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VOLUME 12 ISSUE 4 APRIL 2013
Secret of Raising Well Behaved Kids Are private universities worth considering this admission season?
Cars Celebrities Drive Men’s Health Lessons for Women Galaxy S4 vs. iPhone5
IPL 2013 Chances of Each Team to Win In-Focus Life Insurance Corporation, Dena Bank
MAGAZINE
Seasonal www.seasonalmagazine.com
EDITORIAL
Vol 12 Issue 4 April 2013
11 Global Innovations India Should Emulate
Managing Editor Jason D Pavoratti Editor John Antony Director (Finance) Ceena Senior Editorial Coordinator Jacob Deva Senior Correspondent Bina Menon Creative Visualizer Bijohns Varghese Photographer Anish Aloysious Correspondents Bombay: Rashmi Prakash Hyderabad: Iqbal Siddiqui Delhi: Anurag Dixit Director (Technical) John Antony Publisher Jason D Editorial & Business Office Cochin: 36/1924 E, Kaloor-Kadavanthra Road, Near IGNOU, Kaloor, Cochin-17. Ph:0484- 2345876, 2534377, 2340080 Mob. 09947141362, 09947258505 Mumbai: 202, Woodland Heights Building, St. Martins Road, Bandra West, Mumbai -400 050 Mob: 919947141362 Bangalore: House No: 493, Block 3 3rd Main, HBR Layout, Bangalore-4209731984836, Email:skmagazine@gmail.com www.seasonalmagazine.com UK Office: “CRONAN”, Boundaries Road Feltham, Middlesex, UK TW13 5DR Ph: 020 8890 0045, Mob: 00447947181950 Email: petecarlsons@gmail.com Reg No: KERENG/2002/6803 Printed & Published by Jaison D on behalf of PeteCarlson Solutions Pvt. Ltd. at Cochin. Printed at Rathna Offset Printers, Chennai-14. All Rights Reserved by PeteCarlson Solutions Pvt. Ltd. No part of this publication may be reproduced by any means, including electronic, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
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ndia has informally started preparing for the next general elections. Or so it would seem, observing the recent actions by the country’s main two political parties. While BJP took one more nervous step in elevating Narendra Modi to the prime ministerial candidate position, Congress came out with a shocker, claiming that the dual power-sharing model of Sonia-Manmohan that ruled India for the last nine years remains the best model for the future. But sorely missing from both camps, were any breakthrough plans to take India to the league of developed nations. There was no such breakthrough plan, as there was no plan to innovate at all. Both parties were sitting smug as though they knew everything to make India a developed nation eventually. If such is the intellectual bankruptcy of our leading parties, what could be expected of the smaller or regional ones? India is staring blankly at the future - a future as a struggling developing nation - for not years, but decades to come. There is one unfortunate side-effect we have inherited from our freedom struggle from British rule - it is this smugness that we know everything. That we can provide for our own, that we can figure out solutions for all our challenges on our own. Ideologically that is fine, and it was even a required mindset to overthrow the British who had no business to govern over us for centuries. But have we taken that mindset to extreme, by closing our minds to all the innovations that are happening across the globe? Now, innovation is a very tricky word. We often imagine innovation as something pure and original. But in reality, innovation is just incremental advancement over something that existed before, but which offers vastly superior benefits. Which in turn implies that all innovators - from inventors, to companies, to nations - should be humble enough to learn from others read current leaders - first, and then have the audacity to create something better. Perhaps the best example for this phenomenon - at least from the corporate world - happened over 60 years ago, when a young Japanese engineer by name of Eiji managed to visit Ford’s pioneering car making plant in Dearborn, Michigan in US. Eiji was awed by what he saw at Dearborn. The company he was working for back
Netherlands - Small in Land, But 3rd in Farm & Flower Output
Denmark - World's Best Bicycling Culture in Japan had managed to make 2500 automobiles during its 13 years of existence, which was a feat by the then prevailing Japanese standards. But here was Ford, churning out 8000 vehicles a day from this single plant. That much for the awesome part of Eiji’s experience. Now to the audacious part. Eiji was so audacious that he believed that he could do better back at home, as despite being awestruck, he was sharp enough to notice the inefficiencies at the Ford plant. That is what innovation is all about. By now, most of you would have guessed what Eiji did back home. For those who haven’t figured out still, here is another clue - Eiji’s surname was Toyoda. His cousin and closest friend was Kiichiro Toyoda, who had established the Automobile Division of Toyoda Automatic Loom Works, a textile company started by his father, the legendary Japanese inventor and entrepreneur Sakichi Toyoda. Once back home, Eiji collaborated with his bright cousin and Toyoda heir Kiichiro and a bright engineer by name of Taiichi Ohno to create what is perhaps the most admired and most copied industrial manufacturing system - Toyota Production System - across industries and sectors ever since. Not only other carmakers like Ford, GM, Chrysler, Volkswagen, Nissan, & Honda have emulated TPS, but hundreds of major corporations worldwide in diverse fields like aerospace, consumer products, computer manufacturing, metals processing, and industrial products, with admirers including giants like Boeing and Caterpillar. TPS worked perfectly and it elevated Toyota to become the world’s largest and most profitable car maker, and TPS spawned later day concepts like lean manufacturing.
Coming back to innovations by countries, and to the case of India, what does it teach us? Perhaps that classic quote by intellectual giant Emerson puts that vital lesson tersely and sarcastically - “Our best thoughts come from others.” In other words, there is nothing to be ashamed of in learning from others, who are now the best. And if you are audacious enough, you can even dream of innovating on such best models. So, where should we start? Let us start by humbly acknowledging that for all their high-handedness and selfishness, the British rule did give us a couple of innovations way ahead of the rest of Asia. Like our pioneering railways, like much of our roads, like our ports, like our hill stations, like our English education that eventually made us an IT power, etc. There is nothing wrong in giving credit where it is due. That doesn’t mean we should stop demanding an apology for Jallianwala Bagh or such atrocities, which should continue. Even Gandhi was appreciative of the good elements of the British system. Acknowledging credit where it is due is an empowering step, as it frees us to look further outside for contemporary inspirations. And what is the next step? If we look around, there is so much to emulate. So much innovation is happening right at this moment across the world. Let us mention just 11 of them that are readily doable by India. Bloomberg recently produced its list of ‘50 Most Innovative Countries’. Needless to say, India is nowhere in this list, unlike its BRICS cousins Brazil, Russia, & China which have all managed to get at least poor ranks. Though Bloomberg has followed a robust data-driven methodology, actual
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innovation examples are missing, but are obvious for the discerning world observer. Let us start with USA, which is the world’s leading innovator according to this list. Despite leading the world in researcher density (researchers per million population), US is planning to attract a continuous stream of world’s finest talents by offering STEM (Science, Tech, Engg, & Maths) graduates who study in the country, automatic green cards. South Korea which comes second in this list, leads the world in patent activity. No wonder then in the way Samsung is aligning with Google’s Android for their patent requirements, and fighting the largest tech company in the world, Apple, head on, which is finally resulting in better, cheaper smartphones that more people across the world can afford, just like the Wintel revolution that made PCs affordable. Germany is there in the list at No. 3 position because despite bearing the most brunt of EU economic woes, it leads the world in attracting high-tech industries. Think of Volkswagen and how its varied brands are not only dominating the world auto business, but bettering TPS through new paradigms like MQB. Finland which comes next, is credited with Europe’s best educational system and economic competitiveness. Think of Nokia and how it has recently aligned with software major Microsoft to make a dramatic comeback to relevance through the Lumia Windows Phone. The next position in the innovation index is occupied by Sweden which has followed some no-nonsense policies like avoiding any war for more than two hundred years, and careful socialist economic planning that has resulted in it being the world’s leading country with least income disparity. Next in line is Japan, which is second only to South Korea in patent activity. Japan
France - Nuclear Power Delivers 78% Electricity is noted for its open culture that shares knowledge, with one of the best examples being the Toyota Production System itself, with the company allowing extensive factory visits and employee interviews by even competitors so that a good thing can be emulated by all and bettered. Singapore comes next in innovation, and how this tiny islandstate created one of the world’s leading financial centres almost solely on the revenues and secondary activities from a mega seaport is always a fascinating study in innovation. Austria, which comes next, has been known in recent decades for its Mergers & Acquisitions culture, which saw Austrian companies moving in quickly soon after the fall of communism in Eastern Europe to set in motion over 4650 M&As with one of the most noted being the marriage between Porsche and Volkswagen. Denmark comes next in the list, and it should be in this list if only for its bicycling culture that has seen 12,000 km of bicycle routes being created with even the rich and the young actively cycling to work and leisure. France, which comes next in the innovation list, is a nation that proved to the world that by relying on almost solely on nuclear energy, all power crisis can be ended. 59 nuclear plants supply 78% of French power, making the country one of the least polluted among developed nations, and has contributed much to it’s maintaining its position as the No.1 tourist destination in the world. The 11th most innovative nation is Netherlands, which has done impossible miracles in agriculture and floriculture. Despite being a tiny nation by land area (135th rank against India’s 7th) the Dutch rank third worldwide in value of agricultural exports at $55 billion, with it dominating agri/flori produce like tomatoes, fresh-cut plants, flowers, bulbs, chilis, cucumbers, apples etc. The secret is climate-controlled methods like greenhouse farming. Are any of these innovations impossible for India? Of course not. But first we should have an open mind to learn from the best real innovations in the world, and stop sitting smug as though we know everything. If we knew, we wouldn’t be here.
Japan - TPS is one Example of Japan's Open Knowledge Sharing
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John Antony
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Contents Self-Discipline Versus Regulation Yahoo! CEO Marissa Ann Mayer's decision to end telecommuting has evoked strong reactions and has divided opinion. Will this mark the beginning of an industry trend with..
COVER STORY
Are Private Universities Worth Considering This Admission Season? As Indian Youth Pursues American Model Development, Is American Youth Pausing to Rethink?
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Why India is World's No.1 in Road Accident Deaths Deaths due to road accidents are not unfamiliar to Indians. A latest report by the World Health Organisation (WHO) throws light on India's embarrassing statistics of road mishaps due to poor enforcement of laws related to..
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IPL 2013 - What are the Chances of Each Team to Win?
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Is Apple Resorting to Gimmicks? Apple put up a new page on its website recently touting the iPhone's features and explaining why it's better than any other phone..
Contents
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A Radically Contrarian Strategy on Raising Well Behaved Kids
Who are the Happiest People in Asia and Why?
It is focusing on good behavior that decreases the instance of misbehavior, and not vice versa found renowned child psychologists Jacob Azerrad, Ph.D., and Paul Chance, Ph.D., in their classic essay 'Why Our Kids Are Out of Control'. Though it has been 12 years since the landmark article came in
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BOOK LAUNCH
Tendulkar, Harbhajan, & Kohli on Yuvaraj's Personal Battle Just hours before the 2011 World Cup began, Sachin Tendulkar’s eyes detected something amiss in Yuvraj Singh, and it took a quiet dinner in Dhaka for the batting maestro to convince the lefthander that India needed him to fire if they were to win the trophy. Although Tendulkar didn’t say if Yuvraj disclosed the seriousness of his illness at the time, before India’s first World Cup game against Bangladesh, he pepped him up to give off his best during the tournament that India eventually won in style. Yuvraj was adjudged man of the tournament, after which his successful fight with cancer began.
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“I noticed something was wrong with Yuvraj and it seemed that he was a bit low. I felt it was more to do with his mind and so I told him that we should sit together and have dinner,” Tendulkar disclosed while speaking at the launch of Yuvraj’s memoir, The Test of My Life , here on Tuesday.
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“I told him that we needed his matchwinning skills for India to win the Cup and after that night, he was more determined than ever to bring home the Cup,” he said. Tendulkar, however, said that he feared that he would break down
in front of Yuvraj when they came face to face in London last year. “When I went to meet him in London, I was telling my wife that I don’t want to break down when I see him. I met him and gave him a tight hug. We enjoyed a meal and from the way he ate, I was convinced that he is back on track,” he recalled. Tendulkar said that he could feel the pain Yuvraj had gone through and experienced mixed emotions. “After the meeting in London, I could understand what he went through, especially after I saw my wife discussing medical terms with Yuvraj. He is like my younger brother and I would ask God why it (the illness) had to happen to Yuvraj,” he said. Yuvraj, in turn, dwelled on his relationship with Tendulkar and recalled his first meeting with him. “During a first-class match, I was one of the reserve players and was asked to give a biscuit packet to Sachin. I kept staring at him for a long time and a stunned Sachin kept asking for the biscuits,” he recalled. Later, Tendulkar quipped that he was yet to receive the biscuit packet. The trials and tribulations that Yuvraj underwent while undergoing treatment
for cancer has completely changed his outlook towards life. The 31- year- old allrounder along with his India teammates recalled how he won the battle against the disease. “It’s very hard to describe the feeling once you get to know that you have been diagnosed with the disease. My core system my friends, family, especially mother and teammates supported me, and playing international cricket after that was a great challenge,” Yuvraj said. Virat Kohli, Harbhajan Singh and Mahendra Singh Dhoni regaled with their anecdotes. “During his illness, I never spoke on that subject and I’d always ask about the girl he was going to date when he’d be back after treatment and if he’d introduce her to me,” Harbhajan said. Kohli chipped in: “He didn’t want anyone to feel shocked and whenever we used to call him, he sounded normal. He’s like my big brother and I’m glad that I know him from close quarters.” Dhoni said that the selectors were right in picking Yuvraj for the T20s against the Kiwis last year. “It was not an emotional decision. Yuvraj’s a fighter and he has shown that he can take any challenge head on,” he said. (Soumalya Santikari for Mail Today)
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Seasonal Magazine
PARENTING
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A Radically Contrarian Strategy for Raising Well Behaved Kids
It is focusing on good behavior that decreases the instance of misbehavior, and not vice versa, argued renowned child psychologists Jacob Azerrad, Ph.D., and Paul Chance, Ph.D., in their classic essay 'Why Our Kids Are Out of Control'. Though it has been 12 years since the landmark article came in ‘Psychology Today’, most parents and even some paediatricians are ignorant of this strategy and pursue just the opposite method, producing disastrous results. This classic paper was recently revised with latest updates. Here is this must-read on parenting:
Michael is out of control. He has several temper tantrums a day, throws food during meals, deliberately breaks toys and household items, hits and bites his younger brother and sister and refuses to comply with reasonable requests. Asked to put away his toys or go to bed, the 5-year-old replies, "No. And you can't make me." He is, in truth, a very unpleasant child. He is also very unhappy: No one can behave as he does and feel good about himself or be pleased with life.
We seem to be in the midst of an epidemic of Michaels. I have been a child psychologist for 35 years, and each year I see parents dealing with more and more severe problems. Their children are not just ill-mannered, they are whiny, selfish, arrogant, rude, defiant and violent. Most of them are also miserable, as are their parents. Such disgraceful behavior in young children predicts serious problems later in life. As adolescents they are more likely to drop out of school, use drugs, engage in delinquency and be clinically depressed. And when I read newspaper articles about road rage, commuter rage and office rage it seems to me that many out-of-control children are growing up to be out-of-control adults.
Why are there so many out-of-control children today? Many explanations have been proposed: high-sugar diets, environmental toxins, allergies, television, psychiatric disorders. In considering these theories, it is useful to note that the rise in outrageous child behavior is largely an American phenomenon. Psychologist Tiffany Field, Ph.D., of the University of Miami School of Medicine, found that in France, for example, 3-year-olds behave admirably in restaurants. They sit quietly and talk and eat their meals like "little adults." They do not argue or throw food or refuse to eat as many American children do. In a separate study, Field noted another major difference in the behavior of French and American preschoolers: On
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hiny, arrogant, rude, violent. Our children are showing their bad side. What we can do to save our children?
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Studies have consistently shown that the problem behavior of children is typically the result of misplaced adult attention. playgrounds, French youngsters were aggressive toward their playmates only 1 percent of the time; American preschoolers, by contrast, were aggressive 29 percent of the time. It is probably not a coincidence that France has the lowest murder rate in the industrialized world, and the United States has the highest. Can such dramatic differences in behavior between advanced, industrialized nations be accounted for by differences in diet, toxins, allergies, television or psychiatric disorders? It seems extremely unlikely, and I have found no scientific evidence to support these theories. I suggest that the fundamental reason behind so many more American children running amok is child-rearing practices.
only when he suffered a mishap without crying. If he fell, for example, and went about his business without a whimper, a teacher would go to him and compliment him on his grown-up behavior. The result of this new approach: In five days the frequency of Bill's crying spells fell from an average of about seven per morning to almost zero. To be certain that Bill's change in behavior was because of the new strategy, Hart and colleagues asked the teachers to once again pay attention to Bill when he cried. Bill returned to crying several times a day. When the
teachers again ignored the crying and attended to Bill only when he acted maturely, the crying spells dropped sharply. Hart and her coworkers repeated this experiment with another "crybaby," Alan, and got nearly identical results. Similarly, researchers have shown that the disruptive behavior of school children is often a result of adult attention. In studies of elementary school classrooms, for example, researchers found some students repeatedly left their seats without good reason. Typically the teacher interrupted the lesson to reprimand them. But these
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Let me explain: Studies have consistently shown that the problem behavior of children is typically the result of misplaced adult attention. In a study done many years ago, psychologist Betty Hart, Ph.D., and her colleagues at the University of Washington, studied the effects of attention on Bill, a 4-year-old "crybaby" enrolled in a morning preschool. Each morning Bill had between five and 10 crying spells: He cried when he fell, bumped his head or if another child took away a toy. Each time Bill cried a teacher went to him to offer comfort. Hart and her colleagues reasoned that this adult attention, though intended to reassure and comfort Bill, might actually be the reason for all his crying.
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To test their hypothesis, the researchers asked the teachers to try a new strategy. Now when Bill cried, the teachers glanced at him to be sure he was not injured but did not go to him, speak to him or look at him. If he happened to cry when a teacher was nearby, she turned her back or walked away. Teachers paid special attention to Bill
Jacob Azerrad, Ph.D
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efforts often increased the frequency of wandering. When the teacher ignored children who wandered and paid attention to those who worked hard, the frequency of the problem behavior usually fell sharply. It may seem odd that reprimands, threats and criticism can actually reward bad behavior, but such is the tremendous power of adult attention. When children can get attention by behaving well, they do. Unfortunately, many adults are far more likely to attend to annoying behavior than they are to desirable behavior. Glenn Latham, Ed.D., a family and educational consultant, has found that adults typically ignore 90 percent or more of the good things children do. Instead, they pay attention to children when they behave badly. I believe that Americans attend more to bad behavior than to good behavior because they have come under the spell of self-described child-rearing authorities. These kiddie gurus--who include pediatrician Benjamin Spock, M.D., child psychiatrists T. Barry Brazelton, M.D., and Stanley Turecki, M.D., and child psychologist Ross W. Greene, Ph.D., among others-repeatedly urge parents to give special attention to children when they behave badly. Consider the following example. In Dr. Spock's Baby and Child Care (Pocket Books, 1998), a book that has sold 40 million copies, Dr. Spock recommends this approach in dealing with aggressive behavior: "If your child is hurting another or looks as if he were planning murder, pull him away in a matter-of-fact manner and get him interested in something else." Given what research shows about the effects of adult attention, getting a child "interested in something else" whenever he is aggressive is a sure formula for producing a highly aggressive child.
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If a child gets angry and throws or smashes things, Dr. Brazelton suggests the following:
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"Sit down with her in your lap until she's available to you. Then, discuss why you think she needed to do it, why she can't do it and how badly you know she feels for this kind of destructive, out-of-
makes behavior more likely to occur, not less.
I believe that parents attend more to bad behavior than to good behavior because they have come under the spell of self-described child-rearing authorities, who repeatedly urge parents to give special attention to children when they behave badly.
control behavior." If your child has a particularly intense tantrum, Dr. Turecki gives this advice: "With these tantrums you should be physically present with your child, with your arms around him if he'll permit it or just be there with him as a comforting physical presence in the room. Be calm and say reassuring things: 'I know you're upset, but it will be okay.'" If the child has a tantrum that is not so intense, Turecki recommends being "menacing and firm." In other words, having a mild tantrum doesn't pay off, but having a severe tantrum does. I can scarcely imagine a more effective way of teaching a child to have severe tantrums. Many of the most popular child-rearing books are full of such nonsense. They repeatedly urge parents to hold, soothe, comfort and talk to a child who bites, hits, screams, throws or breaks things, ignores or refuses parental requests or otherwise behaves in obnoxious, infantile ways. Common sense and a truckload of research argue solidly against this practice. Yet these experts seem to be unaware of the wellestablished fact that children do what gets noticed, that adult attention usually
Nevertheless, thousands of parents follow the bad advice of these and likeminded child-rearing gurus every day. And the more faithfully they follow the advice, the worse their children become. Some of these parents eventually find their way to my office, desperate for help. I advise them to redirect their attention from infantile behavior to grown-up behavior. They are often amazed by the change in their children. Take Dennis, for example. Ten-year-old Dennis was a "born liar," according to his mother, who added, "he wouldn't tell the truth if his life depended on it." Dennis had several siblings, but he was the only chronic liar. Why Dennis? With several children in the family, there was a good deal of competition for adult attention. Dennis wanted more than his share, and he got it by lying: His mother spent a lot of time with him trying to separate fact from fiction and trying to understand why he lied. Mom didn't realize it, but all this attention just encouraged dishonesty. The solution was to give Dennis attention when it was clear he was telling the truth and to ignore him when he might be lying. When Mom knew that Dennis had given her the right amount of change after a purchase, or when a discrete call to his teacher proved that he really had been kept after school, he got time with Mom and approval for telling the truth. Instead of "tell a lie, get attention," the rule became, "tell the truth, get attention." When the rule changed, so did Dennis. Five-year-old Debbie offered a different sort of challenge, but the solution was essentially the same. She woke up every night screaming because of nightmares about "the big germ" and "the terrible lion." Every night her parents rushed to her side to comfort her and assure her there were no big germs or terrible lions in the house. During the day, Debbie talked about her nightmares with anyone who would listen. Her mother encouraged this behavior because she thought it would be therapeutic for Debbie to get her fears "out in the open." In fact, all this attention to her fears
The solution to Debbie's problem was to pay less attention to talk about nightmares and more attention to grown-up behavior. When Mom and Dad started saying things like, "I appreciated it when you helped me set the table today" and "I heard you taking the phone message from Mrs. Smith. You were very grown up," they provided Debbie with better ways of getting attention than screaming in the night and complaining about monsters. Even Michael, the screaming, out-ofcontrol boy who made life miserable for himself and everyone near him, soon became a happy, self-disciplined child.
He was more challenging than most children, but once again the most important step to turning him around was giving him the attention he wanted when he gave his parents the behavior they wanted. It sounds easier than it is. Parents who have fallen into the habit of offering attention for disagreeable behavior often have a hard time shifting their focus to agreeable behavior. Over the years I have devised a simple procedure to help parents do this. I call it the Nurture Response:
THE NURTURE RESPONSE 1. Be on the alert for behavior that indicates growing maturity: Taking disappointment calmly, performing spontaneous acts of kindness and demonstrating an interest in learning.
When you see this kind of grown-up behavior, make a mental note of it. Perhaps Margaret, who usually responds to disappointments with a tantrum, is unperturbed when told her favorite breakfast cereal is unavailable. Maybe Sam, who is typically selfish with his belongings, shares his toys with the neighbor's child.
2. Some time later (anywhere from five minutes to five hours after the event), remind the child of the behavior you observed. You might say, "Do you remember when Harry's bike fell over and he couldn't straighten it because it was too heavy for him? You went over and helped him. Do you remember doing that?" 3. When you're sure the child remembers the event in question, praise her for it. You might say, "It was very
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made them worse, not better. From Debbie's standpoint, the lesson was: "If Mom and Dad are so interested in what I say about the big germ and the terrible lion, these monsters must really exist."
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good of you to help Harry with his bike. I'm proud of you." Often the highest praise you can offer children is to tell them they acted like an adult. You might say, "I know you were disappointed that you couldn't go to the mall, but you were very grown up about it. I was impressed." Don't mix the praise with criticism. Don't say, for example, "I was proud of the way you helped Harry; you're usually so mean to him," or even, "I'm glad you were finally nice to Harry."
4. Immediately after praising the child, spend some time with him in an activity he enjoys. Do this in a spontaneous way, without suggesting that it is payment for the grown-up behavior. You might play a favorite game, go for a walk, or read a story. Remember that nothing is more important to a child than the undivided attention of a parent, so give the child your full attention for these few minutes. The nurture response is not a panacea, of course. Some dangerous or extremely annoying forms of behavior, such as knocking other children down or having screaming tantrums, may require additional measures, including punishment (see "Time Out the Right Way," page 46). But it is amazing how much can be accomplished by simply ignoring the behavior you don't want and noticing the behavior you do want. For decades many child-rearing icons have urged parents to pay special attention to troublesome behavior, to offer sympathy, understanding and reassurance when children behave in outrageous ways. This view so pervades our society that scarcely anyone questions it. Both common sense and scientific evidence tell us, however, that this approach is bound to backfire, and it does.
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Parents should think of themselves as gardeners. A good gardener encourages desirable plants and discourages undesirable ones. In the same way, a good parent encourages desirable acts and discourages undesirable ones.
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Do you want your children to be wellbehaved and happy? Then ignore experts who tell you to shower attention on children when they are badly
Most of the annoying things children do can be dealt with very effectively by ignoring them and attending to children when they behave more maturely. However, when the behavior is particularly immature or poses a risk of injury to the child or others, it may be necessary to turn to punishment. In these instances, Time Out usually does the trick. behaved and miserable. Remember that gardeners must nurture the flowers, not the weeds.
TIME OUT THE RIGHT WAY Most of the annoying things children do can be dealt with very effectively by ignoring them and attending to children when they behave more maturely. However, when the behavior is particularly immature or poses a risk of injury to the child or others, it may be necessary to turn to punishment. In these instances, Time Out usually does the trick. Time Out is probably the most widely
researched technique for dealing with unwanted behavior in young children. Unfortunately, it is often used incorrectly. It is therefore worth noting that Time Out means removing the child from all rewarding activities for a short period. The common practice of sending a child to his room, where he can play computer games, watch TV or talk with friends on the telephone, is not Time Out, nor is sitting on the couch with the child and discussing the merits of his behavior. Time Out means exposing the child to a very boring, unrewarding environment. For the sake of illustration, let's assume that your child has bitten someone. Here is a simple, highly effective way of discouraging this behavior: 1. Say to her: "We do not bite." Say nothing more than this--give no further description of the behavior, no explanation of what you are doing. Say nothing except, "We do not bite." 2. Take her by the hand and seat her in a small chair facing a blank wall. Stand close enough so that if she attempts to leave the chair you can immediately return her to it. 3. Keep her in the chair for three minutes. (Do not tell her how long she will be in the chair. Say nothing.) If she screams, kicks the wall, asks questions or says she has to go to the bathroom, ignore her. It is absolutely essential that you say nothing. 4. At the end of the three minutes, keep her in the chair until she has been quiet and well-behaved for five more seconds. When she does so, tell her she has been good and may now leave the chair. Never let her leave until she has been well-behaved for at least a few seconds. 5. Following Time Out, say nothing about it. Do not discuss the punished behavior or the fairness of the punishment. Say nothing except, "We do not bite." Once the child realizes that you mean business, that she cannot manipulate you into providing attention for bad behavior, Time Out will proceed more smoothly and quickly and there will be far fewer times when you need to use it.
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DEVELOPMENT
As Indian Youth Pursues American Model Development, Is American Youth Pausing to Rethink? earl Brady has a stable job with good benefits and holds two degrees, a bachelor’s and a master’s. But despite her best efforts, she has no savings, and worries that it will be years before she manages to start putting away money for a house, children and eventually retirement. “I’m in that extremely nervous category,” said Ms. Brady, 28, a Brooklynite who works for a union. “I know how much money I’m going to be making for the near term. I hope in my 30s and 40s to be able to save, but I have no idea how. It’s scary.”
Seasonal Magazine
Ms. Brady has plenty of company. A new study from the Urban Institute finds that Ms. Brady and her peers up to roughly age 40 have accrued less wealth than their parents did at the same age, even as the average wealth of Americans has doubled over the last quartercentury.
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Because wealth compounds over long periods of time a dollar saved 10 years ago is worth much more than a dollar saved today young adults probably face
less secure futures for decades down the road, and even shakier retirements. “In this country, the expectation is that every generation does better than the previous generation,” said Signe-Mary McKernan, an author of the study. “This is no longer the case. This generation might have less.” The authors said the situation facing young Americans might be unprecedented. A broad range of economic factors has conspired to suppress wealth-building for younger American workers; the trend predates the Great Recession. Younger Americans are facing stagnant pay the median income, when adjusted for inflation, has declined since its 1999 peak as well as a housing collapse and soaring student loan debt. In interviews, a half-dozen young adults men and women, with families and single, in a broad range of industries described economic conditions that left them just barely keeping their heads above water. Ms. Brady, for instance, earns about $1,800 a month in take-home pay. But she paid for her undergraduate and
A recent study finds that younger generations significantly lag their parents in saving for future, thanks to the massive burden of rising expenses as well as educational loans and credit card loans. Is Indian middleclass youth on the same depressing trajectory?
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Seasonal Magazine
graduate education in part with loans, which cost her about $400 a month. She also is trying to pay down her credit card debt, which requires about $500 a month. After food, rent and living expenses, there is little left over. Looking forward, she said, it seemed hard to imagine building a nest egg. “Realistically, my income will go up, but not at a rate that’s going to match my expenses,” Ms. Brady said. “I feel like every step forward I take, it’s three steps back.” Chuck Ross, 31, has a master’s in economics and at one point built up a $12,000 nest egg from investing. But he lives in Wichita, Kan., where jobs in his field are few. He works at a large chain restaurant and is struggling with $40,000 in student loans. “My dad works for himself,” he said. “He’s always joking about how he’ll work until he dies. We laugh, but for me, that’s becoming more and more of a thought.” Others said they had put their money into a home only to fall into foreclosure, or were struggling to pay for child care. Strong and sustained job and wage growth would cure many of the ills facing younger workers, experts said. But their delayed or diminished wealth accumulation might still have a lasting impact on their finances.
Seasonal Magazine
“It’s a little bit of a tipping-point moment,” said Ms. McKernan of the Urban Institute, a nonprofit Washington research institution. “If we don’t address it today, they might never catch up.” For instance, the researchers said, if a person delayed the purchase of a home to age 40 instead of buying at age 30, that might result in a $42,000 loss in home equity by the time she reaches 60, given trends in wealth accumulation over the past few decades.
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The Urban Institute study is one of many to show something of a perfect storm of economic trends battering younger workers. One is the collapse of the housing bubble. Young people who bought homes as prices started to decline in 2006 are often underwater on their mortgages today. But now that
A second major trend is the rise of student loan debt, which has continued to grow through the recession, sometimes saddling students with burdens that extend into six figures and might take decades to pay down. prices have fallen sharply and interest rates are remarkably low, many other young adults are locked out of the market because credit standards are tougher. A second major trend is the rise of student loan debt, which has continued to grow through the recession, sometimes saddling students with burdens that extend into six figures and might take decades to pay down. A study of Federal Reserve data by the Pew Research Center found that 40 percent of relatively young households had outstanding student debt as of 2010, up from 34 percent in 2007. The median balance among all households with student loan debt was more than $13,000. “I just don’t think about it,” said Mr. Ross, of his student loans. “I push the thoughts out of my mind, and when I do think about it now and then I kind of just think that maybe I’ll have to work indefinitely. And I hope I can find a career that will allow my body to do that.” Finally, and perhaps most important, younger workers have faced a brutal job market in the last half-decade. The
unemployment rate is 7.8 percent for workers between the ages of 25 and 34; it hovered over 10 percent for more than a year during the recession and early stages of the recovery. For workers between the ages of 45 and 54, the unemployment rate is 5.5 percent, and it peaked at 8 percent in 2010. Those who held on to their jobs are often worse off. Wages, adjusted for inflation, have stagnated for a broad swath of workers for over a decade. For millions of workers, wages have actually declined through the recession and the sluggish recovery. With the wage and jobs picture bleak, and fixed pensions largely gone from the private sector, the answer to the conundrum of shoring up savings for younger workers might lie in new government policies, the Urban Institute scholars said. They suggested encouraging retirement accounts by making them automatic unless an employee opted out, or modifying the home mortgage interest deduction to push more money toward homeownership for lower-income workers. For now, millions of younger workers are on their own. “We both had vanilla lower-middle-to-middle-class lifestyles,” said Christopher Greer, a 32year-old who works in astronomy and lives in Arizona, referring to himself and his girlfriend. “I’m not sure how that’s going to play out for us.” (From New York Times)
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ECONOMY
If Chidambaram had a Free Hand, What He Would Do? M opens up in a recent interview to Bloomberg TV. What are the implications if he eventually has his way? Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said on Monday he wanted to remove or relax "outdated" caps on foreign direct investment (FDI) in different sectors, as his government struggles to revive an economy that has posted its weakest growth in a decade. Removing investment barriers, many of which date back to before India started opening up its economy in the early 1990s, has been key to the government's push to restoring investor confidence in Asia's third-largest economy. Slowing growth, high inflation and a clogged pipeline of big-ticket industrial and infrastructure projects have made businesses unable or unwilling to invest. India, which until recently was celebrating its status as an emerging global powerhouse, has seen growth slide to just 4.5 percent in the last quarter, far below its 8-9 percent aspirations.
Seasonal Magazine
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government last year pushed through landmark reforms allowing foreign supermarket chains and foreign airlines to invest in India, in the teeth of domestic opposition that saw street protests and uproar in parliament. Chidambaram, a fellow reformer appointed last July, advocated freeing up foreign investment in other sectors to speed up economic growth. "Many of these caps are outdated. I think across the board many of these caps can be removed or certainly relaxed," Chidambaram told Bloomberg TV India.
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Chidmabaram did not elaborate, but the government has previously said it plans to open up the pensions sector to foreign investors, and raise the investment limit
in the insurance sector to 49 percent from 26 percent. Both steps need parliament's approval. It has also discussed other reforms such as raising the investment caps in the defence industry, and in the print and electronic media. Any such reforms are politically sensitive in India, due to fears that domestic companies could lose out and there will be less jobs.
called the "animal spirits" of the Indian economy. This includes speeding up the implementation of more than 200 industrial and infrastructure projects that have been stalled by a complex system of clearances. The government has set up a special committee aimed at helping firms cut through red tape but it has yet to announce significant progress.
Chidambaram said increasing FDI flows was key to narrowing the current account deficit, which has swelled as the country suffered a sharp fall in the export of merchandise goods for much of the past fiscal year.
Bottlenecks caused by India's crumbling infrastructure, especially its pot-holed roads, clogged rail network and power shortages, have long handicapped India's chances of achieving the growth rates enjoyed by giant neighbour China.
FDI inflows fell 34 percent to 23 billion in the 2012 calendar year, putting more pressure on the country's current account deficit (CAD), which has hovered around record highs and has worried both policymakers and investors.
In a meeting on Monday with state-run banks, many of whom fund such projects, Chidambaram singled out the power and coal sectors as particularly bad.
REMOVING BOTTLENECKS Since taking over as finance minister last year, Chidambaram has stepped up efforts to revive what the prime minister
"We have asked the banks to look at each project and how they can move forward," the minister said, though he detected more confidence in the economy than six months ago. (Manoj Kumar / Matthias Williams for Reuters)
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NATIONS
Who are the Happiest People in Asia and Why?
Seasonal Magazine
India ranks number four on Asia’s happiest people online in a recent study that provides investment advice on social innovations.
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ingapore tops the study with a whooping score of 518. Second is Malaysia at 245, with Philippines third at 90. India comes in at number four with a score of 29 and Indonesia finishing the top five lists at 11. The new Asian Happiness Index was released by Eden Strategy Institute, a consultancy firm that generates financial value from creating social impact. The website states that The Asia Happiness Index is backed by scientifically-reviewed principles of true happiness, powered by an online intelligence tracking engine, and comprehensively covers over 200 million social media accounts in our initial set of five countries. Here are some of its observations of how different countries perceive happiness:
Singapore Despite recent complaints, the majority of Singaporeans continue to build on the Singaporean dream of selfactualisation, meritocracy, safety, and efficiency in society. The youth is particularly vocal during festive periods and special occasions, express their encouragement, and share pictures as a means of connecting with each other.
Malaysia Malaysians enjoy a unique community approach to most of their favourite activities, which range from politics and shopping , to soccer and supper. They are careful to make sure they do not overstress, although the current political dynamics are creating some negative sentiment.
Philippines In the Philippines, happiness comes from a sense of large, extended families.
Being a mostly Catholic country, many Filipinos have a predisposition to look for the best in everyone. They are taught from young to support the underdog, find joy in hard work, and smile at hardships.
India In India, the institution of large, traditional families living together creates strong social support. Families make joint decisions on most matters, and play the main role in the many festive occasions that India enjoys. There is also a strong sense of patriotism, but some general concerns over violence, crime, infrastructure, the lack space, and public health.
Indonesia Indonesia espouses a helpful communal spirit of “gotong royong�. Many Indonesians have learnt to appreciate the small things in life. The local cuisine continually comes up as a source of pride and a reason to get together, a reminder of the richness of the land. The predominantly Muslim ethos focuses on moderation and contentment.
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COVER STORY
Seasonal Magazine
ARE PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES WORTH CONSIDERING THIS ADMISSION SEASON?
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Seasonal Magazine
Another admission season at graduate and postgraduate level is fast approaching, with admissions for some branches already started or midway. Even not all hardworking students are expected to gain admission for the course they wish for at the institution they prefer. Which brings back the eternal dilemma of ‘course-or-institution’, and to add fuel to the confusion, in recent years, there have been even more options by way of private universities. The additional question they bring to the table is whether students should opt for selffinancing courses at conventional institutions, or opt for these entirely self-financing universities?
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Seasonal Magazine
Universities have come a long way in India since 1857, when the year of India’s first freedom struggle also stood glorious witness to the foundation of three universities - University of Mumbai, University of Madras, & University of Calcutta. British India went on to establish many more universities, and later free India would follow suit, under the vision of leaders like Jawaharlal, in an accelerated mode. So much so that, Indians never felt there were less universities than they needed. And how can it be otherwise, with the nation home to 42 great Central Universities (like Jawaharlal Nehru University, Benares Hindu University, Aligarh Muslim University etc) and 285 well-performing State Universities (like National Law University, Tamilnadu Agricultural University etc). The British model followed by them to spread out - that of affiliating colleges was also perfect for the populous people we are. And, in case any of us needed even better quality education, especially of the professional kind, there were the autonomous institutions coming under Department of Higher Education, like Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), National Institutes of Technology (NITs, formerly RECs), and Indian Institutes of Science, Education, & Research. We and our children studied under some of these facilities, paying fees not worth calling by that name, while our teachers and professors were always in glee,
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teaching barely 5 hours a week, and taking home conscience-pricking salaries, all under the auspices of that benevolent regulator, University Grants Commission (UGC), which was only too happy to burn public taxpayer money at a furious rate for the benefit of, well, the public itself. The fact that a majority percentage of such beneficiaries came from the most affluent segment, or the fact that a good percentage of them forsake Indian citizenship forever, is another story altogether. Anyway, in case this kind of comprehensive framework weren’t enough, our lawmakers started an alternate arrangement - the Deemed-to-
be-University or its popular short form, Deemed University. The first Deemed University clearly deserved the title as it was none other than Indian Institute of Science (IISc). So were many others that followed. But today, when their tally has touched around 150, anyone can guess the quality standards at many such deemed universities. But for argument’s sake, let us assume that their existence too is fair enough. Now, the moot point is, wasn’t this elaborate infrastructure of 42 Central Universities, 285 State Universities, 150 Deemed Universities, the around 50 IITs/IIMs/NITs, and the thousands of affiliated colleges enough for India? One should also remember that post the
this, India is today home to 112 private universities! The quantitative logic behind the move is sound. Ask any edupreneur, and he or she would cite their favourite ratio - GER. Gross Enrollment Ratio is a UN created metric which is no rocket science but a simple ratio of students of a nation enrolled in a school/college to the total number of children of that level. India’s GER at tertiary or higher education level is 15% now, and it means that only 15% of students who should be going in for a college degree are now pursuing it for various reasons. Kapil Sibal now wants to double it to 30% by 2020. The solution? More universities. Will the government do it? Of course not. So, the only way out? Private Universities. How many more? A hundred more, or five hundred more? Nobody knows. But before that isn’t it proper to assess the condition of the existing private universities? It is quite unfair to brand all private universities as sub-standard or non-performing. Some of the biggest brands in Indian higher education today are of private universities - like Sikkim Manipal, Symbiosis, ICFAI, SRM, Nirma, Amity, Lovely, VIT, Manav Rachna, Sharda, Sastra, Apeejay Stya, Galgotias etc.
Seasonal Magazine
introduction of self-financing colleges, the whole infrastructure had widened significantly. Yet, in 1995, India decided that enough is not enough, when UGC allowed yet another academic beast - Private University - and notified the first of this species - the Sikkim Manipal University. But little did our lawmakers or UGC realize that they had opened the real floodgates. The reason was simple enough. Private University, by definition, was a fully state affair, having nothing to do with the central government except for UGC approval. Some of India’s state governments like Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh etc competed with each other to allow private universities to aspiring entrepreneurs, who went on to define themselves a new name due to their rapid success - Edupreneurs. Today, Rajasthan leads the tally with 25 private universities, while UP, Himachal, & Gujarat have between 1611 private universities each. However, there were casualties too, like when Supreme Court burned down all private universities in Chhattisgarh in one stroke, forever. Anyway, in case anyone didn’t know
Some of them have rightfully earned their brands too, and not by flashing full-page newspaper ads alone. But is the model really flawless? How can it be flawless when better education is available from the hundreds of statefunded universities and their thousands of affiliated colleges at subsidized rates? In higher education it is a given that any institution is only as good as the students it attracts. And to a lesser extent, the faculty and infrastructure. How can there be excellent faculty in a private university if they won’t pay better than the statesponsored UGC scale? Privatization is not the culprit here, but rather too fast privatization with too little forethought. When the society is allowing a private institution the supreme authority to grand degrees, and make a business (or ‘charity‘ if you prefer so) out of it, don’t these institutions have the responsibility to aid the needy among the society? But thank God that our lawmakers didn’t bungle it more. They could have, if they had allowed private universities to also affiliate colleges. Basing all logic on GER is flawed, as it ignores why the other 85% are not studying in a college today. Though on paper there are many reasons, including dyslexia, in practice what social researchers have repeatedly found is that the reason is purely economical. In other words, fee is unaffordable or they need to start earning now itself. So, how will a student or his/her parents who can’t afford the regular subsidized college fee, afford the hefty fee of private universities? The only other way is to ban affluent students from getting subsidized education, and thus force them to opt for private universities with better infrastructure and luxuries. Of course, that is an impossible plan in this democracy. In this scenario, what all are the steps that private universities are taking, this admission season, to ensure that their services are truly public-oriented? Seasonal Magazine interacts with the best private universities to find their strategies and suggestions:
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Seasonal Magazine
PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES
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Anil Ambani
DA-IICT
S.C. Sahasrabudhe
Admissions are now open at Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information and Communication Technology (DA-IICT) at Gandhinagar. This will be to the 13th batch of BTech (ICT) program at this prestigious private university. Maintaining its sterling standards in admissions as ever, DAIICT requires aspirants to compulsorily appear for the upcoming Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) 2013. Admissions will be based on JEE 2013 score, which is the same one used for admissions to NITs (RECs) and IIITs. Candidates also has to apply separately at DA-IICT for the admissions. This admission season, there are several reasons why DAIICT should be a choice before discerning students. Firstly comes, a rigorous and innovative curriculum. DA-IICT was the first in the country to introduce a BTech in (ICT), long before ICT was a well-established term. Secondly, this private university enjoys an outstanding faculty. All the technology faculty members have PhD degrees and they know their subject areas in depth. Thirdly, the excellent fellow-students a candidate will meet here is an advantage. Amongst the important awards and laurels DA-IICT students have recently earned are: Google Woman in Engineering, Google Summer of Code, Microsoft Imagine Cup, HP Innovation Prize. Recently, one of their graduates won the Rolex Young Laureate Award. Next comes the institute’s placement track-record. Every year, DA-IICT claims that all qualified and interested graduates get placed in industry. The rest choose to pursue higher education in the best of universities, both in India and abroad. Finally, DA-IICT has a wonderful ambience in a green, fully residential campus with excellent facilities. DA-IICT is the brainchild of Anil Ambani who needs no introduction in India Inc. Founded and run professionally under former Officiating Director of IIT Bombay and former CTO of Global Telesystems Ltd, Prof. SC Sahasrabudhe, DA-IICT has a distinct position in the private university space. Prof. Sahasrabudhe is a distinguished teacher who has been awarded as the Best Teacher and for Life Time Achievement by IIT Bombay.
Seasonal Magazine
ICT Pioneer Invites Applications th For 13 BTech Batch
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PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES
SYMBIOSIS INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY
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Learn with Students From 75 Countries page 32
Symbiosis has managed to maintain its pioneering lead, thanks to Founder SB Mujumdar sensing the future of private education in the country before anyone else. Admissions are open in seven faculties now.
Computer Studies; Health Sciences; Media, Communication & Design; Humanities; and Engineering. Admissions are now open at Symbiosis. At present the University offers 37 post graduate and 21 under graduate programmes all of which are designed with a blend of professional and industry relevant curriculum for the students to embark on the career of their choice. Symbiosis International University (SIU) is noted among all private universities for its comprehensive faculty strength. The faculty members are recruited as per UGC Regulations. At present the University has 486 well-qualified faculty members who are consistently endeavoring to deliver the best of the academics. Out of which, 103 are with PhD and 66 are NET/SET qualified. The total numbers of Professors are 36, Associate Professors are 87 and Assistant Professors are 298. SIU follows high rigour in its research programs with the eligibility criteria for a recognized research guide being 5 years teaching experience with minimum two research publications in peer reviewed journals. Another distinguishing feature of Symbiosis is
Padma Bhushan Dr. SB Mujumdar
Seasonal Magazine
Padma Bhushan Dr. SB Mujumdar established Symbiosis on the principles of the Vedic thought of “World as One Family” which is amply reflected in the curricular and extra-curricular activities of students from several countries. The students come from more than 75 countries and find this to be a home away from home. Symbiosis Centre of International Education, wing of the University, is responsible in promoting this idea and also facilitates international students. The University also has MOU’s of collaboration with several renowned universities of the world and encourages students & faculty to participate in its programmes. The University bears in mind its objective that its ultimate aim is to participate in the task of inculcating knowledge and hone skills which are vital to the young graduates and post graduates who passes out from the University. The University offers variety of programs under Seven Faculties. The programmes are offered at Graduate, Post- Graduate, Doctoral and Diploma levels. The following are the learning faculties which can be pursued in the University: Law; Management;
that its campuses are available at major cities in North, South, & Central India, and not only in its headquarters of Pune in Western India. Bengaluru, Noida, & Nashik are some of the major cities hosting major SIU campuses. Pune is home to six distinct campuses from this higher education major. SB Road Campus is the campus from where journey of Symbiosis started in year 1971. Located at one of the most busy locations in Pune this campus is a well known landmark in Pune. It hosts the main office of Symbiosis Society and Symbiosis International Office. With the objective of encouraging meritorious students and academic excellence, various scholarships, freeships, and awards are offered to deserving students of the University by Symbiosis Society Foundation. These include Undergraduate Merit Scholarships, Postgraduate Merit Scholarships, University Sports Scholarships, Jayatee Deshmukh Award etc.
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LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY
Admissions Now Open at India’s Largest Single-Campus University
Seasonal Magazine
Lovely Professional University is designed as more than a University. It is a township of learning and supporting infrastructure. The vision of Founder and Chancellor Ashok K Mittal is truly unique.
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PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES
Admissions are now open at Lovel y Professional University. LPU is a technology driven campus, spread over 600+ acres of lush green area on NH-1 at the entry of Jalandhar city. LPU provides a professional learning environment that acts as a catalyst for the exponential growth of students’ academic as well as extracurricular abilities. Lovely Professional University claims to be India’s largest University on one campus with more than 25000 students. Students as well as faculty are coming from varied backgrounds from across 28 different States of India and 26 different Countries to learn in a multi-cultural environment which accommodates all kinds of differences. LPU has one of the best records for placements in the industry in more than 300 Global and Indian Superbrands and continues to place its students in diverse industries and offers excellent student support services. LPU has state-of-the-art infrastructure with fully wifi campus and seamless networking architecture in hostels, classes, canteens, common rooms and sports areas. A platform
for excellence in teaching, learning and administration; state-of-the-art information technology is extensively used in LPU, contributing to the development of well-trained graduates, post graduates and doctrates to meet the professional manpower needs of not just India but the world. Partnerships and tie ups across the globe with other world class universities and institutions in the areas of both academics and non-academics to keep in sync with latest educational trends and standards adopted by leading international Universities worldwide. Bilateral ties have been established with 35+ Universities and Institutes of USA, Australia, Canada, UK, Singapore, Brazil, Poland and Ghana including San Francisco State University, USA to pr ovide students exchang e opportunities as well as option to complete the degree at the Foreign University. International exposure in education by means of student exchange programs, international internships and induction of overseas students.
Seasonal Magazine
Ashok K Mittal, Chancellor
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APEEJAY STYA UNIVERSITY
Enter Now With a Free Mind, Change Later With a Free Mind
Seasonal Magazine
Apeejay Stya University, hailing from the heritage of the diversified industrial conglomerate Apeejay Stya and Svran Group, offers a liberal arts approach for free thinking, which is a first in India. Admissions to over 11 domains are now open.
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PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES
Sushma Berlia, President The academic system at ASU represents its unique vision. It encompasses the three interdisciplinary pillars of technology, research and liberal arts, while allowing scholars to truly explore their potential in the manner they wish. It reflects our belief that individuals should take ownership and responsibility for their learning and should operate in a conducive environment. It is guided by our commitment to innovate and produce job-ready professionals who are practical and conscientious individuals. ASU offers four freedoms - Freedom to choose your degree, Freedom to choose the number of credits, Freedom to graduate at your pace, and Freedom to take any subject at any time. One can enroll in a course from one of the eleven broad categories and get holistic education at ASU with The Core. Combined with the ‘Liberal Arts Philosophy’, it enhances your learning and analytical skills. The eleven categories include: Basic Science & Mathematics; Engineering; Philosophy & Reasoning; Social Science (Sociology, Psychology & Economics, among others); Art & Literature; Culture & Civilizations; History; Language; Expression; Statistics & Probability; and Athletics & Physical Education. Admissions are now
Seasonal Magazine
open at Apeejay Stya University.
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AMITY UNIVERSITY
Amity MBA Now Possible at 13 Major Cities
Seasonal Magazine
Amity University has always tried to usher in worldclass infrastructure based on the extensive European exposure of Founder Ashok Chauhan. Amity Global Business Schools now number 13 across the country including in major cities like Mumbai and New Delhi, as well as in smaller cities like Kochi.
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Dr. Ashok K Chauhan
Seasonal Magazine
Admissions are now open for MBA 2013 program at Amity Global Business Schools (AGBS) across the country. AGBS campuses are operational at 13 cities. The core curriculum of AGBS focuses on developing student’s management and analytical skills that are essential elements of effective decision making in any organization. In two years, students learn the ethos of leadership besides understanding the impact of globalization, competition, technological innovation and ethics in the workplace. The curriculum at AGBS is highly industry-oriented and is updated by Industry Advisory Boards with emphasis on all round development and is geared towards making students ready for the corporate world even before they step into it. Students learn through case studies, live projects, lectures, classroom discussions, field trips, consulting assignments and collaborative learning. In truly global style, AGBS imparts a rigorous and cross-functional curriculum. For instance, credit courses like emotional intelligence, creative thinking, and human engineering are taught.
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ICFAI UNIVERSITY
Focus is on Engineering & Business, BTech Admissions Now Open
Seasonal Magazine
Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts of India has always nurtured larger-than-life ambitions, which prompted it to take on the US based CFA’s challenge and prevail. ICFAI University’s current focus is on BTech and MBA.
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BTech admissions are now open at ICFAI University. ATIT is an All India admission test conducted by the ICFAI University Group for students seeking admission into the B.Tech Program. ATIT 2013 is an aptitude test based on Computer Based Test (CBT) format. The test is conducted from May 05, 2013 – May 13, 2013. The MBA Program of the University prepares the students with the knowledge, skills and strategic perspectives essential to business leadership and a managerial career in the world. The MBA Program is designed to provide both a portfolio of strong functional skills and the ability to apply, adapt and integrate those skills in different management settings. The students are encouraged to choose eight courses from eight elective streams viz., Marketing, HRM, Finance, Banking, Investments, Insurance, Accounting and IT & Systems. Students will have the flexibility in choosing more than one course from these elective streams. Students will also have the facility for dual specialization. Elective courses will be offered subject to a minimum number of students
Seasonal Magazine
enrolling for a particular elective course.
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GALGOTIAS UNIVERSITY
Bright Students Have at This Private Univer
Seasonal Magazine
Galgotias have been book publishers for graduate and postgraduate levels, for decades. And Galgotias University is born from understanding education, upclose, from that experience. Candidates can walk-in or go online for admissions now.
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PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES
Suneel Galgotia Chancellor
Seasonal Magazine
an Edge, sity
Galgotias Business School was recently recognized by Dun and Bradstreet as a leading business school in India. With a 100% placement record for the last four years supported by multinational firms like Accenture, Hewitt, IBM, Infosys, Nokia, and Samsung, Galgotias Institutions have earned the respect of top performers in the industry. Galgotias University now accepts admission applications to a wide variety of technologically focused bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degree programs. Each year, Galgotias University attracts thousands of applications from prospective students , but admission is given only to meritorious , brilliant and outstanding students as the minimum eligibility criteria set by Galgotias University is among the highest in the country and allows only the brightest students to have the privilege of taking admission in the University. GU provides Online Registration as well as Walk-In Registration.
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ALLIANCE UNIVERSITY
Admissions in Management, Engineering, Law, and More, at Alliance University Alliance University, Bangalore is a Private University established in Karnataka State by Act No.34 of year 2010. The University is jointly recognized by the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), New Delhi. Alliance University has several academic units including the AllianceSchool of Business; Alliance College of Engineering and Design; Alliance College of Law; and the Alliance Ascent College.
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The ethos and values of Alliance University are strongly reflected in the visionary leadership of its Chancellor, Dr. Madhukar G. Angur: an outstanding educationist and a thoroughbred academician with an engineering degree from NIT, Surathkal; an MBA from IIM-A; and a Ph. D. in Business Administration from the University of Texas, USA. Dr. Angur’s vision for Alliance University is stunning, which is nothing short of making it one of the world’s best universities by the year 2025. The infrastructure is world-class, one example being the Alliance University Central Library spanning 50,000 sq. ft. with a seating capacity for over 1000 students, and having one of the largest collection of books and international journals.
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Chancellor Angur’s decade long academic career in the USA culminated in a Lifetime Achievement Award of the David M. French Distinguished Professorship at the Flint School of Management, University of Michigan, USA. Widely regarded for his work in the field of Business Analytics and Strategy, Dr. Angur has consulted for major corporations worldwide. Also a noted entrepreneur, one of the businesses he founded in the USA is now part of the
publicly traded company, ALLSEC Technologies. The Alliance School of Business, Alliance University has carved a niche for itself among the best B-schools in the country and is consistently ranked among the top ten private business schools in India by various ranking agencies. Alliance School of Business enjoys a high-level of recruiter satisfaction from recruiting partners. Top brands and companies consistently recruit from the School and even visit more than once in a year in search of exceptional talent from among its graduates. The Alliance School of Business offers the following courses: Bachelor of Business Management; Master of Business
Administration; Executive Postgraduate Diploma in Management; and a Ph.D. program in Management. Alliance College of Engineering and Design, Alliance University offers a rigorous, progressive and industry relevant curriculum that places a high emphasis on the design and innovation aspects of engineering. Features include advanced engineering laboratories and state-of-the-art infrastructure for a high-quality living and learning experience on campus. The curriculum is delivered by accomplished full-time faculty and embellished by international adjunct faculty as well as renowned industry practitioners. Alliance College of Engineering and Design offers a Bachelor of Technology (B. Tech.) degree in the following branches: Civil
Dr. Madhukar G. Angur, Chancellor, is an academician with an engineering degree from NIT, an MBA from IIM-A, and a PhD in Business Administration from University of Texas.
Engineering; Mechanical Engineering; Electrical and Electronics Engineering; Electronics and Communication Engineering; Aerospace Engineering; Computer Science and Engineering; and Information Technology. A unique feature of the B. Tech. degree course is the choice of minor specializations for students. The Alliance College of Engineering and Design offers internship opportunities and placement facilitation across industry sectors in world-class organizations. Generous scholarship schemes for merit and other categories also exist. For discovering the budding entrepreneurs among students, a Center for Development of Entrepreneurship and Leadership has been established at the College. Alliance University has a number of articulation agreements with accredited foreign universities and institutions that provide for student exchanges, internships, short-term certification programs and dual degree opportunities.
Alliance College of Law, Alliance University aims to further teaching, learning and scholarship in law. As a professional law school, it offers two, five-year, integrated degree courses at the undergraduate level: B.A., LL. B. (Hons.) and B.B.A. LL. B. (Hons.) that prepare its graduates for rewarding careers in various roles and responsibilities in legal services organizations. Graduates of Alliance College of Law, Alliance University are highly sought after by law firms as well as other businesses, as they possess strong subject-matter expertise in law and legal institutions, justice and governance as well as demonstrable skills of legal counsel and professional argumentation. Courses offered by Alliance College of Law, Alliance University are delivered by highly accomplished full-time faculty, each an expert in a respective field, while learning is further embellished by renowned industry practitioners. The teaching at the College is exceptional and the carefully crafted curriculum includes pedagogical features such as simulation and live client-based teaching. Alliance Ascent College, Alliance University provides a high-quality academic environment with dedicated teaching staff and recognized strength in applied research underpinned by an outstanding support of the University. The Alliance Ascent College is an affordable, premier institution of higher learning with state-of-the-art facilities providing world-class education, training and research in the areas of business and management. The two-year, full-time, Master of Business Administration (MBA) course follows a rigorous, relevant, contemporary, and progressive curriculum. It is designed, developed, and delivered to ensure high-quality education and is taught by accomplished full-time and visiting faculty. Overall, admissions process in all academic units of Alliance University is systematic, professionally managed, strictly merit based and competitive.
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Administration; Executive Master of Business
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Louis V uit wcase utumn-Win Vuit uittton sho show sess the A Autumn-Win utumn-Wintter 20 13-14 ccollec ollec tion ffor or w omens wear 2013-14 ollection womens omensw
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Louis XIII R ar eC ask 42.6 Rar are Ca mak es it make itss debut in India
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Orchestrating an ambience fit for a king, selected guests from 17 countries gathered in Udaipur, India, to celebrate the global launch of Louis XIII Rare Cask 42.6 - only the second such cask to join the Rare Cask collection. A Rare Cask is a single, extremely rare barrel discovered among the hundreds of century-old tierçons that will one day make Louis XIII. Pierrette Trichet, gifted Cellar Master of the House of Rémy Martin, and her deputy Cellar Master Baptiste Loiseau, revealed this one utterly Rare Cask of Louis XIII. No two tierçons are ever quite the same size.
Showcasing its womenswear collection for Autumn-Winter 2013-14, Louis Vuitton focuses on luxurious quality and treatment of materials produced by the savoir-faire of Louis Vuitton ateliers. Having said that, the house’s Monogram and Damier canvas were nowhere to be seen on the ramp. Instead, its three iconic bag shapes have been realized in supple fabrications and softer constructions to emphasise their more sensuous aspects. The Pochette Accessoire, the Lockit and the Speedy use resplendent textures such as marabou, curled goose feather and waxed crocodile. The mink Speedys have handles carved in exotic, aromatic woods that have been antiqued by hand; the handles on the python bags are made from horn; and the signature metal chain on the Pochette Accessoire has been adorned with precious stones. In ready to wear, its appeal lies not in a graphic or logo, but the surface treatments.
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The Imperial Ne w Delhi eexxcit es the appe tit e with New cite appetit tite fine gourme xperienc es in Mar ch gourmett eexperienc xperience March The Imperial New Delhi has set the table at all its dining options in a bid to invite you for exquisite dining options. Introduce your taste buds to the little know Liguarian cuisine at San Gimignano from March 1-10, 2013. Rejoice in the taste of Liguaria with exotic seafood and flavours of basil, pesto and anchovy. Indulge in Burrida (Ligurian fish stew) and Pollo all’ Uccelleto (corn fed chicken over Ligurian bean stew) among other dishes for a fine culinary experience.
Swis atch br and Erne st Bor el arriv es in India wisss w wa brand Ernest Borel arrive
IW C Scha usen rrelea elea se IWC Schafffha fhausen elease sess a special edition w atch ffor or wa Laur eus Spor or Good FFounda ounda tion ureus Sportt ffor oundation
Taking it social responsibility seriously, for the seventh consecutive year, IWC Schaffhausen demonstrates its commitment to philanthropy and skills in beautifully designed timepieces by releasing a limited special edition in aid of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. This year the Swiss manufacturer recreates the Portuguese Yacht Club Chronograph, resplendent in the distinctive Laureus blue colour. The new Portuguese Yacht Club Chronograph Edition “Laureus Sport for Good Foundation” combines sporting elegance with the best in technical features. The watch comes with the trusty IWC-manufactured 89361 calibre and is water-resistant to 6 bar. With its screw-in crown and crown protection, it is guaranteed not to leave its owner in the lurch, even when sailing on the high seas. The chronograph’s combined hour and minute counter allows up to 12 hours of aggregate timing.
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Swiss luxury watchmaker Ernest Borel, known for their elegant designs and remarkable craftsmanship, in partnership with Bayside Labels (India) Pvt. Ltd., an importer of luxury products into India, has officially launched the brand in the country. Established in 1856 in Neuchâtel, Switzerland by Jules Borel, the brand focuses on ‘romantic moments’ and adheres to a philosophy of pursuing constant perfection. Speaking during the launch event, Mr. Pietro Meloni, International Sales and Marketing Director of the Ernest Borel, said, “We always wanted to make our presence felt in India, since it is the known for its rich heritage and history. Our brand also stands for similar values hence, making it a perfect market for us. It will allow us to not only showcase one of the most internationally acclaimed and desirable watch brands adequately, but also get to know new clientele with a taste for exclusive watches.” Ernest Borel timepieces are available in India at Watches of Switzerland and Swiss Boulevard in Mumbai, and at C.T. Pundole & Sons in Pune.
Tod’s sponsor imele on tto o sponsorss TTimele imelesss Ic Icon celebr ate the D .D D.D .D.. Bag elebra In an ode to the forever fashion icon, Lady Diana, Tod’s has sponsored Timeless Icon, a new photographic book charting the extraordinary life of Diana, Princess of Wales. Exclusively for the occasion, and in order to celebrate the D Bag, for SS13 Tod’s has launched the D.D. Bag, a new interpretation of the brand’s iconic style. Timeless Icon, conceived by Florentine publishing house Electa, with the editorial direction of Carlo Mazzoni, will celebrate Lady Diana,
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Tod’s announc es announce Ale a FFac ac chine Alesssandr sandra acchine chinettti as the ne w Cr ea tiv e new Crea eativ tive od’s Dir ec off TTod’s Direc ecttor o Women’s ccollec ollec tion ollection
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Tod’s has recently announces the appointment of Alessandra Facchinetti as Creative Director of Tod’s Women’s collections, commencing March 2013. Having previously worked with brands like MiuMiu, Gucci, Valentino and more, her versatile aesthetic and international cultural sense will lead her to create not only classical pieces for which Tod’s is known, but also contemporary designs in tune with the latest demands and trends. The first Tod’s Women’s collection, created under the direction of Alessandra Facchinetti, will be presented during the next Milan Fashion Week in September 2013.
Car tier la unche au de artier launche unchess E Ea Car tier Gout ose artier Gouttte de R Rose Sparkling and elegant as much as its jewellery is, Cartier has launched the Goutte de Rose (Rose Drop) fragrance, which will surely enchant women. Infused with delicacy and femininity, the fragrance has simple, sensuous notes of a freshly cut garden rose, which are combined with the original Eau de Cartier. The entire concoction is fresh, simple and pure. Cartier has packaged it in a pink padded box, befitting its name, to give it the final bow.
her humanity and unique personal style. Always a champion of sophistication, culture and elegance, Tod’s thus endorsed this visual commemoration of an icon, who effortlessly epitomised those qualities. The book will be distributed worldwide starting March 2013. Part of the sales will be devolved to Clic Sargent, a leading charity organization supporting children and young people with cancer and their families.
Offering a new level of luxury, Jaguar has now bought the XJ Ultimate to India. Based exclusively on the longwheelbase XJ, the interior changes applied to the Ultimate focus on the rear accommodation, extending the car’s limousine remit to provide a fully-appointed luxury business class experience for discerning customers. A full-length, leather-trimmed centre console separates the two individually tailored rear seats which feature power adjustment, ventilation, massage and lumbar functions. A table, machined from solid aluminium with piano-black and chrome detailing, rises up from the centre console at the touch of a button to provide a working area, its role supplemented by the provision of two third-generation iPads with wireless keyboards that are housed in bespoke leather-trimmed docks in the rear of the front seats. A bespoke champagne chiller is mounted between the two rear seats. This cools the bottle to what experts agree is the perfect temperature before ‘presenting’ it forward when the chiller is opened. Two specially commissioned champagne flutes reside in a purpose made cabinet beneath the centre table. A full rear seat package with twin headrest screens and wireless headphones completes the experience in combination with a new 20-speaker surround sound incar entertainment system developed by British audio experts Meridian. The XJ Ultimate is available with Jaguar’s existing 5.0-litre V8 supercharged petrol engine and its powerful and efficient 3.0-litre V6 turbocharged diesel, all driving the rear wheels via an eight-speed transmission.
Paul&Shark la unche apri C ollec tion launche unchess C Capri Collec ollection Launching its new Capri Collection, Italian luxury sportswear brand Paul&Shark, has introduced a bright and colourful range of polos that recall the colors of the island of Capri. Designed for comfort and style, the wide selection of Capri polos includes a gamut of styles and colors. From classic stripped to solid coloured polos and personalised with light linen insertions, these polos can be perfectly teamed with cotton trousers, bermuda shorts or your favorite denims. The Bermuda shorts and the trousers recall sorbet-like colours to be combined with the
shirts and the polo shirts. Made from Egyptian Mako, the best quality cotton in the world, these polos are specially treated with finishes that make them shiny and smooth, thus giving them a refined natural look and a soft, aesthetically pleasing touch. Available in sizes XS to 6XL, Paul&Shark’s Capri collection is a perfect choice for a casual day at work, an evening out with friends or even nine holes on a Sunday afternoon. The collection is available at all Paul&Shark stores across India: Palladium Mall, Mumbai; DLF Emporio Mall, New Delhi; and Taj Krishna, Hyderabad.
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The luxurious JJaguar aguar XJ Ultima es in Ultimatte arriv arrive India
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Lladr ó la unche w lighting ccollec ollec tion Lladró launche unchess it itss ne new ollection The Spanish ar celain artt por porc br and, Lladr o, is str engthening brand, Lladro strengthening it itss position in the sec secttor with a full rrange ange o or and off déc décor lighting pr oduc produc oductts, which will be tional on vie wa view att the In Intterna ernational Lighting E xhibition in Milan Exhibition fr om April 9-14, 20 13. Lladr ó from 2013. Lladró w lighting la unche launche unchess it itss ne new collec tioLladr ó is curr en tly ollectioLladr tioLladró curren ently celebr ating it elebra itss 60th anniv er sar anniver ersar saryy with it itss sight sightss se sett on the futur e and with a future str ong ffocus ocus on a ne w lamp strong new collec tion in tune with ollection con ar ashions in onttempor emporar aryy ffa déc or and in s. TThe he most décor intterior eriors. eye-c atching pr oduc e it e-ca produc oductts ar are itss s. ne w line o new off chandelier chandeliers.
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Hermè s, JJaegeraegerHermès, LeC oultr e and LLe es eCoultr oultre allerie ouis Crist Cristallerie alleriess de St. LLouis cr ea tmos crea eatte the A Atmos Hermè Hermèss clock
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Bringing together their expertise and craft, Hermès, Jaeger-LeCoultre and Les Cristalleries de St. Louis have created the Atmos Hermès clock. What makes it extraordinary is that this 176-piece limited edition crystal clock quite literally lives on air! The astonishing crystal sphere houses an almost perpetually moving mechanism developed by JaegerLeCoultre. The mechanism of the
Atmos clock fascinates by its exceptional mode of operation with no battery, no electric current and no winding. It lives on air through an ingenious principle: a hermetically sealed capsule containing a mixture of gases that expands when the temperature rises and contracts when it drops. Connected to the mainspring of the clock, the capsule acts like a pair of bellows, thereby constantly winding the mechanism. Even a one-degree temperature difference is enough to power it for 48 hours. Its balance oscillates just twice a minute rather than the average 300 times of a classic wristwatch, which consumes 250 times more energy than an Atmos clock.
Jay Str ongw ater Strongw ongwa la unche eac ock launche unchess it itss P Peac eacock Collec tion ollection Luxury home décor brand, Jay Strongwater, has introduced the Peacock Collection, which presents the eponymous bird splendidly. The Peacock Collection includes a variety of products signifying the theme magnificently, whether it be the Antonia Peacock Feather Tray, Hera Peacock Feather Bowl or Theseus Grand Peacock Figurine. The Hera Peacock Feather Bowl is beautifully enameled and finished with large amethyst-coloured, pearcut crystals surrounded by pave crystals. The Theseus Grand Peacock Figurine proudly stands in solid brass. The languid tail is a fantasy of pierced, intertwined metal wrapped around large semiprecious stones of lapis lazuli, azurite and jade. Limited to an edition of 300, each peacock is a collaboration of many artisans working together over several months. The glorious Alina Peacock feather Vase, shown here, features a hand-cast pewter “necklace” finished in antique brass, handpainted in enamels, and set with crystals and stones, on amethystcoloured glass speckled with gold frit. The graceful, sweeping gesture of peacock feathers defines the Maxim Peacock Feather Clock that makes a stunning statement on any table or shelf.
Burberry, taking ahead its range of Burberry Body fragrances, has now introduced a new fragrance called Burberry Body Tender, which combines the relaxed, playful attitude of the Burberry girl with the energy of the brand’s London hometown. Understated and feminine, the scent opens with a fresh surge of lemon, crisp apple and green absinthe as top notes. A delicate blend of dewy English rose, white jasmine and sandalwood form the heart of the scent, giving way to a soft base of cashmeran, amber and musk. The fragrance has been given a feminine presentation with the iconic Burberry Body glass bottle, designed by Burberry Chief Creative Officer Christopher Bailey. The jewel-like bottle reflects the many facets of the brand and the Burberry girl. It refracts light and filters the soft rose colour of the fragrance throughout the bottle. Enchanting!
So theb y’s Gene oa uc tion A udemar Sotheb theby’s Genevva tto auc uction Audemar udemarss Pigue t’s w atch made in honour o eo Me Piguet’s wa off LLeo Messsi Sotheby’s Geneva has announced that it will join forces with watchmaker Audemars Piguet to support the Leo Messi Foundation. The No.10 Royal Oak Chronograph Leo Messi will be presented in Sotheby’s Geneva auction of Important Watches on May 11, 2013 and the entire proceeds from the sale will benefit the Foundation of the football player. Designed with Leo Messi’s collaboration, this 41 mm chronograph in platinum is the 10th watch produced by Audemars Piguet in a limited series of only 100 pieces
dedicated to the player. Lot 110 in the sale - as a nod to Leo Messi’s number 10 FC Barcelona and Argentina shirts - the watch will be accompanied by an Argentina national team’s number 10 jersey autographed by Leo Messi and the original drawing of the watch signed by the footballer and Audemars Piguet’s Chief Artistic Officer, Octavio Garcia. The successful bidder will also be given the chance to meet the football legend in person in Barcelona.
Abu JJani ani & Sandeep Khosla la unch ne w st or e launch new stor ore in Mumbai Creating another landmark in their history, Indian designers Abu Jani - Sandeep Khosla have opened a store in Mumbai. In their true style, the store is designed by the duo and is an ode to maximalism. "We were keen to make a new haven for our couture. The new store is designed to maximise customer experience. It’s a window into our inner world. We went all out with this one. And hope it gives everyone who visits it as much joy as it brings to us," said Abu & Sandeep. To celebrate the opening, Abu Jani-Sandeep Khosla present a collection called "Seyf" an ode to Chikankari and the Indian summer.
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Burberr unche Burberryy la launche unchess Burberr Burberryy Body Tender
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AUTO LAUNCH
Will Mahindra e2o Succeed? Powered by next generation lithium–ion batteries and a 3 phase induction electric motor; the Mahindra e2o is fully automatic and designed for city driving. With just 5 hours required for fully charging, the Mahindra e2o can be driven over 100 kms.
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he Mahindra e2o is an Electric Vehicle (EV) designed as an urban mobility solution for a sustainable zeroemission society and gains relevance in the face of issues like environmental degradation, pollution related health concerns, climate change, energy security and rising oil prices, all of which plague communities globally. The vehicle is the Mahindra Group’s endeavour to offer its customers a clean, smart and economical personal mobility solution. Powered by next generation lithium–ion batteries and a 3 phase induction electric motor; the Mahindra e2o is fully automatic and
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designed for city driving. The e2o has enough interior space to accommodate four adults and a driving range of 100 kms per charge. The Connected car technology of Mahindra e2o is a unique synthesis of energy, mobility and connectivity. For example the smartphone application can help lock the car by simply sending it a lock command and activate the car’s air-conditioning remotely. The trip planner in the application integrates the distance to empty information from the Mahindra e2o into the maps and help plan each journey with the current charge. With 10 on board computers, the Mahindra e2o provides real time feedback of all
the vehicle’s functions does a daily heart beat check of the vital systems and sends alerts if anything has to be fixed. Customers can now literally plug in their Mahindra e2o’s to charge, like they would their cell phones, laptops or tablets. In the rare event of running low on charge, you can use the app on the smart phone to remotely activate the reserve energy that can get you going again. The Mahindra e2o comes with a 15.5 cms (6.2 in.) touch screen, with factory fitted GPS navigation system, radio, DVD, Blue tooth and I-pod connectivity. Locating a place or directions to the nearest charging point is now at your finger tips. Mahindra e2o comes with full digital cluster, electrically operated wing mirrors, keyless entry & start/stop button, projector head lamps, LED tail lamps, reverse camera, 4JBL speakers & 2 tweeters. Mahindra e2o will be available in six attractive colours Arctic Silver, Coral Blue, Eco Green, Oceanic White, Spanish Red and Sunfire Yellow. The ‘Sun2Car’ technology, which has been developed through the creation of personal solar charging units, provides the user with sufficient energy to power an EV for life, making it a very cost-effective mobility solution.
The New Honda CR-V
There’s good news and there’s bad news. The bad news is that there is no diesel and will not be for the foreseeable future. The good news is, CR-V is now being assembled in India and prices have gone down by a whopping 2.7 lakh rupees. Well, that’s incentive enough to show some love for a petrol SUV, so let’s find out if the new price and features make it a good bargain; also how far the fourth generation CR-V has departed from the model it replaces.
Design While the new CR-V’s structural design stays true to its roots, it flaunts a more sculpted body. Major changes are up front – the old-fashioned grille has made way for a more contemporary one. The three-bar grille flanked by swept-back HID headlamps lends the car a younger and distinct stance. Changes in profile are subtle, although the large ten-spoke alloy wheels and bold fender flares create a rugged presence.The vertical tail lamps, which have been a design fixture of the CR-V for many years, get a more three dimensional treatment that enhances the appearance and aerodynamics of the vehicle. The new CR-V gets a shark fin antenna that accentuates its sportiness. The overall interior design of the new CR-V has
been largely improved. Honda’s ‘man maximum, machine minimum’ packaging approach has created a spacious, functional cabin. The dual tone cabin feels classy with beautifully soft leather seats and a well appointed dashboard solidly made from good-quality plastics. One of the most significant new interior features is the ‘one motion dive down’ rear seats. If the vast expanse of cargo area is not sufficient for you, just pull a lever near the tailgate and the rear seats flat-fold to free up 1648 litres of cargo space. Another thoughtful addition is the Eco Assist system, along with a new ECON operating mode. When in use, the system adjusts the overall performance of the vehicle to improve fuel efficiency. While testing the system, the CR-V returned 14.5 kmpl, as against the claimed mileage of 13.7 kmpl.
Performance, Ride and Handling Like Honda’s other i-VTEC engines, the 2.4 litre DOHC unit is a gem of an engine that revs with verve to 7000rpm where 190 PS is produced. This is 29 PS more than the outgoing model. Also available is a 2.0 litre SOHC i-VTEC that develops 156PS and 190 NM of torque. Both engines are mated to a 5 speed automatic transmission; the 2.0L variant comes with a 6 speed manual transmission, too. The 2.0L CR-V’s auto box shifts neatly but isn’t as decisive as the best automatics around, so I prefer the manual. The 2.4L gets paddle shifters for a more controlled drive, so you can have some fun taking it out on the highway or up the twisties. The CR-V has been among the SUVs that drive more like a sedan than an offroader and the tradition continues in the fourth generation. You will particularly be impressed with the overall ride quality of the new CR-V, thanks to the tweaked suspension isolation properties, additional noise insulation and greater body rigidity. The advanced suspension design means the driver feels more confident around sharp corners and the passengers have a pleasant time over rough roads. On the safety front, the CR-V gets Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) as standard equipment, along with ABS, EBD, Brake Assist, G-CON, Hill Start Assist, dual front and curtain airbags, whiplash mitigation front seat etc. Overall, the fourth generation Honda CR-V brings you everything you loved about it, plus a little more. Although the lack of a diesel engine is a major downside, the increasing diesel cost and the aggressive pricing of the new CRV will give some nightmares to the top dogs in the game. Honda has priced the base 2.0L MT variant at Rs 19.95 lakh and the 2.0L AT at Rs 20.85 lakh. The 2.4L AT comes at Rs 22.40 lakh and the top trim level 2.4L AVN at Rs 23.85 lakh. (By Clint Thomas for Full Throttle)
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FIRST DRIVE
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Lessons in Health That Women Needs to Learn From Men
AUTO LAUNCH
When it comes to healthy living, women may feel they have the upper hand over the opposite sex. However, there are some instances where it can pay to take a leaf out of men’s book. To help give your health and fitness a boost, check out these top health lessons women can learn from men.
Get into sport Statistics show that men are more likely to participate in group sports than women, which means that women could be missing out. Sports such as soccer and hockey are great for improving heart health and building bones, with research published in Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports showing that regularly playing soccer can increase bone mass and density as well as improving postural balance and muscle strength. Not only that, the competitive nature of team sports is great for boosting motivation, while being part of a team can help build social bonds.
Ditch the faddy diets
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With women’s magazines packed full of weight loss plans and an estimated 70 per cent of women having been on a diet in the last 10 years (compared to just 30 per cent of men), faddy eating has become a way of life for many women. Unfortunately, rather than helping you stay trim, yo-yo dieting can mess up the metabolism – causing your body to gain weight more easily – and lead to nutrient deficiency. Rather than obsessively counting kilojoules and ignoring y o u r hunger, try seeing food as fuel (rather than the enemy) and adopting healthier male eating habits of regular, substantial meals.
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Lose the excess baggage While women are prone to leaving the house with an entire bag full of gadgets
Stop dwelling on problems As a rule, women tend to be more led by their emotions than men and therefore react in a more emotional way when things go wrong or hurdles present themselves in life. Women are far more likely to want to go over their problems with friends, over-analyze situations and dwell on things. However, obsessing over a problem rarely makes it go away and instead too much dwelling can simply lead to anxiety, stress disorders and depression. Next time you are tempted to dwell, think like a man and engage your analytical side to try to find a practical solution to your problem instead.
Dress for comfort
Workout with weights
From skyscraper heels to skin tight jeans, women are renowned for their restrictive fashion choices. However, this could be bad news for your health. Wearing restrictive clothing such as tight jeans, corset tops and tummycontrol underwear has been found to be responsible for a host of health problems such as nerve problems, yeast infections, heart burn and abdominal pain, while wearing high heels can lead to poor posture, arthritis, hammer toes and back pain. Look after your health by taking a leaf out of your man’s style book and dressing for comfort every once in a while.
Many women shun the weights at the gym due to the fear they will bulk up. However, unless you lift weights excessively, it is very unlikely this will be the case as women do not have the testosterone levels to build big muscles like men. However, what weight lifting will do is give your health a boost. Whether or not you desire toned arms, lifting weights has many other health benefits, including the ability to reduce risk of osteoporosis. On top of this, lifting weights can help with weight loss as the more muscle your body has the more kilojoules you burn, whether you are exercising or not.
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and accessories weighing them down, men are generally content with a wallet and bunch of keys shoved in their pockets. Although few women would be happy to completely follow suit in this one, by slightly cutting down on your handbag contents you could drastically reduce your risk of serious back problems and neck pain. Make like your man and ditch all non-essential items before you leave the house and you could be doing your health a big favour.
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UNIVERSE
Is Earth Prepared for a Large Meteor Crashing In? No Says NASA NASA chief Charles Bolden has advice on how to handle a large asteroid headed toward New York City: Pray. That's about all the United States - or anyone for that matter - could do at this point about unknown asteroids and meteors that
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An asteroid estimated to be have been about 55 feet (17 meters) in diameter exploded on February 15 over Chelyabinsk, Russia, generating shock waves that shattered windows and damaged buildings. More than 1,500 people were injured. Later that day, a larger, unrelated asteroid discovered last year passed about 17,200 miles (27,681 km) from Earth, closer than the network of television and weather satellites that ring the planet. The events "serve as evidence that we live in an active solar system with potentially hazardous objects passing through our neighborhood with surprising
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frequency," said Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson, a Texas Democrat. "We were fortunate that the events of last month were simply an interesting coincidence rather than a catastrophe," said Committee Chairman Lamar Smith, a Texas Republican, who called the hearing to learn what is being done and how much money is needed to better protect the planet. NASA has found and is tracking about 95 percent of the largest objects flying near Earth, those that are .62 miles (1 km) or larger in diameter. "An asteroid of that size, a kilometer or bigger, could plausibly end civilization," White House science advisor John Holdren told legislators at the same hearing. But only about 10 percent of an estimated 10,000 potential "city-killer" asteroids, those with a diameter of about 165 feet (50 meters) have been found, Holdren added. On average, objects of that size are estimated to hit Earth about once every 1,000 years. "From the information we have, we don't know of an asteroid that will threaten the population of the
United States," Bolden said. "But if it's coming in three weeks, pray." In addition to stepping up its monitoring efforts and building international partnerships, NASA is looking at developing technologies to divert an object that may be on a collision course with Earth. "The odds of a near-Earth object strike causing massive casualties and destruction of infrastructure are very small, but the potential consequences of such an event are so large it makes sense to takes the risk seriously," Holdren said. About 66 million years ago, an object 6 miles (10 km) in diameter is believed to have smashed into what is now the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, leading to the demise of the dinosaurs, as well as most plant and animal life on Earth. The asteroid that exploded over Russia last month was the largest object to hit Earth's atmosphere since the 1908 Tunguska event when an asteroid or comet exploded over Siberia, leveling 80 million trees over more than 830 square miles (2,150 sq km).
Achievement
CORP BANK’S RECENT INITIATIVES BEAR FRUIT, TOTAL BUSINESS CROSSES RS. 2.8 LAKH CRORE Corporation Bank has announced that its total business has crossed Rs. 2.8 lakh crore, making it one of the most powerful performances in this year from the public sector banking space. The medium-sized bank has beefed up its operations across the spectrum - in corporate banking, retail banking, SME banking, rural banking, loan syndication, transaction banking, NRI banking, and cash management services. Under CMD Ajai Kumar, Corp Bank had earlier turned much more responsive to market events, and the bank was prompt in reducing benchmark lending rate by 0.25% to 10.25%, making loans, including home and corporate, cheaper for borrowers. And in a high-profile event in Dubai, Ajai Kumar had unveiled two ambitious Savings Bank schemes that really put Corp in direct competition with private sector banks who usually lead in attracting high-value customers. Based on the concept of Quarterly Average Balance (QAB), there are two main schemes, and even a third one that even offers a relationship manager to service high-value
customers like in private banks. Apart from such innovative schemes, there are several other reasons to believe that Corp Bank is on the right track. Corp’s retail lending has grown by 53% in the first three quarters., which is one of the best performances among peers. Their SME loans have seen a robust 35%, but at the same time Corporation Bank has a low rate of default in retail, SME, and priority sector lending. Another area of thrust for the bank is gold loans, where they have doubled their portfolio in the first nine months to Rs 3,600 crore. Annual projections by the senior management put loans against gold to mark around Rs 5,000 crore by this fiscal end. The medium-sized public sector lender is also right on track to achieve RBI’s slated target of 16% growth for the whole year. Corporation Bank was looking at a capital raise of Rs. 1000 crore, of which Government of India has already infused Rs. 204 crore. To raise the remaining amount, the Board of Corporation Bank has approved private placement of up to Rs. 750 crore by way of equity instruments like QIP.
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CRICKET
IPL 2013 - What are of Each Team to It is once again that time of the year when multiculturalism weds sport, the wedding hall being the cricket-crazy subcontinent of India. The bride, an amalgamation of the cultures of the 12 cricketing nations, adorned in multi-ethnic styling of a typically pluralistic fashion, and the bridegroom, clothed in sporty and resplendent franchisee colours, with a shade of regionalist sentiment cloaked beneath their group identity, waiting with blushful anticipation for the big day to arrive, when the two entities garland one another marking the beginning of the 54-day long extravaganza. The symbolic attire of the bride and bridegroom are sure to enrich the festivity mood and spark the celebratory spirits of the IPL fans. The event transcends cultural, linguistic and religious barriers, with the monotheism practiced, the language spoken, and the culture embraced being the T20 format of cricket.
Seasonal Magazine
This edition witnesses a change in title sponsors DLF making way for Pepsi - which secured rights with
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a bid of Rs. 396.8 crore, edging out Airtel for attaining the coveted association with the US$1.6 billion-valued cricketing brand.
Unsurprisingly, the upcoming edition too has its shameless share of controversies, marred by the banning of Sri Lankan cricketers from appearing in matches played at the Chepauk Stadium, Chennai, in the wake of political turbulence. Also, the diplomatic standoff between the Indian and Pakistani governments have once again prevented Pakistani cricketers from representing any IPL franchise (Wasim Akram, though, is an exception!). Shah Rukh Khan's alleged misbehaviour with a Wankhede Stadium security guard last season resulted in the KKR owner being banned from entering the Mumbai Cricket Association premises for a period of five years. Though the ban was expected to be lifted, MCA sources maintain that the prohibition will be dealt with sternly. These examples of bureaucratic tensions are starkly ironic with the underlying tenet of the IPL’s
By Carl Jaison
the Chances Win? Controversies aside, the edition promises to be a visual treat in terms of the cricketing quality, not to forget the glitz and glamour quotient associated with it. The bankrupt Deccan Chargers outfit will make way for debutant Sunrisers Hyderabad, a change that would hopefully bring a revival of hope for the state of Andhra Pradesh. The new faces, who having gone through the nail-biting IPL auctioneering process, will now take to the field to showcase their worth and substance, including a select few from the U-19 World Cup winning squad. No more will the well-known 'DLF Maximum' cry from the commentary panel ring through the ears of televisionviewers, but that shouldn't stop the likes of Chris Gayle from launching those towering sixes. The gala night opening ceremony, organised by the defending champs KKR, will serve as an apt testimony
of the excitement and frolic that this mega-event will usher in (sadly, Jennifer Lopez has opted out of performing on the big night possibly due to the inability of the authorities to actualize her pay-package). Neither will her absence deprive the viewers of fullon entertainment as the performance artists include international rapper Pitbull, leading Bollywood actress Katrina Kaif, Chinese percussionists, and flying drummers. The inaugural match will be played between defending champs KKR and hot favourites Delhi Daredevils at the former's den on the 3rd of April, when all roads lead to the 90,000 capacity stadium, Eden Gardens. Being the biggest sporting spectacle in India, the IPL has succeeded in drawing a huge audience across all age categories. Here is an analysis of the 9 teams that will battle it out to clinch that prized trophy and evidently, the allurement of the cash prize that will make this victory even more precious and satisfying:
Seasonal Magazine
very existence, which is the pure spirit of new format, exciting cricket.
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1. Chennai Super Kings
Seasonal Magazine
Any analysis should begin with a description on the Dhoniled brigade - CSK has won the coveted IPL trophy in consecutive editions (2010 & 2011), even having reached the play-offs on all occasions. They remain the only team which goes into the 6th season with an unchanged captain. CSK was also the first Indian franchisee team to have won the Champions League T20. The team is often referred to as a mini Team-India having the likes of MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Ravichandran Ashwin, & Ravindra Jadeja, all of whom seem to be in the thick of action at all times. But, it is some of their foreign buys like Albie Morkel, Dwayne Bravo, Faf Du Plessis, who have proved to be the decisive influences on the team. Albie Morkel, the leading wicket-taker for the CSK, backed up by his powerful pinch-hitting lower down the order, has provided the team with the right kind of balance. Dwayne Bravo, another talented all-rounder has mixed caution with aggression resulting in fruitful outcomes as seen in his outstanding display with both bat and
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ball. Faf Du Plessis was instrumental in taking CSK to the final lap last season with his solid batting in the openers slot, plus his fine fielding skills. The current hot property, Ravindra Jadeja lends the vital depth to the team which is excessively dominated by all-rounders. Murali Vijay and Ravichandran Ashwin will be high on confidence after their spectacular outing against Australia in the just concluded home series. Michael Hussey, Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni will comprise the middle-order slots, as players who are capable of adjusting their game-style according to the requirement. The CSK have a real chance of winning the trophy given their enviable team and having a sensible captain in MSD. New recruits are Akila Dananjaya, Baba Aparajith, Ben Laughlin, Chris Morris, Imtiyaz Ahmed, Jason Holder, Mohit Sharma, Ronit More, and Vijay Shankar. Batsmen to watch out for are MS Dhoni, Faf Du Plessis, & Suresh Raina. Bowlers to watch out for are Albie Morkel, Ben Hilfenhaus, Akila Dananjaya, R Ashwin, & Dirk Nannes. Probable playing XI consists of Faf Du Plessis, Murali Vijay, Suresh Raina, Subramaniam Badrinath, Dwayne Bravo, MS Dhoni (c) & (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Albie Morkel, R Ashwin, Dirk Nannes, & Imitiaz Ahmed.
The Mumbai outfit sprung a couple of surprises during the IPL auction and afterwards. Glenn Maxwell, the milliondollar all-rounder of the sixth edition of the IPL, whom the Mumbai Indians paid through their noses to don the blue jersey is a suitable T20 specialist having excelled in the Australian domestic circuit. Ricky Ponting, the legendary batsman and former captain of Australia, makes a comeback into the IPL as the skipper of the Reliance-owned team. Ponting is widely known for his tactical skills as a captain and possession of a wide range of shots, especially his trademark pull-shot. Sachin Tendulkar continues to represent his state franchisee in the shortest format despite absenting himself from national duty for the same version. The Little Master had a mediocre series against Australia which puts his form under scrutiny and having relinquished the captaincy role, he would be hoping to be instrumental in taking his team to IPL glory, something which he wishes to do before he plans to call it a day. Playing as a batting allrounder, Dwayne Smith had produced quick runs to provide the team with blistering starts on numerous occasions. The big-hitting Keiron Pollard and handy lower-order batsman James Franklin provide the MI with the late-innings firework. Rohit Sharma will look to make a huge impact and cement
New recruits are Amitoze Singh, Glen Maxwell, Jalaj Saxena, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Phil Hughes, Ricky Ponting, Rishi Dhawan, & Suryakumar Yadav. Players to watch out for are Lasith Malinga, Sachin Tendulkar, Ambati Rayudu, & Keiron Pollard. Probable playing XI consists of Sachin Tendulkar, Dwayne Smith, Rohit Sharma, Ambati Rayudu, Ricky Ponting (c), Keiron Pollard, Dinesh Karthik, Harbhajan Singh, Lasith Malinga, Munaf Patel, & Abu Nechim.
Seasonal Magazine
2. Mumbai Indians
his spot in the Indian team, like many of his contemporaries have done. The bowling attack is spearheaded by the lethal Sri Lankan pacer, Lasith Malinga, who alongwith Munaf Patel and Abu Nechim have troubled batsmen early-on in the matches. However, their only moment of cherished glory was when they won the 2011 Champions League T20, and they haven't played to their expectations having finished runners-up only on one occasion. Given the tremendous potential they possess and a dynamic captain to lead them, MI should play an aggressive mode of cricket if they are to stand any chance of threatening other top-flight teams.
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3. Royal Challengers Bangalore The RCB has an enterprising unit at their disposal. The plethora of talent ranges from domestic to international circles, having in their midst players of outstanding cricketing skill and ability like AB De Villiers, Chris Gayle, Chetashwar Pujara, Moises Henriques, & Virat Kohli. But it is indeed surprising that the unit has failed to make their presence felt when it matters the most. The presence of Chris Gayle at the top of the order has immensely benefited the team. The West Indian powerhouse has the unique and carefree ability to muscle sixes and fours at will, with utter disdain and disregard for the bowler. His charismatic nature works well for the team’s cause. The captaincy rein has been passed onto Virat Kohli, the emerging star of Indian cricket, a move which is seen by many as a futuristic vocation so that the young lad can develop with time and age. He has been a prodigious find for Team India and the RCB will be hoping that the youngster can replicate his sublime touch in the shortest format. AB De Villiers is the typical all-round player one can come across. His acrobatic fielding skills, innovative batting, and man-management ability makes him an asset for any team. New recruits are Christopher Barnwell, Daniel Christian, Moises Henriques, Sandeep Warrier, Sheldon Jackson, Vijay Zol, Ravi Rampaul, & RP Singh. Players to watch out for are Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle, AB De Villiers, Ravi Rampaul, & Mayank Agarwal.
Seasonal Magazine
Probable playing XI consists of Tillakeratne Dilshan, Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli, AB De Villiers, Chetashwar Pujara, Mayank Agarwal, Arun Karthik, Vinay Kumar, Ravi Rampaul, KP Appanna, & Prasanth Parameshwaran.
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4. Kolkata Knight Riders Gautam Gambhir remarked recently that it is time to play fearless cricket in the context of KKR defending their crown. The KKR skipper knows the challenges ahead for his team and the difficult task of retaining the crown. Brett Lee will don a new role in the team as assistant bowling coach. Even without Lee, KKR has a strong bowling line-up which will, in all likelihood, be spearheaded by Aussie pacer James Pattinson, who will be ably assisted by Lakshmipathy Balaji and newfound talent Shami Ahmed. Sunil Narine, who rattled and flummoxed clueless batsmen, will be heavily relied on by his captain, being the team’s lead spinner. They have some of the best all-rounders of the game in their team like Jack Kallis, Ryan ten Doeschate, & Shakib Al Hasan, but it won't be viable playing all three at the same time. Therein lies KKR's dilemma. They have plenty to choose from due to which striking the right balance becomes crucial. However, Gambhir led the team admirably last season and everyone chipped in optimally. SRK will be hoping for a repeat show, particularly against Mumbai Indians. New recruit is Sachithra Senanayake.
Probable playing XI are Gautam Gambhir, Manvinder Bisla, Brendan McCullum, Jack Kallis, Manoj Tiwary, Yusuf Pathan, Rajat Bhatia, James Pattinson, Sunil Narine, Lakshmipathy Balaji, & Shami Ahmed.
Seasonal Magazine
Players to watch out for are Brendan McCullum, Sunil Narine, Yusuf Pathan, & James Pattinson.
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5. Delhi Daredevils DD will sorely miss the services of Kevin Pietersen, who is recuperating from an injury and Jesse Ryder, who is undergoing intense medical care following a brutal assault by unidentified men days back. The team will be captained by Mahela Jayawardena, who replaces home favourite, Virender Sehwag. The batting department comprises of Naman Ojha, Yogesh Nagar, & Unmukt Chand, all of whom have performed exceptionally well in first class T20 cricket. All rounders Andre Russel, van der Merwe, & Johan Botha make up the remaining utility players in an otherwise bowling-biased strong line-up. Morne Morkel, the towering figure, sent shivers down the spines of batsmen last season emerging as the highest wicket-taker. Irfan Pathan, Ajit Agarkar, Ashish Nehra, Umesh Yadav, and Varun Aaron make up the remaining pace battery. Kedhar Jadhav, too has had a decent outing this season due to which he may well be picked over Yogesh Nagar. However, the spin department doesn't instil much confidence but DD will be hoping that promising left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem works in their favor and provide those crucial breakthroughs like he did last season. New recruits are Jeevan Mendis & Sujit Nayak. Players to watch out for are Unmukt Chand, Virender Sehwag, & Morne Morkel.
Seasonal Magazine
Probable playing XI consists of David Warner, Virender Sehwag, Unmukt Chand, Mahela Jayawardena, Naman Ojha, Kedhar Jadhav, Andre Russell, Irfan Pathan, Ajit Agarkar, Shahbaz Nadeem, & Morne Morkel.
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6. Kings XI Punjab Adam Gilchrist can certainly lift the spirits of this demoralized unit, which of late has been finding the going tough. They have gifted all-rounders in Mascarenhas and David Hussey, both of whom can turn the match on its head. Paul Valthaty flattered to deceive since bursting into limelight with some fine performances in the previous editions. Azhar Mahmood played a huge part in KXIP victories last season, stroking vital boundaries and picking up wickets when the team needed him the most. Another game-changer in their midst is Aussie discard Shaun Marsh, who needs to regain his magical touch if KXIP are to progress through to the subsequent stages. Praveen Kumar is back to his wicket-taking ways which is an encouraging sign for the side. Ryan Harris is the only proper seam-bowler that KXIP has so he is certain to play. There have been no new recruits this season.
Probable playing XI consists of Adam Gilchrist, Paul Valthaty, Mandeep Singh, David Hussey, Nitin Saini, Azhar Mahmood, Ryan Harris, Praveen Kumar, Parwinder Awana,Piyush Chawla, & Harmeet Singh.
Seasonal Magazine
Players to watch out for are David Hussey, Praveen Kumar, & Azhar Mahmood.
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7. Pune Warriors India The non-availability of Michael Clarke may affect the team's composition, which means Yuvraj Singh looks certain to lead the Sahara-owned outfit. All eyes will be on the Prince of Indian cricket who was unable to feature in the IPL owing to cancer treatment. Bhuvaneshwar Kumar has attained a new lease of life after a string of commendable performances which makes him a certain for selection. The other big names include Ross Taylor, Steven Smith, Marlon Samuels, and Aaron Finch, who replaces Clarke in the team. The lack of a quality pace bowler may hurt their chances as PWI have often failed to bowl out the opposition. Angelo Mathews, the current Sri Lankan captain, might fill in the batting all-rounder slot which has many takers including Steven Smith, Marlon Samuels, Luke Wright, Mitchell Marsh etc. The team has always gone off to flying starts but only to wither away in crucial junctures. With Saurav Ganguly as team mentor, one can assuredly bet on the Warriors coming out all guns blazing in typical Dada style aggression. New recruits are Ross Taylor, Aaron Finch, Ajanta Mendis, & Luke Wright. Players to watch out for are Yuvraj Singh, Ross Taylor, Ishwar Pandey, & Rahul Sharma. Probable playing XI consists of Aaron Finch, Manish Pandey, Robin Uthappa, Ross Taylor, Yuvraj Singh, Marlon Samuels, Angelo Mathews, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, Rahul Sharma, Ishwar Pandey, & Shrikanth Wagh.
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8. Rajasthan Royals
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Rahul Dravid recently admitted that his team will go into the tournament as the underdogs. But the array of star players in their line-up makes one think otherwise. Shane Watson will be their key player, who has the ability to bat in any position and can bowl in few overs when necessary. Ajinkya Rahane will look to replicate his last season’s brilliance when he single-handedly won matches for his side through an exhibition of immaculate technical finesse. Sreesanth, Amit Singh, & Trivedi are the notable Indian pacers in the team. Shaun Tait's waywardness and inconsistency may spell doom for the Dravid-led side which will then have to find a suitable foreign replacement. Fidel Edwards is an option worth considering but RR will find it difficult to select the right foreign
combination of 4, keeping in mind left-arm Chinaman spinner, Brad Hogg. Kevan Cooper was RR's find of the tournament and he is certain to play a larger role for the team. Stuart Binny has matured as a player and being the much-needed domestic all-rounder the team is looking for, Binny will have to assume greater responsibility if Watson is deemed unfit. New recruits areFidel Edwards, James Faulkner, Kushal Perera, & Samuel Badree. Players to watch out for are Shane Watson, Brad Hogg, Rahane, & Kevan Cooper. Probable playing XI consists of Ajinkya Rahane, Rahul Dravid, Shane Watson, Brad Hodge, Owais Shah, Shreevats Goswami, Kevan Cooper, Siddarth Trivedi, Amit Singh, Ankit Chavan, & S Sreesanth.
9. Sunrisers Hyderabad The infants of the tournament, Sunrisers, have an able and shrewd skipper in Kumar Sangakkara. Dale Steyn will be the lead bowler having a superlative record of inflicting maximum damage, be it against any batting line-up in the world. Shikhar Dhawan, Cameron White, Bharat Chipli, & Darren Sammy are the leading batsmen in the team. Ishant Sharma will aim at forging a lethal pairing with Steyn to unsettle batsmen. Thisara Perera is a good buy considering his innate ability to clear the ropes at will and being a well-known partnershipbreaker with his raw and hit-the-deck pace. The team will be looking to salvage pride early-on and hope to bring smiles on the faces of their fans. Its always exciting having a new team in the fold. Players to watch out for are Dale Steyn, Sangakkara, & Shikhar Dhawan.
Seasonal Magazine
Probable playing XI consists of Shikhar Dhawan, Bharat Chipli, Kumar Sangakkara, Cameron White, Ravi Teja, Jhunjhunwala, Thisara Perera, Dale Steyn, Ishant Sharma, Amit Mishra, & Sudeep Tyagi.
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DEBATE
Self-Discipline Versus Regulation Yahoo! CEO Marissa Ann Mayer's decision to end telecommuting has evoked strong reactions and has divided opinion. Will this mark the beginning of an industry trend with more organisations urging employees to return to office? Or is it time to assess the traditional work-from-home structure and design new ways to ensure discipline and improve productivity?
To bring some sanity and efficiency into one's working life, it's no surprise that 'work from home' has gained currency. Apart from the obvious advantages, it also gives an opportunity to employees who are interested in investing in skill enhancement.
Jyorden T Misra
Seasonal Magazine
Founding member & MD, Spearhead Intersearch
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While there is no substitute to a personal interaction to derive the best output, it's also a fact that today the pace of activities and demands on time don't always permit this beautiful luxury. Work cultures are evolving, with plenty of room for innovative models to emerge - fuelled by technological advances, cost consciousness and work-life balance considerations. Look around: Cities are fast turning into megapolises resulting in maniacal traffic with stress levels breaching all records.
With technological advancements, neither is it necessary to be physically present for all internal meetings, presentations or team interactions. Today, one is connected real time through video calls even on the move thanks to portable and hand-held devices. Accessing proprietary internal data/information has never been easier with 'anywhere-anytime' options readily available. If the benefits are many, why did that one company, which is seen as a pioneer and brand ambassador of the idea roll back this privilege? The now famous memo sent to Yahoo! employees by its CEO says: "Speed and quality are often sacrificed when we work from home…We need to be one Yahoo!, and that starts with being physically together". This trend is not new - we have seen something like this
happening in organisations like IBM, Twitter, Google - all of them have been asking their employees to work from their offices, as they believe it creates a more collaborative environment. The CFO of Google, Patrick Pichette, has even said he believes that working from home could isolate employees from other staff. At an event last month, he reportedly said: "The surprising question we get is: How many people telecommute at Google? And our answer is: As few as possible." On the other hand, many individuals rank 'working from home' a higher perk than being given, say, a company car. When Yahoo! formally announced its decision to roll back work-from-home, Richard Branson, founder and chairman of Virgin Group, said, "This seems a backwards step in an age when remote working is easier and more effective than ever." The truth is that Yahoo! has seen three years of declining revenue and Marissa Ann Mayer, president and CEO of the company, has the responsibility of the stakeholders and the company on her shoulders. For her, the best way to promote innovation in
the company is by face-to-face interaction.
A key area of concern is that employees often feel demotivated - so there has to be incentives so that she feels supported even while working from a remote location. Here are some areas where organisations need to focus on: * Setting milestones and targets with clearly defined timelines. * Ensuring shorter review cycles to keep feedback and course correction mechanisms operational. * Keep team-interaction alive through telecons, video conferences and other media. If there is clarity in the role of the individual and the expectations of an organisation, then I don't see why workfrom-home can't work effectively. Marissa Ann Mayer
Innovation happens when conflict of ideas are constructively leveraged in the work place. While I support that people can share ideas from anywhere, some amount of brainstorming needs face-toface meetings. This is especially true in an IT company which has to serve customers across the globe and face new problems to solve every day.
Srimathi Shivashankar AVP & Head - Diversity & Sustainability, HCL Technologies I believe Marissa Mayer is right in taking stock of the situation at Yahoo!. Only a policy audit can assess the impact of a stringent decision like this. 'Company' as an enabler and 'home' as an enabler are two sides of the same coin. Let us first look at the role of a company and I would address this issue from the point of view of IT companies. Ideally, a progressive idea like 'work from home' should be a part of the HR policy of companies. HCL gives this option to both male and female employees. One has to look at the profile of an employee before allowing him/her an arrangement like this. For instance, it may not be right to offer work from home to an employee who provides customer support. Or, to someone who looks after data security. Other examples include job profiles with responsibilities related to onsite production. Not to forget, IT profiles are all about team work and interdependencies. The other side of the coin has home as an enabler in productivity. While metros and small towns have been witnessing realty boom for many years now, providing more space to people of various income groups, the average Indian household is too noisy for any employee to remain productive. Many cultural and social factors come into play. Over the years, my interactions with working women have been enlightening and surprising. Recently, I spoke to a mother of two who explained how her housemaid decided to take her work casually. She assumed that since the lady
Moreover, developmental needs such as cross-functional interactions, mentoring, and leadership workshops can only be fulfilled by physically attending the office. Having said that, sometimes people need time alone to focus their creative energies for a specific project. This can, therefore, have a positive impact on people's careers. However, work-from-home has its own limitations, ranging from lack of selfdiscipline, distractions created by children/spouse and other family members, poor communication and understanding among team members. In India, there's no concept of 'home office'. Even today, data connectivity and security is a challenge in our country. All these factors play a huge role in bringing down employee productivity. It's totally up to the employees how effectively they manage their time to bring in a work-life balance. In the West, organisations have clear policies on the required home infrastructure for employees opting for work from home. I do not see any reason why Yahoo!'s decision should make other companies who allow work from home rethink their HR policies. It will be regressive on part of any company to make a hasty decision on an issue as sensitive as this. At the same time, it won't come as a surprise if more people will prefer coming to the office over work from home. HR policies reflect the culture of a company and today we see employers opting for softer policies to promote inclusion of the right talent. Alternate policies are the need of the hour.
Seasonal Magazine
The reason why many organisations are disillusioned with this concept lies in the complexities of human nature. Like many privileges, work-from-home is vulnerable to misuse. For it to succeed, transparent guidelines should be laid out by the company. There should be a framework of checks and balances that protects the organisation's interests. In the absence of a firm, well designed architecture that helps measure the overall compliance of expectations (delivery) and value (productivity), it becomes very difficult for the organisation and the employee to maintain a long-distance relationship.
was now at home all the time she was free to look into domestic chores. At times, the extended family takes you for granted just because they see you around all the time.
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GADGETS
Samsung Galaxy vs. iPhone5: Feature by Feature Shootout amsung with the unveiling of its new Flagship device the Samsung Galaxy S4 took the world by surprise, not just because the phone features some nice hardware specifications, but also because the device has got some really nice features that users can use in their daily lives as well. Joining the Full HD resolution display club, the Samsung Galaxy S4 is by far the most hardware superior smartphone available in the market today. While apple fans might not agree to this statement, we decided to bring a head to head comparison between the two devices to put an end to questions and allegations.
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Design and Dimensions:
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By bumping up the display size by another 2 millimetres, the Samsung Galaxy S4 comes with a full HD 1080p resolution in a 5 inch display. But even with this, Samsung has tried not to bulk up the device and has adopted a slim bezel design to make the device as comfortable as possible. With the iPhone 5, Apple stepped into the 4 inch display based smartphone segment and while the iPhone 5 is the biggest iPhone, it is still the smaller Smartphone as compared to the competition. Design wise Samsung has adopted the same old, but very popular design which carries on from Galaxy SII to Galaxy note 2, but only slimmer. The Apple iPhone 5 has an anodized aluminium back plate with a glass top, making it lightweight as well as more durable. The front side remains the same-with Retina Display. The Apple iPhone 5 is 7.6 mm thick but compared to the 7.9 mm thick Samsung Galaxy S4, it is marginally thinner. The iPhone 5 is about 58.6 mm wide, whereas the Samsung Galaxy S4 is 69.8 mm wide, with a 5 inch display compared to a 4 inch one on the iPhone. With respect to weight,
the iPhone 5 weighs 112 grams as compared to 130 grams on the Samsung Galaxy S4 and so is lighter.
Processor and Memory: The Samsung Galaxy S4 features a 5 inch Super Amoled touchscreen display. This LCD display supports multi-touch sensitivity of up to five points and supports 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution natively. The Apple iPhone 5 features a 4 inch Retina Display with IPS panel and a 1136 x 640 pixel native resolution. The iPhone 5 packs 326 pixels per inch in terms of pixel density, whereas the Samsung Galaxy S4 gets a higher 441 pixel density. Samsung Galaxy S4 houses an Octa core processor, which is the first ever of its class for mobile devices. It
involves 1.6 GHz Cortex A15 based quad core processor for performance, along with a 1.2GHz Cortes A7 based quad core processor for power savings coupled with 2 GB RAM. This processor is coupled with PowerVR SGX 544MP3, which supports full 1080p HD video playback and richer 3D graphics games. On the other hand the Apple iPhone 5 features the new dual core Apple A6 mobile processor clocked at 1.3 GHz and coupled with a PowerVR SGX 543MP3 powerful graphics chip to support the Retina display. Samsung Galaxy S4 offers 16/32 and 64 GB on board storage and a memory card slot capable of holding up to a 32 GB memory card. Compared to that Apple offers iPhone 5 in 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB storage options - all at different prices and with no memory card slot.
Camera:
Operating System: Based on Google's latest Android Jelly bean 4.2.2 operating system, the Samsung S4 gets the best of both words with Samsung's touch wiz user interface on top of it. Users will enjoy regular upgrades and fixes while all services and applications will be available for them. Apple with its iOS 6 started off on a very bad note indeed, with not many Google services being made available to its users and the malfunctioning Apple maps just made things worse. But the later decision of accepting the mistake and allowing Google services made a lot of difference and brought the smile back to many user's faces.
Battery: The Samsung Galaxy S4 relies on a meaty 2600 mAh battery pack that will give it some longer time in backup plus the bigLITTLE architecture based processor is likely to enhance power savings for the device as well. Apple has packed a non-removable 1440 mAh battery, which is much less for the hardware it utilizes. But this can be overcome with a battery case or extended solution.
Is Apple Resorting to Gimmicks? Apple put up a new page on its website yesterday touting the iPhone's features and explaining why it's better than any other phone. It was clearly another defensive move following Samsung's Galaxy S4 launch last week. In fact, Apple also emailed the page to many of its customers. The timing is suspect not only because of the recent Galaxy S4 launch, but also because Apple won't have a new iPhone for several more months. (Most estimate late summer or early fall for the next iPhone launch.) It seems like Apple doesn't want its customers to get too excited and switch to an Android phone. The site makes some great points, but one part of the new iPhone page bothered us. It's where Apple talks about the iPhone's high-resolution Retina display. Here's what it says: “The Retina display on iPhone ushered in the era of super-highresolution displays. Its pixel density is so high, your eye can’t distinguish individual pixels. The images and words are amazingly vivid and crisp.
Everything just looks so real. In fact, once you see a Retina display, you’re never satisfied with anything less. Yet it remains a feature found only on iPhone and other Apple products.” Now that is technically correct. Only the iPhone and other Apple products have a Retina display. But that's also because Apple is the only company that calls its displays "Retina displays." There are plenty of nonApple mobile devices and laptops now that actually have higher resolutions than Apple's Retina display. For example, the Galaxy S4 has a higher pixel density. So does the HTC One and Nokia Lumia 920. For tablets, Google's Nexus 10's screen has a higher resolution than the iPad. And Google's new Chromebook Pixel laptop screen has a higher resolution than the one on the MacBook Pro with Retina display. So while technically accurate, Apple's statements on its displays can be a bit confusing to those unfamiliar with competing products. Apple isn't the only company that makes displays with resolutions so high you can't see other pixels. It's the only company that has a branded term for that feature.
Seasonal Magazine
Apple has used the a five element lens on the 8 megapixel image sensor and has f/2.4 aperture that has been tweaked to offer best images with near-zero shutter lag. The images are crisper and better than on the iPhone 4S and the iPhone 5 is capable of recording full 1080p HD video and can also edit them on the phone. There is a 2 megapixel camera in the front that is good for a 720p HD FaceTime video chat and high quality portrait photos. The Samsung Galaxy S4 on the other hand gets a 13 megapixel image sensor with LED flash, auto focus and image stabilization. The sensor and optics information is not fully available right now so we won't be commenting anything on that. Samsung Galaxy S4 is also capable of recording full 1080p HD video and can be edited on the phone itself. Samsung has added a 2 megapixel camera in the front for self portrait shots and supports dual video chats too.
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Seasonal Magazine
Celebrity Cars Muk esh Ambani - Ma ybach 62 Muke Maybach Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani has a net worth of $22.3 billion, and is the world’s richest Indian. He drives one of the most luxurious cars, a Maybach 62, along with a Mercedes S Class and a Mercedes SL500. The Maybach costs Rs. 5 crores.
Sachin TTendulk endulk ar - Nis san G TR 530 endulkar Nissan GTR
Seasonal Magazine
Sachin Tendulkar, after selling off his Ferrari 360 Modena, soon bought a Nissan GTR 530. The cost of the GTR is approximately Rs. 70 lakh. An auto enthusiast, one of Sachin’s first cars was a second-hand BMW way back in 1993. “My pockets were not so deep back then so I had to opt for a second-hand BMW but it was a joy to drive that car,” says Sachin. The little master currently owns a BMW M5 and its SUV X5, and has also signed up with BMW on a contract.
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Salman Khan Audi Q7
Seasonal Magazine
Salman Khan is a SUV lover and owns a Range Rover, Audi Q7, and BMW X6. Also an avid biker, he also owns a Suzuki Hayabusa sports bike, one of the fastest motorcycles in the world. The latest addition to his portfolio is a limited edition blue Suzuki Intruder M1800RZ. A cruiser super bike, the Intruder, is a four stroke, 2-cylinder, liquidcooled, DOHC, 54째 V-twin machine.
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Celebrit ar elebrityy C Car arss
Vir ender Sehw ag - Ben tle on tinen irender Sehwag Bentle tleyy C Con ontinen tinenttal Flying Spur Virender Sehwag has expensive taste when it comes to luxury cars. If you thought the Nawab of Najafgarh likes brash SUVs or racing cars, you are grossly mistaken. Viru drives a Bentley Continental Flying Spur - the same car driven by world’s richest Carlos Slim - that costs more than Rs 2 crores.
Kangna R ana ut - BMW 7 Serie Rana anaut Seriess
Seasonal Magazine
She represents the young super-successful who can afford to buy expensive cars before they are even 25. Kangna Ranaut bought herself a BMW 7 Series on her 21st birthday. She says it’s very spacious and comfortable car.
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Yuvr aj Singh - LLambor ambor ghini Mur cielago uvraj amborghini Murcielago Yuvraj recently took his Lamborghini Murcielago for a spin at the Buddh International Circuit. Years earlier, Yuvraj Singh etched his name into the record books when he hit six sixes in an over in the World Twenty20 encounter against England. Yuvraj was awarded a Porsche 911 for the achievement by the then Vice President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Lalit Modi.
When Diya Mirza-Handrich won the Miss Asia Pacific title on 3 December 2000 in Manila, Philippines, she became the first Indian contestant to win this title in 29 years. Later turned into a successful actress. Diya Mirza has been involved with Cancer Patients Aid Association, Spastics Society of India, HIV awareness, prevention of female foeticide, CRY, & Narmada Bachao Andolan. Dia Mirza drives a Lexus LX SUV.
Seasonal Magazine
Dia Mir za - LLe exus LX SUV Mirza
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Celebrit ar elebrityy C Car arss Anil Ambani - LLambor ambor ghini Gallar do amborghini Gallardo Industrialist Anil Ambani drives a car that suits his personality, a Lamborghini Gallardo. The Gallardo accelerates from 0 to 100 kmph in 4.1 seconds and on to a top speed of 325 km/h. Its V10 engine offers 500 hp and 376 lbs-ft of torque.
Sride vi - P or sche C ayenne SUV Sridevi Por orsche Ca The 100th Porsche to be sold by Porsche India, is Sridevi’s Cayenne SUV, powered by a 3.0-litre V6 power unit capable of delivering a maximum output of 240bhp. The SUV accelerates from 0 to 100 kmph in just 7.8 seconds and the top speed is 218 kmph. Sridevi has really gifted the car to her husband Boney Kapoor.
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Kapil De or sche P anamer a Devv - P Por orsche Panamer anamera The first ever Porsche Panamera Diesel in India was bought by 1983 World Cup winning captain Kapil Dev. took delivery of last month. Kapil thinks the car has sportiness, luxury and efficiency, and plans to drive it on a daily basis.
Carlos Slim Helu - Ben tle Bentle tleyy Con tinen ontinen tinenttal Flying Spur Mexican telecom giant Carlos Slim Helu had long displaced both Bill Gates and Warren Buffett as the world’s richest man. He drives a Bentley Continental Flying Spur which costs around Rs. 1.70 crore.
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INSURANCE-IN-FOCUS
LIC IN NO MOOD TO CONCEDE SPACE IN ANY BUSINESS Despite life insurance industry facing headwinds in the country, LIC is opening new battle-fronts in almost every business it is in. The state-run insurer is beefing up its best-performing single premium portfolio with the new Jeevan Sugam policy, even while it has come out in open with its intention to get into the banking business through one of its subsidiaries. Due to its unique scale and capabilities new opportunities have also come knocking on its doors, like the default annuity scheme of NPS. Under Chairman DK Mehrotra’s leadership, this largest Domestic Institutional Investor is also successfully undertaking one of its largest investment spree into PSUs through the disinvestment route, even while it is all poised to report its largest ever profits from the equity business, thanks to some smart profit-booking in recent months. It is a difficult balancing act, but LIC is showing that it is in no mood to concede space in any business.
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IC has recently opened a new front in its battle to outpace sluggishness in the conventional policy space. Its latest product, Jeevan Sugam, a single premium plan, offers risk cover of 10 times the premium paid for a fixed period of 10 years. At the end of 10 years, the policy will mature and be ready for redemption of guaranteed sum. Jeevan Sugam is open for children too, with those aged between 8 and 45 years, welcome. On maturity, the survivor will be paid sum assured along with loyalty benefits. For example, to get the minimum maturity sum assured of around Rs 60,000, the single premium would be Rs. 33,759. The life cover, on death before policy expiry, is 10 times the single premium amount after deducting service tax. In case of death after five years of the
policy term, loyalty addition will also be paid, although that amount is not specified upfront. For maturity sum assured of over Rs 1,50,000, an additional maturity sum assured of 3.5% is provided to the policyholder. For maturity sum of over Rs 4,00,000, higher additional maturity sum assured of 4.5% is provided.
This plan suits even those who don’t foresee a regular income in future but still want to protect themselves by taking a risk cover now with some money they have now. A single premium plan is also less cumbersome for those who want to avoid paying regular premium. Jeevan Sugam favours the young the most, as the policy’s maturity value is higher for
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people in the lower age groups. The real value of the plan is hidden, as the real value will be if and when the interest rates come down significantly over the next 1-5 years, and doubling of money even by 10 years would appear difficult. In such a scenario, it can be seen that Jeevan Sugam’s life cover comes virtually for free. The scheme which is closed-ended and was open only till March 31st, had garnered good subscriptions. LIC had to make this innovative scheme closed-ended as it provides assured rate of return, which mandates that the offer period should have a uniform interest rate in the country. New products like Jeevan Sugam is critical for LIC as the insurance heavyweight’s best performing class of products continue to be single premium ones. All insurance companies including LIC has seen new business premiums dipping in the April to January period. Though it can be argued that LIC’s new business dipped more than that of private insurers for the first time, not only is the relative underperformance small - 6.5% against 5% - but the absolute volumes speak for itself - with LIC still accounting for more than double of the business of all private insurers combined. LIC continues to record this kind of performance based on their relatively superior honouring of life cover claims, as well as its unique sales model driven by a large pool of agents. The lapsation rate with LIC is a low 9%, which is attributable to fair claim processing as well as the efficient servicing by agents. The penetration of LIC agents into the vast Indian population is legendary, with LIC and its agents reported to have covered every region were 1000 people were living with at least one agent, way back from 1969. Despite alternative distribution channels like bancassurance being mooted, LIC’s agent army remains one of its core
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New products like Jeevan Sugam is critical for LIC as the insurance heavyweight’s best performing class of products continue to be single premium ones.
industry, but that it is actively preparing for the next growth phase. Life Insurance Corporation has recently invited online applications for filling up 750 vacancies for the post of Assistant Administrative Officer (AAO). Candidates recruited will be able to work in different streams such as Marketing, Finance, Investment, IT, Customer Relations, Underwriting, Actuarial, HR and Legal. The total emoluments for the post is handsome, compared with say public sector banks, at Rs 33,418 per month in any ‘A’ class city.
strategic advantages.
LIC should indeed be preparing for the good times, as its unique capabilities are attracting massive new opportunities.
Hints from the recruitment side also shows that LIC is not planning to lie low during this sluggish phase for the
Recently, pension fund regulator PFRDA has chosen LIC as the default annuity service provider for
provision of 100% of the annuity payable to spouse during his/her life after the death of the annuitant.
LIC continues to record this kind of performance based on their relatively superior honouring of life cover claims, as well as its unique sales model driven by a large pool of agents.
subscribers exiting from New Pension System (NPS) and seeking withdrawal of accumulated pension wealth. PFRDA had earlier empanelled seven Annuity Service Providers (ASPs) LIC, SBI Life, ICICI Prudential Life, Bajaj Allianz Life, Star Union DaiIchi Life and Reliance Life Insurance - for providing annuity services to NPS subscribers. While subscribers were earlier required to select an empanelled ASP along with an annuity scheme from those offered by the chosen ASP at the time of exiting from NPS, PFRDA has now decided to assist subscribers by providing a default option - LIC. While choosing LIC for the prestigious role, a top PFRDA official clarified that, “LIC has been chosen as the default ASP,and this default option is being provided in the subscribers’ interest and to avoid any delay in claim processing.”
The opportunity is huge, even for LIC, as under the provisions of NPS, a maximum of 60% of corpus accumulated at the time of exit, which is normally on the attainment of 60 years of age, can be withdrawn but a minimum 40% of corpus has to be utilised for purchasing an annuity. And the numbers are huge. Even while the NPS was only open for the new recruits who join government service on or after January 1, 2004, by the end of 2012, over 42 lakh subscriptions were enrolled with a corpus of over Rs 26,000 crore. And from May 2009, the floodgates were opened, when the NPS was opened up for all citizens in India to join on a voluntary basis. The default scheme from LIC offers annuity - which is a kind of policy by an insurer designed to provide payments to the holder at specified intervals for life - with an additional
LIC is also going great guns in its other core area of operation - capital market investments. Though there might be critics of the way in which LIC is said to have ‘bailed out’ various disinvestments of the government like NALCO, NTPC, Oil India, Hindustan Copper, NMDC, RCF, & SAIL, only time will prove whether it is a bailing out or highly attractive investments for the insurer. If LIC’s recent performance in profitbooking is any indication, LIC has that rare ability to make good on all these investments. Reportedly, LIC is set to end the current financial year with record profits from sale of equities, amounting to about Rs 24,000 crore, which is its highest ever. The state-run insurer smartly sold off massive quantities of longheld stocks into the recent FII led rally. But as always, it has been not a mindless sell-off, but a prudent churn. For example, it cut it position in Federal Bank even as it emerged as the largest investor in Karnataka Bank. On the longer horizon, another shot in the arm will come by way of LIC, when it gets into banking through its subsidiary LIC Housing Finance. Commenting on the recent RBI guidelines on new banking licences, LIC has openly come out with its ambition to float a bank. LIC Chairman DK Mehrotra recently summed it all up to reporters, where the organization is standing with regard to its ambitious Vision 2020 Program. “Going by the enthusiasm and response, we hope that giving a policy to every insurable person by 2020 should be fulfilled. It includes any insurance product, depending on the person’s ability to buy it. Each of these persons should have a cover of insurance with LIC. If he thinks about insurance, it should be LIC.”
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BANK-IN-FOCUS
Why Dena Bank is Pois After a spectacular 60% rise in as little as 8 months, Dena Bank stock has corrected together with the overall market as well as the Bank Nifty, and is again poised to outperform with next market surge, the first hints of which are being seen now. But the real reason why Dena might outperform others is a slew of new fundamental initiatives that have been taken by the top management under the guidance of CMD, Ashwani Kumar, to better the prospects of all stakeholders. In his arsenal are a couple of clever tools for niche targeting in retail. shwani Kumar is a realistic leader by all counts. The challenging nature of the current economic scenario is not lost on him. Banks have been beset with issues ranging from high NPAs to lower deposit mobilisation, and everyone seems to hope that the issues will improve overnight with fiscal and monetary policy action. But this public sector bank’s Chairman can be quite candid when he forecasts that deposit rates will not soften before April or even May. This prediction has already come true partially, as despite RBI continuing to cut interest rates slightly, many banks have been upping deposit rates slightly.
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He explains this perfectly when he says, “Lower deposit mobilisation by banks is largely because existing interest rate is very low and investors have better channels for investments.” If you think that is an contrarian stand, it is not, maybe just a realistic stand, as bank deposits are not attractive primarily because of negative real interest rate due to high inflation. Dena is addressing this issue by aggressive new schemes like their Dena Platinum Jubilee Deposit Scheme which offers 9.25% per annum for ordinary depositors for a minimum period of 750 days. The offer suits a wide range of depositors as this high rate is given to deposits up to Rs. 1 crore. For senior citizens’ Dena’s offer is sweeter, with an interest of 9.75% for the same period.
ed to Outperform While all banks are going in for a major retail push on the advances front, Dena Bank seems to have identified a high-growth niche even in the broad retail sector. Under Chairman Ashwani Kumar’s guidance, the bank seems to have unravelled what is a banker’s dream retail sector - a sector with high ticket-size, yet with high-growth, and at the same time, having high asset quality.
On the advances front, Dena Bank’s strategies are even more powerful. The medium-sized PSB has over the recent quarters made the best use of its legacy penetration and focus on Western India. With states like Maharashtra and Gujarat outperforming others on the industrial front, Dena is positioned as one of the key beneficiaries of this momentum. This territorial advantage of Western India is here to stay for many more years, and Dena might reap richer fruits from this focus, in the years to come. While all banks are going in for a major retail push on the advances front, Dena Bank seems to have identified a high-growth niche even in the broad retail sector. Under Chairman Ashwani Kumar’s guidance, the bank seems to have unravelled what is a banker’s dream retail sector - a sector with high ticketsize, yet with high-growth, and at the same time, having high asset quality. Imagine a retail sector with ticket-size up to Rs. 2 crore. A retail sector that recorded Rs. 12,000 crore in 2011 and which is projected to grow to Rs. 25,000 crore by 2016. A retail sector that enjoys one of the best asset quality due to its professional customer base as well as highly profitable nature. Of course, only discerning bankers would be able to identify from such hints - it is India’s rapidly growing medical equipment business. The customer base is truly professional super specialist doctors like radiologists, pathologists, dentists, ophthalmologists, and specialist surgeons. All of them use equipment whose costs range from a few lakhs to a few crores.
Dena Bank CMD Ashwani Kumar (centre) with Executive Director Ashok Dhar (left) and CGM Mukesh Jain (right)
Says Chairman Ashwani Kumar, “We are focusing on financing to doctors. Chances of default in this sector are very low. Doctors occupy a respectable position in the society and therefore, there are hardly any chance of defaults.”
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The sector makes better sense for Dena Bank, as it is very profitable compared to more popular segments like home loans and auto loans where the spread is increasingly under pressure at most banks, as several are willing to lend at base lending rates to garner revenue. In contrast, Dena Bank charges an interest rate of 12.85% on medical equipment loans. The current limit of the loan is Rs. 2 crore, out of which 90% can be sanctioned as term loan and the rest as working capital, with the arrangement perfectly fitting into doctors’ needs. Dena has already made a headstart in the sector this year, and its bullishness is evident, as it is expecting to close the year with a Rs. 500 crore contribution from the medical equipment sector with its branded ‘Dena Doctor’ product. The success of the product shows that Dena’s Chairman is not just realistic but innovative. Interestingly, such novel ideas would also help Dena in its core challenges. According to a study by India Ratings & Research, a division of Fitch, Dena Bank’s core challenge is a rising assetliability mismatch. While this is not unique to Dena, the issue arises from public sector banks funding longer tenure assets with increasingly shorter maturity deposits. While a degree of mismatch can be remedied through Cash Reserve Ratio, if it gets out of hand, there will be a problematic asset-liability mismatch at several PSBs including Dena. This is where a product like Doctor Dena comes handy. While conventional wisdom suggests that asset-liability mismatch can only be remedied through mobilization of long-term money, Dena is not banking only on that. It is trying to rely equally on developing shorter-tenure assets. For example, Doctor Dena’s repayment period is between 5-7 years, despite having a relatively high ticket size of Rs. 2 crore. Another challenge for Dena Bank is a
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Dena Bank also continues to be one of the most attractive PSBs on valuations. At price-to-book-value, Dena stock trades at just 0.78 times, whereas by price-toearnings the Mumbai headquartered bank is available at 3.58 times whereas the sector overall is trading at 7.31 times.
relatively low Tier-I Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) of less than 8%. However, what it really reveals is high credit growth, with Dena clocking the highest growth in the sector, amounting to 32%. Moreover, Dena’s CAR will improve at the end of the financial year, as the government infuses capital and when the bank would be able to add profits of the full year to their capital base. Dena Bank also continues to be one of the most attractive PSBs on valuations. At price-to-book-value, Dena stock trades at just 0.78 times, whereas by price-to-earnings the Mumbai headquartered bank is available at 3.58 times whereas the sector overall is trading at 7.31 times.
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INTERVIEW
Seasonal Magazine
“We Keralites Need to be Goal Oriented”
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Tom Jose, IAS, has always proven that he has a mind of his own. In a freewheeling interview with Seasonal Magazine, the current Managing Director of Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC), expresses his concern that the Kerala society is more oriented towards ensuring procedural justice and that we are not really goal oriented. He speaks about the latest updates on KSIDC’s various game-changing initiatives and partnerships for Kerala, including new captive power plants, VC fund, NIMZ, PCPIR, outbound investment promotion etc, as well as international models worth emulating for the state.
Petrochemical Complex, we expect phased progress, even though a fullfledged implementation may not be immediately possible in the state. During the course of the last several years, has KSIDC’s focus changed to infrastructure development from providing investment for industries? Well, if you look at our mandate, broadly there are three areas - infra development, investments, and promotion. When KSIDC started out, the need was most acutely felt on the investments front. There was absolutely no other agency willing to fund entrepreneurs during that time,
Tom Jose, IAS, MD, KSIDC
and we filled in that gap, with many productive results. But over the years, the investment situation has dramatically changed with many institutions including banks willing to invest in project finance. Meanwhile, a greater need has been emerging at the industrial infrastructure front, as no major development financial institution is there to initiate or bet on infra projects. So, now, KSIDC is filling in this new void. And I think this is the right direction for KSIDC. But don’t you think fresh start-ups still need a helping hand, especially at the lower end of the spectrum in terms of the finance required, like the IT and telecom start-ups? Yes, definitely. In fact, this has been one of our latest focus areas. KSIDC will soon launch a venture capital fund, may be at around Rs. 50 crore corpus initially. The idea is to nurture young entrepreneurial ideas, may be right out from college, so that they will proceed to that stage where they will have bankable DPRs. This KSIDC VC fund will be more like an angel investor or seed capital provider, and more than that we will be holding their hands for more than just financial assistance. It will be more like a comprehensive management assistance that will enable them to have robust Detailed Project Reports that banks and other institutions will find acceptable. How much can each start-up avail? Maybe around Rs. 1 crore? Maybe from Rs. 50 lakh onward to over Rs. 1 crore also, depending upon the real requirement of the project to start moving. But despite their low requirements, we have high hopes from this sector. Because, we will be assisting many bright young minds not to be job seekers like their peers, but to be job creators. We are expecting a cascading effect from such funding, Coming back to large-scale infra funding, there is a wide-held belief now especially in the political circles
Seasonal Magazine
SIDC is now assisting in much larger central projects like the Rs. 54,000 crore Kochi-Palakkad NIMZ Project as well as the PCPIR in and around Kochi. What is the status of these projects? KSIDC has requested for participation in the Kochi-Palakkad National Investment & Manufacturing Zone. It consists of developing twenty industrial townships or hubs along the NH 47 whose new name is NH 544. We are hopeful of being included, and KSIDC can add much value to this prestigious project due to our local expertise. Regarding PCPIR or the
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that finance has ceased to be the major hurdle for the state. Do you subscribe to this view? Yes, definitely. Today, if we can have viable projects, there is no dearth of options for funding, from domestic or overseas institutions, irrespective of the project size.
Seasonal Magazine
So, what is really holding us back? Well, funding is only one side of the challenge. We also need careful need assessment, planning, and execution. Though much can be said about all these, one thing that has struck me is that Keralites are not as focused on their goals as they are on the procedures. In Kerala, procedural justice is more important than achievement of the actual goals. There are debates - necessary and unnecessary - on the procedures in each and every project. And after all the debates, even if a drinking water project fails to deliver even a drop of water, many Keralites are kind of satisfied, as long as procedural justice has been kept.
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Any recent examples of this phenomenon, that you have personally encountered? Almost every project has such challenges. Take for example the KSIDC-GAIL joint venture to reach piped LNG to every household. Despite taking all safety measures like 1.5 metre deep pipe laying, and virtually no hindrance to agriculture or any activity, the level of resistance from many local people is surprising. And remember, this comes after successive state governments working hard to bring this Petronet LNG Terminal to Kochi. Another example is the proposed feeder airport in Idukki. By the time the feasibility study team reached Idukki, around fifty activists were ready with protests, saying we want no feeder airport in Idukki. This is a kind of selfdestructive culture, I would say. What has contributed to this culture?
Maybe many factors, but one that readily comes to my mind is our riskaversive nature. We don’t want to make any mistakes. But we forget that every great enterprise has been possible only because its leaders were willing to make mistakes, learn from those mistakes, and improve their processes, and make this an iterative process. Our youngsters, however, have such a mindset, and within one or two generations, the current problematic culture would change. You travel around a lot both inside and outside the country. Have you come across any development models that are fit for Kerala, something worth emulating? Well, there are numerous such instances. Two countries that readily come to my mind are Netherlands and Israel. Despite its climate being unsuitable for tomato cultivation, Netherlands exports a quarter of this world’s tomatoes, solely using climate-control technologies. Israel, on the other hand, despite having poor natural resources, is not only selfsufficient in food production, but also is a leading exporter of fruits. It is again based on intensive development of agricultural technologies. Both are worth emulating for Kerala. Any other models, especially from inside India, like say Gujarat which is so much in news now? Yes, as IAS officers, we do keep interacting with our peers nationwide, to know the latest developments. If Gujarat or any other state has made recent strides, I would attribute it mainly to the spirit of the people there. They are not much bothered about procedural justice, but are solely focused on the end result of any initiative. Yours have been a contrarian voice in the case of Kochi Metro’s implementation. Can you comment on what led to such views? I am out of Kochi Metro now. You are asking the wrong person. (Laughs).
For the first time in its history, KSIDC is planning three captive power projects, at three of your district-hubs. What led to this decision and is this a sustainable or large-enough model for the state’s industries? It is a good question. The reason behind this initiative is simple. The state’s power demand is projected to grow by another 2000 odd MW within the next 3 to 4 years, according to KSEB, which is not in a position to generate that additional capacity. So, KSIDC, as the state’s industries and investment promotion agency, is planning on behalf of our industries so that at least many of them would have captive power plants. Though captive plans are a costlier way to generate electricity, there might be no other option before our industrial units. Secondly, we have to prove that this is a viable model, so that we can attract new industries to the state without lack of power being a hindrance. KSIDC is actively pursuing power generation from waste for these captive models. What led to this decision? There are two three factors. One is the abundant availability of municipal waste as well as industrial waste in Kerala. In fact, garbage processing of Municipal Solid Waste has become a major challenge for the state. So, such a model of power-from-waste would obviously prove that it has this twin advantage. Secondly, being captive plants, these units can afford to be built on slightly higher costs, as well as deliver power on slightly higher tariff, but we can’t go overboard on expenses. So, on that front too, MSW is a viable input. Different technologies exist for generating electricity from MSW. Which would KSEB prefer for these new captive plants? It is premature to comment on this. Yes, there are three or four competing technologies. We have conducted
Keralites are not as focused on their goals as they are on the procedures. In Kerala, procedural justice is more important than achievement of the actual goals. There are debates - necessary and unnecessary - on the procedures in each and every project. And after all the debates, even if a drinking water project fails to deliver even a drop of water, many Keralites are kind of satisfied, as long as procedural justice has been kept.
Where are all these projects planned and what would be the capacities? We are planning the initial three plants at three of our industrial growth centres - Valiavelichum in Kannur, Kinalur in Kozhikode and Cherthala in Alappuzha. Being captive plants for the requirements there, they will be small-sized, between 10-20 MW. An overseas investment promotion wing will be formed under KSIDC to tap investment opportunities in all foreign countries, as per the latest budget. What are its objectives? The objective is simple enough. Investment opportunities are not exclusive to Kerala. Several developed and developing nations like Canada,
UAE, Australia etc offer attractive entrepreneurial options for Indians and Keralites. So, this new cell would cater exclusively to promote such overseas opportunities. We have already started work by liaisoning with overseas embassies and the investment promotion cells in those countries. But what is the rationale in promoting outbound investments? Though it is a new paradigm, it makes immense sense for Kerala. Hasn’t Kerala benefited from the immense NRK inflow of money? It is perhaps the backbone of Kerala’s economy. We have been encouraging people to go abroad for jobs. So, why not encourage them to go abroad for tapping business opportunities? The resultant inflows may be even higher. And the bigger picture is much more than that. There is this cascading effect in which entrepreneurial confidence is increased, technology transfers are enabled, and may be even preferential jobs for our workforce is
increased in these countries. Are the projects from Emerging Kerala largely on track? Have there been any mentionable breakthroughs, in relation with KSIDC? Yes, they are largely on track. At the Emerging Kerala event, they were largely at the proposal stage. Many of them are now progressing to the bankable DPR stage. It will take time, depending upon the nature of the project, the clearances required, and the initial funding sources, but the projects are definitely progressing. Before getting selected for IAS, you had pursued business education. Has it helped in your career? Do you relish your current role as head of this development finance institution? Yes, I completed my MBA from Cochin University, and a background in business definitely helps. And yes, I enjoy this role as much as I have enjoyed all my previous stints. As IAS officers, we are expected to be master of all trades.
Seasonal Magazine
preliminary investigations into some of them, and plasma gasification appears to be attractive. One distinct advantage is that there is no need for segregating waste, like biological from plastic etc. But as I said, it is too early to comment on this.
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Achievement
Top Indian Bosses Whom Their Employees Approve Can you imagine working for a company where almost every employee approves of decisions by the boss? It turns out that that is the case at Facebook and SAP. A year-long mammoth survey by a research firm reveals that many expected faces by the public are not there in this list which is voted in by employees. The Top-10 list is dominated by Consulting companies, followed by IT. Another surprise is that there are no women CEOs in the Top-10. Indian CEOs are also missing from the Top-10, except for Cognizant’s young turk, Francisco D’Souza. However, within the Top-50, there are four Indian CEOs, who all from the IT space.
Krishnakumar Natarajan
Natarajan Chandrasekaran
T.K. Kurien
Seasonal Magazine
Francisco D’Souza,
Seasonal Magazine
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Chief executive officers (CEOs) of four Indian software service companies featured in an employee survey by Glassdoor, a jobs and companies community website. Cognizant Technology Solution Corp.’s Francisco (Frank) D’Souza, Tata Consultancy Service Ltd’s Natarajan Chandrasekaran, Mindtree Ltd’s Krishnakumar Natarajan and Wipro Ltd’s T.K. Kurien all made it to the list of top 50 CEOs as rated by their employees. The five highest rated CEOs for 2013, according to the report, are Facebook Inc.’s Mark Zuckerberg, SAP AG co-CEOs Bill McDermott and Jim Hagemann Snabe (all three with 99% approval), McKinsey and Co.’s Dominic Barton (97%), Ernst and Young LLP’s Jim Turley, and Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co.’s John E. Schlifske (both with a 96% approval). While D’Souza, at sixth place on the list with a 96% approval rating, beat fellow tech CEOs such as Google’s Larry Page (95%) and Apple’s Tim Cook (93%), Natarajan and Kurien were among the CEOs whose approval rose most sharply over the last year. Natarajan saw his approval rating climb 21 percentage points from last year to 90% (28th place), and Kurien’s increased 19 percentage points to 82% (44th place). Kurien, who heads the IT business of Wipro, is trying to lead a turnaround of the former star of the sector. The survey asked employees to state whether they approved of the way their CEO leads the company and, while the number of respondents varied per company, more than half a million reviews were submitted to Glassdoor over the past 12 months. According to its website, rating and rank in the list was determined using the average approval rating a CEO received
between 25 February 2012 and 24 February 2013. “The CEOs who are most successful in gaining employee approval are those who paint a clear vision of what the company is setting out to achieve and how it’s going to get there,” said Robert Hohman, Glassdoor CEO and cofounder, in a media release. “To be
recognized by your employees as a strong leader also comes as a result of having a solid company culture that helps employees foster the skills necessary to move business forward and meet the needs of customers.” The rankings of the top executives of the Indian software exporters largely reflected company performance. Cognizant and TCS, widely seen as the new flag bearers of the Indian IT services sector, have consistently beaten estimates set by the National Association of Software and Services
Companies (Nasscom) lobby group over the past two years and outstripped the likes of former sector bellwether and India’s second-largest software exporter Infosys and Wipro. TCS, which had 263,637 employees on its rolls at the end of calendar year 2012, had an attrition rate of about 10% in its IT business, below the industry average of 15-25%. Cognizant, which employs most of its 156,700 employees in India, had an attrition rate of 10.7% in the final quarter of the year. Cognizant has also not missed its quarterly guidance in the last decade. It has always outperformed this unlike its Indian peers who have seen a string of misses in both constant currency and reported currency. It is also the only consulting and IT services company to give both full-year guidance and quarterly guidance, apart from Accenture, which provides it in local currency. Last week, Cognizant said it would pay 80100% bonuses to most of its employees, while top performers in the company would receive bonuses in the range of 120-145%. The company has forecast revenue growth of 17% for 2013, ahead of Nasscom’s expectations of 12-14% growth in exports for FY14. For the quarter ended 31 December, both TCS and Cognizant posted betterthan-expected results and forecast robust near-term revenue growth. India’s third-largest software services exporter Wipro Ltd, on the other hand, had a relatively modest quarter in comparison, posting a drop in volumes, despite results being ahead of markets expectations.