On April 1, four years back, piquedby the incessant jokes in the village at his expense, Bandu Barve decidedhe’d had enough. It was time for him to turn ‘smart’. His dead granny's voice rang in his ears — “Read the papers, Bandya, they tell you all.” So, off went Bandu to the stash of newspapers onhis father’s desk. As luck would have it, the first paper Bandu got his hands on was The HinduBusinessLine.

The stock recos, in particular, had him in thrall. Soon Bandu metamorphosed into an ace investor and trader. These days, Bandu picks five stocks each Sunday, which he believes will be blockbusters over the next week.

Bandu’s picks

■ Bank of India

■ BF Utilities

■ Suven Life Sciences

■ Hindustan Copper

■ PTC India

Here's your chance to match step with Bandu. Guess the stock that will give the best return by next Friday (BSE prices). By Wednesday noon,mail us your pick and its expected price rise to bandublockbuster@gmail.com with your name,mobilenumber and address. One lucky winner will get aprize of ₹2,000.

Last week’s prize winner: ShashikalaChandrashekhar

Last week’s winning stock: Wockhardt Closing price (Dec 15):₹772.55

Closing price (Dec 22):₹873.8

Return: 13.11 per cent

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