swami Vivekananda, Raja Rammohan Roy, Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore & Mahatma Gandhi.

All these People extolled the Virtues Of India. 

It’s JUST cannot be that They are Wrong & The Present Ruling Dispensation in India who Spread Hate & Market Hate Too are Right.

Is INDIA Dying?

That is The Question that came to mind when I saw an 80 year old Swami (who btw is A Global Citizen from India: Swami Agnivesh) being beaten up & disfigured by A Mob Of RSS Urchins.

'Oh! Please Bring Back the 'Bahi Khata' & lets be rid of the Western Debit/Credit System'..I hear RSS & BJP Crying Out!

I was just musing: Modern Day DOUBLE ENTRY SYSTEM OF BOOK KEEPING, which has been around for close to 600+ years now, courtesy An Italian Monk: Louis Pacioli who pioneered it.

The art went on to establish The Science of Accounting & led to A Body of Knowledge:

TRANSACTIONAL, ASSURANCE, AUDITING, TAXATION, MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTING & REPORTING & COMPLIANCE & so on....

Industry of All Types relies on the bed rock fulcrum of DOUBLE ENTRY SYSTEM i.e. DEBIT & CREDIT.

The System helps to catch Fraud.

LALIT MODI is an International Wheeler Dealer of Indian Origins currently in the UK. He is a Weasel, slippery as an eel.

He is The Benefactor of The RSS & BJP for Money Laundering. In other words you could also refer to him as India's own type of a  'Julian Assange / Edward Snowden & a Scum Bag' rolled into one.

The Indian Congress Party is known to be a Corrupt Party.

However, The RSS & BJP have managed to redefine Corruption enabling one to ask the Question: 'Well which Political Party is Not Corrupt in India? BJP managed to Patent Corruption with its Own Gold Standard of sorts these recent days, courtesy their Avatar: LALIT MODI.

I am sure once the Storms get quieter the INCORRIGIBLE HRD MINISTER: SMRITI IRANI will call the President of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (a Revered Autonomous Body) & tell him to revise the entire Syllabus of Accountancy to scrap teaching of DOUBLE ENTRY SYSTEM OF ACCOUNTING due to its Christian Origins & teach the 'bahi khata' Indian Traditional Single Entry System instead. Likewise the Principal of Sri Ram College of Commerce may also be told.

Smriti Reasons: it's easier to disguise corruption unlike the western influences of Double Entry System. Additionally who wants Double Entry when we have our own Single Entry system?

[Note: I wrote the above satire in jest wondering at the appalling twists & turns of Ache Din under MODI JI, The Yogi Bachelor Prime Minister. Not his namesake slippery as an eel former]

AAKHIR CPA BHIE INSAAN KA AULADH HEI! KOIE FARISHTHA NAHIN!!!

[Note: This Article is written with the intent to share my Angst, as well as in Sympathy with fellow Professionals like me who experience Life & its Perpetratons annually from the third week of January thru April 15 of any Given Gregorian Calender Year.]

Form # 4868.  Two More Days including Today until 11:59 PM PST & HAST

This Morning I was just musing over the above IRS Form (be it via Electronic Media, Papyrus & more Contemporary Transmission options),  & in Its Goodness.

I Determined in My Heart, I am Not Going to Loose My Peace over Irreverence perpetrated over me by other fellow Homosapien mortals, who do not get it & perhaps never will.


YET Many A Gentle Ordinary Folks of the USA DO NOT Understand the Blessing and Goodness of that Form.

They believe in Exercising Immense Pressure, Arm Twisting Tactics, Threats, Angry Phone Calls, Txt, Twitter Expressions, leaving Nasty Voice Mail messages to their Tax Professional, who is actually on their Side all along as an Honest Broker, connecting the Tax Payer with their Favorite Uncle.

The Tax Professional Tries to Explain in every which way he/she humanly can to see the Goodness of The Extension form Sighted Above.

In short, every which way to Treat The Tax Professional: A fellow Human Being as a VESTIGE Organ and in the most demeaning & inhuman way possible is depicted.

[Oh Reader I wrote this piece for Humor's Sake,  Mixed with Reality & Hyperbole i.e.; Exaggeration/Overstatement/Magnification/Embroidery/Embellishment/Excess/Overkill/Rhetoric.

However there is a Message in it.  Take it and Read it with Laughter, Chai and Biscuits]

Why Oh Why, I Wonder, Every Year around this Time????

CHANAKYA is Applauded the World Over and Down the Ages as an Ace Diplomat in India as Are Aristotle and other Greek Sages, HOWEVER, Every Year it is the INDIAN who Never Gets the Wisdom of the Form # 4868, I should Genuinely Like to Think.

You can Attempt:  “Saam, Daam, Dand & Bhed” The Four Keys of Wisdom taught by The ACE CHANAKYA,  But The Indian American Cannot Get It!.  Mera Pahle...he/she rants....not knowing, that the Professional means well, All along.

Long Back There Only Used to Be Paper Forms of Tax Filing.

Even in that Age, I used to see the Immense Pressure exercised at the Firm where I worked as an Apprentice or CA (I am referring to my times Back In India)

Then came Software, Then e-filing, The SaaS Environment, which is here to Stay be it in the US or elsewhere in the Sane World too such as Canada, Australia, Western Europe (EU) and England.

Please Note with Every Advancement of Sophistication, there is Yet One Common Thread and Vital Thread that Keeps it All together and that is The Very Human: Tax Professional.

He, She has a Life.  Be Gentle, Kind and Considerate to that Mortal, Won't You, Dear Reader ?

He, She Too Has A Life, despite all the Tools, Wherewithal, Extraneous Circumstances, that He or She has to Deal With to Ensure the Proper Preparation and E-filing of Your Annual Tryst with The IRS via Tax Returns.  Be they: 1040/1065/1120-S/990/709....etc.

Do not Brow Beat that Individual into a twisted mangled submitted Slave (its A Hyperbole, not in the physical sense I am saying it)  But the feelings and emanations are like that of a Slave.

April 15, is A Tarique (Date).  There is Life Beyond it and its through a Simple Mechanism Known as Form 4868.  Use it, Avail it.

THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY: How its self evident in every Profession.

IN EVERY PROFESSION there is: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly.


A Small Case in point: over inducement of Drugs to Michael Jackson (perhaps & depending on how it is viewed) by Dr. Murray Conrad could be categorized as The Bad or The Ugly and abuse in the Noble Medical Profession.

Now Let's see how that Premise pans out in the Context of Annual US Tax Prep & The Industry around it.

The GOOD: Those CPAs', EAs', Tax Attorneys & other Tax Preparers, who Absolutely Believe that US Tax Returns Must & Should be done on US Soil, Period!

The BAD: These are among those who dangle carrots at you to bait you into permitting them to do your Tax Return, by throwing in A Holiday to Hawaii, Free Air Ticket, Free IPad etc & then send your returns to The EU or elsewhere in Asia (no prizes for guessing) to get processed and done & all that the Bailee in US is doing is Mail Order Services & Grinning from Ear to Ear.

The UGLY: In this Category are those 'Professionals' without Any Ethics. It does not matter whether the Return is done in the US or in Timbakthu, they are bent on doing mischief alongside you. Such are those that aide & abet Tax Evasion. Stay Away from such!

Stay with The GOOD. They Mean well Always. They Do Not Cost An Arm & A Leg AND Above All Are Well Intentioned & Sincere. Avoid Bargaining with them. You are Not Shopping for Vegetables, Potatoes & Onions, Please!

With The BAD, You are taking definite & calculated Risks by sending your Tax Returns to 'La La Lands' through them, that know Ethics Only As A Subject in Theory & Do Not Practice it. They are the Ones who Grin from Ear To Ear, to your Own Potential Detriment.

Choose Wisely, who Does Your Taxes.  Your tax return work is like  a Contract of Bailment & You must Ask the Bailee, if your Return is being serviced abroad?  You have a Right To Know.  Unless you ask, the Bailee is not bound to tell, even if its prudent to do so that they tell you of their own Volition.

My Message to TurboTaxers, as long as it's Crystal Clear Vanilla, by All Means Stay Turbo Charged, if u will. Just know that it's an inanimate tool & is not to be construed to mean its the be all, to everything about Tax Returns.

The Above is just a 'Thinking Aloud View' expressed based off surveying the Landscape and in my considered view. It is not written with any Malice or Spite at those Professionals who send US Returns Abroad for processing.

I am of the firm view, that sending US Tax Returns abroad for servicing should not be Entertained due to multifarious risks and reasons that are not unfounded.

Issued in Conscious Public Interest by me. Yours Truly, Koshy P.George, CPA

DEBT Ceiling Rasied! So to Counter that, is Next Stop: Raising Federal & (where there is) State Taxes, Inevitable???

WHEN The former Soviet Union's Yuri Gagarin became the first human to journey into outer space & his spacecraft VOSTOK completed an orbit of the Earth on 12 April 1961, The United States of America had To Raise the bar & We Did in July, 1969 with Neil Armstrong & Company landing on The Moon.

The US since then Raised The Bar of pioneering Spirit through NASA & then many a private enterprise into Space....most recently Elon Musk splendid experiments too!

With The Federal Debt Bar finally having been Raised & Ted Cruz rendered insignificant at least for now, we need America to get Re-Established as a Pioneering Nation and certainly NOT by Raising Taxes or pushing out Social Security checks.

Raising The Bar is always a Good Thing, but Raising even more Debt and no clear methods on reigning in the spending actually means the Government will conveniently reduce Debt by getting it from The People via Taxes. So for Sure Taxes will have to Naturally Go Up! That SHOULD be avoided if we can.

I am going back to what the President recently said: 'We will Bounce Back, despite the 16 Day Shutdown'.

As a Professional CPA, I clearly know Taxes will go up, that is the only convenient easy way for any government to hold the reigns as the spending goes ballistic.

I also need to share with Socialistic Minded Democrats that Taxes DO NOT just go up for the Perceived Haves at lets say for example a bar North of US$ 160k (AGI).

When they go up, TAXES go up for ALL! Period! That is how it works.

Let us Americans hope that the Pioneering Spirit with which The US landed Man on the Moon in 1969, there will be More Innovation, More Manufacturing, More Jobs here in the US & indeed we do Bounce Back with ENTERPRISE & TRADE as opposed to Taxes, being the route to reign in or balance or reduce the Deficit Gap.

Its important that we all think this way instead of sitting on the fence & criticizing and listening to Radio Hosts keep on criticizing President Obama.

Of course its embarrassing when Obamacare web site does not work well. That is actually alarming! Is that because that is a Government Program?

Its funny. EBay, PayPal, Amazon are all Pioneering American Companies in the Market Place and Worldwide too! These entities are primarily successful 'cause of the backbone of a Web Based Super Structure that is Strong!

Why is it after spending Several Million Tax Dollars, the US Government is unable to render a decent Web Based Obamacare System?

How can we 'Bounce Back', if there is squandering & No Accountability?

That should change, Heads should Roll and Competent People should steer ObamaCare IT Systems and front end through the Thicket it finds itself in.

I CANNOT believe, there are No Competent IT Leaders such as able CIO, CTOs' in this Great Nation of ours who cannot provide a Vision & Plan to construct a Robust Web Based Federal Health Care System front end & Rear too, basic Client/Server Architecture Environment, without squandering Tax Dollars. We need to Bounce Back!

Note: for those who are worried about Taxes Going up in the US, your fear is justified.  Any person of ordinary Prudence is living with that valid fear.  Feel welcome to meet with me. There are many valid options that can be explored & discussed and Solutions are offered by the US Tax Code to help minimize and even avoid Heavy, Immediate and Absolutely Avoidable Taxes on your Retirement Funds, be they 401(k) or IRA or other Tax Deferred Repositories.  You owe it to yourself to see a Good Quality CPA to help you circumnavigate the Provisions of the Tax Code to help you fortify and help keep more of your nest egg for yourself.

INDIA: A Real Jewel in the Crown!

INDIA on the Occasion of its 66 years of Independence from British Rule & Going Strong!

INDIA: Well known to the British Raj as ‘THE JEWEL IN THE CROWN’ & so it was.

Great Britain had many colonies around the world; however, among all the colonies it ruled, no other Colony embraced its Language: ENGLISH so whole-heartedly and put it to great use to accomplish and achieve as great heights as INDIANS have done. INDIA’s immense ongoing success is in no small measure due to its embracing of education in the English Language.

INDIA truly is a land of Astronomy, Spirituality, Mathematics, Philosophies and Great Men of Letters & Great Accommodating Spirit, since times immemorial.

Cutting down to more recent yester year & contemporary times as a tribute to the Great Nation of India let me list a few Great Men & Women of India who used the English Language very well and astounded the Western World towards Accomplishments in their endeavors and callings:

1. Swami Vivekananda http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swami_Vivekananda
2. Rabindranath Tagore http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabindranath_Tagore
3. Mahatma Gandhi http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahatma_Gandhi
4. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jawaharlal_Nehru
5. Dr. V K Krishnamenon http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V._K._Krishna_Menon
6. Dr. S Radhakrishnan http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarvepalli_Radhakrishnan
7. Maulana Azad http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abul_Kalam_Azad
8. Pandita Rama Bai http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pandita_Ramabai
9. Dr. Vijay Lakshmi Pandithttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vijaya_Lakshmi_Pandit
10. Dr. Abdul Kalam http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._P._J._Abdul_Kalam
11. Atal Behari Vajpayee http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atal_Bihari_Vajpayee
12. P.V. Narasimha Rao http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P._V._Narasimha_Rao
13. Jidu Krishnamurthy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiddu_Krishnamurti
14. Verghese Kurien http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verghese_Kurien
15. Dr. Sashi Tharoor http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shashi_Tharoor
16. Prof. Amartya Sen http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amartya_Sen

The above is a sampling of a list of Men of Letters, Courage, Conviction and Visionaries from India (past & contemporary) apart from many distinguishing others too.

MEN OF LETTERS, is who should make up the Parliament of India. It’s the Vision & contributions of such & many other men & women of letters that have led India thus far. It also speaks of the Strength & Continuous Might of India.

Can we find as many in today’s Polity….is a poignant and rhetorical question I ask today, as I continue to celebrate INDIA in my own way too. I LOVE & am Passionate about INDIA. Jai Hind!

(note: the above are all men & women i.e. mortals with flaws just like us as is known to mankind. However what distinguishes them is their Vision, Mission, Passion and Commitment to The Great Nation of INDIA AND it Indeed Reflected in their Thought, Word & Actions….Jai Hind!)

Aaare Bhai, its me! These days "A Now & Then blogger"

OH BOY!  Today I am in one heck of a writing mood!  Wanting to write is at times almost like a drunken stupor for me (mind you, I am not an Alcoholic, though).  Writing is meant to be an unrestrained pursuit, even much to the chagrin of my dear wife, who stoically amidst protests, amusingly puts up with me. (I love her Very Much).

I believe if you do not pen it down, the flow never returns for those specific thoughts racing through the forefront on your mind, right then!

One of my dear friends queried with me recently, genuinely: “why do you have to write so much and tell the world?”, "don’t you have better things to do? & that too on fb???, who reads what you have to say any way on dumb fb?  Why don’t you blog on LinkedIn or a blog site instead????’….I smiled and determined to stay quiet & give my answer through this note on 'dumb fb'.

FRIENDS, Yes, I do blog and do put stuff on LinkedIn & Twitter too now and then.  But it’s the thrill of an instant quip from someone over fb (+ve or –ve) that ekes out mirth in me and keeps me Young Hearted.

I have discovered that for myself, unlike many who hold disparaging views about posting on fb, I do not subscribe to that. Do I have tons to do, other than fb, sure YES, but for the Joy of remaining Young Hearted….well never let that Spirit Go!

To me its Writing among other pursuits, to someone else its music, to yet another, its Golf or Cooking…..I say go for it! Never kill Passion!

Would I dare to do stuff like this back in time when I was with E&Y or PwC or other Multinationals, SURELY NOT!  I would see the reflections of doing so on a Performance Appraisal to follow!

THIS privilege of living life ‘foot loose and fancy free’ is the exclusive preserve of An Entrepreneur or one who is in His/Her own business.  A Business Man get to move schedules around to let the creative juices flow until they ebb…just kidding…..have a Joyous Day folks, whichever Hemisphere you are in!

REMEMBER: NEVER KILL PASSION for doing stuff! It sustains you and is your identity, above all KEEPS YOU TICKING! Adios, Au Revoir, Namaste, Cheers!!!

My hopes dashed! An Episode in my life today about 'Murgh Musallam'!

I had an interesting experience at an Indian Restaurant in the Bay Area today.  Permit me to describe it.  I saw "Murgh Musallam" on the menu & my mind went back to Daryaganj, Delhi & a wonderful restaurant called Moti Mahal (which now is a franchise and all over Delhi and elsewhere too, check out the web link I have included in this blog later below). A place often frequented during my Delhi days.  So when I read that on the menu at Paradise Biryani Pointe, I got all super charged & excited....slurp, slurp with rivulets breaking all over my tongue imagining I am going to get to eat that dish after so many decades….Reminiscence is a wonderful thing, until hopes get dashed L!

Well the dish arrived & I kept staring at it!

The prominent egg was missing, no sign of raisins or cashew or the rich chicken gravy & the unique smell & the presence of a Shahi Dish!  Where was all that at what was set before me??? I wondered & blinked!  Not once, but twice & thrice!

Instead I am greeted by what looks like an ordinary South Indian chicken curry with fried Curry Leaves & all the other usual trappings of the ubiquitous South Indian Chicken Curry.

I call the Waiter and ask him, where is the Murgh Musallam & he points at the chicken curry I described and says “here sir”.  I say “No, this is not Murgh Musallam”.

He says, “Yes, sir, this is it.  See sir, Murg means Chicken and Musallam is Curry" and gives me a broad smile and a grin and looks on for my approval.  By now you can imagine my predicament!

Also, the choicest cuss words and pet negative words came to my mind in Hindi & in Urdu....but I bit my tongue hard and did not want to embarrass myself in front of my wife & kid and all the other guests.  So I grinned back at him too!  Its funny how the human mind works.  I never thought I could remember so many Hindi/Urdu choice words for this guy as I did.  Stuff I had forgotten eons back....tells you what a different personality I was once upon a time....:-)

From a High Point of Imagination and taste buds all ready to bite into a chunk of Murgh Musallam, belied I thought to myself…..what kind of a Joke is this?

Well in the Bay Area, eating at an Indian Restaurant can be a surprising and amusing experience too!

What else can I say J Good Night Folks!  Enjoy the humor of this Musallam Blog!

If you ever get to visit Delhi and you are a foody, then the Pilgrimage to Moti Mahal in Daryaganj is worth it!  http://motimahal.in/about/our-story/

                                                                                                                                    

BTW, some of our Bay Area Andhra Cousins are rating Paradise Biryani Pointe a 5, they are doing it for sentimental reasons.  Realistically this place is a 2 in my view.  If for nothing else, lack of Authenticity & the cheek to include many great North Indian dishes on their menu and to bely expectations, of people who visit the place with discernment!  Will I voluntarily visit Paradise Biryani Pointe, Bay Area again?  NO!

President Asif Ali Zardari: A revamped view on the man....possible???

India and Pakistan have been officially engaged in four wars and several diplomatic initiatives at peaceful co-existence since acrimony ever broke out between the two neighbors.

Every General in power or People's government from Pakistan has made overtures towards India and India has played along with suspicions intact and done its fair share of Tap Dances with each of those Pak leaders over time and come away bruised and disenchanted time and again.

Lasting peace is dreamed of by both sides ad-infinitum and that cherished dream is an expansionist ambition with subtle & strong under currents and Sabre rattling now and then & in the present too as this blog expresses itself.

That will always remain as long as Azad Kashmir and other bones of contention remain unresolved.

Well...time to take an inventory & focus on some positives:

1. Culturally the two nations have great interests in each other. What with many a former Bolly wood actor or actress of India having Pakistani Roots & vice versa a Begum Akthar or Suriya melody and classical queens of yesteryears gone by from Pak. Who can ever forget Late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and his tremendous vocals. All endearing indeed!

2. Many Prominent North Indian Politicians were also born in Undivided India, now part of Pakistan.

3. The Pakistani Cuisine.....aha....that's a delectable topic....and lip smacking and mouth watering indeed for me, at all times.

When ever I imagine Pakistani Cuisine I can feel the great Pakistani Rivers: Ravi, Beas, Sutlej and Jhelum rivulets & tributaries breaking out on my tongue.

AND then there is ….

4. Cricket & who can forget those turf wars and passions running wild!

5. Urdu poetry is another favorite topic of mine.

6. The people of both nations especially the non heretic people i.e. the educated and culturally elite of Pakistan are a treat to hear and talk to. No denying that.

I am sure by now every one reading & who ever is deeply interested in the subcontinent is wondering what is Koshy up to via this blog and what is new?

Well...so here I go....

I think a new chapter indeed has been opened with a New Lady Foreign Minister: Hina Rabbani Khar being sworn in & appointed by President Asif Ali Zardari, via his shadow PM. I may be quick to state this but let me hazard it any way, its perhaps so far a masterful Pièce de résistance diplomatic initiative by the Pak President himself for his beloved nation.

He by back ground is an entrepreneur, albeit of a shady kind as has been amply demonstrated by his overtures now and then and his acquired nick names from the past with added %age points and upward trajectory.

In-fact it baffles me that he has stayed on in power so far, despite many a rumblings all around him. The “Gods” do favor him.

He may be the current reigning slick willy of the Indian Subcontinent among its politicians in the midst of several political land mines.

There-in is my appreciation for his new masterful attempt at co-existence democracy with India & to broker peace with the World.

In-fact I should like to think he borrowed many leaves from Shashi Tharoor (former UN Diplomat and Indian Politician from my State of Kerala) in that he has put into practice: “Soft Power” as Shashi often talks off & believes in about India. Well Pak cannot match India in many vistas of its developments when ever they look across the border at India. However ….hey there is no caveat on borrowing a good idea for Diplomacy to work! So this Entrepreneur President works out this charming inoculation and hey presto the world gets to see Hina Rabbani Khar!

India with its Suave & seasoned S M Krishna, its very brilliant, tactical new US Ambassador and former Indian Foreign Secretary: Her Excellency Nirupama Rao & in the Era of Hillary Clinton world wide, You Mr. President do see a perfect crucible and an opportunity to roll the dice and viola what do we have: Hina Rabbani Khar!!!

Great move President Zardari. You have managed to stitch up an amalgam & left every one gaping and wondering: “Yes Pakistan indeed wants to soften its rough, sullied and battered image..... although baby steps, its a bold commendable initiative, given the fact that much water has flowed under the bridge in the neighborhood and internationally too.

I applaud your diplomatic initiative for friendly co-existence with ever friendly neighbor: Hindustan/Bharat/India and also a brave attempt to create a positive impact about Pak with an untried rookie as yet @ Diplomacy. So far you have pulled off a Soft Power coup d'état of sorts....

Genuine Best wishes, Salaam and Aadab!

These wishes come your way from a sincere genuine well-wisher of friendly neighboring ties with India and also to see the best for Pak....better days & years ahead.....Jai Hind, Congrats & Bravo! You do deserve the Kudos!

I should like to think even Quaid-e-Azam is lauding your most recent initiative from some where up above!

XXX-XXX

Will Pak just remain a nation as the best place from where the best lip smacking Tandoori & Kababs are made...or???

I Believe, much water has flowed under the bridge since 09/11.  There are only three ways in which the Pakistan Nation can redeem itself from the abyss it has fallen into:

1. Hand over Ayman Zawahiri and Mullah Omar to the US |

2. Hand over the 26/11 perpetrators to the Indian Army |

3. Publicly renounce covert/overt support of "Jammat-Ud-this and Jaish-e-that" etc.

All three to be done ASAP, Sans Recourse & Period! and so says this freedom loving individual in this blog, along with countless others!

Do it Gen Ashfaq Kayani and no more sabre rattling. Your nation's millions of  innocents demand it of you, as does the world.

Please do your bit to make the world a better place.  It will undo plenty of perpetrated evils over decades and time by Pak. You will indeed go down in history as a Great Military General if you along with some others of your group cease clandestine and cloak and dagger stuff AND come clean on all this!.  Jai Hind! Bravo!

As I write this blog, I nurture a positive hope that Pakistan will transform itself to be a part of the Free World and part of the Comity Of Nations and not sink even further into a deeper abyss as a "Rouge Nation".  Miracles do happen.  I pray a miracle indeed will happen for the Long Suffering nation of Pakistan.

Finally, I have tasted a variety of Kabobs and Tandoori chicken & other such cuisine from many South Asian Restaurants, in many parts of the world.  BUT the absolute best ones are those that are made by a Pakistani Chef or Pakistani cook, hands down and kudos for their culinary skills!  They have warmed us to their great food.  They can transform themselves into a Freedom Loving Nation too!  

Inshallah, Jai Hind, God Bless Pakistan, God Bless America and God Bless This Troubled World!

A Special Salute & Tribute to all the Social Networking Sites: LinkedIn |Twitter |facebook....to name a few.

I believe and Proscribe as a Practising CPA, that Every Practising US Based CPA should whole heartedly embrace Powerful Contemporary IT, The Cloud and every other available tool to harness and provide the most optimum Professional Services that he or she can offer, for the benefit of their respective clients.

Your Practice is not just limited to the 25 mile radius your office is situated in!
Your Practice is out there on WWW.  Get innovative and Go Get It!

Linked In | Twitter | face book | Blogging | Put these to good use and you will find clients reaching out to you from far flung places of the world to pay Uncle Sam their due respect.

Your client wants to know who you are behind all the legal mania.  Paradigms have changed.  Don't live in the past & in remorse.  Re-tool and Adapt.  That's the name of the game.  Not just in the CPA profession, but I BELIEVE....it absolutely extends to every other business too.

I share my thoughts in the interest of World Commerce.  We need more on the Band Wagon!

Yet there are many who still think these Social Networking Sites are a waste of time and a time pass....excuse me Global Fortune 1000s' don't think so!  What makes you toe a different line.....the gap is widening, even as I type these thoughts.....its a new world order, rising up from the ashes of upheavals.   I say a prayer for Japan and its Great People, as I know that great Nation along with good will from all around the world, will begin to look up yet again!

Thanks for taking time to read the expressed thoughts above....

best,

Koshy P.George, CISA, CPA
Certified Public Accountant

Should you visit with a Practicing CPA or Chartered Accountant & seek his or her counsel/guidance???

Dear Friend,

I thank you for stopping by and taking time to read this blog.  It has been written to create interest and wide awareness about the Noble Profession of CPAs' here in the US.

As a Practitioner CPA, I am inspired to put up this blog on this topic and more so ever since being in my own practice for close to two years, here in the United States of America.

Let me begin by answering my own rhetorical question in the title by saying an unequivocal: YES!

If you are in the market to entrust the care of your Tax, Accounting, Payroll, Business Advisory Matters & Audits, then consider doing so with a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).

Here are a few pertinent profound reasonings for my above open statement and I encourage you to read on:

The vast repository & intricacies of ever changing Tax Laws & Accounting Policy and matters (combined) are best assimilated, understood & handled by a CPA, than any other person or professional out there!

I say this not just because I happen to be a Practitioner CPA. Its a time tested fact over the decades: be it in the life of an Individual in pursuit of economic life or Business or Non Business Entity, Governments & Economies world wide!

Ask any world leader or President or CEO of a Company or Non Profit Org: Small, Medium or Large and they will agree without battling an eyelid.

I also hasten to add that in every Profession there are unscrupulous elements & bad apples. That is a fact of life too!

Then again, I also wish to add that it has shocked me to find a certain degree of ignorance about the CPA profession in the US among many educated & ordinary people. Many such folks suppose that any one who does their taxes or accounting is a 'cpa'...If some one is designated as a 'financial analyst' in a company, then that person is a cpa??? How bizzare and what a poignant lack of awareness this is, here in the US??? Hence many a 'wannabe' and 'so called accountants and charlatans' set up shop in respectable places and are delighted to thrive off the public's ignorance and 'taking for granted cpa status'???  Again another fact of life!

The US being a vast Free Country with the absolute reality of pretenders to get away due to prevailing rampant public ignorance, presumptions and presuppositions, in as much as there is no cognizable offence involved and no locus standi or legal means of reigning in such pretenders and all this to the detriment of the Scoiety-at-large that vicariously suffers. Such parasites thrive off your lack of awareness and ignorance about quality Professional Services.

But if you are a reader of this blog and have been a victim of such smoke screens and continue in ignorance then, perhaps you forget that there are potential risks to you: The Individual or Small Business in entrusting your personal, business and confidential information to 'charlatans and wannabees' in the guise of being 'supposed cpas'.

The above described scenarios should not deter you from wanting to genuinely seek the counsel of a Licensed CPA in any of the 50 States of our Great Nation. That is a crux point I wish to educate and emphasize via this blog.

Truly the onus is on you to seek out a Licensed Professional in any discipline for your professional services!

The Profession of CPAs' is a prestigious and distinguished group of responsible Professionals proud to be in Public Service as Accountants! They have acquired their licenses going through a tough rigour, curriculum and practical training as well as a Code of Conduct and Pursuit of Ethical Practices and can be held accountable for wrong actions/conduct by a State Board Of Accountants.

Check out www.aicpa.org for more info.

SO, do yourself a favor: genuinely and sincerely seek out and come and see a CPA this upcoming Tax and Accounting Season. You are doing yourself a good turn by doing so!

A true CPA is a responsible friend to his/her client.

I believe in what I am saying and many of my clients across the spectrum & the Nation: Individuals, LLCs', C-Corps, S-Corps & NPOs' do too!

In My Practice I service clients across the United States and the reason I experience interests in my CPA Practice is primarily due to my own client referrals based off what they have come to experience and expect of me as a Professional.

In the light of the above mentioned living truths, I encourage you to see a CPA for any of the needs sighted above.

BTW it need not be me. Our nation is full of brimming, bright and talented CPAs' practicing in many different areas of the Financial and Tax Spectrum.

However, If you are interested in having me on board as your CPA, then I am most delighted to step in and serve in that capacity and answer that call!

For more details please feel very welcome to check out my web site and connect with me, at will!

With warm regards,

Your friendly local & global CPA & CA

('cause I believe 'The World is Flat'....courtesy www)

Koshy P.George, CPA

www.kpgcpa.net      email: koshy@kpgcpa.net

BTW: for the benefit of those who may not be aware, A CPA 'Certified Public Accountant' in the US is the equivalent of a CA 'Chartered Accountant' in many parts of the rest of the world including Canada, UK, India and other nations.

I am both: A licensed CPA  and a CA.