Independent Edition

Editor’sNote Editor’sNote

A REPERTOIRE OF RIVETING NARRATIVES…

Well, we are back. Indeed, it has been a while since we interacted due to my busy schedule. Hence, I decided to pen down the editor’s note for this special issue that is stuffed with stories of grit, creativity and perseverance. Though new-age business philosophies have changed, many of them still greatly value hard work which is good by the way. What I believe is the best thing about this edition is that the modern-day business leaders didn’t forget the old values and culture that paved the way for their massive success. While making this issue, we discovered that they still value the legacies left behind by the most inspiring businessman across the world.

It leaves me amazed at the way our team has sparklingly interwoven the success stories of different businesses here. The collection of stories of well-accomplished leaders with proven track records of stimulating splendid business performance is how we define this issue. The cover page is occupied with the profile of PRobackers Pvt. Ltd. which strains every nerve to support emerging businesses and entrepreneurs by helping them find investors and venture capitalists fuelling their dreams to accomplish spectacular success. The organization is led to higher aloft by Jahnavi Reddy who is the Director and serial entrepreneur with extensive corporate experience in the same field. She is a woman of fortitude for sure and our global aficionado will definitely find her success story thought-provoking and intriguing for sure.

The ‘read’ has come with some insights into the problem-solving and decision-making capabilities of a few business leaders of some companies. A booster to your leadership skills accompanied by some extraordinary business management acumen- how we would like to address this publication.

At last, as we always say, we are in constant stride to be resourceful to you, kindly share your feedback on this issue. This is valuable for us as we get an idea of what you are expecting from us and let us deliver it in a much better way. We believe that it is doing justice to its vision to seek and publish triumph tales of discerning leaders, energetic doers, pioneers, etc while providing motivational insights on a variety of subjects.

Kajal Dobhal Kajal@innovativezoneindia.com

Publisher

: Abhishek

Editorial Team

Indranil Roy | Kajal Dobhal | Puja Bhardwaj Gulshan Parveen

Business Head

Ashish Kumar

Corporate Team

Satyam Singh |Pradeep Pandey | Reetu Chauhan Karthic Das | Neha Gupta

Co-ordinator

Vikas | Anita Kumari

Data Research & Analysis

Satyam Tiwari | Ravinder Singh | Adarsh Pathak

Finance Team

Gourav Singhal | Jyoti

Circulation Team

Vivek Singh Creative Director Ashutosh Ojha

Creative Team

Rajat Pathak | Sakshi Negi |Vishant Saroj Pawan Yadav

Legal Affairs

Mukesh Kumar

Human Resources

Nivedita Basu

Digital Marketing Manager

Anurag Tiwari

Corporate Office

507, DDA - 2, District Centre, Janakpuri, New Delhi - 110058 Ph. 011-41065208 Email: corporate@innovativezoneindia.com

Registered Office

RZC 4, A/2, Street No. 21B, Sadh Nagar - II, Palam Colony, New Delhi-110045 Ph. 011-42636209 Email: info@innovativezoneindia.com

Owned, Printed and Published By Abhishek Kumar Dubey and Printed at Tanuj Process, A 21/27 Naraina Industrial Area, Phase-II, New Delhi - 110028 and Published at RZC 4, A/2, Street No. 21B, Sadh Nagar - II, Palam Colony, New Delhi-110045

Publisher & Editor : Abhishek Kumar Dubey

Title Code : DELENG19729

Copyright © 2018 All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part of any text, photography or illustrations without written permission from the publisher is prohibited. The publisher assumes no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or illustrations, Views and opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the magazine and according no liability is assumed by the publisher.

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Jahnavi Reddy Director

PROBACKERS PVT. LTD. INCREASE THE PACE OF YOUR BUSINESS GROWTH…

Kajal Dobhal | Innovative Zone

“Uncertainty always follows a business. The more an entrepreneur is willing to take the risk, the more rewards he/she may be collecting. The startups getting into the business world, just hold on tight and do your best, you will achieve the best and desired results at last for sure,” states Jahnavi Reddy who is the Director of PRobackers.

Jahnavi Reddy Director

Yes, it is her story of exalting success in her entrepreneurial endeavors! Her brainchild i.e. PRobackers has so far attained great achievements in the form of sealing the lucrative revenue deals. Today, it has opened a gateway to a larger scope of work where it is adding more and more feathers to its cap and scaling the ladder of success progressively. The company is directed towards aiding the burgeoning businesses to be benefitted from the funding and investments that they seek for its clients to boost their businesses across their respective market. The investors are from the large pool of VC’s among which PRobackers has an persuasive presence. Success and ROI follow swiftly for their clientele after joining hands with the organization. Therefore, those seeking hassle-free and smooth investment or funding opportunities for their dream businesses could reach out to PRobackers and to know more about them, we are in a freewheeling conversation with Jahnavi Reddy who walked us through different aspects of the organization. We believe our global aficionado would be inspired from information shared in this exclusive narrative. Let’s dive in-

The preface

PRobackers Pvt. Ltd. was established with an idea to provide appropriate investment and funding support to the budding entrepreneurs for better business expansions. Apart from this, SMEs and established organizations are also ensured with the same support for their respective expansion projects. What drives the organization is its motto- IDEAS TO ACTIONwhere businesses are transformed at a rapid pace to action and reach their business goals. As per the founder, she was keenly into being an entrepreneur ever since she was 10 years. Being a serial entrepreneur herself, she has been through many roadblocks and pitbulls but managed to build a vast influential network across the business landscape. Years after years of building the prowess and influence in her targeted space, her hard work and perseverance paved her way to become a successful entrepreneur. With her extensive acumen and experience, she has been making constant strides to bring more success and power to her venture.

Vision and mission statement

As per the ‘shentrepreneur’, the core vision of her entrepreneurial venture is to make any corporate and legal law more accessible, simple and affordable. When her team claims to the premise, the sheer meaning is that the clientele would be supported to ease the services to bring seamlessness in terms of any legalities involved in any kind of business operations, deals and transactions. This was in line with recognizing the gap in the industry where many enterprises miserably fail to provide authentic and reliable services to the end clients and lack proper guidance tactics to help them effectively.

The service portfolio

PRobackers is known to have years of accumulated experience in the business world. It enables them to guide businesses in a multitude of ways across the evolving landscape. Be it bridging the gaps between the firms and their ideal investors, the firm offers numerous service assistance such as-

• Seamless loan sanctions from financial institutes

• Effortless funds for big projects from private and public lenders

• Bill discounting, line of credit, SBLC and bank guarantee

• Restructuring debt by raising fresh funds Moreover, it also aids in considering a strategic business partner that can enhance a brand’s value, identity while recognizing better cash flow income opportunities. Owing to their GTM strategy, developing new networks and nurturing them is quite critical. Several accomplished deals with industrial masterminds and enthusiastic entrepreneurs have been successfully conducted by them that make them a reliable brand to consider across the startup ecosystem.

Empowering business to become impeccable The service portfolio introduced by PRobackers is somewhat like a single-window platform where the clients could be benefited in the best possible way. Alongside offering an ecosystem that is not only focussed on fundraising process, the company has began offering ancillary services that the businesses need as sidekick aid.

“Our adamant motto to make a difference and add substantial value to our adored clients has always been applauded across the targeted market. We help our clientele push through all the odds giving them the best of the support in terms of raising funds for their business and mentor them on a timely basis yielding best results as outcome,” elucidated Jahnavi Reddy while addressing the question that why is his organization stand out from the crowd.

Being intensely into investment banking and fundraising, the organization also assertively encourages tech based clientele to flourish. Though PRobackers is not very much into technology and its implementations, they have partnered with several techsuites that offer better tech-solutions to the business partners across the globe. Tech dominance is proliferating rapidly in the business world. And PRobackers would be relying on it in the upcoming years too.

Service quality is a must

The service quality provided at the company depends on the set SOPs that make a major difference to the lives of their customers. “No matter what all the employees are bound to work and deliver the services as per those guidelines and that makes us stand strong on the quality of our services,” claims Jahnavi.

Significance of R&D

The role of R&D couldn’t be denied for any organization. For PRobackers, the same story is true. R&D helps it to keep going on a continual basis as it keeps them updated on the latest developments and market trends. This also allows any organization to comprehend the competitors’ strategies and methodologies so that one could make a better roadmap to success. At PRobackers, R&D has magnificently helped them to render the best- in- class services at a rapid pace.

A brief of the brains behind PRobackers

• Spearheading the business operations at PRobackers as the Director, Jahnavi Reddy owns a dynamic career in the field of finance and marketing where pioneering expertise and record-breaking performance were her major distinguishers as a leader. She has played a pivotal role in introducing new-age business philosophy via her various ventures while maintaining great customer relationships. Her persona is meticulous and hard working where she possesses a profound acuity of business development process. She is a technically sound corporate professional who is a business savvy multi-functional professional reflecting robust leadership skills. Owns outstanding team-based management skills accompanied by impressive interpersonal and communication skills. As a highly flexible and adaptable performer, she is known to be adaptable in multitasking where she is able to make significant growth trajectory in a fast-paced environment. Also, she is pretty much sensitive to time-bound projects- ensures timely completion. So far, in her overall journey, she has witnessed extraordinary success in building and maintaining best relationships with biggies or eminent corporate decision makers. Her excellent qualities as a leader allow her to establish long lasting relations with the clients with excellent levels of retention and loyalty. As the leading face of the company, she is exceptionally well-organized in terms of her track record that demonstrates self-motivation, creativity, and zeal to achieve the objectives. Her energetic, result driven persona with excellent business acumen, motivates team PRobackers to deliver their best to meet the established goals.

Dr. Sameer Azad Mahendra Jahnavi Reddy Director Director

• Dr. Sameer Azad Mahendra, the Director at PRobackers, pursued his Masters in England while being engaged in a research programme in Moscow. He has been associated with Apollo for 12 years while practicing dentistry for 26 years with his own brand- Mahendra Dental Hospital. He started a unique chain of Centers in the year 1999, worked with all major Hospitals groups of Hyderabad as a Head of Department. He possesses an impeccable record of 100% patient satisfaction where his expertise is adored by his patient a lot. Throughout his journey, he has trained and mentored over 300 dentists under him. Also, he owns many firsts under his belt for erstwhile AP. Well-acclaimed to be a hard core clinician and visionary, he believes in hands-on policy and classroom learning as a major distinguisher carving better future of students. In his years of dentistry practice, he has mastered the art of painless dentistry and has performed some exceptional reconstruction work. For a considerable period of time, he is known as an eminent professor across many dental colleges stimulating young minds appreciated for his out- of- the- box approach towards comprehensive teaching and approach towards clinical work. At present, he owns multiple hospital departments as a head. Dr Sameer is an avid golfer as well as traveler who has explored over 50 countries and cultures while winning many prestigious golf tournaments. His motto for a happy life is - One life to live, live it to the fullest !

The concluding note by the luminary “As I always believe, I would like to say that never lose HOPE, the road chosen is definitely not rosy but it is not impossible. No matter what don’t ever ever give up and stick on to your goal, trust the process and believe in yourself having all the practical scenarios in sync and you will surely reach your destination pretty soon.”

The Inspiring Success Story of Asian Paints ,Founders

Asian Paints is one of Asia’s leading and largest corporations. “Har ghar kuch kehta hai ki... Asian paints.” We’ve all grown up after seeing this TV commercial. There are a lot of struggles hiding behind the beautiful colours and wonderful walls. It has been serving with its colours for over seven decades. The story of Asian Paints will undoubtedly impress and inspire you.

An Overview

Asian Paints Ltd is a global Indian paint manufacturer and in the business of manufacturing, selling, and distributing paints, coatings, home décor items, bath fittings, and offering related services. Asian Paints is India’s largest and Asia’s third largest paints corporation. Also, Berger International’s holding company is Asian Paints. In the fiscal year 2021-22, the company generated a revenue of 29,484.1 crores and a profit of 2,554 crores. The company has a market capitalization of $37 billion and a revenue of $3.2 billion.

How They Started?

Four friends, Champaklal Choksey, Chimanlal Choksi, Suryakant Dani, and Arvind Vakil, founded the business in a garage in Gaiwadi, Girgaon, Mumbai. They established the business in February 1942, and they all come from Jain families. Only foreign businesses and Shalimar Paints remained in the market during World War II and the Quit India Movement of 1942 due to a brief prohibition on paint imports. Asian Paints entered the market and declared a 23-crore annual turnover in 1952, but with a meagre 2% PBT profit. It rose to prominence as a paint maker in the nation by 1967. The majority of the company’s shares were owned by the four families collectively. However, when the corporation grew outside of India in the 1990s, issues over international rights began to arise. Due to the disagreements, Choksey sold their 13.7% of the company’s shares and left in 1997. After Champaklal’s death in July 1997, his son Atul took charge. The remaining three families and Unit Trust of India purchased Choksey’s interests on a mutual basis following failed partnership negotiations with the British corporation Imperial Chemical Industries. The Choksi, Dani, and Vakil families currently own 47.81% of the company as of 2008.

The Story of Struggle

The home brand Shalimar Paints in Calcutta set the groundwork for the Indian Paints Industry in the year 1902.

It was 1942 when a turbulent transformation occurred. World War II and Mahatma Gandhi’s Quit India agitation both occurred in 1942, which was an unprecedented year. Asian Paints was established by the four friends under the guiding principles of innovation and progress. Sadly, just as the business was taking off, it came to an abrupt halt. The company’s name at the time was “The Asian Oil & Paint Company,” which the founders chose at random from a phone book.

Political crises like World War II and the Quit India Movement led to a temporary ban on the paint firm. With a 23-crore annual revenue, the paint brand became India’s top paint manufacturer even after the gloom of the ban. There was no time to hunt for the business after that. The co-founder thoroughly researched consumer preferences in the market and spotted potential to develop a product. Then, in the 1950s, Asian Paints introduced a brand-

new, ground-breaking product, which was followed by an effective marketing effort. Asian Paints prioritised the successful campaign when imagining the core of the business’s marketing plan. The paint company had already reached a revenue of 23 crores per year by 1952. Asian Paints rose to prominence as India’s largest paint manufacturer in 1967. Success is accompanied by change. The promoters understood that with a new generation, they would require the resources to deal with the organization’s changing scaling. It wasn’t an easy road to build the largest paint company in the world from a little garage. Asian Paints decided to target the underserved Indian market. They put forth a lot of effort and created an empire by offering the greatest answers.

Asian Paint Markets

The company currently operates in more than 22 nations. Asia, the Middle East, the South Pacific, and Africa are the four regions in which it is substantially active. Eight corporate brands owned by Asian Paints are active in various geographical areas. Over the years, various goods have been introduced, supported by research, in an effort to meet consumer expectations. The company has more than 75 years of history, more than 50 years of market leadership, and has produced enormous wealth for its investors while offering smart home solutions. A multinational enterprise, Asian paints provides services to more than 150,000 shops in India and operates 26 manufacturing facilities worldwide. It is important to note that Asian Paints is the third-largest paint brand in Asia and the ninth-largest paint brand overall.

Success Factors

One of the main factors contributing to the company’s rapid expansion is its ability to maintain a high standard of quality while adjusting to recent industry trends and advances. Asian Paints has always stayed ahead of the curve by foreseeing the upcoming trends, whether it was its first-ever TV advertisement in 1984, a premium product in the early 1990s, or creating call-center operations and a website as early as 1998-99. Also, the business has not shied away from capitalising on the fervour on social media, and it has millions of followers across Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube combined.As a matter of fact, the organisation has always excelled at developing cutting-edge, socially important advertisements.

The non-polluting colour “Royale Atmos” was advocated by Deepika Padukone when she brought attention to the problem of indoor pollution. It attracted a lot of attention and helped restore public confidence in the company’s allaround safe paints. Its willingness to join linked segments is another factor that adds to its amazing advancements. They have gained ground in the same industry’s various sub-segments over time, for instance, industrial paintings, wood finishes, enamel finishes, and interior and outdoor wall finishes. There are also notable mentions of the kitchen and bathroom fixtures.

With the industries conceding to an unpredictable hustle of competition and advancement every day, the need for more and more young professionals diving into the field with and through knowledge has become imperative.

Founded in 2014, BDS Global Inc. by Satinder Singh, Director, the venture provides top-notch services for developing corporate websites, digital marketing campaigns, mobile applications, eCommerce websites, and SEO strategies. Envisioned to be an industry leader and provide innovative and smart solutions to drive clients towards the path of success, BDS Global Inc. has embarked on its success stone in the field of development, engineering, and consulting services, serving technology startups as well as mid-size to large corporations.

BDS’S EXCLUSIVE SERVICES PORTFOLIO

among the top-rated Ambala-based website

companies, BDS is taking care of different

needs from wireframe to website, concept to solution,

targets to reality. Following are the key services offered by the company –

India.

STRONG CLIENTELE & PROFICIENT TEAM

a

Global is a team of creative,

its inception with the help of

Head,

Global.

who are working to simplify the procedure to

has worked tirelessly to

leadership of Satinder Singh,

Puja Bhardwaj | Innovative Zone

SATINDER SINGH Director

WHAT MAKES BDS GLOBAL THE “BLUE MOON OF IT SPACE”?

BDS’s mission is to transform the lives of clients with their technical excellence, creativity and innovation. The BDS team is motivated to continue expanding by sharing ideas, working with new companies, and transforming people’s lives with their cutting-edge and clever software solutions. Further, there are several other factors that make BDS stand:

• The Company Has Been Committed To Providing Software Solutions That Meet International Standards Since Its Inception.

• They Possess The Greatest Level Of Technological Skill, Expertise, And Experience.

• With The Help Of Their Resources And Abilities, Bds Aims To Expand Straightforward Yet Powerful Solutions That Transform People’s Lives And Advance Commercial Endeavours. This Is What Makes The Customers Come Back More Every Time.

• The Team Also Places Much Emphasis On The Timeline Because They Understand How Crucial It Is For Projects Like Apps, Websites, And Marketing Campaigns. So That The Clients Can Benefit The Most From The Solutions They Developed For Them, They Constantly Strive To Achieve Even The Tightest Deadlines.

FROM THE DIRECTOR’S DESK

For almost 9-year BDS Global Inc. has emerged into latest technology trend.

Our team members at BDS Global Inc. work together as a family.

Their competence and highly adaptable collaboration helped them build a diverse client base that included many well-known travel industry firms. We are thrilled that BDS Global Inc. has the top team, which functions as a unit and has extensive online and offline experience.

Because of our ability to adjust to changing technologies while keeping the exceptional needs of our esteemed clients at the forefront of the business’s fundamental interest.

Our distinctive ideas and beliefs enable us to create exceptional and intelligent services while providing all chain participants—including our multicultural and brilliant work team, partners, clients, and society—equal weight. This is how we differentiate ourselves from the competition.

We develop new apps and instigate exceptional approaches in the fields of web design, software development, and online marketing in search of fresh ideas and tactics to create amazing business prospects and provide value-added solutions to our clients.

We offer gratifying experience, comprehensive and affordable solutions for creative design/development work to enhance your company process online, trustworthy task management software to streamline management processes, and starting your firm online.We stand by the Motto; Clients’ Success is Our Success!

BONDADA ENGINEERING PVT. LTD.

This exclusive narrative is an addition to our handpicked brands that have played a major role in defining better customer-relationships and how to thrive them over a period of time. Just dive into the success story of Bondada Group that has set benchmarks in its targeted industry making major leaps towards the betterment of the human population. Here, we are in a freewheeling conversation with the leading face of the company –Bondada Raghavendra Rao who is spearheading it with his expertise as well as extensive experience across the space. Just dive into this story to know what his establishment is all about and how phenomenally inspiring his journey has been so far.

A VIBRANT INTRO

Bondada Group began its outstanding journey in the year 2012 majorly

targeting telecom, renewable energy and construction products sector as a rapidly growing EPC and O&M player. It is known for its magnificent infrastructure that comprises tower fabrication and galvanizing plant along with two green construction plants (viz. AAC blocks manufacturing plant and uPVC windows and doors manufacturing plant). Driven by its inspiring vision of providing products and services of international standards across the infrastructure space, it has been serving its marquee clientele including biggies like Reliance, Airtel, Tata, Ericson, ITI, BSNL, KP Group, Adani, My Home Group, Shapoorji and Pallonji Group, etc.

Owing to the company’s extraordinary performance, its financial growth has been expanding in leaps and bounds. A consistent financial performance has

stimulated steady revenue growth with 54% compounded annual growth rate over last 10 years which is remarkable and commendable. The company has reported a topline of 335 Cr for FY22 on a consolidation basis as against its first year revenue of just INR 7 Crore. The phenomenal growth of the organization in one decade of time is the sheer outcome of dedicated efforts made by a highly- qualified team of professionals backed by robust multi-faceted competencies. Basically, the company is driven by a culture of excellence and continues to ingrain better values in it for growth. It goes without saying that Bondada Group has carved a niche for itself where it is making the best out of the fastest growing markets in India such as 4G and 5G telecom, renewable energy and green construction products. The company is consistent in getting ICRA rating of BBB Stable

Scaling height of greater success with an adamant vision

B RAGHAVENDRA RAO Founder & CMD

Indranil Roy | Innovative Zone

from last 3 years with categorization as consistent and low risk profile for their credit limits with banks.

SERVICE PORTFOLIO

What makes the brand a premium choice of such industry giants like Reliance, Airtel, ITI, BSNL etc., is its uniquely curated service portfolio. Across the three verticals, it has different offerings-

A. Telecom 4G and 5G networks

• Design & Engineering

• Tower/ Fiber activities

• Telecom implementation

• O&M and Facility Management Services

• Tower / pole supply

B. Renewable Energy

• Solar EPC

• Wind EPC

• Transmission & Distribution EPC Products

• Transmission substation structures

C. Green Construction sector through subsidiary SmartBrix Infra Technologies Pvt. Ltd.

• SmartBrix (Autoclaved Aerated Concrete or AAC blocks)

• SmartFix – Jointing mortar

• SmartPlast – Ready plaster

• SmartPearl – Wall putty

D. Through Bondada Abodes Pvt. Ltd.

• SmartWindoors (uPVC doors and windows)

• uPVC Profile

CORE VALUES AT A GLANCE

Fairness, Integrity, Reliability, Sensibility and Teamwork are the core values that drive the culture at the company. For them, a satisfied customer base as well as stakeholders is their core priority where these values help the most. These values are fueled by their assimilation of the latest technology continuously

in order to execute projects with cost effectiveness and adherence to milestones without compromising on quality and environment safety in the overall process.

MEET THE BRAIN BEHIND THE BRAND

As the founder and CMD of Bondada group, Shri B Raghavendra Rao has made his venture a resounding success today. He established his brainchild in 2012 at Hyderabad that now has a PAN India presence. Across its targeted verticals, he has been effortlessly sailing his ventures from the past 3 years that are the golden years for Bondada Group. Today, his organization is driven by a headcount of over 1050+ that are the key contributors to its growth so far. Prior to starting his business journey, Shri B R Rao had a high heeled job as a COO and Executive Director of Aster Pvt. Ltd.

He is best remembered for his perseverance, target achievement and ability to get the best from the team. Being an accomplished and seasoned leader with over 2 decades of experience across various sectors such as projects in Telecom, Power, Renewable Energy, Pre Engineered Buildings and Industrial infrastructure, he is known for his accumulated industry know-how and business acumen. People often refer him as BRR across the Business fraternity. A few worthy mentions advocating his exclusivity are as follows-

• BBR’s reputation in the industry is fueled by his task orientation and on time project completion while completely fulfilling management requirements.

• He holds a robust expertise in Project Management and EPC contracts concerning both - domestic and international markets.

• Owner of years of experience in the areas of Leadership Development, Human Potential Development, Performance

Management, Communication and Administration.

• He is witness to supervise a team of 7000+ employees in his career. He is specialized in managing sizable teams in implementation of projects.

• Owns excellent financial acumen. Established fool proof internal controls within the system.

• He was the man who played a key role in formulating many policies & procedures, devising organizational development plans.

• Shri B Raghavendra Rao has received “Philanthropist Award” from District Collector of Krishna District, Andhra Pradesh for his services to the society in and around Krishna District, Andhra Pradesh

• Received ET Excellence Award from Hon’ble Home Minister of Telangana State, Shri Mohammed Mahmood Ali (Excellence in Telecom Infrastructure Services Provider of the Year, 2021)

• Received many appreciations from customers for on time delivery with quality standards

CLOSING REMARKS:

Being the believer and emphasizer of the Corporate Philosophy that even more boosts the spirt of corporate social responsibility, “Businesses cannot be successful when the society around them fails.”, Shri. BR Rao encouraged and contributing and promoting on his corporate behalf, numerous welfare programs and extending help to the poor and needy, promoting rural infrastructure development activities, promoting rural education infrastructure, promoting rural public health, donating to the charitable organizations and striving hard for the uplifting and enlistment of the economically stepped back students, families and their medical requirements.

BUYING HABITS?

Seeing the dependency of day-to-day life on the internet, it is very difficult to envision modern life without it. It has al tered our lives in various ways. Undoubtedly, shopping is one of them. Shopping before the internet had been a cum bersome and archaic course of action. Unlike almost a decade ago, when most people were using conventional ways of shopping, now we are buying things from the comfort of our houses with a few clicks on our computer device. The Inter net has changed how we find, research, and ultimately buy a product.

In this internet era, it’s quite possible to never leave your house and still have all of your needs met, thanks to the growth of subscription boxes, supermarket delivery services, and two-day Amazon shipping.

How has shopping changed lately?

In the last decade, how much internet has revolutionised peo ple’s shopping experience, the following points show:

• Consumers are spending more money online than ever before, with the share of money spent online more than tripling between 2008 (4.9%) and 2018 (17.9%).

• In 2019, 87% of adults used the internet on a daily basis, up from 49% in 2008.

• In 2019, 82% of users shopped online in the previous 12 months, up from 53% in 2008.

• For the first time, more than half (54%) of persons aged 65 and up reported purchasing online in the previous 12 months in 2019.

• Despite the rise of internet shopping, consumers still spent the majority of their money in stores in the previous year, with just over 80 pennies of every pound spent in store.

• 83% of those who haven’t shopped online in the last year reported a “desire to shop in store.”

• The food sector has had slower development in online sales, with online sales as a percentage of total commerce remaining around 5% since late 2016.

• Clothing and department retailers have raised their con tribution of internet sales to about 20% in the recent de cade.

What brought this shift in people? How has the internet changed people’s shopping habits? Let’s learn by reading the following factors in this blog article that contributed to this change in the pattern of people’s shopping behaviour.

1. Reviews by consumers

One of the major effects of the internet on shopping behaviour may be seen in online reviews. In addition to business web sites, the review sections of e-commerce sites, social media pages, and personal blogs, consumers have access to a vari ety of channels where they can write reviews of goods and services. Other customers value these evaluations since they reflect the genuine opinions and experiences of real people rather than being the product of an advertisement. In fact, according to a 2015 Moz analysis, 67% of buyers surveyed regarded internet reviews as a crucial deciding factor when making purchases. Customers are more likely to have pleas ant experiences and post those experiences online when firms offer top-notch goods and services. Other customers will be more likely to use that company when they see these encour aging reviews.

2. Decreased Brand Loyalty

A trend noticed by McKinsey is a sharp drop in brand loyalty when people shop from their couches and home

offices. Over a third of US customers (36%) have tried a new product brand, and 75% overall have experimented with a new buying behaviour. Due to stressed supply chains at the height of the epidemic, popular commodities went out of stock, contributing to this tendency. Consumers who had tried a different brand, however, claimed that they would still look for new ones in the future in 73% of cases.

3. Smartphones eMarketer reports that individuals are spending more time on their mobile devices and less time on other media, such as television, desktops, and laptops. Mobile devices have made it possible for people to access the internet practical ly anyplace they go. Users may access the internet while out and about thanks to smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, and other gadgets. This implies that customers can instantly ob tain information and opinions about goods they are consid ering purchasing in businesses. Consumers can now rapidly check online reviews to make sure they’re picking the greatest goods in the proper price range rather than just hope they’ve found the perfect item to fulfil their demands.

4. Social Media Touch

People use social media for an average of two hours per day, and on various social media sites, they like and follow compa nies they find appealing. This makes it possible for people to receive regular updates about the goods and services offered by businesses in the form of images, videos, product descrip tions, and links to blogs and other educational web pages. Having an active online presence on social media is crucial for businesses because it gives them new possibilities to engage with customers and deliver the finest customer service.

Additionally, platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Insta gram make it simple to share material, enabling businesses to post interesting content and inspire their followers and fans to do the same on their own timelines. Customers want to locate brands on social media so they can read reviews from other customers, receive answers to their questions, and spread the word about the brands they love to their own friends and fol lowers.

5. Convenient Research like never before Research is another significant shift brought about by the in ternet in how we shop. In the past, if you wanted to learn more about a product, you had to visit many stores and ask a salesperson for assistance. This obviously wasn’t ideal be cause a salesperson will always show their product in the best possible light, even if it’s not the best choice. In order to truly comprehend the market and what is offered, it was also re quired to visit several stores, which was not only annoying but also took a lot of time.

Publications like “Consumer Reports” sparked the growth of the third-party review concept. However, in the early years of this periodical, access to the company’s yearly reviews and recommendations required a subscription. Not everyone has the choice of spending money merely to have more money to spend. We now have the chance to be much better educated consumers as a result of this. Whether you shop online or not, this is useful.

6. Constant Advertising

When most of us decide we want to buy something, the buy ing process starts. We overcome the psychological barrier as sociated with using our money and begin to actively pursue the desired thing. What we fail to see is that the buying pro cess, at least the one that takes place in our brains, begins long before we consciously decide to go out and make a purchase.

This happens because of the advertisement you see. The idea of advertising is not brand-new. Although it has certainly existed in some form or another since the dawn of time, the 1950s and 1960s saw a surge in popularity as a result of the widespread adoption of television. Today, though, we are lit erally surrounded by advertising because of the internet.

You are exposed to advertisements whether you are playing a game, watching a video on YouTube, listening to music on Spotify or Pandora, scrolling through social media, or simply browsing your preferred news website. Because the majority of ad services, like Facebook and Google, use your personal data to understand your preferences and interests, these ad vertisements are obviously more effective than those you see on television or hear on the radio.

7. Amazon

Amazon has been a part of our lives for a while. In the last couple of years, though, it has truly blossomed. During their confinement, it has assisted numerous people in discovering new skills and interests. A near-perfect example of how on line buying should be is Amazon. They practically have it down to an art. Everything is incredibly clear-cut and easy to understand. Some of their stock’s classifications may look strange. But, once you figure that out, everything goes very smoothly. They have a fantastic website that makes it quite simple to get what you need from them.

8. Electronic Payments

Online buying can only be made possible with digital pay ments. More payment methods are made available as more individuals use the internet for this purpose. People are free to select whichever option makes them feel most at ease. Ev erything is much simpler when you’re online. There are now so many options for making payments online. These options make it quite feasible for you to move money around fast and easily. Everyone benefits from the convenience and speed of digital payments. Even a mobile device can be used to handle them!

A Multi-Services IT Firm with a Futuristic Approach, by Sopan Khekade

Codexxa Business Solution

Sopan Khekade Founder

A venture incepted in 2018 at the beginning of a new mobile app era and an established leader in the mobile application development industry today, securing a safe spot in the list of “Top Companies of 2022”.

Codexxa is an independent customer experience Organization with technology at its core, bringing significant experience in web solutions to the table. Driven by insight, strategy, design, and technology, Codexxa strives to create impactful digital experiences for mobile applications, website development services, and digital marketing.

Puja Bhardwaj | Innovative Zone

Mr Sopan Khekade is the man behind Codexxa; he took the foundation of the IT firm in 2018 in Gurgaon, Delhi and was shifted to Pune in 2020 due to the global pandemic crisis. The inception was purposed to become a Digital market leader in mobile app & website solutions and establish itself as all one destination for digital marketing. Over the years, they have grown and become a team of 50+ developers working on mobiletechnologies across 4 offices in Dubai, USA, Canada & India.

In this Digital ERA, every organisation is either a technology company or will need to reinvent itself to become one. In order to provide clients with the best end-to-end design and engineering experiences that enable them to prosper in the future at the speed of innovation, Codexxa has a team of challengers, problem solvers, inventors, and entrepreneurs. Their goal to achieve exponential growth in consumer expectations pushes them to reach more toward their Success in upgraded world trends.

UNDENIABLE EDGE OVER PEERS

Having a distinct edge over the competitors, Codexxa does not just focus on creating digital solutions but also on helping companies expand and achieve sustainable stability.

Codexxa Business Solution is the top-ranked IT software business in Pune and Mumbai in the constantly shifting, rapidly expanding sector. It helps clients breathe in a free headspace to work more towards their business objectives.

Codexxa is supported by experts that help businesses be the top competitors in their different business worlds as it works to fulfil its purpose of fostering innovation in the technology sector.

CODEXXA ADHERES TO TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS

Technology advancement is regarded at Codexxa as essential to every organisation’s efficient operation. They organise guest lectures and seminars from various industry professionals to assist the employees in thriving with implementing new technology. On the weekends, they also plan enjoyable activities with a learning component. Although the team is divided into different categories, they are all united by the same goal: “To strengthen how employees can accept the latest technology in the market.”

• 50% = Mobile Application Development.

• 25% = Web Designing (UI/UX).

• 25% = Other Services (Marketing and Communications).

MR SOPAN’S TAKE ON THE SIGNIFICANCE OF R&D

We build companies using the most reliable and advanced Blockchain solutions to give our clients a significant advantage as the future unfolds. We are a self-funded blockchain software development company with four years of expertise. Blockchain aims to aid bitcoin and blockchain start-ups in creating ground-breaking software solutions. We provide effective cryptocurrency solutions, including ICOS, wallets, and exchange services.

WORK CULTURE & CORPORATE ETHOS FOR EMPLOYEES

Codexxa has high ambitions as an IT company based on a high-performance and creative culture. Codexxa’s workplace is well-presented and well-maintained, which is crucial to the employee’s physical and mental well-being, as well as for their productivity. Flexibility and a friendly environment are two critical elements of Codexxa’s work environment.

Employees love to be recognised for their achievements. At Codexxa, employees are recognised and promoted timeto-time for their efforts and outstanding performance. Mr Sopan is focused on training his staff to deal with appropriate IT Culture in their careers and with clients and society at large. They drive all organisational levels’ management decisions.

DYNAMIC LEADERSHIP

With over ten years of experience in the software industry, Sopan Khekade, CEO of Codexxa, is an expert in digital marketing consulting and a specialist in IT consulting. Since 2014, he has been working on the creation of mobile applications, and throughout his time there, he has been in charge of overseeing the completion of more than 600 mobile application projects. The visionary leader, recognised as a Best Company Innovator in 2020, completed a B. Tech in academics and developed effective and young business models for customers that were a complete success for them.

“I think it’s critical for businesses to embrace a technology-focused approach to business in order to survive and prosper in their market,”

Sopan Khekade said.

“We are one of the finest web design platforms and iOS app development companies in India because of our unquenchable curiosity and uncompromising independence in the app development field. We support technological advancements and innovative thinkers who shape the direction of the technology industry in our nation,” he further explained.

ECHOBOOOM MANAGEMENT & ENTREPRENEURIAL SOLUTIONS PRIVATE LIMITED

Giving a detailed introduction of the company, Mr. Sagar quips, “Echobooom Management and Entrepreneurial Solutions Private Limited’s core mission is to deliver business, marketing, manpower planning, training and development-related advisory services. Our aim is to create value propositions for our clients and commit to effective implementation. Our consulting services go beyond mere advice: we share our clients’ goals. Our main goal is to exceed our clients’ expectations and become their trusted partners. We work “with” them, combining performance and excellence as the key objectives in all our professional partnerships. Our differentiating factorlies in our in-depth knowledge of the businesses in which our clients operate. We help the leading companies in their respective market segments to turn their current business management goals into tangible results.”

THE TOP-NOTCH SERVICE PANEL

• VIRTUAL TOUR & HD PHOTOGRAPHY

SAGAR PUNWANI

Founder & Managing Director

“We are a Google Street View Trusted agency that enhances your business profile on Google Maps and helps you to start getting Noticed! Invite prospects and searchers inside your store like never before. It’s the power of vision, as your prospects can “envision” themselves doing business with you before they even get there. We’d say that’s a pretty good head start.”

INDIA’S LEADING DIGITAL SOLUTIONPROVIDING PLATFORM JUST GOT BETTER

Gulshan Praveen | Innovative Zone

• UNOGREEN SMART BUSINESS CARD

“We help professionals network better with time-saving and eco-friendly technology. We believe making and keeping relationships is so important in this world. There’s nothing worse than meeting a business connection or new friend, forgetting to connect with them, and never hearing from them again. We see a future where everyone is connected, and UNOGREEN is bridging the gap between in-person relationships and online connections. A huge part of our culture is building sustainable solutions that help the environment.

• UNOGREEN uses technology instead of paper to connect professionals, saving forests around the world. There’s a reason Uno Green Cards are smart cards. They use NFC technology which enables you to share your information with just a TAP. Simply tap your UNOGREEN Smart Business Card to a smartphone & there you go - you have a new connection!”

• SKILL KULTURE – TRAINING & CERTIFICATION

“Skill Kulture aims to provide Campus To Corporate Training Course which helps young professional aspirants ready for the corporate groove! The initial stage of joining a company is to get a formal induction to the freshers who are just out of graduation and into the corporate world. The Campus to Corporate Course is aimed and specially designed program for management and engineering graduates, new joiners in an organization, to help them make a smooth transition from the college campus to the corporate office. They allow a chance to think and deep-dive further into your preferred field. It also helps access to better opportunities and salaries and gets you ready to earn and win what you deserve by building on your capabilities. The program seeks to make the participants introspect, hone up their corporate skills, enjoy the fun-filled experiential activities and gain knowledge and self-confidence.”

GRASP ON R&D

Research and development (R&D) is a valuable tool for growing and improving your business. R&D involves researching your market and your customer needs and developing new and improved products and services to fit these needs. Businesses that have an R&D strategy have a greater chance of success than businesses that don’t. An R&D strategy can lead to innovation and increased productivity and can boost your business’s competitive advantage. R&D isn’t just about creating new products, as it can be used to strengthen an existing product or service with additional features.

KEY ADVANTAGES OF R&D FOR BUSINESS

• Unique selling point

R&D can help you to develop unique products and services. These don’t always have to be entirely new. R&D can drive product improvement or innovation within the existing business offering. Here are some tips on researching new product and service ideas.

• Income

Unique products and services resulting from successful R&D projects can bring financial benefits to the business. This is usually through generating new or enhanced income streams, but R&D can also attract potential new investors to your business. Read about equity finance and joint ventures and business partnerships.

• Funding

Doing R&D can have cost implications for Businesses. However, R&D can also offer many opportunities for businesses to seek public-sector innovation, research and development grants, or even global funding and support for innovation.

• Reputation

Engaging in R&D can help you strengthen your brand and reputation. If you’re collaborating with a trusted, reputable partner or a strong scientific institution, the commercial success of resulting products and services can benefit from their involvement.

• Competitive edge

Through R&D, you can develop an advantage over your competitors and establish yourself as a leader in the market. The development of new products and services can also generate new intellectual property for your business which could further benefit you financially. Read about protecting intellectual property.

• Collaboration

Collaboration can be a key element of any R&D project and is often crucial to achieving success. Collaboration can take place between your business and another enterprise, university, or college. It allows for the transfer of skills and knowledge, and access to facilities, expertise, and potentially new ideas that would otherwise be out of reach of your business. Read about knowledge transfer partnerships.

WORDS OF WISDOM

Before signing off, the visionary shared some token words for the budding entrepreneurs out there by saying, “Most entrepreneurs don’t put enough thought into where they work. There’s a saying in several cultures that it is smart to learn from your own mistakes and wise to learn from someone else’s. So we’ve rounded up advice from the past few years since we started with tips by and for entrepreneurs.

SEPARATE CAUTION FROM FEAR

Don’t let fear be a factor in decision-making. Too often we see entrepreneurs fail to launch because of fear. What if we can’t do it? What if something goes wrong? We understand that we need to consider the pros and cons of our decisions, but we need to be self-aware—are we identifying risks or are we just plain fearful? If fear is keeping you from taking your business to the next level or the next step, then you are allowing fear to dampen your company’s potential.

DO A TEST RUN

Want to be sure if your business idea is indeed unique? Run a test and find out. A pilot will give you the confidence you need to take your idea to the next level and mitigate risk. You can start on a small scale by giving away some freebies to a few people in your target audience group to see how they respond. A small trial can give you some new insights to grow your business and identify challenges that you might have overlooked.

GET OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE

Be ready to speak confidently about your business, even if it makes you uncomfortable. As a new business owner, you will need to market and network constantly. From networking with clients to negotiating supplier payment terms, you must be able to communicate.”

amond,

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10 Most Expensive DIAMONDS in The World

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3. The Steinmetz Pink Diamond - $71.2 millions

It is now referred to as the Pink Star, measures 59.60 carats in weight, and has a Geological Institute of America colour rating of Fancy Vivid Pink. It is the biggest diamond with this rating that is currently known. It was discovered in 1999 in the prodigal De Beers mines. Due to its rarity, cutting it took 20 full months and required Steinmetz Diamonds, a member of the Benny Steinmetz group. On May 29, 2003, it made its official debut in Monaco. Chow Tai Fook Enterprises in Hong Kong paid USD 71.2 million for it at a Sotheby’s auction on April 3, 2017.

4. Princie-$ 39.3 million

Given that the Princie is one of the most well-known pink dia monds in existence, its high price shouldn’t come as a surprise. It was auctioned off in New York in 2013 for US$39.3 million. The Golconda is the region where this 34.65-carat Princie dia mond was mined, along with many other extremely valuable diamonds. It was discovered in India around 300 years ago. One of its owners was the Nizam of Hyderabad, who was named the richest man in the world by Time magazine in 1937. The Prince of Baroda, son of Maharani Sita Devi, is remem bered in the name of the diamond.

5. Graff Lesedi La Rona diamond-$53 million

The Graff Lesedi La Rona, the largest square emerald cut diamond in the world, was found in November 2015 at the Karowe Mine of Botswana-based Lucara Diamond, a Canadi an company. In 2017, the uncut diamond, which is thought to be at least 2.5 billion years old, was sold to Graff, a British multinational jeweller. The rough diamond was meticulously crafted over the course of 18 months to become Graff’s Lesedi La Rona, which now measures about 302.37 carats. The orig inal rough diamond yielded an additional 66 tiny diamonds.

6. The Blue Diamond of Oppenheimer-$ 57.5 million

his then-fiancée Shantel

The Rock- $21.9 million The Rock is the largest

2012.

Beers has

even though it is only 228.31 carats

diamond

When the Oppenheimer Blue was purchased in May 2016, it shattered the previous record for the highest price ever paid for a jewel at auction. That record was surpassed by the Pink Star Diamond in April 2017. At the time of its 1991 announce ment, it was the largest modern-cut diamond known. The Centenary was insured for $100 million before it was put on display in 1991, but it has never undergone appraisal. No one is aware of the diamond’s current location because its owner is unknown.

More than 20 years ago, the rough diamond was discovered in

Africa and

there. Since then, it has had three different

Rahul Kadakia, the auctioneer, compared the size of the dia mond to that of an egg while describing its size. On May 11, 2022, Christie’s Geneva held an auction of magnificent jewels, and the Rock was a part of it. The diamond sold at a price of USD 21.9 million.

7. Diamond De Beers Centenary- $ 100 million

This enormous 273.85-carat diamond is the third largest di amond ever found in South Africa’s Premier Mine. The De Beers Centenary Diamond was discovered in South Africa’s Premier Mine in 1986, but its discovery was kept a secret un til the company’s 100th anniversary celebration in Kimberley. This is the origin of the name Centenary.

With a weight of 599 carats, it was one of the biggest top-co lour diamonds ever discovered. The Centenary was then shrunk to produce a stone that was 273.85 carats in size and had 247 perfectly matched facets. The diamond’s internal and external flawlessness, as well as its D colour rating for colour less diamonds, were confirmed by the GIA.

8. The Hope Diamond – $350 Millions

You might be surprised to learn that a legend claims that the diamond carries a curse with its name. Nothing shocking, considering how most of its previous owners were destroyed. The presence of boron atoms gives it a blue colour, but the presence of phosphorus causes it to turn red when exposed to ultraviolet light. The name of this 45.52 carat diamond, which was found in the Andhra Pradesh region of India in the 1600s, comes from the Hope banking family in London, which bought it sometime in the 1830s. Wikipedia records a total of 22 owners since it was first owned by the French mer chant Tavernier in 1653 before it was bought by the Smithso nian Museum in 1958, where it is still on display today. It is insured for $250 million. It is another jewel that was taken in 1792 during the French Revolution.

9. The Cullinan Diamond – $400 Millions

It was the biggest rough diamond in the world of gem-quality ever found when it was found in the Premier No. 2 mine in Cullinan, South Africa. It started out weighing 3,106.75 carats (621.35 g) and later split into 9 diamonds, all of which are now a part of the British Crown Jewels. Up until 1985, when the 545.67-carat Golden Jubilee from the same mine deposed it,

Cullinan I, also known as the Great Star of Africa, continued to hold the title of largest diamond at 530.2 carats. The larg est clearcut diamond is still that one, though. The Sovereign’s Sceptre with Cross is now resting on top of it. The 66-facet ed Cullinan II, also known as the Second Star of Africa, is set in the Imperial State Crown’s front, below the Kohinoor and the Black Prince’s Ruby. Cullinans V, VI, and VIII are all com ponents of brooches, as are Cullinans III and IV, collectively known as the Lesser Star of Africa. While Cullinan IX is set in the platinum Cullinan IX Ring, Cullinan VII is a pendant on the Delhi Durbar necklace. Phew!

10. Mountain of Light Diamond (Koh-I-Noor): Priceless The Koh-I-Noor, also called The Mountain of Light, is ru moured to be the most expensive diamond in the entire world. This colourless gemstone, which weighs 105.6 carats, is now a piece of the British Crown Jewels. Millions of people visit the Tower of London each year to see the Koh-I-Noor diamond, the centre stone of the Queen Mother’s crown. Due to the common notion that the Kohinoor diamond is cursed because so many of its male owners unexpectedly lost their power or lives, only women have been permitted to wear it since 1849. The gemstone, which was a piece of the Mughal Peacock Throne, is thought to have originated in India. Later, after the British annexed the Punjab, it was controversially transferred to Queen Victoria. The gem was recut by Coster Diamonds into an oval brilliant at Prince Albert’s request. Even though the Koh-i-Noor diamond is regarded as priceless, the entire set of crown jewels is thought to be worth more than $1 billion and is the most expensive diamond in the world.

Improving your website speed for better revenue generation…

A website’s speed is a crucial parameter to consider for the quality of the user experience. Huge revenue loss could be witnessed in case of site speed degradation. It has been estimated that 1 sec of page-loading delay results in 7% loss in conversions and 11% loss in page views. This scenario also causes harm to the reputation of the brand or owner, as online users abandon the site after waiting for 3 seconds to load. Majority of the case claims that over 80% of such users will not return to the site. And, over half of this percent would go on to tell others about their negative experience with the site. Hence, improving the site speed results in improved online revenue and reputation for any website. Epsilon Delta has been creating an impact across the domain. The company is spearheaded by a SaaS products enthusiast- Swapnil Parulekar who conceptualized it in 2017. Here, we are in a freewheeling conversation with him to understand various

aspects of his business while diving into his successful business trajectory.

A BRIEF OF THE COMPANY

Epsilon Delta is a Mumbai-based, bootstrapped venture that has become a pioneer in the space of online site speed and user experience in India. Recognized with DPIIT, it allows companies to monitor their online site speed while improving their overall performance. Google recently announced that faster site speed is directly proportional to the improved SEO ranking of the website. Hence, the company has innovated a real-user measurement SaaS product called Gemini that is being utilized by several online based companies across PAN India as well as the global market. This tool allows organizations to monitor user experience on their respective websites in real time and pinpoints any technical issues that come across the users.

Additionally, they are into providing fixed term and cost performance consulting that help the customer’s website to witness a minimum 30% improvement in speed. This results in improved user engagement numbers that eventually spurred revenue increase and other parameters. Since Epsilon Delta is based out of India, that allows the company to comprehend the network conditions in India and provide better insights on site speed optimization. When it comes to their Gemini clients, they are into rendering complimentary performance insights that are utilized by the developers and product managers to improve their overall user’s experience. Owing to this expert advice, companies become capable of planning better scenarios for their upcoming products as well as the existing ones. The introduction of a web bot detection and blocking feature in Gemini has been a key contributor in allowing their customers detect abusive scrapers on their respective websites. This unique innovation has inclined their competitors’ customer base to Gemini tools in no time.

Compelled to the nature of the business, they are working with companies that are known to have a prominent online presence. Be it the ones who earn their revenue from the online users or the ones who prioritize market

SWAPNIL PARULEKAR Founder

Kajal Dobhal | Innovative Zone

allowing customers to make an impact. At present, they are actively working on similar products for Android apps and server-side monitoring.

BUILDING FORTE FROM SCRATCH

A tech organization always has a workforce that craves for knowledge. Learning is in their core habits as they seek mentors who could help them escalate to the tech path. Along with that a free hand to experiment is also significant in the growth of such employees. Hence, Epsilon Delta thrives an environment that promotes growth of its employees. Keeping employees happy and motivated is key to creating successful products is what the leadership believes in.

Swapnil elucidated, “Currently in Gemini, we are doing about 300 million paid page inspections per month. Cumulatively we have completed about 6 billion paid page inspections till date and growing very fast. We recently launched a bot management feature. Before that we regularly launched features like clientside error detection and end user waterfall analysis. Recently, we also signed our first fortune five hundred customers from the FMCG domain as our customer. All of our customers have repeated their annual Gemini contract. On the consulting side, almost 80% of our customers repeat us. This signifies a high satisfaction rate. We were also selected to represent our company in the Rice conference in 2019 in Hong Kong. On the tech research side, our tech founding member Prathamesh has identified and raised 2 bugs against the Chrome browser from Google. These bugs were accepted and fixed. He is currently contributing to the Web Almanac project 2022 under the Http- Archive umbrella.”

FUTURE OUTLOOKS

reputation. Their clientele is filled with diverse companies. But out of these, the company has a special place for Bombay Stock Exchange in their heart as it was the very first biggie organization to offer them work and take a bet on them, even though they were just new to the market. The faith shown by BSE helped Epsilon Delta to etch a niche for itself in the market. Apart from BSE, BigBasket has been instrumental for the company’s growth, as they have been their clients for multiple years.

SYNCING WITH THE MARKET TRENDS

Business landscape is subjected to the changes as per the market trends and for any business, being in sync with these trends is crucial to survive. Epsilon Delta is persistently watchful of the changes occurring across the world in their respective domain. Many of the market trends have been quite lucrative to the growth of the business so far. Such as, covid-19 triggered the need of the online transactions, where site speed improvement became a mandate that paid the company pretty well during those times.

R&D AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE

Epsilon Delta is a product company that believes in the power of R&D which is yet another factor for the survival of businesses. As their field utilizes the research made by Google at its core, the company constantly brainstorms new ideas to sync with its proposals. It is this research driven approach only that has resulted in the new-age features for Gemini,

asserts Swapnil

CONSIDERABLE MILESTONE

Team Epsilon Delta has scaled greater heights owing to its hard work and quest for innovative products like Gemini. Sharing the information on various milestones crossed by the company in its journey so far,

When asked to reveal the future endeavors of the company, Swapnil and Prathamesh emphasized on emerging as the de facto choice for tech stack monitoring and improvement areas. In this direction, they are toiling hard to add additional products that will help monitor android apps performance and server-side performance. Moreover, in the next five years, the leadership team aspires for its geographical expansion across Bangalore and the USA.

MESSAGE TO CONVEY

“Focus on your dream bigtime. Always thrive to excel in the work you are doing. Customers are the king and always listen to customers.

If you are interested to know more on Gemini tools or you have needs for site speed improvement, feel free to contact us for a free trial on Gemini.”

“When we started our site speed journey, not much information was available on the internet. Very few research articles were published and very few code ideas were available. We had to brainstorm our product with multiple iterations, work with our customers to understand their needs. A sustained effort into customer satisfaction led to the current form of the company and Gemini product,”

PRATHAMESH RASAM Founding member of the tech team

Quadrant Knowledge Solutions

A

of

Imagine you are the owner of a global technology company or associated with a technology brand. You have innovative products, a dynamic team, and a responsive website on board. Even so, things are not moving as they should. While your website might gain a lot of traction, your sales volume is generic. Even after you implement your industrial acumen and utilize the resources that are available on board, you are in a soup when it comes to improving your market share. You realize you need a strategic course of action on competitively positioning your products in the global market.

In such a predicament, hiring a strategic consultant or a growth advisory company can be a prudent move. Be it identifying your target audience and/or markets, garnering market

intelligence, understanding competition, setting realistic sales and distribution goals, setting the price point, or other related facets, they can offer a fresh and objective-based take on how to confront intractable issues. Ultimately, this will help you consider every angle when making critical business decisions. To put this in perspective, they can offer an unbiased and informed viewpoint on your company’s market positioning. But such specialists with adequate relevant expertise can be hard to find. Modern business challenges require advisors with a broad range of skills and a thorough knowledge of tackling different issues. In that light, partnering with Quadrant Knowledge Solutions can be a value for money. Its broad range of services can help you ace your domain and carve a unique niche. We recently

Markets

had an engaging conversation with its chieftains, Piyush Dewangan (Cofounder & Principal Analyst) and Ritika Agrawal (Co-founder & Director). Below is a holistic version of the discussion that followed.

TAILORED OFFERINGS

In 2015, Piyush and Ritika, two market research specialists founded Quadrant Knowledge Solutions to help businesses attain their transformational goals through research-driven market intelligence. As industry veterans, they were very aware of an unresolved gap between client expectations and existing deliverables. Through rigorous research and speaking to global industry leaders who were technology vendors, end users, service providers, and independent consultants, they realized that only a

PIYUSH DEWANGAN Co-Founder & Principal Analyst

RITIKA AGRAWAL Co-Founder & Director

Quadrant Knowledge Solutions, a global advisory & consulting firm, has carved its niche in strategic market research & growth advisory services, helping its clients in achieving business transformation goals

Puja Bhardwaj | Innovative Zone

THE UNIQUE NICHE

There is a saying, “For game-changing-results, you need game-changing-ideas.” This becomes indispensable when you are in a dynamic and competitive market. Quadrant Knowledge Solutions has many offerings on its palate to ensure each client has a distinct market presence. This includes:

• Scenario-Based Planning: Every firm has its own concerns, and Quadrant Knowledge Solutions keeps things that way for its clients. With a laser focus on each client, the firm employs a broad range of trending market drivers, dynamics, and innovations to offer the most accurate market insights, risk assessments, vendor product roadmaps, and strategies. In doing so, each client receives an optimized and effective strategy.

• Visionary Innovation Framework: The firm’s research service uses a creative innovation framework to assist clients in detecting disruptive market trends, given the changing market scenario. This gives them an edge in the market and allows them to create an effective plan for expansion.

• SPARK Matrix: SPARK Matrix, also referred to as Strategic Performance Analysis & Ranking, is Quadrant Knowledge Solutions’ proprietary tool. It evaluates and ranks all global IT vendors by their technical quality and customer impact. This distinct approach to competitive intelligence allows end-users across industries to diligently assess vendors and technology to assist their digital transformation goals.

• Quadrant Knowledge Solutions’ market insights and analytics are based on extensive primary and secondary research. This provides precise and in-depth viewpoints on industry dynamics and trends, advancements, and vendor evaluations. Its distinct capabilities set it apart from its global market rivals.

handful of market research firms offered quality insights. The knowledge and thought process ultimately led to the light bulb moment.

Quadrant Knowledge Solutions specializes in helping clients in attaining visionary goals through tailored strategic growth advisory services. Its deliverables range from market intelligence services, strategic advisory services for CIOs, custom research and consulting services for technology vendors, quadrant subscription services, and content strategy services (CSS).

“The market research and consulting deliverables are meticulously designed to offer strategic insights that address specific client needs.”

Piyush Dewangan

“With qualitative and quantitative insights from authentic sources, clients can plan growth strategies for smooth sailing through fast-changing market conditions ”

Ritika Agrawal

The benchmarked advisory, focus on business transformation, expertise in growth consulting, visionary approach, and thought leadership make the firm a reckoning name. These elements consistently strengthen its foundation of market intelligence, authenticity, exclusive emphasis in the IT field, and profound awareness of various businesses while allowing its clients to embrace innovation, operational excellence, and transformations. In the end, they make Quadrant Knowledge Solutions a vendor-agnostic firm and a strategic knowledge partner for its clients.

AN ECOSYSTEM OF INNOVATION

While it is evident that Quadrant

Knowledge Solutions promises the “custom” in custom-made solutions, it’s constantly progressing. The firm has employed the KAIZEN Model of continuous improvement, which spurred the formation of a SIG (Special Interest Group) team to stay on top of market innovations and internal issues. The team includes dynamic individuals as well as clients and industry experts, periodically reviewing all these facets and ensuring they are integrated into their business strategy. Long story short, the team keeps the firm up-to-speed with the changing dynamics and global innovations. The penchant for continuous improvement has rewarded the firm with a thriving culture. Quadrant Knowledge Solutions began with a team of 10 associates having almost a decade of experience and, over time, has expanded its team of analysts. “We have a flat culture, and our operations are segmented into 21 unique ICT domains, and the team is built around them,” says Ritika. They also have customized training programs specifically for analysts. This is to help the team be on par with market dynamics, competition, trends, and forecasting to exceed client expectations. It also helps in carving a niche domain expertise at an individual level.

ADOPTING TO TIME AND CHALLENGES

Tough times breed strong players, and Quadrant Knowledge Solutions has built its fortitude on trials. Among others, COVID-19 was a trial by fire for a startup like them. The chaos and uncertainty across the world created a disruption that froze client budgets. But, the firm wasn’t here to give up! First and foremost, they took a holistic picture of the market conditions to strategize a sustainable plan. This extended to customizing the

deliverables and offering an in-depth market analysis to clients. The efforts fostered their capability to make realtime business decisions in the face of uncertainty. It is how they survived the crisis and thrived in large numbers.

ON ROUTE TO BECOME AN ACE Quadrant Knowledge Solutions is thriving at a positive pace, even though its road has been tumultuous. They began with 10 clients and, within 5 years, earned the trust and loyalty of thousands of clients worldwide. Today, it’s serving tech vendors and end-users in regions including North America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, APAC, Australia, New Zealand, and India, and expanding rapidly in other regions as well.

They are consistently refining their expertise as a strategic knowledge partner to aid more businesses in achieving transformational goals. The firm is working on a leapfrog strategy to boost its revenue and valuation. “The strategic route bolsters our confidence of becoming a unicorn in terms of revenue within the next ten years,” states Piyush.

CONCLUDING NOTE

As we came towards the end of our conversation, we wanted a few pearls of inspiration from the founders. Interestingly, both came up with the same notion of “taking action.” Ritika explains, “Don’t wait for the right time.” The right time is NOW. Staying consistent in what one wishes to do is the key to success. The path is surely not easy, but facing failures gives courage.”

Piyush adds, “There is no shortcut to success. One must identify and work on the weak points constantly and slowly pave the way for success.”

WHAT IS INSOMNIA?

You may find it difficult to fall asleep, to stay asleep, or you may wake up too early and find it difficult to go back to sleep if you have insomnia, a common sleep disorder. When you wake up, you might still feel tired. Your health, productivity, and quality of life can all suffer from insomnia in addition to your energy and mood. In this blog article, we are reflecting some light on how you can sleep better when you have insomnia. Keep reading.

HERE ARE SOME TIPS FOR INSOMNIA.

1. TAKE A HOT BATH OR SHOWER.

How to sleep instantly? Take a hot shower. Yes, according to some studies, taking shower or bath 90 minutes before bedtime can help people, particularly older adults, fall asleep more quickly and improve the quality of their overall sleep. That increases the depth and quality of sleep too. As an alternative, if you don’t feel like taking a full bath at night, simply soaking your feet in hot water can promote relaxation and better sleep.

2. MEDITATION AND MINDFULNESS

Breathing slowly and steadily and concentrating on the present moment without passing judgement are the core components of mindfulness.

Meditation and Mindfulness has been found to have wideranging health benefits, including the ability to aid in the reduction of insomnia, by reducing anxiety and rumination and can help you sleep fast in 5 minutes.

For various circumstances, there are numerous mindfulness meditation variations. Body scan meditation is one simple method.

• Put your attention on breathing in comfortably and out slowly.

• Take note of how your body is positioned on the bed.

• Take note of any positive or negative sensations in your legs and feet. Legs should be soft.

• Continue the “body scan,” paying attention to each

HELP YOU

SLEEP BETTER

TIPS TO WHEN YOU’RE INSOMNIAC

• part of your body and its sensations from your feet up to your head. It is important to remain in the moment, observe your body without passing judgement or reacting, and then allow each part of your body to relax.

• After examining each area of your body, consider your body as a whole and give it a chance to relax.

Anyone can meditate with mindfulness meditation, but getting used to it may require more practice. As a result, those who can commit at least five minutes per day to getting more comfortable with it tend to find it working best for them.

3. PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR DIET AND HYDRATION

Don’t overeat or go to bed hungry. Avoid eating a big, heavy meal right before bed, in particular. You might face difficulty in falling asleep due to discomfort. You should use caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol responsibly as nicotine and caffeine can cause sleep disturbances and have energising effects that last for hours. Additionally, alcohol can interfere with sleep later in the night, even though it may make you feel sleepy at first. Such things must be avoided in the Diet for Better Sleep.

4. ESTABLISHING A NEW SLEEPING SCHEDULE

Regardless of whether you had a good night’s sleep or a bad one, Dr. Selsick advises getting up at the same time every morning. You eventually develop a regular sleep schedule as a result of feeling sleepy at the same time every day. He also advises against daytime naps because they can cause problems with night-time sleep. It is preferable to persevere and save your exhaustion for the evening.

In order to improve your chances of falling asleep and staying asleep, he advises against going to bed before you are tired.

“If you don’t nod off in about twenty minutes, get up, move to a comfortable room, and read, solve a puzzle, or listen to a podcast. Return to bed when you begin to feel sleepy.” He speaks.

Further he adds, “You might spend less time in bed in the short term. Because you are altering patterns and habits from a lifetime, it might take a few months for it to fully take effect. We find that this works remarkably well if you stick with it, though.”

5. A PEACEFUL BEDROOM IS A HAPPY BEDROOM.

The majority of Americans (74%) believe that peace and quiet are essential for restful sleep. However, a lot of people use ambient noise, such as “white noise,” to block out distracting sounds like horns or traffic. You can also use a fan, which will serve a dual purpose by keeping your room cool, or one of the many relaxing music or some of the sleep music from the internet which last around 45 minutes, can facilitate the development of a tranquil, soothing sleep environment that assist in creating a setting that encourages better sleep at night naturally.

6. RELAX AND MAKE ROOM IN YOUR MIND

Do you frequently have trouble falling asleep or waking up during the night? It can be very challenging to get a good night’s sleep if you have leftover stress, worry, or anger from your day. Making an effort to control your overall stress levels and learning how to stop worrying can help you relax at night. Creating a relaxing bedtime routine can also aid in getting

your mind ready for sleep. Some suggestions include using a relaxation technique, taking a warm bath, dimming the lights, and listening to music or an audiobook.

The difficulties you have sleeping at night may also be related to your daytime routine. It may be more difficult to wind down and relax at night if your brain is overstimulated during the day. You might be constantly stopping what you’re doing during the day to check your phone, email, or social media, like many of us. Then, because your brain is so used to seeking out new stimulation, it can be challenging to wind down before bed.

7. STAY IN TUNE WITH THE NATURAL SLEEP-WAKE CYCLE OF YOUR BODY.

In order to have a great sleep, the best thing you can do is to align yourself with your body’s natural circadian rhythm. Even if you only change your sleep schedule by an hour or two, maintaining a regular sleep-wake schedule will make you feel much more rested and energised than sleeping the same number of hours several times.

Try to maintain a consistent bedtime and wake up time each day. This enhances the quality of your sleep and helps your body’s biological clock function properly. To sleep peacefully, choose a time to go to bed when you typically feel exhausted. If you get enough sleep, you shouldn’t need an alarm to get out of bed. If an alarm clock is necessary, you might need to get into bed earlier.

8. DECLUTTER YOUR BEDROOM.

You are more likely to have sleep issues if your bed feels dreamy but your room is a mess. According to a study that was presented at the SLEEP conference in Seattle in June 2015, people who live in cluttered environments are more likely to suffer from sleep disorders. Whether or not you find it easy to fall asleep depends on what your eyes see when you enter a room. So, tidy up your room, as many of our parents used to say!

9. READ A BOOK BEFORE GOING TO SLEEP (IN BOOK FORM).

Relaxing with a book is a great idea. According to University of Sussex research, spending even just six minutes immersed in a story can reduce stress by 68%. Getting lost in a good book is “the ultimate relaxation... you can escape from the worries and stresses of the everyday world,” according to the cognitive neuropsychologist who conducted the test, Dr. David Lewis. If you don’t currently have a book to read, consider listening to any podcast.

10. RULE OUT A SLEEP DISORDER

Your sleep issues might be caused by an underlying medical condition. An issue that is frequently encountered is sleep apnea, which results in irregular and interrupted breathing. Multiple breathing cessations occur while sleeping for those with this disorder. More people than you might imagine have this condition. 9% of women and 24% of men, according to one study, are said to have sleep apnea. Sleep movement disorders and irregular circadian rhythm sleep/wake disorders, which are frequent in shift workers, are other common medically diagnosed conditions. If you seem to always have sleep issues, you better consider speaking with your doctor.

Soumya Sengupta

A maverick hotelier breaking new grounds with astounding projects

Indranil Roy | Innovative Zone

Whydo people become entrepreneurs? What triggers their motivation? People from all walks of life are taking up entrepreneurship, and they are doing so in great numbers. Even though the modern industry is brimming with fresh prospects that fuel people’s zeal, some people simply can’t fit in there. Innovative Zone has always found it fascinating to pursue zealous notions, but the secret behind becoming an entrepreneur piqued our interest like none other.

In search of answers, our editors began scouring the market for “Passionpreneurs” who found it unnatural to fit into the corporate mold, work for someone else, or on someone else’s timetable. Our efforts brought us to Mr. Soumya Sengupta. He has been a coveted entrepreneurial figure and consultant in the hotel and hospitality industry. After six years in a joint venture, Soumya has launched his own company, Soumya Sengupta & Associates, which is now a coveted name for a variety of services in the hospitality industry. We spoke with him in an interview to get more insight into his business spirit. The synopsis of our discussion is given below.

WALKING A VISIONARY PATH

Soumya has matured his career around some of the most coveted hotels in India. After graduating from IHM Kolkata, he started working for the Park Group of Hotels. From there, he created the groundwork for a solid career. However, he soon came to a point where he was unable to continue being a part of the service sector. Instead, he sought to address the challenges during his tenures he identified many gaps in services, knowledge, and support in the hotel industry. This fuelled the entrepreneur in him as he started his first business, Resotel Consultancy. It made him a deft hotel consultant with expertise in hotels, resorts, lounges, and cloud kitchens. The success of the consultancy even laid the foundation of Bong Moyra, a high-end sweet retail chain in Bangalore.

While he was basking in glory, his life took a new turn in late 2019. His consultancy, which was a joint venture, split up. During this period, the pandemic struck the nation, disrupting the functions of hotel

chains. As a passionate hotelier, he sought to provide a helping hand to enterprises to not only survive but function more effectively. He made slight adjustments in his consultancy venture and extended an arm in turnkey projects, thus, bringing Soumya Sengupta & Associates to the light. His actions not only helped the hotel industry endure but also gave him a reputation for changing the course of the industry. In the past two years, he has launched many hotel projects as well as helped many brands reimagine growth.

HELPING HOTELIERS REIMAGINE GROWTH

Soumya Sengupta & Associates was born out of a need to help clients thrive in a constantly disruptive market. Since COVID-19 came to India, the hospitality industry has been nothing like it used to be. Even in post-COVID, people weren’t ready to invest in hospitality

SOUMYA SENGUPTA | Founder

properties, given the disarray. Being among the sectors that took the hardest beating, it required targeted services to stop the bleeding. In light of this, Soumya divided their services into pre-opening and post-management categories.

said Mr. Sengupta

They pose as a complete project & management consultant offering conceptual designing, technical support, interior designing, resource procurement, staff planning & development, sales & marketing, organization planning & set up, and lastly, corporate turnaround services. Under the post-management category, they assume complete responsibility of the business, helping in management, operations, and business development. As management consultants, they ensure the client’s vision is understood and is the groundwork of the project. This assorted business model has been the consultancy’s unique niche. It has allowed them to serve many prestigious hotel and hospitality brands like, Zaairah Kolkata, and many others. Soumya is also a consultant to IRCTC and West Bengal Tourism, which is surely a proud feather in his cap.

A LEADER WITH AN ENTREPRENEURIAL HEART

When it comes to leadership, Mr. Sengupta leads by the motto, “Lead from the front.” He doesn’t, however, get bogged down in the specifics or micromanage. Instead, he strives to look at the big picture and ensure that every operation is in line with it. This keeps him involved in operations and allows his team the freedom to take charge, plan the tactical details and execute them. Soumya is always there to guide as needed but is always back far enough to overview the entire field. In short, he is not only empowering his people but also developing them. He believes, the team should take the lead in achieving success, but the leader should take responsibility for failure.

REACHING THE ZENITH IN A GRAND WAY

Good efforts are appreciated, but great efforts are prized and cherished. Soumya’s efforts and tenacity have reaped several crowning jewels. His accomplishments include Ethnotel, Raize The Bar (the second microbrewery in Kolkata), Pub 13, Club Fenicia (the largest lounge in Kolkata), and Fly Kouzina, Kouzina Marine, and Kouzina Mining (the first theme restaurant chain in Kolkata), and many more. In fact,

he was involved in the design of 60 to 70% of Kolkata’s nightclubs. He has also worked on projects (Barcode and Hashtag) in Siliguri and acts as a consultant for turnkey projects there.

Such coveted projects are surely something to look up to. Soumya wants to make the advisory firm the best in the business by breaking new ground with turnkey projects.

He already has prominent projects lined up namely:

• Q Saina – a luxury hotel chain planned in Darjeeling, Gangtok, Pelling and Puri

• 24k Sq.ft. F&B venture in Salt Lake Sector 5, Kolkata

• 4 Storied F&B Venture with brew tap near Kolkata Airport

• In parallel, he intends to further expand his sweet retail brand, Bong Moyra, in Bangalore. With such great prospects in the works, Mr. Sengupta’s future is bound to brighten.

WHAT CLIENTS SAY

Rahul Fogla, Owner, Zaairah Dine & Lounge: I met Soumya when I first thought of opening Zaairah. Since then, I have had his support no matter what. Any challenge that came my way, I just had to pass it on to him and be rest assured that he would solve it. He is more of a big brother than a mentor to me.

Santosh Sahoo, Director, Hotel Shaan, Kharagpur: I was, at that point of time, exploring the unknown realm of hospitality—starting with a hotel in Kharagpur. Sadly, to my utter disappointment, it was well-nigh possible to make an inroad. That was until Mr. Sengupta appeared as a godsend for me and my business. He has been guiding me not only how to run a hotel but also how to profit from it.

Nitin Agarwal, Managing Director, Q. Saina: I’ve known Mr. Sengupta for the past four years. He was a consultant for my lounge, and it was always a pleasure working with him since he first ascertains the client’s needs, offers his thoughts, and works on the project as if it were his own. He is currently working on my second project, which is a chain of hotels. I have absolute faith in him, be it for advice, financial guidance, project viability, followups, professionalism, or helping me weigh the pros and cons.

HIS MOTTO OF LIFE

At the end of our conversation, we asked Mr. Sengupta if he’d like to share some pearls of learning for our readers. He concluded his thoughts with a simple succinct, “Never say die.”

We aid hotel owners in the design stages, even those that are 30–60% finished and in need of turnaround strategies to enhance their financial condition,

The Ramayana MOST ICONIC MOMENTS FROM

The Ramayana, the story of the King of Ayodhya-Ram, is significant in Indian mythology. There is simply so much to be learned from it. In fact, every time we return to it, we uncover something new and exciting. In this blog article we are presenting 10 Most Iconic Moments from The Ramayana that we never tire of reading.

The Ramayan is a 5,000-year-old epic that has been used to teach people how to live moral lives and avoid doing things they

• Rama is born Dasharath, the king of Ayodhya, had no children. As a result, he organized a Putra-kameshti sacrifice. During the sacrifice, Agni appeared from the flames and presented the king with a golden vase filled to the brim with nectar. Give this to your queens, the divinity said before disappearing. The king had three wives- Kaushalya, Sumitra, and Kaikeyi. The king gave the first queenKaushalya half of the nectar, and a third of it to the second queen Sumitra. Then, the king gave Kaikeyi an eighth portion of it and after some thought, he gave the remainder to Sumitra again.

The lucky Rama, who possessed all the favourable traits, was born to Kaushalya. The Ikshvaku family was overjoyed to get this son, who was a portion of Vishnu. Bharata, who was a quarter part of Vishnu was born to Kaikeyi. He embodied courage and possessed all of the qualities. Lakshmana and Shatrughna, who were brave and knowledgeable in the use of various weapons, were born to Sumitra. They stood for Vishnu’s surviving elements. The four princes were born one after the other and were identical in virtue, good looks, and effulgence.

Rama

When the princes were grown, the sage Vishwamitra came to Dasharath’s court and asked for Rama and Lakshman to be leased to him so that he might use them to free their hermitage from the demons that afflicted them by defiling their sacrifices with blood and bones. After the two princes successfully expelled the demons from the ashram, the sage escorted them to the neighboring kingdom of Mithila to see the swayamvar festivities of the Mithila princess, Sitaan avatar of goddess laxmi. When Sita reached maturity, king Janak, the ruler of that kingdom declared that he would marry her to any skillful user of Shiva’s Great Bow. Sita was his daughter, whom he had adopted. Several kings who came from all the states near and far attempted to lift the Shiva’s great bow but failed.

When Rama and Lakshman came, the bow was displayed in all its brilliance in the assembly hall. Rama approached the bow, strung it, and drew the bowstring with such force that the twang could be heard for miles around and the bow was broken in half with such force that the kings and his courtiers ran from their rooms to figure out the cause of the disturbance. Rama and Sita were married once the uproar had died down. As a result of it, Ram’s three brothers also married to Sita’s sister and cousins, there were countless festivities and jubilant celebrations.

• Rama is exiled Invoking a former promise made by Dasharatha, his youngest queen requested that Rama be exiled for 14 years and her own son, Bharat, be crowned king. Rama chose to follow his promise to his father and headed off towards the woods, despite Dasharath’s objections. Sita and Lakshman joined him and reluctant to leave his side. Dasharath died two days later, distraught by the injustice of it all and Rama’s departure.

Rama was determined to fulfill his father’s ultimate wish by being an exile for the full 14 years. After the death of Dashrath, Bharat went to the jungle to bring back Ram, but Ram refused to return. Bharat returned with Rama’s sandals. He put them on the throne and started ruling the land in his place. Rama traveled further south and deeper into the woods to make it more difficult for the people of Ayodhya to keep visiting his hut and appealing to him to return.

• Lakshman cut off Surpanakha’s nose Surpanakha, Ravana’s sister, had an important role in the Ramayana. Lord Rama’s lovely attributes captivated Surpanakha when he first met her during his banishment in the wilderness. Rama turned down her advances since he wanted to remain committed to his wife. When Lord Rama rejected her, she went to Lakshman, but he had nothing to offer her either. After growing enraged, Surpanakha attacked Sita. To keep Sita safe, Lakshman cut her nose off.

deer, grabbed Sita, loaded her into his flying chariot, and transported her to Lanka. When the princes returned to their cottage after slaying the golden deer and discovering it was actually a demon in disguise, they discovered it was empty. They then started looking for Sita.

• Rama meets Hanuman

Both the princes, Ram, and Lakshman started searching Sita. A group of monkeys who had seen a beautiful woman sobbing and dropping her jewelry from a chariot in the sky being pushed south by a demon presented them some of Sita’s jewelry when the princes came across them.

mountain and transport it to the Lankan battleground consequently. Ravana tried several times to divert Hanuman’s attention, but he was only partially successful. Probably, this is one of the most inspirational stories from Ramayana.

• Ram Arrow into Ravana

Rama realized that Ravana had amrita, the elixir of immortality, in his stomach but had never sipped from it on the final day of the fight. Rama used an arrow to pierce Ravana’s stomach at the suggestion of Vibhishan. Ravana died because of the amrita’s evaporation.

• Ram Returns to Ayodhaya

The war with Ravana came to an end, as did Lord Rama’s exile in the jungle. Rama used an arrow to pierce Ravana’s stomach at the suggestion of Agastya. The ideal man or lord of virtue, Maryada Purushottama, is how Hindus view Ruler Rama. Lord Rama’s arrival in Ayodhya is commemorated by the celebration of Diwali, which honors the victory of good over evil.