AUGUST 2022 ISSUE aspiremagz.21com oD M ore... Be More Do M o ...er eroMeB INDIA SHINING GROWTH75CELEBRATINGYEARSOFINDIA'SJOURNEY
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Reshaping the Future of Gaming Dig deeper into Cloud Gaming that is making playing graphicsintensive video games on your smartphones and TVs possible 8 and interesting news from around the world!
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12022 AUGUST ASPIRE www.aspiremagz.comInside INDIA SHINING
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Celebrating 75 Glorious Years. Since independence, India has charted a glorious economic journey by seizing control of the narrative of its wealth with decisions of liberalization and free-market policies. We explore India’s impressive strides in all domains and if it’s enroute to becoming a global superpower as is the vision 20 Towards a WorkplaceDEI Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is increasingly on the radar of organizations these days. Here are some measures that can be taken to accelerate it 12
2 ASPIRE AUGUST 2022 Events Important events in the region 18 The Rising Cult of the Accidental Entrepreneur Are we are headed in the direction of accidental entrepreneurship?3016 Hz are rolling Mohammed Ali, UAE’s audio recording pioneer, delves deeper into the evolution of the radio and audio space as we see it today 28 Real-Estate Entrepreneur Extraordinaire Founder and Managing director at AMD comeofitAlbadani tellsProperties, Mohamedusaboutwhatmeanstobeinthebusinessmakinghisclients’dreamstrue 32 Is D2M the More Effective Solution?Broadcasting A look at D2M (Direct-toMobile) broadcasting and how it may change the way we consume entertainment or news OpEx - From Start to Finish Take a look at how organizational excellence can be implemented for executing efficient operations across all spheres and levels4038 Leveraging the Attention Economy Here’s how to maximize your marketing efforts to get the maximum attention and business 35 All That Twitters Will everyone’s favorite shorthand text-based media platform ‘Twitter’ become bigger than before or implode after the aborted deal? 42 The old-world charm of Onam Head to Kerala and rejuvenate your body, mind, and soul with the millennia-old charm of the Onam festival INSIDE
32022 AUGUST ASPIRE Email: hello@aspiremagz.com PUBLISHER Sumeet Gupta E: sumeet@aspiremagz.com CHIEF EDITOR Shagufta Patel E: editor@aspiremagz.com CONSULTING EDITOR Sangeetha Shinde Tee JUNIOR EDITORIAL MANAGER Qiraat Attar WRITERS Pallavi Biju Clarilda Sharon SreeramDeepikaVishvanathS PRODUCTION The Purple Stroke M: +971 508 498820 Neither this publication nor any part of it may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the persmission of The Purple Stroke FZE LLC. All the information carried herein is checked and verified to the best of our knowledge and abilities. In matters of views expressed and opinions held, it is solely that of the authors and contributors themselves. The editorial or publisher or ASPIRE cannot be held responsible for unintended errors and oversights if any. The Citadel Towers, Business Bay, Dubai, United Arab Emirates W: thepurplestroke.com Aspire+ What must you Read / Watch / Do this month to keep you effortlessly in the loop beyond business 54 Stand Up, Speak Out We all have the opportunity to be heroes, but it requires us not to play it safe 56 46 ‘Weight’ and watch Experts are certain that it’s not fat but low muscle which is the actual obstacle to fitness. Take note 49 Say Hello to the Sun With these arsenal of summer essentials for your skin, the sun can `be your spotlight 52 A Thrill Seeker’s Dream Take the rugged adventure with the Ford Bronco 2022 and the limitless possibilities of this vehicle
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Shinde Tee asks us not to play safe, take a stand, and be heroes, much like what Mandela and Gandhi did. It does not neces sarily have to be taking a stand for the nation; it can also be taking a stand for others around us or even our own self. Strive to be free… genuinely truly free. For as rightly said by Erin Hanson, the 21-year-old poet from Australia, who captured the world’s attention with her beautiful words: “There is freedom waiting for you, on the breezes of the sky.. and you ask, “What if I fall?” Oh, but my darling, “What if you fly?” ✪
F reedom from slav ery, Freedom of ex pression, Freedom of religion, Free dom of movement, Freedom of speech, Freedom of the press, and Freedom to choose the state of life…. Truly blessed to be living in a free world, aren’t we? We may be free to do all of the above mentioned... but are we genuinely truly free? Or are we in bondage to what we think is a free life? We are free to express what we think… but in bondage of what people might say. We are free to post what we like… but in bondage of people’s likes and comments. We are free to practice the religion we want… but in bond age of the doctrines of the same faith we follow. We are free to choose our career… but in bondage of the rat race that follows. We are free to marry the per son we choose… but in bondage of laws and society that make it difficult should we decide to leave.We are free to dream… but often in bondage of our own thoughts and limitations. Of all the bondages, the last one is the most dangerous, as we are sometimes unaware of it. What will it take for you, for me to be genuinely truly free? This edition focuses on free India and its journey in the last 75 years since its independence. Also, read about the young founder of AMB. Properties Mohamed Albadani soaring high as a realtor, and the found er of The Kreative Company Mohamed Ali, a pioneer in the radio and audio space in the UAE. Uday Gehani shows us ways to grab attention to get business, and Amaan Banduk wala lays down points to imple ment operational excellence in anCloudorganization.Gaming, DEI Work spaces, Direct to Mobile Broad casting, Twitter Onam in Kerala, Ford Bronco 2022, Summer skin-care essentials, and Muscle weight are features that you might enjoy reading about. Last but not least, Sangeetha note Ahh, Freedom!
Editor's
Expanded energy and climate tax credits would almost match the level of new tax hikes under the plan, which would also result in a tiny net tax reduction of around $2 bil lion a year once fully phased in. Over a ten-year period, the legislation would bring in nearly $300 billion in net revenue, primarily from increased tax compliance and the knock-on effects of higher wages due to lower health premiums — neither of which are tax increases — as well as early revenue collection as businesses retime some payments.
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The US Senate passed the Inflation Reduction Act, suc cessor to the House-passed Build Back Better Act of late 2021, which is touted to help reduce the country’s crippling inflation, among many other benefits. A 755-page version of the measure that had been in talks for months cleared the Senate on Sunday and will shortly be put to the vote in the House, where it is anticipated to pass. According to the White House, the nearly $700 billion program would combat inflation in two important ways: by reducing household energy and healthcare prices and by assisting in reducing the deficit. The legislation is referred to as “Inflation Reduction” because it aims to cut the deficit by taxing the richest businesses and cutting the price of prescription medications. It is comprehensive legis lation to fight climate change at the same time. The United States should significantly cut its greenhouse gas emissions by the end of the decade, provided that no subsequent Congress or President comes along to repeal these rules. According to the Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO) assessment, the proposal will result in $305 billion in deficit reduction through 2031, including over $100 billion in net scoreable savings and an additional $200 billion in gross income through improved tax compliance. In addition, the CBO estimates that the legislation would modestly cut net expenditure by about $15 billion through 2031, including by almost $40 billion in 2031, since the savings from prescrip tion drugs would be greater than the increase in spending.
In an official statement, President Joe Biden states, “To day, Senate Democrats sided with American families over special interests, voting to lower the cost of prescription drugs, health insurance, and everyday energy costs and reduce the deficit while making the wealthiest corporations finally pay their fair share. I ran for President promising to make government work for working families again, which is what this bill does — period.”
InflationBulletin Reduction Act, expected to assist in reducing issues faced by the US, passed by the Senate
In order to help the least developed nations improve their economic performance and attain economic and social stability, which has a beneficial impact on the global economy and international stability, she emphasized the UAE’s commit ment to supporting government development initiatives in these nations.Mr.Ukur Kanacho Yatani, Cabinet Secretary of the Nation al Treasury & Planning Ministry, on the other hand, expressed his gratitude and appreciation to the UAE for this significant support, praising the strong ties that unite the two friendly nations. This support would en able many segments of society, including women and youth, to positively contribute to building their country’s economic future. “Such agreements will have a positive impact, helping to advance development in rural areas, support the launch of projects, create job opportuni ties in the future, and deliver comprehensive growth to reduce poverty,” Mr. Yatani explained.
$30 million offered by Khalifa Fund to assist Kenyan Small and Medium Enterprises
In accordance with the agreement, she said, more than 3,000 projects would be funded, with 40% of the funding going to women. These initiatives are anticipated to create close to 13,000 job possibilities for Kenyan youth.
In accordance with the agreement, she said, more than 3,000 projects would be funded, with 40% of the funding going to women.
An AED 110 million ($30 million) finance agreement was signed by the Khalifa Fund For Enterprise Development (KFED) and the National Treasury & Planning Ministry of the Republic of Kenya to support the Kenyan Youth Enterprise Development Fund. The agreement was signed in front of Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta by Alia Al Mazrouei, CEO of KFED, and Ukur Kana cho Yatani, Cabinet Secretary, National Treasury & Planning Ministry, intends to encourage business development and SMEs in AccordingKenya. to Alia Al Maz rouei, the financing agreement, which embodies the close friendship ties between the UAE and Kenya, aims to support the Kenyan government’s initiatives for economic development, pro mote innovation and innovative projects, create job opportunities for youth, as well as unlock their potentials, develop their skills, and give them the confidence to contribute to the creation of a sustainable, stable national economy. ‘’We aim to support the Kenyan government efforts to achieve economic develop ment through enhancing the SMEs sector and spreading the culture of entrepreneurship among youth and women’s em powerment,’’ she added.
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Malaysia Pavilion will return, re-invented, to Expo City Dubai as a Tech Hub
Malaysia’s Technology and Innovation Hub that had been established within the Malaysia Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai and will be a component of Expo City Dubai when it opens to the public in October of this year. From October 1, 2021, to March 31, 2022, almost a million people visited Malaysia’s Rain forest Canopy Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai. It also held business and trade programs promoting Malaysian goods and services. Officials from Malaysia’s Ministry of Science, Technol ogy, and Innovation (MOSTI) turned the Pavilion over to Aerodyne Group, a supplier of DT3 (drone technology, data technology, and digital trans formation) corporate solutions after it had been deactivated. According to Aerodyne Group, the Pavilion will serve as their second worldwide headquarters. As the Commissioner-Gen eral of Malaysia for Expo 2020 Dubai and the MOSTI Secretary-General, Datuk Zainal Malaysia’s entry into Expo 2020 Dubai. 10% of the Pavilion’s en ergy came from approximately 40 solar panels on its roof. “The UAE is a major hub in the West Asian region, which serves as a gateway for Malaysian compa nies to explore new markets,” said Datuk Abu Hassan, secre tary general of Mosti. Their participation in the five-year-legacy programme can also help facilitate Malaysian companies’ access the global market and highlight Malaysia’s comprehen sive ecosystem, sup port, and infrastructure to “Throughinvestors. the con cept of togetherpartnership,public-privateMosti,withthemin istries, government agencies, and state governments that focus on technology development, will continue to promote activities and market products and ser vices to the UAE market,” Datuk Abu Hassan added. J Abidin Abu Hassan, said: “We congratulate the people and government of Dubai on its new chapter and look forward to Expo City Dubai’s launch on October 1.” He pointed out that the legacy program for the Expo will strengthen Dubai’s standing as a “tech-enabled metropolis of the“Malaysiafuture.” is proud and hon ored to be part of Expo City Dubai and will leverage oppor tunities at the center envisioned to be a global hub for creativity and a model for cities of the future. We are excited to be part of the ‘most beautiful ambitions of Dubai’ as announced by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai,” the Malaysian minister added. Malaysia’s Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (Mosti), which designed a 1,234 square meter, two-anda-half story skyscraper with a rainforest canopy, spearheaded “Through the concept of partnership,public-privateMosti will continue to promote activities and market products and services to the UAE market
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Trending L CA EP O R KW E IDA DO SW A RT
INCLUSION – A welcoming work environment where all differences are embraced, where people are respected and considered an integral part of the organization they represent. That feeling of belonging improves the workplace as it breeds positivity and a work culture to emulate. A fun workplace is a cohesive, coherent force that produces the best results (top consultancy McKinsey says this too). The talk of DEI became more commonplace in the year 2020, with the murder of George Floyd and the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement. This quest has been in the works for several years, though. Employees across the globe, including those from Google, IBM, and Microsoft have pushed for this, with corporate policies complying. But have all these workplaces made this a reality? The remote work culture and the Great Resigna tion are trendsetters suggesting that it’s high time companies took this much-needed pivot. Clearly, they emphasize the role that organizations must play in building a more harmonious, fair society where no one is made to feel like a victim due to their unique differences. Employees, every one of them, bring various qualities and character traits that make them expectant of a more integrated workforce. Workplaces that don’t offer them this may win on homogeneity while losing out on quality members.
“Variety is the spice of life and helps to enhance each piece of the puzzle. Everyone can contribute in a different way and there is always a need to look at things in a different way than how it’s always been done!”
A heterogeneous workforce is a valu able, often underappreciated asset for an organization. Even in the age of AI and automation, it is people whose ideas, vision, and work make up a business. In the past, companies forewent the im portance of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in pursuit of the bottom line, but no more. With policies of equality gaining footing and marginalized voices getting stronger and more urgent, organizations have begun to veer towards trueOrganizationsequality. today acknowledge that DEI makes the workplace better and improves the bottom line, but many still lack the strategic impulse that can make this a reality. True, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach here, but a few scalable efforts can prove to be the turning point. D, E, and I – a win-win concept “A lot of work some companies have done in the past has focused quite a bit on diversity and not on equity and inclusion. You have to foster increased inclusion and attain equity to prosper diversity.”
EQUITY - A workplace of equity provides equal op portunities and scope for advancement to all people, irrespective of gender, race, or other specifications.
CHRIS SIEBENECK, SEO Werkz
92022 AUGUST ASPIRE A concept that makes our workplaces a melting pot of ideologies and cherished differences, DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) is increasingly on the radar of organizations these days. Sreeram Viswanath discusses why this pursuit is still below expectations and highlights the measures that can be taken to accelerate it
A Glassdoor review suggests that 67% of job seekers look for opportunities in a workplace known for its integrated culture. A reputed business magazine study finds that diverse teams make better decisions up to 87% of the time. A 2015 Harvard Business School alumni survey suggests that 76% of senior executives believe that a more diverse workforce improves the organization’s financial performance. They also found that organizations with a diverse task force have 70% more potential to capture new markets. Out in the wild, metaphorically, people spread across the spectrum of background and behavior, that sameness in the workplace induces artificiality, a lack of creativity, and inexplicable sterility. They don’t feel challenged and thus can’t thrive, a major impediment to progress.
TRISCH SMITH, Global Chief Diversity And Inclusion Officer, Edelman. DEI is a single concept, but with subtle differences between the meanings of its component ideas: DIVERSITY – Going beyond simplistic classifications of race, gender, disabilities, etc., it includes those with different skills, belief systems, and personalities.
LEAH REYNOLDS, Principal Engagement Practice, Buck.
“If you’re with an organization that isn’t as diverse as what you have come to know the world to be, or as you consider yourself to be as an individual, you’re questioning why those values aren’t reflected in the organization.”
JUDITH WILLIAMS, Global Head of People Sustainability & Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, SAP DEI is a system that requires rigorous individuality in execution. It is a long-haul effort that requires a momentous shift in mindset before we can ever set our minds towards the cause. The preliminary steps involve breaking chains such as unconscious bias or stereotypes through an educated thought process and getting the entire organization aligned with the idea for a change. Followed by this, organizations may do well to execute these basic measures:
Data crucially helps you understand your organi zation’s demographics, using which you may set benchmarks and metrics for achieving the DEI.
INFORMED BEGINNINGS You know what DEI is. But there are so many in tricacies involved in this process that you should know where you are heading. As already discussed, try designating a team with expertise in DEI in corporation. For instance, you may know women sometimes feel alienated when underrepresented in the office compared to men, but how prevalent is this? In what specific instances does this happen? Next, roll out your own strategies which are backed up by evidence and hardcore research.
VIJAY SUNDARAM, Zoho Corporation
SET A MEASURABLE TARGET
Maybe you have the policies in place, but do your employee numbers reflect that? Do your attrition levels seem skewed towards employees from lower castes or marginalized communities? Use data to map these factors, relationship patterns, and interactions to get a clearer view.
DATA ANALYSIS
Use the data analyzed to set a measurable target. You may start this by defining the metrics – such as Adidas’ hiring policy to hire from underrepre sented groups. Or you may measure DEI progress by going the Microsoft route, which based its entire bonus structure on successfully achieving diversity metrics.
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Inculcating a DEI work Culture “To make this a movement, and not just a moment, organizations must take a close look at what they’re doing internally and ask: ‘Who are we hiring?’, ‘Who are we promoting?’ and ‘Can we make sure we’re distributing opportunities more fairly?’”
A reputed business magazine study finds that diverse teams make better decisions up to 87% of the time. A 2015 Harvard Business School survey suggests that organizations with a diverse task force have 70% more potential to capture new markets
EXPLORE UNCHARTERED RECRUITMENT “Our programs have expanded diversity and inclusion by focusing on removing social and economic disparity. We’ve opened offices in rural areas in multiple countries to bring economic opportunity. We also hire students who may not have the opportunity to go to college and train them to be productive professionals in technology. This helps us gain loyal employees and improve retention.”
Microsoft, the tech and software giant, tops the global chart for DEI initiatives. The Washington-based organization works with an employee resource group initiated by its workers. Thanks to their efforts, the company is a leading example of bridging the gap between the promise and reality of DEI, as it sets itself up for the task through diversity and inclu sion-based targets, supported by a policy that ad dresses workplace diversity and inclusion. A 2020 data indicates that 39.7 of its board comprises racial and ethnic minorities, and 49.8% of its workforce includes racial or ethnic minorities.
Trending to get acquainted with the work culture, irrespective of how polished a culture may be. Short, one-week or single-day onboarding structure has contributed to uncontrollable attrition rates. Remember, your candidates assess you the same way you evaluate them. Every senior executive and HR personnel must ensure that those who work for you wish to do so in the immediate and long term. Try incorporating frequent review and feedback ses sions and get the pulse of your employees. This way, organizations needn’t lose potential talents that can bring diverse, unique ideas into the portfolio.
• A McKinsey & Company study found that ethnically diverse companies are 35% more likely to have financial returns above their respective national industry medians. Gender diverse companies are 15% more likely to outperform their respective national industry •medians.AGallup study has assessed the cost of disengaged employees at up to $350 billion per year in lost productivity. Stats
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• 83% of millennials report being actively engaged when they believe their organi zation fosters an inclusive workplace culture. That per centage drops to 60% when their organization does not foster an inclusive culture.
MEGHAN GREGONIS, the US Consul General in Dubai Talk it out The ability to communicate across diverse back grounds and perspectives holds the key to productive relationships. In addition, productive relationships create empathy, a significant factor in unlocking DEI. After all, the essence of a great work culture lies in conversations and relationship-building. Some of the effective communication mechanisms include on-feedback mechanism, leadership roundtables, and team huddles. In the same vein of transparency and communi cation, we must note that new employees take time
Fast food restaurant McDonald’s announced low-in terest loans of $250 million to new franchisees and encouraged diverse ownership of its restaurants in the United States. The restaurant chain also agreed with its executives for a tie-up with their annual incentives to increase the share of women and racial minorities across corporate leadership roles by 2025.
The DEI Pledge The pandemic and some of the events that coincided with it brought the world to a standstill. As the new normal unfolds, it is time for the great awakening, for companies to realize that they have to bridge the gap to make our workplaces better. The journey towards this will vary, but together we can create a world where unity prevails amidst diversity. ✪ Go beyond your traditional recruitment routes and tap into talent areas you may have previously not explored. This can be initiated by website postings, advertising in certain publications, or partnering with dedicated organizations to do outreach programs. How about assigning someone in your organization who can own this mantle?
The UAE, through some of its recent initiatives, is taking a great leap towards implementing DEI in its workplaces. Recently, 3M Middle East & Africa partnered with The American Chamber of Commerce in Dubai (AmCham Dubai) to host ‘The Design of Inclusion’, a symposium with a commitment to make the future of the UAE workplace equitable. The event brought together senior business leaders from local and international organizations, including FedEx and Visa.
“Today’s discussions are intended to help leaders, especially female leaders, shape the workplaces of the future. The public and private sectors working together can create more equitable and inclusive opportunities for everyone to build a community where not only organizations, but individuals can truly thrive.”
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OFTHERESHAPINGFUTUREGAMING
Gaming without expensive, high-end consoles and PCs has been a long-awaited dream for avid gamers. Now, playing cool, graphics-intensive video games on your smartphones and TVs without breaking the bank is possible with Cloud Gaming. Megha Agrawal digs deeper into this streaming technology and how it is going to reshape the future of gaming. R epel an extraterrestrial attack on earth by blow ing up an invading alien ship or run through the enemy territory on an impossible mission to save the world while things explode dra matically in the background – all this and more, beckoning in the insanely cool world of gaming. No longer a passion for mere computer geeks, the massive worldwide appeal has propelled computer video games into becoming a multi-trillion-dollar industry. Today, Xbox and PS4s are common household devices, and mobile games like PUBG and Call of Duty have become global sensations with billion-plus downloads. The existing gaming industry has barely made a dent in the limitless potential consumer base. Instead, this unexplored market has sparked a frenzied race between game developers to pour colossal amounts of money and research into cutting-edge technology to bring bigger, better, more immersive games to the market.
The advent of cloud technology promises a meteoric and unprecedented growth in online gaming. Cloud gam ing aims to provide a frictionless, high-quality, seamless gaming experience with multiple device compatibility at a fraction of the cost and zero hardware dependency.
Also known as Gaming on Demand, Game-as-aservice, or simply Game Streaming, this service is sub scription based. By signing up with a service provider
Tech love — — 2022
Ready player one Cloud gaming may sound like a fairy tale but is, in fact, a huge evolutionary leap. The genius use of the remote cloud servers and internet has ushered in the era of ‘Game Streaming’. Similar to streaming videos over Netflix or Prime, you can now stream your favorite video games and play them on your smartphone, smart TV, or laptop without investing in expensive, high-end, gaming-centric PCs and consoles. With this technology, the games are installed and executed on a host of cloud servers that hold humongous memory and operate at breakneck processing speeds to support high-end graphics. All the user needs are a high-speed internet connection and lightweight client software that gets installed on their local device. This software picks up the inputs from the player and relays them to the cloud server. Thus, the actual game gets played on the cloud computer with heavyweight, high specs hardware, and the user is saved the hassle and cost of buying and setting up the game locally.
132022 AUGUST ASPIRE 13 People 40+6.3surpassexpected3.241.5playerscloud(45%Casual21.4POSITIVEsentimentCurrentPlayerNo.:MillionTargetedplayergrowthsegment:Gamersoftotalgamingsegment)REVENUE2021:BillionUSD2022:Projected,to2024:BillionUSD2029:BillionUSD Quick Stats — —
Cloud Vs. Conventional Conventional console gaming requires users to down load games on hard drives and play them on gam ing consoles like Xbox and PS4. Multiplayer online games, currently the most popular form of console gaming, connects multiple players to the same game via the internet or wide area networks. Players log in through their terminals to participate in online multiplayer matches and tournaments. This is signifi cantly different from game streaming and is a very hardware-dependent approach. What you pay for is what you get – so a better gaming PC guarantees a better gaming experience. Mobile gaming, hugely popular in casual gaming, is also played similarly by connecting players online through sophisticated algorithms and having tourna ment plays and battle royale on game servers located strategically to keep the game fluid and uninterrupted. But mobile games exclusively designed for smart phones, graphically light and content sparse, do not have the complexity of narrative or graphics for the more heavyweight gamers to enjoy thoroughly. Their revenue-seeking mechanism of in-app purchases and interrupting ad content can also be frustrating. Since cloud gaming requires subscriptions at the very outset, it promises to discard this annoying feature of AD Let’sinterruption.diveintothe minutiae of costing of our available options. With an Xbox setup, like the Xbox series X, the price is USD 459 in the USA. An AAA game title like FIFA 22 will cost around USD 35. So, a conventional working setup with one game title will set you back by an astounding 500 US dollars. Additional money will be spent each time you add to your gaming library. But this whopping cost will come with extreme processor speed, crystal-clear, high-resolution graphics (8K), and zero latencymeaning no delay in loading frames per second (fps). So, you will have a seamless experience. Now consider Xbox Cloud Game (Included in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate) – at a subscription cost of USD15 per month, it offers a preloaded game library of more than 200 titles. But, with a resolu tion of only 1080p and frames per second capped at 60fps to reduce latency, the game quality leaves a little to be desired. The graphics will be fuzzier on larger screens, and the experience may not be entirely seamless – akin to a delay in long-distance phone calls, there could be a lag in the play reaction on the screen versus your input. Game streaming is also based on resource-sharing. Very few subscribers like Shadow provide one entire computer to one player at a time. Most services allocate multiple players to one cloud PC, mean ing that when you log in, you might have to wait while a cloud resource frees up for you. You will also need a high bandwidth internet connection (16 Mbps onwards). While at a glance, cloud gaming doesn’t have it all - it is inferior in graphics and performance to conventional console gaming and slightly more ex pensive than mobile games, it delivers effectively for its present nascent stage. As cloud tech advances (and it is advancing super fast), and internet connectivity gets better as more and more of the earth is getting covered in 5G (and later) mesh, with the promise of low orbit internet satellites on the horizon, the time isn’t far ahead when cloud gaming will surpass conventional gaming in quality of experience and mobile gaming in speed and portability.
Tech love
North AfricaNortheastMiddleAmericaLatinKoreaSouthSingapore,Japan,KingdomUnitedFrance,Germany,CanadaStates,UnitedAmericaEUAsiaPacificand adoptionwithRegionshigh
Mobile gaming is also played similarly by con necting players online through andtoersalgorithmssophisticatedongameservlocatedstrategicallykeepthegamefluiduninterrupted.
14 ASPIRE AUGUST 2022 like Shadow, Nvidia GeForce, Google Stadia, Xbox Cloud Game, and Amazon Luna, users pay a small fee and simply download their app, sign up and pick up their Anotherconsoles.added attraction is the gaming library that comes with these subscriptions - hundreds of games, including AAA titles (Triple-A) - the highest graded games as per production budget. Generally, blockbuster games launched by major publishers like Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, Square Enix, and Activision and have development and publishing budgets similar to Marvel and DC movies are honored with this grade. Our culture is peppered with these games that seem a part of daily life - Call of Duty, Final Fantasy, or FIFA. Now, just pick up your device and play these titles whenever you want.
Gaming companies are scrambling to capture the huge market with numbers expected to multiply rapidly. All over the world, a preferred strategy is partnering up with mobile service providers, TV manufacturers, telecom companies, etc. to quickly reach a wider audience. Microsoft is partnering up with Samsung to make Xbox Cloud Game a part of the new Smart TVs from 2022 Another easy way to access more audiences is through bundling services. For example, Amazon Luna plans to bundle its subscription with Amazon Prime. This automatically widens Amazon’s reach to introduce gaming to their existing consumer base of video streaming.
PlayersMajor TencentBlacknutLunaAmazonStadiaGoogleNowPlayStationSony’sGameXboxMicrosoft’sShadowNowGeForceNvidia’sCloud
The cloud spreads across gaming skies Keeping aside the future, let’s sight the growth of this technology today. New Zoo has estimated that cloud gaming will rapidly grow from 1.5 billion USD to 6.3 billion by 2024. Right now, there are 2.4 billion mobile game players around the world. Out of which, 21.4 million are paying cloud gam ingThesubscribers.pandemic helped the gaming industry bloom, with cloud gaming becoming a good workaround for hardware shortages to provide gaming access.
With ever expanding internet footprint, cloud gaming promises to become a gaming ecosystem that will have unprecedented processor power and graphics, the capability to stream on any device and infinite games to play anytime, anywhere
The cloud’s ultimate game Gaming providers and publishers have an ultimate goal with cloud technology - multi-device compat ibility without loss of quality, zero downloads, and no individual game purchases, with high graphics and speed and a superior gaming experience across devices, irrespective of hardware affordability. This is a tall order to achieve today, but then again, Rome wasn’t built in a day.
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The cloud’s reach in the future Microsoft’s Xbox head Phil Spencer stated, “The business isn’t how many consoles you sell. The business is how many players are playing the games that they buy and how they play.”
releases will happen on cloud streaming to leverage superior technology and broader user access.
He has also indicated that in the future, the com petition will not wage between gaming companies like Nintendo and Sony but cloud services companies like Google and Subscription-basedAmazon.models are extremely profitable for publishers and gaming developers. This means that tech giants like Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and Apple are all gearing up to push cloud gaming into the mainstream market. Fortune Business Insights has predicted a 40 billion USD market for cloud gaming by 2030. With burgeoning numbers, cloud gaming is like a tiny sun on the horizon. For now, it coexists with other planets in the market - mobile, console, and pc games. But with enough time, it will grow to overshadow and eventually swallow them.
Currently, cloud gaming is available subscriber-wise, with GeForce providing services across Europe and North America and reaching Asia and Australia via alliance partners. Japan, Australia, United States have the highest adoption rate, with Singapore, Germany, South Korea, and the United Kingdom also showing a steep rise. In UAE, telecom provider Etisalat offers cloud gaming in partnership with Gamestream. The basic gaming tier starts at AED 50 per month with over 40 game titles. Playkey.me is another launch in 2021 providing game streaming in the middle east.
Experts are of the opinion that the mobile gaming industry will continue to thrive. Still, mobile game With ever expanding internet footprint, cloud gaming promises to become a gaming ecosystem that will have unprecedented processor power and graphics, the capability to stream on any device and infinite games to play anytime, anywhere. There is no shred of doubt that cloud gaming is in the fu ture, just waiting for its infrastructural companions to catch up. J
16 ASPIRE AUGUST 2022
The Rising Cultof the EntrepreneurAccidental
Opinion
Then came a new breed of entrepreneurs in the 20th century - the world changers like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and the likes - who wanted to empower the human spirit and change the status quo. Later came - Google, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, You tube, etc. - that changed the game further.
The corporate and the business world has changed today. There is stress, fatigue, and burnout amongst By Sameer Kaul FOUNDER, IGNIBIZ, ENTREPRENEUR, SPEAKER, FORMER CEO, COO AND CMO ACROSS MULTIPLE MARKET LEADER BRANDS
For nations to become five trillion dollar plus economies, entrepreneurship is the formula. We are headed in that direction, some by plan and much of it by accident
A ll human beings are entrepreneurs. If you look back at the history of humankind - we, the Homo Sapiens or the Wise Men, evolved in East Africa around 200,000 years back, as historians tell us. Man, since times immemorial, has been a ‘ stone age entrepreneur’. When we were in the caves, we were all self-employed - finding our food, hunting, foraging, feeding ourselves. That’s where human history began. As civilization came, we suppressed it. We became laborers because they stamped us - “You are Labor“. We forgot that we were entrepreneurs. Prior to the sixteenth century, no human had circumnavigated the earth. This, however, changed in 1522, when Magellan’s expedition returned to Spain after a journey of around 72,000 kilometers. The real thrust to commerce, business, and entre preneurship came with the Industrial revolution around 1750 CE. Genius inventors like James Watt, Thomas Edison, James Hargreaves, etc., led many inventions, innovations, and accidental discoveries, marking the genesis of new-age entrepreneurship.
Today you can become a billionaire by writing code, e-commerce, digital products, e-books, and writing software that is low on capital and labor but high on scalability, network effects, and profitability.
I am of the opinion - that deep down, everyone today wants to be an entrepreneur - living, building, and chasing their own dreams and not someone else’s. Financial freedom is the new token and symbol of success and significance. I believe anyone can be an entrepreneur. Humans have an e-instinct as we have been genetically wired as entrepreneurs since the stone age. Today an aspiring
172022 AUGUST ASPIRE entrepreneur does not need much capital or labor as the business leverage. Today the new leverage is investing your time and energy to build products and services that have zero marginal cost of replication. Today you can become a billionaire by writing code, e-commerce, digital products, e-books, and writing software that is low on capital and labor but high on scalability, network effects, and profitability. A new economy is erupting and taking shape to day. Unemployment, layoffs, stress, anxiety, worklife imbalance, mental health issues, and lifestyle diseases are everyday happenings today. People are quitting their jobs to improve their Freedom, Fam ily, and Finances. This is giving birth to a new cult of entrepreneurship - the accidental entrepreneur. People are ‘productizing’ themselves. It’s an era today of personal branding. Turning that unique skill, passion, latent talent, or dream into a working business seems like a sure-shot formula to success and millions across the world are taking that plunge. By 2035 - it is estimated that there will be one entrepreneur in every family. The profile of the en trepreneur is also transitioning from the stereotypical ‘MBA type’ cliched entrepreneur to the emergence of passionpreneurs, dreampreneurs, and solopreneurs. The pandemic in 2020 has indeed disrupted the world. ‘Working from home’ is now extending to ‘Starting from home’. Purpose (Why) is fast replacing the How and What. The online and digital explosion is seeding a new species of humans as - creators, content writers, YouTubers, and a gamut of storytellers, educators, consultants, freelancers, and social media influencers. We are witnessing the genesis of a ‘creators economy’.
If nations have to become 5 trillion dollar plus economies as nations aspire to be in the next five years - entrepreneurship can be that formula. The world needs more Job creators, not Job seekers, for a better life and for nation building. We need more Zeros turning into Heroes - that’s what entrepreneurship can unleash and unlock - to make the world a better place to live and thrive. That is the Path to the Future. ✪ talented and educated employees. Yet, paradoxically, the digital and social media new order has ampli fied success stories of ‘upstarts becoming startup success stories.’
The event is in conjunction with the Middle East Manufacturing and Technology Expo, which aptly gives construction and design experts the chance to research products in the manufacturing and technology fields. Interested visitors can register now on their official website middleeastdesignandbuildweek.com/home)(https://www.
Middle East Design and Build Week
WETEX and the Dubai Solar Show, organized by the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), are held annually under the directive of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Mak toum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, Ruler of Dubai, and under the sponsorship of HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Supreme Council of En ergy. Both events are in line with Dubai’s vision to create a sustainable future for the Emirate. The WETEX and Dubai Solar Show are the ideal venues for getting an in sight into the most recent technological develop ments and debating the newest trends in energy, water conservation, resource conservation, and environmental sustainability. In addition to pre senting a forum for sharing best practices and ex periences with exhibitors from around the world, WETEX and Dubai Solar Show
Middle East Design and Build Week is a vibrant platform for networking and sourcing in the building and design sectors. The event will take place from 12th - 14th September at Hall Number 3 and 4 at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, AbuMiddleDhabi.East Design and Build Week, which is held yearly, provides companies with a stable plat form to market their brands and goods to tens of they give an excellent opportunity for local and foreign enterprises and organizations to share and showcase their goods and services. Registration for both events, for visitors as well as businesses, are now open on the official website (https://www.
The WETEX and Dubai Solar Show will take place from the 27th - 29th of September at Dubai World Trade Center. The exhibition’s goals include achieving synergy amongst all energy industry sectors, bringing together trade and technology sectors to foster the development of new business prospects, exchanging fresh perspectives, and show casing the most recent technological advancements.
Regional happenings on the horizon
Events 18 ASPIRE AUGUST 2022
of knowledgeable decision-makers. The event is anticipated to draw over 200 exhibiting companies and 3000 visitors from the UAE and around the world thanks to the support of the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism, Feder ation of UAE Chambers of Commerce & Industry, Etihad Airways, The British Contract Furnishing Association, and other notable government, region al, and international bodies.
thousandswetex.ae/)
Ru’ya, Careers UAE Redefined will be back at Dubai World Trade Centre from September 20th –22nd to educate and motivate people seeking to advance their careers. Ru’Ya is more than simply a job fair; it provides young Emiratis with a way to achieve their goals. The ideal opportunity in the UAE to discover Visitors can anticipate engaging talks, live performances, interactive workshops, and fantastic opportunities to network with top organizations, all of which are focused on visitors’ personal and professional growth. Everyone is welcome to attend the Ru’ya, Careers UAE Redefined exhibition—students, recent graduates, and adults seeking a new professional path or more educa tion and training. You will also get the exclusive opportunity to participate in ‘The Next You’ com petition for budding entrepreneurs. ✪
192022 AUGUST ASPIRE
METAVSUMMIT is a conference that focuses on bringing together investors and Web 3.0 compa nies (Blockchain, Metaverse, and NFTs) under one roof so they can establish fruitful business ties.
CareersMETAVSUMMITUAE
Attendees from Fortune 500 firms and signifi cant strategic partners will get to learn about the fast-evolving Web 3.0 industry. Come prepared with the intention of networking with and forming long-term connections with the leading startups and businesses in the industry. The event is, at the moment, the most concen trated investment event for the web 3.0 sector, indicating that the METAVSUMMIT places a premium on highly targeted participants. This is crucial because it ensures that everyone attending the event—from attendees to investors gets an opportunity to conduct business with one another.
Taking place from 14th - 15th September at Dubai World Trade Center, the event attracts investors from all over the world. In search of the next ‘Unicorn’ company, investors gather to uncover in vestment opportunities in startups and Metaverse and Web 3.0 businesses.
Registrations for the event are now open on their official website (https://metavsummit.com/) your strengths, acquire new abilities, and find inspiration to mold your journey is Careers UAE Redefined. Just by attending the show, one gets an advantage over the competition. Explore the unusual and unexplored, challenge the conven tional, find new professional routes, unearth daring, new business ideas, find incisive creative outlets, stimulate fresh thinking, and empower your future with mighty new learnings while having fun.
20 ASPIRE — AUGUST — 2022
Since its independence, India has charted an upward economic journey by implementing liberalization and free-market policies. Qiraat Attar explores India’s giant strides in diverse sectors... building on the visions of those who fought for its freedom 75 years ago
Celebrating 75 years of India's growth journey
212022 — AUGUST — ASPIRE
INDIA SHINING
COVER STORY
India has had a glorious journey since its independence from British rule in 1947. Prior to this tumultuous time, India was renowned as a Golden Bird amongst nations, flush with natural resources, culture, knowledge, natural bounties and above all, the people. Emerging from the shadows of the tyranny, India was left to contend with how it asserted its identity, came together as one nation under the tenets of democracy, and made plans for a renewed national economy. 75 years later, India has seen tremendous ups and downs and has emerged as one of the strongest and most sought-after economies in the world. The country displays remarkable growth, seizing every opportunity to become one of the biggest emerging superpowers in the world. Back in the days of the Indus valley civilization and Mohenjo-daro Harappa, India outflanked other regions in wealth and prosperity by leaps and bounds. That fabled period took a screeching turn when the nation was enslaved by the British Empire, who were primarily drawn to the subcontinent because of its abundance of resources, precious metals, knowledge, and culture. Their agenda to reduce India into a feeder economy worked, and the nation was reduced to supplying raw materials to secure Britain’s dominion in the world and supplement their modern industrial base. After the British era, the country had to regain its identity, clearing the mirrors to reveal a new future when it would be sovereign, republic, and not merely a steed for the progress of the Queen’s kingdom.
As industries were established, the Indian bureaucracy developed a licensing system to dole out the necessary ad ministrative and legal permissions to carry out a business. While public sector or government-owned and state-owned businesses fared well, the private sector was kept tightly leashed through a system of licenses.
The government recognized the need for concerted plans to focus on various stages that would augment India’s growth and progress towards economic stability. The first Planning Commission, set up in 1951, focused on agriculture and irri gation to boost India’s farm output as it was losing precious foreign reserves on food grain imports.
It is the government’s job to introduce policies that it believes will benefit people. However, it can be subjective, for sometimes, the majority may not be on board with it. Such as in this one; the policy was withdrawn immediately.”
A GLITTERING PRESENT India shows great promise in ever-increasing production vol umes of precious stones. Mr. Chandraprakash Siroya, a jewel IN A COUNTRY OF 1.3+ BILLION POPULATION, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO MAKE EVERYONE HAPPY. THE GOVERNMENT COMES UP WITH SEVERAL POLICIES; SOME MAY BE IN FAVOR OF THE INDUSTRY; OTHERS TIMES IT MAY NOT. NOTHING IS SET IN STONE Dr. Mustafa Saasa ELIMINATING LICENSE RAJ
According to Inc42, the Indian agricultural sector is predicted to increase to US$ 24 billion by 2025. The Indian market is the sixth largest in the world, with retail accounting for 70% of total sales. In addition, marine product exports stood at US$ 6.12 billion, rice (Basmati and Non-Basmati) exports at US$ 6.12 billion, meat exports at US$ 2.51 billion, sugar exports at US$ 2.78 billion, tea exports at US$ 570.15 million, and coffee exports at US$ 719.95 million. However, Indian agriculture has seen its ups and downs. Historically, the salt-of-the-earth farmer has gotten the short end of the stick from moneylenders, the zamindari system from decades past, and the uncertain crop yields, often at the mercy of nature. More recently, the Indian farming community went head-to-head against the government due to the new Farm Laws bill, which they believed went against the interests of farmers at large. Dr. Mustafa Saasa, a prominent Indian business magnate, social philanthropist, renowned corporate speaker, mindset and leadership coach, and chairman and managing director of Raj Group of companies, sheds some light on these events.
What may have been pertinent and perhaps well-meaning, the endless red tape system soon became a shackle in the feet of the country’s progress. It came to be known as the notorious and frustrating License Raj, which was broken with the advent of liberalization, a new system of policy that revamped the country starting 1991. Several reforms, economic progress, the proliferation of homegrown businesses, and the introduction of foreign business in the country are owed to the impact of liberalization. With Manmohan Singh as finance minister, the federal government reduced licensing, lowered tariffs, regulations, duties, and taxes, and opened up international trade and investment.Today,the country has bloomed in ideology, economy, sensibility, with an awakened India leveraging knowledge and culture, supported by resources and carrying the fire of pure democratic instinct to lead it to the fore.
India’s image resonates with fields of boundless crops, lush bounties of fruits, grains, and vegetables, resplendent in animal husbandry, livestock, poultry, and so much more. Agriculture is critical to India – its tropical land and opportune climate make it befitting for cultivating crops like rice, wheat, tropical fruits and vegetables, varied grains, and much more. Agriculture has generously supported the country, with it employing more than 70% of rural households. Its GDP share increased from 17.8 percent in 2019-20 to 19.9 percent in 2020-21. In fact, no other sector has managed to produce
COVER STORY employment to the level that agriculture has. Agro-products, too, have their place in the economy. Ag riculture provides raw materials to a variety of agro-based industries such as sugar, jute, cotton textile, and Vanaspati. Agriculture is also important to the food processing industry.
“In a country of 1.3+ billion population, it is impossible to make everyone happy. The government comes up with several policies; some may be in favor of the industry; others times it may not. Nothing is set in stone. Since India’s first inde pendence, how many laws have been altered and withdrawn?
LAND OF AGRICULTURE
FOR
FROMOFLARGESTISPUBLISHINGTHROUGHDIAMONDSCUTTINGANDJOBS,INDIABECOMINGONEOFTHEMANUFACTURERSLAB-GROWNDIAMONDSSTARTTOFINISH Chandraprakash
Mr. Siroya also highlights what is needed to commence in the jewelry business in India. “It is no longer only prolific families that are in this business. The jewelry business is getting corporatized, with many new entrants coming into thisTotrade.”him, there is no rocket science in succeeding in the jewelry business. “One needs capital, but knowledge of the customers and the product is also essential. So, one needs to do plenty of research on the style and category of products in the area and have the technical know-how and the judg ment to attend to gold pricing because otherwise, we would beNotspeculating.”allthat glitters that gold though. Artisans in the jewelry business are an area of concern. Most artists are struggling with the advent of artificial design methods like 3D printing, as well as inadequate compensation and lack of Thererecognition.isbrewing excitement within a new arena in precious stones – the lab-grown diamond industry. The enthusiasm is palpable as he says, “Natural diamonds have been a staple, for India is the largest cutting center for natural diamonds in the world, but it has also become a significant player in WHILE ADDING VALUE NATURAL Siroya
As far as pricing is concerned, there isn’t a great price dif ference for smaller stones. However, the differences increase exponentially when the stones are of a larger size due to the labor charges. He further adds, “If it weren’t for lab-grown diamonds, the Indian diamond industry would have been dead by now. Because during COVID, there was no supply of rough dia monds from anywhere in the world. It was only due to the advent of these diamonds that the cutting resource people and artisans still have their jobs.”
PETROLEUM AND PETROCHEMICALS India relies on its petrochemical industry to manufacture products including plastics, rubbers, resins, synthetic fibers, dyes, detergents, pesticides, and petroleum-derived paints and coatings. Petroleum-based polymers are used to make everything from cycle tires to body armor. Four major companies dominate the petroleum space in businessman with a stellar reputation across India and UAE, shed some light on this glittering business. “India is looking at a much better future business in jew elry going forward. CEPA, or the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, levies no import duty on any jew elry made in India which is shipped to Dubai. While India has some restrictions, Dubai has an open-door policy. It’s a perfect combination. Indian jewelers can export the jewelry to Dubai, from where it is exported to the rest of the world. So, Dubai is the preferred jewelry destination of the world for most of the jewelers.”
WE ARE IMPORTING AND
AGRICULTURE HAS GENEROUSLY SUPPORTED THE COUNTRY, WITH IT EMPLOYING MORE THAN 70% OF RURAL HOUSEHOLDS. IN FACT, NO OTHER SECTOR HAS MANAGED TO PRODUCE EMPLOYMENT TO THE LEVEL THAT AGRICULTURE HAS.
232022 AUGUST ASPIRE the lab-grown diamonds space. While we are importing and adding value for natural diamonds through cutting and publishing jobs, India is becoming one of the largest manufacturers of lab-grown diamonds from start to finish.”
India - Reliance Industries, Indian Petrochemicals Corpo ration, Gas Authority of India, and Haldia Petrochemicals, of which Reliance is the largest in the country and amongst the top ten worldwide. India has entered the golden age of its petrochemicals journey. However, it is still encumbered by challenges such as a growing wave of global trade uncertainty, increasing regulatory focus on sustainability and the circular economy, and a potential buildup of an excess global supply of several vital chemistries. The past decade has also been marked by the rise of China as the world’s largest market.
HEADING INTO THE 4TH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION India is charging a new bastion by venturing into the 4th Industrial revolution, upping the ante in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), Robotics, and Neuroscience.
Ambassador Sandeep, Secretary General and Chairman of the International Diplomatic Mission, offers some deeply revealing views on the same. He says, “India has made stunning progress in the 4th revolution and is preparing itself to catch up with USA and China on AI. In terms of progress, many organizations based in India are surely progressing, for AI and Automation have been adopted long ago; however, India is now at the crossroads and ready for the big leap.”
He recognizes the impact it can have on adding employ ment opportunities in the country. “Unemployment is kind of a global issue. The government is working hard to tame inflation due to global supply chain issue, but this also brings in tremendous opportunity to kickstart the ‘Make in India’ initiative and invest in the future.” He also feels that large corporations must use India’s talent pool and ensure that the best talent is retained locally. Ultimately, he is aware of the cardinal rule of staying in the fast lane of progress – change. “Both public and private sector realize that survival will be difficult by not adapting to future technologies.”
The Indian government has introduced several types of duties—such as import duties, anti-dumping duties, and other additional taxes—on imports of petrochemicals to protect the interests of domestic producers and increase the competition for imported petrochemical products.
Some of the other challenges faced are a fragmented cus tomer base, for India has more than 30,000 plastic processing companies. Most are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) dispersed across the subcontinent. India’s petrochemical capacity is expected to increase by more than 30% between 2017 and 2025. Domestic refineries with connected petrochemical capacity are expected to increase from 12 in 2010 (out of 22) to 19 in 2030 (out of 24). In 2020, India imported $56 billion and exported $41 billion worth of chemicals and petrochemicals, and was strongly poised for growth in the industry, but it experienced some setback due to COVID and is slowly working towards recovery.
THE IT SECTOR A huge factor in India’s urbanization, swathes of populations migrating to cities, and its modernization, both in economics and mentality, can be attributed to the proliferation of the IT sector in India. In FY21, the IT industry’s revenue increased by 2.3% to $194 billion. Export revenues increased by 17.2% to $178 billion, while domestic revenues increased by 10% to $49 billion. The IT sector’s contribution to India’s GDP has increased from
24 ASPIRE AUGUST 2022 COVER STORY
THE GOVERNMENT IS WORKING HARD TO TAME INFLATION DUE TO GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAIN ISSUE, BUT THIS ALSO BRINGS IN TREMENDOUS OPPORTUNITY TO KICKSTART THE ‘MAKE IN INDIA’ INITIATIVE AND INVEST IN THE FUTURE GoodwillSandeepAmbassador,Mehta
Dr. Mustafa Saasa says, “As far as the tech industry is con cerned, I think India is on stimulated growth in that area. You will see at least 15 to 20 unicorn firms coming up each year.” He also lauds the efforts of the incubation centers for of fering mentorship to budding entrepreneurs to help launch their businesses. This has allowed the ecosystem of startups to proliferate all over India.
India’s endeavor, the National Innovation Foundation, has thousands of innovations registered with it. Entrepreneurs can be sanctioned funds between 10,000 rupees to 2.5 million rupees. This money does not have to be returned, so the creator has free reign to use the money in the interest of realizing their vision and mission with their startup.
Some of the top startups in India are CRED, PharmEasy, Vernacular.ai, Digit Insurance, Meesho, Groww, Nykaa, Udaan, Swiggy, and Dream11. ‘BUILDING’ UP ESTATE In its rise to success, India’s real estate market has literally piled one story on top of another. From Rs. 12,000 crore (US$ 1.72 billion) in 2019, to Rs. 65,000 crore (US$ 9.30 billion) in 2019. The Indian real estate sector is expected to reach $1 INDIA IS CHARGING A NEW BASTION BY VENTURING INTO THE 4TH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION, UPPING THE ANTE IN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI), INTERNET OF THINGS (IOT), ROBOTICS, AND NEUROSCIENCE. INDIA IS NOW AT THE CROSSROADS AND READY FOR THE BIG LEAP.
1.2% in 1998 to nearly 10% in 2019. According to some projections, India can easily reach USD 350 billion in revenue by 2026, confirming that the “India narrative is becoming tremendously powerful.” By 2020, India’s IT workforce employed 4.36 million people. Two-thirds of India’s IT services exports are to the United States. Despite the devastation that COVID wreaked on several of India’s established industries, IT managed to remain somewhat immune and continue to employ Indian youth. More than one million people work for India’s four largest IT firms (TCS, Infosys, Wipro, and HCL Tech). The deploy ment of fifth-generation (5G) communication technology, as well as the increasing adoption of artificial intelligence, Big Data analytics, cloud computing, and the Internet of Things, will increase the size of India’s IT industry. Furthermore, IT companies are establishing their centers in tier II and tier III cities, further enhancing growth and reducing the existing disparities.
There are definite propellers that make startups fairly conducive in India. First, business here is cheaper than in most other developed nations. The dense population and the way urban and rural areas are spread out means that the customers for the appropriate products and services live in close proximity. Second, nearly 7 million students graduate every year with boundless enthusiasm and sharp technical and business acumen, with a considerable chunk preferring to work in startups rather than MNCs. Most importantly, internet connection is one of the cheapest in India, having the second-largest internet user base after China. Thus, it is easier for companies to reach out to their local audiences simply through WhatsApp and Facebook.
252022 AUGUST COVERASPIRESTORY
SURGE OF THE STARTUP CULTURE India is the world’s third largest startup superpower. With over 26,000 startups, a 270 percent increase in six years, and $90 billion in value created, there is only one way to go: up. With 31.44 percent, Bangalore has the highest concen tration of such new-age companies. The pecking order is established by Delhi (20%), Mumbai (13%), and Chennai (9%). According to Bloomberg, India’s SaaS firms could be worth $1 trillion by 2030. It has a leg up over the competing nations in the startup culture too, since its working-age population is compara tively young. Ambassador Sandeep also points out, “Today in India, huge numbers of young professionals are turning into entrepreneurs. You can see youth as young as 22 years becoming CEOs.”
UAE and India also have a strong bond in the real estate domain. As a result, many Indians are investing in properties in the UAE and vice-versa, affecting the socio-economic scene between the two countries.
Dr. Mustafa Saasa says, “India and UAE relationship is on the pinnacle at this point, like never seen before in the his tory of 50 years of UAE independence and 75 years of the Indian independence. The economic agreement between the two countries has opened up a huge opportunity, with the manufacturers of both countries in alignment. India is the second largest partner of the UAE, and UAE is the third
26 ASPIRE AUGUST 2022 trillion in market value by 2030.
Mr. Rizwan Sajan, Founder and Chairman of Danube Group, is a true titan of industry and has seen India’s progress on the realty front. As he states, “There won’t be any fall in demand for real estate in India, due to the economic growth. Having said that, certain sectors will have less demand than the others, such as demand in commercial real estate compared to residential properties.”
Rizwan Sajan, Founder and Chairman of Danube Group, “Cross-border investment is good, for it strengthens bilateral economic relations. Most UAE investment into India is made by Non-Resident Indians (NRIs). Companies such as Lulu Group, Aster DM Healthcare, Sobha Realty, KEF Holdings, and others are NRI-led businesses. On the other hand, UAE entities like DP World is investing in India.”
One of the most notable aspects in which India’s progress remains untainted is the proliferation of its tourism industry. Its long, rich, tumultuous yet triumphant history makes for remnants of this time spread across the nation, some of which have their glory restored, some crumbling under the yoke of time, but all of them an integral part of its past. The last edition of the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report, published in 2019, ranked India 34th out of 140 countries overall. The report ranked the price competitive ness of India’s tourism sector 13th out of 140 countries. The country also scored high on natural resources (ranked 14th), cultural resources and business travel (ranked 8th). The travel and tourism industry contributed $ 121.9 billion to GDP in 2020, and this figure is expected to rise to $ 512 billion by 2028. Between 2019 and 2028, India’s direct contri bution to GDP is expected to grow at a rate of 10.35% per year. In FY20, the tourism sector in India employed 39 million people, accounting for 8.0% of total employment in the country. It is expected to account for approximately 53 million jobs by 2029. Outbound trips from India are expected to reach 29 million by 2025 and cross the $24 billion mark by 2024.
AS PEOPLES’ MOBILITY INCREASES, THE GOVERNMENT WILL HAVE TO MAKE PROVISIONS FOR INFRASTRUCTURE FOR THE SMOOTH FLOW OF TRAFFIC. INDIA NEEDS TO PROMOTE TALL TOWERS – BE IT RESIDENTIAL OR OFFICE PROPERTIES
He attributes the growth of the real estate market to the changing economic landscape, empowerment of people, urbanization, and the growth of the middle class. That said, he recognizes the challenges of sprawling curated spaces and buildings in a country as densely packed as India. He offers farsighted solutions. “As peoples’ mobility increases, the government will have to make provisions for infrastructure for the smooth flow of traffic. One solution would be to de velop vertical properties – tall residential towers as opposed to luxury villas set on expansive land parcels. India needs to promote tall towers – be it residential or office properties.”
TRAVEL AND TOURISM
INDIA UAE RELATIONSHIP
272022 AUGUST COVERASPIRESTORYlargest partner of India.”
What does that mean? Dr. Saasa alludes to China’s auto cratic nature, where citizens, while leading prosperous lives, have little autonomy on their actions, with a lot enforced as duties and a tight rein on their existence. “Things are done with a whip,” as he puts it. “There is one difference between India and China, and that difference is the word willingly.”
THE ECONOMIC AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES HAS OPENED UP A HUGE OPPORTUNITY, WITH THE MANUFACTURERS OF BOTH COUNTRIES IN ALIGNMENT.
Dr. Saasa also shed some light on India’s policy situation in various aspects of governance. He said that employment would see swift changes in the near future: “It’s partly policy and more on implementation. 80% of the jobs are going to go away. This era could see an increase in unemployment. There will be lots and lots of new opportunities available, but for that, one must update their knowledge and upgrade their skills and everything else needed. This is why India needs to offer more vocational training than we do right now – we offer around 1000+ vocational training courses, and we’re aiming for around 10,000 courses. Meanwhile, China offers 60,000 training courses. Therein lies the gap.”
President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan with Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India
In 2019, UAE pledged to invest 100 billion dollars in India, of which a major portion has already been deployed in various sectors, notably the infrastructural division. It is important to note the highlights of this relationship upheld by leadership and citizens alike, for instance, when the Crown prince of Abu Dhabi was the Chief Guest of the Republic Day parade in India in 2017. As far as citizens are concerned, 33% of the population of the UAE are of Indian origin, commanding a colossal presence in UAE. This is very evident in how all aspects of Indian culture and plurality are warmly embraced in the UAE, so much so that some tout it to be ‘home away from home’.
GLOBAL SUPERPOWER IN THE MAKING India and China have been weighed on the same measuring scales, considered emerging superpowers as opposed to the well-established United States. At one glance, they may seem mirrored in their journeys, with the Asian heritage and fastidious work ethic, chock-a-block density, and overwhelming human resources. Dr. Mustafa Saasa highlights the key difference between the countries. “There has always been a comparison between India and China. There was a time when there was a drive to make Bombay into Shanghai. One leader pointed out that it was impossible because India is not China.”
The other thing he points to is China’s one-child policy, which has led to the country’s average age rising to nearly 39. While the effects of this are now slowly becoming apparent, to the extent that China scrapped this policy in 2016, the impact remains that an aging workforce cannot supplement or shoulder the burden of the demand for the high volume of manufacturing output ironically set by China itself. A natural replacement for this position is India, with its inundating young workforce, upskilling across multiple domains, and racing to bridge the gap between itself and existing superpowers. As the world’s largest democracy and one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, India is evolving, learning from other countries with sensibilities shifting and a broadening perspective. As one of the fastest developing countries in the world, the nation is embracing modernity while holding on to its cultural identity. While most countries in the world are somewhat lost at sea with inflation, climate crisis, and uncertain global politics keeping their economy tottering like a house of cards, India will always remain somewhat of a unique nation. Diverse and plural like no other land in the world, with a unity that stems from its multicultural roots, a mature and robust democracy, and finally, a blueprint for an economic triumph that will restore the illustrious nation to its glory days. Grounded firmly in the fertile soil but with eyes set on endless skies, the Golden Bird seeks to fly again. ✪
t all starts with a conversation. Diligent, Reliable, Ambitious.”
Today, AMB is renowned for its ethics and ‘clients first’ approach. When AMB gets involved alongside Founder and Managing Director at AMB Properties, the 29-year-old Powerhouse Mohamed Albadani talks to Megha Agrawal about what it means to be in the business of making his clients’ dreams come true
Mohamed’srequirements.grandfather and father have always been in the real estate business. With an idyllic childhood, Mohamed did not work in the family business until the age of sixteen. Reluctant at first, he understood his father’s motivation behind the push - to understand and gain expertise in this very people-centric industry. After four years of working part-time at his father’s office and a business degree from Rochester Institute of Technology, New York, Mohamed decided to quit the family business and start from ground zero. He began as a property seller and broker, working from a tiny office in Garhoud with a portfolio of a few small studios. Creating a Mark Mohamed tried to drum up commissions by contacting other real estate companies, but being a new player in the market, he was handed the most unsellable properties to sell, which he did and thereby gained a reputation for cracking tough deals. It also helped him establish good working relationships with other firms in Dubai. He treated them not as competition to be defeated but as partners to exchange infor mation and conduct businesses jointly.
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This is what Mohamed Albadani’s LinkedIn profile reads like, in stantly setting the tone to make one feel at home. Making a name in the very big and ritzy map of Dubai’s real estate market, Mo hamed has cracked impossible deals and made the best sales - not by being a cutthroat competitor, but by being patient and playing fair and square towards his clients. His company, AMB properties, specializes in the sales of land, residential villas, and buildings and is known for truly catering to their clients’
“I
Real-Estate ExtraordinaireEntrepreneur
A Different Approach
“It’s important to point out the pros and cons of the deal and then take a step back for the client to think for themselves.”
Overall, the demand for properties is high, which is why Dubai real estate is expensive. The sales of villas and townhouses have surged and have been more in demand. As a result, the prices are rocketing because of the limited supply. Also, the FIFA world cup starting in Qatar has been an added boost. “Statistically, many expats invest here, with Indians topping the list followed by British, Saudi, Russians, and the Chinese. The clear and beneficial ‘people first’ policies and freedom from crime are the main attractions. The real estate market is expected to continue to grow because the government here plans lots of events for increasing international tourism and trade,” he remarks.
Mohamed has some great insights for people looking to buy and sell a property. Dubai offers one of the highest returns via rents on properties. So, he says it’s a great way to invest and recoup money here. The market may fluctuate, but the owner receives tax-free rent. The Dubai government facilitates investor visas when people can show properties making more than 750K AED annually.
292022 AUGUST ASPIRE multiple firms, the deal gets closed with all firms present. No one firm out-jumps the others to gain a sole commission. AMB also fast-tracks property sales jointly with other companies rather than sit on it alone to make a bigger profit. This has gained Mohamed the trust and respect of his clients and competitors alike.
He further adds that the real estate market trend of UAE is in flux post covid with a lot of property liquidation sales. On the other hand, many people moved to Dubai during the pandemic because of how the government handled the pandemic here.
Life’s Bushido As a successful realtor, Mohammad advises balancing hard work and ambition with quality downtime to achieve a harmonious meld of success and happi ness in life. “We have been given a soul, a mind, and a body by God to do something with it. Why not be re membered for our good deeds? Our legacy should be about giving, creating accomplishments through hard work, honesty, and integrity,” says the young entrepreneur, wise beyond his years. ✪
Like any other firm, Mohamed and his company have had their small share of rescinded deals. He advises taking it in stride and developing contingency plans to minimize losses for all parties involved. Care with contracts, sound legal advice, and clear communication with clients helps avoid misunder standings. He is unequivocal in his approach: Even if you lose the deal, don’t lose the client. Trends and Insights
AMB properties stands for Ahmed Mohamed AlBadani Properties. The idea behind putting his brother’s and his initials in the company name was to show clients that they would be dealing with people, not a company. Building personal connec tions with clients is crucial to Mohamed. He says, “I don’t want to see clients just once to make a sale, achieve a target, and be done. I want them to return to me for their real estate needs and refer AMB properties to their family and friends as their trusted real estate consultants. I want my clients to have security and peace of mind regarding their investments.”Mohamedfeels that it is vital to remember that for most people buying property is a culmination of years of hard work to earn and save enough to make their dream come true. So real estate companies should feel duty bound to provide sound advice and correct guidance. He believes that good inten tions and integrity always show, and their impact reverberates through time. This motivates clients to build a long-lasting relationship with AMB and garners the best clientele by way of referrals.
A veteran of many years in the real estate market, Mohamed feels it is essential to build the right team to carry forward his vision for AMB to become a client-first company. “A good team will buoy you up; an unfit team will pull you down and consume your most valuable commodities - time and ener gy.” He looks for good and honest communication skills and personal integrity in his employees and maintains a small team of seven employees.
Another thing to notice is that the process of buying and transferring property is quick and dig ital. It takes twenty minutes to obtain the owner ship deed. In his opinion, investing long-term in real estate is always best. “You are not actually at a loss until you sell,” he states. Unfortunately, some people have invested and then lost money as the property values have decreased. Mohamed advises consulting with a knowledgeable real estate broker who himself has made investments in Dubai and knows the market well.
—Mohamed Albadani, Founder and Managing Director, AMB Properties
Mohamed advises his team to be patient and give adequate space to clients to make up their minds. He says, “it’s important to point out the pros and cons of the deal and then take a step back for the client to think for themselves.”
A s one of our primary senses, the human voice is omnipresent, and the audio space is unarguably a medium full of potential today. Whether it’s a radio advertisement, a train and airport public service announcement, a radio jockey giving traffic updates or playing your favorite number, there’s truly nowhere the human voice isn’t present. Add to this the fact that audio has transformed from its main stream delivery platforms such as radio and television and now emerged as an independent media in itself through podcasts, voiceovers, and audiobooks; Mo hammed Ali, UAE’s radio pioneer, says, “this opens up an array of opportunities in the audio production market globally.”
Ali was an avid radio listener as a teen and started his trail of work early on as his teachers pushed him to participate in school plays that later continued into college, playing a vital role in the choice of a career. An audition gave him that launch - a voicetest poster for ‘Yuv Vani,’ an Indian radio slot looking for hosts, caught his attention. Of 200 candidates, he was among the shortlisted four finalists and was finally hired as a ‘casual announcer’ by All India Radio. During this time, his application to join BBC met with rejection due to being under age.
Starting from an era of casual announcements and then as one of the first batch of presenters on FM radio that brought in a new contemporary texture to As frequencies are set, radios are tuned, Mohammed Ali, UAE’s Radio and Audio Recording Pioneer, delves deeper into the evolution of the radio and audio space as we see it today
The New Voice on Air While studying, he auditioned for positions at various local radio stations and did regular part-time radio show slots from breakfast shows to late hours at midnight. While at it, he discovered alternative arrays of sharing his passion for audio, including dubbing for Bollywood films, voiceovers, and leading soap operas (he was the Hindi voice of Thorne in the then immensely popular series The Bold and The Beautiful). He says, “I truly enjoyed the process of scripting and producing audio content that can go up with visuals on televisions or film screens. My dreams with audio and sound were way beyond just the radio set.”
radio content, Ali says that the control over content has gone and is quite conventional in these times.
Hearing the Desert Call Ali rose to the position of a GM and an in-house morning RJ at Radio Star, Mumbai, and later joined as Creative Head of the UAE’s first Hindi, Urdu, Malayalam FM radio station 106.2 HUM FM (The name HUM was born out of the first letter of these threeTodaylanguages).hesees a need for niche channels airing one segment alone – west ern country music, Indian classical, timeless classics, fusion, folk or ghazals. “There are so many genres that can be presented as a distinct channel, but today all channels sound the same with their Bollywood songs, and no con tent,” sounding a bit disheartened with the current scenario. Even the radio ads lack creativity. In his opinion, radio as a traditional medium can never die, so anyone with resources can look at starting a niche channel he suggests.
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Previously, artists weren’t at liberty to use their own content, and all that went on air was entirely scripted. Ali goes on to inform that Radio Ceylon in Sri Lanka prompted the sponsored program concept in Asian radio, and the legendary Ameen Sayani inspired him to pursue radio as a career.
—Mohammed Ali, The Kreative Company
Speaking of presenters, Ali says that the lives of RJs are a lot easier than ever before. “Technology is serving us beautifully whereby all the songs, ads, product mentions, channel promos, and prerecorded audio material for a live show are already uploaded and scheduled into the on-air computer system before the RJ or the radio presenter steps into the studio.” He misses the finer nuance of script and language on radio today. Having said that, Ali also points out that creators do have to ensure they package content for the audience they cater to, which sometimes involves using slang and accents. Among UAE’s pres
There are so many genres that can be presented as a distinct channel, but today all channels sound the same with their Bollywood songs, and no content
Hz ROLLINGARE
The Changing Audioscape “Home studios have revolutionized the audio pro duction industry,” says a concerned Ali. Buying a recording kit these days is no big deal and can be easily purchased at 250-500 Dhs max. The trick, he says, is getting the pure, pristine sound. Only and only if one has a three-layered soundproof environ ment at home and can learn the art of mixing and enhancing the audio, it gives one all the freedom without the dependence on any studio or engineer. He adds, “The challenge is that unless the raw audio is great, it affects the output. One can enhance the quality, not change it completely. Prerecorded material at home studios have been lowering the efficacy of audio content creators.” In addition, he believes that due to a lack of voice quality, diction, word choice, research, and purity of language, the audio production quality has become rather casual.
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For content creators mindful of quality, a studio is always the preferred choice, and his team makes sure that all goes smoothly. However, being the au dio-enthusiast and specialist that he is, Ali steps in if he sees something going terribly amiss. “Sometimes I see that the script is all haywire, the pauses are in the wrong places, and the stresses are incorrect. It pains me to see that being recorded in my studio, and I step in with suggestions. At other times, I will also chip in at places where I see a strength being underplayed.” That’s the value addition you get The KreativeMohammedCompany.Ali’s quick tips for people that want to produce audio by themselves:
3. Editing is the king after the minimum required quality- equalization, cleaning and processing your voice- remove breathing, eliminate audio elements that are distractions to make the audio sharp and clean ‘Audio Anything!’ since 2008 Serving clients worldwide in the only paperless stu dio in the region, his team of audio-video editors, administrators, graphic experts, talent management, and accounts personnel are all set to spin the decks to create high-quality audio for any occasion. They voice, edit, script, translate, trans-create, record, act, model, shoot, mix and finalize media to advertise your brand and offer effectively.
ent Hindi radio presenters, he appreciates Vikrant, Sayema, Lokesh, Fahad, and Karishma. Being the creative person he is, Ali was pained the way radio was being treated. Every ad and show had a sameness that made it quite dull. The urge to do something different brought about the birth of The Kreative Company, which he taglines as ‘Audio… Anything!’ Making concept-based and story-driven impact radio shows, programs, and ads in any language is what The Kreative Company specializes in. From a telephonic message & documentary voiceover to producing a content rich, well-mixed radio show or segment capsule is and will remain the company’s prime love, always!
He’s a man that truly believes in the art of sound editing and its endless possibilities for media mak ers today. His quotes on ‘radio-audio gyaan’ and his 30-year journey through short video snippets ‘RadioRomeoRemembers’ are worth checking on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Creating impact audio books, and making unique podcasts right from conceptualization to the final audio is the new chapter for him these days. Another plan in the pipeline are audio interviews with some dynamic people in the region. Given his penchant for quality at all levels, one can expect this to be different from what’s al ready out Mohammedthere.Ali’s continued vision to transform the audio sector with an added texture to his work leaves an imprint on the senses that is hard for any one to tune down. ✪
1. Raw record your audio in a prime & pristine voice environment. 2. Be yourself, have your own style- at the heart of audio is content, have a style that sets you apart from other creators- storytelling, delivery, and timing are very important for an artist
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D irect-to-Mobile Broadcasting is an emerging technology that might soon make internet streaming to your phone obsolete if its grand plans and ambi tious technology find an anchor. This new avatar is poised to improve the consumption of broadband and the way we utilize the spectrum of Let’sairwaves.analyze the technology and its potential to influence our way of life by challenging the essen tiality of the World Wide Web on our phones and opening a new door to streaming on the go. How would customers and businesses gain? Converging broadband and broadcast to provide mobile phones with terrestrial digital TV, D2M will evangelize content independent of the internet, much like that available on our good-old televisions. The closest comparison to this is how smartphones receive radio content by tapping into its frequencies. According to Shashi Shekhar Vempati, former CEO of Prasar Bharati (India’s public broadcaster, comprising the Doordarshan Television Network and All India Radio, which were media units of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting), D2M broadcasting provides a very efficient supplementa ry downlink one-to-many distribution not just for broadcasters, but also for mobile operators, allowing them to transmit live (news and sports) and popular linear content. The consumer benefits from a better experience since the bandwidth is not competitively allocated and also from the reduction in mobile quota consumption. “It is a triple win – consumer, broadcaster, operator,” states Shashi. The concept seeks to bridge the gap that prevents users from receiving citizen-centric information, counters fake news, sends out emergency alerts, and acts as a capable platform for effective disaster man
We live in the internet age, and as news from the broadcasting world suggests, change is around the corner.
agement. Apart from this, it can also stream content like a live sports broadcast without any buffering or internet data consumption. Last but not least, the technology would enable rural citizens to watch content without being affected by the perils of affordability, be it value-added or entertainment. Shashi highlights the many benefits of D2M for the underprivileged. “The common man benefits from an enhanced experience, higher quality, more choices, and lower cost since it’s a shared resource. Moreover, there is a social benefit angle in being able to deliver content to locations with poor internet, where SMS may be adequate as a back channel. Think education
Is D2M the more efficient Solution?Broadcasting
Sreeram Viswanath looks at the concept of D2M (Direct-to-Mobile) broadcasting and how it can change how we consume entertainment.
—Shashi Shekhar Vempati, former CEO of Prasar Bharati
“D2M broadcasting provides a very efficient supplementary downlink one-to-many distribution not just for broadcasters, but also for mobile operators, allowing them to transmit live (news and sports) and popular linear content”
This rather utopian reality can occur when telecom service providers offload video traffic from their mobile networks onto the broadcast network, decongesting the spectrum and making the internet much more efficient and swifter in its functionality. Shashi Vempati further relays the technical benefits by explaining, “The content provider benefits from efficient one-to-many delivery, which reduces the CDN cost, server infra cost, and increases viewing traffic because of a better user experience and lower cost to the consumer, also increasing the ad revenue. The mobile operator benefits from a better ROI from the offload decongesting the network (if 30% of traffic can be offloaded with a 10% increase in infra cost to D2M, that is a powerful business incentive). The advertiser benefits from more eyeballs. A great broadcast D2M
According to K Rajaraman, Secretary, DoT, “82 percent of the internet traffic in India is video-related, with nearly 1.1 million minutes of video streamed
There is a social benefit angle in being able to deliver content to locations. Think education content and instruction delivery, emergency alerting, disaster management
332022 AUGUST ASPIRE content and instruction delivery, emergency alerting, disaster management.”
play may also enable services in EdTech, health and tangible, non-monetary benefit for public safety.”
The initiative is only in its formative stages, but a few countries have taken the first steps toward the grand narrative. India’s Department of Telecom munications (DoT) has designated a committee to study the feasibility of a spectrum band that can offer broadcast services to smartphones. Public service broadcaster Prasar Bharati had also announced a tieup with IIT Kanpur for the same. The university will partner with TSDSI (Telecommunications Standards Development Society, India) to make D2M a reality.
Hallmark initiatives
Race between nations In the UK, the government-funded DTG, a Digital TV Group, to incorporate a 5G-based platform that can broadcast events across stadiums and other ven ues. Supported by Digital Catapult, Global Wireless Solutions, Rhode & Schwarz, and O2, it has a total exchequer of Euro 2.3 million, of which nearly 1.3 million euros is sponsored by the Government of theWhileUK. announcing the initiative, the DTG declared, “The consortium’s VISTA (Video In Stadia Technical Architecture) project aims to test and demonstrate consumer benefits and technical feasibility of using 5G FeMBMS technology.”
However, implementing this initiative in the country has its challenges, points out Shashi. He said, “At tracting shareholders like mobile operators on board will pose the most significant challenge in launching D2M on a broader scale. For it to play out, it will require close cooperation between content provid ers, network providers, and device manufacturers to develop and execute the business models that will enable the investments needed.”
34 ASPIRE AUGUST 2022 FEATURE or downloaded every second. An estimated 240 ex abytes (1 exabyte = 1 million gigabytes!) of data is consumed per month. The solution for satisfying the increasing need for connectivity is to create a converged network. This enables very efficient use of the country’s spectrum resources and existing infrastructure while facilitating an inexpensive mode of content delivery to all citizens of India”.
The body feels that the project brings together a lot of skills from the mobile media delivery ecosystem, which includes content and device makers, venue operators, etc. Interestingly, the DTG has claimed that it will demonstrate how 5G broadcasts can combat carbon footprints by decreasing the number of base stations and spectrums that may be required for content delivery. Shashi outlines the progress of nations. “D2M broadcasting is poised with immense potential due to its software-defined radio technology, open-RAN deployment, AI routing algorithms, and silicon & device development. Korea-based ETRI is doing a lot of research. Saankhya is making strides in India. With ATSC 3.0 gaining momentum in the USA, Sinclair ONE Media and device manufacturers like Samsung and silicon companies like Qual comm and MediaTek are gaining traction. In Europe, testing is being conducted for 5g broadcast.” When asked if India can adopt any strategy deployed by other countries, Shashi informs that India can actually lead the charge on D2M. “We can show the world the way. The other country with similar capabili ties, scale, and need is China. This may be a race! If India succeeds, it will set the global D2M road map.” He also said that the technology is hitting the grounds soon. “With the right impetus, it can move into a deployment with first-generation devices and gateways leveraging existing broadcast infra structure in 19 Indian cities. The first commercial deployment will be by 2023, and on a large scale in 2024 or 2025.”
A development of manifold proportions The internet made the impossible possible in the last few decades. Direct-to-Mobile Broadcasting is about to unearth a potential that was not even fan tasized about a decade ago. Through the journey of exploring the concept, this sophisticated technology could bridge the gap between the urban and the rural diasporas, make the world a little more sustainable, and, all in all, introduce us to a range of possibilities in our unforeseen future. ✪ We can show the world the way. This may be a race! If India succeeds, it will set the global D2M road map. Direct-to-Mobile Broadcasting is about to unearth a potential that was not even fantasized about a decade ago
Shashi hints at mandatory provisions for this technology if the government determines that this is in the public interest for purposes of public broad casting, emergency alerts, disaster management, and at the same time, earmark affordable spectrum for this purpose. This would allow broadcasts of public and national interest to be directly delivered to mo bile phones, which will evidently be several orders of magnitude higher than conventional television because there are 200 million TV households in India, while mobile phones are prevalent across nearly 600-700 million.
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Everyone’s favorite shorthand text-based media platform Twitter has always made tech history. Will it become bigger than before or implode after the aborted deal? Qiraat Attar examines F ree social media is one of the markers of democracy. It is a cornerstone of our border less, democratized, individualistic aspirations, where all opinions are valuable, all voices are heard, and accountability is demanded from the powers that rule. No app has been more routinely called to bear witness to this execution of democracy than Twitter, the American microblogging and social networking service where people ‘tweet’ to make their thoughts known.Created by Jack Dorsey, Noah Glass, Biz Stone, and Evan Williams (also the founder of ‘Medium’) in March 2006, Twitter quickly took the world by storm for its former 140-character-tweet format. It also evangelized concepts like ‘following’ people online rather than being ‘friends’, which was Facebook’s USP, the use of hashtags, and more. Today, Twitter is dubbed “the SMS of the Internet.” As Twitter grew, it added to its features, the most noteworthy being the increment in the tweet character count from 140 to 280. This helped Twitter preserve its X-factor while still allowing for better articulation and was thus a welcome move. However, with time, Twitter’s evolution has gotten complicated. Be it the ‘Twitter spats’ that break out
All That Twitters?
Soon after the deal was finalized, Elon Musk spoke of some sweeping changes, the most prominent of which was a heightened commitment to free speech. Here’s where the details get fuzzy. Musk claims that Twitter heads have not been transparent with him about the percentage of spam accounts on the platform, which they claim to be less than 5% but have given no concrete proof of the same. As per Musk, he is reneging on the deal because of this withheld information, apart from some other disputes. One cannot expect that a deal this massive gets sunk and there be no reper cussions of the same. Twitter has sued Elon Musk to enforce this deal, stating that he “refuses to honor his obligations to Twitter and its stockholders because the deal he signed no longer serves his personal interests.”
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4 As of October 2020, 70% of Twitter users are male adults, with the highest num ber of Twitter users across gender hailing from the USA.
The case is expected to go on trial in October. Twitter shareholders are still going to hold voting on the acquisition, which means they expect Musk to go through with the deal as promised. However, given Musk’s erratic disposition, this does not seem possible. If the matter goes to court, Elon Musk will have to prove that Twitter breached the agreement to emerge victorious.
FEATURE billion buyout offer on April 25, paving the way for the company’s privatization.
4 When done right, advertisements on Twitter can reach 339.6 million people. (Source: We Are Social and Hootsuite study) 4 Around 38% of Twitter users are between the ages of 18-29, with a mere 7% over the age of 65. 4 Barack Obama is the most followed person on Twitter, with over 132 million followers. 4 According to Twitter’s own statis tics, the time spent viewing ads on the platform is as much as 26% higher than on any other social platform. 4 46% of Twitter users say the plat form has helped them understand global events. 4 The CPM (cost per mille or cost per impressions) is rela tively low on Twitter, and the average is $6.46. That means advertising on Twitter will not break your budget.
4 One in every five adults reported using Twitter regularly, which, while slightly lower than Facebook, Instagram, and Snap chat, represents a sizable audience base among US adults. 4 Twitter is used by a jaw-dropping 178 million people daily, with a total user base of around 330 million.
4 Around 48 million accounts, which is almost 15% of Twitter’s total users, are actually bot accounts.
Stats The ‘newsy’ nature of Twitter means that fights get much more vicious on the platform between nobodies and celebrities alike, accusations that the site is infested with bots, its constant albeit unsuccessful efforts to control hate speech mongers, and now, its abandoned acquisition by Elon Musk that has people waiting with bated breath. One has to ask - what’s going on with Twitter? Some social media applications bring you the news. Others become the biggest news fodder ever. The acquisition that could have been On April 14, 2022, Elon Musk stunned the indus try by making an offer to buy Twitter, Inc. Twitter’s board of directors unanimously accepted Musk’s $44
All these proceedings may seem dramatic for a takeover, but the reality is that Twitter has always been the center of chaos. That’s because social media platforms are a curious thing – evolving in their impact but leading people to evolve as well through the process of using them.
Reclaiming the good Despite some meandering, Twitter seems to be trying its best to be back on track, and it has an ace up its sleeve - prioritizing the creators. Recently, people creating online online in various forms, on an end less number of subjects, has become vastly popular. Whether you call them influencers, thought leaders, coaches, or content creators, the song remains the same - a person with a great idea and a social media platform that serves an audience willing to listen, learn, and even pay. In March, Twitter unveiled the “Creator Dashboard,” a new tool for creators designed to help them analyze how they make money on Twitter and how much they earn from monetization features like Super Follows and Ticketed Spaces. These follow on the heels of other features Twitter has launched for creators and businesses, such as “Twitter for Professionals,” which provides users with additional tools to differentiate their profile, promote content through ads, and capitalize on Twitter’s future e-commerce efforts.
Twitter is notorious for anonymous or hidden accounts, which do little apart from
Regardless of where the chips fall, Twitter is a pio neer in the social media game. When Musk dropped the acquisition of Twitter out of the blue, it was #Trending on its own platform, which is poignantly self-aware for a media application. As the upcom ing months unfold, we will see if Twitter’s massive changes cause it to go kaboom or stay eternally #viral in tech history. ✪
humanrevealingviews,withthreateninghate-mongering,peopleopposingandgenerallytheworstofnature
Twitter: More noise than value?
The latest tool that has people taking notice is Twitter’s newsletter, ‘Twitter Write’, formerly known as Revue. After becoming the king of the 280-character story, Twitter is opening it up to long-form writers, offering them Twitter’s vast, socially-informed, en terprising, and eager audience, whose attention they can have and hold. Since subscription-only platforms like ‘Substack’ have allowed for varied forms of great storytelling and written media, this little bluebird application does not want to miss the revolution.
First, we would be remiss not to acknowledge the good part. Social media exists to fulfill a primal need - to connect with people, express your identity and beliefs, and find your tribe. Older forms of media like TV, radio, or newspapers required the opinion maker to have some manner of qualification; today, all you need is an ID and a strong internet connection. When the gatekeeping ceases, both the good and the bad flood in. Twitter has led to the proliferation of creators, especially text-based creators. In an era flooded with the easy serotonin of video-based content, Twitter’s popularity proves that words hold value, and brevity holds a place in the digital town square. In the early days of Twitter, leaders of nations, prime ministers, activists, and celebrities thronged to the platform, eager to hold an audience with those who revered and rejected them in equal measure. Using the platform to keep the public informed at a speed hitherto impossible before transformed how authorities communicate with the masses. But when Dr. Jekyll appears, you know Mr. Hyde lurks not far behind. While social media offers a high degree of anonymity, which means that people can curse, swear and have digital battles with people they barely know, the ‘newsy’ nature of Twitter means that fights get much more vicious on the platform. Political ideologies become whole personalities, and the room for complexity of human behavior flies out in the restriction of 280 characters. In fact, more than other social media, Twitter is notorious for anonymous or hidden accounts, which do little apart from hate-mongering, threatening people with opposing views, and generally revealing the worst of human nature.
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AMAZON - Their adaptable business model serves as a model for many other businesses. They handle sourcing and distribution on such a large scale, deal with mil lions of clients, have perfected customer service, and are able to capitalize on and succeed in any business.
JABIL - Jabil, which was established in Michigan in 1966, is the third-largest supplier of services for elec tronic manufacturing worldwide. In order to endure for more than 50 years of business—profitably and with a vision for another 50—Jeff Porada, global director of Lean Six Sigma at Jabil, revealed how they engaged operational excellence with leadership through strategic alignment and visual management. Even if your company is making record profits and everything is going swimmingly, you should still try to have an agile and efficient staff that is proactively pursuing growth, which might all be funded by OpEx.
Any Toyota facility across the world will be running as efficiently as possible thanks to Lean Manufacturing. Toyota is one of the biggest, most successful vehicle manufacturing firms thanks to its leadership in the adoption and sustainability of OpEx.
TOYOTA - After the Second World War, Toyota Mo tor Company was battling to stay afloat in 1950. In contrast to Ford Motor Company, their main rival, How do companies like Amazon create a system for executing efficient operations across all spheres and levels. Here's how organizational excellence can be implemented in your business
“Operational Excellence is the point at which each and every employee can see the flow of value to the customer, and fix that flow before it breaks down.” – Kevin Duggan There is always room for development, regardless of how lucrative or successful your business is. A company that stops developing stops making progress. Finding specific areas that require improvement, though, can be challenging. The procedure is frequently tricky and involves significant adjustments. However, some times change happens more subtly over time, slowly and gradually. One such modification is operational excellence (OpEx). Simply put, operational excellence ensures that every aspect of a company, large or small, operates in an “excellent” way. Any sector may leverage OpEx ideas to achieve market leadership, including continual innovation, flawless service, establishing an enjoyable workplace for em ployees, and cultivating a culture where everyone is always aware of the company's mission. Everyone in a company that runs seamlessly is mindful of their role in the value flow to the client. They are able to recognize whether this flow is normal or abnormal and know how to correct any anomaly without management's help. Although it appears straightforward in theory, putting it into practice may be tricky since it requires having everyone, from managers to lower-level staff, on the same page. Approaching operational excellence can also be quite challenging as it is not an easy term to comprehend and can often be too ambitious. McDonalds and Walmart are just two out of many companies where operational excellence is a strategic priority. All systems in such companies are built around the core aim of bringing highly efficient ordering and fulfilment systems. The many ways that businesses like Toyota, Motorola, Amazon, Apple, Disney, Tesla, Fastcap, and GE have used operational excellence to remain ahead of the competition have been commended by business leaders all over the world.
The biggest, most successful sustainabilityinthanksmanufacturingvehiclefirmstoitsleadershiptheadoptionandofOpEx
There are five elements to put in place before any thing else for your business to adopt an operational Amaan Bandukwala Lean Six Sigma, Doosan Bobcat
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StartOpEx—FromtoFinish who produced 7,000 vehicles each day, they were only manufacturing 2,685 automobiles annually. They went to engineers Shigeo Shingo and Taiichi Ohno, who developed a lean manufacturing strategy to produce more automobiles with fewer resources like equipment, laborers, materials, and resources like time and energy.
PRO TALK
• Top-down implementation without bottom-up feedback
• Process capability
• Having poor communication
2. Clear vision, goals, and objectives
• Failing to align roles with the strategy
• Failing to measure results Whether you run a small business or a large organi zation, Operational excellence is more important than ever, and your business needs it NOW. ✪ YOUR TO AMAAN amaan.bandukwala@doosan.comAT
• Concentrating improvement efforts in silos so that the entire organization is not benefited
• Engagement of your people
• Level of technology
• How disciplined you are at the execution
1. A valid assessment of where you are You need to first know where you are before deciding where you want to go and how you’ll get there. The ideal way to do this is by assessing your organization’s maturity level in four key areas:
5. The right metrics Your OpEx journey may suffer if you can't track your progress. Therefore, having KPIs that are relevant and in line with the mission, objectives, and goals of your business is beneficial. With this in place, staff members can monitor outcomes and maintain their motivation to keep growing since they can see the benefits of their work on the Operationalbusiness.excellence can run aground if the right mindset is not in place. Your endeavor must become ingrained in your culture; it cannot be seen as a onetime project. Other causes of OpEx Execution failure include:
QUERIES
Every team member must commit to maintaining a constant attitude of openness to change in order to create a culture of operational excellence. Employees should constantly be willing to abandon their outdated methods in favor of more effective ones.
• Lacking accountability
3. A supportive and engaged team When everyone is on board, it is simpler to secure the time and funds needed to implement an OpEx plan throughout the whole organization. In addition, everyone in the company, from top executives to en try-level workers, should be informed of the advantages of operational excellence for both themselves and the entire business.
4. Commit to continual improvement
• Implementing too many changes quickly
392022 AUGUST ASPIRE excellence plan successfully.
Starting with a clear vision is helpful for executing change throughout the whole organization. This vision may be centered around a certain product, business growth, market share, etc. It needs to be consistently explained to every manager and employee so that team members may take chances, make choices, and coordinate their efforts to reach the same objectives.
Uday Gehani Digital Marketing & Data-Driven Ad Specialist Leveraging TheAttention Economy PRO TALK
When is the last time you actually enjoyed picking up the phone of someone you don't know who’s trying to sell you something? The same philosophy applies when building your brand presence.
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Start by creating helpful, educational, and entertaining content and if you're really trying to sell something, the people you attract into your life will buy in the long term. My friend generates millions of dollars in real estate deals by playing Snooker with big shots. He plays Snooker and the sales just come because he enjoys the game and surrounds himself with the right people. The same philosophy applies to your approach when creating content. Build it around YOU.
Take pics, record an audio, or write about what you enjoy. Your life, your philosophies and your opinions will attract a community of like-minded people that will give you opportunities along the way like a trail of Isn'tbreadcrumbs.itanamazing thing that the content you create doesn’t even have to be related to what you’re selling? Once you realize this, new ideas will start to open up and you will think very differently.
The content you create doesn’t even have to be related to what you’re selling? Once you realize this, new ideas will start to open up and you will think very differently.
T here's one thing that Donald Trump and Usain Bolt have in common (and no, it's not running). They never fail to grab ‘Attention’ and as a result are ‘huge brands’ of their own. The marketing landscape has changed, and fast. Distributorship of content is no longer in the hands of a select few but has become democratized with control being passed down to the masses. That's people like you and me! And, if you've failed to realize how important this trend really is, you're in for one of the biggest regrets you will ever face in your life. It's a land grab and people are jumping in fast. At tention has become the universal currency required for growth and social platforms and media houses are the exchanges that it's traded on. Because trust me when I say this: There has never been a better or more critical time to build a brand. The ones that got into the game years ago were the early movers. They saw the opportunity and acted quickly. They realized quickly that no matter what you are trying to do, whether to raise money for a charity, run for office or sell a product, you need the attention of the end consumer to do so. They are the influencers of today and hold leverage in this game. If you run a business - your number one priority should be the ability to garner and keep the atten tion of others. It will help you magnify your results exponentially and bring about opportunities that you To build a brand or to get business, you must first grab attention. Here's how to maximize your marketing efforts to get the maximum attention never thought existed. How do you grab that Attention? Well, my first piece of advice on this would be that you create content. And, whatever you do - DO NOT start with being 'Salesy'. It's cringy and you know it.
EMAIL YOUR QUERIES TO UDAY AT udaygehani@gmail.com
First, pick what you like to do. At a macro level, this falls into three categories. Do you like to write? Do you like to speak? Are you comfortable on Camera? Once you know which of the above macro categories is the right fit, go all out with one or two platforms. For example, I like to write so I started with LinkedIn. The fundamental thing to remember is that when you start creating content to get attention; approach it with the mindset of being open-minded and experimental. No one really knows the right answer to what will connect and grab attention with your audience till you start. And the answers will often surprise you. As you get into the minutiae of the platform you have chosen, you'll also begin to understand your au dience better and learn what makes them tick. For social platforms, the key is to remember that social media is after all, first and foremost, a communication tool. You're meant to be social. So, spend as much time engaging as you do creating and posting. By engaging with your audience in a helpful way, you'll position yourself as an approachable and friend ly authority in the field you are in. Do this enough times and people will go, "who is this person?" and then go look up your profile. That's where the real growth of your brand lies so make sure to keep your profile optimized with proper messaging and end goals in mind. A key takeaway for success with the 'tactics' stated above is to have the mindset of building a commu nity. Try to make real friends with the people that approach you. I've learned from personal experience that some of the people that you attract will be truly extraordinary. Reciprocate their kindness, be inspired by them, cheer them on and convert your audience into a network of real relationships. At the end of the day, it's not just about your follower count. It's also about the networks you build along the way which snowball into a bigger audience and help you hit the goals you are trying to reach. Rome was not built in a day Don't be in a rush. Your brand is about how someone feels the moment they interact with you or your business and making someone 'feel' a certain way takes time. No magic formula can make you a brand overnight. Just start and be consistent. Remember we are in the age of The Attention Economy. Build your brand and your business by leveraging it. ✪
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Remember, ‘Attention’ is the name of the game early on...not sales. How do you choose a platform or media outlet? One wonderful thing about getting attention that ul timately leads to building a brand (and sales) is that there is no one path to success. There are multiple ways to get to the same destination. You must view this exercise i.e., getting attention and building your brand in that light. People can get to know you using multiple methods. Print Media works and so do Facebook ads. In the long term, the choice of distributorship should be dependent on your preferences and resources.
A visit to Kerala during the Onam festival prom ises experiences unlike anything else in the world. Discover a stunning plethora of iconic tra ditions, rituals, and art perfor mances that enrich your heart and soul. Become a connoisseur of arts and appreciate the tradi tional dances of Kerala, get your adrenaline fix with heart-pump ing boat races, indulge in grand feasts, enjoy elephant parades, unwind with ayurvedic massages and satisfy your inner wanderlust by touring majestic temples, heritage villages, lush forests, tea gardens, azure seas, and smooth Celebratedbeaches.inthemonth of Chingam, right after the mon soon season, Onam inaugurates the Malayalam new year and signifies the reaping of a good harvest. Also hailed as a flower festival, Onam will be celebrated from 30th August to 8th Sep tember this year. Megha Agrawal invites you this September to God's own country, Kerala, India’s southern jewel, to be a part of the festivities of Onam
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Old-world
thecharm of Onam
The Legend of Onam In Hindu mythology, Onam originates from the great benev olence and sacrifice of God King Mahabali. Lord Vishnu, posing as a dwarf monk ‘Vamana’, came to the king's doorstep asking for three paces of land. The monk avatar gained cosmic propor tions and claimed the Earth and sky in two places. For the third place, the wise king offered his own head. Pleased with his sacrifice, Lord Vishnu made Mahabali the eternal king of the netherworlds and allowed him an annual return for ten days to his loving subjects on Earth. These ten days are celebrated as Onam.One of the most ancient templeThrikkakarainthecityofKochi
Onam enchants with unique and stunning art and dance per formances that are unmissable. Catch a Kathakali perfor mance at the Kerala Kathakali Center in Kochi. This iconic dance form from Kerala is characterized by bold colorful makeup and costumes and mesmerizing pantomime and is a huge draw during Onam. On the fourth day of the fes tival, check out the Pulikali folk art or the tiger dance, where the dancers paint themselves and dawn masks and tails in red, yel low, and black hues to resemble a tiger. Immensely popular with tourists, the dance mimics the moves of this graceful feline. The best and largest perfor mances are held in the city of Thrissur, approximately eighty kilometers from Kochi and also the birthplace of this folk dance.
Dances and Performances
The Races of the War Boats
The most unusual and unique activity during Onam is the snake boat race known as ‘Val lamKali’. Traditionally used as battleships, these boats are 120ft long. The oldest race, ‘Aranmula Uthrattathi’, is held on the river Celebrated in the month of Chingam, right after the monsoon season, Onam inaugurates the Malayalam new year and signifies the reaping of a good harvest performanceKathakali Snake boat race known ‘VallamKalias
432022 AUGUST ASPIRE and revered festivals in the world, the earliest recorded celebrations date back to the 3rd century. Appropriate to its timelessness and stature, the festival is kick-started at the Thrikkakara temple in the city of Kochi, where a flag is hoisted at the temple’s helm. A colorful carnival parade called ‘Athachamayam’ starts at Thripunithura, a prominent cultural and heritage site 10 km from Kochi. Bedecked elephants are paraded on the streets, ac companied by folk music, dance performances, and floats depict ing scenes from Mahabharata and Ramayana. The procession ends at the Thrikkakara temple where prayers are offered and a feast is thrown.
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Pamba in Aranmula, a heritage village 2.5 hrs from Kochi. It is slated for 11th September this year. The giant boats rowed by hundreds of players, slicing the waters at incredible speeds is a sight to Anotherbehold.premier boat race, Nehru Trophy, organized at Alappuzha (an hour from Kochi) on the second Saturday of Au gust offers a more professional and competitive race and draws enormous crowds. A trail of flowers Throughout the state, for ten days of Onam, you can catch glimpses of the traditional ‘Pookalam’ - flower ‘rangolis’drawings etched on the ground and decked out in flowers. State-supported competitions are held across the state. The Pookalams are designed at staggering scales, with the city of Kannur holding the record for the largest Pookalam - an astounding 20000 Sq ft sized floral carpet. Good Food and Good Vibes On the last two days of Onam, indulge in a lavish feast of Ona sadya. It is comprised of 30 – 40 vegetarian dishes and served in a traditional banana leaf. Enjoy the traditional Onasadya experience in Thrikkakara tem ple on the ninth day of Onam and watch the deity parade on boat cruises. Cruise lazily along the lovely lakes and drop anchor at special spots. For a memora ble experience, spend the night in the houseboat while the chef on board prepares mouthwater ing local delicacies, then watch a spectacular tropical sunrise over the turquoise waters. Continue your date with the beauty of Kerala at the misty Munnar hills. More than 5000 ft above sea level, Munnar has gentle, cool weather and has been the summer destination of choice for the colonials in the past. Tea plantations cover the Munnar hills like green velvet. Quaint towns and picturesque waterfalls complete the picture. Trek to the Eravikulam National Park and spot an endangered Ibex or hike to the tallest peak of Munnar - Anamudi and indulge in a cup of world-class tea. For more action, visit the Periyar national reserve to spot the majestic Tiger in its natural habitat.Avisit to Kerala is incomplete without an Ayurvedic therapeu tic session. Kerala is peppered with canAyurvedagovernment-accreditedcenterswhereyouincreaseyoursenseof caparisoned elephants called Pa kalpooram. On the tenth day of Onam, oil lamps are lit outside households, people mill around garbed in their finest attires, and children swing in traditional makeshift swings. Spectacular fireworks mark the end of this remarkable festival. What next? Once the festival is officially over, head over to the tranquil backwaters of Kerala at Alap puzha. Touted as the ‘Venice of the East, Alappuzha has vast stretches of interconnected lakes, best explored via the modern and luxurious house
OnasadyaTraditional $ Shree wamymanabhasPadtemple
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$ Kalaripayattu
Over the years Keralan econ omy has shifted from agrarian to service-based. The largest IT park in India is situated in Trivandrum - The Technopark housing IT giants like Tata Consultancy, Wipro, IBM, and manyKeralaothers.Startup Mission or KSUM is a government body that promotes entrepreneurship and accelerated incubation for Tech and R & D based startups.
452022 AUGUST ASPIRE ernance. Kerala tops the chart as the state with the highest rate of literacy. One of the richest states in India, it contributes more than 4% to the national GDP.
Pristine and well-developed, both destinations offer excellent accommodations and combine historical sightseeing with some serious adventure sports and beach fun.
The year 2022 is declared the ‘Year of Entrepreneurs’ by the government of India with the target of opening and support ing 10,000 Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises or MSMES with a committed investment of 22 million USD from Investors. With great offerings, Kerala is aiming to be a business and financial hotbed. Post-Pandemic Travel Care India is opening up travel with cautious guidelines. Domestic and International travelers are required to be fully vaccinated. For non-vaccinated passengers, a negative PCR test is manda tory for ages above 12 years. A Health declaration form is required to be submitted upon arrival. Masks are mandatory in public places. Take these precau tions and lose yourself to find yourself in this soulful journey to God’s own country! ✪ world and warrants a visit. You can also catch some Kalari payattu action in Trivandrum. Known as the oldest form of martial arts in India, Kalari is fierce, flamboyant, extremely acrobatic, and a very memora ble performance to witness. If your inner beach bunny is craving, check out Kovalam and Varkala near Trivandrum to get your dose of tan, surf, and sun.
The Kerala Phenomenon Hailed as one of the top ten destinations by National Geo graphic travelers, Kerala has a lot to offer. In 2019 Kerala welcomed 20 million tourists, of which 1.2 million were foreign nationals, generating a revenue of more than 117 million USD. Post pandemic, the famed ecotourism destination is again gearing up to receive more visitors than before. Kerala tour ism’s robustness comes from its stable economy and sound gov Kerala tops the chart as the state with the highest rate of literacy. One of the richest states in India, it contributes more than 4% to the national GDP Tea Estate in Munnar ! ‘Venice of the AlappuzhaEast, $ The beauty of Kerala at the mistyhillsMunnarwell-being with massages and Panchakarma therapy to regain your inner balance. Well worth visiting is also the city of Trivandrum - the state's capital. Known for its beautiful beaches, Trivandrum is home to the Shree Padmanabhaswamy temple. Dedicated to Lord Vishnu, the famed Dravidian temple is the richest in the
WEIGHT
AND
WHAT IF DECADES OF WEIGHT LOSS ADVICE MISSED ITS MARK, AND IT’S NOT FAT BUT LOW MUSCLE WHICH IS THE ACTUAL OBSTACLE TO FITNESS?
1. Don’t limit or cut out any one food group (especially Protein) Fad diets might work in a pinch, but their effect won’t last except for the damage they cause. Some diets may call to cut out all fat or carbs from your intake, but all it serves to do is weaken theModerationbody. is the name of the game here. Consume the aforementioned food groups in the right proportions, enough carbs to give energy for daily activity, enough fat to provide insulation and protection, and the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins. Proteins are indispensable to building
Muscle loss is a silent epidemic, already a rolling stone by virtue of age and genetics, but exacer bated by lack of physical exercise, less movement, and gradual atrophy due to disuse.
QIRAAT ATTAR DELVES DEEP INTO THE STARTLING NEW FITNESS REVELATION THAT FITNESS EXPERTS ARE SWEARING BY Muscling through to longevity
There are ways to keep up your muscle mass while also targeting unwanted fat to give you the 360-degree health you desire:
46 ASPIRE AUGUST 2022 Beyond Business / health F or many people, health is a game of perception, not fact. And this limit ed perspective leads people down a beaten track when attempting to be healthier – that is, weight loss. Be it the narrow lens of society or just the way we see ourselves, we all believe that being thinner is being fitter. But have you considered challenging this belief? Dieticians and trainers alike believe that this goal is somewhat misguided. To them, a significant chunk of fitness-oriented people are going about this the wrong way – targeting weight instead of building muscle. But what does this mean? What is muscle mass and why is it so important to have enough of it? And if we’re tackling issues with our health the wrong way, how do we get on the right track? Wait before you weigh While numerically the same weight, fat and muscle are two different things. Make no mistake; both are vital to the body. Muscles oxidize fat with exercise, they aid strength, mobility, and functioning – their built and maintenance is how a body retains its youth and vitality. Fat is insulation around vital organs, a protec tive layer. However, more often than not, our bod ies have more fat than what is good for us. And given human tendency, no health issue bothers us as much as extra fat on parts of our body where we believe none should exist. The distinction is that the number on the scale ultimately doesn’t matter as much as the balance between muscle and fat in your body. Two people weighing 70 kgs, but one with high body fat ver sus one with high muscle mass appear different, are at different levels of fitness and health, despite their weight being identical. This knowledge can prove to be a game changer in people’s fitness journey if implemented correctly. When people are under-muscled, their endeav ors at losing fat don’t result in the shapely appear ance they’re looking for. Why is that? The crux of your appearance is your body com position, which is a measure of the percentage of fat, muscle, and bone in your body. Nuances like these often get lost in the weight loss mentality that so many get into when trying to get healthy. The scale cannot help you here. Instead, before adopting a diet plan off the cuff or hitting the gym without a plan, get a professional assessment of your body’s composition. Ideally, a healthy body is more muscle and less stored fat. When this stored adipose (fat) tissue exceeds a certain limit, you make your body vulnerable to a host of issues like diabetes and heart trouble.
4. Diversify! Humans are comfort creatures. Even if exercise is new to some of us lazy bones (you know who you are!), we soon get into a groove. Here, there may be a tendency to repeat some activities, favoring certain exercise combos and plateauing in progress by not upping the mantle. Defeat this mindset by committing to change. Train weights some days, cardio on others. Don’t neglect any part of your body. If you can’t feel it pleasantly sore, then you haven’t paid enough attention, and it should make its way into your next workout.
2. Women, focus on training your muscles! Building muscle is every woman’s pet peeve. They assume that lifting a few weights will bulk them up or make them look mannish. Nothing could be further from the truth. Women do not have the same muscle bed as men, so it’s not possible to have an over-muscled or bulky look, even if you’re training with dedication. Instead, focus on the actual reason you need to build muscle – to support your bones, keep you sprightly and mobile, and do most bodily func tions well into the sunset years of your life.
3. Calorie deficit? Stay wary If the amount of food or calories you consume just about breaks even with what you expend with physical exertion, you run the risk of losing mus cle and even bone strength. Timing your food can rescue you here. Consume some healthy sugars, like bananas or dates, for that energy spike for your workout and some pro tein and carbohydrates within 60 minutes after it to ensure muscle maintenance and even growth.
472022 AUGUST ASPIRE WATCH lean muscle in your body. You need at least 0.8 g of per kg weight per day, and up to 1.2 g of protein is better for those who are aging and trying to maintain muscle mass. If you’re vegetarian, research into plant protein sources that you cannot skip out. Omnivorous diets should definitely have their fill of ani mal-based protein, which packs the nutritional punch without piling on the calories.
Some diets may call to cut out all fat or carbs from your intake, but all it serves to do is weaken the body
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Mind over body
Given the epidemic of diet fads we’re in, one knows that a weight loss obsession is not positive. There are sociocultural effects at play when a per son doesn’t look perfect. Thus most people abhor the thought of gaining weight. However, you need to get in tune with your body and ask yourself –how do I feel? Do I feel strong? Do I feel able? Or do I feel weak and unsteady? Chances are that your body is already giving you the cues you need to exercise it the right way.
The other aspect is recognizing that not every one is an expert. Weight loss and fitness advice can be found at every corner, from well-meaning relatives to online coaches with a quick buck on their mind. Once you’ve made your health a pri ority, seek a credible dietician or trainer to sup port you in building a body that upholds your goals and adventures in life beyond the fleeting thrill of appearance. ✪ Your body is quietly building muscle as it burns fat, so the numbers may look unchanged while your body undergoes a steady transformation
Make your long life a good one Physically inactive people can lose up to 5% of their muscle mass per decade after the age of 30. Even if you are physically active, you will experi ence some muscle loss. After 40, your muscle mass will drop steadily each decade, going down by nearly 50% at the age of 80. This is why older people are prone to fractures and misalignments with minor falls; their body’s frame is no longer resilient as their bones and muscles have weakened with time. While this is an inevitable progression, we can slow this down with steady, regular exercise and muscle building. Working on your muscles may not show those numbers dipping on the weighing scale. This may seem disheartening for people who step on their scale ten times a day. But, well, stay at ease! If you’ve been working out diligently, ignore the scales for a bit and instead take visual cues from your body for your progress. When you have more energy, feel less lethargy, are generally more upbeat and active and seem to crave the endorphins that come from a good workout, you can bet that your work is paying off. Your body is quietly building muscle as it burns fat, so the numbers may look unchanged while your body undergoes a steady transformation. Ultimately, muscles burn more fat, so a positive feedback loop needs you to have a little patience but a lot of commitment.
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D ubai is full of exciting events all year round, but if the scorching heat stops you from stepping out, worry no more as we have you covered. From shades to protect your eyes to body mists that will have you smelling sprightly and fresh all around the day, check out these five essentials Aspire swears by to keep you unaffected by the blistering UAE summers.
Sunglasses are the classic mul tipurpose accessory - protecting you from the sun, elevating your overall look, and shielding your eyes from exposure to ultraviolet light. From your face cut to the shape and size of your peepers, various factors dictate what shades suit you best. Facial structures can often be a dealbreaker for your preferred sunnies – for instance, people with rounder faces should consider an angular frame. Another deciding factor could be the color of the lenses. Women opt to play with a range of shades and hues such as pink, red, violet, green and yellows, while men generally favor it more subtle choosing the more conservative and neutral colors. The material of the frames be it plastic with color or prints, or metal in gold, silver, steel grey or black, with or with out embellishments gives both the genders ample of variety and looks to choose from. Both gen ders can go either for the subtle or bold and chic route depending on personal styles and occasions. We recommend the 2086/s by Fossil, which protects from even the harshest of the sun’s glare. Your eyes won’t strain and you will look super chic as its shape is quite flattering and gives the shades a wholly different vibe. Affordably priced at AED250, they could be the pal you’ve been looking for while taking a walk in this heat or cruising down Dubai streets. Dubai summers can parch you, but the sun can also be your spotlight when you have these essentials in tow.
/ Beyond Business
Sunglasses or Shades
Say Hello to the Sun
Deepika S peruses the arsenal of offerings in the market so that you are always summer-ready style
Deodorants and Body mists
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Sunscreen
Next up on the list of summer must-haves is a mist that sen
If you thought the sole purpose of a sunscreen is to protect your skin against UV rays, prepare to have your mind blown with some facts - applying sunscreen consistently every day can lower the risk of contracting skin can cers by Furthermore,50%. sunscreens pre vent your skin from experienc ing signs of early aging, such as the decomposition of collagen, which makes your skin saggy and of a much thicker, sluggish texture. Additionally, wrinkles and lines on your face and dis coloration are other side effects of sun exposure which you can avoid by simply applying a few strokes of sunscreen on your face, giving you a much more even and finer skin tone. These sunscreens are classified into chemical-based sunscreens, which use chemicals such as octocrylene and oxybenzone to filter out the sun's damaging radiation. The other option, min eral-based sunscreens, physically give 40X sun protection against the sun. This also means that applying sunscreen lotion is not a one-and-done deal; you need to reapply it every few hours, especially when you go out. If you’re someone with sen sitive skin, we recommend the CeraVe AM Facial Moisturizer with Sunscreen and SPF 30. If most products have been over promising in terms of sun protec tion, here’s something we think will stay true to its word. CeraVe’s subtle scent and water-based consistency make it perfect for your skin to lock in moisture. It also blends in perfectly with a variety of your skin tones. We bring you another much-loved product in the market to keep us well protected from the sun, the broad-spectrum liquid sunscreen one of the best for acne-prone skin. It’s a chemical sunscreen suitable for all skin types. It has a light, matte texture that won’t clog your pores. It’s also sweat-proof, waterproof, and non-comedogenic. Neutrogena is dermatologists’ top recom mendation when it comes to sun protection. You can buy it from Noon today at DH 51.95 only and make it part of your skincare routine.
Given that this brand is Selena Gomez’s brainchild, the product has a rabid fanbase in the market and has got everyone talking about it, from beauty gu rus to tween Tiktokers. Touted as a game-changer in makeup products, the hashtag #rarebeau tyblush has nearly 50 million views on Instagram, with users 'obsessed' and calling it 'the best blush ever' to give your cheeks the bounce and flush you so longThisfor.trending blush does what it says on the tin. The creamy, buildable formula adds a healthy flush of color like some one has pinched your cheeks or you've been out on a jog. The doe-foot applicator gives precise application. Choose from four matte shades and seven dewy finishes with colors spanning the spectrum from mauve (Grace) to peach (Joy) and everything in between. ✪
The perfect sunkissed blush We’re all chasing that perfect sun-kissed look – and what you need to achieve this is peach and pink tones of blush to give you the ultimate sun-warmed finish. We recommend the Rare Beau ty’s Soft Pinch Liquid Blush to do the trick - it’s long-lasting and sually blends floral and musk notes in the most natural way possible. White Musk from The Body Shop is a perfect scent for those with sensitive skin. The formulation contains hints of jasmine combined with a vegan musk and aldehydes, uplifting the senses and imparting a glow to your skin. It’s also enriched with hydrating ingredients and isn’t sticky on the skin. This is a clean scent to take with you wherever you go. Festivities and summer are just around the cor ner, so this is a perfect occasion to pamper girls with this floral mist, as it offers a subtle, affable scent that will last longer and is also very affordable. As the heat and humidity can be a huge barrier to your skin’s glow, we also recommend in vesting in a deodorant that will help reduce perspiration to keep you vibrant and cool. Start your day feeling energized and invig orated with the Aromachologie Refreshing Aromatic Deodorant, with natural infusions of essen tial oils from Provence. Free of aluminium chlorohydrate, this
512022 AUGUST ASPIRE not too thick on your face.
roll-on deodorant protects your skin from sweat and provides an adequate amount of mois ture for your skin. Made with essential oils such as sage, sweet orange, and lemon, it’s got a refreshing texture when applied to your skin while limiting perspiration and body odour. In addition, this deodorant's smooth and powdery texture keeps you feeling dry and calm throughout the day. Moving on from skincare and essential summer hygiene, we’re not going to ignore donning the right makeup for that perfect ‘sunny day’ look. We’ve got some thing special in store for you, like a blush that has been doing the rounds among makeup aficio nados in town. Whether you’re a young working girl or a mom juggling kids and responsibilities, this blush is perfect if you want to look sun-kissed this summer while still shielding yourself from the worst of the sun.
52 ASPIRE AUGUST 2022
The 2022 Ford Bronco is fast becoming a favorite amongst the off-roader community in the Middle East, with its civil on-road smooth driving etiquette and lane monitoring systems. Get ready to be impressed by everything this untamable beast of the streets has to offer.
Design The Exterior • Sharp but also detail-oriented in its design, it features a durable exterior matching the car’s assertive voice, all in one truly remarkable machine.
The nostalgic Ford Bronco 2022 flaunts a design that takes you into the past but with cutting-edge features fit for the future. Deepika. S takes the rugged adventure as she reveals the limitless possibilities of this vehicle and allowing you to taste the freedom you seek. Cabin style and interiors:
• The available technology offered on Bronco® brings fun and confidence to your off-roading experience. The auto kicks off with the Terrain Management System™ featuring auto
A THRILLSEEKER’S
Beyond Business /
• The Bronco is your ultimate storage pal with some creative cargo compartments, from underseat storage to an available Cargo Management System. What’s more, it’s got some practical–built-in power outlets so you can charge your devices easily. Its rear bottle opener is conveniently tucked into the liftgate so you can stay hydrated all through those long arduous drives.
DREAM
Tech Infotainmentand
• The seating varies between the variety of trims offered, ranging from marine-grade vinyl or leather-trim flaunting heated seats that combine comfort and strength in a way you haven’t experienced before.
• Decked with natural and earthy palettes and sturdy outdoor gear, the Bronco’s colors and materials reflect its strength, ruggedness, and adaptability.
• The versatile roof options efficiently allow you to remove a section or take off the whole top, making it ideal for open drives
• You can’t miss the classexclusive* frameless doors that can be unlocked or entirely removed by a single person, creating a functional,star-studded,andconvenient exitentry point into this vehicle.
• The 2022 Ford Bronco SUV is positioned as a modern-retro substitute for the Jeep Wrangler— but it sets itself apart in many significant ways. The Bronco bucks off-road in the same way as the venerable Jeep Wrangler and guarantees a more comfortable ride in certain configurations.
• The Bronco Raptor launched on January 24th, 2022. It is currently being sold at leading auto manufacturers. J Price point
• Its compact size makes it easy to maneuver and park even in a narrow gap. There’s room for five adults and storage capabilities Highway Safety has not yet crash-tested the 2022 Bronco Sport, but the nearly identical 2021 Bronco Sport earned good ratings across the board and was on Ford’s list of its Top Safety Pick+, the organization’s highest honor to date.
• The all-new Bronco Sport incorporates Ford's latest infotainment system, including Sync 4. It is standard equipment, along with wireless connectivity with Android and Apple car play enabled for your smartphone. Efficiency Mechanicsand
• When it comes to the fuel economy offered by the SUV, the 2022 Ford Bronco Sport delivers approximately 10.2 km/L on city roads and 11km/L on open •highways.Itsfunctionality fits every adventure you can embark on, as it is equipped with seven G.O.A.T (Goes Over Any Terrain) modes to easily conquer any terrain. Be it rocky roads, sandy dunes, Safety
532022 AUGUST ASPIRE or water-logged ways, the SUV eases the burden of driving and delivers an exhilarating yet light experience. Engine and Performance
• Combined with a 7-speed automatic transmission, its power is distributed across all four wheels, making it a great fit for any road type. Near Misses
• The Bronco is a monster of performance. Heavy as a truck, its regular 2.3-litre EcoBoost® 4-cylinder engine produces 300 horsepower and 325 lb-ft of torque. It takes you places, no matter the distance.
When does it launch?
• The Ford Co-Pilot360™ technology with a 360-degree Camera with Off-Road views helps you see beyond the regular road, designed to help you expand your vision effortlessly.
• While this car is rugged, strong, and handles any terrain, the noise factor is a concern for buyers. Although many may say that noise isn’t surprising for a car in this range, its extensive noise, especially on the roads, does have drivers raging and expressing concerns. X-factor
• The Insurance Institute for that are subtle yet suitable for thrill seekers, with payload and amoreaccommodatecapabilitytowingtothanjustlongdrive.
G.O.A.T. Modes™ that lets the driver customize the driving mode to fit the ground conditions.
• With its roof off, the four-door trim could undoubtedly beat the performance of the Jeep Gladiator and its open bed, but break-over and departure angles are sacrificed.
• This American SUV car is available in 3 different versions. The basic model of the vehicle is available at a starting price of AED 188,895. Prices differ as you go up to the higher trims. Nemesis
DO
The Art of Living: Clas sical Manual on Virtue, Happiness, and Effec tiveness by Epictetus and Sharon Lebell. The writings of Epicte tus should be made man datory for every university course of study. The Stoic school of thought offers baseline wisdom to help navigate safely through the rapidly changing terrain of life in this modern day of machine-led thinking and social machi nations. The Art of Life is about the exceptional teachings of Epictetus, the Roman philosopher. Despite being words that have come to us from thousands of years ago, it remains, like all great philosophical thought, relevant to contemporary life. Sharon Lebell has distilled the teachings of one of the greatest thinkers mankind has known into bite-sized chunks of easily digestible nuggets of wisdom that can be transmuted into daily ac tion in everyday life. Learning to distinguish between desire and virtuous living, learning to control our minds through reason and thinking, with clarity and purpose, the book is small to carry, easily readable, and speaks straight to the heart. Each page offers a different subject tackling, with simple clarity, how we may best tackle the daily, and often complex, rigours of the life we are born into. Regardless of what our beliefs are or where we are on life’s journey, whether or not we are readers, or whether or not we think we have it all together, this book is a must-have. Truly life-changing and written with great empathy for the human condition, the lessons of Epictetus will resonate with everyone who picks up the book. Looking for ways to enjoy the summer without getting tanned in the scorching August sun?
54 ASPIRE AUGUST 2022 Beyond Business / aspire +
READ it LIVE YOUR BEST LIFE The
A GREEN TREAT TO BEAT THE HEAT
The Green Planet
Check out ‘Green Planet’, an underrated gem in the midst of City Walk. Dubai’s first and only indoor rainforest boasts more than 3000 species of flora and fauna and is a sanctuary for exotic plants, animals, birds, and reptiles. With something for every age range, this green oasis is the perfect spot to take a break from the hot and humid weather outside and even has fun events like swimming with piranhas, brunches and night camps, and play ing zookeeper for a day. The magnificent biodome consists of four levels: the Canopy, the Midstory, the Forest floor, and the Flooded Rainforest, each of which showcases the importance of the levels in a rainforest. You can be sure to catch a few animals running wild, and if you are lucky, you may even be able to see the birds flying around or the zookeepers feeding one of the many animals! A true visual splendor, the Green Planet will definitely be an immersive expedition into the tropics. This summer, the Green Planet also offers an exclusive experience to their guests: an ex otic rainforest camp! You can learn about the rainforest’s most enigmatic small creatures on a nocturnal wildlife tour and unwind in the evening Art of Living it
An entrepreneur needs to know a lot. Way more than the business idea he or she is growing. ASPIRE brings you a range of know-how to have you effortlessly conversing with everyone you meet. Success is not what you do, it is how you do it…
Not since Amadeus have we seen a movie where the bad guy evokes some measure of sympathy. This riveting film is based on an incredible true story of the capture of the notorious Adolf Eichmann, the logistical architect of the terrible Final Solution during World War 2.
The movie starts slowly but picks up speed soon enough, and before long, you are caught up in a piece of historical narrative that leaves you wondering about human nature and all that drives it, making us either good or evil. The movie, directed by Chris Weitz, is a heavy one with footage that can be disturbing for sensitive viewers, but as a slice of time in the annals of human existence, this film is possibly one of the finest ever made. Watch it on Netflix.
WATCH
552022 AUGUST ASPIRE at The Green Planet’s Café with a nature-themed movie and marshmallow roasting fun. This is the ideal activity for young explorers and nature-lov ing adults alike. An exclusive chance to interact with animals is included with the overnight stay. Get a chance to interact with the furry fan favorites of the rainforest. You’ll undoubtedly be amazed whether you get to meet with the cheeky primates, see red-bellied piranhas up close, or en counter the lone Tamandua Anteater in the area. The Camping in the Rainforest experience can be bought for 700 AED, and there are many other ticket options as well. Individual tickets for adults and chil dren, as well as tickets for groups of over 15 people starts at AED 110. Opening Hours are from 10 am to 6 pm, and with a spend of AED 100, you can also avail yourself four hours of free parking. With a range of experiences suited for everyone, this is a must-visit place to beat the summer blues.
Fifteen years after the war ends, intelligence agents get wind that Eichmann is hiding out in Argentina, and a team is sent in to capture him and bring him back to stand trial for the atrocities committed under his watch.
The film beautifully portrays the life of agent Peter Malkin, played by talented Oscar Isaac, who develops a special relationship with Eichmann while they secretly hold him prisoner in Argentina before he can be flown back to Israel. Eichmann, played by none other than Ben Kingsley himself, emotes a character that is delicately poised between dignity and evil. His gravitas and nuanced performance as the notorious war criminal who longs for his own family while in captivity is nothing short of brilliant.
COMPILED BY PALLAVI
REVIEWED BY SANGEETHA SHINDE ✪ it A TRUE STORY OF A MANHUNT Operation Finale
Now while all of us cannot be Mandelas or Gandhis, we can take a stand in our own spheres of operation. We can, as Epictetus (the wisest of Roman philosophers) advised us many centuries ago, choose what we believe in and then walk the talk. To form a set of well-reasoned ethical guidelines and to live by them is the greatest of gifts we give ourselves. It can make us authentic in thought, word, and action, and the world mostly responds to that as if byTakingmagic.a stand is often not comfortable, which may explain why so many people don’t do it. It may require you to rock the boats of those you know well; there’s a good chance you will not be popular and be the subject of gossip and ostracisation. But somewhere along the way, it will come out right, for your character will outlive anything that is We all have the opportunity to be heroes and make a mark, however small, in the annals of human history. But it requires us not to play it safe…
Stand Up, Speak Out said of you or done to you. In an increasingly disconnected yet perhaps overly connected world, it is vital that we take a stand. Grab a cause bigger than yourself and fight for it. Speak up for the oppressed, and take a stand against those that cause hurt and pain to others. Sitting on the fence for the sake of social propriety or to fit in does not lead to long-term happiness. On the contrary, we may well become eventual victims of our own silence.
56 ASPIRE AUGUST 2022 Beyond Business / the last word
~ Martin Niemöller
Fry&ElliottImage:GandhiMahatma/Cancilleria.gob.arImage:MandelaNelson
“First they came for the Communists And I did not speak out Because I was not a Communist Then they came for the Socialists And I did not speak out Because I was not a Socialist Then they came for the trade unionists And I did not speak out Because I was not a trade unionist Then they came for the Jews And I did not speak out Because I was not a Jew Then they came for me And there was no one left To speak out for me.”
There is not one of us alive who has not benefited from someone taking a stand. Be it the hundreds of thousands of faceless women in the suffragette movement who attempted to correct millennia of oppression or the loyal friend who stuck by us when the chips were down. When we take a stand against corruption or stick up for the voiceless, we become the bravest versions of ourselves. This does not, of course, mean tilting at windmills at every opportunity, but it does require us to firstly form our loyalties based on the highest of ideals of fairness and justice. If we don’t take a stand and speak up and plant our flag on the side of justice, someday we will live to regret it, or at the very least, our children and our children’s children will suffer because we played it safe. We all want a better world… but this means taking a stand. Don’t let the child next door be subjected to parental abuse, be there for a woman who has been the victim of violence, volunteer at a drug rehabilitation center... in short, stick your neck out, for believe me, there go you or I but for the grace of god. For as the famous saying goes, “All it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.” Do something. Always do something. ✪ Sangeetha Shinde Tee is an author of four books, editor of 3 international magazines, an acclaimed healer, and reluctant entrepreneur. Also an unconventional traveler, rebellious truth seeker, and inveterate animal rescuer, she is working on her fifth book - a collection of ghost stories from around the world. Find out more about her life, books, and work at www.sangeethashindetee.com
If history has taught us anything, it is that real positive change comes only when we take a stand - sometimes even against our own bodies and minds. What would South Af rica be like today if Nelson Mandela had decided to play it safe? India’s independence would have gotten nowhere if a group of young men like Nehru and Gandhi had not banded together on principles of freedom and equality.
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