𝙁𝙀𝙈𝙄𝙉𝙄𝙎𝙈 & 𝙋𝙀𝙍𝙎𝙊𝙉𝘼𝙇 𝙁𝙄𝙉𝘼𝙉𝘾𝙀 𝙒𝙄𝙏𝙃 𝙇𝘼𝙏𝙄𝙆𝘼

 ABOUT LATIKA

Latika is an 18 year old, aspiring to pursue Economic Honours from SRCC, Delhi. Finance, Feminism, Food and Fashion are just few of the many things that she hosts a deep interest in. She loves to write blogs on social issues, voicing her opinions. She has a keen interest in financial markets, and when she is not reading about them, you'll find her reading books on Stock Markets, Business, Economics, Psychology, and Entrepreneurship or indulging in acrylic painting. 

                               LATIKA AGARWAL  

YOU CAN CONNECT WITH HER ON :

• BLOG 
• TWITTER
• LINKEDIN

 What made you decide to start your own blog?

Since my childhood, I've always been very vocal about my opinions, my thoughts and viewpoints, both at school and at home. I believe that each individual, female or male, young or old, should develop their own opinions grounded in facts, in order to help us all function as well-informed, responsible human beings. Driven by this, I decided to start writing articles on a variety of socially significant issues, to help equip people with the necessary knowledge they need. I received a lot of encouragement from my family, friends and teachers and that's how I chanced upon this idea of starting a blog. Without another thought, I decided to pursue it.

What has been you Worst/Best blogging experience so far ?

Each blogging experience is a growth opportunity for the writer. I personally enjoyed writing the article titled "Because Love is Love. Period", which is based on the LGBTQ+ community. The article throws light on the plethora of struggles they still have to go through, how they're constantly breaking stereotypes and inspiring people. This article gave me a new perspective towards them and it felt like a transformative, enlightening journey altogether. We need to normalise LGBGQ+ relationships because they're as different from heterosexual relationships as white and white. You're right, they're not. The most important question to ponder over is : How insecure are we as heterosexuals, that we feel threatened by the mere existence of homosexuals ?

Who or What has been your greatest inspiration?

Inspiration can be sought from the most miniscule of things, or the greatest. In my case, I think I drew inspiration from my family. Speaking my opinions without hesitation comes naturally to me because I've seen my siblings always being outspoken about their views, having a strong sense of individuality. This has developed a rational pysche in me and inspired me to write.

What does Feminism means to you, and do you consider yourself a feminist?

Feminism to me means the equality of women and men in terms of access to opportunities and human rights. Feminism is a powerful wave which has started to fight back against the shorelines of inequality, discrimination and gender bias. Feminism, even after being highly misconstrued, continues to make greater, newer strides every single day, all around the globe. Feminism exists so the next generation does not have to worry about losing out on jobs, on basic human rights, on life in general, because they're female. Feminists don't hate men. We love men, men are wonderful. We are just looking to level the playing field for all genders. I consider myself as a staunch feminist.

What are your views on Feminism in india? Is it taking a wrong turn?

Feminism in india has come a long way, and achieved new heights, even in the face of constant (often misplaced) criticism. From Savitribai Phule, to Sarojini Naidu, to Indra Nooyi, to Priyanka Chopra, to Aranya Johar, feminism in india lives magnanimously through these and many more champions, who inspire, guide and empower women through their honourable work. I think it is progressing rapidly, hitting all the right places, asking all the right questions and uplifting society as a whole. Women are stepping out so far of their homes and breaking the "glass ceiling". They are spread across diverse fields, from finance, literature, politics, performing arts and much more. Tell a women she can't do something, and she'll prove you wrong the next minute. With the advent of the internet, the voices have only grown stronger, with women taking to social media to protest against misogynistic stereotypes, traditions and rituals. The #Metoo movement was a prime example of feminism fast-tracking india to a more equal society. I do not think feminism is taking a wrong turn, in fact I strongly disagree. A question might've popped in the context of #Metoo: 'What about the false allegations?' I'd like to say that there will always be people who will try with all their might, to take undue advantage of the movement's momentum and try to derail it by shifting its focus. Feminism and real feminists are above all this, at a whole new level. These people don't define the movement.

Why do some people hate Feminism?

What most people actually hate is not feminism but 'pseudo-feminism', which does not represent the core fundamentals of feminism. Pseudo feminism has mutilated the real definition of feminism and grotesquely smeared the name of this all powerful movement. Pseudo-feminists (commonly called 'feminazi') are a misogynistic, man-hating vengeful tribe who are looking to blow their own trumpet and crush all dissent. The underlying difference between the two is that feminism has its foundation in the principle of equality, while the other is based on the superiority of females over males. Calling all men 'dogs', considering females to be better than males at everything, is NOT feminism.

What do you find wrong with modern feminist/feminism, if any?

I do not think that there is anything as such wrong with modern feminism, rather there is a lot of misconception surrounding it. 

Modern Feminism does not just focus on challenging institutional patriarchy on economic, political and social levels but is also moving towards addressing the conscious and subconscious biases which exist in us. It is modern feminism which has encouraged women and give them an outlet for self-expression through art and culture. Modern Feminism has rallied and binded support for them, be it in India or Afghanistan, or Pakistan. Modern Feminism is intersectional and is launching women who face discrimination on the basis of factors other than just their gender, to the mainstream. For example, a homosexual Dalit Women in India faces the triple burden of being discriminated against, or harassed because she is a woman. Modern Feminism, in short, cares deeply about things that are inclusive of more than just gender-based issues.

How has feminism impacted society? 

I could write a book on how feminism has impacted society, and it still wouldn't be enough. Between the suffragettes fighting for the right to vote in the 1920s, making women realize that they can be more than just caretakers of their families, filling the world with their excellence in politics, business, art, gaining the right to abortion, the right to get equal pay as their male counterparts, calling out casual sexism, rape  culture, forming worldwide forums and funds to empower women, making legislation to prevent sexual and domestic abuse, pushing for more political participation feminism has made the world a happier place for women to live in. The fact that I'm able to write this article without fear, is itself a product of feminism. It has propelled global progress of women and paved the way for young girls to dream big. Of course, there's still a long way to go and a lot of scope for improvement.

(Read: https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/features/g4201/famous-feminists-through

out-history/)

Feminist movement opened up more options for girls and women to express their identity but there was no corresponding movement for men. Why do you think that is ?

Historically, generally, women have been highly disadvantaged, oppressed. That is why, naturally, a feminist movement emerged to combat this. However this question is not fully accurate in claiming that there is no movement for men. Feminist is a movement for men too. Although it was started to cater to women's development, it has grown to help men express themselves, their own individualities. Feminism has not only made women's lives easier but also helped addressed the toxic masculinity that men are often subjected to. With Women joining the workforce, men no longer have to bear the burden of being the sole breadwinner of the family. Men and makeup are two terms which were scarcely associated with each other earlier, but now people like James Charles and Ankush Bhaguna, show us how men can express themselves through it and not be termed girly/feminine. Gone are the days when men were expected to kill their vulnerabilities and pretend to be 'macho', when they were always supposed to make first move (courtesy: Bumble). There are a thousand other ways in which feminism has helped men in developing a greater acceptance of their self-expression through newer channels. So practically, feminism has actually  also served as the movement for men.

(Read: https://www.mic.com/articles/88277/23-ways-feminism-has-made-the-world-a-better-place-for-men)

In recent decades, men have begun shouldering more of the burden of domestic labour and childrearing (although far from an equal share). Does that pose a challenge to traditional masculinity ideology?

Traditional masculinity ideology builds unrealistic expectations of how men should behave, and what occupation roles they should conventionally take up to be considered a responsible father/husband. As mentioned earlier, it demanded men to be the sole breadwinner of the family, thus exempting them from making any contribution to whatsoever to domestic labor. As a result women were supposed to perform all household duties (including cooking), devote a majority of their time to their children and kill all their ambitions of working after marriage even before they could see the light of day. This led to men being pushed into getting employed to start earning for their families as soon as possible, while women were chained to their households. Feminism has challenged this long brewing toxicity and created a paradigm shift in today's world. Today, partners share the household work, their responsibilities and duties. Men can now be housemakers and women can aspire to work towards their goals and careers, without having to feel the guilt of not being manly/motherly enough. However this does not hold true for all the population. As I said, we still have a long way to go.

In the West, there has been some criticism of feminist movements in India. They have especially been criticized for focusing too much on privileged women, and neglecting the needs and representation of poorer or lower caste women. This has led to the creation of caste-specific feminist organizations and movements. What are your views on this?

This kind of feminism which focuses only on the privileged, unfortunately, does still exist.in india too. But on the bright side, people have identified this problem and have started to take conscious steps in this direction. As mentioned earlier, I think feminism is moving towards being intersectional, and more inclusive of women from different strata's of the society, taking into consideration the different kinds of experiences faced by them. The best way to personally contribute to this solution is to check your own personal privilege, actively lend a listening ear to men/women when they share their experiences and be affectionate towards them. A dark-complexioned woman can face harassment on accounts of her skin colour, or her gender. What we need to always remember is that each person experiences gender discriminations differently.

Was there a particular moment you can pinpoint that was crucial to the development of your perspective on feminism?

I don't have a specific moment which I can pinpoint. It was more on the side of a gradual development of the concept and the movement.

How can a beginner investor find good companies as there are thousands of publicly listed companies in the Indian stock market?

As a beginner investor, one can definitely find good companies by looking for businesses which are sustainable over the next few decades, and whose operations can be clearly understood by them. Such companies can be identified from our immediate surroundings with a pinch of common sense and a profound power of observation. For an investor it is of paramount importance that before parking their hard earned money in any investment avenues, be it mutual funds, SIPs, ETFs, commodities, direct equity, etc. they should have a clear understanding of the fundamentals of the specific instrument/stock. Gone are the days when information was only available to the elite analysts, as with the advent of the internet, everything is available just at the click of a button. There are different approaches which an investor can employ while picking stocks - bottom up or top down/ sector-wise/theme-wise to name a few. In the bottom up approach we generally look at companies individually and analyse them based on different quantitative and qualitative parameters including financials, current management, historical performance, future expansion plans etc. On the other hand in the top down approach we take a broader macroeconomic view and identify the emerging consumer trends in the economy. Based on these observations we find out the sectors which stand to benefit the most in the next few decades, and buy those businesses which are or have the potential of becoming the leaders in those sectors. Nowadays investing has been made a lot easier due to the vast pool of resources which are readily available to the daily consumer. There is no  dearth of famous books by bestselling authors (like Peter lynch's One up on Wall Street), online blogs, YouTube videos and reports, which talk about what's the exact pyschology, the process, the necessary skills and what are the important  factors one should look at while picking a specific stock. This knowledge coupled with a few years of experience in the real world financial markets will go a long way in helping investors to gain the confidence required to hold on to good companies. To sum it up, in stock markets there is no stop to the learning curve of an investor. Keep a track of your portfolio, keep educating yourself about the changes in the markets, never act on your impulses and you'll be good to go.

What is the appropriate amount of time one should spend while researching stocks?

There is no such thing as an appropriate time to be spent researching on a stock, in my opinion, one should research until one has gained a crystal clear picture of the entire fundamentals, the operations of the company and all such factors that might affect its current or future performance. The reason why I say this is because when we have a clear picture in front of us we can make better, informed decisions regarding whether that stock qualities as a part of our portfolio. The number of hours or days spent researching the stock is not what really matters. The thing which really matters is that the research should be of premium quality.

Is investing in small caps more profitable than large caps?

Although small caps generally are more profitable than large caps, they are a lot riskier than the latter, because of the smaller market size, they have huge potential for capital gains by becoming a multibagger. (A multibagger is a stock which becomes double/triple/4x/5x/10x of its initial value.) However small-caps are less liquid than large caps and have a high risk of incurring huge losses faster than they made the gains. Large caps are safer as these companies have a proven past record, a lot  of historical data and an established loyal customer base, unlike small-caps. It all boils down to the risk appetite of the individual investor and what kind of returns he is expecting to generate from his portfolio.

What kind of stocks should an investor avoid?

I think there are two kinds of stocks which an investor must absolutely avoid at all costs. The first is penny stocks, which are stocks available for a very low price, often luring investors with the (often far-fetched) possibility of exponential gains. Penny stocks are highly susceptible to pump and dump schemes because of their low price and can be easily manipulated through creation of artificial demand by a handful of traders. These companies can be shell companies or companies with no real value. In such cases it is the retail investor who has to bear the brunt of the loss if the manipulating traders choose to exit the stock suddenly. 

The second kind is those stocks which are bought solely because a man in a shirt and tie, looking all intelligent on a business news channel yells, "Buy X/Y ". What I mean is we should never buy stocks based on random tips from friends/family/analysts because we never develop conviction while buying them. For all we know it could be just another hyped up stock not suitable for your investment portfolio, risk appetite, return expectations and a dozen other factors. What I mean is nobody else can decide what stocks are good for you, you have to decide that. Even if these stocks don't perform well in the short-term, you will never panic sell because you've requisite conviction.

What are your views on Crypto-Currency?

Crypto-currency is a mixed bag right now, with a lot of upsides as well as downsides. For starters, it eliminates the need for a third party/middleman like banks and facilitates direct transactions between two parties. It is racing to become the future of digital currency and holds the potential to disrupt the entire digital payments universe. Adding to its rising appeal, the technology behind it called 'blockchain' provides an ecosystem for transactions which are much more transparent, secure and decentralised than traditional payment systems. It  has become a booming asset class with a whopping 15 million  investing in it. However, it is not all sunshine. Crypto-currencies are highly volatile and speculative in nature, which does not lend any stability to it. It is based on the "Greater Fool's Theory", as it has no real value, and prices fluctuate only on the basis of prices which users are willing to pay to trade in it. Legendary investor Warren Buffet compared Bitcoin (a crypto) to paper checks: " It's a very effective way at transmitting money and you can do it anonymously and all that. A check is a way of transmitting money too, Are checks worth a lot of money? Just because they can transmit money?". Thus, one should think twice before taking a leap into this asset class.

What are some future trends that you see developing in the finance world?

With the growth in the financial services  industry, there is a new, innovative synergy between finance and technology in the form of Fintech (Apps, Neobank's etc.). India's fintech market is now valued at US$31 Billion, projected to grow to US$84 Billion by 2025, thus emerging as the biggest 'destination' for Fintech in Asia. Fintech has revolutionised the way we look at financial services, paving the way for a consumer -centric approach, through the provision for hassle free experiences, easy access to data as well as greater inclusion. This will create opportunities for a lot of value addition for the consumers in the years to come in terms of banking, managing their personal portfolio etc. because of the widespread and easy availability of such technologies, it has led to greater financial inclusion and financial literacy among citizens. This sector is all set to take over the traditional view of the financial sector and create huge ripples all around the globe.