As an experienced investor, I can tell you the first thing you need to do before you open up a brokerage account is to educate yourself. There are plenty of free sites out there, like the Education Center at nseindia.com and nism.com, but those are very basic. The BEST thing to do is to shell out a few bucks and take a course. I promise you this, spending a few dollars now to EDUCATE yourself will save you THOUSANDS of real dollars from real trading mistakes.