ASPIRE — An Entrepreneur & Lifestyle Magazine - Nov 2020 by ASPIRE Business and Lifestyle Magazine

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NOVEMBER — 2020 VOL— 1 ISSUE 2 — aspiredubai.ae

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P R I YA JE T H ANI

Scents and Sensibility Dr. Hanan Selim

THE PHARMACIST OF THE FUTURE

Guts & Glory Demystifying Raj Bhatt, CEO of Hozpitality Group

Samir Geepee

A CUP FUL OF AW E S OMENE S S

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www.aspiredubai.ae

Inside

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GUTS AND GLORY: THE RAJ BHATT STORY

Demystifying Raj Bhatt, CEO of Hozpitality Group and a maverick, who believes he is only getting started for a really, really long run

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INSIDE 6

PUBLISHER: Sumeet Gupta

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Shagufta Patel

The Pharmacist of The Future

Bite sized interesting news from around the world!

DESIGN: The Purple Stroke JUNIOR EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

Dr Hanan Selim, a clinical pharmacist speaks to us about her breakthrough programme ‘Healology’ that aims to heal by using the mind-brain-organ connection.

Marketing trends to keep tabs on

Khushi Bagga Arundhati Surendran Amaan Bandukwala WEB AND DIGITAL: Seobal Business Solutions

Maximise all your marketing efforts by following the latest social media trends

« OUR CONTRIBUTORS »

Intelligence goes artificial! Really? Artificial Intelligence being used in practically every sphere of our daily life, we look at its many applications and how it has changed our world

From Slow and Steady to ‘Andhadhun’

Tracing Ayushmann Khurrana’s inspirational and gutsy success story through anecdotes from his 2015 book, Cracking The Code

Events

Great upcoming or ongoing events that you may want to add to your calendar

Hello wellness

‘The Four Bodies of the Self ’ model informs us of our four bodies and its balance to achieve holistic wellness at all levels

Assembling your personal board of advisors

Learn to create this effective tool called the ‘Personal Board of Advisors’ that provides support and crucial information at decisive moments

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Kim Shelar Meditation & Executive Mindset Coach

Sabeeh Ghugharia

Dt. Geetika Uppal

Speaker, Strategist, Goal-Catalyst

Gold-medalist in Nutritional Science

Rajashree Balaram

Deepa Narayanan

Journalist/ Scriptwriter

Writer/ Storyteller

Sunil Nair Digital Marketing & ECommerce strategist

Scents and Sensibility

An anchor, an actress, an influencer and, now, an entrepreneur. How does Priya Jethani manage to keep it all smoothly tickin?

A Cupful of Awesomeness

Get to know Samir Geepee the Master Conversationalist, a ‘Nice Guy’ as he humbly calls himself, who is also an Author and a Leadership Coach

The‘Merchandising’ pillar of ecommerce

Meditation myths to let go

As ecommerce emerges as the new face of retail, take an in-depth look at its first pillar within this dynamic digital ecosystem

Many will not experience meditation & reap its benefits simply because they are holding on to myths that are best let go

Lending some magic to lift up moods

Travelling back home

Errol Goveas and his team kept the joy going; responding to the economic downturn by way of a non-profit community project

Mighty immunity

Dt. Geetika Uppal, guides us on the easy way of keeping oneself healthy and fit

Leidy Tatiana found in travel, lessons of mindfulness and the art of slowing down, leading her back home as a new person

Darting ahead with a game of darts A Game of Darts isn’t only played for fun. It is time to give this board game its due credit

68 New attractions in Dubai

A sneak peek at the newly opened chic luxury hotel, The Obelisk by Sofitel, Dubai

Rachit Gupta Film Critic/ Screenwriter

1601, Corporate Business Hub, Burj Gate, Dubai, United Arab Emirates T +971 508 498820, +971 565 774075 / W: thepurplestroke.com 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.

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Selim who is healing the world with her breakthrough Healology Program, Samir Geepee who teaches us what it means to have ‘real’ conversations, and Priya Jethani who is spreading her wings and some fragrance adding glitz, glamour and gaiety to our senses. You will also learn from our experts how to put together a personal board of advisors, strengthen ‘one’ focused pillar of ecommerce trading, uncover the four levels of the self and bust some meditation myths. Not leaving behind reminders to boost the much required immunity and marveling at how travel can bring about realizations along the journey. If we have succeeded in any way to ring a bell, touch a chord, or get those sleepy cells to wake up to a new awareness or possibility, we would be delighted to have you tell us about your Ahaa moment. You never know, it might just be what we need to get ourselves to DO MORE… BE MORE! So if there are any such instants, please email them to us at editor@aspiredubai.ae. Until then Stay Safe, Be Well and Thank You forevermore! J

G U F TA

Like every new venture, like every new goal, we are all fired up to give it our whole. The second issue that had the team on their pointy toes until the very end (talk about unanticipated delays that gave us some stomach churns, and worse the cases of flu, C-virus and some close deaths that we have been bravely dealing with); has taught me to ‘not loosen the grip’ at any time. It also taught me that ‘doing your best’ is better than ‘not doing it at all’. And so here it is… our second edition with Raj Bhatt holding on fiercer than ever to his audacious veracity, Dr Hanan

Watch the ASPIRE launch (in case you missed it)

HANK YOU! A sincerest, deep heart-felt Thank You to all those who welcomed ASPIRE [and our efforts] with their warm wishes, beautiful messages, shares, encouraging comments, wonderful feedbacks and suggestions. The online launch was better than we expected it to be with Wendy Shaw (featured in the first issue) along with her fan club making it so lively, and Raj Bhatt (our man on the cover for this issue), joining in all the way from Toronto bringing along his valuable opinions, to be a part of the moment so special to us. There were others too, who though silent stayed with us until the very end to make our new beginning even brighter.

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W: thepurplestroke.com E: hello@thepurplestroke.com

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NASDAQ DUBAI GROWTH MARKET – DEDICATED TO SMEs “Today, we launched the Nasdaq Dubai Growth Market to support young businesses and SMEs – one of the pillars of our economy. Dubai seeks to open new opportunities for entrepreneurs, to help them expand, attract investors, & finance their projects” tweeted His Excellency Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai on October 27th, 2020.

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BY TE S

Nasdaq Dubai intends to make live under its mandate, the ‘Growth Market’ by the initial months of 2021. Any SMEs standing below the value of $250 million and have been in business for at least a year (as opposed to three years for Nasdaq Dubai’s main market) are welcome to sign up. It will also admit companies from outside looking to expand in the region. The Growth Market is expected to help business owners raise capital with the IPO selling only 25% of their company shares. H.E Sheikh Hamdan stated that this is a “strategic step” as an attempt to support major sectors in Dubai by opening “new horizons” for companies and giving them resources for investments to help expand their businesses and also broaden their reach to global markets. H.E Sheikh Hamdan also tweeted that this Market, on initiation, is expected to reinforce the UAE, as well as Dubai’s role as the “Finance hub”, proving businesses the opportunity to drive the economy forward. Additionally, companies that are not yet ready to proceed with IPO can join the ‘Private Market’ division of the Nasdaq Dubai Growth Market. In this case, the company shares are held in the Central Securities Depository (CSD) for safety purposes. This helps the company to move towards an ‘exchange environment’ as well as encourage investors to contribute ahead. Essa Kazim, Governor of Dubai International Financial Centre, and Chairman of Dubai Financial Market, believes that the Growth Market shall “play a key role in the future of capital-raising and the channelling of investment to enterprising companies.”

Google Contributes to MENA’s Economic Upsurge ‘Grow Stronger with Google’ – is a new program launched by Google, to accelerate the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region’s journey to economic revival through digital renovation. The program aims to support local businesses by recommending several training sessions, digital tools, and offering financial grants, with a special focus on businesses in retail and tourism. The ‘Grow Stronger with Google’ Program includes facilities such as Mentorship, Digital Skills and Cloud Training, and support for the Digital Transition of small businesses. His Royal Highness, Hamad Buamim, President and CEO of Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, thrilled about this initiative said, “We are proud to further our collaboration with Google on this game-changing initiative, which builds on the remarkable progress achieved in boosting our members’ online presence in recent years.” He also said that Google is working with MENA to reach a target

of helping over 50,000 local companies to develop through Google My Business, and he is confident that they will achieve this goal and soon create newer opportunities for many job seekers as well. The Managing Director of Google in the MENA region, Lino Cattaruzzi said, “Through our program we will help people learn new skills and find jobs, and help businesses grow online, especially those in the retail and tourism sectors that have been most affected.” Google is very optimistic about this program and the future of this region. Cattaruzzi further stated that he is confident that collaborating with local partners can help boost the economy and further increase the rising use of technology observed since the pandemic.

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UN treaty working its way to world peace Honduras became the 50th country to sanction the UN’s international treaty on banning nuclear weapons. The treaty that prohibits the use, development, manufacture, testing, storage, positioning, and making threats of using nuclear weapons, was proposed by the UN General Assembly in 2017, with the support of 122 countries. Eighty-four states have signed it so far, and the 75th anniversary of Japan’s nuclear bombings earlier in August saw many of those come forward to ratify the treaty. The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres called it “the culmination of a worldwide movement to draw attention to the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons.” The treaty serves as a step towards the betterment of the world in terms of reducing violent actions. “It represents a meaningful commitment towards

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the total elimination of nuclear weapons, which remains the highest disarmament priority of the United Nations” he added. The President of the International Committee of Red Cross, Peter Maurer, said there indeed is a promise for a safer future, and this certainly is a “victory for humanity.” Beatrice Fihn, executive director of International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), a coalition that won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017 for its vital role in bringing the treaty to actualization, called the significant moment “ a new chapter for nuclear disarmament.” Whilst the powerful nuclear states (United States, France, Britain, Russia and China) have yet to sign the treaty; there is hope that the ongoing activism will bring more results as it has now when everyone thought it was an impossible mission. ✪

OF BRAND DISCOVERIES

The world has changed the way it does business and marketing has followed the footsteps. Khushie Mallya follows the trends that maximises all your marketing efforts.

ifty-two percent is huge. I was honestly surprised when I read this figure on Hootsuite.com, a social media management platform, that recently conducted interviews and surveys on marketing. As opposed to traditional ways of marketing, social media was found to be the prominent ‘go-to’ source to fulfil the marketing needs of most orga-

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Trending nizations and individuals. Undoubtedly, social media has become an unavoidable part of our lives and also considering the technology we have grown accustomed to, it isn’t easy to imagine a life without our laptops and phones with easy apps to let us stay online & connected all through the day. These platforms not only allow us to voice our opinions; they are also extremely relevant for marketers since it provides room for two-way communication between the brand and its audience. So, whether you are an individual or a company make sure to get your brand ‘discovered’ by following these top four trends to your maximum advantage:

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Trending

25 99

33% millennials trust blog reviews by influencers

40% purchase products after they see a YouTuber or Instagram influencer talk about it Studies predict that by 2022

82%

of online content will include videos Source: Bigcommerce.com

1. INFLUENCER MARKETING

2020 brought a transformation in the way marketers chose to manage marketing campaigns. Marketing professionals are turning to influencers to endorse their brand since they have been recognized to grab the attention of an audience quite effectively. When it comes to millennials, only 1% of the population trust advertisements, however, social media analytics have proven that 33% millennials trust blog reviews by influencers. Additionally, about 40% of people stated that they tend to purchase products after they see a YouTuber or Instagram influencer talk about it. Influencer marketing, no doubt, is emerging as one of the most effective strategies to promote a product or an organization. Although some influencers may be expensive, people are also considering micro-influencers (1000+ followers) since they tend to have a more personal relationship with their audiences and perform highly in terms of engagement. Having a personal relationship with your audience builds trust more effectively, and there is minimal room for negative publicity.

need to be extra careful while posting content online, such that it is more friendly and less toxic. Some people are taking initiatives to reduce time spent online for themselves and others, calling it #DigitalDetox. Professionals who understand the impact of social media on mental health and are empathetic towards the cause, are victorious in gaining consumer trust and hence greater engagement. While creating a post, consider how your consumer’s consumption habits are changing. The focus is on quality over quantity. Cultural sensitivity, political correctness, and potential language perception barriers depending on who your target audience is are some of the things to be careful of. Social media is a sensitive platform, and you need to ensure that you or your content doesn’t offend anyone. This includes race, gender, different age groups, ethnicity, religion and so on.

3. DOMINATION OF VIDEO CONTENT

6th

largest social networking platform in the world with over

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Video content is identified as one of the most engaging methods of marketing and is soon predicted to take over as the number one advertising and promotional technique. Video content analytics show higher engagement

400

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2. SOCIAL MEDIA WELLNESS

rates, and hence, higher recognition for brands and individuals. Studies predict that by 2022, 82% of online content will include videos. People are transitioning into video content by excessively using story posts as a start. The growing use of TikTok best illustrates the domination of video content! TikTok is a massive platform to reach out to teenagers and millennials across the globe. Since the pandemic, people have been actively using it to promote their products. TikTok even introduced a feature for business owners to market themselves. If the content is good enough, and the individual has over ten thousand followers, TikTok could add the individual to the ‘Creator fund’, through which influencers can even monetize their uploads. One of the most effective methods of engagement on the platform is through ongoing trends, also recognized as #TikTokChallenge. Hootsuite statistics show that TikTok is the 6th largest social networking platform in the world, with over 1.65 billion downloads, and 400 million daily active users.

4. Customer Engagement

Social Media Wellness is about being discerning to the ways in which it can have an impact on mental health. Social media users now

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is the

Social media users now need to be extra careful while posting content online, such that it is more friendly and less toxic.

Customer engagement is the most crucial aspect of Illustrations: Freepik

Illustrations: Stories-Freepik

marketing. The more you engage with your audience, the more trust you build among them. The interaction also helps identify any loopholes in the marketing strategy and make modifications accordingly. Engagement on Instagram and LinkedIn, both, require significant use of the right hashtags to connect with the right audience. You could keep tabs on what’s trending, what hashtags are most used or followed and create your content accordingly. Twitter is an actively used platform for professional content, with over 145 million active users daily. It is an important ‘strategy’ for business, marketing, and promotions. However, considering that the app has a high number of users posting up to 500 million every day, it will be essential to be strategic, use the right hashtags, and understand your way around Twitter to engage with your target audience successfully. These platforms, when used effectively, also helps you gather feedback and understand how your product is doing in the market. For that, it is first necessary to be ‘discovered’ by your tribe following the trends that are here to stay. J 2 0 2 0 — N O V E M B E R — ASPIRE

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Intelligence Goes Artificial! Really?

With Artificial Intelligence being used in practically every sphere of our daily life, Amaan Bandukwala looks at its many applications and how it has changed our world.

echnology, in the last decade, has advanced tremendously. One of the most cutting-edge revolutionary concepts we have seen is that of Artificial Intelligence (AI). It isn’t very new though, the beginnings of which can be traced back to 1956 where the term “Artificial Intelligence” was officially coined by Prof John McCarthy at a conference at Dartmouth College, Hanover. The whole idea here was to teach computers to perform skills, reason and logic as a human does. For years, it was believed that computers would never be able to match up the supremacy of the human brain, but this is being proven wrong. With new processors called GPUs (graphic processing unit) capable of processing a multitude of computations simultaneously, specially optimized for the use of AI, the technology has far progressed to being a lot less artificial and way more intelligent today. Add to that the advent of ‘Big Data’ that

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makes extraction, assimilation and analysis of large volumes and variety of information, both structured and unstructured; computers can now make sense of all this material more quickly. So much so that 90% of the world’s data has been generated in the past two years alone! Couple that with detailed algorithms which AI systems make use of, computers perform huge tasks even faster and way more efficiently. Simulation of human intelligence along with reasoning, analytical and logical capacity, and the acumen to do corrections along the way, all programmed into a machine made by us – well that’s AI for you.

Narrow and Wide AI Mainly categorized in two ways, Narrow AI, also sometimes referred to as Weak AI (not that it is inefficient, just that focused on routine jobs), is designed and trained for one particular task. It can manage both physical and cognitive tasks - virtual assistants with speech and lan-

guage recognition, such as Amazon’s Alexa and Apple’s Siri are good examples of AI. On the other hand, Wide AI is a system capable of having intelligent behaviour across a variety of tasks. When presented with an unfamiliar task, a Wide AI system will start scouting and delivering solutions, replicating and sometimes even bypassing human cognitive abilities.

Specific uses of AI: Marketing: From mail spam filtering to smart shopping. Early on, when we searched for a product online without many details, we rarely could find it. But now, search engines are reading our minds and will even suggest a list of all relevant items similar to products that you might be looking for. Banking: AI has already saved millions of dollars by analyzing the anomaly in the behaviour of transactions, thereby effectively preventing credit-card frauds. Also helps provide customer support to its patrons collecting knowledge from thousands of sources and providing simple answers in less than a second.

in 1956

the term “Artificial Intelligence” was officially coined by Prof John McCarthy at a conference at Dartmouth College, Hanover.

90%

of the world’s data has been generated in the past two years alone!

Finance: In the age of ultra-high-frequency trading, organizations are turning to AI to improve their stock trading performance to boost profits. Machines are excellent at crunching vast amounts of data, analyzing trends based on observation of past patterns, and making quick assessments to predict the future accurately. Agriculture: AI helps farmers get more from the land while protecting their crops from weeds and other concerns such as climate change, soil quality, etc Using computer vision technology such as object detection, weedicide can be sprayed precisely on the spot, thereby preventing herbicide resistance. It can also detect, through images, potential defects and nutrient deficiencies in the soil, thereby increasing yields. Healthcare: Breakthroughs in drug development owe a lot to AI. It also helps a physician with a warning when there’s a patient at risk of having a heart stroke much before he suffers one. AI can also prevent misdiagnosing illness and medical errors by tuning in to a patient’s symptoms and health concerns and guiding to the correct care based on its diagnosis.

opponent moves as the games get more challenging when it moves through the levels, the system self-learns to master the game. Makes the gaming experience real and challenging as it prompts players to continually switch strategies for an immersive experience. Autonomous Vehicles: Revolutionizing the transport system with self-driving cars, AI collects data from the vehicles radar, cameras, GPS, and cloud services to control and operate the vehicle. Image detection and deep learning can automatically identify objects and drive around it without the risk of a collision. Chatbots: Chatbots like Amazon’s Echo and Google Duplex uses speech recognition and NLP to perform tasks such as managing schedules, controlling smart-home, handling online bookings, making phone calls, ordering your favourite food, checking the weather conditions and so on. We even have chatbot tackling social causes like domestic abuse and addictions, providing confidentiality and much-needed support in such cases. Artificial creativity: Beat this. An AI-based system can also compose classical music that echoes the classical legends, Bach and Mozart, by self-learning patterns of harmony, rhythm, and style on its own. Besides, automation tools even transform data into insightful narratives generating millions of articles as online content. Social Media: Face verification, identification of hate speech, anti-social activities, filtering out offensive content, to designing and suggesting feeds based on personal interests are all possible due to the deep learning and language processing algorithms on social media. Sophia, the social humanoid robot designed using AI, when interviewed on the ‘Good Morning Britain’ show said, “I hope that robots and people both get smarter and run the world better than ever before.” Is there even an iota of doubt now? J

SOPHIA

the social humanoid robot designed using AI, when interviewed on the ‘Good Morning Britain’ show said, “I hope that robots and people both get smarter and run the world better than ever before.

Photo: Hanson Robotics

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Events GH T S ‫٭‬

SHARJAH INTERNATIONAL BOOKFAIR

There are not many things in the world that have as much power to unite people as the arts, and of those none more powerful than books. Words are the medium with which we communicate, and books are the most effective channel of the same. Each year, one of the most awaited event to look forward to is the Sharjah International Bookfair. Not on to be dampened by challenges – they have boldly put a step forward with a hybrid program to ensure safety and maximum engagement in the event, lovingly proclaiming the theme “The World Reads from Sharjah.” Held both online and in person, there isn’t a single excuse not to revel in this event that commemorates our passion and dedication to reading.

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Events

GCC SMART GOVERNMENT AND SMART CITIES CONFERENCE The 26th GCC Smart Government and Smart Cities Conference boasts 5 days chock-full of keynotes, expert presentations and interaction from global dignitaries all brought together for one unified goal – the betterment of the future. With their ideal lying in efficient and green technology powering our futures, making lives easier and safer, there is no doubt that this event will be of showstopping brilliance. The event will be held from November 1st to the 3rd at the Swissôtel, Al Murooj Dubai.

Illustration: Macrovector-Freepik

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Events

DUBAI DESIGN WEEK Held from 9th to 14th November, this event is different from all of its precedents. It aims to set the standard for what is becoming known as the ‘new normal’ and establish the role of all designers and stakeholders in the industry. “How do we make this situation better through our power?” This is the question that designers have been asked to answer in this magnificent exhibition. Dubai Design week will remain among the most opulent of the regional celebrations, combining the artistic and the pragmatic. There will be no shortage of sights to see with grand presentations from 35+ universities, talk shows, and of course, featuring branded designs. The Design Week will also be the host to the kick-off event for the much-awaited D3 Architectural Festival 2020, with an opening reception on 11th November. ✪

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INTERVIEW

Guts& COVER STORY

Glory THE RAJ BHATT STORY

Raj Bhatt, founder of the Hozpitality Group, the recruitment and networking whopper for hospitality professionals in the UAE, the Middle East and North America, won’t let COVID-19 intimidate his dreams. He would rather gear up for triumphs bigger than anything he has scored so far. RAJASHREE BALARAM tries to demystify the maverick, who believes he is only getting started for a really, really long run

" Middle East Hozpitality Excellence Awards, Nov 2018, Hilton Habtoor City, Dubai

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ast year, Raj Bhatt ran into a tidy bid—an international business group rolled out one million dollars to buy over his portal Hozpitality.com. Bhatt didn’t so much as blink at the lure back then. However, now, as COVID-19 wields the sledge hammer with sadistic gusto through the hospitality industry—flights grounded, cruise liners docked, restaurants staring at scanty orders, travel agents shutting shop—it’s time for wistful nostalgia to morph such sweet old offers into sly taunts. Not for Bhatt, though. Here is a man who loves

to zag when he is expected to zig. In May 2020, two months after the world curled up in viral misery, Bhatt launched his revamped portal as a huge enhanced network for hospitality companies, professionals, institutes, students and suppliers. The makeover cost him $500K. “I am absolutely confident that when COVID clears up eventually, there will be an avalanche of opportunities in the hospitality industry, and we will get far too busy to look back at this phase,” he tells me over a Zoom call. Bhatt’s optimism appears to be a dense, shiny marvel that lends itself to charming metaphors. One can diagram it into a coin that he tosses in the air from time to time, testing his luck—mostly pushing it. 2 0 2 0 — N O V E M B E R — ASPIRE

COVER STORY

A LIFE LESS ORDINARY

is swag, though, is real and doughty, with a long back story to boot. Twenty-eight years ago, when he was a young boy from Haldwani struggling to assert his feeble authority over his ! dreams, defiance didn’t come easily to With his his rescue. “My father wanted me to lovely wife be an engineer, even though I was a Vandana less-than-average student. I enrolled at a private engineering college in Dehradun just to meet my parents’ expectations. But a few months down the line, a professor pointed out that I was not meant for engineering. I was so glad that I had finally met someone who could see I was in the wrong place. He advised me to pursue Hotel Management.” Before Bhatt could finish his first year of engineering, he told his parents about his rearranged goal post. Though his army officer dad and teacher mum didn’t oppose his plans, they also made it clear that they wouldn’t cushion his fall if he landed face first. “They were staunch disciplinarians, who taught me that life can only be lived and learnt through the experiences you choose for yourself.” Bhatt appeared for the written exam in Delhi, and still vividly remembers the anxiety he had experienced at the panel interview that followed. “The panellists asked me to introduce myself, and I went on and on till they had to stop me. Then they asked me about my hobbies, and I mentioned I enjoyed singing. They asked me to sing a number, and I promptly did—with what I imagined was great flair. Of course, they couldn’t wait for me to finish!” It becomes obvious that one of Bhatt’s redeeming features is his cussed tenacity. Even when he is nervous, he never steps back from a challenge. “I already knew “The day I landed in Goa to join the Institute of Hotel Management, I checked my luggage at I would be running my own successful the cloak room, and went around looking for paying-guest accommodation. I didn’t find any, business someday, even and ended up spending my first night in Goa though I was rejected sleeping on the railway platform.” The 48-yearin all the campus old looks back at his youthful recklessness with selection drills.” a smile—including the ragging he faced in college and the spats that he got into. When an argument with a college senior escalated into a brawl, in an act of self-defence, he lashed at the guy’s hand with the chef ’s knife. He was immediately transferred to the IHM manager’s desk.” He hadn’t imagined then that he’d soon in Lucknow where he graduated from in 1995 without be struggling to keep himself afloat in Dubai with the pitmuch ado. Though Bhatt didn’t have extraordinary grades tance of $200 paid to him. “I became desperate to return to parade, he had amassed steely purpose in spades. “I to India, so much so that I finally ended up paying $1000 already knew I would be running my own successful when I reneged on the contract I had signed on.” business someday, even though I was rejected in all the The next five years went past in a blur of anodyne work campus selection drills.” stints: as a fax operator in Juhu Centaur in Mumbai; as a front office supervisor in another hotel for a few months; ALL SET TO FREEFALL as a salesman running the spiel for pre-fabricated strucDespite many interviews, his first job continued to evade tures and flooring tiles for a company in Delhi; and a him. Finally, he landed one as a waiter in a five-star hotel couple of blink-and-you-miss-it roles at hotels in Jaipur in Delhi. “I kept applying for international opportunities. and Shirdi—from where he was sacked following a disWhen I received an offer from a hotel in Dubai, I was so agreement with the manager. “We didn’t get along, and he thrilled that I nearly flung my resignation letter at the terminated my contract while I was on vacation.”

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Bhatt credits much of his heady rise to the unwavering support of his wife. “The Group wouldn’t have reached this far without her.” His adoration is open, and his pride in her palpable

$ Launch of the Hozpitality Awards, Nov 2015, Le Meridien, Dubai L to R: Vandana Bhatt Chef Vikas Khanna, Chef Sanjeev Kapoor, Raj Bhatt, Rizwan Sajan

" Hozpitality Buzz on Zee TV ME and Colors ME, 2014

Chef Excellence Awards, May 2017, Five Palm Jumeirah, Dubai # Raj & Vandana Bhatt along with Late Chef Gary Rhodes $ L to R: Sitting: Late Chef Gary Rhodes, Chef Sanjeev Kapoor; Standing: Raj & Vandana Bhatt

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COVER STORY

Bhatt refuses to gloss over his flaws or his falls, and faces them head on—like he prefers to almost everything in life. “I went looking for a job in Mumbai, and had nothing in hand for a couple of months. Those days, I lived in a slum settlement, sharing a one-room tenement with eight guys. It was the kind of neighbourhood where one had to queue up at the common toilet. I couldn’t have hoped for more with what I had in my pocket back then.” But, every evening, he would sit on the sands of Juhu beach, staring at the golden sunset by the Arabian Sea, and—despite all the odds—dream of a life where he’d be calling the shots.

THE TWIST IN THE TALE

ife finally fell into a sedate pace for two years when he was appointed as an assistant front office manager at a hotel in Baroda in Gujarat. But it was in his next role as front office manager for Ramada Plaza Palm Grove in Mumbai when the turning point that he had been waiting for caught him unawares. “It was in 2002, when an in-house guest took a liking for me and offered me the role of group front office manager for the Neptune Group of Hotels in Kenya. I joined immediately, and four years later I was sent to Zanzibar to open a new property as resident manager. Overnight, I was living the fantasy. I moved into a villa by the beach, appointed a house maid to look after it, had a chauffeur-driven car, and had my lovely wife Vandana and our baby boy to come home to. But there was also a growing sense of restlessness that wouldn’t leave me alone. I knew I was meant to do a lot more with my life.” Bhatt had spent too many years living outside his comfort zone to settle into its warm embrace. In 2007, when a friend in Dubai propositioned him to team up for a recruitment consultancy, he didn’t think twice before quitting his cushy job the next day. “I instinctively knew I had to take that leap of faith. My father was so annoyed at my impulsive move that he “I cannot imagine refused to speak to me for a couple of months. Vandana, though, supported disconnecting from my choice heartily, even though I something that I love so had to ask her to move back to India passionately. Even on with our son, because I was starting vacations, I am readily afresh and had to hold onto our savings. Again, all I could afford was a available on call.” bed-sharing space in Dubai.”

ALL SWEAT, ALL HEART

Bhatt’s remarkable people skills fit his new role like a glove, and his unsullied

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# Winners of the 2019 Middle East Hozpitality Excellence Awards, at Dukes the Palm, Dubai

faith in life fetched him huge returns. He travelled to many countries to recruit manpower for a diverse spectrum of top-league hotels. A year later, he and Vandana decided to strike out on their own. Together, they started assisting top hotels in the Middle East and Africa with their human resource requirements. In 2008, they launched Hozpitality.com, an online job board exclusively dedicated to the hospitality industry. In the past 12 years, the Bhatts have helped brands such as Sofitel Dubai, Conrad Dubai, St. Regis Abu Dhabi, Hyatt Hotels, Armani Dubai, The Westin Dubai, The Address Hotels, Hilton Doha, Ramada Hotels, IHG Group, City Seasons, Hamra Hotels, and numerous other famed properties with their executive level and pre-opening/bulk HR requirements. Bhatt credits much of his heady rise to the unwavering support of his wife. “The Group wouldn’t have reached this far without her.” His adoration is open, and his pride in her palpable. “She has seen me through many months of sleepless nights when the going was not so good, and even today celebrates

Bhatt had spent too many years living outside his comfort zone to settle into its warm embrace. In 2007, when a friend in Dubai propositioned him to team up for a recruitment consultancy, he didn’t think twice before quitting his cushy job the next day our smallest achievement with great enthusiasm. She is my backbone.” Vandana handles the marketing, public relations and social media initiatives of the company, and also tackles executive search and consulting efforts. “I really couldn’t have asked for a better partner in life or work.” The rock-solid duo thrives on hard work and ambition. Today, the Hozpitality Group reaches out to one million hospitality professionals from over 186 countries and boasts of multiple assets: Hozpitalityplus.com for industry news; Hozpitality Events that organises top-brass gatherings for the fraternity; the Middle East Hozpitality Excellence Awards for top industry organisations; and Hozpitality Buzz – The Inside Scoop, a TV show aired in two seasons on Zee TV and Colors, which sussed out the most exciting news from the vibrant hospitality industry in Dubai.

OF LOVE AND LIMELIGHT

Bhatt works 24/7. “I cannot imagine disconnecting from something that I love so passionately. Even on vacations, I am readily available on call.” He confesses that he has no hobbies to distract him, except for long drives. “My wife and two sons enjoy travelling just as much. Sometime ago,

we drove across Germany, France and Switzerland, and checked into small motels along the way. It was fun.” His family is now settled in Canada, and he spends significant hours in jet lag travelling between two continents. “I am quite the hands-on dad with my sons,” he says, and then adds with a chuckle, “maybe a little too hands-on. I am sure they want me to ease up.” For now, there is no stopping the proud father who loves sharing videos of his musically inclined teenage son Aarav. “I want him to follow his heart and his dreams just like I did.” Bhatt is not done with his bucket list, though. Someday, he hopes to snag a role in a movie: “I love the limelight. Who knows, I might just go ahead and perform on the big screen.” It’s not hard to imagine that when he puts it that way—especially when he tells you that 25 years ago, he was rejected by the Taj Group of Hotels during campus interviews, but recently his company Hozpitality Events organised an industry pow wow for general managers, human resources, training and finance heads at the Taj Palace Hotel in Dubai. That may be a case of destiny and life coming full circle for some. But for Raj Bhatt, it’s only his story of pure chutzpah that got him this far. J 2 0 2 0 — N O V E M B E R — ASPIRE

INTERVIEW

THE

For long, medicine has been divided into two groups: ‘conventional’ medicine for health issues, and ‘alternative’ techniques to heal the mind. But are the two necessarily separate? What if there was a single approach that combines the best aspects of both, with provable, measurable results? This is the thought behind Healology, an innovative new programme that aims for the alignment of mind, brain and organ. ASPIRE spoke with the brains behind Healology, Dr Hanan Selim, to find out more.

With my seven-year-old child’s mind, I said to myself: When I grow up, I’m going to give medicines to everybody to make them feel better”

“WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?”

Interview by: Shagufta Patel Compiled & edited by: Karthik Subramanian

PHARMACIST

ight from when she was seven years old, Dr Hanan Selim wanted to heal the world. “With my seven-year-old child’s mind, I said to myself: When I grow up, I’m going to give medicines to everybody to make them feel better,” she remembers. Today, as an influential and widely recognised healthcare practitioner, Dr Selim has more than achieved her goal. Born in Egypt, she was raised in the USA from the age of seven. Even then, she was disturbed by the misfortune she witnessed in Egypt. “I’d see the suffering of children who were actually my age, who didn’t have the advantages to healthcare and medicine to get better,” she recalls. This is what formed the initial trigger that made her want to study medicine.

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After attending Grammar School, Dr Hanan Selim obtained a PhD in Clinical Pharmacology from St. John’s University in Queens, New York, and specialised as a chemotherapy pharmacist in Manhattan. She worked with various formularies and products, and held positions at many prestigious hospitals. She was also a member of the P&T (Pharmacy and Therapeutics) Committee, which includes doctors, physicians, pharmacists, hospital administrators, nurses and various other healthcare practitioners and staff.

THE

Interestingly, it was during these years that Dr Selim experienced something that would start her on her long journey toward inventing Healology. “As an accomplished healthcare professional, I was helping my own patients and clients with these wonderful formularies and protocols, with the approval and the help, of course, of my team members in the committee,” she explains. But there was something strange: many of these patients weren’t permanently cured. “I would see these people who had diabetes come back with gangrene,” she remembers, adding that some of them even underwent limb amputation due to the life-threatening nature of this complication. And it wasn’t just diabetes patients: “You would see a cancer patient who had been doing so well on chemotherapy, but they’d come back [and be told they have] five, six months to a year to live… Or I would see an obese patient come back needing a ventilator because they couldn’t breathe…” Even as she continued to do her best to treat them, she couldn’t stop won-

FUTURE 2 0 2 0 — N O V E M B E R — ASPIRE

INTERVIEW

I’ve taken existing processes used by millions every day, and I’ve evolved it into a holistic natural process that aims to get the same clinical results in health and wellness.”

" Dr Hanan receiving a trophy from Sheikh Sultan Alqassemi, as one of the best speakers at the International Government Communication Forum, Sharjah

dering: “Why is this happening? Why are they doing so well, but yet come back later, with a worse condition?” What she did not know was that she would soon face something similar.

THE DOCTOR BECOMES THE PATIENT Some years later, Dr Hanan Selim found herself suffering from a variety of conditions—obesity, high blood pressure, borderline diabetes—when she was given some damaging news. She had developed precancerous cells in her ovaries. Needless to say, her first refuge was in a familiar field. “I went to what I knew best, right? Conventional medicine,” she says. “Unfortunately, it didn’t help me at the time. As a matter of fact, my cancer indicators went from 70 to 700 in a small amount of time—

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$ Speaking at TEDX, Al Wasl, Dubai $ At the Pulse 95 Sharjah radio station for an on-air interview speaking about her book Second Chances

terms ‘chronic bio-disruptors’. “These are the silent stressors in our environment that affect us psychologically and physically,” she clarifies, giving diabetes as an example. “It does not appear at the doctor’s office with a diagnosis. It’s been in the works for 10 to 15 years as pre-diabetes.” Similarly, she notes that most such ailments don’t just appear out of the blue but are actually the results of years of these ‘bio-disruptors’ affecting our bodies, our minds and our organs. It was this realisation that began her journey towards bridging these two worlds and innovating a remarkable new solution.

SECOND CHANCES AND THE BIRTH OF HEALOLOGY

within three months.” That was when she began looking for what she now calls the ‘root cause’. “This led me on a journey to find out what was actually happening behind the scenes—what was not showing up on my diagnostic tools, whether that is my MRI, my blood work, my X-ray results, and so on.” So she decided to delve into the other end of the spectrum: “Alternative medicine, or methods like NLP, mindfulness, energy healing... I found that it helped a little bit, slowly, but it did not reflect on my lab reports,” she explains. That was not something she found satisfactory. Disillusioned with the conventional treatments she received, Dr Selim spent a lot of time and money learning and mastering different alternative methods. “That didn’t work for me,” she says wryly. “Being a scientist and coming from a science mindset,

! Dr Hanan signing her book for one of her admirer at the WEF, Egypt

# With an interviewer from CBC Egyptian channel at the WEFWomen economic Forum in Egypt, March 2020, where she was invited as a speaker and to receive awards

numbers mean everything to me. I was actually looking for a methodology from start to finish. Something that would not only help me on the physical aspects and the mindset, but which would actually reflect in measurable results that I could see like those in a lab test or an MRI or an X-ray.” It was thinking along these lines that led to her watershed moment.

RECONCILING THE TWO WORLDS Dr Selim outlines her theory: “So far, we’ve been dealing with the mind using alternative methods. And we’ve been dealing with the

body using conventional methods or conventional medicine.” But there is a problem: “We’re acting as if they’ve both come from two different worlds—we are actually creating two different worlds of mind and body. That just doesn’t work.” She believes this disconnect is what causes what she calls ‘yo-yo effects’— the wild ups and downs in a patient’s health cycles, which is something she has witnessed “in my own personal experience as well as that of my clients and in my teaching.” She further elaborates that every ailment, disorder or illness arises from its root cause, which Dr Selim

ventually, the journey towards healing herself and finding a solution took more than a decade, and Dr Selim documented this journey in a book, Second Chances: An Uncommon Guide To Rapid Fat Loss, Incredible Health and Superhuman Performance. “It’s pretty much the roadmap to my own journey, from being this accomplished healthcare professional, who became the patient and was able to reverse these conditions,” she explains. “[Reversing] endometriosis, losing 30 kgs in 10 months, reversing my cancer indicators, getting over polycystic ovarian syndrome without invasive measures… All of this was unheard of.” In addition, the book also outlines all the steps and the tools she used and explains what her discovery is worth. For interested readers, it also offers templates and details of how they could implement Dr Selim’s newly discovered techniques for their own health and wellbeing. These techniques, which bridge what Dr Selim calls the ‘mind-body-organ connection’, form the core of her healthcare programme, called Healology. So what exactly is it? “I’ve taken existing processes—conventional methods—used by millions every day, and I’ve evolved it into a holistic nat2 0 2 0 — N O V E M B E R — ASPIRE

INTERVIEW

ural process that aims to get the same clinical results in health and wellness. This system has evidence-based tools to test and measure your progress. We also give natural prescriptions at the end of the process of diagnosis and prognosis in the self-healing process. These have nothing to do with drugs or invasive measures and all to do with getting to the root cause, healing it and supporting the immune system to auto-regulate you back to health by boosting your innate resources—what we call ‘DNA Excellence’.” “It’s a program that works with the mind-brain-organ connection without drugs and surgery, and it gets results without the side effects we see in conventional medicine or the ‘yo-yo’ effects we see in alternative methods alone. It’s a start-to-finish

process with measurable tools like in conventional medicine as well the healing aspect of alternative medicine,” she says. “Most people who show up for Healology already know they have a problem and have tried many methods that don’t work. We find and address the root cause from day one—causes that are not found on X-rays or lab work but are still actively causing havoc.” At this point, she sheds light on one particular distinction many people seem to be concerned about: is Healology only for health issues, or is it more to do with wellness? “Health is part of wellness, not exclusive of it,” she says. “So, while Healology is all about health, it also includes how to increase your finances, improve your relationships, your lifestyle, and

how to benefit your family, business and career. Once you are able to use Healology as the mind-brain-organ connection, you’ll be able to leverage it in all parts of the wheel of wellness. And of course, that is inclusive of health.” In other words, Healology does helps your health and wellbeing, but, done right, “it also has a ripple effect in every area of your life.”

HEALING THE WORLD Ever since the launch of the Healology Wellness Programme, Dr Selim has been catapulted to the forefront of the health and wellness space. She is also popularly known as the Pharmacist of the Future. Over the past years, Dr Selim has worked with luminaries including iconic TV show host

$ Sharing the stage with influencers and world leaders at the International Government Communication Forum, Sharjah

Larry King; American poet, rapper, filmmaker, and spoken-word artist Prince Ea; American physician Dr David Katz and more. Her work has also helped numerous people all over the world overcome their illnesses, heal their mind and maximise their productivity. “People are so happy and amazed at the lifelong, lasting recovery,” reveals Dr Selim. She has also received numerous awards for her work. This year, at the World Health and Wellness Congress and Awards, she received the Healthcare Leadership Award, something that means a lot to her. “I really have been very fortunate to have this research that has got me this kind of recognition,” she humbly admits. “It’s actually helping me leverage that and take my system across the world.”

The wellness industry was worth $4.2 trillion in 2018 itself. By 2022, ten key wellness sectors are expected to grow almost by 8% ‘I WANT IT TO BE A HOUSEHOLD NAME’

Once you are able to use Healology as the ‘mindbrain-organ connection’, you’ll be able to leverage it in all parts of the wheel of wellness”

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ince 2012, she has been living in Dubai with her family and three children: “Two boys and one girl; they’re teenagers now, in college, studying to be a doctor, an artist and a lawyer,” she smiles fondly. She has also started a company called Healology Wellness, for which she has big plans. “I want it to be a global brand, recognised like NLP and other methodologies that have their own certifications. I want it to be a household name. I want it to be an option for people across the world—a start-to-finish process they can use to leverage their health and wellbeing.” She recognises that the wellness sector is booming currently: “According to the Global Wellness Institute (GWI), the wellness industry was worth $4.2 trillion in 2018 itself. By 2022, ten key wellness sectors are expected to grow almost by 8% as consumers adopt different wellness lifestyles,” she says. “This just shows that people are actually out there, looking

and searching for all these modalities to start taking back control.” She emphasises that it is very important for people to work on their wellness as well as their health. Not having a proper wellness mindset, according to her, could cause a lot of limitations. “It could actually affect their full potential, whether in their business or their relationships, their family…on many, many levels. So I think the root cause is present in the mindset, like a block, not allowing us to achieve the goals we’re looking for.” That is why it is very important for people to change their mindsets, and attack their problems from the root. She quotes Albert Einstein: “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results. So, if you want new results and new outcomes in your life, in your relationships, in your finances, in your business, and in your health and wellbeing, you have to step out of your comfort zone. Do something different to get something different in that area of your life,” she concludes. J HEALTH COACH CERTIFICATION FROM START TO SUCCESS. LEARN MORE HERE $ https://drhananclinic.groovepages.com/vsl/ 2 0 2 0 — N O V E M B E R — ASPIRE

s enes som awe

A Cu pful of

INTERVIEW

How does one engage a Master Conversationalist on a virtual call? This was the very thought that was continually fretting SHAGUFTA PATEL as she got ready to speak to Samir Geepee on a scheduled zoom session. Well, it turned out that her worry was unwarranted as the outcome was a beautiful seventy minutes of getting to know the ‘Nice Guy’ as he humbly calls himself, who is also an Author and a Leadership Coach.

PHOTO: ALAN BELL

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INTERVIEW

! During his college days – Samir sitting 2nd from right

orn and raised in Qatar in his early years, Samir Geepee had a nomadic life where he was constantly moving between cities for schooling, higher education and later for work. The longest he has been in any place is China, where he lived for eight years between 2006 and 2014. From China, it was Dubai for a year, then Doha the next year, till Dubai pulled him back and he has been here since 2016, hoping to break his China record. “Unless I plan to move out again,” he mutters with a sheepish grin, not knowing what will get him to pack his bag and baggage out of UAE. “I feel like I need to travel. I need to meet new people, gather new experiences. And I believe this has allowed me to shape my thoughts, to have new ideas that have made me into who I am today,” he says feeling blessed that he has been able to move without getting stuck or bounded to any one place.

! At his JLT office in the initial days of ‘Awesome Walkers’ $ Samir as a child – Circa 1985

Crazy About Creation

The shifts weren’t only with the places he lived in; he has been into a lot of different careers as well. Right after finishing engineering from the National Institute of Technology, Calicut in 1999, and a year after working as a Site Engineer in a consultancy company, he got into the business of ‘framing’ where people brought their artworks, paintings and memorabilia to be encased. Samir would happily cut out the glass and the wooden sticks and put it all together. “It was very artistic. I still enjoy the process of creating to this day, where I am constantly looking to craft something new and once done, I’m scurrying to build the next product.” This he solemnly admits is also a challenge he faces. “I’m learning to slow down and focus on taking things further ahead in the creative process to include mass adoption” He has designed a planner that comes with ten tutorial videos and a workshop, on how best to make use of it. Available on Amazon, Samir knows that he could do so much more

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“When you’re your truest, most authentic self, the whole divinity works through you” to promote this one-of-a-kind planner that is called Awesome Planner. “I have just put it up there hoping that people who are passionate about productivity will discover it.,” he sighs with a hint of guilt. Done with ‘framing’, he set up a business in China, with offices in Hong Kong and Yiwu, where people reached out to him for product sourcing, buying and the logistics as well. He learnt to speak Chinese in the bargain too. Finding himself caught in the repetitive web, with nothing new and exciting to challenge him, he woke up one day with the question, “What am I doing here. What’s the point?” And he just wrapped it all up.

Samir was at the time the President of both the Indian Association and the Malayali Association in Guangzhou. He called up the community people, sold his company, let his friends take whatever they found of use from his home. All he packed away were his books to be shipped. Within two weeks he moved to Dubai.

Onto and Onwards

“I never thought I would come back to the Middle East,” he says. But when he looked at the entire world map and had the opportunity to go anywhere in the world, Dubai had a comforting liveliness to it. After a year of exploring the real

estate market in Dubai, he moved to Doha, Qatar to test his taste for the food and hospitality industry. He was hired as VP for a food brand and within a year realized that selling tea was not his cup of tea. So he came back to Dubai. Amidst all of this dabbling between places and professions, he discovered the world of NLP. “I did an NLP coaching programme, and it felt like I was born to do this.” He recalls sitting in class, learning the tools and techniques when the guy he is practicing an NLP modality with has a breakthrough. Samir was stumped that this came so naturally to him. He advises, “When people tell you that you are good at something, then you have to ask yourself – Is this in my blind spot? Is it something that I’m not aware of? Is it something that I’m leveraging and using to my advantage?” This he says has been his greatest learning and lesson. To bring more focus to the point, he shared that one of the most profound feedbacks he received was that job positions he was offered wasn’t for his technical skills; instead what they saw in him were his people skills and how he related with associates.“I was made aware of this for the first time in 2005 when I was being hired for a real estate company back in India.” He also cautions us that when someone points out our strengths and the good in us, and we brush it off, or if we don’t acknowledge and accept it; then we miss the plot. He is convinced that only when one starts becoming more mindful about their strengths, is when one can start getting better at it. Sharing his learnt wisdom, he says, “When you know what you’re naturally gifted and good at, and ask yourself how I can harness this, that’s

! Crafting some magical conversations in his ‘safe space’

“Conversation is an exchange of words, while communication is the transformation of thoughts and words into meaningful action”

Jean-Pierre De Villiers (top right) and Carol Talbot as guests speakers at Awesome Walkers Photo: Charles Verghese

when your life goes through a transformative shift, and you experience an upward swing.”

The Start Of Everything Awesome

Samir is naturally gifted at the art of holding conversations. Inspired by the Mindvalley workplace in Malaysia, he fitted his JLT office with bean bags, threw in some cushiony rugs and invited a few of his close friends to have a dialogue where he spoke to one person, and the others listened.

With no formal structure in mind, he began doing what he did best. He did not want it to be formal as that meant preparation, research and getting to know all their history. “I am not that kind of a person. I want to be chilled and be having a good time conversing, that’s all,” he states casually. Adding to this: “I love people who walk their talk while doing it with a huge scoop of awesomeness.” And so, on the 17th of July 2017, ‘Awesome Walkers’ had its first spectacle. The people loved the simple, easy and 2 0 2 0 — N O V E M B E R — ASPIRE

INTERVIEW

“I feel like I need to travel. I need to meet new people, gather new experiences. And I believe this has allowed me to shape my thoughts, to have new ideas that has made me into who I am today.” engaging format. His friends were of the opinion that he should host this once a month, but Samir being Samir, realized that his whole intention was to meet interesting people to converse with and decided to host it every week. “I started seeing the impact on the speakers. Most of them would say they have never been asked that question before, or they would be sitting there and answering a question with tears in their eyes,” he said, getting a bit emotional himself. The guests admitted having never been able to open up and be vulnerable in a crowd on certain topics before. What was happening that made them feel they’re able to open up easily? Samir says that when he asks a question, he does it from a space of self-learning where he is attempting to peel layers to understand things better. He replays an incident where he had an RJ (radio-jockey) as his guest, who had recently graduated in Mass Communication. “She only knew that she loved to talk and she had to figure out something around that,” he narrates. Recalling further he says that she had no clue where to apply and where to start about; just then she heard an audition call on the radio and went for a sound test. They found her interesting, and she landed a job she loves. “Whilst she was narrating, I asked myself, what is it that I love so much that I will do it with joy every single day? And I realized it is conversations.” That is how a ‘Conversationalist’ came into being. As the weeks progressed, Samir began to see a difference between communication and conversation. “There’s a clear distinction. Effective communication is a sum of several important

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$ Azaan (8) and Rayhan (12), his sons reading the dedication to them from his book Awesome Cup

! Giving a Keynote speech at the ‘Come On’ Kerala Conference

! Book signing the Awesome Planner

ending up as this wonderful book,” he continues with a sense of pride and accomplishment.

Coaching Corporates and Young Minds

parts, not simply words spoken or sounds heard. Talking is opening our mouths and letting the words flow... Conversation is an exchange of words, while communication is the transformation of thoughts and words into meaningful action”, he enlightens us. From then on, he minutely observed every interaction he had and assimilated pointers from his tête-á-tête that he could package as a tool to offer people. This tool they could apply and improve the quality of their conversations, and consequently their relationships, and also their life. The result came in the shape of a book titled ‘Awesome Cup’. “The book is 18 years into the making,” he says. The story idea for the book came from the recent two-day school reunion that he attended with his friends from 20 years ago, but the central takeaway is what he wrote on a piece of paper that still resonates with him till this day. “What was missing then was a structure, a platform, a setting that all came together in bits and pieces over these 18 years

Having this unique gift of crafting deep conversations that binds people into a unit, Samir saw it missing in team cultures and offered his services to companies for forging stronger teams. It worked. “Issue is, people have superficial talks, not deep exchanges. One conversation can change everything. When you have opened the doors of your heart and your mind to somebody in the room, there is no going back.” All he does is create a safe space where participants are able to share sometimes what they have never shared before. That does the magic. When he goes back a second or a third time people jokingly retort they don’t want to talk to him. “We don’t know what we will divulge,” they tell him with a guffaw. Emphasizing on the power of these team conversations which led to one of the participants being able to express how she was sexually abused as a child, he tells us, “The liberation was there for all to feel.” This “painful secret” which she had never disclosed to anyone ever before, when vocalized had a profound impact upon herself

“When you know what you’re naturally gifted and good at, and ask yourself how I can harness this, that’s when your life goes through a transformative shift and you experience an upward swing.” and therefore on the team interactions after that day. Another time, one girl admitted an attempt at suicide which she had made a couple of months ago. Her colleagues just stood up, went up to her, hugged her and let her know that she is not alone anymore. “You can’t make up these stories… and when this happens, the dynamics of the group changes completely. Once you are in that space of love, gratitude and affection; it feels like a gift,” he says, feeling thankful for the work he does. Having undergone no formal training or any certification for becoming a Conversationalist, Samir says that there is no process he follows and has only one way to explain how he does it: “When you’re your truest, most authentic self, the divinity works through you.” ‘Young Leaders Mastermind’ (YLM) is his other program specially designed for youngsters between the age of 12 to 21 years. A

“I love people who walk their talk while doing it with a huge scoop of awesomeness.”

unique twelve month-long program as opposed to a quick 4 or 8 week bootcamp, the group meets every week over a year. Each month the focus is on a different life-skill, and each week, the kids go into a deeper understanding of each of these skills. The YLM program includes twelve months and twelve themes such as Goal Setting, Productivity & Habits, Creativity, Finance, Health… and towards the end is Community Contribution. Quite sad that he wasn’t taught these essentials when he was a boy, he wants kids to learn these useful skills and philosophies, so that it steadily gets ingrained in them as they practice it with each other by way of a buddy-support system. A father to two young boys himself, one can sense the value he wants to bring to the juveniles that will be priceless for them moving forward in life.

The Nice Guy

The last time he ever got into a fight was in grade eight in boarding school when he got into an argument with the boy seated beside him at the dinner table. The argument

# Samir gifting a personalized poem to John C Maxwell

turned into a fight, and the next moment everyone around them started cheering on to “make it a real fight.” Beds were laid in the middle of the dormitory as a make-shift boxing ring, and the real fight began. “There were no rules. It was like MMA (mixed martial arts) where you can do anything you want.” Samir caught hold of the boy’s neck, pushed him against one of the walls and almost choked the fella to near death. The others had to pull them apart literally. “There is an animal in each one of us, if not tamed, then it is easy to get out of control. I promised myself that day that I would be a ‘Nice Guy’,” he grins from ear to ear. His big dream is to have his talk show, the likes of Oprah Winfrey and David Letterman. “Either on Netflix or Amazon Prime, it doesn’t matter which one!” he clarifies as he also fills us in with his project in the pipeline: a Podcast for Turning Point (the weekly online meetup he started during the pandemic), Awesome Walkers and his next book. “I don’t know if the new book will take another 18 years; I will let the process do its work. When you just let it be a labour of love, the result is always something very phenomenal,” he ends our conversation leaving me with a lot to ponder upon. J 2 0 2 0 — N O V E M B E R — ASPIRE

INTERVIEW

Scents &

Sensibility

Priya Jethani has worn many hats in her storied career. She has been an anchor, an actress, an influencer and, now, an entrepreneur with her own line of products. ASPIRE met with this multifaceted personality to learn more about what keeps her ticking, how she managed to do so much in so little time, what challenges she faced, and how she overcame them to rise above it all. As they say in the industry… Lights… Camera… Action! Interview by:

Shagufta Patel

Karthik Subramanian

aving seen Priya Jethani so many times on TV, it feels a little unreal to meet her in the flesh. Now known as a fixture in Dubai’s entertainment scene, we explore how she actually got started. “I always had this desire to be in the glamour world. Right after school, I even had my portfolio made!” she laughs. “High-resolution pictures taken by professional photographers… And then I was like, do I really want to do this?” Glamour, she decided, would have to wait. “I was born in India and brought up in Dubai,

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“A lot of times, we think TV or acting just happens to people, and things look so glamorous and lovely in front of the camera. But there is a lot of hard work, a lot of effort behind it.”

Compiled & edited by:

where I did my schooling and got my bachelor’s degree from Wollongong University. I then moved into a market research job, and then seven years just flew by in a blink,” she says. But then another voice spoke up in her mind. “I was doing my job and a part-time MBA programme simultaneously,” she recalls. “This left me with absolutely no time to even think of an alternative career. Finally, one day, it hit me, ‘If not now, then when?’. And tomorrow, I don’t want to be regretting that.” This gave her the necessary impetus, and soon after, when she became the runner-up in a beauty pageant, she got another, immediate confidence boost. “Alongside my corporate job, I started getting some modelling offers,” she

notes. “I also did photoshoots and auditioned for TV commercials and drama series. I got a few small roles, so I did some acting too.” That’s how it all began—even though she didn’t actively plan for it.

The accidental TV presenter

“All I had in my mind was that this can be something on the side that I can pursue,” she says. “I never really thought I’d be on TV.” So how did she end up becoming one of Dubai’s most popular TV hosts? “This is something that happened totally by accident. I call myself the accidental TV presenter!” she laughs. “Zee TV Middle East had announced their auditions for a presenter

on a TV show. Never in my dreams had I actually thought of being a TV presenter—I don’t know what I was thinking, but I just walked into those auditions. And it clicked. That’s how I started my journey with Zee TV sometime in 2016.” The show—which she ended up hosting—was the popular Zee Connect, which, as of today, has been running for more than a decade. Priya is still its host, and has been helming it from Season 6 through 10. Priya has also hosted Music Garage, a music reality show, and in 2019, she hosted season 2 of The Cookbook. Her passion for Zee Connect is palpable, especially when she explains how it paved the way for her to interact with Bollywood’s who’s who. “Now I’m doing season 10 of the show, 2 0 2 0 — N O V E M B E R — ASPIRE

INTERVIEW

! With Anil Kapoor for the Malabar Gold & Diamond showroom inauguration " Ranveer singh and Vaani kapoor during Befikre screening at DIFF $ Nawazzudin and Shah Rukh Khan during Raees promotions in Dubai

celebrity. The first few that I was thrown into interviewing were the likes of Madhuri Dikshit and Shahrukh Khan!” The latter interview remains deeply etched in her memory. “I remember when I was going to interview Shahrukh Khan, I was sweating and had butterflies in my stomach. People were telling me ‘He’s an amazing person, so don’t worry’, but nothing would calm me down! Imagine meeting Shahrukh Khan when you’ve never been on TV and never met a big celebrity and sat across them—ever,” she shakes her head fondly at the memory. Since then, she has interviewed dozens more, including world-famous actors Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai; music legends Asha Bhosle, Neeraj Sridhar, Shankar Mahadevan of the composer trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, singer Guru Randhawa; and composer and tabla maestro Zakir Hussain. “My god, when I think of it now, it gives me goosebumps!” she says.

" With Varun Dhawan at the Iconic launch

‘There has to be something more!’

“Imagine meeting Shahrukh Khan when you’ve never been on TV, when you never met a big celebrity and sat across them—ever.” $ Interviewing Hrithik Roshan

which makes me very happy that I’ve been one of their longest-running anchors. The nature of the show is such that I’ve had the chance to meet all these amazing, amazing celebrities,” she gushes. “The whole of Bollywood was coming down to Dubai for shoots, press conferences and movie releases. There were also singers, musicians, sportsmen… And thanks to Zee Connect being a lifestyle show, I easily got to meet them.”

‘Connect’ed to the stars

She confesses that she was extremely nervous when she first learned she would be interviewing some of India’s most recognised celebrities. “I had absolutely no training,” she reveals. “I never knew I’d be doing this one day. My heart would pound every single time I met a

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he was the host of a successful TV show and had a glittering modelling career. Everything was going well, but was it enough? “I’d just started carving my own way in the industry, but my next thought was: ‘I’ve become a TV presenter. What next?’” she says. “I felt I could be a live show host as well—I could be up there, getting the whole crowd charged up, entertaining them and giving them all they wanted: a good time. So I started to host some private functions. That moved on to large-scale, big, fat Indian weddings, and then corporate events. I’ve done roadshows for brands like Malabar Gold & Diamonds, Asian Paints, Indigo Airlines, etc.” Along the way, she also developed a strong fan base, which she leveraged into another facet of her career. “I became an influencer when so many people started following my social media accounts to see what I’m wearing, what I’m doing, the places I’m visiting, the restaurants I eat at, the clothes and the jewellery I wear,” says Priya.

The truth behind the scenes

In our conversation, it is inevitable that the hidden side of being so long in the spotlight comes up, and Priya tackles the topic headon. “A lot of times, we think TV or acting just happens to people, and things look so

Finally, one day, I was like, ‘If not now, then when?’ And tomorrow, I don’t want to be regretting that

glamorous and lovely in front of the camera. But there is a lot of hard work, a lot of effort behind it,” she candidly admits. “A lot of things can go wrong which may not appear so on the outside. With the glamour industry, given the number of people out there every single day trying to make their mark, it’s not easy at all.” For her, what works is always giving her best. “Presenters and actors…” she tries to find the right words. “What we are in front of the camera, we really may not be in real life. Even though we’ve had a bad day, even though there may be something going on that we might not be very happy with—in our family, in our personal lives or even professionally—once the camera is on, you put on a smile, and you’re a different person.” Doing this continuously can take its toll, notes Priya, shedding light on the mental 2 0 2 0 — N O V E M B E R — ASPIRE

INTERVIEW

kind of ignore this a lot of times, and that’s what we should avoid.”

Overcoming obstacles

THESE ARE A FEW OF HER FAVOURITE THINGS: 1 Has adopted Yoga as a way of life instead of a fitness routine 2 Big fan of smoky eyes for a glammed up look 3 Bollywood buff who likes to watch sci-fi series 4 ‘ Cold and scenic’ is her idea of a perfect travel destination 5 Loves to gorge on a Spicy McChicken meal once in a while 42

health issues that have plagued many celebrities the world over. “When you’re off camera, you go back into your personal life. It’s something you cannot avoid, even if you want to. So many times, we try to surround ourselves with people, be as social as we can so we don’t feel lonely or upset and don’t think about our issues. But at some point, it does bother us,” she explains. “Sometimes, what appears on the surface is not so. And it’s okay, because each one of us has baggage. What is important is that we address it, and try to resolve it so we can move ahead in our lives.” “We need to encourage every person in our lives to come out and talk. If you’re friends with that person, or their caretaker, or in any way related to them, you need to push them to talk about it.” She adds that many people have a different ‘public’ persona from their internal reality, explaining that being on social media, for someone like her, is part of her job. “But inside, I may be going through something that I probably want people to ask me about, and then I can tell them… Maybe it’s difficult for me to reach out to people. We

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ot all aspects of Priya’s journey have been smooth. “2018 was a hard time for me in many ways,” she says. “I made a shift in career shortly after I got married. In 2018, due to personal differences, I was inclining towards divorce and, around the same time, my mother passed away. I had work commitments, and keeping busy kept my mind off the grief and stress during that time.” She goes on to reveal that this year, her father was diagnosed with cancer. “It left me shattered,” she says. During such times, she explains that it is her dedication that keeps her going. But even that can be challenging. “We don’t have a nine-to-six, we don’t have fixed timings or a schedule—sometimes, we don’t even have weekends,” she says. “So it becomes really, really difficult to manage our personal life. One thing I try to do is to have fun at work, which is easy because I love my work.” At the end of the day, her work is what she wants to be remembered for. “Your work speaks for you,” she asserts. “Put all your dedication into your work and give it your all. Be your truest self. The other thing that sets me apart is my commitment. When I commit to something, I will get it done, no matter what comes my way.”

Forging ahead

With that same grit and determination, Priya is already thinking about what comes next. She is especially aware that everything in the media sphere has a shelf life. “Initially I’d sometimes feel I’d have a very short shelf life. How long will I be in front of the camera? It bothers me sometimes, because you’re not going to be your glamorous self always. Newer people will come in, fresh faces will take over… We’ve got to be prepared for that.” And she is prepared. “I’m looking for my plan B; something to fall back on tomorrow,” she says. “There are opportunities and opportunities galore. If you put your mind to it and if you really want to continue doing something, you will find your way. Maybe I’ll do production work, because I learned so much about it. Or I could look into events, because I’ve been a large part of so many of

“There are opportunities and opportunities galore. If you if you put your mind to it and if you really want to continue doing something, you will find your way”

them and many people come to me to plan their events…” Another dream she has made a reality is starting a label of her own. Priya recently celebrated the launch of her first line of fragrances under her eponymous label. “The fragrance is called Joie de Nuit, which means ‘Joy of Night’,” she reveals. “It’s made in France, the land of fragrances. It will be available on Amazon.ae and other online channels for the moment.” Priya acknowledges the support she has received from family in her personal and professional life. “The biggest credit goes to my parents and my brother for the support and the encouragement they gave me at every step,” she says. “My mother always knew I loved modelling and glamour and never stopped encouraging me. My father always accompanied me to every single audition, casting, or portfolio shoot I attended right after graduating from school. And all along, my brother has always stood by me like a pillar, never letting anything weaken me and always pushing me to fulfil my work commitments in the best possible way. He has been with me throughout our difficult times—when my mother was sick, when I went through a divorce, and now when my father

is battling cancer. Sometimes issues like these break you, but I owe it entirely to my brother for giving me the much-needed strength and support to keep myself sane and go on with my work.”

‘Don’t give up on your dreams’

At the end of it all, Priya believes in pushing through your pain and never giving up. “Your dreams don’t have an expiry date, so don’t give up on them. You don’t want to regret that you never gave it a shot,” she says sagely. “There is a saying in Hindi: ‘Duniya mein bahut gham hain, aur mera gham sabse kam hai’ (There are a lot of sorrows in the world, but mine are the smallest of them all) We may have problems, pain and suffering—sometimes too much for us to deal with—but we need to look outside of our lives. Then we may discover that our problems may seem very tiny compared to that of the world’s.” Wise words indeed. A few days before this article went to print, the entire ASPIRE team was saddened to learn that Priya’s father had succumbed to his battle with cancer. We offer her and her family our heartfelt condolences and prayers. J 2 0 2 0 — N O V E M B E R — ASPIRE

People & Parent Coach, Changévangelist

Shagufta Patel

PRO TALK

Hello

Care for your ‘bodies’

* Physical: Fuel it with proper nutrition, solar & ground energy, hydration, and physical activity

As people get increasingly aware and heedful towards their well-being; discover ‘The Four Bodies of the Self’ model and what does it really mean to be in a state of equilibrium and balance to achieve holistic wellness at all levels.

he Global Mental Health Day that is matters even more grim for adults trying to observed on the 10th November each cope their best to handle it all with grace. year with the objective of raising the Work from home did not make it any better awareness & importance of mental leading to a dramatic rise in cases of anxiety, health issues around the world, did overwhelm, depression, confusion, mental fog create ripples and waves all over as the and fatigue. topic is now being looked upon as something As the world is being forced to move to a that is of extreme importance and not to be new manner of living; people are doing their shied away from. best to adapt to the changes that were brought Especially now that people have been in, and organizations are doing all they can to floundering with the current situation that comfort & support their employees through shook the world quite unexpectedly, and online webinars & sessions on various topics. what seemed like a passing storm has contin- Many support groups have sprung up that talk ued to linger on showing no signs of leaving just yet or anytime soon We are finally emerging in a new avatar… either. The past few months have more aware, more conscientious, more been awfully abysmal for many, responsible towards ourselves, towards with individuals having to deal with catastrophes & cataclysms others and the world we live in. both at the work and home front. Even though things may have not been too on issues related to well-being, and experts dismal for others, it certainly was far from have willingly volunteered to share their the normal. knowledge in an attempt to make a difference Confinement & restriction though imto the community. plemented with the idea for our own safety We are finally emerging in a new avatar… & protection, can be gloomy even for the more aware, more conscientious, more restrongest of individuals. With young wailing sponsible towards ourselves, towards others children and ailing elders at home, it made and the world we live in.

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As someone who has been active in this space for a long time now and having had several online sessions speaking on the subject, the term ‘mental health’, in my opinion, deviates from my understanding and approach to holistic wellness. Whilst the underlying concept of mental health refers to the ‘absence of disorder’ of any kind in the way people think, feel and behave, for me ‘mental’ is just one facet of the many dimensions that make us up. When I hear the word ‘mental’, it immediately conjures up an image of the brain and all the activity that takes place within it. Whilst the brain is an important organ, I still do not want to restrict myself to thinking that this is all that matters, for it is now that I understand that we are multi-dimensional beings and there are so many aspects we embody that make us up. I would rather bring my attention individually to all of those aspects rather than club them under one such facet. Mental Health is undeniably important and is a component of ‘Holistic Wellness’ that I am a proponent of. Our inherent quality is that of wellness, wholeness and of balance. Even though we have our own individuality & are unique beings in our own distinctive ways, fundamentally we are a tiny-tiny dot in this universal matrix that we are a part of, that is so well balanced & well structured. Can we then be any different? What I follow now is the ‘Four Bodies of our

* Emotional: Be aware and in control of your emotions. Deal with the stressful ones straightaway

* Mental: Practice cognitive activities to sharpen those grey cells. Be ‘conscious’ at all times

* Spiritual: Connect with your ‘higher self’ and ‘universal life force energy’ through meditative practices

The four bodies of our self must be balanced equally to maintain the equilibrium that gives us the poise & calm we so desire at all times. This is after all our natural state of being. Self ’ model which is a complete roadmap to our wellbeing, encompassing our physical, emotional, mental & spiritual (energetic) health. These four bodies are interdependent and work together to give us a complete sense of wellbeing. These four bodies must also be balanced equally to maintain the equilibrium that gives us the poise & calm we so desire at all times. This is after all our natural state of being. When one achieves it, then life gets into a pleasant flow of happiness & prosperity. When any one or more of the bodies is misused or unheeded, then it throws the others off-balance leading us to feel indisposed & out of sync with ourselves and everything around us. While we speak of wellness that is holistic, all-inclusive and all-encompassing; when one finds that any aspect is off the hook, then one needs to apply the notion of ‘reductionism’, which is literally at the other end of the continuum. What it entails is to look at the issue as minutely and deeply as possible so as to get to the root cause of what’s causing the imbalance. A regular mindful check-in time to time helps to keep us feeling healthy & glowing in mind, body and the spirit. There will be highs and lows, ups and downs as we go through life; but when one sets foot on the path of mindful wholesome living, then life becomes delightful to the very core and each day becomes worth its while. ✪ SHAGUFTA PATEL CAN BE REACHED AT shagufta@changewithrenae.com 2 0 2 0 — N O V E M B E R — ASPIRE

and interested to serve on your Board. Next list names that come to your mind one below the other. Let’s understand the tool and the various roles within it:

The Inner and Outer Circles:

Feeling stuck? Wish you had the solution to the situation that you are faced with? No amount of head scratching seems to help?

aybe you need someone to view your issue with a perspective that seems to have escaped your view. That is where having a mentor and/or advisor comes really handy. Then again, given the complexity of our work and business environment, most times having one mentor/advisor is not good enough. Executives and Managers, even CEOs today need an array of mentors, advisors and role models as support and to provide crucial information at decisive moments. Just as corporations configure networks to deal with the variety of problems faced by knowledge workers and also manage opportunities when it shows up; individuals too need to configure their networks based on their needs and the

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resource commitments involved in building such relationships. Your personal board of advisors can include a range of individuals from friends, family, role models or simply people who come into your life for a specific purpose. This article aims at providing you with insight and a practical tool on how to assemble your effective personal board of mentors. It has been developed by MIT Sloan School of Management, the business school of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. To use the tool, you need to do the following exercise: Imagine that you are the CEO of your own company and like any other company, you also would also need to appoint a Board of Directors to run the show. The next step is to think of the people you can appoint on your ‘Board’ as your trusted personal advisors and mentors who can provide the expertise that you fall short of. Of course, these ‘Directors’ that you may want to appoint must be both available

PERSONAL ADVISOR: (inner circle) ✦ Someone you frequently interact with outside of work and also frequently rely on for psychological support. They serve as an emotional backing, a sounding board, someone who is an unconditional friend who accepts your capabilities and is non-judgemental. ✦ This person has more connection with you, can you tell you more and give clarity on how you could navigate the circumstances in your life. This is a person you look up to and they have some connect to your day to day life.

FULL SERVICE MENTOR: (inner circle) ✦ They would fulfil the role of a true mentor on your personal board, providing both career and psychological support. ✦ Helps you with clear direction to establish your goal post and then ways of getting there successfully. ✦ A full service mentor has a great rapport and closeness with you with frequent interactions and extensive support.

CAREER ADVISOR: (inner circle) ✦ They predominantly provide career sup-

INNER CIRCLE

Personal Board of Advisors

PERSONAL GUIDE limited, less interactive, primarily psychosocial

2. PERSONAL ADVISOR frequent, active, nonwork, strong psychosocial

3. FULLSERVICE MENTOR frequent, active, career and psychosocial

CAREER SUPPORT

✦ This is someone with whom you had a supportive relationship in the past, but now have limited or no interaction going on, and still drawing inspiration from them. ✦ They have guided you on a specific lesson, subject, skill or topic. For example, someone who taught you the value of work ethics.

OUTER CIRCLE

Assembling your

Executives and Managers, even CEOs today need an array of mentors, advisors and role models as support and to provide crucial information at decisive moments. 46

PERSONAL GUIDE: (outer circle)

PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT

As the name suggests, the people within your inner circle will be closer to you having more frequent interactions and providing greater levels of support. Those within the outer circle (outside of the inner circle) are the people who are less close with fewer interactions, typically providing more focused support in any particular area where help is required. Less interactive advisors those who are principally important as role models are located in the white space within the outer circle. Overlapping support circles indicate multiple kinds of support provided by the given board member.

Illustration: Upklyak / Freepik

Speaker, Strategist, Goal-Catalyst

Sabeeh Ghugharia

PRO TALK

CAREER ADVISOR frequent, active, primarily career support

5. CAREER GUIDE infrequent, primarily career support

6. ROLE MODEL one-way, inactive, inspiring, instructive

Think of the people you can appoint on your ‘Board’ as your trusted personal advisors and mentors who can provide the expertise that you fall short of. port, know your capabilities well, and help you navigate through the organisation. ✦ This is someone who is well versed with your industry and your role within it. ✦ Theirs is a more formal and a shorter micro role, typically covering a 3-year strategic plan formulated especially for you. ✦ They offer advise based on specific questions and feedback and offer value through their own personal experience and practice.

CAREER GUIDE: (outer circle) ✦ This is a macro role that involves long term commitment from the board member, with intermittent interaction. ✦ They know you well and help you maximise your potential to become yourself ten years down the line. ✦ These are people who have played leadership roles, and assist you to build yourself up as a leader.

ROLE MODEL: (outer circle) ✦ These are people you follow and want to be like, wanting to live a life like theirs. ✦ You may have no interaction with them ever and yet they are people you are proud of and influenced by. ✦ They may have gone through trials and tribulations that you yourself might be going through. ✦ They are your ideals and role model that inspire you. Now that you have a greater understanding of the various roles, revisit your list of names and assign them to the relevant roles they would be best suited to. The final step would be to assemble them in the above tool to create your very own ‘Personal Board of Mentors’. Next time you feel stuck, or proactively feel the need to streamline your next career move, or are looking for some guidance on the personal front, you have your own go-to board of members who will ensure that you don’t need to scratch your head in bewilderment ever again. SABEEH CAN BE REACHED AT drsab.isin@gmail.com 2 0 2 0 — N O V E M B E R — ASPIRE

The ‘Merchandising’

PRO TALK

PILLAR OF ECOMMERCE

Digital Marketing Expert & ECommerce strategist

Sunil Nair

As ecommerce emerges as the new face of retail, there is an increased pressure on retail outlets to bring out their independent ecommerce websites to augment their retail business. Every ecommerce website should focus on the 5 pillars that frame an ecommerce website to ensure success. This article takes an in-depth look on the first pillar “Merchandising” within this digital ecosystem and its dynamic framework.

aving taken note of the all the five pillars of Ecommerce, when it comes to achieving success in it, Merchandising is the key. One can find mention of ‘right merchandising’ even in the ancient Ebla tablets (dated ca. 2500 BC to ca. 2250 BC) which are predominately about the trade and commerce of the time. A variety of factors come into play while establishing a right merchandising strategy which depends on various factors such as, sector, product quality, available space, and whether the retailer is displaying the product in a physical or digital store.

Elements of Ecommerce Merchandising Instead of physical floor plans, online businesses organize sites into categories, sub-categories and product pages. Banners and pop-up windows replace danglers and cut-outs, highlighting special offers and seasonal items. Ecommerce store-owners have a lot of freedom when they design their sites. Since customers expect to encounter reasonably predictable ecommerce layouts, intuitive sites tend to create the greatest number of conversions. A mixture of ecommerce merchandising tactics like an easy to navigate attractive website, constructed using best UI/UX principles with well-executed homepage, product page, and category merchandising techniques play a very important role to increase AOV (Average Order Value) and enhanced consumer loyalty.

Merchandising can be further categorised into: 1. Product merchandising comprises of all promotional activities used to sell a product such as a well-designed web site, along with the use of apt images, categorization and right

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keywords in description and other customer touch points. Emblematic logos, rich corporate colors, standardized web fonts, compelling imagery, sleek banners, and smooth transitions work together to create a branding sensation. When customers open the logo-stamped boxes, they are led to see the carefully packaged products nestling inside and their positive experience completes the branding narrative. For example: HP offers many category pages that provide users with a positive experience. An example of a very simple category page from HP: A sub-category page with simple visual and image based product selection: Why does this category page design work? The design is simple and visually appealing. Users can easily find their options in one place in a visually appealing format. Having the

option to choose each category and see the available products in the particular category also makes for an A+ shopping experience. This feature streamlines the buying process and guides users to their next click.

Overall, HP provides a great user experience for people who are yet new to the online shopping experience. 2. Retail merchandising refers to all promotional and marketing activities that in some way contribute to selling products to customers in a physical retail store or a website setting. Customers don’t consciously think about the sensory experience when they walk into a store. Rather, the colors, sounds, smells, temperature, and the way the merchandise feels combine to deliver an experience to the customers’ psyche that they may not even realize. Retail merchandising is an art and science. Decades of customer research, driven by the overwhelming economic importance and growth of the retail industry, has armed retailers with actionable data for effective merchandise strategies and best practices. The goal of retail merchandising activity is to support a retail strategy that generates revenue for the retailer and also value for the customer. 3. Visual merchandising in an offline setting refers to all of the display techniques used to highlight the appearance and benefits of the products and services being sold including aspects such as floor plan layout, color palette selection, three-dimensional displays, and product and banner alignment; while in an online environment the following touchpoints is of vast importance. a) Homepage b) Product pages c) Category page d) Mobile responsive and optimized e) Product discovery is easy f ) Getting personal with recommendations g) Great product descriptions h) Keeping it simple i) Focus on story telling j) Highlighting user-generated content A good example is House of Fraser where they demonstrate product knowledge and a variety of different merchandising techniques on their homepage. With visual merchandising, retailers can influence customer choices based on what they see in physical stores and on their computer screens. In the book “Retail Marketing Strategy: Delivering Shopper Delight”, author Constant

Berkhout mentions a study conducted by researchers who affixed smiley face stickers to merchandise price tags. These emojis gave shoppers the perception that the prices of the items displayed on the stickers were lower than

One can find mention of ‘right merchandising’ even in the ancient Ebla tablets (dated ca. 2500 BC to ca. 2250 BC) which are predominately about the trade and commerce of the time. Photo: Markus Spiske-Unsplash

the prices of the items without the stickers, giving an insight to the psyche of the shoppers. A well-known and simple visual image, in the relatable and popular form of communication (emojis) preferred by highly sought-after millennials and Gen-Zers, had a powerful effect on customer valuation of the product. 4. Digital merchandising involves all promotional activities used to sell a product online and can include everything from site performance and digital product displays, to digital marketing and email marketing initiatives undertaken. 5. Omnichannel merchandising is all about creating a unified customer experience across all possible touch points of the customer’s journey even when the customer moves from one channel or medium to the other. If SEO best practices drive consumers to online stores, ecommerce merchandising strategies take over when people arrive. Making a strong first impression in merchandising is a critical aspect whether it is to entice window shoppers at a physical store or those who have recently landed on the home page of the website. In the third article of this series we shall take a dive in to the “Technology” aspect of ecommerce. Until then have a relook at the approach you may have applied and used so far, to perk it up in ways that can boost up sales of your Merchandise. This article is the second in continuation of a six series feature. The first one can be read here: Is Your Ecommerce Trade Standing On The Right Pillars. ✪ SUNIL NAIR CAN BE REACHED AT sunilsn72@gmail.com 2 0 2 0 — N O V E M B E R — ASPIRE

erenity, Tranquillity, Placidity are not just fancy words but a state that we are seeking at all times. No matter who you are or what you do, you need this quality of being composed that links to your success in a myriad of ways. Meditation is the new secret pill to success, happiness, peace & calm, and yet many perceive it wrongly that it eventually becomes a block for people wanting to practice it.

Kim Shelar

Today let’s debunk some top myths of Meditation and get you informed on all that you need to know about getting the maximum of your meditation time.

... 1 ... I must sit in the Lotus position to Meditate Sitting in Lotus position is excellent & is the most comfortable position for anyone who already meditates. It aligns and straightens the spinal cord allowing the chakras to cleanse & balance, and it also allows for good attention & the ability to sit longer. However, it’s not the ONLY way to meditate. You are the best person to choose what position works best for you. You could choose to lie down & still be in awareness, or you could decide to sit on a chair with the feet on the floor, or you could choose even to stand and meditate. As a beginner, it is all about aligning to your purpose, which is gaining the benefit of the Meditation. Begin with aligning to the purpose, If you are new, start with any sitting position, even using a backrest & then slowly advance to sitting without a backrest & staying present with the Meditation of choice.

... 2 ... In a Meditation I have to keep a blank mind

Photo: Pexels-Lucas Pezeta

Meditation Expert, Energy Healer & Executive Mindset Coach 50

Meditation has caught on big time and yet there are many who will not experience it & reap its benefits simply because they are holding on to myths that are best let go.

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Initially, when we sit to Meditate the mind begins to “throw” into our awareness all topics & people we have incomplete work with or actions that are yet pending. Our subconscious mind tries to communicate with us throughout the day, and we often neglect the signs or pay no attention to it. So the next time you close your eyes to meditate, keep a notepad beside you to note down what your mind is bringing to your attention. That’s part of the process, allow it, and soon

... 3 ... Meditation is done only for stress release Yes, Meditation is a clear answer for any stress, but it doesn’t stop there. Meditation has a million, yes a million benefits. It helps us keep calm- as a personality & not just in that moment. It helps removes negativity and helps us sleep better. Meditation keeps us aligned & aware of anomalies in our physical health, fastening our recovery from any ailment, be it a small cut, a major surgery, or mental dysfunction. Meditation heightens our instincts & intuition and leads to better decision making ability. It helps in identifying opportunities and also increases our productivity. All of this and so much more. I hope the above reasons encourage you to begin meditating today.

some of us find it in the silence of our own company, and for each choice made there is no right or wrong. The idea is to find what makes YOU feel your most authentic self. So yes, if you choose to meditate, you can most certainly alongside enjoy the fun elements the way you like.

Using candles, incense & sage is another element altogether. You may choose to use it, but you don’t necessarily have to.

... 4 ... We must be Vegan to meditate Once again, it’s a choice most people make. When you meditate your alignment & communication with your body will guide you as to what you must eat. Many sages still consume fish & meat & many others that survive on Prana or Breath majorly. So allow your body to guide you & listen to that inner voice as you begin to meditate. Eating light & eating to live & sustain is more of the rule one can adopt. Observe yourself when you have had a late heavy dinner. You will usually not sleep well and wake up sluggish & tired. This is because of the pressure placed on the digestion process & time taken away from the body to rejuvenate. Similarly, when we eat too heavy and then get into Meditation, the body automatically is sending all attention & blood flow to digest the food & thus reduces the ability to be aware.

... 5 ... We have to give up on having fun & ‘enjoying life’ when we decide to imbibe Meditation in our lives This myth, once again comes from a perceived notion that people who meditate as a lifestyle don’t enjoy life. Meditation is a tool for Happiness, and Happiness is a very open & free-flowing concept. Some of us find it amid the noise,

Photo: Unsplash-Zoltan Tasi

MYTHS TO LET GO

PRO TALK

Meditation heightens our instincts & intuition and leads to better decision making ability

Meditation is the new secret pill to success, happiness, peace & calm, and yet many perceive it wrongly that it eventually becomes a block for people wanting to practice it.

Photo: Unsplash-Madison Lavern

Meditation

you will begin to notice that you are having less of these thoughts flog you. Having control & calm of mind is the effect & gift of Meditation.

... 6 ... We must use candles & incense sticks every time we meditate Using candles, incense & sage is another element altogether. You may choose to use it, but you don’t necessarily have to. Just like entering a restaurant makes us hungry; entering a Church, Temple or Mosque, makes us choose silence; likewise lighting a candle, incense stick or sage cleanses the air of impurities, the stagnant energy & creates a vibe. Meditation teaches us to FEEL with all our senses, & each one of us can choose what associations we like to have during our practice.

... 7 ... One can’t swear or get angry when one begins to meditate There are no rules as such, yet when we begin to meditate, we reach a state of understanding of self and others. Even when we don’t understand, we get into a natural space of allowance of them. Anger is a release of emotions to things we cannot accept. When we meditate as a life practise, we learn to harness this energy very differently. You may then be your authentic self & decide whether anger & swearing is a release that needs more thinking or just something that remains a personal choice. If you have been thinking to add Meditation to your life but held back gripped by any or all of the above misconceptions, then I hope those blocks have been cleared or at least opened today to allow & welcome you to find your strength within you. Wishin you a delightful Meditational Practice. J KIM SHELAR CAN BE REACHED AT hello@kimshelar.com 2 0 2 0 — N O V E M B E R — ASPIRE

COMMUNITY SERVICE

LENDING SOME MAGIC TO LIFT UP MOODS

When the workflow and everything came to a grinding halt in early March, Errol Goveas and his team at Pure Magic, responded to the economic downturn by creating a series of virtual events as a non-profit community project to keep the joy going.

efore coronavirus ground business to an agonizing halt, Dubai based business Pure Magic Exhibitions and Conference Organizing was a thriving event management agency, with 20 fulltime employees, contract workers and

vendor partners. Their business supports a wide array of events such as weddings, private events, fundraisers, conferences and corporate parties. Started in the year 2005 they have 15 years of experience managing events for some reputed organizations, hotels and associations in the UAE.

“The campaign has provided work, distraction, creativity and internal joy, that has been so much more than mere survival for each one of us.”

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Recollecting the initial lockdown days, founder and Managing Director at Pure Magic, Errol E. Goveas tells us, “We had many events on our calendar listed for March and April until COVID-19 affected our workflow and everything came to a grinding halt on the 4th of March 2020.” Like many other industries, the team saw an instant slowdown of work coming in. “We were looking for a project that would keep our team busy and also keep them sane, whilst being under lockdown”, says Errol. Realizing that the unfolding situation is not within their control, they began to identify talents and skills within their capacity and then ways to innovate & utilize these skills to serve the community in their own unique way. The bunch was quick to spot an

opportunity and “producers being producers” turned this chance opportunity into a non-profit community project. Errol and his team responded to the economic downturn by creating the ‘Webinar Tuesday’s’ virtual event series where they turned into a knowledge

through the two months and moderated the flow too. The team hopes to continue spreading awareness and encouraging optimism through positive communication. Errol mentions a special acknowledgement and appreciation

Realizing that the unfolding situation is not within their control, they began to identify talents and skills within their capacity to serve the community in their own unique way. sharing platform focusing on the importance of community, collaboration and engagement. The aim was primarily to bring together experts from various industries to instill positivity and inspire people through the online series promoted on social media. “The team was focused on a strong pre-event outreach, with social media leads tracked through regular emails and calls from our business development reps. These actual human connections drew people in and give us more information to optimize our event strategy: picking topics and speakers that would resonate with our audiences” said Errol feeling pleased with the outcomes. They began immediately with the initial idea of having a complete shift of Physical Events to the Virtual Environment keeping in mind the Lockdown rules laid by the UAE Government to protect its citizens and to control the pandemic. Whilst the rest of the world was still coming to grips with the severity of the situation, Pure Magic went live with their first virtual event on 7th April 2020. This was a way of giving back and contributing to the greater good of the society at large. “At the start, we visualized 12 episodes that would run over two months and address critical subjects. We received an unprecedented number of responses from our speakers and audiences alike. The team worked tirelessly on the backend, reaching out to speakers from around the globe, coordinating time zones, doing test runs and managing audience registrations”, added Errol. He personally hosted each webinar

to all the speakers who took the time to contribute, and also to his team members that worked relentlessly and passionately to put this valuable content together. He continues to say, “Little did I know how healthy and constructive this campaign would be for our staff. It has also provided work, distraction, creativity and internal joy, that has been so much more than mere survival for each one of us.” Errol, a singer and musician himself, has been performing live and singing consistently each Saturday since the 2nd of May on facebook as part of his own “Saturday Date” engagement, a way of keeping the music motivation going and keeping his audiences entertained. Pure Magic Exhibitions and Conference Organizing are currently hosting a group platform called “Entertainment Collective” on Facebook for all the talented individual Artistes to keep themselves relevant and busy. Live Performers on the group get an opportunity to participate in the contest each fortnight anywhere from around the world and win US $500 as prize money which is really welcome during these crucial times — a true trifecta that is supportive and will hopefully continue to bring joy to the Event Industry. Interesting times indeed that have pushed many of us out of our comfort zones and pivoted us in the direction of a new creative thought process to overcome any kind of challenge there is, and this team is adding the right sprinkles of ‘Pure Magic’ to virtual events. ✪ 2 0 2 0 — N O V E M B E R — ASPIRE

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CELEB TALK TRAVELERS’ TALES HEALTH EXPLORE HOBBIES

Ayushmann Khurrana

FROM SLOW AND STEADY TO

ANDHADHUN Tracing Ayushmann Khurrana’s inspirational and gutsy success story through anecdotes from his 2015 book, Cracking The Code BY RACHIT GUPTA

Film Critic and Screen Writer

ot too many actors currently in their thirties, can claim to be masters of their destiny. Not that we’re sure Ayushmann Khurrana has achieved zen, but if you do look at his filmography from 2016 to 2020, you’d know that he has hit a golden streak of sorts. Sample this – Dum Laga Ke Haisha (2016), Bareilly Ki Barfi (2017), Shubh Mangal Savdhaan (2017), Badhaai Ho (2018), Andhadhun (2018), Article 15 (2019), Dream Girl (2019), Bala (2019), Shubh Mangal Zyada Savdhaan (2020) and finally, Gulabo Sitabo (2020). That’s a ‘perfect ten’ streak of movies that have

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impressed both the classes and the masses. What makes his rise to superstardom even more impressive is the fact that back in 2015, the industry and its fans were ready to write off the ‘Vicky Donor’ (2012) sensation after he gave a slate of disappointments in the form of Nautanki Saala (2013), Bewakoofiyaan (2014) and Hawaizaada (2015). But the man turned it all around. How you ask? Well, for starters, he learnt, like any artiste, from his mistakes. Secondly, through a steady process of perseverance and gumption, he managed to find his niche in the mad, mad world of movies. And that niche was nothing but the hero of his movies - the script and story. Whether it is Dum Laga Ke Haisha or Shubh Mangal Savdhaan

“Sometimes you don’t get an opportunity as there is a better one waiting for you”

or Andhadhun, every single movie from that ‘perfect ten’ has the proverbial ‘paisa feko’ kind of script. It’s a story, which sends a burst of adrenaline through the creative centres of your brain, the first time that you hear it. And that has been the defining truth to Ayushmann Khurrana’s rise to the top of the marquee. Those 100-crore hits don’t come from luck alone, it takes a discerning sensibility to recognise true value. So how did Ayushmann Khurrana crack the code of Friday frenzy and became the hottest name in Bollywood, till Covid-19 dampened the industry spirits? Well, the answers lie in his 2015 book, titled Cracking The Code, which the actor co-authored with his wife Tahira Kashyap. In 2 0 2 0 — N O V E M B E R — ASPIRE

R&R / celeb talk “THE CRUX OF THE MATTER IS THAT ONE HAS TO BE HONEST TO ONE’S PASSION. BE IT GARDENING, COOKING, ACTING, TEACHING, SCULPTING, POTTERY OR ACADEMICS”

this 136-page book, Khurrana lists 15 codes that he thinks were instrumental in his journey of going from a random ‘Chandigarh da munda’ to becoming a celebrated B-town actor in Mumbai. Had the corona madness spared us, Khurrana would’ve probably belted out one or two more box-office successes at the theatres this year. And the reason for his juggernaut like success has been his ability to introspect and adapt.

PASSION Among the many admissions in Cracking The Code, one of the most honest ones is where Ayushmann writes, “Till date, I rehearse and rehearse like a maniac. Be it a press conference, a radio interview (that I now give and not the other way round), events or film shoots, I prepare every day of my life.” He confesses to being an over-prepared actor. But that is exactly why his performances and his movies hit the mark with the viewer. That was the entire theme of Rajkumar Hirani’s 3 Idiots (2009), too – pursuit of excellence. No wonder then, that Ayushmann managed to make an illustrious career following that dictum. The way the actor explains it in the following paragraph just nails the thought to perfection. “The crux of the matter is that one has to be honest to one’s passion. Be it gardening, cooking, acting, teaching, sculpting, pottery or academics; if the circumstances are not congenial to promoting your talent, then you must create that environ-

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ment yourself. You could be a doctor to the world but a potter at home. You could be an army officer at the battlefield but an ace guitarist among your friends. You could be a dentist at work but a dramatist in front of your son. The idea is to derive satisfaction by making an endeavour to not let your passions die.” Now that’s Monk-level wisdom, right there.

PURSUIT Passion is the driving force, but pursuit is the fine ability to know where you want to reach using the propulsion from all that passion force. And through his remarkable, ‘outsider’ journey, first at the fringes of Bollywood and then with the proverbial foot-in-the-door technique, Ayushmann was always crystal clear about the fact that he wanted to be an actor. It was his ultimate manifestation and even though he started off with reality TV in shows like Popstars and Roadies, following up with stints as a Big FM Rj and then a TV soap opera actor, followed by VJing on MTV, eventually leading up to being

a sought-after host on TV shows like India’s Got Talent and Just Dance, his sights were always firmly set on being a Bollywood star. So, code number four in his book says, “…lies in being receptive to what life has to offer. It could be a tragedy, an embarrassing situation, a hilarious one, a sad one or an elating one. There is something to understand and take away from every experience.” During his days as a young college colt, Ayushmann actually had the good fortune of visiting a sperm donor bank and that’s where the young lad was sensible, sensitive and intelligent enough to realise that his donations could actually liven up a couple’s life. Lo and behold, this experience was instrumental in Ayushmann saying yes to Shoojit Sircar’s Vicky Donor, a film that had been rejected by multiple actors. The film did go on to kick-start his dream of being an actor and the rest is history.

PEOPLE Every success story features a bunch of people helping each other out.

That’s the basic fabric of humanity, that’s the way every single person in history has managed to achieve their life’s highlight. And Ayushmann knows the importance of this truth. Code number one in his book emphasises this very fact by stating, “It’s essential to value relationships, especially with those who will always be in love with the real, imperfect, juvenile you. Trust me, you wouldn’t find many such genuine folk. And the reason I say that this commitment to self because these are the only people who will time and again, make you meet your real self. And being real is the only key to happiness and success.” Not just that it is these very people who become conduits for the opportunities in your life. Ayushmann considers his stint with Aditya Chopra’s Yash Raj Films as the big turning point in his life, wherein, he was able to break-free from the clutter of struggles and fine tune his vision as an actor and artiste. No surprises then that YRF gave Ayushmann Dum Laga Ke Haisha, back in 2016, when all else looked bleak in his career. And it was that film that led the critics and audiences to believe that Hindi cinema had found a new ‘common man’ hero, a new Amol Palekar, so to speak. Understandably, one of Ayushmann’s codes says, “Give your best to whatever opportunity you get, never underestimate the significance of even the smallest of junctures. Your past actions will one day become your future redemption.” And the way this code changed his life was that, VJturned-actor Gaurav Kapoor, who had trained Ayushmann at Mudra Institute of Communications Ahmedabad (MICA), 2.5 years ago, became the guy who referred him for the VJ job at MTV for the show Wassup, which turned Khurrana into a household name with the youngsters. When it comes to people, where there is good, there is also scope for bad and ugly, too. Chances are while some will help you, others will become hurdles. Something similar happened in Ayushmann’s early days in Mumbai, too. He was the second lead on a TV soap called Qayamat,

produced by Ekta Kapoor’s Balaji Telefilms. But when he got a chance to be a lead on another show called Ek Thi Rajkumari with Zee, he took that chance. That made the executives at Balaji mad and vindictive towards Ayushmann, but that’s also when the detached and level-headed actor relied on another code: “There are no permanent friends or permanent foes, only permanent interests.” Perhaps that’s how, through his experiences he’s learnt to trust a plethora of creative minds, without being afflicted by ego or conflict. So, whether its Sriram Raghavan (Andhadhun), Shoojit Sircar (Vicky Donor), Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari (Bareilly Ki Barfi) or even Ekta Kapoor (Dream Girl), Ayushmann’s career has marched on, through his credible creative associations.

PRACTICALITY Being level-headed is sometimes more important than being incredibly gifted. In his own words from the book, Ayushmann says, “I think one has to be practical enough to weigh talent and aptitude on an unbiased scale.” So the way you deal with failure, rejections, disappointments, delays and suffering, makes all the difference. He was gutted when Ayushmann found out that despite nailing the audition he had missed out on a major role in the 2011 film Teen The Bhai, which featured Om Puri, Deepak Dobriyal and Shreyas Talpade. But as fate would have it, the casting director of the same film became the guy who recommended and groomed Ayushmann for his debut in Vicky Donor, next year. Moral of the story, the silver lining, does reveal itself, if you only give it enough time. Likewise, Ayushmann also feels that success only happens to those who figure out what’s wrong around them. The realisation is what guides

you onto the right path. One of his codes states, “Sometimes you don’t get an opportunity as there is a better one waiting for you.” The way he explains this is with the following para, which is filled with inherent wisdom and clarity of thought. “If, even after getting enough chances to prove yourself, you haven’t been able to impress the world, haven’t caused it to sit up and take notice, its time for some self-introspection. There is a possibility that you either don’t have an aptitude for it or are not working hard enough,” now that’s sense and sensibility alright. Now you know why Ayushmann Khurrana is a name synonymous with quality cinema. The reason for his meteoric success is the fact that he is an intelligent, sensitive and perceptive person. He has the wherewithal to identify trends and act accordingly with instincts. He is that veritable rare breed of artistes who can survive setbacks and then scale the highest highs with consummate ease. That’s what you call, true grit! J 2 0 2 0 — N O V E M B E R — ASPIRE

R&R / health

Immunity Booster

Smoothie and strength, whereas, regular physical activity and about 30 to 40 minutes of daily exercise plays an important role in maintaining good immunity. The activity helps in improving the blood circulation which in turn makes it easier for immune cells or infection fighting cells to travel to all parts of body.

MIGHTY

HYDRATE, 3. HYDRATE, HYDRATE

immunity

Prevention is always better than the cure. We all seem to agree on this adage and when there are easy, simple ways of keeping oneself healthy and fit, it makes sense to take note of it and follow the guidelines of a qualified health care professional.

Dt. Geetika Uppal Gold-medalist in Nutritional Science and the founder of ‘Foodmatters by Dt.Geetika Uppal’

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mmunity on a redouble. Well, that is what everyone is working on these days. Supplements off the shelf, healthier foods, lifestyle changes, anything that will help in boosting or building up those mighty soldiers within your body to help you fight off the silent invaders that can be quite a pain literally. Immunity as you know is the body’s ability to defend from ‘foreign bodies’, rejecting any infections, cleansing any kind of foreign material in lungs, killing harmful viruses and bacteria, to keep you fit and going. Whilst the human body has an inbuilt immune system there are many factors like, lifestyle, diet, stress, medical conditions, which varies the immunity strength from individual to individual.

And whilst you also know the best ways to give your immunity the much needed support to help boost it up, a reminder now and then is what we all need to keep it going.

AT A HEALTHY WELL E BALANCED DIET

A balanced diet is the first key to a strong immune system. Apart from having well-balanced macronutrients (carbs, proteins & fats) in the diet, including the micronutrients (minerals & vitamins) plays a vital role in maintaining immunity to the optimum. The important micro-nutrients include: Vitamin B6 found in chicken, salmon, tuna, bananas, green vegetables and potatoes (with the skin) Vitamin C found in citrus fruits like

Keeping your body well hydrated helps the circulatory system too in transporting the immune cells within the body, and is also good for your skin. When dehydrated, circulation slows down and immunity levels drop.

ENOUGH 4. GET SLEEP HOURS

Indian gooseberries, oranges and strawberries, tomatoes, broccoli and spinach. Vitamin E found in almonds, sunflower oil, sunflower seeds, peanut butter and spinach, nuts etc. Other food sources like, mushrooms, blue berries, watermelon, wheat germ, yogurt, green tea, ginger, garlic, pomegranate, spinach, broccoli, kale etc also provide a mix of trace vitamins like Vit K, Folate, Magnesium and Zinc Our body absorbs vitamins more easily from food sources rather than supplements, so include these in the diet instead of oral supplements.

PHYSICALLY 2. GET ACTIVE

It is believed by most that exercise is only for slimming, building muscles

The body’s growth hormone HGH and immune cells grow during sleep. The HGH produced by the pituitary gland slows down post the age of 30, but never really stops. Sleep time is repair time and people who are sleep deprived seem to age faster and are more prone to fall sick and catch infections such as common cold. A good sleep pattern and adequate rest is very essential to keep those tiny monsters at bay.

BEAT THE BLUES

Stress always has an adverse effect on the body. Anxious times, especially long lasting pressure durations, gets the body to react in initiating a stress response which in turn suppresses the immune system, making the body easily prone to infections and diseases. Meditation, deep breathing exercises, physical activity help overcome the blues. Indulge in fun activities from time to time, spend time with loved ones, plant yourself in a positive environment as much as possible.

Best taken in the morning, before or after a workout, this easy and quick smoothie will have your body thanking you for the immunity boost.

- - - In gr ed ien t s - - Frozen Blueberries

½ cup

Avocado

Frozen Banana

Baby Spinach

1 Cup

Kiwi

Honey

1 teaspoon

Greek Yogurt

- - - Me t h o d - - • Blend all the ingredients in a blender, until smooth. • Top with Sliced Kiwi and berries.

SERVES: 2 PREP TIME: 5 MINS 2 0 2 0 — N O V E M B E R — ASPIRE

R&R / tr avelers’ tales

TRAVELLING BACK HOME DEEPA NARAYANAN MEETS THE GLOBETROTTER, WHO FOUND IN TRAVEL THE LESSONS OF MINDFULNESS AND ACCEPTANCE AND THE ART OF SLOWING DOWN, LEADING HER BACK HOME AS A NEW PERSON

hat struck me the most about Leidy Tatiana Moreno Forero’s travel tales was not that she’d covered 43 countries before she’d turned 30 or that her ‘souvenirs’ from most of these places include a picture of hers in the traditional outfit of the land, looking every bit an ethnic there, almost as if possessing the powers to shape herself in another’s mold—seamlessly, quite like water taking the shape of anything it is poured into. No, there was something else that stayed back in my mind about Tatiana after our online video interaction one morning, where she talked to me, between bites of her breakfast, about her travels, sometimes animatedly and at others, sounding as calm as the mountains. It was about the 30-yearold telling me how, since she began travelling after turning 19—almost impatient for experiences and in her need to explore the world around her— her travels taught her to slow down,

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breathe, and observe, so she could discover new realms of exploration within herself. Especially because Tatiana’s explorations began with anything but self-discovery in mind.

In the beginning…

A Colombian belonging to Bogota, Tatiana discovered tennis when she was 11, and fell head over heels in love with the game. Soon, Tatiana was travelling to play at high-performance tournaments, realizing she could manage on her own not only her tennis kit and her nerves during the matches but also her travels. Quite the prodigy child, Tatiana even graduated high school at 15. A week after she turned 16, Tatiana enrolled for Bachelor’s in International Finance in the Universidad Externado de Colombia and was made captain of the tennis team. Finance was a natural choice considering both Tatiana’s parents belong to the industry. Her mum, María Carmenza Forero Rodriguez, is a trader in the financial markets, working for a fiduciary, and her dad, Jesús Antonio Moreno Cuarán, works with Colombia’s Ministry of Labor.

1. When in Mexico... Tatiana tries on a Tehuana dress; Cuernavaca, Mexico (April 2020)

002

2. Getting a Maiko makeover in Tokyo, Japan (March 2019) 3. Visiting the monument of love, Taj Mahal; Agra, India (March 2014) 4. In Cappadocia, Turkey (September 2018)

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R&R / tr avelers’ tales

9 10 7

Because Tatiana spoke fluent English, her tennis friends requested her to speak to American coaches on their behalf to understand college tennis programs in the US. Tatiana herself realized she could transfer to a similar course as hers in an American college while continuing to play tennis at a better level. But her parents had already taken an education policy for her in Colombia, and Tatiana didn’t want them to pay anymore for her education in the US. With the help of an agency called College Prospects of America, she got a 100% scholarship and signed up with the Alcorn State University in Mississippi. After having completed three years of her Bachelor’s course in the Universidad Externado de Colombia, the then-19-year-old Tatiana left home for the US in 2009. “I only had a couple of semesters to complete in the US, so I bade my family goodbye, assured that college would be over in no time and that I’d be back with them in a few months,” recalls Tatiana. Providence chose otherwise, but more on that later.

Finding her travel boots While Tatiana’s travels began as a part of the tennis tournaments, her need for exploring

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8 5. Making pancakes in Rovaniemi, Finland (December 2018) 6. Tatiana with her friend Beatrice on the day they got their reindeer sledge license; in Rovaniemi, Finland (December 2018) 7. Seeing kangaroos for the first time; Sydney, Australia (December 2014) 8. Experiencing the inner light; Tepoztlan, Mexico (August 2020) 9. Tatiana learning how to make Lac bangles in Jaipur; Rajasthan, India (August 2013)

“What excites me about travelling is the experience, the unnoticed details, the daily living, seeing life through someone else’s life, and as I always say, the opportunity to be in somebody else’s shoes” had origins elsewhere. “Back home in Colombia, with both my parents working, we employed domestic help for household chores. When I was still 17-years-old, one of my Columbian friends from the US mocked me for the help we had back home, my private school education, etc., claiming I wouldn’t ‘know’ anything, for instance, ‘how to run a laundry cycle even,’” recollects Tatiana. “And his casual remark burnt a hole through me, making me crave new experiences, know more, do more...” She did find new experiences by way of her travels with the South Western Athletic Conference (SWAC) for tournaments across the US, and Tatiana realized she loved explorations. After finishing her Bachelor’s

in Business Administration from Alcorn, her quest for being in the center of the finance world led her to the Wall Street in New York, where she worked for Lloyd’s Bank as an investment advisor trainee on a one-year finance program. Soon, she was seeking a one-year Master’s program in international finance. That’s also when Tatiana learnt that the scholarship she’d received for her three semesters in the Alcorn State University made her eligible for a partial reimbursement of the education policy her parents had taken for her in Colombia, bringing the family $10,000. After completing Lloyd’s program, Tatiana used the amount to take up Master’s in International Finance at the

ESC Rennes School of Business, in Brittany, France.

Travels, travels, everywhere!

They say you’ve got to be careful what you wish for because it might just come true. And so it was for Tatiana. Her move to France in early 2012 heralded a whirlwind of globetrotting years for her, much to her joy. In France, she discovered the ease of travelling across Europe. While her Master’s took her to Lithuania in January 2013, experiencing for the first time in life a –20degree-Celsius winter, she traveled across the continent too, sometimes with her mom, ticking off from her bucket-list wonders like the Eiffel Tower, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Colosseum in Rome, and the Vatican City. Tatiana’s Master’s also needed for her to do a six-month internship program in a topic of her choice. She chose micro-finance in India, interning with an NGO in Delhi from July to August

2013, working with 10,000 artisans in Rajasthan. She lived with a Rajasthani family in Jaipur for the project, experiencing first-hand the land’s culture, food and traditions. However, an error in the company visa and a subsequent change in job later, she found herself in Mumbai, interning for another six months with another company, Rockwool. The next four months were filled with travels, for work and otherwise, to the UAE, Thailand, and Malaysia, with the 2014 New Year in Singapore. “What excites me about travelling is the experience, the unnoticed details, the daily living, seeing life through someone else’s life, and as I always say, the opportunity to be in somebody else’s shoes,” she states. After her recent escapades, she got back to India, joined the company’s Turkey team, and headed back to the UAE, in Dubai, while carrying on social projects in India, Kenya, and Tanzania. Her travels con-

10. Picture with an artisan from the LAC Sector in Jaipur; Rajasthan, India (July 2013) 11. As a participant of the Rakayib Caravan, Ubar (at the Yemeni border), Saudi Arabia (March 2019) 12. Visiting Las Lajas Shrine; Ipiales, Nariño, Colombia (January 2018) 13. Tatiana’s globetrotting companion, her mom, María Carmenza Forero Rodriguez, during a gondola ride in Venice, Italy (May 2013)

tinued—first to France for her Master’s graduation ceremony. Then a hop-skip-and-jump to Germany, visiting her sister and nephew; after that, a trip to Kenya where she’d celebrate her birthday, and then a layover at Singapore while heading to Australia to celebrate Christmas and the 2015 New Year’s Eve! “Traveling is good for the soul,” says Tatiana with a chuckle, as if responding to the disbelief on my face as she rattled the names of places she’s been to. “I believe traveling helps you recognize yourself in the world while marveling the absolute incredible creation surrounding us. Despite the rich diverseness of our world, it shows us we all have the same roots,” she says. From 2015 to 2019, while still living in the UAE, her bucket-list brimmed with more travels—to places including Japan, Laos, Sri Lanka, India, Kyrgyzstan, etc. in Asia; Turkey, Finland, Netherlands, Leichtenstein, the Czech Republic, San Marino, etc. in Europe; and 2 0 2 0 — N O V E M B E R — ASPIRE

R&R / tr avelers’ tales

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“The biggest realization for me—especially after living such a fast-paced life—was that I could slow down and breathe and connect with myself and cultivate my inner peace. I was beginning to explore my mind and accept my experiences.”

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“I believe traveling helps you recognize yourself in the world while marveling the absolute incredible creation surrounding us. Despite the diverseness of our world, it shows us we are all the same” Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, etc. in Africa, with a touchdown at New York, New Orleans, Miami, etc. for shopping and fun before heading back home to Bogota.

Journeying within

Finally, in July 2019, ten years after she’d set out for her college in the US, Tatiana headed back home to her family in Columbia, hoping to start something there. However, destiny chose otherwise. During her first week at home, Tatiana learnt about an International Peace Training Fellowship with the World Peace Initiative (WPI), an international organization based in Thailand, led by individuals from around the world who believe inner peace can help sustain world peace. “I must have been calling for

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14. Walking in the Empty Quarter (Rub Al Khali), Liwa, UAE (March 2018) 15. At Supara restaurant with a local in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan (February 2018) 16. Horse riding at the Great Pyramid of Giza; Cairo, Egypt (December 2015) 17. Posing in Jaisalmer; Rajasthan, India (September 2013)

something like this with my soul because it felt natural to apply to the fellowship. I was excited when I won it,” says Tatiana. The fellowship in Thailand comprised a two-week program designed for participants like her, to focus on their meditation practice in a scenic space up in the mountains. “We’d all meditate for 4 hours in a day and attend lectures and peace in action activities,” she reminisces. “But the biggest realization for me there—especially after living such a fast-paced life—was that I could slow down and breathe and connect with myself and cultivate my inner peace. I was beginning to explore my mind and accept my experiences.” Stepping into mindful-slowness was not without challenges. “In the beginning, everything just seemed very slow. On the first few days, I remember wanting to run half a marathon. I’d jump using my jumping rope to burn my energy,” says Tatiana. With time, she sensed herself slowing down. “I was beginning to notice everything around me, going with that flow, and even without wearing my watch, I’d

still make it on time to meditation sessions,” she explains. The period helped her start her introspection, connecting her with the core of her being, making her wonder how she wanted to live her life hereon.

But a shakeup awaited her

After heading back home to Bogota in January 2020, she headed to Mexico in March. That’s when the pandemic and subsequently the lockdown were declared, forcing her to stay in Mexico for the next 7 months. But there, Tatiana became a certified meditation and mindfulness trainer, offering online sessions to clients around the world. In Mexico, she also discovered love. Over time, though, she and her boyfriend understood they wanted different things in life. “I wanted to have a family; he didn’t,” Tatiana tries putting it simply though her voice betrays her emotions. Thus, set in heartbreak. As lockdown restrictions around the world eased, Tatiana decided to move out. “But the

breakup left me vulnerable, making it difficult for me to consider anything new, even discovering a new place. So I flew back to Dubai, a place that was my home for 5 years. Also, there was a project to get on there,” she adds.

The turn around

The emotional turmoil within and the pandemic-induced sights around her at the Mexico airport—of passengers and flight crew wearing face masks, glasses and PPEs—added to the surreal feel of travel for her this once. “For the first time, I experienced fear while traveling. My palms were sweaty and my heart was racing, and I couldn’t wait for that flight to end,” she says. This new sense of nervousness around travel, something she’d taken for granted, left Tatiana further shaken. After landing in Dubai, Tatiana took longer to settle back with her sleep cycle and meditation and fitness routines than she usually did. However, with Dubai no longer having a lockdown, she managed to take her mind off by stepping out—

heading to the beach or to the grocery store. “The COVID-19 situation affected me in that it has restricted my freedom, which is very important to me. Then again, it let me redefine that freedom while making daily choices,” she says in retrospect. However, some days later, she learnt the project she’d hoped for in Dubai wasn’t taking off. The vulnerabilities of her still heavy heart and uncertainties of hunting for a job in a COVID economy in Dubai were slowly taking their toll on her. Even so, Tatiana’s meditation and mindfulness practices kept her grounded and helped her reconnect with God. “I realise my whole life and all my travels have been a process towards rediscovering and acknowledging presence of God because he is everywhere, and we have a mission and purpose. Whether for an hour or 10 minutes, I meditate daily to remind myself that the peace and guiding light I seek are always accessible within me and in God,” says Tatiana. “It helped me drop expectations and accept reality as it is.” Staying true to that realiza-

18. Tatiana’s first skydiving experience, over Palm Jumeirah; Dubai, UAE (December 2014) 19. Overlooking Burj Al Arab and Jumeirah Beach Hotel; Dubai, UAE (March 2015) 20. Peace position; Cuernavaca, Mexico (May 2020) 21. Catching up with the sky in Liwa, UAE (March 2018) 22. Wearing an abaya; Abu Dhabi, UAE (September 2014)

tion, four weeks after arriving in Dubai, Tatiana decided to head back home to Bogota. “The pandemic showed me that I need to be more honest and true with myself and trying to stay in Dubai, looking for a job for financial security seemed to come from a forced place. Right now, I am seeking to feel good mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually, and to be with my family,” she says. “Moreover, I see this as a second chance given to me to go back to Colombia, about a year and three months after my coming here last time. But I’m aware it’s a different version of me heading there now and I’m excited to make it work this time because it’s coming from a place of love,” she says. Ultimately, after a decade of racing to explore the world, the COVID uncertainty and given that Europe will soon lockdown again due to the second wave, Tatiana plans to avoid travelling for a while. “But the explorer in me will always seek adventures, whether it’s locally around the country, in the neighborhood, or in my heart,” she says, signing out. J 2 0 2 0 — N O V E M B E R — ASPIRE

R&R / hobbies

DARTING AHEAD with a

Photo: Wikipedia

Game of Darts

“Hope and Anchor Dart Club”, Hope and Anchor, 20 Waterloo Street (now Macbeth Street), Hammersmith, London, UK. c.1925.

If you thought a Game of Darts was only to pass time and played for fun, Arundhati Surendran writes to give this board game its due credit.

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for teamwork and encouraging friendships to form. The usual thought for “team-building activities” would be an activity that includes a lot of paper cuts, glue, building blocks, messy or bulky stuff, the works. There aren’t many alternatives that are portable or entertaining enough to replace these aged events - are there? Well, Darts is one game that ticks all the checkboxes for the criteria for a team-building activity too. Easily set-up and transported, there’s no game as appropriate as this one for short employee get-togethers. Having biweekly

It helps develop strategic thinking where all your tactics must mathematically add up to your goal, and your body has to follow closely behind

Darts is one game that ticks all the checkboxes for the criteria for a team-building activity too

Photo: Unsplash-Clem Onojeghuo

ocus and concentration are two qualities that make a difference to the productiveness of any day. This attribute needs to be developed as it is very easy to get swayed by the many distractions that come in the way. Luckily there are many online and offline activities that help develop this mental muscle of centring oneself to be more present to the task at hand. The ‘Game of Darts’ is one such super sport that not only gives you a break, can be played as a hobby; it also strengthens your focal power in a big way. The other advantage of a game of Darts is that it can be played alone, in a group, at your home or office, a club or a gaming centre. The game is also perfect for office get-togethers to build a sense of competition and camaraderie between employees. Though often thought of like a pub game, it is suitable

or monthly Dart game championships give employees something to look forward to while fostering healthy competitiveness.

Darts is a game that has existed from the 1860s and isn’t the most common of activities that people indulge in. The sport is much like archery that uses missiles aimed at the board; but unlike archery, the board does not have increasing points closer to the centre. Instead, the score points are randomly scattered throughout the board. The standardised version of the sport follows the rules wherein one starts with a total of 501 or 301 points, and must keep hitting parts of the board to decrease those points till exactly zero, ending it on a double (to hit the board on the outermost ring). The remarkable thing about Darts is the sheer concentration

and focus it compels the player to have. It requires significant wrist strength, and more hand-eye coordination than most, if not all other sports. It also helps develop strategic thinking where all your tactics must mathematically add up to your goal, and your body has to follow closely behind. Without absolute concentration, it is impossible to play a good game of darts. It also helps release stress that becomes a health benefit for the player. Interestingly, the standard form isn’t the only way to enjoy this game. As more people play it, many variations of the game can take form. There is ‘cricket’ where two teams play for the bulls-eye; ‘football’ where of the two players, the first to hit the bulls-eye tries to score ‘goals’ by hitting doubles until the second player hits a bulls-eye; and many, many more. Say goodbye to online memory games or origami to get along with your colleagues or to improve your mind power. Many other options fit the bill better, and Darts hits the mark right on the spot. J 2 0 2 0 — N O V E M B E R — ASPIRE

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R&R / explore

The Obelisk by Sofitel Dubai

usion of French Luxury, Egyptian Mystique along with buoyant UAE culture well describes this chic new hotel that is now open to welcome guests. What was set to open April was pushed back due to COVID-19 worries, but the Managers believe it was for the best, as it allowed them to strategize for an even grandeur opening. And what a magnificent place this is. Inspired by the shape of the Luxor Obelisk currently in Paris, the entrance itself holds you captivated. As you move through the colossal gateway that replicates an Egyptian temple, you are greeted by a golden falcon, the symbol and national bird of the UAE, followed by pillars engraved with hieroglyphics that transport you to the ancient land of Kings and Queens in Luxor. The largest Sofitel Hotel in

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the Middle East so far, with 595 rooms, there are multitudes of things to look forward to, such as the exquisite dining options including Brasserie Boulud and Taiko Dubai. In addition, the hotel has three suites designed by the award-winning firm Duccio Grassi Architects. Their Presidential suite ‘Cleopatra’ can hold up to 100 people and has a private terrace to gaze upon Dubai’s vibrant and ever buzzing nightlife. ✪

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