Exchange Rate and Inflation -- what to focus on?

Reading through the Rajan Committee Report, I realized something that I think a lot of people already know: A country's exchange rate and inflation are related. More specifically, if there is increased economic activity, either the country's currency must appreciate, or inflation must rise, or both.

However, while currency appreciation affects the rich more, inflation affects the poor more. Thus, the country is faced with a dilemma -- the rich control power, but the poor control the vote bank. The question is -- can the politicians (i.e. the rich) fool the poor long enough to keep getting rich?

Put another way, assuming the rich (and thus privileged) are more used to handling complexity, do complex laws and regulations ultimately hurt the poor and benefit the rich?

Think you know where Brian Adams stayed in Mumbai last year? Really?

Everyone knows where the Gateway of India is, right? In Mumbai, somewhere close to the water, with lots of people around all the time, boats in the background, and something to do with the word "Colaba". Well, if you're not from Mumbai, this is actually pretty good! However, a true "Mumbaikar" would also tell you about the ferries that leave from the Gateway to nearby beaches, where to go to catch a movie nearby (hint: its all about royalty!), and what the locally famous "Cafe Mondegar" is famous for. The question you have to ask yourself is: Even if you've lived in Mumbai all your life, are you a true "Mumbaikar"?

Calling all folks who think they know their cities oh-so-well! Come and try your hand at Google Map's "So you think you know your city?" app, a nifty game that challenges you to identify famous (and some not so famous) places in your city given its location on the map and some interesting tit-bits about it. Here's a picture of this restaurant where Brian Adams slapped a waiter last month - do you know its name? This is the only restaurant serving roomali roti pancakes - which one is it?

You can also face off with a friend in a "lightening round" setting. Google keeps track of your scores, and you can share them with your friends on Google Chat, Facebook, Twitter, SMS or plain ol' email.

However, we at Google freely admit that you probably know a lot more about your city than we do! And even if we did, we would like to know why YOU know the place so darn well. Is the hairdresser at that saloon your friend? Is there that ONE dish you think everyone should order at that restaurant? So, in the spirit of sharing, we invite you to comment on the places you get right. You can also submit places that you think we may have missed, so we can add it to the game and credit you with the entry. Don't worry -- all comments and entries are kept anonymous unless you explicitly want people to know its you.

Getting Started: To start the game, follow these simple steps:

1. Go to http://maps.google.com
2. Don't already have a google account? Now would be a good time to create one. Its easy - all you need is your name, email address and location. Click here to set one up now. Alternately, you can play the game without an account, but we won't be able to maintain your hi-scores list.
3. If you aren't already signed into your google account, go ahead and sign in using the "Sign in" link at the top right of the page
4. Once you are signed in, click on the "I know my city!" button on the top left of the page (see screenshot below)
5. Select your home city and voila -- you're ready to roll! Don't see your city in our list? Click here to learn more

Playing the Game:

1. Once you're in the game, choose which among our 18 different category you want to be tested on. Alternately, you can choose "surprise me" and we'll mix it up for you
2. You will now go through a round of 10 questions. Each question will show you a map location and some clue about this location, along with 5 choices. The clue may be a street photo of the surroundings, an interesting fact about the location, or something similar. You will have 30 seconds to answer each question, but the sooner you choose, the more points you get.
3. At the end of the round, you will receive your score and your rank. If you wish, you can share your score and rank with your friends immediately
4. If you would like to submit a comment or personal review about any of the places you were quizzed about, you can do so using the comments box next to each answer you got right.
5. If there are any new locations you would like to submit for us to include in the game, you can use the form at the bottom of the final score page. If your submission is accepted, you'll hear from us.

Delhi-ites, Calcuttans, Bangaloreans -- what are you waiting for? Let the games begin!