Ridiculous it may look like...Our finance minister Pranab of late has metamorphosed into the role of an investment advisor. Do not be surprised...he advises the educated upper middle classes on ‘how or why not to invest in Gold!!!’ He says that this class of people need to be educated about ‘Climb(ing) from the saving mode to wealth generation mode. ‘What they have to do in order to do this? The answer from Pranab is forthcoming.  Before finding out his advice, let us see, what he is worried about? It is in his own words-‘...large section of community ...want to invest in dead asset (Gold)...with expectation that value would appreciate...’Then the alternative to this ‘Investment mode’ provided by him is the investment in the ‘Market instruments.’ Pranab advised the financial advisors to spread the financial literacy among investors to educate them to be willing participants in the (equity) market.  It is sad that the Indian share market responded with a collapse of 244 points on the very next day of his valuable advice. That too this is the downturn, that is the worst across the globe on that day; when all the markets across the world are in a jubilation mode over the results of the Greece elections. Not just this, the Indian equity markets are in retreat over the last few months. And they have gone down the 16,000 mark too on occasion. And adding salt to the injury, the very same day FITCH Ratings has followed the suit of Standard and poor’s in downgrading India’s outlook to negative from stable.  Over and above this the inflation figures of the country too give their own sober advice. The WPI mostly has refused to budge to the raising of the  interest rates by the RBI. The retail price index is still in the double digit mode. It all means the Rupees purchasing power is coming down. In addition, the decline of the value of the Rupee against the dollar is a known fact...with so many numbers and data speaking against the ‘normal times investment mode’ in this hour of tumult...would you heed to the finance minister ...who after all may have his resort to the presidential palace soon. Do not waste the ‘Gold’en time...do the needful.