Soup /gs
With Sumeru came Al/ha/itham and with him came K/ave/h
I havent written in awhile so here goes (3.7k words)
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(the parts from Kaveh’s pov was very choppy since i wanted to try to make it seem like he was disorientated)
also kaveh’s snezes were mostly in smallcaps because hes tired
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Alhaitham was already pissed the moment he came home. Dishes stacked up taller than him, clothes strewn all around the living room, blueprints scattered across the floor, the culprit nowhere in sight.
Speaking of which, where was his annoying roommate? It wasn’t like Kaveh to leave the house this early into the day since all he did was go out and drink, with Alhaitham’s money, no less, and the bar did not open until night.
Perhaps Kaveh had actually found himself some work to do. Alhaitham felt himself scoff at that thought. The day that Kaveh really went out and got a job would be the day that Alhaitham finally plucked up the courage to confessed to him — never; impossible.
It was how it was, how it will always be. Kaveh would always do something to mess with Alhaitham, they’d argue, Kaveh would go and drink for hours, but he would always come home. Even if Alhaitham had threatened to kick him out moments before.
He blames it on his horrible taste in men that makes his heart beat so fast whenever Kaveh is around him, blames it on the fact Kaveh shines so bright; “Light of the Kshahrewar”.
He blames it on the fact he had let Kaveh stay at his house at all. But he wanted it, wanted that proximity for reasons he could not understand. It frustrated him, these feelings which he couldn’t quite put a name to.
Why he felt so strongly for Kaveh escapes him.
But back to the matter he had on hand, his roommate would never learn to pick up after himself if Alhaitham just did his chores for him. It was still early, he could wait all day for Kaveh’s return.
And that’s just what he did, propping a leg up onto the coffee table as he read a good book.
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Kaveh just wanted to lie down.
His head had been hurting for a few days, and his throat had started to feel off since last night after his arguing session with the most infuriating Scribe in the whole of Sumeru, who also happened to be his roommate.
He had left the house in the morning after adding a plate to the tall pile of dishes at the sink, partly to piss Alhaitham off, but also partly because he wanted to head to the pharmacy as soon as possible to get something for his head.
Trust Alhaitham to be the only person he knows who does not have a stockpile of medicine at home on standby.
But they could argue more about that later, for there was a bigger problem right in front of him.
“...”
“Out of Stock? You’ve got to be kidding me..”
The shop assistant looked at him apologetically, having sold the last bottle to the customer before Kaveh. And so there he was, back onto the streets with nothing left to do. Kaveh remembers feeling the same way until Alhaitham took him in.
Alhaitham.. Kaveh didn’t even know where to begin when it came to him. Everything the man said made sense, but yet it also did not. Sure, patterned curtains made no difference when it came to fulfilling their purpose, but plain ones were just so.. unartistic. It had taken a week of arguing for Alhaitham to finally allow Kaveh to install some new ones in his own room.
Just thinking about the whole ordeal made Kaveh’s head pound a little harder. While he would have opted to head to the doctor, the bill would have exceeded his budget. And he would rather die than let Alhaitham know he wasn’t feeling well when he settled the payment.
Then, a thought struck him: a friend did say that the nearby Liyue Harbor had a pharmacy that sold many different types of medicine. Not like he had much of a choice at that moment, though. Right, it was just a quick walk over and back, simple enough.
And simple it was, until it started to drizzle, the weather as unpredictable as Alhaitham during this part of the year.
Ah.. there he goes again, thinking of that stupid Scribe every second of the day. Truly, even Kaveh sometimes did not understand what went on in that brilliant mind of his and his. But still, he longed to hurry home, to be near the damned person that tormented him with every step he took.
Dark clouds blanketed the sky, making it appear darker than it should, even this late into the night. Unconsciously, Kaveh reached up to rub his nose a little, feeling a light breeze drift pass him.
“Heh- Nn..hHaH’ Hih-hAtchuu’! snf.. hAH’tchH!!”
He was shivering now, stepping carefully towards his front door. The half-a-day walk had left him more exhausted than Kaveh would ever admit. Alhaitham’s shoes were already there, not surprising since it was already way past dinner time. What was surprising though, was the light that still streamed out off the window.
Subconsciously, Kaveh frowns. It was late, judging by how far the moon had risen into the sky. He hoped Alhaitham wasn’t once again pulling an all-nighter. Those tended to leave him tired and irritable for the next few days despite how much he denied it. While Kaveh would definitely not want to deal with a tired-tham, he also wanted his junior to look after himself.
How stupid of him, he supposes, since Alhaitham could care less about the people around him, much less himself. And yet Kaveh still kept running back to him everyday, sleeping in the same house with but a wall between them.
With a sigh he turns his key with a slight sniffle, the small lion keychain wet from the rain.
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Alhaitham hears the lock, and he almost springs up to answer it. It was way too late for Kaveh to just come waltzing through the door as if nothing had happened. But instead he chose to remain as unbothered as possible, staring blankly at his book.
The dishes would not clean themselves, Kaveh would have to do them. Yes, that was the true reason why he had stayed up this late, to watch Kaveh wash plates, that was all, nothing more.
The door opened with a creak, but the head of golden hair did not pop out to start a shouting match.
Behind the short hallway between the door and the living room, Kaveh hung up his coat and kicked off his shoes, not caring where they landed. Now that he as home, the warmth and dryness of it all made all his pent up exhaustion catch up to him.
Kaveh sniffled, softly, bracing a hand onto the wall as his head started to spin. When was the last time he ate? Lunch? He ate a small bread for lunch. Dinner? He spent most of the day traveling to Liyue and back didn’t he.. Maybe there was something in the fridge he could-
“Hitc’Hh!! hH.. eH’ Hih- tchiw!! hAtcH’ngXt!! ssnf-!”
Quickly, Kaveh pinched those away, afraid that Alhaitham would be alerted by his arrival home. He would hate to be seen in this state. However, as if on cue, Kaveh heard the sound of a book being slammed shut.
“Kaveh.”
The voice sounded impatient. Had he done something wrong? He couldn’t remember. Alhaitham sounded more angry than usual. What was it? Think brain, think!!
“Kaveh. I thought I told you to wash the d-”
Alhaitham rounded the corner, arms crossed, but stopped when he saw the small frame clinging onto the coat rack. Kaveh looked worse than when Alhaitham had picked him off the streets. The Kaveh he was looking at now was pale, hair and clothes soaked through and stuck to his skin. Had Kaveh always looked this frail?
And for once, Alhaitham froze, not sure what to do. To reach out or to observe? Which would Kaveh want him to do, which would he be okay with him doing? His fists clenched in uncertainty.
Maybe he should-
“What? D- Did you.. snff! say something..?” Kaveh struggled to raise his head, the ceiling lights looking brighter than ever that they shone straight into his skull. He just wanted to lie down, badly.
Alhaitham felt his insides tighten as Kaveh picked himself up. Suddenly, all thoughts about the dishes vanished from his mind. “It’s.. nothing..”
“O-oh.. alright, I’ll go s-shH! shower then..” Kaveh mumbled weakly. Talking hurt more than it should, and it took all his strength to stumble towards his room without falling all over the carpet.
Alhaitham watched as Kaveh’s shadow disppeared into the room. The door was swung shut but not closed, and he caught a glimpse of Kaveh gripping the side of his desk to balance himself. Drunk? Was he drunk? It wasn’t uncommon for Kaveh to come home like this, an absolute mess, clumsy on his feet.
“Hih’hAtchh!! hAH’ngXXt!! hH.. h’ snff!! hiT’Dchw!!
“hiH’tcHhuu!! snf! nh..”
But something was different, wasn’t it?
Alhaitham stared at the small crack in the door, at Kaveh, who removed a small cylinder from his pocket. He watches as Kaveh shakes it, removing two pills. Medicine? So Kaveh hasn’t been feeling well. But how long has it been? Days? Weeks? Why didn’t he say anything about it?
He remembers back when Kaveh just got off the streets, remembers when Kaveh came down with a fever on that same day, remembers how Kaveh had struggled for his life to swallow even the tiniest bit of the solid medicine that Alhaitham had to crush it down for him.
So Kaveh was feeling that bad that it pushed him to take not one but two? How had he not noticed? In his defense, Kaveh had been acting as usual for the past week. Their arguments flowed as usual, as did Kaveh’s irresponsibility with cleaning up after himself.
Lost in his thoughts, Alhaitham heard Kaveh panting softly. He imagined how Kaveh would be behind the door, a palm pressed against his throat, forcing himself to pretend that there was nothing but water in his mouth, just water, just swallow.
He heard Kaveh choke a little, and was overcome by the want to be by his side, rubbing between Kaveh’s shoulders to tell him that everything was going to be alright and that he was there. But Alhaitham couldn’t move, so he watched silently.
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Kaveh’s eyes were watering. It was one thing to take the medicine, but it was another to take it quietly. After muffling a few coughs into his elbow, he shoved the bottle to the far end of his table, behind the stack of canvas, just in case.
He reached for a piece of tissue, holding it against his nose as he walked to the bathroom. He needed to bathe and sleep off this cold, for he was sure that Alhaitham would question him about last night in the morning. Kaveh liked moments like those, where his roommate would ask about him, making it seem like he cared.
Kaveh liked to pretend that he did.
“hiH’hAtchh!! hH-Hh.. ah’H.. ah..” he sighed, rubbing the tissue a little harder. “Hah’nnh.. snff- hH’! ugnn..” He needed to sneeze, the bathroom tiles felt cold to his feet, his clothes were suddenly too tight. He had to get them off, but they were wet and clung to him.
His train of thought was messy; the water was warm on his back. Kaveh hunched over in the shower, arms pressed against the wall in front of him, helping him stand up straight.
He gasped, desperate.
“hiH’IHh- hHH!! Snnff.. hH’ hAH-zZchww!! hH’Tchh!! hhH-aH’dtcHhh!!” The mist from his nose mixed with the vapour from the water flowing down his back. He shivered; not hot enough. He switched it off.
Back in his room, Kaveh toweled himself down shakily. How long would it take for the medicine to kick in? How long has it been? Was it morning already? Has Alhaitham left for work? Was he once again all alone in this house? His nose was running again, Kaveh noticed but didn’t care. He pressed a sleeve of his pajamas against his face, tunneling under the blankets.
Still not warm enough..
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The walls of his house were thin, Alhaitham knew, and he heard everything that came from Kaveh’s room despite moving to the kitchen. He had tried to busy himself with the dishes (the responsibility being entrusted now to him), but that didn’t stop the thoughts from creeping up on him.
Kaveh is sick.
His hands stopped moving, fingers squeezing the soapy sponge. That idiot. Switching off the tap, Alhaitham moved to the other counter, prying open the drawers for ingredients to make soup. He doesn’t know if Kaveh had eaten already or not, he also doesn’t know if Kaveh would even accept it, but it put his mind at ease.
Two clicks from the stove later, the soup was starting to simmer. Alhaitham carefully placed the lid on top, allowing a small gap for the steam to rise. It would be done in a couple of hours. In the meantime, he would pack up the mess that Kaveh left the living room in.
He started with the clothes, the same white shirt that he wore everywhere. The collar line was far too low and exposing in Alhaitham’s opinion, but he wouldn’t say that he hates it, being able to see Kaveh’s chest. The only problem was that everyone else could as well. He picked it up, moving on to the red cape that lay draped over the couch. The first time he touched it, Alhaitham remembered being in shock at how soft it was despite its sturdy appearance.
It’s iconic red color together with it’s pattern and broad tassels made the cape look so much more than just a item of clothing. Maybe that was why Kaveh was so proud to wear it; he loved to steal the spotlight, whether intentionally or not.
He folded them, and moved on to the floor.
“Haitham!! What do you think of these?”
Alhaitham could almost hear Kaveh’s voice as he crouched down to pick up the blueprints. “It’s a rough sketch of what I think a school building should look like!” Alhaitham remembers what had sparked that project. The two of them were walking around the city when a couple of children ran into Kaveh. Kaveh laughed and brushed it off, before watching them disappear into the school.
Alhaitham remembers watching Kaveh’s eyebrows furrow when he took in the state of the budling, all the beautiful features on his face scrunching up in disapproval. “Really, they ought to take better care of a place like that.”
The moment Kaveh reached home that day, he whipped out his pencils and started working. And when he was done, he was proud. “Haitham! Doesn’t this look way better?”
And when Alhaitham had scoffed at his masterpiece,
“What do you mean ‘design doesn’t matter’? Maybe to you it doesn’t, but to those students, I think it will matter. When children are still young, they are so filled with curiosity, and that dull school building doesn’t boost that at all! Think about it Haitham, making sure that that creativity within each child doesn’t burn out, that’s what education should really be about.”
Alhaitham remembers being at a loss for words, remembers looking into Kaveh’s eyes to see the sparks within them. Pride towards the future generation of students, the same pride Kaveh had when he finally graduated, only to become bankrupt in the following years after chasing his dream.
Don’t you ever learn when to back down? Alhaitham feels a smile creep onto his face. He supposes he isn’t much different.
The soup is finally done.
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“Mmf..ah.. nnhH’! snnf- snff!! hhH..ihh!!”
Kaveh feels himself being pulled out of sleep. Everything felt heavy, too cold yet he was sweating. His head weighed a ton, and his nose.. his nose-
“Hih’tchh! heh’zchw!! eh-heH’tchzw!!”
“hh-! eh’tchw! huH’ hh..snf!..nghn”
..wouldn’t stop itching.
He lifted a palm to his forehead. It felt warm. Warm because of the fever, or warm because his fingers felt like icicles? He didn’t know. His stomach made a sound, and Kaveh feels the feeling of hunger for the first time that night.
Using his other hand, Kaveh pushed against the mattress under him, but his body didn’t rise. He felt weak and shivery. Maybe the blanket was just too heavy.. But he had no trouble getting out of bed this morning, so what was happening now?
He was tired, and sleep was dragging him down once again. Maybe if he tried hard enough, he’d dream of Alhaitham. Alhaitham.. he’d be strong enough to lift Kaveh up from the bed, from under these heavy covers..
As if right on cue, Kaveh heard a sharp knock on his door. He wanted to respond, to call out, but everything hurt. A second passed, and the door swung open, the light from outside just barely any brighter than his own room.
How considerate that the visitor gave a second thought to his eyes’ sensitivity to bright stuff..
“Kaveh-”
The visitor was calling for him. Respond.. Respond..
“Mmhyea..?”
“It’s me.. uh.. I made some... soup- ..food for you.”
“Haitham..?”
Kaveh started at the doorway. He recognised the voice but not the words spoken. Alhaitham made food for him? Right when he was just feeling hungry? Right when he was just thinking of dreaming about the man? Maybe he was..
“Yeah, it’s me.”
..Or maybe he wasn’t.
Alhaitham pushed himself further into the room. He felt weirdly hesitant. The Grand Scribe, doubting his steps, a new experience for him. ‘Everything with Kaveh is always a new experience’ was the excuse he gave himself.
“I’ll just.. put this-”
“heH’tchh!! snff!” Kaveh swallowed quickly, blushing. The sneeze snuck up on him, and now Alhaitham was staring.
“The.. t-table.. snff- would be g- good..”
Alhaitham recovered from his startle in an instant, gently placing the tray onto the desk. Kaveh’s voice was soft, very much unlike him. Under the moonlight, he could see the reddish outline of Kaveh’s nose, and Alhaitham felt his heart tighten.
“Are.. are you okay?”
“I’m- hH..hit’chhw! haH’ngxxT!! F-Fine..snf- why..?” Kaveh scrubbed at his eyes, avoiding Alhaitham’s sight.
“No reason.” Alhaitham felt the words leave his mouth before hie brain could process them. Running away. “I’ll come back later to.. get the bowl..”
When Kaveh watched Alhaitham turn to leave, he felt panic immobilising him. Wait. No, don’t go, please.. s-stay.. “I need.. need-”
“..Need?”
“shit.. Need you to help me lift the spoon.. I can’t..” Kaveh felt his blush returning, or maybe it was the fever. He had said that out loud?! ahh- what was Alhaitham going to think?
“Okay.”
Alhaitham quietly moved over to the bedside, pulling a chair over. He wordlessly but carefully pulled down the covers to Kaveh’s waist, flinching when Kaveh shivered immediately to the cold air, turning sharply to his side.
“hH!! H’haH’tCHhuu! s-sorryyhH’ tchHiww! snff-” Kaveh had his nose pressed firmly against his sleeve when he turned back, grateful that Alhaitham chose not to comment on it, instead helping to prop him up using some pillows.
Kaveh watched as Alhaitham reached for the steaming bowl, cupping it with his bare hands while the other stirred its contents.
“It’s not hot..?”
Alhaitham didn’t answer the question. Of course it was. But how else would he feed Kaveh? Feed Kaveh. It was Alhaitham’s turn to blush. Thankfully Kaveh had his attention elsewhere, sleeve pressed to his nose, rubbing softly.
“hiH’tchhu!! ouwch.. snff.. hhH-”
“Here.” Alhaitham cleared his throat, holding out the spoon to Kaveh’s lips. From this distance, he can tell how puffy Kaveh’s eyes were, and how they were avoiding him.
Kaveh is just as scared as he is.
“T-Thank you..” Kaveh mumbled, the stuffiness making it hard to talk. The soup was warm, not too hot, not too cold; “delicious.”
“Glad you like it.”
“I’m amazed you can cook. snff! It’s not poisonous, is it?”
“Unfortunately not.”
Kaveh smiled, a little, and Alhaitham did too. Despite the moment they were in right now, they always found a way to bite at each other’s throats. That’s how they were, everyone in Sumeru knew.
But what were they really, to each other?
The bowl was empty before another word was spoken, say for the regular sniffles (and sneezes) that Kaveh would take between each bite. It was all too soon, and Alhaitham was standing up, probably to leave.
Panic.
Kaveh didn’t want to be alone, but he didn’t want just anybody’s company either. He wanted Alhaitham’s company. The house was too big and his room was too cold. And so he reached out.
“Haitham-!”
Alhaitham turned around, tray and bowl clutched in his hands. Kaveh was calling him, Kaveh needed something from him. What was it..? What was it? If he could, he would give Kaveh the world.
“Yes?”
“P-Please stay?”
And there it was, the unspoken words that were finally said. Such a simple request. ‘Of course’ Alhaitham thought. ‘Of course I’ll stay.’
“I will. I will be back after I wash these, alright?”
“Always worried about the dishes aren’t you, Haitham?”
Yes, I am worried, worried, but not just about the dishes anymore.
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Kaveh watched as Alhaitham padded slowly out of his room. The defined muscles of his back poking through the thin shirt, as beautiful as they were the first time Kaveh laid eyes on them. Strong arms that he hoped one day would hold him. One day, soon.
“I’m sorry for always being such a mess-”
(And that you always have to clean up after me.)
“It’s alright. It’s the way you are.”
(And it’s perfect, I love it.)
He hears the kitchen tap going off as sleep welcomes him once again. But this time, Kaveh doesn’t need to dream of Alhaitham. Because he might have just became a reality.
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When Kaveh wakes up the next day, his fingers were cradled within Alhaitham’s sturdy palm, the man in question seated upon the bedside chair, head resting upon the blanket, against Kaveh’s thigh, their hearts beating as one.
(end)
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tbh that felt more like a character rs fic then a snzfic but thats not rly for me to decide.
i love these two so much and wna write for them abit more (when i stop being lazy)
ANYWAY ty for reading, and i hope you enjoyed that.
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Which are the top-performing mutual funds in the last 10 years
Did you know? Recently, the Modi government completed 10 years since it came to power, and on April 09 the BSE Sensex touched its record high of 75,000 points. It was a 3-fold jump from 25,000 points in 2014.
The SIP contribution has also touched its all-time high of Rs. 19,271 crore in March. This shows the investor's confidence in Mutual funds and commitment to disciplined wealth accumulation through regular investment.
Furthermore, the mutual fund industry added 6.8 million investors in FY24 which is 70% more than FY23. With such a large number of unique investors arises the problem of fund selection.
Which is a good fund to do investment or a SIP? It can be a real headache to pick the right scheme with so many options available under each category.
To solve this problem we have come up with the list of best equity funds under multiple categories. So stay tuned and read on.
The top-performing funds are those that have beaten their respective benchmark indices based on their 10-year SIP returns.
Additionally, these funds are also subjected to rolling returns and consistency of performance to select the best of the lot.
So let’s start with Large caps.
The first round of test (10-year SIP returns)
Large Cap Funds
These funds invest in the top 100 companies in terms of market capitalization. Which makes them relatively lower risk.
The benchmark for this category is Nifty 100 TRI which delivered 15.34% over the 10 years. Out of 24 funds, 10 funds managed to beat Nifty 100 TRI.
The top five schemes that delivered 16.69-18.44 returns included: Nippon India Large Cap, ICICI Prudential Bluechip, Baroda BNP Paribas Large Cap, Canara Robeco Bluechip Equity, and Edelweiss Large Cap.
Mid-Cap Funds
These funds invest in mid-sized companies that are ranked between 101 to 250 in terms of market capitalization.
The benchmark for this category is the Nifty Midcap TRI 150. Out of the 21 funds only 5 funds were able to beat the benchmark, so the Midcap category wasn’t much profitable for the investors.
The top five performers included: Quant Midcap, Motilal Oswal Midcap, Edelweiss Midcap, HDFC Midcap Opportunities, and Nippon India Growth.
Small-Cap Funds
One of the most interesting categories that have gotten investors’ attention is the Small caps. These funds invest at least 65% in the companies ranked below 250 in terms of market cap.
The benchmark for this category is Nifty Smallcap TRI 250. Out of the 12 schemes 10 have outperformed the benchmark. The top 5 performers included: Quant, Nippon India, SBI, HDFC, Axis, and Kotak.
Large- & Mid-Cap funds
These funds allocate about 35% to large-cap and mid-cap stocks. 7 funds outperformed their benchmark out of 18 funds. Quant Large & Midcap, Kotak Opportunities, Mirae Asset Large & Midcap, and Bandhan Core Equity were the top performers who beat the Nifty Large Midcap 250 TRI benchmark.
Flexi-cap Funds
As the name suggests, these funds invest across sectors and market capitalizations. Out of the 16 schemes, 8 were able to beat the benchmark.
The top performers who beat the Nifty 500 TRI benchmark included: Quant Flexicap, Parag Parikh Flexi Cap, HDFC Flexi Cap, Franklin India Flexi Cap, and JM Flexicap.
Multi-cap Funds
These funds have to invest 25% across each market capitalization, including large-cap,
mid-cap, and small-cap stocks according to the SEBI mandate. Out of the 10 funds 6 managed to beat the benchmark Nifty 500 TRI.
These included: Quant Active, Nippon India, ICICI Prudential, Baroda BNP Paribas, Invesco India, and Sundaram Multi cap fund.
The second test (The mean 5-year daily rolling returns for 10 years and the funds must have beaten the benchmark 60% of the time)
The Fund choices include
Large-cap - Mirae Asset Large Cap, ICICI Prudential Bluechip, Baroda BNP Paribas Large Cap, Canara Robeco Bluechip Equity, and Edelweiss Large Cap have beaten the benchmark 75% of the time.
Mid-cap - Edelweiss Mid Cap fund, beaten the benchmark 90% of the time.
Small-cap - Axis Small Cap, Nippon Small Cap, and SBI Small Cap have outperformed the benchmark 100% of the time.
Large- & mid-cap - Mirae Asset Large & Midcap, Kotak Equity Opportunities, Canara Robeco Emerging Equities, and Quant Large & Midcap. These funds have beaten the benchmark 75% of the time.
Flexi-cap - Parag Parikh Flexi Cap and Quant Flexi Cap are the best funds apart from JM Flexicap, Canara Robeco Flexi Cap, and Kotak Flexi Cap
Multi-cap - Quant Active, with 100% outperformance, and Invesco India Multicap and ICICI Multicap with 64-65 percent outperformance.
These funds can be considered for long-term SIP. But you should consult a financial expert before doing investments. This research was done by ACE MF as of April 10th. For more such insightful blogs, do visit our website Swaraj Finpro
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