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VOLUME 19 ISSUE 8 AUGUST 2022
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Managing Editor Jason D Pavorattikaran Editor John Antony Director (Finance) Ceena Associate Editor Carl Jaison Senior Editorial Coordinator Jacob Deva Senior Correspondent Bina Menon Creative Visualizer Bijohns Varghese Photographer Anish Aloysious Office Assistant Alby CG Correspondents Bombay: Rashmi Prakash Delhi: Anurag Dixit Director (Technical) John Antony Publisher Jason D Pavorattikaran
EDITORIAL
WHO BENEFITS FROM WARS?
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Imagine a murder that leaves no evidence at all about the murderer. It is then common for the investigators to naturally look at who benefited the most from that murder. Needless to say, many a murder case have been cracked eventually by following this strategy.
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Similar is the case with the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Just when the world was limping out of the once-in-a-century pandemic, Russian President Vladimir Putin surprised the world by escalating the nearly one-year old border standoff with Ukraine, with a swift and devastating invasion of its much smaller and weaker neighbour.
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Did Russia or Putin benefit from this war they obviously started? Not at all, by any stretch of imagination. Vicious economic sanctions were imposed on Russia by the West, hundreds of global companies and institutional investors left Russia, and despite all its bravado, it is a given that it will take Russia decades to undo this economic damage.
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And this is not all. The Russian military, long famed to be one of the strongest in the world, became the laughing stock of the world, when its equipments proved to be dated, and its military personnel proved to be incompetent to wage a real ground based invasion, with thousands of Russian troops killed and almost a dozen of its top commanders eliminated at the hands of a stiff Ukranian resistance.
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Putin, personally suffered a huge setback too, as his PR stunt to paint Ukraine and its President Zelenskyy as Nazis backfired, with Putin himself being branded as someone akin to Hitler. And making things worse for the Russian leader, the world rallied around Zelenskyy, as he became one of the most inspiring role models for his courage to
stay at Kiev and fight it out rather than flee. With Russia and Putin thus standing no chance to gain anything from this foolish war, the question naturally becomes who really benefited? The clue comes from an unlikely source, which is Putin’s own actions soon after the invasion turned into a flop show. The Russian President had swiftly sacked several of the country’s top-most intelligence officers and purged quite a few generals from its army, all of whom were in direct charge of the Ukrainian standoff and subsequent invasion. This points overwhelmingly to one fact - that the Russian autocrat was purposefully and systematically misled into initiating this war. He was given some specific impressions that the political climate in Ukraine was against Zelenskyy, that the Russian speaking Ukrainian citizens would back Russian troops, that Zelenskyy would flee to the US on day one, and that Ukrainian forces would surrender themselves and Kiev within 24 hours. Remarkably, none of this happened. On the other side, Ukraine and its President too were obviously misled by whoever was advising them. Whereas after the shocking and brutal invasion, Zelenskyy was quick to cancel his country’s plans to join NATO - which was the ostensible reason for the Russian invasion - during the run-up to this invasion, the Ukrainian President continued to repeat that they will join NATO come what may. Obviously, he was being misled that if he kept on repeating that rhetoric, Russia would fear to invade. Again, just the reverse happened. Who are these people who are so powerful to even mislead country heads, whether they are autocrats or democratically elected? This is where we should use the police strategy to solve untraceable murders - by finding out who really benefited from this senseless war. Yes, these beneficiaries of the war are the non-state actors of the military-industrial complex spread across the world, dominated by US, European, Russian and Chinese arms manufacturers, who together recorded more than $500 billion in sales in 2021 (excluding the sales figures from some of the largest Chinese firms that aren’t available). It is an open secret that this military-industrial complex has their own well coordinated lobby groups, think-tanks, media moles, and defence experts across the world, who continue to egg on governments to spend more and more for defence procurement, which has finally resulted in the world’s total defence expenditure crossing US$ 2 trillion for the first time in 2021. Mind you, in a year when governments had nothing but the pandemic in their minds, at least outwardly. While many countries foolishly fall for the increased security risks peddled by these overt and covert arms marketeers, others fall for the generous commissions offered by these arms dealers. Since most of these companies are publicly listed in US,
Europe and elsewhere, their stocks are openly flashed about as those benefiting most from this war - the likes of Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Boeing, General Dynamics, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, L3Harris Technologies (all of the US), BAE Systems (of UK), Airbus (of Europe), Leonardo (of Italy), Thales (of France), Almaz-Antey (of Russia), and several comparable firms from China (which are all state owned!) and other key exporters of military equipments like Germany, Czech Republic, Netherlands, Israel, Iran, Turkey, and even Ukraine! And who really owns these large global arms dealers? As most of the larger players are publicly listed in the US, Europe or UK, they tend to have negligible promoter or management holdings, and are majorly owned by some of the wealthiest institutional investors in the world. Even a cursory look at the top institutional investors in the top-5 arms dealers return the same suspects - BlackRock, Vanguard, State Street, Capital Group and the likes! Financial behemoths whose influence on worldwide governments go far above that of the arms dealers they fund. In a way, this is a bane of capitalism, as these funds themselves receive their investments and clout from the rich segments of the population who invest in these insurance, asset management, and private equity funds. In other words, capitalism has invented a cool way for rich people in the US, Europe and elsewhere to profit when Putin’s army razes another apartment complex, school or hospital to the ground, somewhere in Ukraine, killing or maiming thousands of hapless lives and millions of dreams. But for the right thinking societies, it is high time that the world looked at an alternative model of low defence spending practised by several countries like Ireland (just 0.29% of GDP), Mexico (0.57% of GDP), Argentina (0.76%) & Indonesia (0.86%). It is a far cry from the splurging military spenders like Saudi Arabia (8.45% of GDP), Israel (5.62%), Russia (4.26%), Ukraine (4.13%), Pakistan (4.02%), USA (3.74%), and even India (2.88%). But that would require a total reimagining and rebuilding of true regional cooperation between neighbours along with transparent and calibrated mutual disarmament. John Antony SEASONAL MAGAZINE
CONTENTS
5 INSIGHTS INTO INFLATION AND HOW IT AFFECTS US Why inflation is happening across the globe, and how the pandemic and the war in Ukraine are causing food and energy prices to rise.
ULTRAWIDE MONITORS ARE THE RAGE, SHOULD YOU GET THAT MEGA SCREEN?
Anyone using computers for every day, serious work, knows that much time is lost on switching between programs and tasks, all because desktop and laptop screens
SRM GROUP ACHIEVES WORLD CLASS PLACEMENTS, TOP OFFER OF RS.1 CRORE FROM AMAZON, GERMANY SRM Institute of Science & Technology (SRMIST), the flagship deemed university of
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COCHIN SHIPYARD IS DISPLAYING GLOBAL CAPABILITIES
WHY SATHYABAMA IS IN A WORLD CLASS LEAGUE
WHY RAPID DELIVERY STARTUPS ARE FAILING RAPIDLY IN US
2022 is already a great year for Cochin Shipyard Ltd, as it completes 50 years of its glorious existence in service of the nation. Apart from the high visibility this provides, CSL
The world’s best universities are outpacing the rest of the pack on two key domains - research projects and startup incubation. Chennai based Sathyabama Institute of Science &
Companies that promise groceries delivered in 15 minutes surged during the pandemic but are now in retreat.
HOW TO BOOST YOUR MEMORY & BRAIN POWER
WHY VLADIMIR PUTIN WENT TO IRAN
WORLD CLASS ACHIEVEMENTS AT GALGOTIAS UNIVERSITY With over 96% placements including in some of the world's largest firms, during the last five years, including the most troubling pandemic years, the Greater Noida based Galgotias
When it comes to recall, it’s very much a case of ‘use it, don’t lose it’. Here’s how you can improve yours, at any age.
Putin’s trip shows how the war in Ukraine is transforming politics across the Middle East and the world.
HOW TO LOSE WEIGHT AND KEEP IT OFF SCIENTIFICALLY Losing weight may be tough, but keeping it off, research tells us, is tougher, just not for the reasons you might think. David Cox, a freelance health journalist and former neuroscientist explains.
IN JUST 3 WORDS, SUNDAR PICHAI TAUGHT A STRATEGIC LESSON Recently, Alphabet (Google) CEO Sundar Pichai sent a memo to Google employees to let them know that the company would slow its hiring for the balance of the year and take other costcutting measures in response to
HOW OUR GUT BACTERIA ORDERS US WHAT TO EAT!
The decision behind declaring monkeypox as a public health emergency of international concern involves its rapid spread across continents, even as the disease has been around - in a localised manner - for decades.
SPARKLING IN RESEARCH AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
By suppressing or increasing cravings, microbes help the brain decide what foods the body “needs.”
HOW MINDFULNESS MEDITATION IMPROVES ATTENTION AND FOCUS
FOUR WAYS TO STOP IMAGINING THAT THE WORST WILL HAPPEN
WHY MONKEYPOX WAS DECLARED A PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY BY WHO
The modern attention economy hijacks our ability to focus, but the ancient technique of mindfulness meditation offers a means to get it back.
If you have a tendency to worry about worst-case scenarios, it's possible to get your brain on a different track.
THE TOUGHEST MOUNTAIN BIKE RACE IN THE WORLD In Kyrgyzstan, determined riders persevere through blizzards, lack of sleep, and disintegrating shoes.
JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research is fast growing to be a powerhouse in basic and applied research as well in entrepreneurship development and startup
WHERE HAVING A PET COULD BE A CRIME SOON Iran is planning a legislation banning owning dogs, cats and other pets! “He looks at me with his innocent and beautiful eyes. He is asking me to take him out for a walk, but I don't dare. We will get arrested."
WORLD CLASS FEATURES OF ICFAI FOUNDATION FOR HIGHER EDUCATION ICFAI Foundation for Higher Education (IFHE), the flagship deemed University of ICFAI Group at Hyderabad, and its constituents ICFAI Business School (IBS),
HOW TO USE SMALL HABITS TO WIN BIG SASTRA GRADED AMONG TOP-5 INSTITUTIONS NATIONALLY Tamil Nadu based deemed-tobe-university, SASTRA, has retained the highest grade of A++ awarded by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) in the recently concluded fourth cycle of re-accreditation.
The habits people build end up structuring their everyday lives, often without them noticing. When people recognize a bad habit, they often try to change it through willpower alone - but
A WORLD CLASS ENVIRONMENT FOR GROOMING HIGH ACHIEVERS Day in and day out, Manav Rachna Educational Institutions (MREI) witness a hotbed of activity at its state-of-the-art research labs, research and innovation clusters, innovation
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NEWS-IN-FOCUS
ACTOR NICK CANNON WELCOMES HIS 8TH CHILD, HIS FIRST WITH MODEL BRE TIESI; PIC SHARED
TV host and actor Nick Cannon has welcomed a baby boy, his eighth child and his first with model Bre Tiesi. Tiesi documented the labor and delivery in a video that she shared on her YouTube account. "This experience has changed me forever and I couldn't have asked for a more amazing and supportive partner," Tiesi said.
LOVE TO FIND A PLACE FOR GOSLING IN MCU: FEIGE AFTER ACTOR WISHES TO PLAY GHOST RIDER
Ryan Gosling, in a recent interview, had said that he wishes to play Marvel superhero Ghost Rider. Reacting to this, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige called the actor "unbelievable" and "amazing". He further stated, "I would love to find a place for him in the MCU." The role of Marvel superhero Ghost Rider was played by Nicolas Cage.
SERGEY & NICOLE SAID STORY ISN'T COMING FROM THEM: MUSK ON REPORT OF AFFAIR WITH NICOLE Speaking about a report alleging his affair with Google Co-founder Sergey Brin's wife, Nicole, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said, "I spoke with both Sergey and Nicole about this and they say the story isn’t coming from them". Musk also shared a photo of him and Brin partying together on Sunday and commented, "A picture is worth 1,000 tweets."
WE SHOULDN'T GIVE IMPORTANCE: UNION MINISTER ON MUFTI'S REMARK ON PRESIDENT
After PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti’s remark on former President Ram Nath Kovind, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said that we should not give importance to anyone's statement given in a wrong way. Meanwhile, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said, "She is demeaning the outgoing President. This isn't surprising as her track record has always been like this."
CAN’T DO BUSINESS WITH MYANMAR: US AFTER DEMOCRACY ACTIVISTS EXECUTED
The US said there can't be "business as usual" with Myanmar's ruling military following the executions of four democracy activists there. US State Department spokesman Ned Price also called on countries to ban sales of military equipment to Myanmar and refrain from any action that would lend the government any international credibility. The activists were accused of committing "terror acts". SEASONAL MAGAZINE
MARK ZUCKERBERG SELLS HIS SAN FRANCISCO HOUSE FOR RECORD $31 MILLION
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has sold his house in San Francisco for $31 million, making it the largest residential deal in San Francisco this year. Zuckerberg purchased the house in November 2012 for around $10 million. The property has a wine room, wet bar, four bedrooms and four bathrooms, spanning over 7,300 square feet.
INDIA LOST OVER 300 TIGERS IN 3 YRS, INCLUDING 29 DUE TO POACHING: GOVT India lost about 329 tigers in last three years, the government informed the Lok Sabha on Monday. According to data presented by MoS for Environment Ashwini Kumar Choubey, 96 tigers died in 2019, 106 in 2020 and 127 in 2021. Out of these, 68 tigers died due to natural causes while 29 tiger deaths were attributed to poaching, data showed.
INDERMIT GILL BECOMES 2ND INDIAN TO BE APPOINTED AS WORLD BANK'S CHIEF ECONOMIST The World Bank has appointed Indermit Gill as the Chief Economist and Senior Vice President for Development Economics. Gill will be the second Indian after Kaushik Basu to serve as Chief Economist at the World Bank. Basu held the position between 2012 and 2016. Reacting to it, Gill tweeted, "I’m honoured by the opportunity".
POPE APOLOGISES FOR 'EVIL' ABUSES AT CANADIAN INDIGENOUS SCHOOLS
Pope Francis has apologised to indigenous people in Canada for the church's role in the abuse of indigenous children in residential schools, calling their forced cultural assimilation a "deplorable evil" and "disastrous error". Pope, who's in Canada, also called for a "serious investigation" into the abuses. Over 150,000 native children in Canada attended residential schools between 1881 and 1996.
POLICE ADD FERRARI TAKEN FROM CRIMINALS TO THEIR FLEET IN CZECH REPUBLIC; PICS GO VIRAL Police in the Czech Republic have added a Ferrari confiscated from criminals to their fleet, with pictures of the car going viral. The Ferrari 458 Italia will be used for cracking down on illegal road races and chasing stolen cars among other things. It will be driven by specially trained officers, police said.
INDIA SPENT ?15,000 CR ON ROADS NEAR CHINA BORDER IN 5 YRS: CENTRE Centre told Rajya Sabha on Monday that India has spent ?15,477 crore on construction of all-weather roads near the India-China border over the last five years. The BRO aims to complete 61 strategic roads assigned to it along the China border by end of this year, officials said. India and China recently held the 16th round of corps commander-level talks.
IIT-B GRADUATES' CONTENT SHARING APP SUPERSHARE RAISES $6.5 MN SuperShare, a content sharing app, has raised $6.5 million from Lachy Groom, Accel India, and Lightspeed in its first funding round. The app, founded by Sagar Modi, an IIT-Bombay graduate, and Advaith Vishwanath, who was a part of Accel's investment team, is currently operating in stealth mode. Content creator Tanmay Bhat, MythPat, among others participated in the funding round.
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3 ARRESTED WHILE SELLING STOLEN GOLD-PLATED ITEMS FROM SL PREZ'S HOME
Sri Lankan police said they have arrested three people who were trying to sell 40 gold-plated brass sockets stolen from the President's house. The items were stolen after protestors stormed the building earlier this month during an unprecedented antigovernment protest over the severe economic crisis in the country. Reportedly, the sockets were fixed on the walls to hang window curtains.
GOVERNMENT ISSUES HIGH SEVERITY WARNING FOR SOME APPLE WATCH USERS
The government has issued a high severity warning for users of the Apple Watch with Operating System versions older than 8.7. The vulnerabilities could let attackers execute arbitrary code and bypass security restrictions on any targeted system, the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) said. The government suggested applying patches in Apple security updates.
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IN JUST 3 WORDS, SUNDAR PICHAI TAUGHT A STRATEGIC LESSON Recently, Alphabet (Google) CEO Sundar Pichai sent a memo to Google employees to let them know that the company would slow its hiring for the balance of the year and take other cost-cutting measures in response to worsening economic conditions. The memo, obtained by The Verge, is a master class in leadership and emotional intelligence and it teaches a lesson every CEO should take to heart.
eedless to say, Google is not the only tech company currently fearing the effects of inflation and a possible recession. Twitter and Netflix, among others, have announced layoffs, and numerous other companies have said that they are freezing or slowing hiring. But only Pichai seems to see the current market uncertainty as an opportunity to focus on what's most important, and inspire employees in the process. The memo he sent should be a model for every leader facing uncertain times like these. (You can find the full memo at the end of this piece.)
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To begin with, Pichai starts the memo by thanking Google employees. Noting that 2022 is half over, he writes, "It's the right opportunity to thank everyone for the great work so far this year, and to share how my Leads and I are thinking about H2." Of course, thanking employees for all their great work is pretty much boilerplate for CEOs these days. Still, the fact that Pichai puts it right at the top of his memo makes it seem slightly more sincere. Pichai then acknowledges that Google leadership is concerned about the same economic headwinds that are affecting the rest of the economy. Noting that
THE UNCERTAIN GLOBAL ECONOMIC OUTLOOK HAS BEEN TOP OF MIND. LIKE ALL COMPANIES, WE'RE NOT IMMUNE TO ECONOMIC HEADWINDS. SOMETHING I CHERISH ABOUT OUR CULTURE IS THAT WE'VE NEVER VIEWED THESE TYPES OF CHALLENGES AS OBSTACLES.
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Google has already hired about 10,000 people so far in 2022, he explains that the company will slow that trend for the rest of the year, focusing its hiring on what he terms critical roles such as engineering and technical. And there's more bad news. Noting that Googlers will need to work with "sharper focus" and "more hunger" than in better economic times, he warns that the company will need to streamline and consolidate some initiatives, and pause others altogether. Along the way, he makes a point that I would certainly find inspiring if I heard it from my employer. Something I cherish about our culture is that we've never viewed these types of challenges as obstacles. Instead, we've seen them as opportunities to deepen our focus and invest for the long term. A few paragraphs later, he manages to express the same idea in three powerful words: "Scarcity breeds clarity." Scarcity breeds clarity. These are frustrating, dispiriting times, and no one could reasonably argue that a seemingly endless pandemic, worsening climate change, war in Europe, record inflation, and deadly political polarization are what we wanted to happen. At the same time, Pichai is making a real point. When times are good, we can try everything. We can follow wild ideas and flights of fancy and all of that is wonderful. But harder times force us to make decisions about what really matters. This is true for us both as business leaders and as human beings, which is one reason so many people abandoned work entirely in the Great Resignation. Hard as it is to live through tough times, this process of winnowing away what we care less about and focusing on what we care most about has value too. Which brings me to the close of Pichai's memo. Because scarcity breeds clarity, it "drives focus and creativity that ultimately leads to better products that help people all over the world," he writes. "That's the opportunity in front of us today, and I'm excited for us to rise to the moment again." And just like that, the unhappy news that Google is facing economic uncertainty and must hire
SCARCITY BREEDS CLARITY. THESE ARE FRUSTRATING, DISPIRITING TIMES, AND NO ONE COULD REASONABLY ARGUE THAT A SEEMINGLY ENDLESS PANDEMIC, WORSENING CLIMATE CHANGE, WAR IN EUROPE, RECORD INFLATION, AND DEADLY POLITICAL POLARIZATION ARE WHAT WE WANTED TO HAPPEN. fewer people than planned is transformed into a call to action meant to inspire employees to greater innovation. There's a growing audience of Inc.com readers who receive a daily text from me with a self-care or motivational microchallenge or tip. Often they text me back and we wind up in a conversation. (Interested in joining? Here's more information and an invitation to an extended free trial.) Many are entrepreneurs or business leaders, and they tell me how important it is to make the people who work for you feel inspired, especially in difficult times. Sundar Pichai's memo is an example every leader can learn from. Here is the full text: Hi Googlers, Hard to believe we're already through the first half of 2022. It's the right opportunity to thank everyone for the great work so far this year, and to share how my Leads and I are thinking about H2. The uncertain global economic outlook has been top of mind. Like all companies, we're not immune to economic headwinds. Something I cherish about our culture is that we've never viewed these types of challenges as obstacles. Instead, we've seen them as opportunities to deepen our focus and invest for the long term. In these moments, I turn to our mission: to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful. It's what inspired me to join the company 18 years ago, and what makes
me so optimistic about the impact we are able to have on the world. Knowledge and computing are how we drive our mission forward. That's the lens we use to decide where to invest - whether it's in areas like Search, Cloud, YouTube, Platforms and Hardware, the teams that support them, or in the AI that enables more helpful products and services. We help people and society when we focus on what we do best, and do it really well. The investments we've made in the first half of the year reflect this vision. In Q2 alone, we added approximately 10,000 Googlers, and have a strong number of commitments for Q3 start dates which reflects, in part, the seasonal college recruiting calendar. These are extraordinary numbers, and they show our excitement about long-term opportunities, even in uncertain times. Because of the hiring progress achieved so far this year, we'll be slowing the pace of hiring for the rest of the year, while still supporting our most important opportunities. For the balance of 2022 and 2023, we'll focus our hiring on engineering, technical and other critical roles, and make sure the great talent we do hire is aligned with our long-term priorities. Moving forward, we need to be more entrepreneurial, working with greater urgency, sharper focus, and more hunger than we've shown on sunnier days. In some cases, that means consolidating where investments overlap and streamlining processes. In other cases, that means pausing development and re-deploying resources to higher priority areas. Making the company more efficient is up to all of us -- we'll be creating more ways for you all to engage and share ideas to help, so stay tuned. Scarcity breeds clarity -- this is something we have been saying since the earliest days of Google. It's what drives focus and creativity that ultimately leads to better products that help people all over the world. That's the opportunity in front of us today, and I'm excited for us to rise to the moment again. --Sundar (Credit: Minda Zetlin for Inc.) SEASONAL MAGAZINE
WHERE HAVING A PET COULD BE A CRIME SOON
IRAN IS PLANNING A LEGISLATION BANNING OWNING DOGS, CATS AND OTHER PETS!
e looks at me with his innocent and beautiful eyes. He is asking me to take him out for a walk, but I don't dare. We will get arrested." Mahsa, who has a dog, is referring to a new wave of arrests of pet owners and seizures of their animals in the Iranian capital, Tehran. Police there recently announced that walking dogs in parks was a crime. The ban was justified as a measure to "protect the safety of the public". At the same, the Iranian parliament could soon approve the Protection of the Public's Rights Against Animals bill, which would restrict pet ownership across the board. According to the proposed legislation, pet ownership would be subject to a permit issued by a special committee. There would also be a minimum fine of around $800 (790 euros; £670) for the "import, purchase and sale, transportation and keeping" of a range of animals, including common pets such as cats, turtles and rabbits. "Debates around this bill started more than a decade ago, when a group of Iranian MPs tried to promote a law to confiscate all dogs and give them to zoos or leave them in deserts," Dr Payam Mohebi, the president of the Iran Vet-
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erinary Association and an opponent of the bill, told the BBC. "Over the years, they have changed this a couple of times and even discussed corporal punishment for dog owners. But their plan didn't get anywhere." Keeping dogs has always been common in Iran's rural areas, but the animals also became a symbol of urban life in the 20th Century. Iran was one of the first countries in the Middle East to pass animal welfare laws, in 1948, and the government funded the first institution to enhance animal rights. Even the country's royal family had dogs as pets. But the 1979 Islamic Revolution, which saw Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi overthrown, changed many aspects of life for Iranians and their dogs. The animals are considered impure in Islamic tradition. In the eyes of the new regime dogs also became a symbol of the "Westernisation" that it sought to curb. "There has not been a solid regulation around owning dogs," Dr Ashkan Shemirani, a Tehran-based veterinarian, told the BBC. "Police forces arrest people for walking their dogs or even carrying them in their cars based on their interpretation of what could be seen as symbols of
Westernisation." Dr Shemirani said the authorities even created a "prison" for the seized pets. "We heard loads of horror stories from that place," he added. "The animals were kept for many days in open areas without proper food or water while the dog owners were going through all kinds of legal trouble." Iran's economic woes following years of Western sanctions have also played a part in the new bill. Authorities have banned imports of pet food for more than three years as part of a push to preserve the country's foreign currency reserves. In a landscape dominated by foreign brands, that meant a spike in local prices, especially after the establishment of an underground market. "We are highly dependent on people who smuggle in food secretly," the owner of a veterinary clinic in the city of Mashhad told the BBC. "The prices are now five times what they were just a few months ago." The owner claimed that the locally produced pet food was not up to standard. "The quality is very poor. Factories use cheap meat or fish, even expired ingredients," they said. But the new legislation is not only aimed at dogs. Cats are also included on a list of animals - even crocodiles are mentioned. That is despite Iran being the birthplace of Persian cats, one of the world's most famous breeds. "Can you believe that now Persian cats are not safe in their homeland?" a Tehran-based vet told the BBC. "There is no logic behind this law. The hardliners want to show their iron fists to people." Dr Mohebi, the Iranian Veterinary Association's president, called the proposed law "embarrassing". "If parliament passes the bill, the next generations will remember us as people who banned dogs because they are dogs and cats because they are cats." People like Masha are genuinely worried about their pets' futures. "I won't dare to apply for permission for my 'son'," she said. "What if they refuse my application? I cannot leave him on the street." (Credit: Ali Hamedani for BBC World Service)
HOW OUR GUT BACTERIA ORDERS US WHAT TO EAT! BY SUPPRESSING OR INCREASING CRAVINGS, MICROBES HELP THE BRAIN DECIDE WHAT FOODS THE BODY “NEEDS.”
cientists have known for decades that what we eat can change the balance of microbes in our digestive tracts. Choosing between a BLT sandwich or a yogurt parfait for lunch can increase the populations of some types of bacteria and diminish others— and as their relative numbers change, they secrete different substances, activate different genes and absorb different nutrients.
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And those food choices are probably a two-way street. Gut microbes have also been shown to influence diet and behavior as well as anxiety, depression, hypertension and a variety of other conditions. But exactly how these trillions of tiny guests—collectively called the microbiome—influence our decisions on which foods to stuff into our mouths has been a mystery. Now neuroscientists have found that specific types of gut flora help a host animal detect which nutrients are
missing in food and then finely titrate how much of those nutrients the host really needs to eat. “What the bacteria do for appetite is kind of like optimizing how long a car can run without needing to add more petrol to the tank,” says senior author Carlos Ribeiro, who studies the eating behaviors of Drosophila melanogaster, a type of fruit fly, at Champalimaud Center for the Unknown in Lisbon. In a 2017 paper published in PLOS Biology, Ribeiro and his team demonstrated how the microbiome influences drosophila’s nutritional decisions. First, they fed one group of flies a sucrose solution containing all the necessary amino acids. Another group got a mix that had some of the amino acids needed to make protein but lacked essential amino acids that the host cannot synthesize by itself. For a third group of flies, the scientists removed essential amino acids from the food one by one to determine which
was being detected by the microbiome. After 72 hours on the various diets, flies in the all three groups were presented with a buffet offering their usual sugary solution alongside protein-rich yeast. The researchers found that flies in the two groups whose diet lacked any single essential amino acid got a strong craving for yeast to make up for the missing nutrients. But when scientists increased five different types of bacteria found in the flies’ digestive tracts—Lactobacillus plantarum, L. brevis, Acetobacter pomorum, Commensalibacter intestini and Enterococcus faecalis—the flies completely lost the urge to eat more protein. The researchers found that the flies’ amino acid levels were still low, indicating the bacteria were not simply replacing nutrients missing from the flies’ diet by producing the amino acids themselves. Instead the microbes were functioning as little metabolic factories, transforming the food they got into new SEASONAL MAGAZINE
STOP WEARING TIES TO SAVE ENERGY: SPANISH PM SANCHEZ TELLS PUBLIC Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez has urged public and private sector workers to stop wearing ties as an energy saving measure in the heat. Sanchez said his government is aiming at adopting energy-saving measures to reduce dependence on Russian gas. Speaking at an event where he wasn't wearing a tie, he implied this will lead to fewer air conditioners being used.
chemicals: metabolites that the researchers believe might be telling the host animal it could carry on without the amino acids. As a result of this microbial trick, the flies were able to continue reproducing, for example—even though an amino acid deficiency usually hampers cell growth and regeneration and therefore reproduction, Ribeiro explains. Two kinds of bacteria were particularly effective in influencing the appetites of flies this way: Acetobacter and Lactobacillus. Increasing both was enough to suppress the flies’ protein cravings and increase their appetite for sugar. These two bacteria also restored the flies’ reproductive abilities, indicating their bodies were carrying out normal functions that typically get restricted when there is a nutritional deficiency. “How the brain handles this trade-off of nutritional information is very fascinating, and our study shows that the microbiome plays a key role in telling the animal what to do,” Ribeiro says.
“The findings show there is a unique pathway that has coevolved between animals and the resident bacteria in their gut, and there is a bottom-up communication about diet,” says Jane Foster, who is a neuroscientist at McMaster University in Ontario and not associated with the study. Although the research does not specify the exact mechanism of communication, Ribeiro thinks it could take different forms. Strong evidence from the study indicates that microbially derived metabolites carry information from the gut to the brain, telling the host whether it needs a particular kind of food. “One of the big evolutionary mysteries is why we lost the ability to produce essential amino acids,” he says. “Maybe these metabolites gave animals more leeway to be independent of these nutrients and to deal without them sometimes.”
Next the team removed an enzyme needed to process the amino acid tyrosine in flies, making it necessary for the flies to get tyrosine via their food, just like other essential amino acids. Surprisingly, they found that Acetobacter and Lactobacillus were unable to suppress the craving for tyrosine in the modified flies. “This shows that the gut microbiome has evolved to titrate only the normal essential amino acid intake,” Ribeiro explains.
Microbes may have their own evolutionary reasons for communicating with the brain, he adds. For one thing, they feed on whatever the host animal eats. For another, they need host animals to be social so the guests can spread through the population. The data are limited to animal models so far, but Ribeiro believes that gut-brain communication can provide fertile ground for developing treatments for humans in the future. “It’s an interesting therapeutic window that could be utilized to improve behaviors related to diet one day,” he says.
The research adds a new perspective on coevolution of microbes and their hosts.
(Credit: Knvul Sheikh for Scientific American)
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MAN TRIES TO BREAK INTO US SPACE FORCE TO WARN ABOUT 'ALIENS VS DRAGONS' WAR, ARRESTED A Florida man was arrested after he tried to break into the Space Force base using a stolen truck to warn the government of a war between aliens and Chinese dragons. Corey Johnson claimed that US President told him in his head to steal the vehicle and warn the government. He has been charged with grand theft of motor vehicle.
INDIA'S KHARIF RICE SOWING 13% LESSER THIS YR: AGRICULTURE MINISTRY Rice sowing in the ongoing Kharif season remained 13% lesser than the corresponding period last year, the Agriculture Ministry said, attributing it to deficient monsoon rainfall in Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand. These have the country's major rice-growing areas. The ministry said that rice was sown in 23.15 million hectares as against 26.7 million hectares a year ago.
THE TOUGHEST MOUNTAIN BIKE RACE IN THE WORLD IN KYRGYZSTAN, DETERMINED RIDERS PERSEVERE THROUGH BLIZZARDS, LACK OF SLEEP, AND DISINTEGRATING SHOES.
leeping as little as possible was the French racer Sofiane Sehili’s strategy. In 2020, he won Morocco’s grueling Atlas Mountain Race by sleeping a total of two hours over four days. The ability to remove sleep from the equation meant that he was able to ride further than his rivals, adding six to 12 miles more than other riders each day. But that was a different race. Now, a year later, alone in the unforgiving mountains of Kyrgyzstan, the difficulty of the route left Sehili exhausted as never before, and he had to sleep three or four hours a day just to be able to get back on his mountain bike and continue.
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Eight days, 14 hours and 35 minutes after he began the 2021 Silk Road Mountain Bike Race, Sehili was the first to the finish line. Only a handful of people—the race’s organizers—were there to congratulate him. There was no prize money or even a shiny trophy. Instead, without much fanfare, Sehili SEASONAL MAGAZINE
was given an Ak-kalpak—a traditional Kyrgyz hat of embroidered white felt— and a few cans of beer as his reward. Nearly half the field had already dropped out by the time he crossed the finish line. But behind Sehili, there were 51 riders somewhere in the mountains, fighting grueling ascents and dangerous descents, unpredictable extreme weather, and their own limits to complete what’s widely known among bikepackers as the toughest mountain bike race in the world. The Silk Road race stretches about 1,155 miles across Kyrgyzstan’s mountains, from frigid, treeless alpine tundra down to green, sweltering valleys, and back up again. Riders who finish will log over 101,200 total feet of ascent over the week-plus race. The annual event, held in August, requires participants to be selfsupporting. There are no friends or family to cheer them on. There is no hospital or mechanic to mend bodies or
bikes. Much like the traditional nomads of Kyrgyzstan, every cyclist’s bike is their horse, their tent is their yurt, and the only food and water they have is what they carry through wind, rain, snow, and heat until the next resupply point, scattered along the route. The event was created by current race director Nelson Trees, a towering athletic Englishman who first encountered Kyrgyzstan’s scenic extremes—endless steppes and imposing mountains— during his bikepacking tour from Shanghai to Paris in 2013. The wild, natural landscape was etched into his consciousness. “I took a mental note to come back here,” says Trees. In 2018, he returned to start the first Silk Road Mountain Race. “Fitness and athletic prowess alone won’t win you the race,” says Trees. In fact, it’s perhaps the mentally challenging nature of the event that draws riders from around the world. Locals along the route
may cheer as racers pass by their villages, but beyond the rural settlements and towns of old, Sovietbuilt concrete, the route snakes through an inhospitable environment of limited resources and no human contact. Riders often find themselves alone in tough situations. More than a week before Sehili crossed the finish line, the race began at 4:23 a.m. in the small town of Talas, with a light but chilly breeze. The path illuminated by their headlamps, 95 riders took off into the dark. Their first challenge was Terek Pass, with an elevation of 12,172 feet. For centuries, the pass was on the main route of the Silk Road. Marco Polo crossed it on his way to China, and Ghengis Khan and his Mongol army used it in their relentless advance westward across Central Asia. The path descending from Terek Pass is littered with sharp rocks. One rock slashed open the rear tire of Levente Bagoly, a slight Romanian with the muscular legs of a seasoned mountain biker. Without the equipment he needed to make a permanent repair, Bagoly patched it up and kept going. But he had to stop every six miles to pump air back into the tire. He had spent a great deal of energy in the beginning of the race chasing and passing other competitors. Now, every time he stopped, those riders would zoom past him. Slowly, keeping score in his head, Bagoly started to lose more than his position. In the inaugural 2018 race, he had finished second, and being in the top five again meant a great deal to him. “I am a competitive person by nature, but I had lost all motivation to compete. I felt hopeless,” says Bagoly, looking back on what happened after Terek Pass. His frustration soon manifested itself physically. He experienced severe headaches and an irregular heartbeat. On the third day he vomited and collapsed. He left the race, promising to be back another year. A few days later, it was not exhaustion but blindness—snow blindness—that nearly ended the race for riders Axel Brenner and Adrien Liechti. They were at the top of Arabel Pass, at 12,467 feet, when a storm hit and deposited several feet of snow. The gray mountain turned
white, like everything else around them, and the two riders were forced to navigate the rocky, treacherous terrain with few visual cues. Hours later, the sun returned and melted all evidence of the blizzard conditions. Brenner and Liechti not only made it safely down from the pass, but would finish in second and third place, respectively. In fact, changeable and often fierce mountain weather is the biggest wild card of the race. Dark clouds can quickly shut out the warmth of the mid-morning sun, dumping rain and hail on the course. Minutes—or hours—later, the sun may reappear and bake the steep mountain valleys, forcing riders to shed their winter layers. In addition to dangerous terrain and temperature extremes, they also experience some geopolitical reality. To reach the rest stop of Tash Rabat, an idyllic, well-preserved caravanserai that has welcomed passing travelers since the 15th century, riders must first cross an empty land of 18 miles. Here, a long, straight fence marks the border between Kyrgyzstan and China. No one lives in this zone, and race participants must check in with border guards to gain access to this stretch of the route. Although mostly flat, the uneven gravel road takes a toll on the rider’s body; nonstop vibrations can leave their hands numb for hours or days. From the no-man’s-land near the border, the route returns to the mountains, rising 984 feet in a little over a mile. Some riders end up carrying their bikes over their shoulders and hiking up; bikepackers call it a “hike-a-bike.” The descent is equally as steep, requiring finesse: Heavy braking could lift the rear wheel up and send the rider tumbling downhill. A few river crossings, the water’s course littered with massive boulders, signal the end of the descent. Only then do riders catch sight of Tash Rabat, where modern yurts skirt the old stone caravanserai, opposite a small stream. Many riders pause here for shelter and sustenance, just as Silk Road traders did for centuries before them. “The yurts are like a mini oasis. Shelter, warmth, comfort, and food. All the things that soften you,” said Steven Moatt, a cheerful, middle-aged Englishman. “A danger zone as far as time is concerned! So it’s best not to get too comfortable.”
For Moatt, the ancient rest stop was more than a brief but welcome break; just making it there was a victory. The day before, he had fallen off his bike, dislocating his shoulder. “That morning, the sun was out and it was warm sitting on the grass just outside the yurt,” he says of his time at the site. “It was a relief getting to Tash Rabat as this proved to myself that I was still physically able to continue.” The sheer determination to keep going may be the most universal quality of the race’s riders. Canada’s Jenny Tough was caught in a rainstorm mid-race. Exhausted and sick, she forced herself to keep going to reach the next resupply town, Baetov. Tough arrived just in time for dinner—and then set off the next morning at 3 a.m., while the other riders were still asleep. She would be the only female contestant who rode solo to finish the race. Another rider, Martin Písacka from Czech Republic, gave new meaning to the phrase “by any means necessary.” About 125 miles from the finish—a day’s ride in good conditions—Písacka’s bike gears and pedal dislocated from the rear wheel at the top of 12,572 foot Kegety Pass. It could not be fixed. Passing one another at different stages of Tosor Pass, Allan Shaw from Scotland battles it out with Lukasz Ugarenko from Poland. Passing one another at different stages of Tosor Pass, Allan Shaw from Scotland battles it out with Lukasz Ugarenko from Poland. Rather than giving up, Písacka decided to walk to the finish line. It took him three days, including one of the most challenging passes in the entire race and a 2,296-foot hike-a-bike. He later said that his shoes disintegrated, and locals gave him two replacement pairs but neither fit well. He crossed the finish line barefoot, with a grin. “I know that this sport is a selfish endeavor,” Písacka says, looking back at the moment. “However, when in the mountains, my mind is at ease. I do not think about anything else but the race, food and shelter. Life becomes much simpler. In those moments, the views are perfect, the people I meet are perfect, and every day is the best day.” SEASONAL MAGAZINE
HOW TO BOOST YOUR MEMORY & BRAIN POWER WHEN IT COMES TO RECALL, IT’S VERY MUCH A CASE OF ‘USE IT, DON’T LOSE IT’. HERE’S HOW YOU CAN IMPROVE YOURS, AT ANY AGE.
REVERSE THE ‘FORGETTING CURVE’ The forgetting curve is a visual representation of how much we forget if we don’t try to retain what we learn (a lot; pretty much everything). To combat that, it’s vital to test your recall at intervals. You don’t need to try to remember something specific: Nishant Kasibhatla, memory expert, grand master of memory and memory Guinness record holder, says you can improve your memory by practising recall at any time. Try it when you next get a coffee: “Who were the people in the queue? What colour was that poster? What else was on the menu?”
BE SURE TO GET ENOUGH SLEEP This isn’t just basic life hygiene: recent research seems to confirm the vital role sleep plays in memory consolidation. SEASONAL MAGAZINE
Like a mental Marie Kondo, some sleep phases are crucial for sorting memories: choosing what to keep and what to discard.
USE FLASHCARDS If you are learning something concrete, flashcards are a great tool for “spaced recall”: you learn when you create the cards, then use them at intervals to test yourself. Medical students swear by the Anki Flashcards app, which works out algorithmically which topics you need testing on more frequently.
GET PLAYFUL
Matching-card memory games derive from Pelmanism, an early 20th-century brain-training system that claimed to correct “tendencies to indolence and inefficiency”. There are some fiendish versions now, with subtly different Portuguese tile patterns, or Frank Lloyd
Wright geometric designs. Alternatively, the Alzheimer’s Society can send you a monthly “brain workout” in return for a donation, or if jigsaws are your jam, keep going: research shows they are good for cognitive function.
BUILD A ‘MIND PALACE’
Loci, or mind palaces, like Sherlock’s, were first mentioned back in 80BCE and the technique is still used by today’s competitive memory athletes (yes, it’s a thing). Basically, you place what you want to remember along a “journey”. “Think of a sequence of locations you know really well, such as rooms in your house, or places in your town,” says competitive memory athlete Katie Kermode, who uses former homes, and a holiday through the US for hers. “Then put the objects in those locations. Then, when you want to recall them, you go through your journey and think ‘What
object was here?’” I try a very simple version, “putting” a five-item shopping list on parts of my body. It works: “Shoulder, shallots, humerus, hummus!” I cry triumphantly in Waitrose, like a deranged middle-class bingo caller.
MAKE DATES AND EVENTS VISUAL
For birthdays and other dates, Kermode suggests attributing an object to each month (“October might be a pumpkin; February a love heart”) and an image to the day. To remember a birthday on 4 February, Kermode suggests, “It can be as simple as the number 4 looks like a sailboat, so you can imagine they really love boats.” If you want to remember your schedule, associate each day of the week with an event or place: “Wednesday could be a wedding you’ve been to, so all the things you’re supposed to do on Wednesday, you could imagine happening at that wedding.”
PUMP IRON
Osteocalcin, a hormone released by bones that can be boosted by weightlifting, appears to have a key role in retaining memories in old age, according to research from Columbia University.
FIND A HOOK FOR NAMES
“Names don’t generally mean anything,” says Kermode, whose four world records include memorising 224 names in 15 minutes. That means you have to make them meaningful to you. When you’re introduced to someone, “Come up with something that’s similar to that word, or something that rhymes with it: Brian could be ‘brain’, or Dominic could be domino; Dave likes to rave.”
F YOU ARE LEARNING SOMETHING CONCRETE, FLASHCARDS ARE A GREAT TOOL FOR “SPACED RECALL”: YOU LEARN WHEN YOU CREATE THE CARDS, THEN USE THEM AT INTERVALS TO TEST YOURSELF. MEDICAL STUDENTS SWEAR BY THE ANKI FLASHCARDS APP, WHICH WORKS OUT ALGORITHMICALLY WHICH TOPICS YOU NEED TESTING ON MORE FREQUENTLY.
THINK LIKE A PIANIST Classical soloists perform hours of music live, from memory. Susan Tomes is a concert pianist and author whose beltand-braces approach to performance combines muscle memory built through repetition, visual recall of the pages of her score and what she calls “an intellectual understanding of the shape of the music”: knowing how a piece is structured. That can work for public speaking, too: learn the logical shape of what you’re going to say, visualise where you are physically on your page, and practise with an audience. As Tomes says: “The presence of other people does extraordinary things to your consciousness and you have to learn to deal with them so you don’t come unstuck.”
REFRAME YOUR MEMORY When your memory fails, says Kasibhatla, tell yourself: “It’s OK, I will remember it next time,” since creating stress around your memory inevitably makes things worse. Conversely, when you remember something – and we do, every day, even if it’s the lyrics to a onehit wonder from 1986 – tell yourself “I have a great memory.” “We all have memory successes,” says Kasibhatla. “You don’t give yourself credit for that. It’s unfair.”
LEARN A POEM BY HEART Memory can be pure pleasure: remind yourself by learning a poem. “One of the absolutely beautiful things about poetry is the form, and the form lends itself super well to learning,” says Esther Sandys, an English teacher and Poetry by Heart supporter and enthusiast. Her tips? Learn in bite-size chunks, choose a poem you love (“It’s going to become part of you, probably for the rest of your life”) and combine visual, auditory and kinetic memory aids. That could mean retyping the poem with a helpful layout, recording it on to your phone with gaps between lines, and revising as you walk, iron, drive or wash up. I spoke to Sandys on Friday, and by Saturday night, had memorised one of my favourites (Snow by Louis MacNeice). I’m hooked and planning my next – it’s like creating your own mental Spotify.
USE STRIKING VISUAL IMAGES
Derren Brown’s Memory audiobook gives a great example of this: the dusty moth-filled cupboard that is my perimenopausal brain can still recall his list of 12 random words (telephone, sausage, monkey, button, book, cabbage, glass, mouse, stomach, cardboard, ferry, Christmas) effortlessly forwards and backwards. That’s thanks to the bizarre pictures Brown paints, associating each word with the next: dialling a rotary phone with a frankfurter; a monkey buttoning your shirt… The rules: choose vivid images, the weirder the better; you should feel some emotional engagement (funny or disgusting work well) and the two elements should interact in the image you create, actively if possible.
IMPROVE – AT ANY AGE The average wannabe London cabby doing the Knowledge (25,000 streets and 20,000 landmarks) is in their 40s; one current candidate is late 60s. “Absolutely anyone can get through it,” says Transport for London Knowledge Manager and former cabby, Katie Chennells. The biggest challenge is “learning to learn”. After that, it’s just about commitment. There’s no magic involved: it’s about “repetition, repetition, repetition,” she says, until you can visualise each route. There are a few tricks, though: mnemonics, such as Little Apples Grow Slowly for the Lyric, Apollo, Gielgud and Sondheim theatres; and learning some city history helped Chennells remember stubborn places. Research shows the process actually expands drivers’ hippocampi.
MAKE MISTAKES Research published earlier this year explores the “derring effect” (deliberate erring): making conscious errors can promote deeper understanding and better recall, with learners who inserted then corrected deliberate errors learning approximately double those who put the right answer first time. Truly, the mind and memory are mysterious. (Credit: Emma Beddington for The Guardian) SEASONAL MAGAZINE
WHY MONKEYPOX WAS DECLARED A PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY BY WHO THE DECISION BEHIND DECLARING MONKEYPOX AS A PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY OF INTERNATIONAL CONCERN INVOLVES ITS RAPID SPREAD ACROSS CONTINENTS, EVEN AS THE DISEASE HAS BEEN AROUND - IN A LOCALISED MANNER - FOR DECADES.
he World Health Organization (WHO) on Saturday declared a ‘public health emergency’ over monkeypox, weeks after debating over sounding the alarm. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that he had to act as a tie-breaker to resolve a disagreement on whether the outbreak had reached the level of a global health emergency. The virus emerged in West and Central Africa and has been present for decades. However, recently it has rapidly spread across continents, registering spread in the United States, Canada and even India. Europe is among the worst-hit regions.
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A ‘public health emergency of international concern’ (PHEIC) – the alert issued by the WHO for monkeypox – is the agency's highest alert level. The WHO defines PHEIC as "an extraordinary event which is determined to constitute a public health risk to other states through the international spread of disease and to potentially require a coordinated international response". The definition implies that the situation SEASONAL MAGAZINE
is serious, sudden, unusual or unexpected, carries implications for public health beyond the affected country's border. The agency reserves the designation for only those diseases that need a coordinated international response to prevent it from potentially escalating into a pandemic. The alert has previously been sounded for Ebola, H1N1 Swine Flu, Poliovirus, Covid-19 and Zika Virus. The conditions are set out under the 2005 International Health Regulations (IHR) – the legal framework defining countries' rights and obligations in handling public health events that could cross borders. A 16-member emergency committee on monkeypox – chaired by Jean-Marie Okwo-Bele from the Democratic Republic of Congo, a former director of the WHO's Vaccines and Immunisation Department, and cochaired by Nicola Low, an associate professor of epidemiology and public health medicine from Bern University – provided the WHO chief with an assessment of the risk to human health, the risk of international spread and the
risk of interference with international traffic. However, nine members were against the designation with six in favour, Tedros told reporters at the press briefing for the WHO alert. “Although I am declaring a public health emergency of international concern, for the moment this is an outbreak that is concentrated among men who have sex with men, especially those with multiple sexual partners,” Tedros said. What are the symptoms? The symptoms for monkeypox are nothing out of the ordinary. Most of the time they include – fever, headaches, muscle aches, backache, chills, tiredness and sometimes swollen lymph nodes, while one can also notice a rash on the face and other areas of the body. Experts have said that vaccination against smallpox can be effective in preventing monkeypox but not many people are aware of its detection.
(By Sharmita Kar for HT)
HOW TO LOSE WEIGHT AND KEEP IT OFF SCIENTIFICALLY LOSING WEIGHT MAY BE TOUGH, BUT KEEPING IT OFF, RESEARCH TELLS US, IS TOUGHER, JUST NOT FOR THE REASONS YOU MIGHT THINK. DAVID COX, A FREELANCE HEALTH JOURNALIST AND FORMER NEUROSCIENTIST EXPLAINS. s the director of the Energy Metabolism Laboratory at the USDA Nutrition Center Tufts University, Massachusetts, Susan Roberts has spent much of the past two decades studying ways to fight the obesity epidemic that continues to plague much of the western world.
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But time and again, Roberts and other obesity experts around the globe have found themselves faced with a recurring problem. While getting overweight individuals to commit to shedding pounds is often relatively straightforward in the short term, preventing them from regaining the lost weight is much more challenging. According to the University of Michigan, about 90% of people who lose significant amounts of weight, whether through diets, structured programmes or even drastic steps such as gastric surgery, ultimately regain just about all of it. Why is this? Scientists believe that the answer lies in the workings of our metabolism, the complex set of chemical reactions in our cells, which convert the calories we eat into the energy our body requires for breathing, maintaining organ functions, and generally keeping us alive. When someone begins a new diet, we know that metabolism initially drops – because we are suddenly consuming
fewer calories, the body responds by burning them at a slower pace, perhaps an evolutionary response to prevent starvation – but what then happens over the following weeks, months, and years, is less clear. “Does metabolism continue to go down, more than it should,” asks Roberts, “or does it initially go down, and then bounce back? This is an enormously controversial topic, and one that we’re looking to address.” Over the next three to four years, we may get some answers. Roberts is co-leading a new study, funded by the National Institutes of Health in the US, which will follow 100 individuals over the course of many months as they first lose and then regain weight, measuring everything from energy expenditure to changes in the blood, brain and muscle physiology, to try to see what happens. The implications for how we tackle obesity could be enormous. If metabolism drops and continues to stay low during weight loss, it could imply that dieting triggers innate biological changes that eventually compel us to eat more. If it rebounds to normal levels, this suggests that weight regain
is due to the recurrence of past bad habits, with social and cultural factors tempting us to go back to overeating. “If someone’s metabolism really drops during weight loss and doesn’t recover, it shows we have to put all of our money on preventing weight gain in the first place,” says Roberts. “Because once it’s happened, you’re doomed. If metabolism rebounds, it means that the lessons about eating less because you’ve now got a smaller body haven’t been learned effectively. So we might need to encourage people who have lost weight to see psychologists to work on habit formation. These are such different conclusions that we really need to get it right.” This is just one of many ways in which our understanding of metabolism is evolving. In recent years, many of the traditional assumptions, which had long been accepted as truth – that exercise can ramp up metabolism, that metabolism follows a steady decline from your 20s onwards – have been challenged. For scientists at the forefront of this field, these answers could go on to change many aspects of public health. SEASONAL MAGAZINE
In mid-August, a paper emerged in the journal Science that appeared to challenge one of metabolism’s universal truths. For decades, scientists have accepted that metabolism begins to slow down in early adulthood, initiating a steady descent that continues through middle age and later life, inevitably resulting in the phenomenon known as “middle-aged spread”. But this may not actually be true. Over the past few years, Herman Pontzer, an associate professor of evolutionary anthropology at Duke University, North Carolina, and more than 80 other scientists have compiled data from more than 6,400 individuals – from eight days to 95 years old – that shows something very different. It appears that between the ages of 20 and 60 our metabolism stays almost completely stable, even during major hormonal shifts such as pregnancy and menopause. Based on the new data, a woman of 50 will burn calories just as effectively as a woman of 20. Instead, there are just two major life shifts in our metabolism, with the first occurring between one and 15 months old. The Science study showed that infants burn energy at such a rate to support their development that their metabolism at one year old is more than 50% higher than an adult’s. The second transition takes place at about the age of 60, when our metabolism begins to drop again, continuing to do so until we die. “For much of your life, your body’s kind of chugging along on a trajectory for how busy your cells are going to be,” says Pontzer. “Your cells are following a roadmap, and it’s very hard to bump them off that roadmap.” So what does this mean? Much of the ageing process, and the commonly observed middle-aged weight gain, is not because of declining metabolism but genetics, hormone changes and lifestyle factors such as stress, sleep, smoking and, perhaps most crucially, diet. Pontzer argues that if the calories we burn stay largely the same throughout life, then the real source of obesity has to be the amount we’re eating, and particularly the heavy consumption of highly processed foods. SEASONAL MAGAZINE
Over the years, one of the main marketing tools used to promote different exercise regimes and wellness supplements has been claims that they boost your metabolism. Pontzer says that this is mostly nonsense.
muscles. The sedentary person will burn a similar number of calories, but on background bodily functions which we do not notice, including less healthy outlets such as producing inflammation and stress.
Studies that have compared indigenous tribes of hunter-gatherers in northern Tanzania – who walk an average of 19,000 steps a day – with sedentary populations in Europe and the US have found that their total number of calories burned is largely the same. Other studies looking at whether metabolism changes if you put a mouse on an exercise regime, or comparing non-human primates living in a zoo or the rainforest, have found a similar pattern.
“I think there is a deep evolutionary reason to this,” says Pontzer. “In the industrialised world, burning more energy than you eat would be great, but in the wild, that’s a bad strategy. The reason we’re gaining weight is not only because there’s more food available than we have evolved to expect, but because they’re modern, industrialised foods, designed to be overeaten. So you’ve got this perfect storm for making people obese.”
Some scientists believe that this is because the body is programmed to keep its average daily energy expenditure within a defined range. While there are day-to-day fluctuations, the body still burns the same number of calories overall, but it adjusts how they are used, depending on our lifestyle. To explain the theory, Pontzer gives the example of a keen amateur cyclist who takes part in 100km bike rides at weekends. Overall, that individual still won’t burn more calories on average than a sedentary person, but their average energy expenditure will be skewed towards providing fuel for the
But these new findings on metabolism are not only changing our understanding of how to tackle obesity: they have ramifications across the world of medicine. Given that metabolism slows markedly beyond the age of 60, doctors now need to know whether older adults should receive slightly different medicinal doses, while the research will prompt questions about the connection between a slower metabolism and the onset of chronic disease in older adults. While the Science paper illustrated general population trends for metabolism across the age spectrum, we still know relatively little about
individual differences, and what they might represent. Do babies with a particularly rapid metabolism develop quicker and in a better way? And do variations in the environment in which they grow up, such as social deprivation, mean that they have a slightly slower metabolism than their peers? This is all speculation for now, but scientists know that metabolism can still vary significantly from one person to another, even after you account for factors such as size and body composition. We still don’t know exactly why this variation occurs, but there are thought to be a whole range of factors, from genetics to organ sizes, the immune system, and even the species of bacteria in their gut microbiome. Even with the latest digital technologies, it is very difficult for people to track their own metabolic rate. Pontzer says this is because none of the current apps on the market can account for individual differences in resting metabolic rate. However, one of the key questions is whether these variations can confer susceptibility to disease, especially illnesses linked to metabolic dysfunction such as cancer and type 2 diabetes. “There are so many metabolic health conditions,” says Eric Ravussin, director of the Nutrition Obesity Research Center at the Pennington Biomedical Research Centre in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. “These are influenced by your diet and your weight. As you gain weight, you’re more likely to have hypertension, you’re more likely to have inflammation.” A whole variety of startups around the world are now investigating ways of using our knowledge of metabolism to assist with developing personalised treatment programmes. Because our gut microbes play such a crucial role in energy metabolism, by breaking down the food we eat, dysfunctional imbalances in the gut microbiome have been linked to the development of a number of metabolic illnesses. Oslo-based Bio-Me is profiling the gut microbiomes of patients with type 2 diabetes, coeliac disease, inflammatory bowel disease and certain types of cancer, using DNA sequencing of faecal samples to identify the exact species of bacteria present in their intestines. It
can then compare that information with existing microbiome data on that group of patients, available in population biobanks, and use this to predict dietary regimes or treatment interventions that could be particularly beneficial for those individuals. Bio-Me CEO Morten Isaksen says that this can be used to predict whether common medications, such as the diabetes drug metformin, will work well for that particular patient. “It was discovered that metformin only works because the gut bacteria change the medicine into its active form,” says Isaksen. “So if you don’t have the right bacteria in the gut, the medicine won’t work. So knowing which bacteria are present is really important for identifying the right treatments.” Because dysfunctional cell metabolism is central to cancer, determining how tumours form, as well as how fast they grow and spread, indications of metabolic dysfunction could be used for early diagnosis of certain cancers. The Stockholm-based biotech firm Elypta is trialling a system that detects small molecules, known as metabolites, which are produced by kidney cancer cells. In future, this could be used as part of a liquid biopsy for the disease. “Once cancer cells begin to proliferate, what really changes is the metabolic requirements, compared with healthy cells,” says Francesco Gatto, cofounder of Elypta. “So we think we can use this layer of information from metabolism, to help identify multiple types of cancer early in a non-invasive manner.” Pontzer is now planning to follow up the Science study by delving further into the extremes of metabolism, both in the young and the old. “We’re going to try to look at that variability both in very young children and the over-60s,” he says. “We want to try to understand whether in people whose metabolism is changing more or less, or faster or slower, does that predict anything about their health or how their bodies develop? Or maybe it’s not related at all. So we’re going to try to find out these things.” (Credit: The Guardian)
MARTIN SCORSESE, LEONARDO DICAPRIO TO TEAM UP FOR A THRILLER: REPORTS Veteran filmmaker Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio are reportedly teaming up for a thriller film. As per Variety, Scorsese will be helming an adaptation of David Grann's upcoming nonfiction book 'The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder' for Apple. Scorsese and DiCaprio have previously worked on films like 'Gangs of New York' and 'The Wolf of Wall Street'.
1,200 CATTLE DIE OF FASTSPREADING SKIN DISEASE IN RAJASTHAN Nearly 1,200 cattle have died of a contagious lumpy skin disease in Rajasthan. According to the Animal Husbandry Department, the fastspreading infection has affected about 25,000 cattle in three months. It said the disease originated in Africa and came to India via Pakistan in April. An official said that there is no treatment or vaccine for the disease.
INDIA AT LIMITED RISK FROM COVID-19 DISRUPTIONS IN CHINA: FITCH India is less exposed to any additional COVID-19-related disruptions in China due to limited exports, global rating agency Fitch said. However, India's high public debt could make it difficult to respond to shocks, Fitch added. Fitch further said that the creditworthiness of other sovereigns in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region could be hit because of pandemic-related disruptions in China. SEASONAL MAGAZINE
HOW MINDFULNESS MEDITATION IMPROVES ATTENTION AND FOCUS THE MODERN ATTENTION ECONOMY HIJACKS OUR ABILITY TO FOCUS, BUT THE ANCIENT TECHNIQUE OF MINDFULNESS MEDITATION OFFERS A MEANS TO GET IT BACK.
oes this sound familiar? You can’t focus. You’re bored one minute, overwhelmed the next, and stressed either way. You make mistakes you shouldn’t and then dwell on them for hours. When you try to be productive, you can’t go five minutes without checking your texts, dreading some future engagement, or walking into another room to check on … something. (What was it again?)
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Neuroscientist Amishi Jha opens her book, Peak Mind, with this vignette to illustrate an important truth: You’re not alone. Most people can’t go three minutes at work without being interrupted by a chatty colleague, and students cite the allure of social media and other digital distractions as a major disruptor to their studies. “I’ve seen certain universal patterns in the way all of our brains function — both how powerfully they can focus, and how extraordinarily vulnerable they are to distraction — no matter who you are or what you do,” Jha writes. At the heart of this predicament, Jha argues, is attention — specifically, the many ways we can disconnect from it. Depleted attention creates a mental fog. Hijacked attention manifests as anxiety and worry. Fragmented attention shatters our ability to focus. Disconnected attention keeps us detached from others. Each attentional affliction causes you to grow out of sync with what’s happening around you, affecting what you think, how you feel, what you learn, how you react, and your relationships with others. In short, attention isn’t just a matter of where your focus happens to be. It’s the internal force that shapes how you encounter and experience your life in its entirety. In her book, Jha compares attention to a currency. You can pay it to others, SEASONAL MAGAZINE
and they can give theirs to you. You can request it in the spirit of charity — “Will you give me your attention, please?” And as any parent whose child is within earshot of an ice cream truck can attest, attention can be stolen outright. This connection is more than metaphorical. Attention is a scarce economic resource; you only have so much to give in your lifetime. When you focus on a person, tweet, daydream, or TV show, you are spending a moment of attention. You can never get it back, and you can’t provide it elsewhere. The same is true for any $10 bill that’s left your wallet.
THIS ATTENTION SYSTEM ISN’T FOOLPROOF, THOUGH. IT BECOMES EASILY DISTRACTED WHEN IT ENCOUNTERS NOVEL, EXCITING, THREATENING, OR SELF-RELATED INFORMATION IN THE ENVIRONMENT. AND THIS BACKDOOR HACK ISN’T A FLAW; IT’S A FEATURE OF EVOLUTIONARY DESIGN.
But like that ten-spot, attention is also a means of exchange. In exchange for yours, you may receive love, knowledge, entertainment, self-understanding, and much more. “Given how powerful attention is, we need to really respect where we place this precious brain resource,” Jha said in an interview. This cognitive currency is traded through your brain’s attention system. This system filters out unnecessary noises, sights, and sounds from the environment alongside distracting thoughts and mental chatter. Without it, you couldn’t focus at all. Your conscious mind would stall from the vast amounts of information bombarding it — like a computer with overloaded RAM. This attention system isn’t foolproof, though. It becomes easily distracted when it encounters novel, exciting, threatening, or self-related information in the environment. And this backdoor hack isn’t a flaw; it’s a feature of evolutionary design.
For example, imagine you’re an ancient human who is spearfishing in an African river. You’re focused intently on the glittering water, trying to aim your thrust to account for the bending light. Suddenly, your eye catches something in its periphery. It’s long, brown, and moving half-submerged through the water. Your attention system will break its focusand snap toward that potential threat. If it’s a log, you’ve paid a pittance of attention and can return to fishing. But if it’s a Nile crocodile, then your attentional insurance paid out big. Distraction just saved your life. While distraction has its uses, today it’s an ever-present quality of our lives, wrenching us from our attention when we need it most. That’s because, Jha writes, while attention is powerful, it’s also fragile. It can be easily broken by stress, threats, and negative moods. And the prevalence of these forces is causing our crisis of attention. Don’t get the wrong idea. Much like distraction, these three forces can be advantageous. Stress has a positive side called eustress. It’s the low-to-medium levels of stress that motivate you to accomplish something. Without it, you’d have no drive, and every day would be a listless lull in the doldrums. Similarly, a negative mood can signal that something is wrong. That unease can propel you to solve the problem and lift the emotional pall. But the modern world has hyper-charged these forces beyond the tipping point of usefulness. Stress has become distress, negative moods have become chronic melancholy, and threats are overrepresented. There are many reasons for this hyper-charging, but a prominent one is the attention economy. Technology companies, news media, and political players now recognize attention as the resource it is and, in some ways, regard it as more valuable than money. “Money follows attention, whereas the reverse is not necessarily true. As our economy becomes more dependent on attention, the medium of exchange flows from the holders of the old to the holders of the new,” writes the Berkeley Economic Review. Given attention’s value, it’s little
WHILE DISTRACTION HAS ITS USES, TODAY IT’S AN EVER-PRESENT QUALITY OF OUR LIVES, WRENCHING US FROM OUR ATTENTION WHEN WE NEED IT MOST. THAT’S BECAUSE, JHA WRITES, WHILE ATTENTION IS POWERFUL, IT’S ALSO FRAGILE. IT CAN BE EASILY BROKEN BY STRESS, THREATS, AND NEGATIVE MOODS. AND THE PREVALENCE OF THESE FORCES IS CAUSING OUR CRISIS OF ATTENTION.
wonder enterprises have built products and services to target the attentional back doors left open by evolution. News organizations, for example, favor headlines that drip with threat and tragedy — the so-called “if it bleeds, it leads” standard. That’s because we’re hardwired to assess threats and determine what can be done. Essentially, we need to find out if the story represents a log or a crocodile. The more people compelled to perform that assessment, the more newspapers sold. These threats don’t have to be physical. As Jha writes, “Our reputation, financial well-being, or sense of justice can all be under threat.”
encounter and experience your life. Through her research, Jha discovered what she calls the “minimum effective dose” of mindfulness. Her team found that lab participants who practiced mindfulness for 12 minutes or more a day saw benefits in objective measures of attention and mood. Those who practiced for less did not. In Peak Mind, Jha lays out a four-week regimen to help readers build their mindfulness habits. But in her interview, Jha shared an exercise you can do right now to exercise your attentional system. Simply follow these steps: Start by settling into your body.
People used to pay some of their daily attention to the news, either a morning read of the paper or an hour watching the evening broadcast. But in the era of 24/7 news coverage — the era of the attention economy — we’re paying that attentional cost throughout the day. Over time, it becomes a sizable withdraw of our mental energy, yet we continue to check our news feeds for threats even when we should be focused on something else.
Notice yourself sitting and breathing.
Is the answer then to wall yourself off from stressors, disconnect from social media, and choose not to engage with news coverage?
On the page, the exercise seems painfully easy. Maybe even a little boring. But you’ll likely find your mind often drifts away from the sensation of your breathing. You’ll become lost in reliving a childhood memory, worrying over an unfinished project, or delighting in a favorite fantasy. Whatever the case, it’s not a failure on your part. Redirecting your focus back to the breath is the whole point. That’s the key to strengthening your attention span.
“My answer is a resounding no,” Jha writes. “Many stressors are unavoidable, while others are part of our journey to fulfillment and success — if we remove them, we would be limiting ourselves.” While attention is both powerful and fragile, it has a third feature: It’s trainable through mindfulness. Just as exercise trains the body, mindfulness trains the mind by strengthening your metaawareness — that is, your ability to be aware of where you’re placing your awareness. The stronger your meta-awareness becomes, the more control you have over your attention system. That control then helps you keep your attention on the present moment, enriching how you
If you feel comfortable, close your eyes. Ask: What’s most vividly tied to my breath? Is it the coolness of air moving in and out of my nostrils? Or are my shoulders moving up and down? Direct your focus on this sensation. If you notice your attention has wandered, redirect it back to your breath.
“Minds wander. It’s a natural thing that the brain does. When our mind moves away, gently return it back. Simply begin again,” Jha reminds you. "Without devoting attention, we don’t experience care, and we can’t extend care. In fact, you might say that paying attention to another person is our highest form of love," says Jha. (Credit: Big Think) SEASONAL MAGAZINE
5 INSIGHTS INTO INFLATION AND HOW IT AFFECTS US WHY INFLATION IS HAPPENING ACROSS THE GLOBE, AND HOW THE PANDEMIC AND THE WAR IN UKRAINE ARE CAUSING FOOD AND ENERGY PRICES TO RISE. Filling up the gas tank costs more than it did six months ago. So does the price of flour and sofas. A cheap used car is harder to find. And if you want to buy a home, you’d better move fast. Mortgage rates are going up. It seems that every time you make a purchase, prices have ballooned. And it’s happening all over the globe. Inflation is galloping to the highest level many people have seen in their lifetimes. Both the United Kingdom and United States, for example, have recorded annual inflation rates of 9.1 percent, the highest level in 40 years. Nothing is immune: housing, food, electricity bills, construction supplies, and plane tickets have all gotten more expensive. So what is inflation and why is it so high? Here are five things to know:
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1. WHAT IS INFLATION AND WHY IS IT HAPPENING? Rising costs mean inflation, which, put simply, means you get less for the same amount of money. There’s always some inflation, but generally not at these jawdropping levels. Basically, prices go up when there are shortages and/or a hefty demand for goods or services. A company will raise prices if shortages mean it needs to spend more on materials, wages or shipping. Firms will also charge more if they realise customers are willing to pay more because of scarcity. Right now, we’re seeing a perfect storm of factors, which started with a scarcity of all types of items during the coronavirus pandemic, due to factory shutdowns and logistical snarls in some of the world’s biggest export hubs, such as China. This jacked up the prices of raw materials, manufactured goods and transport, which then got passed on to customers. At the same time, countries worldwide pumped cash into their economies to help consumers and companies struggling with the loss of income during the pandemic. As people began to emerge from lockdown, they went on spending sprees with their government support money and savings. This, combined with a shortfall of goods, made everything from refrigerators to shoes less available. Companies responded by inflating price tags. What we’re seeing is inflation caused by both more demand and reduced supply. “It is unusual that both are pushing towards higher inflation at the same time,” says Stephen Zeldes, an economics professor at the Columbia University Business School. The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February worsened inflation by disrupting trade in natural gas, oil, and grains. That has increased the price of wheat – a staple in much of the world – along with the costs of heating or cooling houses and offices, fuelling cars and jets and trucking goods. It also SEASONAL MAGAZINE
boosted the price of fertiliser, which has made it more expensive to grow food. All this means that many people may be unable to commute to work, eat enough or turn up the thermostat in the autumn and winter if their wages don’t keep pace. Economists can’t say when the spiral will end. Supply chain issues should eventually shake out. Central banks may be able to discourage spending by increasing interest rates, or the costs of borrowing by individuals or businesses. But the energy and grain shortfalls will continue for some time. “Inflation now is everywhere; there is nowhere to hide from it,” says Julien Mathonniere, an economist with the Energy Intelligence Group, a global information company. “We have a huge energy and commodity crunch. Demand is still rising, but supply is simply unable to catch up.”
2. WHO IS MOST AFFECTED? Pretty much every country, rich or poor, has been roiled. The inflation rates of 37 of 44 of the world’s largest economies more than doubled from the first quarter of 2020 to the same period in 2022, according to the Pew Research Center. Israel’s inflation rate exploded
by a whopping 25 times, with Greece and Italy close behind. Less robust economies have taken a hit as well. Since March, the global cost-of-living crisis has driven 71 million people into poverty in the developing world, according to the United Nations Development Programme. Low-income people, those with static wages and elderly people who survive on fixed pensions are among those who will suffer most. Those benefitting from inflation include firms such as oil companies that can charge historically high prices. Workers whose wages have kept up with inflation will be cushioned as well.
3. WHY ENERGY IS THE ‘CRITICAL CHOKEPOINT’ The current energy crisis began during the pandemic, but is only felt now. Lossmaking refineries, which turn crude oil into consumer fuels like diesel and gasoline or petrol, closed around the world. Some 3.3 million barrels per day of capacity was lost. Now that the pandemic is waning and as demand recovers, gasoline and especially diesel and jet fuel are in short supply, no matter how much crude oil-producing countries produce. This makes flying,
trucking goods and filling up at the pump more expensive. For instance, the average cost of petrol for cars in the US has topped $5 a gallon (3.8 litres), more than double than at the start of the pandemic. New refineries are coming, but experts say it will take at least through 2023 until more consumer fuels hit the market. This situation was made worse by Russia invading Ukraine. Russia is among the world’s largest producers of oil and natural gas, with Europe as its largest market. As part of its sanctions against Russia, the Europe Union is banning all imports of Russian oil from the start of next year, and this is creating huge insecurity and price spikes. Fears are rising that Russia will choke Europe from its natural gas, causing further huge disruption. Current shortages and expectations of increasing disarray make energy more expensive, leading to rising prices for everything since the world still runs on oil and gas. “The energy crisis is the critical chokepoint,” according to Mathonniere. The increase in energy prices over the past two years has been the largest since the 1973 oil crisis, according to the World Bank. The price of oil alone has risen by 21 percent since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war. Electricity prices in Europe have risen 10 times their long-term average, according to Mathonniere. This drives up the costs of living and doing business and could go up even more during the colder months when people need to warm buildings. Governments across Europe are offering subsidies or setting caps on rises to lessen the pain on consumers. But prices are skyrocketing nonetheless, pushing people to rely on wood-burning stoves, coal or solar power, and go without hot meals and showers. There’s no end in sight. Mathonniere expects oil prices to balloon this year by more than 50 percent from 2021, with a barrel averaging $110. That’s versus a low of $40 at the start of the pandemic, when demand collapsed.
4. HIGH INFLATION MEANS THERE IS A LOOMING FOOD CATASTROPHE
5. WHAT CAN GOVERNMENTS – AND ORDINARY PEOPLE – DO?
Grain prices have shot through the roof because the war has disrupted harvests and exports from Russia and Ukraine. The two countries together account for a quarter of the world’s wheat, and 80 percent of sunflower oil exports. On top of that, droughts since last year in South America hurt the harvests of soybeans and maize, and the shortfalls increased prices. As if that weren’t bad enough, the exploding prices of fertiliser – Russia is the world’s leading exporter – cut into farmers’ profits.
Countries fighting inflation tend to look at measures taken by the United States, as it’s the biggest economy in the world and 40 percent of international trade transactions are invoiced in dollars. The US Federal Reserve, which regulates the American financial system, has raised interest rates by 1.5 percentage points since March in order to slow spending.
This is driving 50 million people in 45 countries to the brink of famine, according to the World Food Programme. It reports that since the pandemic began, 345 million people are experiencing acute food insecurity, triple the amount two years ago. Africa is especially impacted, because it buys more agricultural products and food than it sells outside the continent, spending more than $85bn a year. Wheat and vegetable oils feature among the top imports. “These are tough times for MENA and sub-Saharan Africa,” says Wandile Sihlobo, the chief economist at the Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa. He identified the following countries as particularly vulnerable to rising wheat prices: Nigeria, Egypt, Algeria, Ethiopia, Morocco, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Yemen, Pakistan and Turkey. The price of wheat has soared in Africa by more than 45 percent since the war in Ukraine began, according to the African Development Bank. Fertiliser prices have gone up by 300 percent. In Egypt, the world’s largest wheat importer, the government capped the price of bread in order to lessen the burden on families. Sihlobo predicts commodity prices will remain above their five-year average for some time. Even goods like rice that are in plentiful supply will be impacted. “We are likely to see rice prices increasing somewhat in the coming months as some countries use it as a substitute for wheat,” he says.
The European Central Bank of the 19 euro-zone countries signalled that it will follow suit sometime in July, lifting rates for the first time in 11 years. Economists widely expect more US hikes to follow, but this entails a delicate balancing act. Increasing rates dampens business activity, and with it hiring and higher paycheques, which is not politically popular. Going too far can prompt a recession or negative growth.
WHEN SHOULD HIKES STOP? “That’s the key question that the Fed ponders every day,” says Zeldes, who specialises in household economics. “There is no magic number where we can say, ‘They’ve gone too far.’” People can also make their money last longer by hunting for bargains or cutting out luxuries. As a last resort, they might have to dig into savings or grow vegetables in their gardens, if they have them. Microwaves are more energy efficient than ovens. Ordinary lightbulbs can be swapped for LEDs. Those living in areas with affordable public transport could forgo cars. This is a bad time to take out a loan, and a good time to pay off credit card debt before interest rates rise more. Review household budgets to eliminate anything that’s non-essential. If you can plump savings, build a cushion to get through this, and the next, inflationary swell. You never know when it might hit. (By Judith Matloff for Al Jazeera) SEASONAL MAGAZINE
WHY VLADIMIR PUTIN WENT TO IRAN PUTIN’S TRIP SHOWS HOW THE WAR IN UKRAINE IS TRANSFORMING POLITICS ACROSS THE MIDDLE EAST AND THE WORLD.
ust days after President Joe Biden returned from his controversial trip to the Middle East, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin is paying his own visit to the region this week. Putin met with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and held talks with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was visiting at the same time. It is only Putin’s second trip outside Russia since the invasion of Ukraine in February and the first outside the former Soviet Union.
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It is also a visit loaded with strategic significance — for Russia, for Iran and for their respective adversary, the United States. The ostensible reason for the trip is talks on the situation in Syria. Iran, Russia and Turkey are co-sponsors of the Astana format, an alternative set of Syrian peace talks to the U.N.-organized talks in Geneva. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also said a “comprehensive treaty on strategic cooperation” between Russia and Iran is in the works. Mark Katz, a professor at George Mason University who studies Russia’s relations with the Middle East, told Grid that for Putin, “the important thing is the image that he is not all-consumed with what’s going on with Ukraine, that he is able to focus on other things.” Nonetheless, Ukraine is certainly a factor on this trip. U.S. officials recently publicized intelligence suggesting that Iran is preparing to provide Russia with hundreds of drones, including some that SEASONAL MAGAZINE
are weapons-capable. Mona Yacoubian, Middle East analyst at the U.S. Institute of Peace, told Grid that the trip could also provide some clues about the “various quid pro quos” between Russia, Iran and Turkey over “various battle spaces” including both Syria and Ukraine. Others have noted the extent to which Russia has been able to broaden contacts and alliances with what some have called an “alliance of the aggrieved” — nations that for whatever reason hold grudges or worse
against the United States. Putin’s Iran trip is a sign of just how much the war in Ukraine has shifted the global status quo and how much it intersects with other conflicts around the world. According to National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Russian officials visited Iran twice in the past month to view Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles, including the Shahed-191 and Shahed129, both weapons-capable drones somewhat similar in design to American Predator drones. Iran has previously
provided drones to allied militias in Lebanon, Yemen, Gaza and Iraq as well as to foreign governments, including Venezuela and Ethiopia. Russia would be the most high-profile recipient yet. Traditionally, Iran is thought of as a customer for Russian weapons, rather than the other way around, Nicole Grajewski, a research fellow at Harvard University’s Belfer Center, noted to Grid. Over the years, Iran has purchased a number of big-ticket Russian systems including S-300 air defenses and Kiloclass submarines as well as tanks, helicopters and armored vehicles. Now, it seems, Russia is the one in need. “If these reports are true, that’s an indication that this relationship has changed in a really broad way,” Grajewski said. Heavily employed by both sides, drones have perhaps played a greater role in the Ukraine War than in any conventional war to date. Though neither side has an overwhelming advantage when it comes to drones, Ukraine has been receiving a significant number of them from its Western backers. Meanwhile, outside of Belarus, few countries are providing military aid of any sort to Russia. Turning to Iran would be a sign that Russia is struggling to keep up with the never-ending flow of heavy weapons into Ukraine. “What’s interesting is that Putin is courting Iran so much,” said Katz, noting that the Russian president hosted Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi for talks in Moscow in January, shortly before the war began, and that the two met on the sidelines of a Caspian Sea summit in Turkmenistan in June, Putin’s last foreign trip. “The Russians know that the Iranians have the capacity to make things easier or tougher for them everywhere.” Iran and Russia have clear reasons to be friends, given the geopolitics of the moment. They share a rival in the U.S. as well as difficulties with Western economic sanctions. They’ve both backed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the long Syrian civil war. Iran was among the very first countries to publicly support Russia’s war. On Feb. 24, the day the invasion began, Raisi put in a call to Putin in order to
countries including Iran and Turkey.
IRAN AND RUSSIA HAVE CLEAR REASONS TO BE FRIENDS, GIVEN THE GEOPOLITICS OF THE MOMENT. THEY SHARE A RIVAL IN THE U.S. AS WELL AS DIFFICULTIES WITH WESTERN ECONOMIC SANCTIONS. THEY’VE BOTH BACKED SYRIAN PRESIDENT BASHAR AL-ASSAD IN THE LONG SYRIAN CIVIL WAR. stress, as his office put it, that NATO expansion “is a serious threat to the stability and security of independent countries in different regions.” It was a line that might have been delivered by Putin himself. But the two have their differences as well. Since the war in Ukraine began, Russia, to Tehran’s annoyance, has been selling its oil at a discount, undercutting Iran’s own sales to the countries, notably China, that still buy its oil despite Western sanctions. And Russian troops have jostled for influence and control in southern Syria with Iran’s proxy, Hezbollah. When it comes to Syria, where Russian troops have been operating since 2015, the war in Ukraine is likely sapping Moscow’s ability to maintain its influence on the conflict. The Russian military has reportedly withdrawn troops from Syria to send to the higher-priority conflict on Russia’s borders. According to Yacoubian, Iran-backed militias may be moving in to fill the vacuum left behind by the Russians. “Ukraine has become an existential priority for Russia. Syria is not as high of a priority right now,” she said. “What we’re seeing is Iran, always the opportunist, seeking to take advantage on the ground of areas in which Russia may have somewhat shifted its posture.” There is some parallel here to Biden’s trip, which was seen by some analysts as part of an effort to assure that the U.S. still maintains influence in the region even as it draws down its military presence. Russia, too, has to economize on its global military presence, owing to the all-consuming “special military operation” in Ukraine that is stretching its military to the breaking point. That makes it all the more important that it maintain relationships with key regional
Erdogan, the third president in the trio that is meeting in Tehran this week, has sought from the beginning to turn the war on the other side of the Black Sea to his advantage. Turkey has sold weapons to Ukraine, including the nowiconic Bayraktar drones that inflicted a heavy toll on Russian forces in the early days of the war. But Erdogan has refrained from following his NATO partners in sanctioning Russia and has maintained diplomatic relations with both sides. Turkey has also shown it can create headaches for Russia’s adversaries. It initially opposed Finland and Sweden’s entry into NATO, accusing the two Nordic states of supporting Kurdish militants. Judging by comments he made just before leaving for Iran, Erdogan still hasn’t made a final decision on this issue. Like Iran, Turkey may be looking to use Russia’s Ukrainian difficulties to gain advantage in Syria. Turkey has backed anti-Assad rebels in Syria, and Erdogan is believed to be planning a new military incursion into Syria in the coming months to take territory from Kurdish forces. Russia is opposed to any such operation, but given its own declining influence in Syria and the leverage Turkey has in Ukraine, Russia probably won’t push back too hard if Turkey invades. There’s another facet of the TurkeyRussia talks that may hold more relevance for the wider world. Turkey, which controls the southern entry to the Black Sea, has also been negotiating a deal with both Ukraine and Russia to facilitate the shipment of grain through the sea, potentially ending a disruptive blockade that has contributed to a global hunger crisis. A deal is reportedly imminent, though given the mines and ongoing combat in the sea, it’s unclear whether shipping could resume as normal even if all the parties agree. Harvard’s Grajewski said that more than seeking help on any particular issue, Putin may be coming to Iran to “signal to the West this kind of alternative vision that Russia has for the Middle East.” In the years leading up to the war in Ukraine, Russia was able to maintain a SEASONAL MAGAZINE
remarkable amount of influence in the region while keeping strong relationships with governments on all sides of the region’s political and sectarian divides. Often Russia, with its more narrowly transactional approach based on energy and security assistance, has managed to take advantage of mistrust of American intentions and frustrations with Washington’s lectures on human rights. Case in point: Even while courting the Iranians, Russia has managed to maintain decent relationships with Iran’s archrivals across the Gulf. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the United Arab Emirates’ Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed both took phone calls in March from Putin after declining calls from Biden, and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov praised Saudi leadership of OPEC at a summit in June. Biden’s trip to the region last week, a dramatic about-face from his campaign promises to isolate the Saudis over their human rights practices, was largely motivated by a desire to maintain relations with these longtime regional allies at a time when the war is putting stress on global energy supplies. The Kremlin took notice, with spokesman Peskov responding to Biden’s trip by saying, “We highly appreciate our
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relations and our interaction with Riyadh and we certainly hope that the building of relations and the development of relations between Riyadh and other world capitals will in no way be directed against us.” George Mason University’s Katz said that Putin’s trip can also be interpreted as a signal from Russia to the places that Biden just visited. “Essentially, the message that they’re sending, not just to the Saudis, but also to the Emiratis and the Israelis, is that you need to work with us, or we can do things that you do not like,” he said. Things are a little more complicated when it comes to Israel. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has blasted Israel’s refusal to sanction Russia, and former prime minister Naftali Bennett refrained from criticizing Russia in the early days of the war. However, at the beginning of July, Bennett was replaced as prime minister by Yair Lapid, who has been far more outspoken in his condemnation of Russia. Israel’s reluctance to take too strong a stance against the invasion was probably partially motivated by its interests in Syria. Russia has long tolerated Israel’s strikes against Iran’s proxy, Hezbollah, in Syria. But those strikes have been
getting more dramatic in recent months, and Russia has been growing less tolerant. Russia sponsored a U.N. resolution condemning an Israeli strike that shut down the Damascus airport in June. And, in a potential first, the Russian military reportedly opened fire on Israeli jets in Syria with its S-300 anti-aircraft systems in May. Russia has been able to maintain decent relations with both Iran and Israel up until now. That’s becoming an increasingly difficult position to maintain. Ultimately, Putin comes to Tehran looking for military, economic and regional strategic gains — all the while working to ensure that he doesn’t lose the relationships he has cultivated with those countries in the region that view Iran as an enemy. It’s one more effort by the Russian leader to show that he and his country are hardly pariahs on the world stage, despite all the efforts by the U.S. and Europe to make them so. Put differently, given the long war it is waging in Ukraine, Russia is now in a moment of need. Putin expects his friends in the Middle East to have his back. (Credit: Joshua Keating for Grid)
WHY RAPID DELIVERY STARTUPS ARE FAILING RAPIDLY IN US COMPANIES THAT PROMISE GROCERIES DELIVERED IN 15 MINUTES SURGED DURING THE PANDEMIC—BUT ARE NOW IN RETREAT.
It took only eight months for Jokr, the superfast delivery startup, to become a unicorn, and just six months more for its strategy to start coming apart. Jokr had plastered New York City with splashy ads promising to deliver groceries within 15 minutes—For free! With no minimum order!—and raised a total of $430 million in venture capital to continue blitzscaling across cities around the world. From Boston to Bogotá, its turquoise-clad couriers whizzed around on scooters, carrying pints of ice cream and jars of pasta sauce.
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Jokr was also bleeding money. In the first half of 2021, the startup took in $1.7 million in revenue but suffered $13.6 million in losses, according to data reviewed by The Information. In April it shut down in Europe. This June— 14 months after launch and a year after touting plans to build 100 microwarehouses in New York City SEASONAL MAGAZINE
alone—Jokr announced that it was pulling out of the United States, and laid off 50 employees. The company still operates in cities like São Paolo, Mexico City, and Bogotá. Other fast-delivery startups have also become fast-shrinking. In May, Gorillas and Getir—two of the largest companies in the sector—laid off thousands of employees and retreated from prime delivery cities around Europe. Gopuff, valued at $15 billion in 2021, vaporized 76 of its 500 distribution centers this summer. Those are the lucky ones. Others, like Buyk, Fridge No More, and Zero Grocery, have already gone bust, disappearing just as rapidly as they arrived. The downfall of superfast delivery reflects the sobering mood of 2022. In the last two years venture capitalists sunk nearly $8 billion into the six rapid delivery startups competing in New
York City, encouraging fast growth and a land grab. Now, investors are increasingly demanding profitability. The sudden reversal strikes Thomas Eisenmann, a professor at Harvard Business School, as reminiscent of the 2000 dotcom crash, when buzzy startups like Kozmo—which promised one-hour delivery of groceries and DVDs—folded just a few years after collecting millions from VCs. “With these new businesses, what’s changed?,” he says. “It didn’t work then and it’s not working now.” Eisenmann teaches a class on startup mistakes, and last year wrote a treatise on the topic titled Why Startups Fail. He says that rapid delivery companies are vulnerable to a common pattern of failure, where early gains and growth aren’t sustainable. The first wave of customer interest comes easy and free, because people are willing to try out a new service with an incredible promise. But in order to keep those customers and earn new ones, a startup has to clarify its value proposition. For rapid delivery, that means finding people who regularly need things like BandAids or a banana delivered urgently—and are willing to pay a premium for it—rather than walking to the bodega to get it themselves.
When new customer growth starts to dwindle, Eisenmann says, “you start having to offer $20 of free groceries on every order to get new customers.” From there, the economics can rapidly deteriorate. A newly cloudy economic outlook and recent high inflation make it a bad time to try and persuade people to adopt a new premium service. Margins are already razor-thin for services that deliver groceries in hours or longer. On a $100 online grocery basket, about $70 goes toward the wholesale cost of the goods a customer ordered. The other $30 gets devoured by overhead costs like refrigeration and storage, the wages of in-store workers who pick items from the shelves and pack them into bags, and the cost of delivery. A recent report from McKinsey found that while the typical North American grocer makes 4 percent profit margin from in-store shoppers, they lose 13 percent on each online order. Companies like Instacart, which piggyback on the infrastructure and stock of existing stores by partnering with grocery businesses, have fared better, though Instacart is still not profitable. Demand for online groceries has surged in the last two years, largely because of the pandemic inspiring more people to try and avoid in-store shopping. In 2020 online grocery orders increased 50 percent; demand for instant delivery increased 41 percent, McKinsey found. “The consumer need is there,” says Vishwa Chandra, a partner at McKinsey who coauthored the report. “The question is, how do you manage the economics?” Rapid delivery startups might be able to improve their businesses by keeping items in “dark stores,” microwarehouses designed to make it faster for a worker to pick out and pack a basket of goods than is possible in a conventional retail store designed for browsing. They can also pass on more costs to customers, selling a $4 loaf of bread for $6, for example. But building enough dark stores to serve all parts of a city within 15 minutes still requires massive investment. Managing inventory across them all to ensure the correct items are always on hand is also tricky. “It’s more cost-efficient, but you need enough demand to make a return on investment,” says Chandra.
MANY RAPID DELIVERY COMPANIES HAVE MADE THEIR PUNISHING ECONOMICS STILL WORSE BY OFFERING GENEROUS PROMOTIONS TO TRY TO LURE NEW CUSTOMERS. Rapid delivery startups also tend to spend more on delivery costs for each order than more conventional companies. When you can get what you want in minutes, people can feel empowered to make impulse purchases, like a late night candy bar. But a delivery driver or a bicycle courier costs the same amount, whether ferrying a $75 bag of groceries or a $5 pint of ice cream. Batching orders together, so a courier makes multiple drop-offs on a single trip, can save costs but is difficult to pull off when orders must arrive within 15 minutes. The result? Many fast-delivery services “lose money on every transaction,” says Eisenmann. Many rapid delivery companies have made their punishing economics still worse by offering generous promotions to try to lure new customers. New Yorkbased startup 1520 offered 15-minute delivery with no minimum order or delivery fee in 2021. Cofounder Maria Daniltceva described the company’s business model as “super-efficient,” and suggested that 1520 could even improve on grocery stores’ margins because it didn’t have to invest in retail space. By the end of 2021, 1520 exhausted its funding and shut down. Those kinds of generous promotions aren’t likely to continue. For superfast delivery startups to last until 2023, they’ll have to prove that they can make their economics work—and quickly. Instacart, which has become a leader in same-day grocery delivery, is now working on its own service to bring customers their orders within 15 minutes. The winners in the category will be whichever startups can deliver on their promises the fastest, without defying economic reality. (Credit: The Wired)
EX-DIPLOMAT SHARES PIC OF VARANASI TEMPLE THAT LEANS MORE THAN THE TOWER OF PISA Former Norwegian diplomat Erik Solheim shared a picture of Varanasi's Ratneshwar Temple that has a ninedegree lean, which is higher than the UNESCO World Heritage Site Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy. The Pisa Tower is leaning by four degrees. The temple is located at the Manikarnika Ghat and is also known as 'Kashi Karvat'.
RELIGIOUS HEADS VOW TO CONDEMN INSULT TO GODS AT INTERFAITH MEET ATTENDED BY DOVAL An interfaith conference was held in Delhi on Saturday in the presence of National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval, during which religious heads vowed to condemn insult to Gods/ Goddesses/ Prophets. The conference resolved to "ban organisations like PFI" which indulge in "anti-national activities". Doval said "we can't be mute spectators" as some try to "create animosity" over religion.
AGUSTAWESTLAND HELICOPTER FOUND IN RAID AT BUILDER'S PUNE HOME IN RS 35,000CR SCAM An AgustaWestland helicopter was seized from the house of Pune builder Avinash Bhosale during a CBI raid in connection to the ?34,615-crore DHFL scam. CBI has been raiding various locations for the past few days to find assets linked to the scam. A consortium of 17 banks, led by Union Bank of India, was allegedly cheated in the scam. SEASONAL MAGAZINE
FOUR WAYS TO STOP IMAGINING THAT THE WORST WILL HAPPEN
IF YOU HAVE A TENDENCY TO WORRY ABOUT WORST-CASE SCENARIOS, IT'S POSSIBLE TO GET YOUR BRAIN ON A DIFFERENT TRACK.
Imagine you have an interview for a new job tomorrow. Some people might think about what kind of questions they will be asked so that they can prepare, or imagine the interview going well. For others, the thought of an interview will cause them to toss and turn all night thinking of every worst-case scenario possible—no matter how outlandish these may be. If you’re someone who has a tendency to do the latter, you are prone to catastrophizing.
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Catastrophizing is a tendency to assume the worst will happen when imagining a future situation—even if you have evidence that this is not the most likely outcome. People who like to feel in control (and are therefore intolerant of uncertainty) are more likely to catastrophize. This has been linked to anxiety—suggesting that frequent catastrophizing may be a factor in developing certain mental health problems. SEASONAL MAGAZINE
Catastrophizing comes from the belief that by imagining what might go wrong, we’re better able to protect ourselves from harm—both physical and mental. However, this tendency is only helpful if you’re able to correctly predict what will happen in a certain situation and how it will make you feel. As we imagine future events, we experience an emotional reaction to the story we are creating—and we use this response to determine how we will feel in the future. But this way of predicting the future is often wrong since we’re not able to imagine everything that might happen. This can lead to us creating the wrong emotional response for future situations in our heads. But our belief in what will happen in the future can have a big influence on our behavior. For example, people who are optimistic (or even realistic) about the future are more likely to be willing to try new things. They are also likely to notice what has gone well in new
situations. On the flip side, people who catastrophize about what might go wrong are less likely to try new things. And, when they do try something new, they are more likely to notice what has gone wrong. This will be stored in their memory and will add to the reasons why they we shouldn’t try new things in the future. As a result, catastrophizing can lead to undue stress and anxiety and may stop you from doing the things you might enjoy or learn from. If you’re someone who tends to catastrophize when stressed or anxious, there are a few things that you can do to help.
1. MAKE DECISIONS IN THE MORNING We often worry about the future at night. When we are asleep, activity in the rational part of our brain is reduced and activity in the more emotional part
of our brain is increased. As a result, we tend to use our emotional brain to picture the future when we’re awake at night. Lack of sleep can also make us more sensitive to things we see as threatening. This can lead us to focus more on what might go wrong, and makes us more prone to catastrophizing. It can be helpful to remind yourself that you are not thinking rationally when you’re lying awake worrying about something. It can also be useful to wait until the morning to make decisions when your brain is rested.
2. TEACH YOUR INNER CRITIC TO BE MORE COMPASSIONATE Catastrophizing can be driven by our inner critic, which may use harsh language that makes us emotional. When this happens, try imagining your inner critic as if you were looking through someone else’s eyes. What language do you use, and would you use this language when talking about someone else in a similar situation? Is the language your inner critic uses helpful or justified? Often the answers to these questions will be no. Be conscious of the language your inner critic is using when you’re worried or stressed. If it’s overly harsh, try to switch to a kinder way of speaking to yourself.
3. MAKE UP A BETTER STORY Even if things have gone wrong in the past, this is unlikely to be the case in the future—despite what we might tell
ourselves. If you have a tendency to catastrophize about future events, try to think instead about ways in which this event might go well, which may help you to feel less anxious. Another strategy is to make up, not just one, but a number of plausible stories about what might happen. This may help to remind you that the stories you’re telling yourself are just that— stories. Choosing to focus on the stories with a positive outcome might also help you to feel less worried or stressed.
4. BE KIND TO YOURSELF
GOOGLE MAPS TO SHARE SPEED LIMIT INFO WITH USERS IN B'LURU, CHANDIGARH Google Maps will now display speed limit information to its users in Bengaluru and Chandigarh as part of a partnership between Google and the traffic police departments of Bengaluru and Chandigarh. Google will reportedly extend the pilot project to Kolkata and Hyderabad in the coming months. The project has already reduced 20% wait time for commuters, Bengaluru traffic police said.
Try to be more compassionate with yourself when considering your future. This is more difficult than you might imagine—even for people who are very compassionate and empathic to others. Compassion and empathy evolved to help us to interact well with others. As such, compassion and empathy aren’t really designed to be used for yourself. But small things—such as asking what advice you might give a friend in your situation—can help you to get in touch with your compassionate voice. Practicing this often may even help you to see solutions where you might otherwise have only focused on the problem. Planning for ways in which things might go wrong in the future does serve a purpose—and that is to keep us safe. But if you often find that you castrophize by thinking of all the worst-case scenarios— especially to the detriment of your own mental health—it can be important to remind yourself that the things you’re worrying about may never happen, and, if they do, they will probably turn out much better than you think.
BOEING TO DEVELOP RESEARCH FACILITY IN JAPAN TO DEVELOP SUSTAINABLE FUEL Boeing will establish a research and development centre in Japan with an aim to further develop sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). In a news release, US aircraft manufacturer said that the facility will focus on robotics, digitalisation and automation. Sustainable aviation fuel uses feedstock like animal fat and cooking oil which is more expensive than conventional jet fuel.
126 VENEZUELAN MIGRANTS INCLUDING 9 WOMEN DEPORTED FROM MEXICO Mexico has deported 126 Venezuelan migrants, including nine women, who were not able to prove their legal entry, the country's National Migration Institute said in a statement. The migrants boarded a flight early Saturday, it added. According to the UN, over six million Venezuelans have fled from their home country to escape violence as well as lack of essential services. SEASONAL MAGAZINE
COCHIN SHIPYARD DISPLAYING GLOBA CAPABILITIES
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2022 IS ALREADY A GREAT YEAR FOR COCHIN SHIPYARD LTD, AS IT COMPLETES 50 YEARS OF ITS GLORIOUS EXISTENCE IN SERVICE OF THE NATION. APART FROM THE HIGH VISIBILITY THIS PROVIDES, CSL HAS SEVERAL ACHIEVEMENTS BOOSTING ITS PERFORMANCE INCLUDING THE UPCOMING DELIVERY OF INS VIKRANT, RECENT DELIVERIES OF THE 500-PAX LUXURY VESSELS SINDHU AND NALANDA, AND TWO ELECTRIC AUTONOMOUS BARGES FOR A NORWEGIAN CLIENT. ITS STABILIZING FUNDAMENTAL PERFORMANCE, ITS ENTRY INTO HYDROGEN FUELLED ELECTRIC VESSELS, AND ITS PLANS TO INVEST IN MARITIME STARTUPS ARE FURTHER POSITIVES. UNDER CMD MADHU NAIR’S ABLE LEADERSHIP, THE PSU MAJOR IS ALSO READY TO UTILIZE ANY OPPORTUNITIES ARISING FROM THE CRISIS IN NEIGHBOURING SRI LANKA.
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Logistics is the most carbon emitting operation for most businesses, especially for supermarket chains. So, can you imagine any supermarket chain that dreams of achieving zero carbon emission for its logistics service by as near as 2026? Yes, you guessed right, it can’t be in India or any other developing nations for that matter. Such a supermarket chain exists and it is Norway’s leading retail chain NorgesGruppen. Its logistics subsidiary ASKO Maritime, which prides itself as the prime player putting food on millions of Norwegian food plates each day was tasked with this seemingly impossible objective to turn zero carbon within a few years. And whom did ASKO Maritime trust with this task? A shipbuilder around 7000 kms away from Norway. Yes, it
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was Cochin Shipyard in India’s southeastern coast that was selected to build the two electric barges zero emission operations. Besides being electric, they were also to be designed as autonomous vessels. Don’t be misled by the word barges though. The barges ‘Maris’ and ‘Teresa’ are each 600 tonne affairs, 67 metres in length, and can carry 16 fully loaded trailers in one trip! After reaching Norway and commissioning of the autonomous equipment and field trials, these vessels will operate as fully autonomous ferries. Even the transportation of Maris and Teresa to Norway was an epic affair, speaking volumes about the kind of globally competitive and comprehensive work Cochin Shipyard is capable of. It obviously required something called a yacht transport carrier.
It took an eight hour effort to place Maris & Teresa on board the 210metre-long mother vessel owned by a Dutch firm. For this, the mother vessel was first lowered 8.90 metres into the backwaters and its deck filled with water, following which tugs were used to pull the barges on board. This was followed by the raising of the mother vessel and the start of sail. The barges are expected to reach Norway in a month. When it comes to building worldclass passenger vessels of medium size as is the trend now, Cochin Shipyard has been displaying amazing capabilities. Recently this leading PSU shipyard in India delivered such a 500pax vessel that is a beauty to behold. Built according to an international design by Knud E Hansen of Denmark, renowned naval architects, the vessel is equipped with a modern cafeteria,
recreation rooms, gymnasium, library and other luxury amenities. Built for the Andaman and Nicobar Administration, this vessel ‘Nalanda’ also features deluxe cabins, first class cabins, second class cabins, bunk class and seating class that can accommodate 500 passengers altogether. It is the second vessel of the class built and delivered by the shipyard, with the lead vessel of this series ‘Sindhu’ being delivered in March this year. Cochin Shipyard, which is a leader in ship maintenance and repair, will also provide full life cycle support for the vessels’ efficient operation. Both these ships are also built to the highest standards of the Indian Register of Shipping and the American Bureau of Shipping, thereby meeting the Indian Merchant Shipping rules and are also customised for Indian requirements with a high level of safety comparable to international standards. Nalanda will be managed by a crew of 61, and both the ships are designed to cruise at 6 knots. The detailed production engineering design was carried out by Cochin Shipyard itself, and the vessel is noted for its versatility. For instance, Nalanda will operate mainly between the groups of islands of Andaman and Nicobar but can also sail to mainland India, if needed. The vessel is also capable of carrying cargo of up to 150 MTs to the remote islands.
But in many ways, such smaller ships are easy projects for Cochin Shipyard where the country's first indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant is being built, and now nearing its launch. INS Vikrant has been designed and constructed by the Indian Navy and Cochin Shipyard Ltd. With more than 76 percent indigenous content, INS Vikrant has led to the growth in indigenous design and construction capabilities, besides the development of a large number of ancillary industries, with employment opportunities for over 2,000 CSL personnel directly and for about 12,000 employees in ancillary industries. During the fourth phase of sea trials of INS Vikrant recently, integrated trials of a majority of equipment and systems onboard the carrier including
some of the aviation facilities and complex equipment were undertaken. Maiden sea trials of INS Vikrant were successfully completed in August 2021, followed by the second and the third phases of sea trials in October 2021 and January 2022, respectively. During these trials, endurance testing of propulsion machinery, electrical and electronic suites, deck machinery, life saving appliances, ship’s navigation and communication systems were undertaken. INS Vikrant is likely to be delivered by Cochin Shipyard to the Indian Navy by July end, followed by commissioning of the carrier in August to commemorate Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. When it is delivered and commissioned, Cochin Shipyard will attract international eyeballs. SEASONAL MAGAZINE
WORLD CLASS ACHIEVEMENTS AT GALGOTIAS UNIVERSITY
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With over 96% placements including in some of the world's largest firms, during the last five years, including the most troubling pandemic years, the Greater Noida based Galgotias University has achieved the escape velocity needed to climb to an international orbit. Ranked among the top 100 universities in management and pharmacy and in top 200 universities overall in NIRF rankings, Galgotias University has also been ranked among the top institutions worldwide in teaching and facilities by the QS star rating system. Under the dynamic leadership of its CEO Dhruv Galgotia, the young university has succeeded in attracting exceptional faculty, forged tie-ups with MNC majors like Infosys, Cognizant & Wipro for the benefit of students, and is also planning a major foray into the healthcare and hospitals sector.
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Typically, when universities are assessed by the public or even some of the rating agencies, what counts more is the achievements - like campus placements, highest CTC, research projects, startups incubated etc. But for all such achievements to flow sustainably from an individual, he or she needs to have emotional intelligence first. Otherwise such achievements will just be a one-off event that can't be replicated for their own benefit and the benefit of the community around. With this idea in mind, Galgotias University has been trying to inculcate emotional intelligence into its courses, and it achieved a breakthrough recently when it became the first private university in India to conduct a value added course on non-violent communication. The 30-hour value added course on nonviolent communications involved a series of lectures on the theme 'NonViolent Communications' designed and delivered by Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti (GSDS), Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India. The lecture
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series was an outcome of a collaborative effort of the Department of Humanities, School of Liberal Education, Galgotias University and GSDS. The course was made available to Galgotias' undergraduate and postgraduate students for their all-round development including academic and personal development. A pre and post survey too was conducted and presented in the event to map out behavioral change among the youngsters. The survey indicated a positive intervention and held a future prospect of constructive impact in students' lives. To ensure national standards for its postgraduate programs and to ensure greater transparency, Galgotias University has become one of the eight new universities that have opted for the Common University Entrance Test PG (CUET PG). Earlier, the new test was launched with the participation of 42 participating universities, dominated by 35 Central Universities and prestigious names like Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, and The English and Foreign Languages
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University (EFLU), Hyderabad. With the farsighted vision by Galgotias University to be a pioneer in this new program by the Central Government, it has become one among 50 internationally renowned universities and institutes of India. Administered by the National Testing Agency (NTA), the CUET PG is an online entrance exam that provides a common platform and equal opportunities for admission to these 50 prestigious universities. It will be a computer based test for admissions to various courses like MA, MSc, MCom and LLM at these participating universities and will be conducted in both English and Hindi. Galgotias University was recently the host for the Grand Finale of Toycathon 2021-2022 (Physical Edition). Under the ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’ initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Toycathon 2021 was conceived to challenge India’s innovative minds to conceptualize novel toy and games based on Bharatiya civilization, history, culture, mythology and ethos. Toycathon is an inter-ministerial initiative organized by the Ministry of Education’s Innovation Cell with support from All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), Ministry of Women and Child Development, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Ministry of MSME, Ministry of Textiles,
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and Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Galgotias University has been attracting top-notch talent to its advisory and faculty panels. The University grabbed national eyeballs when it took in Justice JR Midha who had retired as a Delhi High Court Judge in 2021 to be an Advisor and Professor Emeritus. The unique reason behind this enrollment was that Justice Midha’s has a vision to reform legal education in India. This renowned scholar and practitioner has been exhorting for an overhaul of professional advocacy skills based on the development of rational thinking, logical processes, legal reasoning and strong communication skills. Soon enough, Justice Midha's vision resulted in a first initiative, when Galgotias University recently launched India’s first judicial training programme under his mentorship. Galgotias' School of Law has collaborated with Universal Institute of Legal Studies & Law Curators for this prestigious “Advanced Course on Judicial Service & Professional Advocacy”. Galgotias University has also won much appreciation for providing this Value Added Course free of cost to the students. The course will prepare students to be updated on recent case laws, and inspire in them the importance of hard work, dedication and perseverance to be an ace legal professional. SEASONAL MAGAZINE
In recent years, Galgotias University has also strengthened its flagship engineering programs for which it has been most famous. Industry tie-ups are continually being forged and strengthened so that GU graduates and postgraduates in engineering are industry-ready from day one of their careers in corporates of any size or scale. Such tie-ups include guest lectures from industry experts, internships, joint curriculum development and many more such activities. These are being pursued on a continuous basis and the major such programs at Galgotias University include Infosys-Campus Connect Programme, Cognizant Digital Nurture and Wipro Talent Next. GU students are already reaping rich dividends by way of internships and placements from such partnerships for which the management has always taken a proactive stance. Galgotias University, despite being relatively young, has an overall placement status of 96%. Even in the recent pandemic years, when recruitments nosedived at many peer universities, Galgotias has stood its ground. The average CTC has also been on a continual rise despite the emerging challenges across the industry sectors. Harin Mehta, a student of BTech in Computer Science of Galgotias University has been offered a top package of Rs. 30.25 lakh annual package by Amazon, and he had also received a Rs 60,000 monthly internship package. Overall, Galgotias has placed over 1 lakh students in reputed companies so far.
DR. PREETI BAJAJ programs have received attractive positions. Galgotias' School of Hospitality & Tourism has also recently won a coveted global certification. Dhruv Galgotia, CEO of Galgotias University, is also pursuing a major foray into the healthcare sector with an investment of Rs. 1200 Crores in the next 3 years. The venture, Galgotias Hospitals Pvt. Ltd. plans to establish one 500 bedded hospital in Greater Noida with state of the art equipment imported from Germany and United
Galgotias has also emerged as one of the first private universities in India, to attain the prestigious NBA accreditation for several of their programs at an extremely rapid pace. These accredited programmes include Computer Science & Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Communication Engineering. GU has fared well in national rankings like NIRF and global rankings like QS and Times Higher Education. Its overall NIRF ranking is steadily moving up, while its pharmacy and management ARADHANA GALGOTIA SEASONAL MAGAZINE
States of America. A second hospital is also being planned for Gurgaon. The full foray over the next several years will see 10 hospitals pan India each with 500 beds. Galgotias Hospitals is also working out tie-ups with world class research hospitals and medical centres in Singapore and USA to ensure the latest technologies and know-how are brought to India and offered to the people of India at affordable costs. Medical tourism is also being eyes, with the Greater Noida Hospital being attached to a 5 star super deluxe hotel, having a separate division for international patients and customers wanting to get world class treatments and medical care at affordable costs in India. Some of the specialities being planned for Galgotias Hospitals are Cardiac Surgery, Electrophysiology and Pacing, Clinical and Preventive Cardiology and Interventional Cardiology, where an integrated team of cardiac surgeons and cardiologists will work together. A fully dedicated wing for cancer patients is also being planned. Galgotias Hospitals will be backed up with the latest technology including a unique hybrid operating suite, dedicated teams of cardiac / cancer/ laparoscopic surgeons with more than 200 types of Surgeries being performed by specialized doctors. The hospitality foray is poised to make Galgotias Group's valuation to cross Rs. 5000 crore.
TOYOTA HYRYDER TAKES TIEUP WITH SUZUKI TO NEXT ORBIT Toyota Urban Cruiser HyRyder is set to be revealed on 1st July 2022 and will be followed by Maruti’s version of the compact SUV. he compact SUV segment that has seen outstanding success in the Indian markets is set to get stronger with two very able launches from Toyota and Maruti Suzuki, thus far codenamed Maruti YFG and Toyota D22. The first of these, the Toyota Urban Cruiser HyRyder will debut on 1st July 2022 while its Maruti Suzuki equivalent will be introduced at a later date. This will be the third product to be sold under the Suzuki-Toyota global partnership in India. The first two being Glanza (rebadged from Baleno) and Urban Cruiser (rebadged from Brezza). Unlike the first two, the next one will not be a rebadge exercise. It will have its own unique styling. The new compact SUVs from Maruti and Toyota will be like what Hyundai and Kia have done with Creta and Seltos – sharing parts, engines, etc; but having their own design and interiors. Ahead of its global debut on 1st July 2022, the all new Toyota Urban Cruiser HyRyder's looks have been leaked from what looks like a TVC photoshoot. This is the first time we get to see the upcoming Toyota compact SUV in a fully undisguised avatar. What was leaked is probably the top of the line variant, with dual tone finish of red colour with black roof. Even before the leak, it was reported that the upcoming SUV will be christened Hyryder. What is interesting to know that Toyota is also giving it the prefix Urban Cruiser, which is the name of their Brezza, Nexon rival sub-compact SUV. In the front, the New Toyota HyRyder SUV gets a massive grille, flanked by headlights boxed in black surround. Above that is a twin LED DRL setup on each side, with a thick chrome strip connecting DRLs and a Toyota logo in the center. Chrome strip is highlighted even further with it being placed on
piano black finish. Side and rear profile has not leaked yet. Its Maruti counterpart will sport a slightly different front look with split headlamps but with A-Cross styled LED DRLs. The front grille is in a similar design as seen on the new Baleno and Ertiga facelift while there is a large Suzuki logo positioned in the center of the grille. There will be many similarities between the Maruti YFG and New Toyota HyRyder SUV both in terms of design and engine specifications but with some distinctive designs to differentiate themselves from one another. They will be produced at Toyota’s Bidadi Plant No 2 in Karnataka. For starters, they will both be positioned on a localized version of Toyota’s TNGA-B (or DNGA) modular monocoque platform. Similarities will be see in their exterior and interior design as well as in their engine specifications. Similarities will be seen on their ground clearance, squared off wheel arches and 17 inch alloy wheels. Both cars are also slated to share some interior equipment with multiple connected car features, powered driver seat, wireless phone charger, head up display
unit and drive modes along with sunroofs. Safety will be via a 360 degree camera, multiple airbags, cruise control, electronic stability control and ISOFIX child seat mounts. The two compact SUVs from Toyota and Maruti will share their engine lineup. They will receive a 1.5 liter K15B petrol engine sourced from Maruti Suzuki with mild hybrid (all wheel drive) and strong hybrid technology (front wheel drive). The engine will offer 103 hp power while in mild hybrid format and 116 hp power with strong hybrid, mated to either 6 speed manual or 6 speed automatic transmission. The strong hybrid setup will allow users to toggle between pure-electric, hybrid and engine-only modes automatically for added efficiency. There will be no diesel engine option. New Toyota HyRyder SUV and Maruti YFG should come in at a starting price of around Rs 10 lakh (ex-showroom). Once launched, they will take on the Hyundai Creta along with the Kia Seltos, Skoda Kushaq, VW Taigun and MG Astor. More details will be revealed at the global unveil event on 1st July 2022. (Credit: Rush Lane) SEASONAL MAGAZINE
JSSAHER
SPARKLING IN RESEARCH AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research is fast growing to be a powerhouse in basic and applied research as well in entrepreneurship development and startup incubation. JSSAHER has bagged several funded projects from Indian Government’s R&D arms like Department of Science & Technology and Department of Biotechnology, some of them worth Rs. 5 crore to Rs. 20 crore. The Mysuru headquartered leading deemed university, with its thrust on health sciences, has also started a Centre of Excellence in Entrepreneurship Development (CEED) in association with Karnataka Government, and has launched a unique pitching platform, Blaze, for innovative startups incubated by it. JSSAHER is increasingly undertaking globally relevant research in association with several leading universities in the West including University of Oxford, SEASONAL MAGAZINE
University of Manchester and Boston University. The University’s Board of Management too has been expanded accordingly to include renowned national and international experts in various domains including Honourable Justice Sri Shivaraj Patil; Prof. Gyongyi Szabo, Chief Academic Officer of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), Harvard Medical School, USA; Prof. Randeep Guleria, Director, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi; Prof. Yogesh K Chawla, former Director of PGIMER; and Dr. Krishna M. Ella, Chairman & Managing Director, Bharat Biotech International. Ltd, among other luminaries. JSS Dental College and Hospital, Mysuru
Advances in Cancer Biology – Metastasis’ published by the Elsevier Group is one of the leading peerreviewed international journals on the subject. Recently this renowned journal carried an in-depth study on how breast cancer leads to liver inflammation or hepatitis, fibrosis, and even liver cancer. It was an interdisciplinary research, as for understanding the molecular mechanisms behind this connection, researchers of JSSAHER from medicine, life sciences and pharmacy had collaborated. The study found that sedentary lifestyle & lack of exercise, high calorie Western diets, obesity & metabolic syndrome were some of the contributing factors. The study which grabbed international eyeballs, would easily have been from the likes of Harvard or John Hopkins, but was from Mysuru based JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research (JSSAHER). For this deemed university, such achievements are, however, just a way of life now, as can be seen from its research accomplishments so far. It has 10,200 publications to its credit of which 1282 were added in the year 2021. The h index of the institution stands at 80 in web of science and 90 in Scopus which speaks about the quality of its publications. JSSAHER has also filed for 12 patents of which 2 have been granted in 2021. No wonder then that this private sector university has received Rs. 21.77 crore for various Central and State Government research projects. In 2021-2022, JSSAHER had turned truly world-class, as apart from its 34th rank in the country, it got placed in the band of 351-400 among the ranked world universities by UK based Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2022. The deemed university is ably led by JSS Mahavidyapeetha’s Executive Secretary Dr. C. G. Betsurmath, Dr. B. Suresh, ProChancellor and Dr. Surinder Singh, Vice Chancellor of JSSAHER. Mysuru based JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research (JSSAHER) is forever being proactive and innovative
JSS Hospital, Mysuru
with its initiatives, projects, industry collaborations and outreach activities, so much so that its students, research scholars, faculty and the community around it are being enriched continually, like how a true world-class university should be. No wonder then that national and international accolades are coming searching for this primarily health sciences university which has also diversified well into life sciences. JSSAHER remains at the cutting edge of delivering medical, pharma & dental courses, and has also introduced B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Medical Genetics and Genomics, a sunrise field now. Apart from its new mammoth campus which is under construction, JSSAHER is investing heavily into digital infrastructure for expanding its online education, where it sees exponential growth. It has invested Rs. 12.31 crore for upgrading its various infrastructure and developing this new campus. The 12th Convocation of JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research (JSSAHER) was a mega event that saw 2,318 students receiving their degrees and diplomas in various disciplines. Dharmadhikari of Dharmasthala, D. Veerendra Heggade was the chief guest and delivered the convocation address and gave away medals and awards to the toppers. A total of 47 candidates were awarded with PhD, with 7 candidates being conferred with Doctorate in Medicine and Master of Surgery on the occasion. 61 academic toppers were presented with 83 medals and awards with certificates for their exceptional academic performance.
In order to carry out research and to develop startups in the area of digital healthcare, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between the JSSAHER and Gurugram based NASSCOM CoE IoT, which is the Centre of Excellence for Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), which is an initiative by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, supported by the Governments of Karnataka, Haryana, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh. This agreement will facilitate the mentoring and participation of startups incubated or supported by JSSAHER to develop different healthcare related solutions. When the Times Higher Education (THE), a Global Ranking Agency, recently released its World University Rankings 2022 which covers more than 1,600 Universities across 99 countries and territories, JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research had a lot to beam about. JSSAHER became the only Indian university, apart from IISc Bengaluru and IIT Ropar, to come in the Top 500 ranks. It was also ranked No.1 among Young Universities in India. No other government, deemed or private university from India could make into this prestigious list, which also made a mark as the largest and most diverse University rankings till date. Even from India, 72 Universities of all hues participated in this ranking. There were more reasons for JSSAHER to smile about. While it was ranked in the 351-400 band in the THE ranking behind the two national institutes, when it came to research, the deemed university was at the very top. JSSAHER SEASONAL MAGAZINE
was ranked number 1 in India for the citations generated from its research publications, while in world ranking it came at the 8th position. The ranking methodology had assessed the institution’s performance across four areas - teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook. JSSAHER also bagged the fourth rank in India for International outlook. Speaking to Seasonal Magazine, Dr. B. Suresh, Pro-Chancellor of JSSAHER said that rather than resting on these laurels, all efforts are now on to maintain and improve the university’s ranking in the coming years. As a leading health sciences university in India, it is not only in academics and research, but in medical practice too that JSSAHER has been winning international accolades. Recently, Dr. Indira and Dr. B. Nandlal, Paediatric Dentists at JSS Dental College and Hospital (JSSDCH), received the prestigious 'Bright Smiles, Bright Future' Award from the International Association of Paediatric Dentist (IAPD) in the 28th IAPD Virtual
Hon’ble Justice Sri Shivaraj Patil
The six-year old Clinic was inaugurated by Stefanie L. Russel from New York University, and this is not the first time that it has bagged an international recognition. Earlier, the International College of Dentist (India Section) had also recognised the Clinic as one of the best modality to promote oral health in children. The Clinic has been instrumental in providing anticipatory guidance to mothers to prevent early childhood dental decay in children less than three years. More than 7,000 children have been benefited from this preventive JSS programme since its inception. The success and international recognitions for these efforts by JSSAHER underscores the passion and rigour with which this private sector university has
Dr. Gyongyi Szabo Chief Academic Officer, Beth Israel Deaconess medical Centre, Harvard Medical School, USA
Dr. C G Betsurmath Executive Secretary, JSS MVP SEASONAL MAGAZINE
Congress. This award is in recognition of an innovative Baby Oral Health Primary Preventive Education Programme to mothers of children below one year of age at the ‘Baby Oral Health Promotion Clinic,’ which is a unique extension clinic of JSSDCH.
Padma Shri Prof. Randeep Guleria Director, All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), New Delhi
Dr Suresh Bhojraj Pro Chancellor, JSS AHER
been pursuing its community outreach programs so as to achieve meaningful and significant outcomes for the immediate community it serves. JSSAHER could make rapid strides in research due to the establishment of JSSAHER Research Hub (JSSRH), which is the university's nodal centre for translational and transformative research for societal benefit. JSSRH achieves this by helping the individual institutions grow in research capabilities beyond their boundaries. Towards this, JSSAHER Research Hub develops inter institutional research projects & grants, publications & patents. It also disseminates curated courses in the field of Innovation & Entrepreneurship. Another responsibility handled by JSSRH is forging targeted alliances with partners for product development and commercialization. And all through these activities, the JSSAHER Research Hub inculcates values and principles of international organizations like UN, WHO, and social organizations through various academic,
Padma Shri Prof. Yogesh K Chawla Former Director of PGIMER Former Professor & Head, Dept. of Hepatology, PGIMER
Dr. Surinder Singh Vice Chancellor, JSS AHER
Padma Bhushan Dr. Krishna M. Ella Chairman & Managing Director, Bharat Biotech International Ltd.
Dr. Manjunatha B Registrar, JSS AHER
outreach and research activities. The functional wings of JSS Research Hub are Sparkle Cine, Entrepreneurship Cell, IPR Cell, Institution Innovation Council, Innovation Lab, Ideation Lab, 3D Printing facility, Special Interest Groups and the Centre for Advanced Drug Research & Testing (CADRAT). The various Centres of Excellence at JSSAHER in collaboration with the JSSAHER Research Hub empowers entrepreneurship development, industryinstitution partnerships and furthers the causes of environmental protection and sustainability. The university and research hub spearhead a slew of activities throughout the academic year to achieve these objectives. These include research and academic activities focused on encouraging the spirit of innovation & entrepreneurship in both staff and students. A special focus area is the pursuit of collaborative and complementary research themes. The research hub organizes regular talks, seminars, lectures & workshops so as to germinate a conducive research atmosphere in the campus. The outlook of JSSAHER's research initiatives are mostly long-term. Towards this the focus is on establishing long-term engagements and partnerships with industry partners and research institutions. Emphasis is given to developing patents and protecting intellectual property rights of the research activities. All the existing national and international research collaborations including with government organizations are taken seriously and continually strengthened. JSSAHER, which has been a national
level leader in hosting international conferences, seminars and workshops, is continuing these initiatives in the online mode through high-profile webinars that are witnessing excellent participation from subject matter experts and key influencers. JSSAHER's Department of Nutrition & Dietetics, under Faculty of Life Sciences, had organised a two-day National webinar and Infographic Competition on the theme ‘Food Safety: Everyone’s Business’ to commemorate the World Food Safety Day - 2021. The two-day virtual programme included two sessions each day addressed by internationally recognised Nutritionists, Academicians and Health professionals from reputed institutions and industries in the relevant field. The key beneficiaries were JSSAHER's UG/PG students, research scholars and HCPs from different subject areas. This webinar focused on the production and consumption of safe food which has immediate and long-term health benefits and synergies between the health of people, the environment and the economy. This event also helped everyone in understanding the role of safe practices in agriculture and in food industries to ensure food security as well as the quality of food products. The webinar was inaugurated by Arun Singhal, IASCEO, FSSAI, MoH&FW. The keynote address was by Dr. B. Suresh, Pro-Chancellor, JSSAHER. There were four sessions by professional leaders in the subject including Dr. K. Madhavan Nair, Chairperson – Scientific Panel on Labelling & Claims/ Advertisements, FSSAI, MoH&FW, Govt. of India & Scientist F (Retd.), NIN, Hyderabad; Dr. K.A. Anu Appaiah, Head, Food Protection and Infestation Control & Sr. Principal Scientist (Retd.), Department Microbiology & Fermentation Technology, CSIR-CFTRI, Mysuru; Niraj Marathe, Co-Founder & CEO, Coolcrop Technologies Pvt. Ltd, Gujarat; and Dr. Chaitra Narayan, Founder – Codagu Agritech & Shivam Distillations, Mysuru. The well attended event was a feather
in the cap for JSSAHER's Department of Nutrition & Dietetics, which offers M.Sc in Nutrition & Dietetics, M.Sc in Sports Nutrition & Management, PGD in Nutraceutical Technology, B.Sc in Food, Nutrition & Dietetics and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) programmes. Admissions are open now for these courses. JSSAHER also collaborated with the National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM), Ministry Of Home Affairs, Government Of India, to conduct a Webinar on the most relevant topic, Impact of Climate Change and Sustainable Development Goals. The keynote address was by Prof. Anil K. Gupta, Head, ECDRM, NIDM. The speakers were Dr. Sushma Guleria, Assistant Professor, NIDM and Dr. Pranab J. Patar, Chief Executive, Global Foundation for Advancement of Environment. Dr. Suresh also had some highly inspiring insights to share the global audience of students and research scholars. He elaborated about Dr. Krishna Ella’s illustrious career from being a graduate in Agricultural Sciences and later on heading towards excelling to enable India’s first indigenous COVID-19 vaccine COVAXIN from his company Bharat Biotech. Giving excerpts of his discussions with people like Dr. Krishna Ella, Dr. Suresh mentioned that companies like Bharat Biotech have an immense requirement of Life Science graduates with essential skills to cater to the needs of the emerging healthcare sector. JSSAHER is constructing a new mammoth campus, to which almost all of the academic and research wings would be eventually shifted. But for now, the university is giving more priority to investing in its digital infrastructure for online education. Speaking to Seasonal Magazine, Dr. Suresh shared that the university expects the online / offline hybrid model to continue for many more months or years, and that it also provides a way for the university to pursue exponential growth. SEASONAL MAGAZINE
WORLD CLASS FEATURES OF ICFAI FOUNDATION FOR HIGHER EDUCATION
ICFAI Foundation for Higher Education (IFHE), the flagship deemed University of ICFAI Group at Hyderabad, and its constituents ICFAI Business School (IBS), IcfaiTech, ICFAI Law School and ICFAI School of Architecture, are all setting world class benchmarks in their own spheres. IBS, which had already emerged as a world leader in the creation of business case studies and the case pedagogy based on it, has pioneered the new micro case studies that are revolutionizing the delivery of its online MBA programs now. WiseViews leadership conversation series has been an innovative strategy to educate online MBA students by interactions with distinguished experts. IFHE has also signed an MoU with Andhra Pradesh Medtech Zone (AMTZ) with a mutually fruitful arrangement of furthering PhD programs on one side and business incubation on the other. IFHE is led by renowned leaders in public life and academia. While Dr. C. Rangarajan, renowned economist is the Chancellor of IFHE, Prof. (Dr.) J. Mahender Reddy is its Vice Chancellor and Prof. (Dr.) Bidyut K. Bhattacharyya is the Pro VC. Prof. (Dr.) C.S. Shylajan heads ICFAI Business School as its Dean, Dr KL Narayana is the Director of IcfaiTech, Dr. AVN Rao is the Director of ICFAI Law School and Prof. Ar. Munavar Pasha Mohammad is the Principal of ICFAI School of Architecture.
SEASONAL MAGAZINE
The ICFAI Group includes 11 Universities, 9 Business Schools, 7 Tech Schools, 7 Law Schools and significant Online and Distance Learning Programs. ICFAI Foundation for Higher Education (IFHE) comprises of five schools - ICFAI Business School, IcfaiTech, ICFAI Law School, ICFAI School of Architecture and the Centre for Distance & Online Education (CDOE) - and delivers undergraduate, postgraduate, doctoral & certificate programs across, management, engineering, science, humanities, law & architecture, by incorporating the latest sunrise specialities in these broad domains, so that its graduates are highly sought after in placements. The 91 acres of custom built residential campus of IFHE with state-of-the-art classrooms, auditoriums, physical & digital libraries, campus wide wireless broadband connectivity, and 3200 single occupancy rooms for boys and girls separately, is one of the finest campuses in India currently. ICFAI Business School conducts the IBSAT admission test for all the 9 campuses of IBS across the country. These campuses are at Hyderabad, Mumbai, Gurgaon, Bangalore, Pune, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Jaipur and Dehradun. Among these campuses, MBA is offered at Hyderabad, Bangalore, Jaipur and Dehradun, while PGPM is offered at Mumbai, Gurgaon, Pune, Ahmedabad and Kolkata. Shortlisted candidates who have cleared the admission test are called for the selection process which includes Group Discussion & Personal Interview. Final selection and allotment of the campus will be made on the basis of overall performance of the candidates throughout the selection process right from the admission test. The ICFAI Foundation for Higher Education has been permitted by the Ministry of Education, Govt. of India to start an Off-Campus Center at Bengaluru, Karnataka, and IBS Bengaluru is a constituent of it. For the Academic Year 2022-23, the following programs are being offered under the aegis of IFHE at IBS Bengaluru, Off-campus centre MBA, BBA, B.Sc (Data Analytics).
Starting from the academic year 202324, IBS Bengaluru will also offer a doctoral program in Management, leading to PhD degree. ICFAI has been an early adopter of emerging technologies that facilitate better delivery of higher education. As such, they are keeping a keen watch on emerging digital environments like metaverses, and their enabling technologies like virtual reality, augmented reality and extended reality. The university has been taking the initial steps in deploying these technologies in industry sessions, symposiums, panel discussions and case studies. Some of these tech led projects have already been executed. It is now expected to move into the corporate training programs and the regular programs. And eventually these are expected to get in all their programs from science and technology, law, architecture and the business school. Here are the world class features of ICFAI that make it stand out from peer universities.
WORLD CLASS LEADERSHIP IN CASE STUDIES IBS is the third largest contributor of business case studies to The Case Centre, a global repository of case studies, next only to Harvard Business School and INSEAD. Today, IBS Cases are taught in more than 900 B-Schools across 80 countries in the world. In 2021, IBS had bagged the Top 3 positions in The Case Centre’s Top 50 best selling case authors list, and there are 7 IBS case authors among this top 50 list. The central force of IBS Case Research Centre (IBS CRC), which was set up as a Centre of Excellence, was Dr. Debapratim Purkayastha, who had retained the number one position for the sixth consecutive year in 2021. Unfortunately, this ace young researcher and professor of strategy at IBS, succumbed to Covid in May last year, just before his 45th birthday. However, his legacy in case studies goes on through the hundreds of textbooks that carry the business cases he authored.
WORLD CLASS ONLINE MBA OF ICFAI ONLINE Apart from the well established incampus MBA, ICFAI Online has been conducting its Online MBA program quite successfully. A notable uniqueness of the Online MBA is Micro Learning with Case Methodology which relies on well prepared micro case studies. ICFAI Online developed this keeping in mind the fact that the attention spans of students are far less today than it was a decade back. There is huge competition for the student’s time and motivation. Hence, ICFAI Online has built learning objectives which require between 2 to 15 minutes of time. Students are presented with a micro case followed by a learning point and an activity, These are made in visual and readable forms for learner convenience. Personalization is another unique feature of ICFAI Online MBA. If you are a learner, your experience and your aspiration is personal. Your experience is a unique strength to you. But how do you pitch it towards your aspiration? Using unique methodologies, ICFAI Online relates to your work experience and your aspiration through the conceptual framework that the Online MBA program provides. The practicum that the program provides is a landing point to showcase your proposal for your aspiration based on your identity. The course projects in every course, explore these dimensions from the conceptual framework of the course and provide perspectives and insights which inform the practicum. In a manner of speaking this is active learning as well as action learning. The unique faculty team of ICFAI Online MBA drives the innovative support needed for this initiative. This approach has proven to be a re-imagining of the MBA. The program is therefore not comparable with any other. There are 20+ best practices in learning that have been implemented in the Online MBA. SEASONAL MAGAZINE
WORLD CLASS INTERNSHIPS & STARTUP INCUBATION AT ICFAITECH IcfaiTech, which is IFHE's tech school is graded at 'AAAAA' and ranked 13th among Top Private Engineering Institutes in India. Internship is unique to first degree and higher degree programs offered at IcfaiTech. Internship helps students gain real time work experience and prepares them to face the challenges in professional life. The Internship Program ensures that linkages are developed and sustained with real time industrial units, scientific laboratories, public sector undertakings, manufacturing units and other external organizations. Technology Innovation Center (TIC) at IcfaiTech is offering a parking space for start-ups and Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) having innovative ideas and which are looking for resources in terms of manpower and infrastructure. It will extend consultancy opportunity for faculty members for mutual benefit of institute and start-up. It is also a platform for students of IcfaiTech to develop their entrepreneurial skills. Students will have an opportunity to work on real time problems solved by both start-ups and MSMEs.
WORLD CLASS PEDAGOGY IN ARCHITECTURE AT ISARCH The ICFAI School of Architecture (ISArch), a constituent of IFHE is established in the year 2018. ICFAI School of Architecture offers 5 years (10 semesters) full-time Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch.) degree Program, approved by the Council of Architecture. ISArch was established with an aim to evolve a center for excellence in Architecture, through a unique and wholesome approach in Architectural pedagogy, which is based on bringing together all the courses of architecture to create an exemplary approach to Design. The curriculum is revised regularly as it shall be beneficial to the students who are up to date with the potentialities of the present & the future. ISArch believes in the constancy of change to which students shall be equipped. The design studio is leading all the other activities in an integrative manner, bringing in the capacities of all the subjects to their maximum benefit.
WORLD CLASS LAW EDUCATION FOR TODAY’S CHALLENGES, AT ICFAI LAW SCHOOL
professionals that today’s legal profession needs - distinctive, wellqualified, analytical, and with academic excellence and practical exposure to address the complex challenges posed by the ever changing business environment. The ICFAI Law School, with its excellent and continuous teaching / learning processes, student centric and industry friendly dynamic curriculum and real life exposure provides best in class, legal education to the student, thus carving them to be market ready legal professionals. Unique fatures include diversified teaching methodologies, internships, industrial interface and networking with professionals, excellent placements and career oriented training, modern infrastructure facilities and learning environment. The ICFAI Law School offers UG Programs (Five year integrated campus based full time programs), PG Programs (One Year campus based full time programs) and Doctoral Program (Full time and Parttime programs) and Certificate Programs. All the UG programs offered by the ICFAI Law School are approved by the Bar Council of India and other programs are in accordance with the UGC norms.
ICFAI Law School is a constituent unit of IFHE which takes up the responsibility of grooming law
Prof. (Dr.) Bidyut K. Bhattacharyya Pro VC.
Dr. C. Rangarajan, Chancellor IFHE
Prof. (Dr.) J. Mahender Reddy Vice Chancellor SEASONAL MAGAZINE
WORLD CLASS PHYSICAL & DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE Campus infrastructure, both physical and digital, are already facets in which IFHE has always been among the very best in India, if not Asia or the world. The 91 acre custom-built and ecofriendly campus is in the city of Hyderabad itself. All classrooms are networked and fitted with audio visual tools to enhance the teaching learning experience, with lecture theatres and classrooms designed to facilitate the case pedagogy, which is the key strength of IBS. Seamless internet facility (150 MBPS) is available across the campus, with the complete campus area covered under the umbrella of Wi-Fi network, on which students get connected to the internal network and internet on their laptop inside and outside the classroom and lab as well as in hostels. Video conferencing facility is available and extensively used by prospective employers for placements. The Campus Central library has a collection of 75,582 books and documents, and there are separate libraries in the Faculty of Science & Technology and the Faculty of Law. Library is fully supported by IT infrastructure, and has subscribed to several renowned online academic databases like EBSCO HOST, Econlit, Emerald Management Xtra, ProQuest, JSTOR, Science Director (Elsevier), Cabell's directory, the World Development Indicators, CMIE databases, Capitaline, business and research oriented databases like Reuters, Business Insights and Marketline. IFHE has subscribed to 46 International Journals and 62 National Journals, and access is also enabled to 5000+ Journals through the databases.
WORLD CLASS RESIDENTIAL FACILITIES The University is a fully residential campus with 2000 single seated rooms for boys and 1200 single seated rooms for girls. The campus is equipped with
all supporting facilities like well equipped dining halls, indoor sports facilities (for Badminton, TT, Squash), outdoor sports grounds (for tennis, football, cricket, basketball, swimming pool), and fitness and recreation facilities (like Gym and cultural clubs). The residential facilities are managed by a dedicated team of full time wardens, estate manager and other staff. The clubs are managed by the students' services department and faculty. The University has its own transport facility, round the clock clinic with beds and 4 doctors, nurses and 2 ambulances. The auditorium has features like step sitting arrangements, while the hall has a seating capacity of 300 people. There is also an Open Air Quadrilateral which has a stage and seating arrangements for conducting various activities.
Prof. (Dr.) C.S. Shylajan , Dean, IBS, Hyderabad
WORLD CLASS INTERNSHIPS & MENTORING IFHE takes industrial internships quite seriously. For instance, the entire student education during the Internship Programs is supervised or mentored by the assigned faculty and forms a part of the students’ total credits toward their degree. The internship programs require that the students undergo the rigors of the professional world in form as well as in substance, and provide them with an opportunity to apply their classroom knowledge to live situations. The Internship Program will be of five and a half months duration, implemented in either the VII Semester or the VIII Semester, during the final year. There are several benefits to the students from these programs which include the opportunity to work on reallife problems in actual working conditions, development of useful workrelated skills, enhanced placement opportunities and opportunity to earn while they learn. In recent years, students of the University have interned at Tata Motors, Tech Mahindra, General Motors, Polaris, Qualcomm, CDAC,
Dr. K L Narayana, Director, IcfaiTech, Hyderabad
Dr. AVN Rao, Director, ICFAI Law School, Hyderabad
CMC, DRDO, IIT Hyderabad, NCC Urban, NIC, Nuclear Fuel Complex, Ramky, Schneider Electric, Virtusa and many more similar as well as smaller organizations too which are however leaders in their niches. SEASONAL MAGAZINE
SRM GROUP ACHIEVES WORLD CLASS PLACEMENTS, TOP OFFER OF RS.1 CRORE FROM AMAZON, GERMANY
SRM Institute of Science & Technology (SRMIST), the flagship deemed university of SRM Group of Universities, has created a record among all private and deemed universities in India, when one of its final year engineering students was offered a Rs.1 crore per annum CTC package recently by Amazon, Germany. SRMIST has also shown tremendous growth in the overall placement metrics, both in quantity as well as quality of the offers. Around 1050 companies have visited SRMIST campuses this season and successfully placed over 10,000 SRM students this placement season. And the numbers will rise more as the placement season is still continuing at SRM. This is an accelerating growth as last year the total placements were around 8000 students and in the year before it was around 7000. Quality of placements is also on a sharp upswing. During this season, over 4000 students have got Super Dream Offers (of SEASONAL MAGAZINE
Rs.10 Lakh+), and Dream Offers (of Rs.5 Lakh+) and so far there have been over 5200 unique offers. Top recruiters this year include Amazon, Google, Morgan Stanley, Toyota, Ernst & Young GDS, Deloitte, JP Morgan, TCS, Wipro, Cognizant, Capgemini, Honda R&D, IBM, Fidelity, Barclays, Walmart, John Deere, Philips, Bank Of America, Siemens, Hitachi, Air Asia, MediaTek, KPMG, Loreal and more. There was a sharp increase of 30-40% in the number of students getting placed in the above 10 Lakhs per annum category, as compared to the previous years. In the most lucrative CS/IT category, SRMIST almost touched an average of 9.5 LPA, with most of the students preferring high paying product companies. Without doubt, the campus placements at SRMIST and its other universities like SRM-AP are turning worldclass, thanks to the world-class best practices they follow in selecting & training faculty, furthering research, and developing state-of-the-art academic infrastructure both physical and digital.
When young Puranjay Mohan was asked how he could set a record among all private & deemed universities by bagging the highest ever Rs. 1 crore package from Amazon Germany, he credited it to the updated curriculum followed at SRMIST. According to this brilliant young achiever, in most universities and engineering colleges there is a big gap between what they study and what they are expected to do at the workplace, but over here at SRMIST he says he has not felt that gap at all, as this final year student is raring to go and prove himself at Amazon Germany, his recruiter from day one onward. He has been offered a Software Development Role (in Embedded Systems as a Linux Kernel Developer) with a whopping CTC of Rs. 1 crore per annum. This high profile achievement was announced by none other than SRMIST’s Founder Chancellor Dr. TR Paarivendhar, who is also a Member of Parliament, at a press meet held at Ramada Plaza Chennai, recently. Also present during the announcement were Pro Chancellor (Academics) Dr. P. Sathyanarayanan, Vice Chancellor Dr. C. Muthamizhchelvan, Registrar Dr. S. Ponnusamy and Director (Career Centre) Mr. Venkata Sastry. Honouring Puranjay with the Illustrious Student Award, Dr. TR Paarivendhar said, “Puranjay will be a role model for others. He is not only an exemplary student, but what is unique about him is that he is not from the Computer Science or IT branches but from Electronics and Instrumentation.” Dr. P. Sathyanarayanan added that, “Last year, two of our students were placed for Rs.50 lakhs each and this year the highest offer is Rs.1 Crore. It is a very proud moment for SRMIST. This is the highest offer made in any private university in India.” How does SRMIST, SRM-AP and other SRM campuses achieve such placement success? Much of this achievement is due to the kind of world-class exposure that SRM campuses give to its students. Ever heard of Materials Genome? It is the cutting-edge of materials science, in which the varied and minute aspects of functional or engineering materials are described conceptually like in the genomic structure used in biology. This throws open interesting possibilities like the accelerated, automated & iterative development of new functional and
specialized materials using Artificial Intelligence technologies like machine learning! This is dizzying stuff for even some of the world’s finest universities. Recently, over one hundred scientists and professors from sixteen countries came together to discuss and analyze the developments in this sector in an international conference on materials genome. But it was not hosted by MIT or Harvard, but a private university in Andhra Pradesh - SRM University at Amaravati! In India, it is never easy for a private sector higher education group to be taken as seriously by students, teachers & recruiters, like how they view the world’s top-class institutions. But that is what SRM Group has now achieved with its deemed and private universities, with feats like the recent materials genome conference. As another example, consider what some SRM engineering students achieved recently. Even while large 2-wheeler manufacturers - both traditional brands and startup firms - were scrambling to create viable electric vehicles, these SRM students went on to develop an electric bike by leveraging the university’s tie-up with a leading battery manufacturer. The students develop such ambition as the university is forever keeping them abreast with the latest technological breakthroughs in every field! SRM’s Distinguished Lecture Series is a prime example for this, which has seen participation frrom IITs, NITs, IISERs, leading domestic & overseas universities, CSIR, DST, DBT, DRDO, DAE, ISRO, NARL, MoES etc. Recently, the 14th edition of this Lecture Series saw a highly knowledgeable talk from Dr Chennupati Jagadish, distinguished professor in Physics in the Research School of Physics and Engineering at the Australian National University. He addressed the students on 'Semiconductor Nanostructures for Optoelectronics Applications'. At the same time, SRM takes care to inculcate compassionate values in its students as well as projects. Assisted by a noted external organization, SRM has initiated a Thought Lab itself for imparting value education to students, who in turn go on to do many charitable activities to the economically challenged communities around them, like distributing winter wear. The Group’s foundation and its medical college hospital also excel in
philanthropic initiatives like its recent health card which provides discounts for the needy sections of the population. SRM Group of Universities are growing and spreading their great roots into the communities and industries around them. Its flagship deemed university, SRM Institute of Science & Technology (SRMIST), near Chennai, continues to be a powerhouse in engineering and medical education and research, with its number one position in placements. SRMIST’s medical wing, SRM Medical College Hospital & Research Centre (SRM MCH&RC) had become internationally renowned as one of the select few centres for Covaxin trials. It has also entered into several tie-ups with pharma majors. The Group’s newest university, SRM University, Andhra Pradesh, is also scaling similar or even greater heights by achieving 100% placements for its maiden batch itself, and by starting two Centres of Excellence with industry majors like Titan’s Tanishq Division and Amara Raja Batteries. No wonder then that SRM is getting tie-ups and recognitions from the likes of Harvard & Stanford. Stanford University needs no introduction, and when Stanford speaks, the world listens. Such has been the overall achievement level of this institution that, even while it is not part of the Ivy League, it boasts of real-world achievements that span not only academia and research, but the startup ecosystem. Stanford is indeed the cradle where some of the world’s greatest tech businesses were born. Stanford University had recently selected the top 2% of the world’s scientists in various sunrise fields including energy, biotechnology etc. Only 91 scientists were chosen worldwide for their research achievements in biotechnology, and Dr. Imran Pancha of SRM University, AP, was one among them. Dr. Pancha is a professor of SRM-AP’s Department of Biological Sciences, and had won this selection in 2020 too. Similarly, when Stanford selected 178 scientists as the top 2% of researchers excelling in energy and related fields, SRM University, AP, had two reasons to smile. Dr Karthik Rajendran and Dr Lakhveer Singh both from SRM-AP’s Department of Environmental Science made the rare cut. This goes on to say much about the diligence with which SEASONAL MAGAZINE
the SRM management and ViceChancellor Prof. VS Rao has been choosing faculty for this most promising new private university in the Indian landscape. Prof. Rao himself is a distinguished researcher who made his mark in US and elsewhere, and made sure that 100% of faculty at SRM-AP should be PhD holders to start with. With such worldclass brains to teach and mentor students, it is no wonder really that SRM University, AP, is going great guns in placements too. While most private universities would struggle to place their first batches, SRM-AP had no issue recently in placing 100% of its students in its very first batch. The maiden convocation for BTech students of SRM-AP was an unforgettable event that was simultaneously conducted physically and online, with renowned international figures like New York University’s President Prof. Andrew D Hamilton, and Dr. Sethuraman Panchanathan, Director of the US National Science Foundation (NSF) gracing the high-voltage event. The first batch of BTech students has received 100 percent placement with an average salary of Rs 7 Lakh per annum, which is a commendable record when compared to peers. The highest offers were for two Computer Science & Engineering students by PVP Inc., Japan, for Rs. 50 lakh per annum. And it was not only about career placements. SRMAP students also excelled in academic placements, with as many as 24 students opting for higher studies in top universities including University of Michigan, New York University, Georgia Tech, and King's College London (Madison Campus). The SRM Andhra Pradesh Convocation was also attended by Chancellor Dr T R Paarivendhar, and President Dr P Sathyanarayanan. These leaders have come to exemplify the unique vision behind SRM University, AP, as well as the other older and larger institutions in their stable, especially SRM Institute of Science & Technology (SRMIST), a deemed university near Chennai with multiple campuses, which was earlier named SRM University. SRMIST has been achieving high volume of placements year after year, and that is why when the SRM Group started a new university in Andhra Pradesh, it was armed with a wealth of experience on how to train and groom SEASONAL MAGAZINE
students to be fit enough to be chosen by world-class Indian and multinational companies. However, being a greenfield project, SRM-AP also brings in several new innovations by itself to emerge as one of the top universities in the world. For instance, during the last 3 years, SRMAP faculty members have published over 700 research papers in scopus indexed journals such as Nature, Nature Communications and other such reputed research publications. Despite its young age, SRM-AP is a powerhouse in research achievements. The faculty is already working on 42 funded research projects with an outlay of Rs 20.13 crores funded by the Indian government and various industry giants. 42 patents have been filed, 32 published and three granted in the past 3 years symbolizing the momentum and brilliance of research here. This year alone faculty from the Engineering and Science departments have been granted six DST SERB projects and Ramanujan fellowships. The university has also signed agreements with various educational institutions, research and industrial establishments in India and across the world. These include Harvard Business School Online, Australia’s Lindus University, Taiwan’s Asia University, CSIR’s Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (CSIR-IICT). With IICT, the university has plans to pursue frontline
chemicals research. SRM University, AP, has also tied up for niche knowledge transfer with Titan’s Tanishq division and Amara Raja Batteries. Healthcare is one field were SRM Group continues to make great inroads. SRMIST is home to a world-class medical college and its teaching hospital, SRM Medical College Hospital and Research Centre (SRM MCH&RC). Recently, the School of Public Health (SPH) at SRM Institute of Science and Technology (SRMIST), Kattankulathur, celebrated the successful completion and dissemination of the key findings of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS 5) for the state of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry at (SRM MCH&RC). NFHS-5, the fifth in the NFHS rounds, provides information on population, health, and nutrition for India and each of its states/union territories (UT) and also provides data at the district Level. NFHS5 includes some new topics, such as preschool education, disability, access to a toilet facility, death registration, menstrual hygiene etc. The scope of clinical, anthropometric, and biochemical testing (CAB) has also been extended to include measurement of waist and hip circumferences and the age range for the measurement of blood pressure and blood glucose has been expanded. The SRM Group continues to push its
research initiatives in all domains, and especially in the medical field. SRM Institute of Science and Technology (SRMIST), through its Faculty of Medical & Health Sciences had recently set up a 5000 square feet Research Facility in SRM called the ‘Centre for Clinical Trials & Research’. This world-class facility is located at SRM Medical College Hospital and Research Centre (SRM MCH&RC), and will function as a clinical trial research center capable of handling clinical trials of drugs, vaccines, and medical devices. The facility has two wards with 12 beds and several rooms for sample collection, processing, data documentation, and monitoring. It has state-of-the-art equipment for preserving serum samples at -80 degrees Celsius and -20 degrees Celsius deep freezers, high-speed centrifuge, facilities for electronic data capture with high-speed internet, thermohygrometers, and data security is maintained with controlled access. With such new infrastructure in place, SRM MCH&RC which has already come in 46th position in research, is likely to better its ranking. Students and faculty can do any type of clinical trials at this centre like the recent COVAXIN trial done here. The hospital was earlier awarded the clinical trial of COVAXIN, and for that there was a requirement for a virology lab, which was met by SRM itself by developing a world-class lab that was done entirely in-house. The SRM Centre for Clinical Trials & Research is headed by Professor of Pharmacology Dr. Satyajit Mohapatra, and supported by a team of investigators from all major branches of medicine including Clinical Pharmacology, General Medicine, General Surgery, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Pediatrics, Cardiology, Pulmonary Medicine, Nephrology, Anesthesia & Critical Medicine, Dermatology etc. The same team had earlier successfully conducted
Dr Imran Pancha
Founder Chancellor of SRMIST Dr. T. R. Paarivendhar presents the Illustrious Student Award to Mr. Puranjay Mohan.
the COVAXIN Clinical Trials (Phase 1, 2 and 3), making SRM MCH&RC the only hospital in Tamil Nadu which successfully undertook it. During the last ten years when SRM MCH&RC started focusing more on research, over 35 sponsored and academic clinical trials have been done here. Grants have been obtained from various funding agencies such as ICMR, BIRAC, DBT, DHR-ICMR National, and International Pharmaceutical companies such as Sanofi-GSK, Genova Pharmaceuticals etc to carry out these research activities. The competency-based MBBS curriculum being followed at present in SRM MCH&RC gives the student exposure to Clinical Research in the prefinal year. Students can choose it as an elective subject, and they get exposure to the current Clinical Research and Trials in this Centre.
translational research, the first one is SRM Amara Raja Centre for Energy Storage Devices, which has been set up in collaboration with Amara Raja Batteries Limited, Tirupati, with the objective of application-oriented research in renewable energy and e-mobility. The second CoEx is the Centre for Pioneering Studies in Gold & Silver, which is a flagship R&D project with Titan Company Ltd (Tanishq Division) to develop novel gold alloy for contemporary jewellery design. The centre also aims to work on projects in collaboration with Waman Hari Pethe & Sons, Mumbai, and other jewellery manufacturers across India to produce high strength 22 Karat gold and to develop tarnish free silver alloys. During his visit, Dr. Saraswat also proposed to develop a Value Addition Centre in SRM University-AP to promote translational research. The centre would be strengthening the relationship between industry and academia to work on product engineering to deliver market relevant products.
And it is not only in medicine, but in all fields including engineering and material science that SRM Group of Universities are making great R&D strides. Recently, two Centres of Excellence was started at SRM University, AP, which was inaugurated by Dr. VK Saraswat, Member, Niti Aayog. Established to promote
With several such initiatives in place, it is no wonder why deemed and private universities from the SRM stable are already making waves in world-class placements for its students.
Dr Lakhveer Singh
Dr Karthik Rajendran SEASONAL MAGAZINE
SRM’S DR. RAVI PACHAMOOTHOO CONFERRED SECOND HONORARY DOCTORATE Dr. Ravi Pachamoothoo needed no introduction in the Indian higher education space. Now it seems, he doesn’t need one in the global space too, after being conferred his second honorary doctorate by Malaysia’s renowned Lincoln University College, which follows his first doctoral degree from Day Spring University, Dallas, Texas, last year. The elder son of SRM Group Founder Dr. TR Paarivendhar, Dr. Ravi has been the chief strategist of the Group during the last decade. Apart from being Pro Chancellor (Administration) of SRM Institute of Science and Technology (SRMIST), the Group’s flagship deemed university, Dr. Ravi has also been instrumental in the SRM’s successful forays into healthcare, hospitality, travel, transporting, construction and cement manufacturing.
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Pro Chancellor (Administration) of SRM Institute of Science and Technology (SRMIST), Kattankulathur, Dr. Ravi Pachamoothoo was conferred with a second honorary doctorate by the Lincoln University College (LUC), Malaysia. The second honorary doctoral award is rendered unto him for his extraordinary work to the service of education and also towards the betterment of the society. Dr. Ravi Pachamoothoo received his first doctoral degree from the Day Spring University Dallas Texas, USA last year. The doctorate was presented by the president of Lincoln University College, Prof. Dr. Amiya Bhaumik. Present on the occasion were SRMIST’s Vice Chancellor Dr. C. Muthamizhchelvan, Pro Vice
Chancellor (Medical & Health Sciences) Lt. Col. Dr. A. Ravi Kumar, Registrar Dr. S. Ponnusamy, Deputy Registrar Dr. D. Antony Ashok Kumar, International Director Mr. Kartar Singh among others. Appreciating the work of Dr. Ravi Pachamoothoo, Dr. Amiya Bhaumik said, “The roles and responsibilities of educational system is to manifest the divinity of each and every human soul.” He said that the role of teaches is to remove the hindrances in students life and inspire them to manifest the divinity and hidden talents. “After our demise, the education and social impact that we impart to others will remain on earth and that will be our legacy.” He then urged students who intend to take up entrepreneurship to not give up their efforts or dreams in any situation. In his acceptance speech, Dr. Ravi Pachamoothoo thanked Lincoln University College. He said that any educational institution should prepare their students to be job creators and
not seekers. “At SRM we believe and focus on academic-industry collaboration. It is the responsibility of all educators to make sure that students learn ethics, culture of other places and learn to adopt to any situation. This will be the justification that we do for our work.”
is also an ISO 9001:2015 certified academic institution. It is also the associate member of the ‘Association of Indian Universities (AIU)’, Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), London and a member of ‘International Association of Universities (IAU)’, Paris.
Following the conferment, SRM Institute of Hotel Management (SRM IHM) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with LUC for research. The primary objective of this MoU is to provide opportunities for global learning and academic pursuit for students and faculty members through exchange and collaborations. SRMIHM and LUC will explore the possibilities of cooperation in areas of mutual interests and benefits.
SRM IHM has entered into the 30th of service in spreading holistic hospitality education reaping a bountiful harvest of successful alumni all across the globe. There are indeed remarkable and spectacular achievements gained and contributions rendered in the field of holistic education rendered towards the hospitality sector. IHM has been ranked among the top colleges of the country by the leading magazines like OUTLOOK, THE WEEK, CSR and also has been awarded as the best and the most preferred hotel management college of the country by ASSOCHAM and GHRDC.
The Lincoln University College is crowned with 5 Star ranking by the Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia in 2017. It is listed among the top nine Malaysian universities according to the Times Higher Education (THE) University Impact Rankings 2019. LUC
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MANAV RACHNA
A WORLD CLASS ENVIRONMENT FOR GROOMING HIGH ACHIEVERS Day in and day out, Manav Rachna Educational Institutions (MREI) witness a hotbed of activity at its state-ofthe-art research labs, research and innovation clusters, innovation and incubation centre, and in its research projects, including funded R&D projects. Altogether, this robust ecosystem helps in grooming students in advanced areas. In a first of its kind international tie-up, global research publications major Springer Nature has launched its first Academic Research Lab in India at Manav Rachna Educational Institutions. Manav Rachna University has also recently partnered with the reputed Institute of Analytics - the Global Body of Analytics, UK, which will help Manav Rachna students have the best in global exposure in the fields of data science and analytics. No wonder then that some of the repeat recruiters from Manav Rachna campuses include blue-chips like Amazon, IBM, EY, ICICI Bank, Airtel, Indiabulls, American Express, HT Media, KPMG, Fortis, Copal Partners, Bank of America, BYJU’s, Zomato, Ericsson and more. Faridabad based Manav Rachna Educational Institutions (MREI) in the field of higher education include Manav Rachna International Institute of Research & Studies (MRIIRS) and Manav Rachna University. Both have the coveted NAAC ‘A’ Grade accreditation, and have also been internationally benchmarked by QS. Manav Rachna International Institute of Research and Studies (MRIIRS) is a Deemed-to-be-University under the UGC Act, and has been awarded QS 5Star rating for Teaching, Employability, Academic Development, Facilities, Social Responsibility, and Inclusiveness. Manav Rachna University is a private university constituted under an Act of the Haryana State Legislature, and has been bestowed with the QS I-GAUGE Overall DIAMOND rating. It has received a QS I-GAUGE Diamond Rating for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, Faculty Quality, Facilities, and Social Responsibility and QS IGAUGE Platinum Rating for Employability and Academic Development. Admission to these Manav Rachna universities are done competitively, fairly and transparently through the Manav Rachna National Aptitude Test (MRNAT) which is a multiple-choice test of 90 minutes covering questions SEASONAL MAGAZINE
of general aptitude (arithmetic & logical reasoning, general English, general awareness). This National Entrance Test is conducted for admission to 100+ UG and PG Programmes across Engineering, Law, Education, Computer Applications, Information Technology, Design, Interior Design, Psychology, Allied Health Sciences, Digital Marketing, Physiotherapy, Nutrition & Dietetics, Behavioural and Social Sciences, Business Studies, Commerce, Hotel Management, Media Studies among many others. One of the highlights of Manav Rachna higher education is the industry-oriented specializations in emerging fields. These include Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Cloud, DevOps and Fullstack Development, Cyber Security & Threat Intelligence, Smart Manufacturing & Automation, Embedded System & VLSI, Forensics, Business Analytics, Internet of Things, Automation and Robotics, and many more.
Towards this, Manav Rachna has collaborations with several global technology majors including Microsoft, Intel Corporation, Xebia, Mitsubishi Electric, Amazon Web Services, Altair, Daikin, Truechip, and Quick Heal. Experts from these companies help in either academic or curriculum delivery and facilitate internships. The MBA program has been another forte of Manav Rachna campuses. Pursuing MBA degree in Business Analytics from Manav Rachna has multiple other advantages like exposure to the state-of-the-art data visualization tools, getting hands-on experience in the industry by learning under the mentorship of the industry experts, exposure to live projects and internships, a continuous evaluation process that ensures that learning remains intact and much more. Besides this, the Manav Rachna classroom adopts an experiential learning approach, thereby using different pedagogical means like
exercises, case studies, field visits, lab exercises, research projects, and workintegrated activities. Students also get a diverse outlook through the student exchange program.
and research students, have so far filed for over 535 patents, with a significant percentage of them being granted. These Manav Rachna research scholars have also presented around 7800 research papers in international & national journals as well as in global conferences with participation from over 13 countries. Manav Rachna boasts of 28h index for quality publications as per the SCOPUS database.
Manav Rachna also offers MBA Dual Specialization with an industry-specific approach. Some of the specialization options available for students are Finance, Events and Media, Marketing, Human Resource and Organizational Behavior, International Business, Information System, Business Analytics, Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management, Operations Management, Banking and Insurance Management, Aviation Management, Healthcare Management, and Waste Management. A higher education institution may tick many boxes needed for student success, including infrastructure, faculty, curriculum, pedagogy etc, but the ultimate test remains the kind of high achievers it produces. This is a facet in which Faridabad based Manav Rachna Educational Institutions (MREI) have been excelling for many years now. While almost every university, engineering college or business school would have an alumni association, how many of them would dare to present before the public, a collection of their topmost achievers? Yet, this is what Manav Rachna did recently when it created a one-of-its-kind book that features the impressive success stories of its Top 25 Alumni. Perfectly titled as 'Utkrisht - Icons of Manav Rachna', this landmark book was launched by none other than one of India's greatest achievers, Kapil Dev, in the presence of Manav Rachna's top functionaries Dr. Prashant Bhalla and Dr. Amit Bhalla, and other dignitaries. The highlight of the book is the kind of diverse and well-rounded achievers that Manav Rachna has produced so far. Showcasing this diversity, these high achievers were classified into six major categories - Art & Glamour, Entrepreneur Magnets, Government & Administration, Industry Barons, Social Flag Bearers and Sports - thus spanning almost every sphere of high influence in modern society. How is Manav Rachna able to deliver this kind of performance? The simple answer is the
kind of world-class maturity that Manav Rachna has grown into, during the 25 years of its existence. It has not shied away from building up formidable departments in almost every domain that matters including engineering, business management, economics, computer applications, humanities, education, law, commerce, psychology, interior design and more. This has resulted in a huge and successful alumni base of over 34,000 professionals, who have been well employed with over 500 reputed MNCs and Indian companies that have regularly come to source candidates from Manav Rachna campuses. Thanks to this, Manav Rachna alumni today includes ace engineers, senior managers, country representatives of international firms, magistrates, lawyers and more. Two other areas in which Manav Rachna has forged ahead of competition is startup incubation and applied research, much like the world's best universities. The Manav Rachna Business Incubator is set across more than 5,000 square feet area and caters 24X7 to the requirements of budding entrepreneurs. Over the years, more than 80 companies have been incubated at Manav Rachna Campus, which have earnestly begun their participation in the global phenomenon of creating job providers rather than job seekers. In the field of applied research, Manav Rachna scholars, including both faculty
Recently, a Centre of Excellence for Culinary Art was launched at the Faculty of Hotel Management (FHM), Manav Rachna International Institute of Research and Studies (MRIIRS). The Centre has been established in collaboration with Creative Cuisine Inc. Learning (CCi Learning), founded by Virender Handa and co-founded by Chef Kapil Middha. The Centre of Excellence is fully equipped with top-of-the-line equipment and a comprehensive collection of cooking essentials to prepare students for the industry. To start with, the center is offering B.Sc. in Culinary Arts and will soon be launching an advanced diploma program in the same genre. Manav Rachna is already an education hub known for its academic excellence and industry exposure through a multitude of Industry Knowledge Partners that facilitate top-notch learning, training and research benefits. With CCi Learning as their new Knowledge Partner for the Culinary Arts Programme, Manav Rachna students are assured of expert knowledge and skillbased training from the Master Chefs of the industry. The programme offered at Manav Rachna has been designed with the best in the industry along with the state-ofthe-art infrastructure created especially to support the holistic learning of students. The Centre has top-notch facilities for teaching and training in Culinary Art. Like all world-class universities, Manav Rachna is also leaving no stone unturned in attracting top-notch student talent by offering 100% scholarship to them. So far, scholarships worth Rs. 8 crores have been availed by Manav Rachna students based on their score in MRNAT. SEASONAL MAGAZINE
SASTRA GRADED AMONG TOP-5 INSTITUTIONS NATIONALLY
TAMIL NADU BASED DEEMED-TO-BE-UNIVERSITY, SASTRA, HAS RETAINED THE HIGHEST GRADE OF A++ AWARDED BY THE NATIONAL ASSESSMENT AND ACCREDITATION COUNCIL (NAAC) IN THE RECENTLY CONCLUDED FOURTH CYCLE OF RE-ACCREDITATION.
Headquartered near the ancient temple town of Thanjavur, The Shanmuga Arts, Science, Technology and Research Academy (SASTRA), also bettered its score to 3.76/4.00 in this fourth cycle from the 3.54/4 it had scored in the third cycle. With this, SASTRA, led by its Chancellor Prof. R Sethuraman and Vice-Chancellor Dr. S Vaidhyasubra maniam, has been graded at the topmost position among all higher educational institutions in Tamil Nadu and has become one among the top five national institutions with such a score. The peer review team of NAAC, which had visited the university’s primary
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campus at the laid-back town of Thirumalaisamudhram, recently, appreciated SASTRA’s research and social outreach activities apart from its modern infrastructure and proactive management style before arriving at this final score. With this latest reaccreditation, SASTRA will also remain as a Category 1 University for the next seven years. After receiving the coveted reaccreditation at the nationally topmost level, Vice-Chancellor Dr. S Vaidhyasubramaniam was thankful to the Central and State governments, the entire SASTRA family of faculty, students & parents, and all other
stakeholders for their continuous support and encouragement. It is no wonder really that SASTRA has been steadily moving up in such accreditations, rankings, placements and all such metrics. The deemed university is noted for its proactive stance when it comes to furthering its academic and research standards, which has come to inspire generations of students. SASTRA’s practice of giving Distinguished Alumnus Awards is very telling in this regard. In its latest round, four former students were selected as SASTRA Distinguished Alumnus. The university has a thriving SASTRA Alumni Association, which is now headed by SV Ramanan, Secretary, who is working as CEO (India & South Asia) of financial software major Intellect Design Arena. Himself a SASTRA Distinguished Alumnus, it was he who gave away this year’s awards. The latest winners are, Manoj Varghese (of 1994 Mechanical Engineering batch), who is now Chief Platform Head Mahindra & Mahindra; Prof. S Kalyankumar and Prof. K. Sundarajan (of 1998 ME batch), who are now professors of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Alabama, USA; and C Vasudevan, (of 2007 Biotech batch), who is now a noted entrepreneur having co-founded the B2B startup, Ninjacart,
which is India's largest fresh produce supply chain company, backed by Walmart, Flipkart, Tiger Global and others, and almost a unicorn now. How do SASTRA students go on to be such high achievers? Much credit goes to the high quality faculty who have been handpicked by Chancellor Prof. R Sethuraman and Vice-Chancellor Dr. S Vaidhyasubramaniam. There are examples galore of such inspiring faculty in the rolls of SASTRA now, with a recent example being Prof. S. Swaminathan who was recently awarded the prestigious Prof. CNR Rao Bengaluru India Nano Science Award at the 12th Bengaluru India Nano, India’s flagship Nanotech Event. Another SASTRA faculty who shot into limelight recently was Senior Assistant Prof. James A Baskaradas, of the School of Electrical & Electronics Engineering, whose innovative idea on the design of intercept receiver for electronic support systems won the Defence Research and Development Organisation’s (DRDO) Innovation Award contest - Dare to Dream 2.0. The idea conceived by Prof. James will be of much use to the armed forces in surveillance support, and his innovation is now under active consideration of the Technological Development Fund Scheme for transforming the idea into a prototype. Apart from selecting, grooming and facilitating such stellar faculty, SASTRA
RECENTLY THE UNIVERSITY DELIVERED FREE MEDICAL CONSULTATION AT A CAMP ORGANISED IN MEMORY OF THE FOUNDER CHANCELLOR OF THE SASTRA UNIVERSITY, S. RAMACHANDRAN AT THANJAVUR AND KUMBAKONAM. takes immense efforts to forge the right kind of industry tie-ups. Two recent examples of such tie-ups were with Singapore based Cantier Systems and Tata Electronics. The first partnership has resulted in the setting up of the SASTRA - Cantier Centre of Excellence in the campus that will give students a headstart in next generation manufacturing technologies like Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), Industrial Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Automation etc. Under the tie-up with Tata Electronics, SASTRA students admitted to the twoyear MTech degree in Very Large-Scale Integration (VLSI) Design will complete one year of the course at SASTRA campus in Thanjavur, and the second year in either Asia University or Yuan Ze University in Taiwan. The secondyear curriculum will include practical
experience in major lab facilities, and a six-month industry internship in Taiwan's advanced semiconductor manufacturing industry. Tata Electronics will help SASTRA to create the course curriculum and will also provide financial support for overseas education and training of these students. With such world-class initiatives, however, it is easy for any university’s faculty and students to lose touch with the ground realities in India. But such things don’t happen at SASTRA, as the Chancellor and Vice Chancellor are very particular that the university should do more than its reasonable role in supporting the community around it. Recently the university delivered free medical consultation at a camp organised in memory of the Founder Chancellor of the SASTRA University, S. Ramachandran at Thanjavur and Kumbakonam. An excellent medical team led by the Vice-Chancellor of Sri Ramachandra Medical University, Chennai, Dr. JSN Moorthy provided medical advice to the patients suffering from cardiac, neurology and ENT related problems at the camps. People from economically weaker sections in the Thanjavur district requiring surgery will be identified and the cost of surgery will be sponsored by the University. In another major outreach to the community around it, 75 schools in Tamil Nadu have been provided with Virtual Reality (VR) facilities by Sastra University to promote digital education and interactive learning in the state. This will provide students at these 75 schools an immersive & experiential learning experience. This announcement was made as part of the National Science Day Awards presentation function organized by SASTRA. Explaining this contribution from SASTRA to the greater cause of nation building and education, ViceChancellor Dr. S Vaidhyasubramaniam, said, “The VR facility each costing about Rs. 2 Lakhs at these 75 schools shall be loaded with pre-developed subject matter content that shall provide students creative pedagogical tools to appreciate science concepts & improve their learning outcome.” SEASONAL MAGAZINE
WHY SATHYABAMA IS IN A WORLD CLASS LEAGUE
he world’s best universities are outpacing the rest of the pack on two key domains - research projects and startup incubation. Chennai based Sathyabama Institute of Science & Technology, a leading deemed-to-be-university in the country, has followed this cutting-edge path to emerge in this world class league of universities. In the research domain, Sathyabama has more than 10,000 publications indexed so far in Scopus with a high H Index of 72 and around 5,000 publications in Web of Science with a respectable H Index of 62. The university also has over 250 sponsored research projects, which are worth Rs. 100 crores. Sathyabama is also highly active in applied research, with more than 500 patents SEASONAL MAGAZINE
filed, over 100 patents published, over 90 patents granted and 10 patents having successfully undergone technology transfer. Sathyabama also has impressive achievements in the startup domain. Nearly two dozen student startups have been incubated at Sathyabama campus so far. These startups have been partially funded by the university and span diverse domains. The credit for Sathyabama’s elevation to a world class league goes to Sathyabama's three decades rich pedigree, being founded by (Late) Col. Dr. Jeppiar who was a successful politician, bureaucrat, entrepreneur, industrialist and edupreneur. This heritage is giving Chancellor Dr. Mariazeena Johnson and President Dr. Marie Johnson the power and creativity to overcome every hindrance and emerge on the world stage.
Sathyabama fares well in campus placements with over 90% of students getting placed each year. More than 350 companies recruit from Sathyabama campus now and the university classifies its recruiters as Dream Recruiters and Super Dream Recruiters, and as of now there are 100 plus companies in the Dream category and over 25 companies in the Super Dream category. In the year 2020-2021, 91.6% of the students had been placed across 257 companies. Some of the recruiters include the international heavyweights, Amazon, Oracle, Microsoft, Siemens, Capgemini, Cognizant, TCS and Wipro,“ “Admissions to various courses are now open at Sathyabama Institute of Science & Technology. These include graduate, post graduate and research courses in engineering, architecture, management, arts & science, law, dental, pharmacy & nursing. Admissions will be through the two-phase SAEEE 2022 Examination to which candidates can now apply with the tests scheduled for late April and early May.““In the latest Convocation by Sathyabama, over 3,000 students, including 2,892 undergraduates, 386 postgraduate students; 144 PhD scholars, and 10 diploma students from pharmacy, received their degrees. The medals and certificates, including 24 gold medals, were distributed by A Rajarajan, Director of Satish Dhawan Space Centre.““Like a true university destined for greatness, Sathyabama has a strong focus on all dimensions that matter, including state-of-the-art digital delivery of academics, premium physical infrastructure, faculty quality, updated curriculum, industry tie-ups, campus placements and applied research. Thanks to such overall performance, this private sector deemed university is today a leader in diverse courses spanning engineering, management, science, pharmacy, dental and other such professional domains.““Choosing a wellestablished university like Sathyabama is important for students in this challenging year as too many things are remaining fluid due to the ongoing war in Ukraine. Sathyabama was ranked at the 39th position among Universities in India by NIRF, Government of India, for the year 2020. The stability of academics and operations at Sathyabama is evident from the fact that it has been ranked among the Top 50 Universities for the
fifth consecutive year.““Impressively, apart from students in the engineering stream, placements are also bagged by students in architecture, dental, management, arts and science streams. The university’s success in placements owe a lot to its rigorous approach that includes Online Practice and Assessments, Training Modules including Quants, Verbal, Reasoning, Technical, Soft Skills, Certification Programs, Career Development Programs and Value Added Skill Developments. Training attendance should be at least 90%, and the university arranges for even off-campus interviews after the end of final semester.““In tune with the times, Sathyabama is also highly active in the startup domain. About two dozen student startups have been incubated at Sathyabama campuses so far. These startups have been partially funded by Sathyabama and spans products & solutions in technology, healthcare, defence, transportation, farming, drones, wastewater treatment, automotive, shielding materials, wearables for Covid patients, seaweed based cosmetics, shrimp supplements, e-waste management, air detoxifiers and more. ““The university is also highly active in the research field, especially in applied research, with more than 500 patents filed, over 100 patents published, over 90 patents granted and 10 patents having successfully undergone technology transfer.““Sathyabama has over 250 sponsored research projects, which are worth Rs. 100 crores. The
university has more than 10000 publications indexed in Scopus with an H Index of 72 and around 5000 publications in Web of Science with an H Index of 62.““Sathyabama is home to a Technology Business Incubator (TBI), set up in assistance with National Science & Technology Entrepreneurship Development Board (NSTEDB), a nodal body coming under Government of India’s Department of Science & Technology (DST). This TBI follows best practices by which all student proposals for a startup are scrutinized by an expert committee, followed by presentation of the shortlisted proposals.““These future entrepreneurs are also trained to share their concept in five minutes to potential investors, partners and customers. The TBI at Sathyabama provides free incubation support to potential startups and helps them to accelerate towards angel investors. There is also an active Entrepreneurship Development Club working in the campus that conducts workshops regarding various steps in starting a business. Such workshops are led by leaders from the industry, especially from the startup world.““There was a time when higher education curriculum, even in engineering and management, was required to be updated every decade or so. But when the pace of technological developments accelerated, many engineering colleges and business schools started updating their curricula every few years. But even this has proved to be inadequate as disruptive technologies and innovations appear SEASONAL MAGAZINE
every quarter or so.““Sathyabama University has effectively tackled this challenge through various measures like industrial collaboration and certification programs. The deemed university has tied up with industry majors including Infosys, Cognizant, Wipro, HCL, Capgemini, Accenture, and more such companies to remain abreast of the latest trends in the industry and thus update their curricula whenever necessary.““Sathyabama is also a leader in delivering certification programs in emerging domains and delivers around two dozen such courses in areas like Cloud Computing, Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things (IoT), Data Science & Big Data, App Development, Embedded Systems & Robotics, Cyber Security & Forensics, Aircraft & Ground Maintenance etc. Sathyabama is one of the handful of deemed universities to have obtained approval for starting new vocational degrees BVoc and MVoc in domains like software development, hardware & networking, web technologies etc.““Sathyabama has emerged as a strong player in research programs, having undertaken research work for various central government organizations and has proved it mettle in entrepreneurial class projects by creating its own satellite that was launched by ISRO making it the first university to achieve that feat, a few years back. Sathyabama has significant initiatives in both applied and basic research. During the last five years, faculty and researchers at Sathyabama have been undertaking research for various government agencies with supporting grants.““These organizations include cutting-edge organizations like Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), Department of Science & Technology (DST), National Atmospheric Research Laboratory (NARL), Science & Engineering Research Board (SERB), Natural Resources Data Management System (NRDMS), National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE), Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO), Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (CVRDE), Board Of Research In Nuclear Sciences (BRNS), Indian Council of Agricultural SEASONAL MAGAZINE
Research (ICAR), and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), among many such organizations. Sathyabama has also launched a next generation laboratory in the campus, which will further boost research facilities in the university.““Sathyabama is structured as 10 broad schools, including 5 in engineering and one each for business, law, science/humanities, pharmacy, & dental. Sathyabama’s engineering schools are School of Computing, School of Electrical & Electronics, School of Mechanical, School of Bio & Chemical, and School of Building & Environment. However, these five broad schools deliver 15 engineering degrees including in emerging areas like Mechatronics at the graduate level, while at the post graduate level there are 12 courses including in latest domains like Internet of Things (IoT), Medical Biotechnology, Artificial Intelligence etc.““Sathyabama’s School of Science & Humanities similarly delivers 13 graduate programs including in buzzing domains like visual communication, Interior Design and 6 post graduate programs including sunrise sectors like data science, Robotics, Material Science. Research programs are also offered in most domains. Combining these with Sathyabama’s School of Management and School of Law, there is clearly the potential for interdisciplinary work, and students stand to distinctly benefit from this breadth of courses.““Sathyabama had rapidly deployed an impressive digital infrastructure as soon as the first wave began and this resulted in academic delivery with not much disruption. The university has been awarded with E Lead (E - Learning Excellence for Academic Digitization) Certification for exhibiting excellence in adopting ICT enabled Teaching and learning through online platforms, by QS.““Sathyabama sprawling campus is noted not only for its impressive infrastructure but for the well-planned systems that make the whole Sathyabama team, consisting of faculty, students and support staff, work with clockwork precision and effectiveness.“ “It is in academic infrastructure that Sathyabama shines even more as no expense has been spared to ensure that its students get the best of classrooms,
labs, libraries and auditoriums. The classrooms are spacious and modern with excellent student seating and facilities, and are provided with LCD projectors and smart boards. The lab facilities starting from the first year of all courses through to the final years are all modern and without cutting any corners. For instance the School of Computing’s multiple lab facilities include network programming lab, computer graphics and multimedia lab, digital signal processing lab, VLSI simulation and system design lab, linear integrated circuits lab, microprocessor and microcontroller lab, production drawing and cost estimation lab, cluster computing lab etc.““Science labs are also comprehensive, including biochemistry lab and plant cell and tissue culture lab. The internet infrastructure is also impressive with a dedicated Internet Leased line of 155 Mbps and a redundancy link of 100 Mbps, connected to all the terminals throughout the campus. Students and faculty are free to access internet over Wi-Fi from locations like library, hostels etc.““Sathyabama is accredited by UGC’s National Assessment & Accreditation Council (NAAC) at Grade A. And unlike some of its peers, Sathyabama is also approved by All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). Sathyabama has put up a consistent performance all through its history, and especially so during the last few years.““Sathyabama has been featured in the prestigious international rating by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), and has bagged an overall 4-Star QS Rating, with 5-Stars for three criteria – Teaching, Facilities & Inclusiveness – and 4-Stars for Employability and Innovation. Sathyabama has been awarded with Diamond rating by QS IGUAGE for overall excellence, the rating for Indian universities by QS. ““Sathyabama is also ranked among top universities in the world by Times Higher Education under the category World Ranking, Asia Ranking and Ranking by Subjects. The university has also been ranked in a notable position among World Universities by Times Higher Education Impact Ranking for its contribution towards Sustainable Development.
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THE CREATIVE POWER OF A BRAIN DUMP This creative exercise turns disorganized thoughts into gold, by helping you untangle your to-do list from your big, passionate ideas. o you have days where you’re facing a huge stack of assignments, but you find yourself unable to get rid of all the thoughts buzzing around in your brain? It might be time to try a brain dump. A brain dump is when you gather all your disorganized thoughts and, appropriately, dump them onto a blank canvas. This exercise allows you to clear your mind and pave the way for new, creative ideas. You let all your thoughts tumble onto paper, and see what you come up with after the process. To try it yourself, start with a completely blank slate, like a piece of paper or a new memo note on your phone. Start recording everything - from your nagging to-do list, to budding creative ideas for your business - onto the paper or screen. You might write down a partial grocery list, or ideas you have for redesigning your house. Then, once you have a list of all the brain clutter spilled out in front of you, take a moment to double-check if there are any lurking thoughts you forgot to include. Maybe there is an upcoming but low-priority deadline you forgot about, or a networking follow-up you dropped the ball on. Once everything is written down, start to rank each idea or task by priority and category. You might try organizing work and personal tasks, and indicating if they’re long-term or short-term projects. Finally, start to consider which part of your brain dump can be assigned to yourself at this very moment, to other people, or to tackle yourself at a later point. Some productivity bloggers have described the exercise as a “release valve.” Others emphasize that a brain dump should be a free-flowing and nonjudgmental process. So try to refrain from editing. Instead think of it as a way to generate creative material for later. Here are three reasons why this practice can be so effective.
1. BRAIN DUMPS STOKE CREATIVITY
Contributor Aytekin Tank says he uses brain dumps as a means to tap into his creativity, as leader and founder of a company. “The truth is, our mind isn’t at its best or at its most creative when it’s being held under the weight of thousands of tasks and projects,” he writes. Doing a brain dump can free up mental real estate by helping address attention residue, or leftover preoccupations from your most recent and unfinished task.”Keeping these ongoing mental lists leaves little room for the spark of new ideas to flourish,” Tank points out. The act of writing thoughts down in a space outside your temporary mental archives, makes it easier to see the bigger picture. Research shows that just attempting to multitask can be harmful. Author and computer science professor Cal Newport told Fast Company in 2016 about how without putting aside dedicated time for focused work, people convince themselves “shallow tasks” are real work. “Many people have convinced themselves that it’s crucial that they are always connected, both professionally and socially, but the reality is that this requirement is self-imposed,” he explains. In Newport’s book Deep Work, he discusses how when you hop from one task to the other, you can weaken your focus, making it increasingly more difficult to jump into deep-work projects over time. Doing a brain dump can be a first step at making sense of the busy rush of tasks that fill our lives.
2. BRAIN DUMPS HELP US MAKE SENSE OF COMPLICATED FEELINGS Ultimately, the method has done its job when it helps you to organize your confused thoughts. Think of your tangled thoughts as a ball of yarn. If you don’t have time to untangle them at the current moment, you can do a brain dump instead, and throw the tangled mess into a separate receptacle
for safekeeping. Research into similar activities - like filling out a diary suggests these endeavors help people cope with traumatic events. A study from the University of Texas with North Carolina State University suggested individuals who have experienced trauma can use expressive writing to tamp down distracting thoughts, as well avoid unhealthy behaviors.
3. BRAIN DUMPS HELP US RECONNECT WITH OUR PASSIONS When your mind is given leeway to calm down after a “brain dump,” the extra mental space can be great for focusing on what you love. Work and its constantly growing demands can make it extremely hard to break out of a cycle of busyness. And when we’re too overloaded with tasks, it can lead to burnout, not to mention a disconnection from your true passions. Burnout is linked with symptoms such as lowered productivity and feelings of losing your identity. Moreover, a worker who feels burnt out may feel disillusioned in their job or feel like even meeting their goals is no accomplishment. These sentiments make it easier to lose sight of why you took on a certain role, or why you feel empowered doing a certain project. By trying a brain dump, you can more clearly visualize what’s standing in the way of doing what you love. (By Diana Shi for Fast Company) SEASONAL MAGAZINE
ULTRAWIDE MONITORS ARE THE RAGE, SHOULD YOU GET THAT MEGA SCREEN? ANYONE USING COMPUTERS FOR EVERY DAY, SERIOUS WORK, KNOWS THAT MUCH TIME IS LOST ON SWITCHING BETWEEN PROGRAMS AND TASKS, ALL BECAUSE DESKTOP AND LAPTOP SCREENS ARE SMALL. BUT THE NEW ULTRAWIDE MONITORS ALONG WITH THEIR SUPPORTING SOFTWARE CAN SOLVE THIS PROBLEM AND BOOST PRODUCTIVITY. BUT SHOULD YOU GET ONE OF THESE EXPENSIVE SCREENS FOR YOURSELF?
ore screen space, more productivity. Is it really that simple? After using an ultrawide monitor for over a year, there are a few things I wish I’d known before investing in a big, expensive ultrawide screen for my daily work. Here’s my take on what it’s like to use an ultrawide monitor for productivity. First, a little bit about myself. My primary work involves spreadsheets. Lots of spreadsheets, with thousands of rows, dozens of columns, formulas, flashing buttons, you name it. Last year, I convinced myself I needed some extra screen real estate to accommodate my overgrown spreadsheets. I was working
on a standard 20-incher I bought long back, but to be honest, the real reason was I wanted to spoil myself with something nice. After some rather perfunctory research (that would come back to bite me), I picked up an ultrawide monitor from Dell, the 34-inch Dell P3421W, for approximately $650. Overall, the Dell P3421W is a solid, if not flashy purchase. It looks sleek on my desk, and the aluminum stand is sturdy enough not to wobble even at the tallest setting. It’s the kind of classy, understated design that works in just about any setting. It has plenty of ports, including USB-C, which makes it possible to connect a
laptop and charge it simultaneously with one cable. Just not my laptop, as I quickly found out (remember that perfunctory research I mentioned?). I also realized my aging laptop simply cannot output 3,440 x 1,440 pixels at 60Hz, forcing me to use the monitor at 30Hz, like a barbarian. Woe is me. The Dell P3421W lacks bells and whistles, including some I would’ve genuinely found useful. My big missing features are the integrated webcam and speakers. Like most office workers in 2022, my day is just an endless series of video calls, so I’ve come to regret the lack of a built-in webcam. You can at least buy a modular soundbar from Dell for $50 that you can snap magnetically to the bottom of the screen. And, of course, there’s the 34inch 3,440 x 1,440 21:9 panel. Technically, it’s a curved panel with a bend radius of 3800R. In plain English, the curvature exists, but only barely. You can see it if you look for it, but you probably won’t notice it in day-to-day use. The curvature on an ultrawide monitor is supposed to have a practical purpose: to decrease the distance to the edges of the screen, making it easier to see UI elements. That doesn’t happen with the Dell P3421W, and I often found myself moving windows to the middle of the screen so that I didn’t have to squint to the sides. On the flip side, there’s no distortion like on some curvier gamingoriented models. While you don't get lots of bells and whistles, the Dell P3421W is definitely a reliable purchase. With a large, high-quality 34inch display, USB-C connectivity, and a classy design, this ultrawide monitor will get the job done. The display quality is solid. I don’t have high demands, and the Dell P3421W is not the right choice for serious gamers. But all the basics are delivered just fine, including the resolution, brightness, refresh rates, contrast levels, and panel uniformity. Finally, it also turns out my desk is just a little too narrow to ergonomically accommodate a 34-inch screen, so keep that in mind when you buy yours. The Dell P3421W was my first time using an ultrawide monitor, so I was ready for a brave new
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world of pixels and productivity. A year later, I’m no productivity master, but switching to ultrawide has improved many aspects of my work. If you spend your day in apps or websites featuring complex interfaces, lots of information, and big workspaces, an ultrawide screen will make your life easier. You can just fit more stuff on the screen, especially if the UI is designed with wide screens in mind, or if you can customize it to take advantage of the horizontal space. Spreadsheets, tables, and databases are my primary “killer app.” In Airtable, Excel, or Google Data Studio, having more space for columns means less scrolling and an easier time wrangling the data. It’s hard to quantify, but the productivity gain is real. Developers, videographers, graphic designers, 3D modelers, and other creators will benefit from switching to an ultrawide format. The 5:9 space you get beside the classic 16:9 makes it possible to fit more UI elements while maintaining a generous space for your main work. Developers can, for instance, code in one window and see the results render beside it without having to switch windows. Multitasking is the other big benefit. Having a 21:9 screen is not equivalent to using two monitors side by side, but it’s almost there. You can place a Word window on the left side, fire up the browser on the right, and seamlessly switch. You can do that on a 16:9 monitor too, but the ultrawide format gives you way more breathing space. You can go beyond that and comfortably switch between three columns. Or, if you really want to go crazy, you can turn your screen into a full dashboard with five or six windows displayed simultaneously. Liveblogging major events like Google I/O is a bit less frantic when you can watch the livestream, coordinate with colleagues over Slack, work in WordPress, and monitor the traffic, from one screen and without feeling cramped. The ability to fire up multiple windows and arrange them to suit your work style is the biggest strength of the ultrawide experience, but it can also be the biggest weakness. Working on an ultrawide is
awesome if you have a specific layout that you rarely stray from. If like me, you constantly switch between a variety of apps, window sizes, and window positions, you better get good at it. Otherwise, all the switching, moving, and resizing may quickly become tedious. Or worse, you’ll end up using one app at a time in full screen, which is a waste of perfectly good pixels. Perhaps you like to focus on one window at a time to avoid succumbing to endless distractions. That’s where an ultrawide becomes less valuable because all the screen space on the sides goes unused. If you tend to work in just one app, especially one that doesn’t take full advantage of the horizontal space, you’ll be better off investing in a highquality 16:9 monitor instead. To become an expert window wrangler, you will need a window management tool. My go-to app is FancyZones, part of Microsoft’s PowerToys suite of utilities, but Dell has a similar one, and there are others out there. These apps let you define areas of your screens and quickly snap windows into position, making it a breeze to arrange them around the screen. You can have windows
You can go beyond that and comfortably switch between three columns. Or, if you really want to go crazy, you can turn your screen into a full dashboard with five or six windows displayed simultaneously.
automatically snap into place whenever you hit a keyboard shortcut. The catch is you’ll need to show some discipline and actually make use of these tools. Otherwise, it’s easy to devolve to using the ultrawide as a normal monitor, which will make you slower and less productive. Gaming and watching video are beyond the scope of the article, so I’ll just say one thing: I hope you don’t mind seeing black bars. After a year of living the ultrawide life, my advice is to ignore the hype. It’s easy to watch your favorite YouTuber tour their awesome desk and think, “I need that monitor in my life.” But that YouTuber probably has a specific use case for that monitor: video editing. If your use case doesn’t involve video editing or programming or lots of research, or other tasks that would actually benefit from the ability to define expansive window layouts, an ultrawide monitor should not be your default choice. I’m not saying you shouldn’t buy one - just that it won’t be the amazingly superior experience you may expect. Definitely don’t buy it just because it looks cool, and know that you will need a little discipline to make the most out of it. In my case, given how much time I spend up to my knees in spreadsheets, I am happy with my purchase. For everything else, I could’ve managed just as fine with a 16:9 screen and maybe saved some bucks in the process. (By Bodgan Petrovan for Android Authority) SEASONAL MAGAZINE
HOW TO USE SMALL HABITS TO WIN BIG
THE HABITS PEOPLE BUILD END UP STRUCTURING THEIR EVERYDAY LIVES, OFTEN WITHOUT THEM NOTICING. WHEN PEOPLE RECOGNIZE A BAD HABIT, THEY OFTEN TRY TO CHANGE IT THROUGH WILLPOWER ALONE - BUT THAT RARELY WORKS. HERE'S WHAT RESEARCH SAYS ARE THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAYS TO REPLACE BAD HABITS WITH GOOD ONES.
o you want to make a change in your everyday life - say, exercise more, meet all your deadlines, or develop a new skill. You make a plan, conjure your willpower, and commit. Yet, like the vast majority of people, you eventually fail. What happened? Perhaps getting to the gym was more of a hassle than you realized, or you found yourself too tired at night to study that new programming language. It’s easy to blame yourself for lacking self-control or dedication. But behavioral change rarely occurs through willpower alone, says Dr. Wendy Wood, a behavioral scientist at the University of Southern California. Instead, the people most likely to make lasting changes engage their willpower less often than the rest of us. They know how to form helpful habits. The habits we build end up structuring our everyday lives, often without us even noticing. “In research we’re able to show that people act on habits much more than we’re aware of,” Dr. Wood says. Sure, humans have advanced brains capable of creativity, problem-solving, and making plans. But it’s our daily habits - the small, everyday behaviors we do without thinking about it - that account for so much of how we spend our time and energy. Dr. Wood’s research finds that around 40% of our daily behaviors are habits. That’s why it’s worth taking a close look at what habits are, and whether they’re having a negative or positive effect on our lives. Habits are automatic behaviors. Instead of requiring intention, they occur in response to environmental cues like time of day or location. Essentially, your brain forms SEASONAL MAGAZINE
an association between a specific context and a specific behavior. You then execute that behavior - the ritual or habit - in that context without even thinking about it. Habits might be things like checking your email as soon as you get to work in the morning, walking a certain route home every evening, chewing your fingernails when nervous, or scrolling through your social media newsfeed when you hop in bed at night. Habits form when you receive a reward for a
behavior. And like Pavlov’s dogs, you might not even realize that you’re learning something new. When exposed to something enjoyable, your brain releases a neurotransmitter called dopamine. This “dopamine rush” makes you feel good, so you’re incentivized to repeat that behavior in order to get rewarded with dopamine again. Over time, the association between the context, behavior, and reward gets stored in areas of your brain like the basil ganglia and dorsolateral
In one classic study on habit change, researchers tried to get people to change a simple workplace behavior: taking the stairs instead of the elevator. The researchers tried educating people about the benefits of using the stairs, like reduced electricity use and getting some quick exercise. It made no difference. So, the researchers made the elevator doors close 16 seconds slower - just enough of inconvenience to nudge about one-third of people into taking the stairs. But the more remarkable finding was that people continued to take the stairs even after the elevator speed returned to normal. They stuck with their habit. Habits are rarely changed by knowledge, planning, or willpower alone. Remember that habits are stored in areas of the brain like the basil ganglia and dorsolateral striatum. These areas are involved in basic life functions, including procedural memory (e.g., how to ride a bike or do other actions) and emotion. They are considered somewhat primitive, even primal, developing early on in evolution to ensure animals completed the vital tasks of feeding, fighting, fleeing and reproduction.
straitum, which are associated with emotions and implicit learning. Checking your newsfeed at night, for example, might be enjoyable, at least sometimes. So, without even realizing it, that hope for another dopamine hit brings you back to checking it before bed. Before long, this habit gets stored in your brain and is hard to change. Over time, some habits can become so ingrained that they remain even when the reward ends.
On the other hand, willpower, explicit knowledge (such as the ability to state facts), and planning are primarily directed by the prefrontal cortex. The prefrontal cortex is the most advanced part of the brain. But because it is separate from where habits are stored, Dr. Wood argues, it alone cannot directly change habits. “Our habits are stored in a memory system that we don’t have access to, we can’t fuss with,” Dr. Wood says. “It’s a way of securing the most important information and protecting it from change.” For instance, just as educating people about the benefits of taking the stairs didn’t reduce elevator use, educating people about how to eat more healthily is unlikely to change their diets. Even providing financial incentives does not generally lead to lasting habit change after the incentive ends. So how can you change habits? Try making a new habit! Yes, the best way to change a habit is to replace it with a new one.
This means you must complete a new behavior in a given context, get a reward, and repeat. Of course, that’s easier said than done. Forming new habits is challenging because of what psychologists call “friction” - the barriers that get in the way of completing a behavior, like distance, time and effort. One of the best ways to overcome friction is to create an environment that makes the new behavior easy and rewarding. The new environment ideally will reduce old cues that led to bad habits, and increase cues that lead to helpful new habits. “One of the really important things about behavior change is you have to work with what’s around you,” Dr. Wood says. “We really need an environment that would make it easier to actually achieve our goals.” This is where your planning and thinking comes into play. If going to the gym is a hassle or you just don’t like it, find an at-home exercise routine you actually enjoy and leave your exercise clothes and equipment out in a convenient, obvious spot. If you want to start reading before bed instead of checking your phone, consider charging your phone overnight in a spot out of reach from your bed, and find yourself a book you just can’t put down. Although habits get a bad rap, using them wisely can substantially improve your life. In addition to helping you reach your goals, habits can provide a sense of structure, control, and even meaning to your life. Many professional athletes, for example, gain a sense of confidence and control when they perform specific rituals before or during games. Other people might have family traditions or routines that provide meaning. Because habits take so little brain power, they can also free up your mind for other things, like thinking about your important life goals or calling your mom on your drive home. “When we’ve practiced on things enough that we don’t have to think about it, then we can do other things,” Dr. Wood says. (By Elizabeth Gilbert for Big Think) SEASONAL MAGAZINE
THE POWER OF A 1-WEEK SOCIAL MEDIA DETOX AS PER THE FINDINGS OF A NEW RANDOMISED, CONTROLLED TRIAL, EVEN A BRIEF SOCIAL MEDIA CLEANSE OF AROUND ONE WEEK CAN AID IN REDUCING THE SYMPTOMS OF ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION, THUS IMPROVING MENTAL WELL-BEING.
n our fast-paced, tech-driven world, a break from social media - every once in a while - is always welcome. A contributor to our mental anguish, social media platforms can play a significant role in rousing feelings of unworthiness, anxiety, and unease. "Human beings are social animals that have an evolutionary need for companionship and to build connections that constitute their social milieu," says Nishtha Narula, Counselling Psychologist. "Although, this very social system that offers us the support, can, at times, put us under pressure, triggering angst. Social media platforms are the best example of this dichotomy," she goes on to explain. In keeping with this notion, a study published in Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking has established a link between a week-long social media cleanse and a notable decrease in the anxiety and depression experienced by its participants. The research based its findings on the social media behaviours of 154 participants, with a mean age of 29.6 years, who were either asked to refrain from using Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok for a week, or continue to do so. The mental health of the sample size was assessed before the study commenced and it was found that those who abstained from social media for a week noted a significant reduction in anxiety and depression, and a consequent increase in overall wellbeing. The control group, who didn't undergo the detox, failed to experience any comparable positive outcomes. "Many of our participants reported positive effects from being off social SEASONAL MAGAZINE
media, with improved mood and less anxiety. This suggests that even just a small break can have an impact,” posits Jeffrey Lambert, first author of the study and lecturer at the University of Bath. Future research should extend this to clinical populations and examine its effects over the long term, the study put forth. "Future work could attempt to recruit a
The mental health of the sample size was assessed before the study commenced and it was found that those who abstained from social media for a week noted a significant reduction in anxiety and depression, and a consequent increase in overall well-being. The control group, who didn't undergo the detox, failed to experience any comparable positive outcomes.
larger sample of participants to explore process-related queries around frequency, intensity, and type of social media, and add further understanding to the mechanisms by which reducing social media can contribute to better mental health. It should also examine how participant-level psychological, social, behavioural, and individual factors moderate the effect of social media abstinence on mental health outcomes," claimed the authors of the study. While on the one hand, social media aids in building social connections and presents a platform for self-expression, it can also set off a downward spiral of comparisons. Through constant social pressure to have desirable numbers that plague our self-confidence, a false perception of reality based on what one sees is encouraged. (Credit: Divya Verma)